Sweet and Spicy Salmon

1 1/2lbs fresh salmon filet
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place salmon in shallow dish - set aside
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over salmon. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours
3. Place salmon on a cookie sheet and broil 6 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Brush with marinade. Broil an additional 5 to 10 minutes, brushing 2-3 more times.
4. Cook remaiing marinade over low heat until it thickens and reduces by 1/3. 5-10 minutes. Serve with salmon

Another version of salmon that I loved!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

12 oz package fresh cranberries
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
2 tbsp lemon juice
dash salt
2 - 8oz packages cream cheese
1 box of wheat thins

Before you start, some of the ingredients need to sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours so plan ahead.

1. Put cranberries in a food processor. I used my little chopper thing. You could just chop them up yourself if you need to.
2. Chop up your green onion, cilantro and jalapeno pepper into small pieces. Again I just chopped everything up with my little chopper. Careful of the jalapeno seeds - they are the hot part. I didn't add any seeds and I only chopped maybe 1/2 of my pepper.
3. Add all ingredients (but the cream cheese) into a bowl. Mix them all together, cover and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. I did mine overnight because it was easier for me. The sugar needs some time to soak in to the cranberries and break up their bitter taste.
4. When you are ready to serve, spread your cream cheese all over your serving plate as evenly as you can. I used one that had a little bit of a lip so everything didn't spill. You could use a 9x13 pan too.
5. Pour your cranberry mixture over the cream cheese and spread it all around.
6. Serve with Wheat Thins, Ritz crackers or tortilla chips (my favorite was the wheat thins)

I LOVED this dip. Heidi made it for our recipe club and I was surprised with how much I liked it, just because I don't love cranberries. If anyone needs to bring something to a Christmas party this would be a fun festive idea.
We got this recipe from www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com and that is the same website I got the smore cookies recipe from.

Slow cooker enchiladas

1 lb ground beef
1 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped green pepper
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
1/3 C water
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 C Monterrey jack cheese
1 C cheddar cheese
6 tortillas

In skillet, brown beef, peppers and onions until cooked. Drain and return to pan. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and tortillas. Bring to boil.
In crockpot, layer tortilla, beef mixture, cheese, and repeat as needed
Cook on low 5-7 hours

BLT dip

1 C sour cream
1 C mayonnaise
1/2 C diced tomatoes
1/2 C bacon - I just buy the real bacon pieces in the salad dressing isle
1 C chopped fresh spinach
1/2 C shredded cheese

Combine all ingredients together.
Serve with baguettes, crackers, or chips

Sara's breadsticks

-I got this recipe from Sara, but I LOVE it. I make these all the time.

Here is that recipe for the breadsticks....

1 1/2 C warm water
2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 or 4 C flour
1/4 C butter
3/4 C moz. cheese
Johnny's garlic seasoning

Mix water, sugar, and yeast together in mixing bowl. Let it sit for 5 mins. Add salt and flour, one cup at a time. Mix for 5 mins. Let rest for 5 mins. Melt butter and pour half of it in the cookie sheet. Place dough in center of cookie sheet and sit for 2-3 mins. (just in a ball) Spread dough out flat on the pan. Pour other half of butter on dough. Spread around. Sprinkle Johnny's all over the top. Sprinkle cheese on top of that. With a pizza cutter, cut in 3 rows lengthwise, 12 rows heightwise. Put pan in oven at 170 degrees for 7-10 mins. Breadsticks will rise about 1 inch. Then turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 12 mins, or until golden brown. (I don't take them out while I wait for the oven to preheat to 350) Let sit for 5 mins out of oven and recut.

-Im sure you can use any kind of garlic seasoning. You can buy Johnny's at Costco. It is delish, and we use it in all sorts of stuff.

Apricot Chicken

1 sm. jar Smuckers apricot preserves
1 env. Lipton onion soup mix
1 (8 oz.) bottle French salad dressing
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in shallow pan. Mix apricot preserves, onion soup mix and French dressing in bowl. Mix well. Pour mixture over chicken. Bake in oven for one hour and serve.

-I will make this if I have to bring someone dinner, or I will just half the recipe. It sounds kind of gross, but it is so yummy. It's kind of like a sweet and sour chicken.

7 Spice Rub

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup dry mustard
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (found at Walmart) (I also have used Lawry's)
1/2 tsp ground ginger

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
The dry rub can be refrigerated or frozen for up to 6 months.

We had this at a sushi restaurant on our edamame. It was so yummy so I found a recipe. The recipe says it is delicious on all types of foods, including chicken, beef and seafood. So far we have only tried it on edamame. It would be easy to half the recipe if you want to try it out to see if you like it.

Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken

1 cup sugar (white or brown)
1 cup water
1 cup aloha shoyu sauce (I found it at walmart by the soy sauce)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
3 lbs chicken breasts (cut in 3 pieces)
2 tbsp chopped green onion

Add everything but green onions in a big skillet or frying pan. Bring to a boil on high for 10 minutes. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 50 minutes stirring often. Last 10 minutes put in chopped onions. Serve with sticky rice.

This chicken is SOOOOO good. It is kind of like sweet and sour chicken.

Cool Whip Strawberry Jello Salad

1 large box Vanilla Cook 'n Serve Pudding
1 large box strawberry Jello
2 small boxes (3oz each) Tapioca Pudding
16 oz Cool Whip
Fresh Strawberries

Pour puddings and jello in medium size sauce pan. Add 6 cups of water. Bring to low boil, sir continuously. Simmer on low boil, still stirring until netar thickness. Pour in 9x13 pan. Let set in fridge for 4 hours. Scrape jello out of pan into large bowl. Add cool whip and mix with hand mixer. Fold in fresh strawberries. Refrigerate until serving.

Hazel's Cinnamon Raison Bread

So if you went to USU I am sure at some point you bought a HUGE YUMMY slice of bread at Hazel's in the student center. Well I have been fortunate enough to get the recipe. (Brady's mom worked with her in a calling) Anyway I thought I should share it with you. It is not an exact recipe so I have made it 5 or so times and it was a work in progress. All attempts were good but finally on the 5th it brought back the yumminess and memories of those college days. It also reminds me of mom's bread when she would make it growing up; fluffy and moist!

**This is best made in a bosch so if you do not have one half the recipe so you don't kill your motor.

Makes 5 loaves

hazels cinnamon raison bread

5 tbsp yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp sugar

4 1/2 cups hotter water

2 tbsp salt

1/4 cup oil

10 cups flour (may be up to 18)

1 tbsp sugar for every cup of flour added

2 1/2 cups raisons

mix yeast, warm water and sugar together, let sit for 5 mins. mix the rest of the ingredients except raisons. keep adding flour after 10 cups until right consistency. will pull away from mixer and keep it clean while mixing. add raisons while dough is still a little sticky. mix on high for 8 mins. let rise in bowl till double in size. separate into 5 loaves. oil the counter and pat the bread out like cinnamon roll. add loads and loads of cinnamon and sugar and then add a little more. roll like a cinnamon roll and tuck ends under. put tucked ends on bottom of loaf pan. let bread rise double in pans. bake at 350 for 30-35 mins.

Peanut butter and chocolate marshmallow cookies

These were delish!

1/2 cups Butter
1/2 cups Peanut Butter
1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 cups Sugar
1/2 cups Brown Sugar
1 whole Egg
1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 1/4 cup Flour
15 large marshmallows, cut in half

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the butter and peanut butter. Mix until creamy. Add baking soda, baking powder, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the flour.

Roll dough into 1″ balls and line them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 6 minutes, remove from oven and place half of a marshmallow (cut side down) on each cookie and lightly press into cookie. Bake for another 2-3 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
In a sauce pan combine sugar, milk and butter. Bring to a boil, stir and remove from heat. Add chocolate chips to hot mixture and let cool, stirring occasionally. Frosting will come together as it cools.
Spread over cookies when cookies are completely cooled down.

Crock pot pulled pork sandwiches, but it's really chicken...

I made these for dinner last night, and I love this recipe, so I wasn't sure why I haven't shared it before. It takes similar to pulled pork sandwiches, but I love it, because it stuff I almost always have, so I can easily make it on those days when I don't know what to make....

12 oz bottle of BBQ sauce
6 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 C Italian dressing
1/4 C brown sugar
2 TBSP worchestershire sauce

Put frozen chicken breasts on the bottom of the crock pot. Add everything else on top of the chicken. Cook on HIgh for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.

Hawaiian Pork Chops

6 boneless pork chops, trimmed
3 tbsp splenda (or brown sugar)
2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp vinegar
8 oz can crushed pineapple
1 tbsp soy sauce

Brown both sides of pork chops. Place in a baking dish. In a sauce pan combine sugar and corn starch. Add other ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil. Pour over pork chops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Crock pot Southwest Chicken Stacks

-We made this last night. They were super easy and yummy nachos!


2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups salsa

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Pour frozen corn into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the frozen chicken breasts on top. Cover with beans and salsa. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir until the chicken, corn, beans and salsa are combined.

Serve on a bed of tortilla chips and top with additional garnishes: lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, etc.

Melanie's Delicious Fruit Pizza

2 sugar cookie mixes (she uses betty crocker 17.5 mix)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
12 oz cool whip
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
fruit (strawberries, peaches, kiwi, pears, pineapple, raspberries, bananas, mandarin oranges, etc)

Mix the sugar cookie mixes as directed on the package. After you have mixed, press it into a jelly roll pan and bake as directed on the package.
While it is cooling mix the cream cheese, cool whip, sugar and lemon juice.
After crust is cooled top with cream cheese mixture. Then top with any fruits you like.
Melanie, hopefully you don't mind that I put on your recipe :) Thanks for sharing!

Norwegian Ratatouille

6 tomatoes
1 red bell epper
1 green bell pepper
10 oz zucchini
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste (I've also used tomato sauce)
salt & pepper
minced or dried parsley

Dice tomatoes, succhini and peppers. Mince the onion and garlic. Saute onion and garlic in oil until shiny. Add remaining veetables and tomato paste or sauce. Simmer until tender. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Toneli gave me a norwegian cook book that we have been trying recipes from. I LOVED this it was so yummy and all my kids tried it because it was called ratatouille. Ben said wow mom I actually like this. We've had it a couple of times.

Quick Roasted Asparagus

Preheat oven to 400.
Place asparagus spears on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil. Spread them out evenly. Sprinkle sea salt or kosher salt on top. Grind pepper over asparagus. Sprinkle with chopped garlic (I used garlic powder). Cook 10-15 mins. Cook until sizzling in oil, bright green color or until there is a bit of browning.
*a tip I learned about cooking asparagus is to break the asparagus at the natural breaking point before preparing. If you don't understand call me and I will explain.