Ground Beef Stroganoff

Ground Beef Stroganoff

 Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 medium onion

2-3 cloves minced garlic

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

Wide egg noodles

Directions: in a skillet melt the butter and cook onions until they are translucent. Then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add hamburger and brown. Then stir in the cream of chicken soup and milk and cook on low for five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Serve over cooked egg noodles. 

Applesauce Cake

 2 C sugar

2 eggs

2/3 C shortening

3 C Applesauce

4 C flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

1 tsp allspice

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream together sugar, eggs, and shortening. Mix in applesauce. In a separate bowl mix together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, salt, allspice and baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients a bit at a time. Pour in to greased sheet cake pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting. 

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

I made this for a summer barbecue and it turned out great. It doesn’t make a whole lot so I think I will double it next time. 

Mix together in a large bowl:

5-6 cups chopped broccoli

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 C crumbled bacon

1/2 C sunflower seeds, shelled and salted

2/3 C craisins

1/3 C red onion, finely diced

Dressing:  Mix well and stir into the salad mixture

3/4 C Mayo

1/4 C sour crea,

1 1/2 TBSP white wine vinegar

3 TBSP sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Refrigerate if not serving immediately. 

PREPARATION

STEP 1

Combine broccoli florets, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion in a large bowl.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well-combined.

Pour dressing over broccoli combination and toss or stir well.

Serve. Keep refrigerated if not consuming right away.

Caramel Apple Salad

About 10 years ago my mom made this recipe and I really loved it so I asked her to send me the recipe. Like a good lil' mama, she emailed it to me the next day. But somehow life must have taken over and I never got around to making it. Fast forward to 2019 and I got a hankering for it, so I searched my email and found the recipe. I made this salad for a BBQ at my boyfriend's house. It was a big hit, especially with his dad who told me it was "marketable" which I took as high praise indeed! And in case you're wondering, it really does taste like caramel apples!

1 egg
2 Tbsp. flour
1 10 oz. can crushed pineapple
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1/4 C sugar
2 C mini marshmallows

Drain pineapple juice into a sauce pan and add sugar, flour, egg and vinegar. Cook until thick, then add marshmallows and melt. Stir in the pineapple and then put in the fridge for several hours.

Before serving add:
5 1/2 C apples, chunks
12 oz. cool whip
1 bag of caramel bits (buy them by the chocolate chips)
1 1/2 C salted peanuts, chopped

Chicken Salad

This year I have been making more of an effort to give my kids lunch options besides just sandwiches. So far I'm managing a couple times a week but it isn't even November yet. We'll have to see how good I'm doing next May! This chicken salad has been a crowd pleaser for sure and it's really easy to make.

Quick Chicken Salad

• 2 ( 12.5 oz) cans of chicken (or 3 cups diced cooked chicken)
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/2 cup diced apple
• salt and pepper to taste
• pecans or cashews, optional

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, mayo, grapes, green onion, celery, apple, salt, and pepper.  Combine until well blended.
2. Serve on rolls, bread, or croissants sprinkle with some cashews or pecans.  This can also be served on a lettuce leaf.

Orange Chicken

I'll admit I was pretty skeptical about 3 ingredient orange chicken but it actually tasted really good. I did double this recipe for my family of 6 and it made a pretty big batch. It was so good the kids were asking if they could take leftovers in the lunchboxes the next day! 

ORANGE CHICKEN

• 1 Cup BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s)
• 1 Cup Sweet Orange Marmalade (Smucker’s)
• 2 TBSP Soy Sauce

Crispy Chicken Ingredients:

• 3-4 Chicken Breasts (We used 3)
• 1 Cup Flour/1 Cup Cornstarch (You can use both or either/or)
• 2 Eggs
• Oil (We used vegetable oil)

Cooking Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, add the BBQ sauce, marmalade, and soy sauce. Turn the heat on low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
2. Meanwhile, cut up your chicken breasts into cubes. In one bowl beat 2 eggs, while the other bowl should mix the dry ingredients.
3. Dip pieces of chicken in the egg and then cover in flour/cornstarch. Set on an extra plate.
4. Add a thin layer of oil to a frying pan and turn your stove on medium/high heat. Once it sizzles, add the chicken to the pan. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes each side until it’s brown and cooked on the inside.
5. Set the oily pieces on a paper towel and let drain.
6. Add the chicken to the sauce and toss!
7. Eat it on top of white rice and enjoy. I think veggies would be good with it such as green peppers or broccoli.

Arabic Chicken Shawarma

I've made this fabulous Arabic chicken a few times now and it is delicious and really not very difficult either. It does require a little advance planning so it can have the 8 hours to marinate but it's worth it. I serve it with yellow rice and a vegetable.

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 large breasts)

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

To Finish:

6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. turmeric

Instructions

Pour the 1/4 cup of olive oil into a large plastic zipper bag. Add in the marinade spices, then seal the bag and shake to combine. I know it seems like a lot of spices, but it's not over the top. 

Cut the chicken breasts into sixths, then place the pieces into large plastic zipper bag. Seal the bag and use your hands to work the marinade into the chicken. Place the bag of chicken into the fridge to marinate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the chicken pieces evenly on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 8 minutes, flip the chicken pieces over, then bake for another 8 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let sit until cool enough to touch. Slice the chicken into thin pieces using a sharp knife.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

While it is heating, mix the remaining spices together in a small bowl and set it near the stove.

Once the oil is hot, add one third of the cooked chicken into the pan along with one third of the spices next to the stove. Cook, stirring, until the spices are spread throughout the meat and the chicken is heated through (just a minute or two).

Repeat this process with the remaining oil, chicken, and spices so that it is cooked in three batches (or, if you have a really big pan you could do it all at once). 

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
6 large bell peppers
1 cup dry quinoa
15 oz. can black beans
1 can corn 
2 green onions
2/3 cup salsa
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
Optional additions: chipotle, tomatoes, cilantro, green chilies, garlic powder, hemp hearts
Toppings of choice: guacamole (yum!), salsa, hot sauce, etc.

Directions
Cook quinoa according to package directions with 2 cups water/broth. (I often use vegetable broth in place of water for more flavor.)
Meanwhile, halve bell peppers and remove stems, seeds and ribs.
Rinse and drain black beans, thaw corn, and slice green onions.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa and all other ingredients except bell peppers. Stir to combine, and adjust taste if necessary (salt, more seasonings, nutritional yeast).
Preheat oven to 350.
In a lightly sprayed pan, place pepper halves, and generously stuff them with the quinoa filling. Lightly press down to compact and fill all the crevices.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 10 minutes more.
Serve with any desired toppings.

Irish Soda Bread

For our St. Patrick's Day meal we had the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage with Roasted Potatoes, but this year I decided to make Irish Soda Bread to go with it. It was pretty simple and we all liked it.

INGREDIENTS
4 cup Flour
4 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup softened Butter
1/4 cup melted Butter
1 1/4 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a baking sheet.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup buttermilk and egg to dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Flour work surface.

Turn out dough and knead briefly.

Shape dough into a round shape and place on prepared sheet.

Whisk together 1/4 cup melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk.

Brush loaf with buttermilk mixture.

Cut an X in the top of the loaf.

Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Brush with buttermilk mixture every 15 minutes or so while baking.

Salmon with Avocado Salsa

I have been trying to incorporate more fish into our diet and this Salmon recipe was awesome. My kids devoured it (one of them even had the one leftover piece for breakfast the next morning!) 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
For the Avocado salsa:
• 2 avocado, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1-2 tbs finely chopped cilantro (depending on how big of a cilantro lover you are)
• 1 small tomato, diced
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix. (I was worried it would be too much seasoning but it isn't.) 
2. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Check a little before that. Salmon is done when it flakes with a fork. You can also grill the salmon for about 5 minutes per side. 
4. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
5. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

My very favorite kind of cookie! I just love the combination of white chocolate and macadamia nuts. 

ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup coarsely chopped salted macadamia nuts

directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Add flour mixture, mixing until completely combined. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts until evenly distributed (you can do this by hand or with the stand mixer).

Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are very slightly browned. The cookies will not look cooked in the center, but they will finish cooking while cooling on cookie sheet!

Remove from oven and let cookies rest on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Jello Pineapple Slices

Pour out liquid from a can of sliced pineapple.

Dissolve a 3 oz. box of any flavor jello in 1 cup boiling water (you could also use the pineapple juice and water to equal 1 cup liquid)

Pour hot Jello water over pineapple rings in the can.

Chill until set.  I would definitely suggest letting it set overnight. I tried taking mine out at about 8 hours and it was still kind of runny. Run hot water on the sides and bottom of can to loosen.  Then cut the bottom of the can and push the mold out or try to squeeze it out of the can. It is a little bit tricky and they don't come out absolutely perfect, but good enough! Cut between pineapple slices and serve.

*Optional:  top a slice with an ice cream scoop of cottage cheese or a dollop of whipped cream.

I think this would be really fun to do at Christmas time and do a red jello and a green jello and then layer them in a pattern on a platter. 

Stuffed Peppers Appetizer

My husband loves a good appetizer and these really hit the spot! In fact, I almost labeled them as a main dish because he loved them enough to just eat these! And they are incredibly easy!

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 lb. breakfast sausage, cooked and drained (I used a roll of Italian sausage)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 package mini peppers, at least 25

Directions:
Blend the cream cheese using a hand mixer, add the sausage and shredded cheese and mix well. Wash peppers and slice in half and clean out the seeds. Mound cheese/sausage mixture generously on each half until you've used it all up. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

Esquites (aka Mexican Corn Salad)

We all loved this Mexican Corn Salad recipe. The only problem is that I didn't make enough the first time so this is the recipe doubled for future reference. I didn't double the lime juice though because I thought it was a little too intense on the original recipe. 

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 cans corn, drained or 4 ears fresh corn cut off cob
• 1/2 Jalapeno seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or half greek yogurt, half Mayo)
• 2 clove of garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 Tablespoons Cojita cheese (or Mexican blend cheese)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder to taste
• 2 avocados, diced

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add corn and allow it to char on the bottom of the pan, then stir and char one more time.
3. Add jalapeno, mix and remove from heat.
4. Place corn mixture into a bowl and add mayonnaise, garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, cheese, chili powder and avocado.
5. Gently fold ingredients until mixed through.
6. Serve warm or chilled, your choice. I like them both!

Beef Empanadas

These were a yummy, easy dinner to make, though I will admit it took me a few tries to fold the edges of the pie crust together and make them look halfway decent! I doubled the recipe for my family of 6 and we ended up having some leftovers but not a lot. I froze the extras because we were headed out of town and I wanted to see if they would make a good freezer meal. They froze okay, but I probably won't do it again. I found them on http://numstheword.com/easy-beef-empanadas/ and I made the Esquitas corn salad that's also mentioned on that website. It was a huge hit with all of us!

Ingredients

• 1 package of pre-made pie crust (2 rolls)
• 1 Tablespoon of oil
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/2 medium diced bell pepper, any color
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper
• 1 cup Mexican blended cheese
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375*
2. Combine bell pepper, onion, garlic and oil and saute 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add hamburger, cumin and chili pepper to the pan and cook until meat is cooked through.
4. Set pan aside and let cool.
5. While meat mixture is cooling, roll out pie crust.
6. Using a bowl or large circle cutter, cut out 6" round discs from pie crust. You should be able to get 3 from each crust making 6 total with a 7th created out of the leftover dough rolled out.
7. Place 2 - 3 Tablespoons of mixture in the center of each pie disc.
8. Top with cheese.
9. Fold over and seal edges with a fork.
10. Place Empanadas on a cookie sheet.
11. Whisk egg and brush on to tops of each Empanada.
12. Bake in oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Key Lime Pie Muddy Buddies

This summer I've been trying out lots of different snack recipes since my kids are out of school and always wanting a tasty treat. I really liked these Key Lime Pie Muddy Buddies, especially the graham cracker pieces! I did try to double the recipe because this seemed kinda small for my 6 member family, but I wouldn't recommend it because they do start to get a little soggy/soft by the next day. So it's probably best to just make what you'll eat right away. 

Ingredients

1 c powdered sugar

4 c of your favorite Chex cereal

About 1 c (about four rectangular sheets) graham crackers broken into pieces similar in size to the Chex (see Note)

1½ c white chocolate chips

2 T unsalted butter

1 t vanilla

2 t lime zest

1 T lime juice

Instructions

1. Place powdered sugar in a large zip top plastic bag and set aside.
2. Gently toss together the Chex and graham cracker pieces in a large bowl.
3. Combine the white chocolate chips, butter, vanilla, lime zest and lime juice in a bowl and gently melt in the microwave or over a double boiler. If doing it in the microwave, use 50% power and stir every 15-30 second until melted. It may look slightly thick and clumpy.
4. Pour chocolate mixture over the Chex mixture and gently stir and toss until fully coated, breaking up any large clumps that may form.
5. Transfer the cereal mixture to the plastic bag with the powdered sugar seal and toss until fully coated.
6. Pour out onto a sheet pan lined with a nonstick baking mat or wax paper and allow to cool and harden.
7. Store in an airtight container.

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Muddy Buddies

Today my family hiked to a local waterfall and let the kids play in the water.....and the mud....to their hearts content. At some point during the afternoon they started calling each other their Muddy Buddies which got us all craving a little Muddy Buddy snack when we got home. These are actually a fun twist on the original Chex Muddy Buddy and I really, really love them! You can't go wrong with butterscotch, peanut butter, and loads of sugar, right?!


Ingredients:
6 cups Chex cereal
1 cup salted peanuts
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Measure out the cereal and the peanuts and put in a large bowl. Set aside. Melt peanut butter and butterscotch morsels on the stove over low heat until creamy and smooth. Stir continuously. Pour melted mixture over cereal and stir gently, so you don't break up the cereal, but so that the cereal pieces are evenly coated. Put the powdered sugar in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and put coated cereal inside. Zip shut and shake until all the pieces are evenly coated with sugar. Pour out and spread cereal mixture onto a baking sheet covered in wax paper to cool. This snack will keep in a tightly sealed container for up to one week (haha! yeah right, not in this house!)

Dorito Dip

This weekend I went to two different parties and took this dip to both of them. It was a hit all around and it was very simple to make with ingredients that I already had on hand.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
4 oz can chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/3 cup real bacon bits

Using an electric hand mixer combine all ingredients (except bacon) until relatively smooth. Then add bacon and stir to combine. Sprinkle extra bacon on top. Chill for approximately 3 hours to let the flavors mix. Enjoy with Doritos! I used Cool Ranch Doritos. I'm not sure if some of the more flavored Doritos would go well but the Cool Ranch were delicious!

Sesame Noodles

I was looking for an easy Asian side dish to go with my sweet and sour chicken recipe and I ran across this really easy recipe for sesame noodles. I didn't have any sesame oil, but was able to make a substitute by sauteing 1 1/2 teaspoons of sesame seeds in 1/2 teaspoon canola oil until golden brown. It gave me the sesame oil taste, but I did add a bit of vegetable oil to the sauce to make up for the fact that there was very little actual oil in my substitute. I also didn't have green onions so I just used some finely diced red onion and that worked great. Next time I'll probably add some peas but, alas, I was also out of peas. Um....it sounds like someone should probably go shopping! These noodles can be eaten hot or cold, but I prefer them hot. I'm thinking these would actually be a good alternate to put in my kids lunches for school sometimes. They are super easy to make and the kids gobbled them up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound (16 oz.) linguine or spaghetti 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or hot chili oil
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
• optional garnishes: extra thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, coarsely-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions in a large pot of generously salted water.

Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and sriracha (or hot chili oil). Whisk until combined. When the pasta is ready, drain it. Then immediately toss with the dressing and 1/2 cup green onions until the pasta is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately, topped with extra garnishes if desired.