Chicken Pasta Salad

This is one of my families favorite meals and it is seriously SO easy! This is one of those foods that I find myself craving for some reason - if you like mayo based salads you have to try this.

Ingredients:

chicken breasts (cooked with a very generous amount of montreal chicken seasoning - I like to brown it and then add water and cover, it cooks the chicken and softens the seasoning)

cooked large macaroni noodles

purple seedless grapes (cut in halves)

cucumbers

mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

After cooking and cubing chicken, cooking noodles, cutting grapes and cucumbers, put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix - that's it.

Vanilla Crepes

These are so Easy and Yummy!!!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.
2. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve.

I filled them with Nutella, Banana's, Strawberries, and Whip Cream!!!

Eash Peach Cobbler

This is such an easy recipe, perfect for a Sunday Treat!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow or white cake mix
• 2 cans peach pie filling
• 1 cube of butter
• Cinnamon and Sugar

In a 9X13 pan, pour both cans of peach pie filling, and spread in pan. Cover with the cake mix, and cut of butter into small slices and cover the top of the cake mix. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake at 350 for 30-35 min, until brown, and enjoy!!! Also, good when served with ice cream, or cool whip!

Summer Chicken Salad

This is the best and easiest Salad. I actually got this Recipe from Michon, I think it was one of Aunt Marilyns.

Ingredients:

• Chicken-Cut into small pieces (I always cook a little more, because it really cooks down)
• Honey Mustard Dressing (Briannas Brand)
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Blueberries (You can use whatever fruit you have, this is my favorite combination)
• Salad (I like to do half lettuce and half Spinach)
• Poppy Seed Dressing (Briannas Brand--They are the best)

Put the chicken in a lightly greased pan, flavor with salt and pepper, add Honey Mustard Dressing, add enough to cover the chicken, then start cooking. I like to cook the chicken until it is brown and a little crispy, you may need to add a little more honey mustard towards the end, I always do.

Once chicken is cooked, layer salad, fruit and chicken, and top with the Poppy Seed dressing! Enjoy!!!

Chicken Pot Pie

4-5 chicken breasts boiled and cubed (I used bottled chicken and I used 1 1/2 bottles)
1 can cream of celery
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of potato
1 8 oz bag of frozen mixed veggies boil or steam for a few minutes so they are not totally frozen. (I got a 16oz bag and used more than half, I wanted more veggies)
2 deep dish pie crusts (I used the frozen Marie Calenders'. They come in a two-pack)
2 pastry sheets/pie tops (1 box of the Pillsbury brand has 2 sheets inside and works perfect)

Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl and mix together. Pour half the mixture into each pie crust and then cover with a pastry sheet pinching around the edges. Score the pie tops with a fork.

Bake @ 400 for 45 minutes.

Sorry if this recipe isn't very detailed. It's one of those that my mom told me over the phone that my sister had told her over the phone, but I thought it turned out really good and I liked that it made 2 pies. So we ate one (over a couple of days), and now I have another one in the freezer already made that will just need to be heated. It's another really easy and quick dinner. I'm kind of the queen of those these days...

My families Chili

1 lb ground beef, browned
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can white beans
1 can chili beans
1 can corn (drain some of the juice)
1 can tomato puree
1 can diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning

Throw it all into a crock pot and cook on low for 4 or 5 hours.
Optional: Serve over tortilla chips and topped with sour cream and shredded cheese.

This is the easiest chili recipe I've ever made and it's my favorite.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
2 large eggs
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C real butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark works best, you might find milk too sweet)
1 C chopped pecans (you are welcome to make it without nuts)

Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving

optional: chocolate sauce (honestly, doesn’t really need chocolate sauce, but it looks pretty!)

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

This treat is incredibly easy and fast to make, and is SO good!

Whole Wheat Pecan Waffles

These are my very favorite waffles! They are so so yummy. We hosted a dinner party last Saturday and had breakfast-for-dinner. These (and the coconut syrup) were everyone's favorite.

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Stir the above ingredients together. Set aside.
In a separate bowl combine:

1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I substitute 1/2 c. apple sauce)
2 eggs, beaten

Stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until moistened. Grease waffle iron and bake.

