Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sausage Zucchini Skillet

1 lb. hot or sweet bulk Italian sausage
2-3 medium sized sliced zucchini, depending on how many people you are feeding
1/2 onion, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. shredded cheese

Cook sausage in large frying pan. Drain. Add zucchini slices, onion, salt & pepper. Cover & cook until tender. Drain if needed. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese & cover until melted. Yum. Even the kids like this one.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Crustless Bacon & Cheese Quiche

5 green onions, chopped
1 tomato, seeded & chopped
3/4 lb. bacon
1 C. sliced fresh mushrooms
12 eggs
1/3 C. sour cream
1 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 C. mozzarella, shredded

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 T drippings in skillet. chop bacon. Add mushrooms & cook until tender. Remove from heat. Add onions, tomatoes & chopped bacon. Mix well. In large bowl, beat eggs & sour cream until blended. Add bacon & veggie mixture to eggs. Pour into greased 9X13 pan and Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting to serve.

Mounds Bars

Coconut bars on a graham cracker crust topped with chocolate.

2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. melted butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 C. sweetened coconut
1 pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar & melted butter. Mix & pat into 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Combine the condensed milk & flaked coconut. Spread over the crust & bake for 15 minutes. Spread the melted chocolate chips over the top. Let cool & cut into squares.

Crustless Mushroom & Spinach Quiche

1 T. butter
8oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped fine
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed & drained
5 eggs
1/2 C. heavy cream
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, saute' the mushrooms & onions in butter until tender. Remove from the heat & stir in the spinach. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the cream, salt & pepper. Add the mushroom mixture  & stir well. Stir in the cheese. Pour everything into a greased 10" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until set & lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*Can be cut into slices & frozen. To serve, cook slices in microwave 1 minute.

Rodeo Breakfast

3 T. oil
2 pkg. refrigerated diced potatoes ( or dice them yourself)
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/4" slices
1 medium onion, diced
1 pepper (any color), diced
salt & pepper
2 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
6 eggs, beaten

Heat oil in large skillet. Fry potatoes until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add smoked sausage, onions & peppers. Continue to cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add beaten eggs. Cook until done. Sprinkle cheese over top, cover, remove from heat. Serve with Salsa if desired.

Baked Penne & Smoked Sausage

My kids really liked this. Craig never got any, it was all gone by the time he got home. It's comfort food, that's for sure!! Not low-fat, but really yummy!

16 oz smoked sausage
1 can  cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 C. milk
8 oz uncooked penne pasta
1 1/2 C. french fried onions, divided
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 C. frozen peas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut sausage into 1/4" slices. Cook sausage in pan until lightly browned. Combine soup & milk in a 9X13 pan. Stir in uncooked pasta, sausage, 1/2 c. fried onions, 1/2 C. cheese , sausage & peas. Cover baking dish tightly with foil.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil & top with remaining onions & cheese. Bake for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes

These are SO good served with steak or grilled chicken!!

6 large baking potatoes
8 T. butter, divided
1/4 lb bacon, diced
3 green onions, diced
1/2 C. milk
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
1 C. cheese, shredded

Scrub & pierce potatoes. Rub each with 1 t. butter. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hr or until tender.
In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels. drain. reserving 1 T drippings. In the drippings, saute onion until tender, set aside.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice off the top & discard. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin shell. In a bowl, mash pulp with remaining butter. Stir in the milk, egg, salt & pepper. Stir in the cheese, bacon & onion.
Spoon into the potato shells. Place in a 9X13 pan & bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

German Pancakes

My kids love to see this pancake come out of the oven. It looks like a mountain range. The syrup is like caramel sauce!! So yummy! So good with bananas on top. Kinda like dessert!

2 T. butter

6 eggs
1 C. milk
1 C. flour
1/2 t. salt
powdered sugar for dusting on top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in 9X13 pan. Place in oven to melt butter. Place the eggs, milk, flour & salt in blender. Cover & process until smooth. Pour batter into hot pan with melted butter. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with buttermilk syrup.

Buttermilk syrup:
1 1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. butter
2 T corn syrup
1 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla

In a saucepan, combine the first 5 syrup ingredients. Bring to a boil. Boil 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla. Serve over the German pancakes.

Frozen Chocolate Kisses

1 C. whipped heavy cream
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. sour cream
1/8 C. heavy cream
1/8 C. water
1 pkg chocolate pudding (sugar free for low carb)

whip 1 C. cream & set aside. In a seperate bowl, cream the cream cheese. Add in sour cream, heavy cream & water. Mix well. Stir in pudding powder & blend well. Fold in whipped cream until well mixed. Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe Hershey kiss size dollops onto sheet pan covered with wax paper. Place in freezer until solid, then store in the freezer in a container.

Sugar & Spice Pecans

1 egg white

2 T. water
3/4 C. sugar (or splenda)
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground cloves
8 C. pecan halves

Place pecans in large bowl. Set aside. In medium bowl, beat egg white until frothy. Add water & stir. Add remaining spices. Pour over pecans & stir to coat evenly. Spread pecans lightly on greased foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool.

These are a great low carb snack, if you use Splenda. Also, try this with Almonds & cashews. Pecans are my favorite though.

Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp

The contrast between the spicy shrimp & cool, crisp lettuce is so yummy! Make sure you use Iceburg lettuce. It's so crispy!


Sauce:
1/2 C. mayo
1/4 C. Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 t. peanut butter (we use 'natural' for best flavor)
3 drops Sriracha Hot chili sauce (or to taste)

1 lb shelled & deveined shrimp
Cornstarch
oil for frying
Iceburg lettuce, chopped bite sized
chopped scallions

In a small bowl, mix mayo with peanut butter & Thai sweet chili sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Set sauce aside. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fry at 375 degrees for 2 min or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Put shrimp in a bowl & coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with scallions.

Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

This recipe is great because when the veggies are gone, all you do is add more to the jar. My kids actually liked the onions & peppers in this.

1 C. distilled white vinegar
1 T salt
1 C. sugar
1 T. dill seed
1 T. mustard seed
6 C. sliced cucumbers
1 C. sliced onion
1 C. green bell peppers

In a medium saucepan oven medium heat, bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Place the cucumbers, onions, peppers, dill & mustard seeds in a large bowl.  Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Transfer to a sterile container & store in the fridge. Can easily be doubled.

Applebee's Blonde brownies

2 C. flour
1 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/4 sticks of butter
2 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3/4 C. chocolate chips
3/4 C. pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter & flour 9X13 pan. Sift flour into a bowl. Mix flour ,baking powder, salt & baking soda. Set aside. Melt butter. In mixing bowl, place melted butter & add sugar, mixing well. Add eggs & vanilla, mixing well. Add flour slowly. Batter will be slightly thick. Spread in pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

1/2 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. shortening
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
1t. vanilla
1 1/2 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3 C. rolled oats
1 2/3 C. butterscotch chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, shortening & sugars together. Add the eggs & vanilla, beating well.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, b.soda, cinnamon & salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. stir until blended. Stir in oats & chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2" apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 min. until edges begin to brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Crepes

1 1/2 C. milk
3 egg yolks
2 T vanilla
1 1/2 C. flour
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
5 T. melted butter

In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks & vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt & melted butter until well blended.
Heat a 10-12" skillet over medium heat until hot. Coat with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 C. of batter into the pan & tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over & cook until lightly browned on the other side & edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, cream, caramel or even ice cream to serve.

Our favorite is a sweetened cream cheese filling with fruit on top. Bananas & strawberries are good.
Filling:
8oz cream cheese
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 C. cool whip

Zucchini Pie

3 C. zucchini, diced
1 onion, chopped
4 eggs, beaten
1 C. bisquick
1/2 T. dried parsley
1/2 C. oil
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
1/2 t. dried marjoram
pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12" pie plate. Combine ingredient. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned & set.

Slushie Mix

1 pkg Kool Aid
1/2 C. water
1 3/4 C. corn syrup

Combine, store in fridge. Use on shaved ice!

