Chicken Salad

3 cup diced Chicken
1 1/2 cup diced celery
3/4 - 1 cup mayo
4 stalks of green onions
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 T. parsley
1/3 cup whipping cream, whipped (I use a whole small one)
1 tsp. salt
1 t. Lemon juice
1 cup sliced purple grapes

*optional: pecans or almonds, 1 cup each

Mix all together and chill before serving.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

24 small corn tortillas
1 (24oz) sour cream
2 bags of shredded cheese (I used one cheddar one mozzarella and mixed them together)
1 can of black olives
1 can of black beans
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can of corn
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 28 oz can of green enchilada sauce

Simply layer the tortillas, spread (1/3) of each--sour cream, chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, then add the can of olives, repeat the layers but one one of the layers use the chilies, and end with tortillas. Pour sauce over top and finish with rest of cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Roasted Garlic

I have been having some weird cravings during pregnancy and most of them are not worthy of being posted here (e.g. salad with beets and blue cheese) but this one is. I think!

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:
1 medium garlic bulb (the whole bulb not just a clove).
2 T. olive oil
Salt to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 320 degrees F (160 degrees C). Slice about 1/4 in. off top of garlic bulb. Place it in a small baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 min. depending on size of bulb (until it is slightly browned and the cloves are soft). Remove from oven. When it is cool enough to touch extract each bulb by squeezing slightly. It should pop right out. If you can't wait for it to cool (I rarely can) then just use a fork to take each clove out.
Depending on what you are going to use it on you can add some salt or other spices and you can use the garlic infused olive oil as well. It should spread like softened butter!

It is amazing spread on bread or crackers or mixed into dips (like hummus), pasta sauce or on pizza crust or really it is good on anything. I hope you like it as much as I do. We are having it with a baguette and lasagna for dinner tonight!

I have also read that you can roast garlic cloves already peeled but it seems like so much work when they just slide out after roasting. But suit yourself.

Sorry there isn't a photo for this one but I forgot to take it before eating it all up.

Emily Bell's Salsa

This is great, and very easy to make. Just one word of warning it makes like a gallon of salsa!

6 regular cans of petite diced tomatoes
1 can of El Pato (yellow can)
2-3 jalapenos deseeded and chopped fine
1 banana pepper (fresh or in the bottle over by the pickles)
5-6 green onions
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 T sugar
salt and pepper to taste

If you have a good blender I have just been using that to mix it, then you don't have to chop anything, just deseed. You can't fit it all in at once though, so I just do as much as I can and then stir it in a bowl.

Amy's Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:
1 9-inch graham cracker crust
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice (try and find Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice)
1 lime
cool whip

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Combine condensed milk, egg yolks and lime juice.
Blend until smooth.
Pour filling into pie crust.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.Allow to stand for 10 minutes before refrigerating.
Let refrigerate for at least 1 hour (overnight is best).
Just before serving top with cool whip and garnish with lime slices.



I have made two different kinds of key lime pies, this is more the traditional kind while the other is more of a cheesecake.

Oatmeal Cake

Okay, this cake is sooo good. I would have never made it if I crossed this recipe, but thanks to my great friend Nikki I am now a BIG fan of this and if I gain 100 pounds from this recipe I will put all the blame on her.

Pour 1 ¼ cup boiling water over 1 ¼ cup oatmeal and 1 cube melted butter. Let stand 20 minutes while you make the rest.

Cream together then add to oatmeal mixture:
1 cup brown sugar1 cup sugar2 eggs¼ tsp. salt1 tsp. vanilla
Stir in 1 ½ cup flour, 1 tsp. soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon. Bake in greased 9 x 13 pan for 30 min. at 350

Frosting
Mix in saucepan: 2/3 cup evaporated milk, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 cube of butter. Cook, stirring constantly until it thickens. Add 1 tsp. vanilla, spread on cool or warm cake.

We made it and did 1 ½ batch of the frosting and poked holes in the cake and dumped it on and it was so yummy this way.

Parmesan Peppercorn Ranch

This dressing has got my kids asking for a salad or raw vegetables for snacks! Anything like that I figured I should pass on.

1 pkg dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
1/4 cup powdered Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. black pepper

Mix all together in one of those shaker things and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Banana Bran Muffins

yes, I am into Bran Muffins right now and I have been trying out a bunch of recipes and "Maryizing" them as mom would put it. These have all been tried and past the kid approved test with flying colors.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add bananas, milk, vanilla and eggs; mix well. Stir in flour, bran, baking powder, soda and salt; blend just until moistened. Stir in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the cups for 5 minutes, then remove muffins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filled Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup bran cereal (not flakes)
3/4 cup raisins or chopped dates, optional
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup 1% buttermilk
1 egg, partially beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup bran flakes
Filling (see below)

Method:
Preheat oven to 4000 F. Prepare filling (below) and set aside. Grease, or line standard muffin tin with cupcake papers.
Pour boiling water over bran cereal and optional raisin/dates; and allow to stand 5 minutes.
Stir in melted butter, buttermilk, egg, and sugar; mix well. Stir in flour, soda, and salt. Add bran flakes and stir just until combined. Place approximately 1 tablespoon batter in bottom of prepared muffin tins; gently spread batter over bottom of cup. Spoon in approximately 2 teaspoons prepared filling. Cover filling with additional muffin batter to fill cup approximately 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes or until done. Makes 12-15 muffins

Filling

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz) low-fat cream cheese
2 T sugar
1 egg

Method:
Soften cream cheese; add sugar and egg. Beat together until smooth and creamy.
NOTE: If desired, soften 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, add 1 teaspoon milk and stir until smooth. Divide into small bowls; add a drop of food color to each bowl, and stir. Spread cream cheese over muffins. Use different the colored cream cheese in pastry tubes to create fun designs.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

Not the best pictures, Sorry!

