Excellent Broccoli Cheese Soup

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
9 cups chicken stock
9 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 1/2 pounds processed cheese, shredded
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, and mix in the flour. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Mix in the chicken stock and milk, and season with salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the broccoli in the boiling water, and cook 2 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
3. Gradually mix the processed cheese and Cheddar cheese into the large pot until melted. Mix in the broccoli. Continue cooking about 5 minutes. Serve with Lion House rolls.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound fresh or frozen green beans,
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons lemon pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper. Stir in green beans, and toss to coat.

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain, and place in a large bowl or mixer.
2. Add butter, milk, sour cream & salt to potatoes. Mash together until smooth and creamy.

Valentino's Pizza Crust

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS:
1. Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone using fingers dipped in olive oil. If desired sprinkle basil, thyme or other seasonings on crust. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Golden Sweet Cornbread

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Great with Honey Butter.

Creamy Chicken & Rice

This is my 'go-to' meal. I almost always take this to families that have just had a baby.
My kids LOVE it!

4 C. hot cooked rice
1/2 C. butter or margarine, divided
1/4 C. flour
2 C. milk
2 t. chicken boullion granules (or 2 cubes, crushed)
1/2-1 t. seasoned salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. pepper
4-5 C. cubed, cooked chicken
2 C. shredded cheese
1 C. sour cream
1 tube of ritz crackers, crushed

Spread rice into greased 9X13 pan. Set aside. In saucepan, melt 1/4 C. butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, boullion, seasoned salt, garlic powder, & pepper. Bring to a boil. Cook & stir for 2 minutes until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat. Add chicken, cheese & sour cream. Stir until melted. Pour over rice. Melt remaining butter and toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Serves 10 This is great served with Brown Sugar Carrots.

Mexican Horchata

1 cup long-grain rice
4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
ice
Place the rice in a bowl with enough hot water to cover.
Let the rice sit overnight.
Next day, remove the water.
Place 1/2 cup of rice, and 2 cups milk in a blender.
Blend until rice is all ground up.
Mix in 1/4 cup sugar,.
1/2 teaspoons vanilla,.
1/4 teaspoons cinnamon.
Do the same with the other half of the ingredients.
Strain through cheesecloth (or whatever).
Serve over ice.
Serves 6

Wonder Bars (like Reese's)

3/4 C. Margarine, melted
1 ½ C. Peanut butter
1 block of Graham crackers -crushed fine
2 C. Powdered sugar

Topping:
1 C. Chocolate Chips
2 T. margarine
Directions:
Mix melted margarine, peanut butter, crushed crackers and sugar. Press into 9x13 pan. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 2 T. margarine. Spread over the top. Cool.

Bananas Foster

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and pecans in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

Feta & Bacon Stuffed Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
6 slices bacon, fried, drained & crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix feta and bacon pieces and stuff each chicken breast. Secure open sides with toothpicks
3. In a small bowl combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix together. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour oil mixture over chicken.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Great with Olive Garden's Alfredo Pasta.

Tomato Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 C. seasoned bread crumbs
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces pasta sauce
6 slices Monterey Jack cheese or mozzarella

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side

4. Pour tomato sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Lay chicken over sauce and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Lay a slice of cheese over each chicken piece & put pan back in oven until the cheese is completely melted.

Grilled Delmonico Steaks

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
¼ C. dried onion
½ tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
3 tablespoons steak sauce (e.g. A-1)
4 (10 ounce) Delmonico (rib-eye) steaks or Venison steaks

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, rosemary, steak seasoning, and steak sauce in the container of a food processor or blender. Process until well blended.
2. Prick steaks on both sides with a fork, and place in a shallow container with a lid. Pour marinade over steaks, cover, and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.
3. Remove steaks from marinade, and discard the marinade. Lightly oil the grilling surface, and place steaks on the grill. Cover, and grill steaks for about 10 minutes on each side, or to your desired degree of doneness.

*We have always used venison steaks, never Delmonico. It always turns out awesome!

Welcome

This is my attempt at getting my meals organized for my family & yours. I don't like the rush that always seems to happen at dinnertime. With kids coming home from school & the rush to get homework done before they're off to afterschool activities, I wanted some kind of way to get new recipes, ideas & information from you, my friends & family. So, email me with your favorite recipe & I'll post it to my site. Hopefully I'll find a way to manage them into categories. Any recipe works. Beverages, Bread, Breakfast, Lunch, snacks, Dinner, Crock pot, Dessert, Cookies, & misc.