Brussels Sprouts

Boil a pot of water and then add whole Brussels Sprouts to boiling water.  Boil for 3 minutes. Drain. Put in cold water and let them cool.  Once cooled, cut off ends and cut the Brussels Sprout in 1/2 long ways.

Put chopped bacon (I have used Turkey Bacon and it works great too) in pan and start heating it.  Once the bacon has started to cook add the Brussels Sprouts.  Add salt, pepper, and garlic and brown.  Top with shredded Parmesan cheese. 

Blueberry-Banana Muffins With Crumb Topping

I just found this recipe on the internet but, it was really yummy and did not call for any eggs. 

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup fresh or unthawed frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mash the bananas, add oil and sugar and mix well.  In a small bowl, sift together the salt, baking soda, and 2 cups of the flour.  Add the dry mixture to the banana mixture and stir by hand until the 2 are combined.  Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into lined muffin pan.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, the brown sugar, and the butter.  Stir until the mixture forms coarse crumbs and then sprinkle the crumbs onto the muffins.  Bake the muffins for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Roasted Turkey

Seasoning: Mix together: salt, pepper, 3 garlic cloves (pressed and crushed), Rosemary,
Thyme, Parsley.

Rub Olive Oil on the top of the turkey and then rub the seasonings all over the Turkey.

May put lemons or oranges in the Turkey Cavity.

Cook 12-24 hours depending on the size of the Turkey.

Turkey Pot Pie

Pie Crust:

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter
  
• 1 T sugar
• Combine to equal 1/2 cup= 1 T. white vinegar, 1 egg, and water to equal the 1/2 cup

Mix all together with a hand pastry tool.  Roll out on flour.  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cubed cooked turkey
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. You can line the bottom of pie pan with crust or just put the crust on top. In a skillet saute the chopped onion until slightly soft and set aside.
2. Mix together the turkey or chicken, mixed vegetables, onion, soup and milk. Pour into pie crust, cover with top crust and crimp edges.
3. Poke holes in top crust and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.f

Chewy Granola Bars

I Found this recipe on a blog, and looked so good that I had to try it! It is good, and very easy!!!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C. Old Fashioned or Quick Oats
1/2 C. Rice Crispy Cereal
1/2 C. mini Chocolate Chips (I used regular chips, and added more)
1/2 C. butter, softened
1/3 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. coconut
1/4 C. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together. Stir until well combined. I used my hands to get it all mixed together. Press into a 9X13 pan. (for thicker bars use a 8X8 pan.) Using hands press down and flatten and evenly smooth out the mixture. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Cool for 10 min and cut into bars.

For a variety you can also add:
Raisins
Marshmallows
Mini M&Ms

Steak Teriyaki

You can also use chicken instead of steak!

Ingredients:

Steak-I used Flat Iron Steak
Peppers
Brocolli
Snap Peas
Green Beans

Cut steak into strips and put in a pan with oil, cook until brown, then add the vegetables and finish cooking steak, and vegetables until soft. Season with salt and pepper, and soy sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 c. water

1/2 t. ground ginger or ginger powder

1/4 t. garlic powder (or fresh garlic, minced)

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 t. cornstarch

1/4 c. water

Mix all ingredients together except for the 1/4 C. water and 2 tsp. cornstarch. In a small bowl combine the constarch and cold water and dissolve. Add the mixture to the saucepan, heat and simmer until the sauce is the thickness that you prefer. Once finished pour over steak and vegetables, and mix together and serve over rice.

Orange Chicken and Fried Rice

Here is another easy and really good recipe!!!

Orange Crockpot Chicken:
Chicken Breasts
Panda Express Orange Chicken Sauce
Put chicken in crockpot and cover with Orange Chicken Sauce, cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours.

Fried Rice (this is Danielles Recipe)
Rice (White or Brown)
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Snap Peas
Carrots
4 Eggs

Cook rice in pan according to directions. Cut the vegetables in small piece and saute the vegetables until soft, beat the eggs in a separate bowl, once veggies are soft pour eggs in and cook all together, season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Once the eggs are cooked pour in the rice and season more if needed. You can use whatever vegetables that you would like, I just put in what I liked.