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups boiling water
5 cups unsifted flour
4 cups 100% bran cereal, blended
2 cups bran flakes cereal
5 tsp. baking soda

Instructions:

Add soda to hot water; cool. Cream sugar and shortening. Add beaten eggs. Mix in large Tupperware. Stir in buttermilk, water, bran, flour. Pour in greased muffin pan and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar and bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Store in fridge for up to six weeks with tight lid.

Crock Pot Lasagna

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 box of mini lasagna noodles, cooked (I use bow tie, I can’t find mini lasagna noodles anymore)

Sauce:
1 lb. hamburger
½ lb. ground sausage
1 cup onions

Brown meat and onion together, add:
1 20oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp. seasoned salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed or 1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp pepper

Simmer 10 minutes

In a bowl combine:
16 oz cottage cheese
1 egg
1 T. dried parsley
½ tsp. salt
4 cups of cheese (half cheddar/half mozzarella)

Layer sauce, noodles, and cheese mixture in 5 qt. crock pot. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and cook on high 3 hours or low 5-6 hours. This makes a ton!

Parmesean Artichoke Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese
1 cup mayo
1 jar artichokes (quartered)
1 8 oz. Parmesan cheese

combine all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. (I use a 8 x 8 dish) Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Honey Mustard Chicken

8 chicken breasts, split
olive oil
2-3 fresh garlic cloves
Honey mustard sauce (recipe down below)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3-4 slices of crisply cooked bacon (you can substitute bacon bits if you would like)

Heat olive oil and garlic in large skillet. Add chicken and saute over medium high heat until chicken is browned and just a little bit crispy looking. Transfer to a baking dish and pour half of the honey mustard sauce evenly over the chicken.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve with remaining honey mustard sauce.

Honey Mustard Sauce

1 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup honey
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Mix well in sauce pan and heat through.

Pork Taco's

I actually got this recipe from another blog, and they are so good.

3 lb. Pork Roast, fat removed as much as possible (*If using a roast any larger than 3 lbs, I always double the remaining ingredients)
1 Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic,crushed
1 10oz. Can Green Enchilada Sauce
1 4oz. Can Diced Green Chili’s1 14oz. Can Diced Tomatoes with Chili’s
2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
½ tsp. Cumin
½ tsp. Oregano
¼ tsp. Pepper

1. In a large heavy pot, over medium heat, brown meat, then add onion and garlic and saute a few minutes. Place in crock-pot.

2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours
.
3. One hour before serving, remove roast and set aside. Strain out the onions and tomatoes as much as possible and put with the roast. Pour remaining liquid into a large saucepan. (I place the roast and strained solids back into the crock-pot, TURNED OFF, with the lid on to keep warm.)

4. Bring the liquids to a boil on the stove, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every now and then, until considerably reduced. This will concentrate all the liquids to make a thicker sauce.

5. Mix the thickened sauce into the shredded meat and serve in warm tortillas (I use the ones you cook yourself). Toppings of your choice: Cheese...I like Monterey Jack cheese (monterey pepper jack is good too), cilantro, diced tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole or avacado, olives, & salsa.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

This is super yummy and I usually double it so that there are left overs. I also cheat on the chicken sometimes and I use the canned stuff, 1 large can for a regular recipe, 2 if you double it.

2 large Chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 (8oz) container of sour cream
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
1/2 stick of butter
2-3 T. poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cream of chicken soup and the sour cream in a bowl. Add the shredded chicken to the sour cream/soup mixture and stir well.

Place in a casserole dish (stone if you have one), sprinkle with poppy seeds on top. Crush Ritz crackers, melt butter and mix with the crackers. Spread over the top of the chicken and press down lightly.

Cook for 20 minutes and serve over rice.

You can substitute low fat sour cream and cream of chicken soup.

Spinach Lasagna

1 lb. Lasagna Noodles
4 C Chopped Spinach
26 oz. spaghetti sauce
2 C Cottage Cheese (you can use ricotta, but I don't like it so I use cottage cheese)
2 Eggs
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper
2 C Mozzarella Cheese
2 T Parmesan Cheese
Sliced Mushrooms (optional)
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce mixed with 1 T. sugar, and 1 T. Italian seasoning

Prepare noodles according to package directions. Steam spinach 2-3 minutes and drain excess water. Mix cottage cheese with egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper.Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish. Layer with noodles, cottage cheese, spinach, sauce, and mozzarella. Repeat Layers. Top with the noodles, Tomato sauce, mozzarella, and 2 T Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes.