Beef Tamale Crockpot Pie

I love this dish! I think it's so good! But I think I like it more than my family does. The corn bread and beef go excellently together! It's a yummy, deliciously flavored, hearty meal! Just try it!

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans or black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 10oz Can Enchilada Sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (6 ounce) package corn muffin mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby or Pepper Jack cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, undrained
• 1 cup grated Colby or Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup salsa

In a nonstick skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until meat is cooked through. Drain and stir in kidney beans and enchilada sauce. Pour into a crock pot. 

In a large bowl corn muffin mix, egg, milk, and butter until just combined, then add cheese and chilis with juice. Spoon over beef mixture.

Cook in crockpot on low for 6-7 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve with Sour Cream and Salsa.

Carmel Syrup

This syrup is Rockin' Bomb! Put it on anything, and it's magically delicious. Especially the Pumpkin Pancakes! It's incredibly easy to make.

Melt-
2 C Butter
1 C Buttermilk
2 C Sugar
2 Tbl. Light Corn Syrup or Honey

Boil 3-5 min then add

2 Tbl. Vanilla
1 Tbl. Baking Soda

Warning! Use a bigger pot than you need. When you add the Baking Soda it bubbles up and over just like a science experiment! ;) It's kinda fun and novel, unless you have to clean it up! ;p

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

This is SO DE-Lish! No I didn't copy and paste that from the previous posts. ;P  It's creamy, yet light at the same time. It is a wonderful balance of Mexican flavors! Everyone I have made this for loves it and my kids do too! It is really easy, especially if you want to throw store bought rotisserie chicken in there- comes together in a snap! Win win win! It also freezes well. Win. ;)

3/4 lbs.  Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

!/2 C Chopped Onion

1-2 Garlic Cloves (or how ever many float your boat!)

3 Tbl. Butter

2 cubes Chicken Bouillon (I use the paste or use broth in place of water)

1-3 cups hot water. (please make sure to match the amount of bouillon with the amount of water)

1/2-1 tsp. Ground Cumin

2 C Half and Half

2 C (8 oz) Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese 

16 oz Creamed Corn

1 can Chopped Green Chilis, drained

1/4-1 tsp Tabasco Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

1 Medium Tomato, diced

Fresh Cilantro (puke!!!) or Parsley (optional for garnish and flavor)

Cut Chicken into small, bitesized pieces. In dutch oven (pot) brown chicken, onion, and garlic in hot butter until chicken is no longer pink. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and add to pan along with cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 5 min. Add half and half, cheese, corn, chilis, and tabasco. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Stir in tomato. Garnish as desired. I also like to add some frozen corn in there. 1-2 cups. Also delicious with tortilla chips, avocado, etc. Let your imagination run free!

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

 I haven't been cooking much lately because I haven't felt well for MONTHS (but that's a whole story in and of itself.)! And I feel horrible! I'm usually really good at making dinner, and even have a few freezer meals for back up the nights that I don't want to cook; however, lately it's been nuthin!  

I was trying to think of what to make for dinner tonight--I DO NOT feel like cooking ANYTHING! So I thought, soup! Soup wouldn't be so bad to make, and I would have the children help me. I went to my handy Pinterest Soup board and started searching for something that looked good and easy, and this one caught my eye. Sounds good, looks easy, alright!  I got the stuff I needed and headed home. Gathered my small army and assigned them each their tasks (a real life saver!). We got it done in under 20 minutes. As we sat down to eat, I took a bite and OH MY GIDDY OUT!!! The flavor was creamy and delicious and the aftertaste was that of rich happiness lingering on my tongue! It is SO good, that it made it onto my blog TONIGHT! Need something to show off at a soup potluck? I highly recommend it! Mmmwaa!

Copied straight from this site- http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/coconut-lime-chicken-soup.html

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 carrot, shredded
• thai seasoning (see below)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 15 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 2 - 2 1/2 pound deli-roasted chicken from the grocery store, shredded
• 1 cup previously cooked long grain rice
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• extra cilantro for garnish (optional)
• lime wedges (optional)
Thai Seasoning:
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

• Place a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the butter, carrots, and thai seasoning and cook until carrots become soft.
• In a blender, add chicken broth and cilantro and pulse a few times, then pour contents of blender into the pot.
• Add the coconut milk, shredded deli roasted chicken, rice, juice from the lime, and soy sauce. Bring to a low boil then remove from heat.
• If desired, serve topped with extra cilantro and lime wedges.

Whole Wheat Rolls

This quickly became our favorite whole wheat roll recipe! They are moist, soft and a little on the denser side. What's funny is I found the recipe on the back of my powdered milk box and their original name is Bread Machine Garlic Dinner Rolls. Ha! I don't own a bread machine, this is a white flour recipe, not wheat, and I have never made garlic rolls out of them! But the base of the recipe that I use turns out great for us and we all love them! They freeze (and unfreeze) wonderfully! Note: I use fresh ground wheat. I feel the store bought whole wheat results are where you get your edible cardboard from! But fresh ground wheat is wonderful and I have made all kinds of white flour recipes with them and hardly notice a difference (even chocolate cookies and brownies! ;). If you want good whole wheat things GRIND IT! :)

6 Tbls. butter, softened

2c. warm water

2/3 c. powdered milk

6T. sugar (or honey)

2tsp. salt

6 c. Bread flour (I use fresh gound whole wheat)

1/2 oz. (2 scant Tbls.) dry yeast

(I leave out the) 2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix wet, knead dry, Let rise, form rolls, rise, Bake at 350 for about 20 min. (For detailed instructions see: Dinner rolls)

Ridiculous Cake Mix Cookies

So I was in a pinch and needed a treat to bribe my children with so they would be good while my husband and I went out on a date (what? You've never had to bribe your kids?). I was so desperate, in fact, that I even turned to.... Cake Mix cookies! I KNOW! It's just for the kids, I assured myself, they don't care! So I found this recipe, and I screwed it up (because I was in a hurry, and didn't carefully read the directions), noticed the dough was dry and fixed it, added in some spices to make it decent, and... I couldn't believe the outcome!  I couldn't believe that I was eating another one, and then another!! I found myself feeling a little bitter that I couldn't stop eating CAKE MIX cookies! This was pathetic! These were RIDICULOUS...ly good! I shamelessly make these now!
So here is a recipe for Cake Mix Cookies that you can get away with!  That you can give to your friends and they will never know that you only spent the time of a cake mix on them! (heh heh ;)  

(I ACTUALLY took the picture this time, so this is what they REALLY look like) 

1 box of yellow cake mix 

2&1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Cloves

(Note: you may need to adjust the spices. I eyeball it every time so I don't have an exact. Just do it to taste. Would you like more of a cinnamon flavor? Add more cinnamon, and so on.)

2/3- 1Cup of rolled oats, 

1/2 cup softened butter (you can use marg. but it will only be half as good!) 

1 egg. 

Add milk to consistency (about 2T). 

Raisins and/or Chocolate Chips

Beat on low until combined. Add raisins or chocolate chips if desired. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at  475°F for 5 to 7 minutes. Don't over bake! If they are a little doughy, when they cool they will be perfect and gooey! :)

Blender Pancakes

I promised my sister that I would give her this recipe! So here it is!
If you can't tell, we are a pancake lovin' house!!  Who doesn't love pancakes?!? Here is another excellent pancake recipe!  My favorite things about this recipe is that: 1. they are whole wheat, but they are light and fluffy and delicious,  2. since they are whole wheat, they are very filling, and they don't leave me dragging like those delectable little white ones do, and 3. I think they are VERY EASY! My children can make these on their own! YES! No excuse NOT to bring Mommy breakfast in bed! ;)

1Cup Whole Wheat grains (no, not the flour, the actual grain ;)

1Cup Milk

Blend on high for 2 minutes (the mixture should be really thick and pasty! If it's not, try blending it longer.) Make sure to scrape down the lid and the sides, then add:

1/2Cup of milk and blend for 2 more minutes. 

While you're waiting, get the rest of your ingredients!

2 Eggs

1/2Cup Oil

1Tbls. Honey or Molasses

1/2 tsp. Salt

 Add these in and blend on high until mixed and add

1Tbls. Baking Powder. 

Don't over blend or they might turn out rubbery!

Pour out onto your favorite pancake pan, greased the way you like it, and bake them to your liking! ;)

If we have a ripe banana, we like to throw it in there with the eggs and oil. You can also stir anything else you would like to add into your pancakes when you are done blending. Enjoy!

Boston Butt Pork Roast

VERY GOOD!

Boston Butt Pork Roast- bone in

3Tbls. Brown Sugar

1Tbls. Sugar

1Tbls. Garlic Powder

1&1/2 Tbls. Paprika

1Tbls. Cumin

1Tbls. Kosher Salt (I think I would put more)

1/2 Tbls. Pepper

1/2 tsp. Cayenne
Large onion

Mix rub, pat roast dry and rub with spices. Let marinate for 30 min.

Meanwhile slice large onion and saute in a small amount of oil on high in the bottom of the dutch oven (roasting pan). De-glaze pan with 1 cup chicken stock or broth.  Set roast in the dutch oven, cover and cook @275 for 6 hours (250 for 7 hrs?)

Manderine Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce

So, well... When we lived in Provo and my husband finished up his BA at BYU, we lived next door to a couple in our ward who was also attending BYU and in very much the same situation. We each had 1 child the same age, we would often get together as couples and play games, and since neither of us wives worked we had all this time on our hands to hangout, let the children play and COOK! We both enjoyed cooking so it was great!  We became and stayed good friends through the years, kept in contact etc. that is until.... She told me that she wouldn't be my friend anymore... ??? What the???  :(

C'est la vie and what can you do? But BEFORE she disowned me I got this recipe from her! :)

 Of course it's good! Why else would it be on here?  It's breaded, fried chicken with a sweet and sour sauce. What else is great is that it's quite easy actually.  A friend was wanting the recipe recently so here it goes!

Manderin Chicken:

Cubed Chicken

1C. Flour

1 Egg

1 tsp. Sugar

3/4 tsp. Baking Powder

Oil to fry in (I use about 1&1/2 inches I'm guessing)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl then add enough water to make a semi-runny consistency (kind of like really runny pancake batter, not thick though! The batter should easily drip in a line from the spoon, but not too watery! You'll get the hang of it. :) Just remember; you can always add more water, but not so easy to take it out! ;)  Mix in 4 drops of yellow food coloring (if you want to, I never do).  Stir the chicken into the batter and spoon out batches of chicken with a fork or whatever you find works, heat oil over medium-ish until a drop of water sizzles in it. Fry until golden. Tip: Before you start cooking, turn the oven on warm and place an oven safe bowl in there with paper towels inside of it. Then when the chicken is done you are able to keep it warm and crisp until service. Serve with rice and top with sauce!

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1 C. Crushed Pineapple

2 Whole tomatoes

3 C. Sugar

Double Dash of Accent

2 Tbls. Soy Sauce

1 C. vinegar

1 C. Onion, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper

Red Food Coloring (if you want it to look the same as the sweet and sour sauce at the restaurants :)

Simmer all ingredients about 20 min, then whisk in 1/3 C. Cornstartch that has been  dissolved (if you will) in 1/2 C. Water  Wait for it to thicken :). If it doesn't get thick enough, add more cornstach/water mixture.

Homemade Strawberry Syrup

This is my favorite strawberry syrup!  For me many other's pale in comparison because they don't have what this has     -BUTTER-!  I love it! It's divinely wonderful on waffles and pancakes! It gives your breakfast foods the richness they were starving for! But it's not just for breakfast, it goes well on desserts too! Treat yourself with this syrup that says "I love you" because you're worth it! ;) 

1C. Sugar

2 Tbls. Cornstarch

3/4 C. Water

1&1/2 C. Sliced frozen, or fresh Strawberries

1/2 Stick Butter (REAL butter, folks! If you want it to live up to it's potential, feed it REAL butter! ;)

Mix sugar, starch, and water in a pan and cook over medium hear until boiling and thick. Add berries and butter. Stir until blended.

Hoagie Rolls

• • This is one of my favorite recipe finds! I LOVE these! They are wonderful! They have an excellent texture (soft and chewy) and a pleasing flavor (you know, HOMEMADE)!  The type of goodness that you just don't find in stores!  The other thing that I LOVE about these is that they are so quick and easy to make it's RIDICULOUS! The batch makes a lot so if you don't need that much, they freeze (and unfreeze) perfectly! Don't ever buy hoagie rolls from the store again! And who needs Subway when you have these?? ;) Lovely! Lovely they are! :)
  • P.S. I have this SUPER-FANTASTIC recipe for a very simple homemade mustard that you will want to drink! ...Ok maybe not drink, but definitely slather on your sandwich! Heaven I tell you! (don't worry! I'll put it on here! :)
  • Enjoy!
• 
• 2 (¼ ounce) packages active dry yeast (1 scant Tbls.)
• 3 cups water , divided (110-115 degrees)
• 2 tablespoons sugar , divided
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 8 -8 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. 1
   In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water add 1 T. sugar and then let stand about 5 minutes.
2. 2
   Add remaining water and sugar. Beat in oil, salt and 4 cups flour until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough.
3. 3
   Turn onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 6-8 minutes.
4. 4
   Place in a greased bowl turning once to grease the top.
5. 5
   Cover and let rise 45 minutes.
6. 6
   Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured board, divide into 18 pieces. (usually make them smaller than that. only 18 makes them pretty big. I end up doing about 27-36 rolls that are a great single serving size [maybe 4-6 in. ?])
7. 7
   Shape into an oval.
8. 8
   Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheets.
9. 9
   With scissors cut a 1/4-inch slash across the top of each.
10. 10
    Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
11. 11
    Bake at 400° for 13-18 minutes until golden brown.
12. 12
    Remove to wire racks to cool.

Read more: http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/hoagie-rolls-126997#ixzz1okm1WGUR

Lemon Citrus Punch

This "Punch" has many names, but whatever you decide to call it, it tastes great! It is very light and refreshing! Not so overwhelming as Lemonade or Punch, in fact, The first name that I tried it under was Japanese Lemon Water or something like that. Don't get me wrong though! This isn't some watered down lemon mediocrity! This drink is elegant and perfect! I've even made it for my sister's wedding and whenever I make it for any occasion, everyone always loves it and it is so incredibly easy to make! I believe you can even freeze the syrup. So sit back and sip some light, sweet, lemony goodness!

5 quarts water

3 C. Sugar

1 Tbls. Lemon Extract

1 Tbls. Citric Acid

Now from here you can go 1 of 2 ways. You can mix all together and then serve, but I usually make a syrup: heat 4 cups water with sugar until sugar dissolves then add extract and citric acid. Keep in container. When ready to serve mix with water and ice (careful not to dilute it!) and garnish with sliced Citrus fruit (limes, lemons, oranges you could even add other fruits like strawberries etc.). If you feel you want more flavor add equal parts acid and extract.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Mandarin Orange Sauce

"Chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella cheese served in sweet and savory sauce...it's special enough for company, but easy enough for everyday! "

-Campbells

This dish is awesome! We LOVE it! The sauce is sooooo yummy! It's a similar idea as Cordon Bleu, but I think easier and possibly tastier. I love the rubbed sage, I love the mandarin oranges, with the cheese and the ham (that's what I use, just high quality deli meat) over pasta MMMMMMMM Mama! ;) This also freezes well, so I double the sauce when I make it, divide it, freeze half and eat all the rest! I'm pretty sure you'll love it as much as I do! :)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

4 thin slices prosciutto

4 slices mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup(Regular or 98% Fat Free)

3/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon country-style Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon dry white wine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon ground dried sage leaves

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, crushed

dash Garlic powder

1/2 cup drained Mandarin orange segments

• Cut a lengthwise pocket in each chicken breast. Stuff each breast with1 slice of prosciutto and 1 slice of cheese.
• Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned on both sides.
• Stir the soup, orange juice, mustard, wine, sage, parsley, sugar, onion powder, tarragon and garlic powder in the skillet. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Add the Mandarin orange segments to the skillet and heat through.

Mom's Chicken Cacciatore

INGREDIENTS:"Chicken pieces simmer in a tomato sauce. You can serve this with rice or pasta! This is a recipe that I got off of allrecipes.com. So it's really not my moms... I like it a lot though! It also freezes very well! If when it finishes and you find that it may be lacking a little flavor or that "something", my tweaking recommendations: FRESH lemon juice (you know, squeezed. None of this store bought swill!) or a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar. Butter always helps any dish! I have adjusted some of the seasonings to my liking, but always add some finishing touches (salt, pepper, morton's nature seasoning, garlic powder-ONLY at the end IF there's not enough garlic. Use FRESH garlic to begin with! Never forget the possibilities of brown sugar in tomato sauces! Go ahead! Try it! If you never have, you will be pleasantly surprised! It's our family secret. If it doesn't taste good, add brown sugar! :)

2 cups all-purpose flour for coating 1 teaspoon (at least!) salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper I also throw some garlic powder in there! 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces (I like to use chicken breasts as a healthier option) 2 tablespoons Olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 cup white wine 2 cups fresh mushrooms, quartered (I never add fungus to my food!) salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake the chicken pieces in flour until coated. Heat the oil in a large skillet (one that has a cover/lid). Fry the chicken pieces until they are browned on both sides. Remove from skillet.
2.	Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to the skillet and saute until the onion is slightly browned. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the tomatoes, oregano and wine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
3.	Add the mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste (like I said, I usually adjust the taste a bit). Simmer for 10 more minutes.