Pasta Fagioli

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 tsp crushed fresh garlic
1 med onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, sliced or grated
2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced, include the leaves
2 cans (14 1/2 oz) tomatoes, crushed
1 tbsp instant beef bouillon granules
2 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups water
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
6 oz wagon wheel or ziti pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)

Use a 4 quart pot.
Brown beef and garlic together until meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.

Add onion, carrot, celery, undrained tomatoes, bouillon, Italian seasoning, pepper and water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add the beans and pasta to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 9 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, as the pasta will continue to soften in the hot soup.

I have fixed this in the crock pot and just cooked the pasta separately and added them at the end. I've added the beans when I start the pasta and they have been warm enough.

Easy Bake Cheddar Biscuits

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450. Mix flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in cheese. Add milk; stir until mixture forms soft dough.

Place on lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times or until smooth. Pat out dough into 6 inch square. Cut into 9 squares. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

We had these for dinner tonight and they are so yummy, especially when they are nice and warm. They are also really easy to make.

Chicken with Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

The kids love the chicken and Gary and I love the veggies too.

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried crumbled rosemary
8 pieces chicken (I use 4 chicken breasts halved)
1 cup small cauliflower florets
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 small red bell pepper cut in 4

Heat oven to 400F. In a bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper & rosemary. Add chicken and veggies. Toss until well coated. Arrange chicken on a jellyroll pan and place veggies in a single layer around the chicken. Roast for 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Halfway through cooking time, flip the veggies over.

*I added carrots and onions to the veggies once and it was really good too. Today I cooked it in a dutch oven in the oven at 275 while we were at church. Everything turned out good except the peppers and onion were mushy. I think it would work do better in a dutch oven or crock pot if the veggies were added the last hour of cooking. I'll let you know how it turns out when I try it.

Sugar Cookies

So, I have a sugar recipe that I love, but I couldn't find it so, I tried this one, and it was REALLY GOOD!

White Velvet Sugar Cookies

2 cups butter, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 3/4 cups flour

Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour. The dough will be VERY soft; don't worry, it gets firmer after chilling. Cover and chill two hours or until firm. Roll out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into shapes; place on greased baking sheets (or use parchment paper). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set (but not browned). Cool 5 minutes. Place on wire racks to cool. Frost as desired.

I topped them off with Jenny's cream cheese frosting recipe:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!

Tuscan Bread Salad

1 loaf dense crusty Italian bread, cut into 1"cubes & toasted until lightly browned
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped into 1" cubes
1 large tomato, chopped into 1" cubes
1 yellow, orange or red pepper, chopped into 1" cubes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
6 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Combine dressing ingredients & blend well; set aside. Cut cheese, tomato, and pepper into 1 " cubes & transfer to salad bowl with chopped basil. Pour dressing over the cheese & veggies to marinade while cutting & toasting the bread. Marinade for about 30 minutes. Add bread cubes to salad bowl & mix well to coat all pieces. Serve immediately after adding bread.

This was one of my favorite recipes from recipe club last night. It was so good. I loved the flavor and the yummy mozzarella cubes added so much. My other favorite recipe is the one I brought, Italian chicken - THANK YOU JENNY for that one!

Raspberry Lemonade

2 cans frozen white grape juice
2 powder containers Crystal light Lemonade
1 package frozen raspberries
4 quarts water
ice
lemon slices
Mix all in a punch bowl

I made this drink for our Elders quorum presidency & families party last night. It was so yummy I decided to share :)

Italian Chicken

So I am very late at posting any recipes, but here is one of our favorite dinners.
Italian Chicken
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing seasoning mix
2-3 chicken breasts

Chop chicken into bite size pieces and place in crock-pot. Meanwhile heat on stove cream cheese and soup. Once that is mixed and creamy add Italian dressing mix, stir and pour over chicken in crock-pot. Stir chicken and soup mixture together. Cook in crock-pot on low for about 4 hours. Serve over rice. We also like to put those shoestring potato sticks on top as a garnish.

Layered Enchilada Bake

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed

1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing

2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning Mix

6 flour tortillas (8 inch)

1 cup Sour Cream

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

BROWN meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Stir in salsa, beans, dressing and seasoning mix.

ARRANGE 3 tortillas on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of half each meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with foil.

BAKE 40 min.or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted, removing foil after 30 min. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

I make this a little better for you by using veggie crumbles instead of ground beef, and using whole wheat tortillas instead of white.

Buttermilk Pie

1 prepared 8 in graham cracker crust

1 large egg white, beaten until frothy

2/3 c packed light brown sugar

3 T all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1/4 c low-fat buttermilk, well shaken

3 T unsalted butter, melted

1/4 t salt

1/2 pint raspberries

2 T granulated sugar

1/2 t lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Place crust (in it's pan) on baking sheet. Brush crust lightly w/some egg white, discard remainder. Bake until crisp and slightly darkened 6 to 8 min. Set aside to cool.

Make the filling: In a food processor, process sugar and flour until well combined. Add eggs, process until smooth. Add buttermilk, butter and salt. Process just until blended and pour into crust.

Bake until filling is almost set but center still jiggles slightly when pan is gently shaken- 35 to 40 min.

Raspberry sauce: combine raspberries, sugar and lemon zest in bowl. Lightly mash raspberries. Let sit at least 10 min. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hrs.

This is one of my all-time favorite desserts.

Strawberry banana ice cream

1.5 pints whipping cream
juice of 3 lemons
juice of 3 oranges
1 qt. half and half
1 banana, smashed
3 C sugar
16 oz. pkg frozen strawberries, thawed and smashed, or pureed in blender.

Mix cream and half and half. Dissolve sugar with juices of lemons and oranges. Add strawberries and banana to cream, then add orange/lemon mixture. Mix. Freeze in ice cream freezer.

-I realize it isn't quite ice cream time of year, but when it is, you should try this. It's really, really good. It even won first place last year at our wards ice cream contest.

Cheesy Bread

1 c shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 c chopped yellow onion

1 c mayonaise.

Mix above ingredients. Place on sliced sourdough baguette. Broil in oven until cheese mixture is bubbly and slightly brown.

This appetizer is always a big hit! Super easy and super yummy.

Marshmallow Popcorn

1/2 C butter
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C karo syrup
1 tsp vanilla
popcorn
3 C marshmallows

Combine marshmallows and popcorn in large bowl. Bring butter, sugar, karo syrup to a boil for 3 minutes. Take off heat and add vanilla. Pour over the popcorn and marshmallows.

Crock pot peach cobbler

1 can (29 oz) peach slices, chopped
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling
1 yellow cake mix
1 bag oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
butter, thinly sliced

Open peaches, and pour out juice from peaches in a bowl and set aside. Mix cake mix and cookie mix together in bowl. Spread pie filling and chopped peaches on bottom of greased crock pot. Take as much cake/cookie mix and spread it on top of fruit. Take juice and pour over dry mix. If there are any dry parts left, add sliced butter on top of the dry parts. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Cover and cook on low
4-ish hours. Serve with ice cream.

---I LOVE THIS, and am going to have to have it this weekend.---

Baked Parmesan Chicken

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 sleeves)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Combine above ingredients in a bowl and mix.

6-8 chicken breasts, thawed

Dip chicken in a bowl with olive oil and then cover chicken with cracker/cheese mixture. Place on cookie sheet lined with tinfoil (shiny side up). For added flavor drizzle butter over the chicken.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
My kids love this chicken.

Pasta * Cucumber * Salad

1 bag penne pasta
2 cucumbers, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery

Dressing:
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar (splenda works too)
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Combine and eat.
This is one of my favorite salads. It seems so refreshing and tastes so yummy!

Lettuce Wraps

8 lettuce leaves
1 cup deep fried rice noodles or won ton skins

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup bamboo shoots or water chestnuts, chopped
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup chopped carrots
(can use 2 cups frozen, mixed veggies instead of peas & carrots)

Sauce:
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
dash of pepper
sesame oil as desired

Stir fry meat until cooked, add and stir fry onions until fragment (I don't know what that means I just add onions and wait until they are cooked.) Add veggies, stir fry until cooked. Add sauce to meat and veggies; cook until warm.
Rinse lettuce, place fried rice noodles and meat mixture on and serve.

BBQ Cheddar Chicken Roll ups

1 green & red peppers, cut into strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb chicken, cut into strips
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
4 tortillas, warmed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook and stir veggies in large skillet on med high heat for 3 minutes. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in bbq sauce; cook on med heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon chicken mixture down center of tortillas; top with cheese. Roll up and enjoy!

Crab dip

2 oz cream cheese
1 T. mayonnaise
1/4 C. sour cream
1 T. butter, softened
1/4 t. seasoning salt
1/8 t. paprika
4 t. onions, minced
4 t. green peppers, minced
1/4 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 can (6 oz) crabmeat

Mix cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and butter until smooth. Blend in salt and paprika. Stir in onion, green pepper, cheese, and crab meat. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, or crackers

---So when we make this, we always double the recipe, because that doesn't make very much. When you double the recipe it all fits in an 8x8 pan.(if that is the normal square size, I don't want to go look) We have taken this to tons of parties, and it's always a big hit.

Funeral potatoes

-I seriously think these potatoes are SOOOOOOOOO good. They are my favorite.

1 pkg frozen hash browns, thawed
1 pt. sour cream
2 cans cream of potato soup
1/2 C. chopped onion
10 oz pkg grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C parmesan cheese

Mix first 5 ingredients together in 9 x 13 pan. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

(Lots of time I just add more cheddar cheese instead of buying parmesan cheese and I don't think it makes a huge difference.)

Creamy white chicken chili

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (depending on how much time I have, I sometimes just used canned chicken)
1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. oil
1 med onion, diced (I have also just used onion flakes)
2 cans Great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz) diced green chilies
1 t. cumin
dash of salt and pepper
1 t. oregano
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 C. whipping cream
1 C. sour cream
Saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve with tortilla chips. (Add sour cream and whip cream about 1/2 hour before serving)

-I know it looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's mostly spices. This is such an easy recipie that doesn't take a lot of time, and tastes really good. It isn't really spicy, but I have made it without the cayenne pepper before when I had people over, just to MAKE SURE it wasn't spicy.

Our new blog

Alright, I was hoping we could all start out by posting at least two of our favorite recipies, whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, etc. There is no such thing as posting too many recipies!