Herb Rub

We love this rub on chicken! I always have some in my fridge & I just rub it on the chicken & grill it. We like it served on a green salad! Yum! Can also use it on steak, veggies & fish! So versatile, don't you think? =)

1/2 C. fresh Cilantro leaves or 1/4 C. dried
1/2 C. fresh Basil leaves or 1/4 C. dried
1/2 C. fresh Parsley leaves or 1/4 C. dried
1/4 C. olive oil
1/4 C. canola oil
2 T. salt
1 T. Paprika
1 1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. garlic powder
2 T. onion powder

If using fresh herbs, combine all in food processor. If using dried, just mix in a plastic container that you can store it in. Store in Refrigerator up to 3 weeks in non-reactive container. 
* I didn't notice any difference in using the fresh herbs. I was hoping there would be a big difference especially after spending all that money on the fresh herbs, but there wasn't. Dried is easier to do, cheaper & more convienient.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

From Jean Hendricks. I used to sneak into the kitchen at her house & steal these while we were visiting! They're so good & chewy!
1 C. Corn Syrup
1 C. sugar
2 C. peanut butter
4 C. special K cereal
2 C. chocolate chips

Spray 9X13 pan. Measure out cereal into large bowl. Bring corn syrup & sugar to a boil. Stirring constantly. Mix in peanut butter. Pour over cereal & mix until coated. Pour into pan. Melt chocolate & pour over bars. Chill until firm & cut into squares.

Quick Brownies

These are great to make if you don't have a brownie mix on hand, but you have a chocolate cake mix.

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1/2 C. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 C. oil
2 eggs
1 C. peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 11X7 pan. Combine 1st four ingredients. Beat on medium speed 1 minute. Stir in chips. Bake 35-40 minutes.

Chocolate Cobbler

1 1/2 C. flour
2 1/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
3/4 C. sugar
3 T. cocoa pwd + 6 T cocoa pwd, divided
3/4 C. milk
5 T. oil
1 1/2 C. brown sugar
2 1/2 C. hot water
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking pwd, salt, sugar & 3 T. cocoa pwd. Stir in Milk & oil until smooth. Pour into greased 11X7 pan. Combine the brown sugar & 6 T cocoa pwd. Sprinkle over the top of batter. Pour hot water over the top (do NOT mix) Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until top of cake springs back when lightly touched. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Scrambled Egg Muffins

My kids love these in the morning. I freeze them & they get one out & microwave it for 45 seconds or so & they have a quick hot breakfast. Eric likes to toast an english muffin & squish it in between.

1/2 lb pork sausage, or sausage links, cut up
12 eggs
1/2 C. green onion, chopped
1/4 C. green pepper, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 C. cheese, shredded
cook pork. drain. Mix remaining ingredients, add sausage. Spoon into greased muffin cups (1/3 C.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Hot Spinach Dip

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed & drained
1/2 C. sour cream
1/4 C. mayo
1/3 C. parmesan cheese
1/4 C. green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded
pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Place in an ovenproof dish & bake for 25 min. Serve with tortilla chips.

Hot Wing Dip

2 C. cooked chicken, I use our home canned kind
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
2 C. shredded cheese
1 C. ranch dressing
1/2 C. hot sauce
Combine all in a 3 qt slow cooker. cook on low for 1 hr. or bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. Serve with tortilla chips.

Rolo Cookies

3 C. flour
3/4 C. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. butter, softened
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1 bag of Rolos, unwrapped
1/2 C. sugar, for rolling cookies in

Combine flour, cocoa & baking soda. Set aside. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla & eggs. Add flour mixture & mix. Wrap just enough dough (about 2 T.) around 1 Rolo.  Roll in sugar & bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Very Soft Sugar Cookies

2 C. sugar
1 C. margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 C. sour cream
5 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Cream sugar and margarine. Add eggs, vanilla & sour cream. Combine dry ingredients in seperate bowl & add to wet mixture. Refrigerate about 2 hrs. Roll out to 1/2" thickness. Cut out into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Frost when cooled.

Welcome

These recipes are all family favorites. If I haven't made the recipe myself, someone I know has & their family loves it. These are recipes that have been tried, tested & made perfect!!