Navajo Tacos

These were really Yummy, and so Easy!!!

Fry Bread Ingredients:
Combine:
1 tsp. yeast
1/2 C. warm water

Combine:
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. flour
2 tsp. sugar

Pour yeast water into flour mixture, mix knead and let rise fro 10 min. Section off into small piece, roll and stretch in flour, for the size you would like, then deep fry until golden brown on both sides.

Crockpot Chili

Ingredients:
1 can of tomatoes
1 can of Rotel
1 can of Kidney Beans
1 can of Pinto Beans
1 package of McCormick Chili Mix
1 Pound of cooked ground beef
2-3 cans of larger tomato sauce

Combine all ingredients together in crockot and cook for several hours, the longer it cooks the better. I also added about 1/2-1 cup of water, and a few Tablespoons of Brown Sugar, to make it a little sweeter, just depends on how you like it to taste.

Toppings:
Sour Cream
Cheese
Lettuce
Salsa
Tomatoes
Honey Butter

Spinach & Cheese Tortellini Salad

This is a really easy yummy salad that looks pretty too.  This is one of those recipes that doesn't have exact measurements. You can make a lot or a little. 

• 1-2 Bags raw fresh spinach
• Box of cherry tomatoes
• Can of black olives-sliced
• 1 Bag of fresh cheese tortellini - Boil for 5-6 minutes, then drain, then cool before adding it to the salad.  Be careful not to overcook the noodles because then they get really mushy.  
• 1 bottle of Italian dressing
• Shredded Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese

*Combine Spinach, tomatoes, olives, tortellini in a large bowl. Pour and toss the dressing over the salad and then toss in the cheese.  

Black Bean Soup

This is definitely my go-to soup! It is so yummy, easy, and fills you up! Madison requests this soup all the time. Serve with chips, warm pita wedges or great with a Cheese Quesadilla.


INGREDIENTS:
• 2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or lately I have been using dried black beans but you have to think to cook them before hand)
• 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 tsp ground cumin

TOPPINGS:

• Sour cream
• Chopped cilantro
• Shredded Cheese
• Chips
• Avocados
• Warm pita wedges
• Cheese Quesadilla
  

PREPARATION:
Lightly puree one can of black beans with broth, salsa and cumin in a blender. In a
medium saucepan combine pureed bean mixture with remaining beans and heat
through.Top each bowl with your choice of toppings.

Caribbean Passion-ish Smoothie

We are huge Jamba Juice fans here at our house and Caribbean Passion is our favorite flavor, so when we found this recipe, we had to try it.
It is so good! Both Beau and I were totally shocked at how similar it is to the original. We couldn't tell the difference at all!

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup frozen orange-peach-mango juice concentrate (Dole)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 cup tropical sherbet (we used orange flavored sherbet)
1/2 cup ice cubes

• Pour the water into the blender. Add the frozen fruit juice, strawberries, peaches, sherbet and ice.
• Blend until no big chunks of ice or frozen fruit are left. You want the smoothie to be ... smooth. But also thick. Don't let it get runny.

Try this! It's seriously so good and an awesome way to get your kids to eat fruit with not a lot of sugar.

Hollandaise Sauce

This is a simple but super good hollandaise sauce recipe that I make a lot to drizzle on asparagus or dip artichokes in (artichoke season starts this month!).
It can be a little tricky to make correctly, but the key is to do it slowly over a really low heat so that the eggs don't scramble, and to whisk constantly.

1 cube butter
2 egg yokes
3 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled, it doesn't matter)

Add all ingredients together in a small sauce pan and whisk constantly over a low heat until it's combined and almost the consistency of pudding, but not quite as stiff as pudding.

Coconut Syrup

This coconut syrup is amazing! I could eat it by the spoonful.
We especially love it on pancakes topped with strawberries.

1 cube of butter (No substitutes)
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of real buttermilk
Mix contents together and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Let
boil for 2 minutes then remove from stove and add:
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp of coconut extract
CAUTION: When baking soda and coconut flavor is added and stirred in,
the syrup expands to almost double the size.

ENJOY!

Macaroni & Cheese

My friend Nat made this for lunch one day when the girls and I were visiting and I was surprised at how easy it really is! Now we make it all the time instead of boxed mac'n cheese.

Ingredients:

cooked noodles (we use all shapes)

butter

flour

milk

grated cheese

salt and pepper

optional:

garlic powder (if you want it to taste like Granny Davis')

or

mustard powder (if you want it to taste like Pioneer Womans)

Directions:

cook and strain noodles

make a rough with butter and flour

add milk and wisk until thickened

add cheese and wisk until smooth

add salt and pepper to taste

add either garlic or mustard if desired

Easy Yummy Banana Bread

This is a recipe my Mom gave me from a lady in Tropic. I have added the changes that I do to the side of the ingredients. I have made this a lot and it is easy, fast, and always turns out soooo yummy!

I took the picture on my phone so it's not the best picture...

3 ripe mashed bananas (I usually use 4)
¾ C. butter (I split this in half and use 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil)
1 ½ C. sugar
2 eggs will beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ C. buttermilk (I never have buttermilk on hand so I make my own by just putting 1/2 cup of milk in a cup and adding a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit about 5 min. and then you have buttermilk.)

Cream butter & sugar blend in bananas, eggs, vanilla. Sift flour, soda, salt (all dry) then add this mixture alternatively with the buttermilk. Bake @ 325 for 1 hour.

Tin Foil Dinners

This is not a fancy recipe but this is a dinner that we love to eat and sometimes I forget about it. I also like it because you can put really any vegetable or meat that you have on hand.

1 hamburger patty (I like to break the meat up)
1-2 potatoes cut into chunks
Handful of frozen peas
Salt/Pepper
Steak Seasoning

I put this all on a piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle the seasonings then I roll it up and wrap it in another sheet of foil and then place in the oven. I cook them at 425 for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. I just check to make sure the potatoes are soft and the hamburger is all the way cooked.


Possible Variations:
Chopped Onions
Chopped Carrots
Any other Vegetable
I have also used chicken instead of hamburger.

Easy White Bread

This is from Sister Elison in my Mom's ward. It is the easiest (yummiest) and makes four loaves so we always give a couple away or we end up eating all four in two days and have a carb overload.

Ingredients:

sit until foams

5 c very warm water

2 T dry yeast

1/2 c sugar (I add a little more)

add

2 t salt

1/2 c oil

add

aprx 15 c flour

(I start with 8 heaping cups and then continue to add until dough is firm - usually around 10-11 cups)

Knead well (5 min)

Put in greased pans and let raise until 1 inch above pan. Bake at 350 for 22 min.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

This is out of an old ward cookbook that I altered slightly.

Ingredients

1-2 chicken breasts

montreal chicken seasoning

1/2 pkg fettuccine noodles (cook according to directions)

1/3 c butter

3/4 c hvy whipping cream (room temp)

3/4 c parmesan cheese (worth it to buy fresh and grate it)

up to 2 oz cream cheese (depending on how thick you like it)

salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle chicken with montreal chicken seasoning, cook, and slice.

In medium saucepan melt butter and cool to warm temp, slowly add whipping cream stirring entire time (Sometimes I speed this step up by melting butter in microwave and then combine it with cream before placing on stove). Add parmesan and cream cheese and wisk (bringing to a low boil) until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss sauce and cooked noodles. Top with chicken and grated parmesan.

Blackened Lemon Fish

Ingredients:

White fish fillets (I used tilapia loins)

Butter

Lemon

Blackened seafood seasoning (zatarain's)

Place fish in lightly oiled pan. Butter lightly in areas fish looks a little dry. Sprinkle with seasoning (however spicy you like it - I use less on the girls fillet). Slice lemon in discs and place on fish. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 400 for approximately 35 min or until fish flakes apart.

Serve with fresh lemon wedges. I also usually just steam some veggies to go with this and my fam loves it (even if the girls eat ketchup on theirs - gross I know!)