Cheeseburger Meatloaf and Sauce

• I have a couple meatloaf recipes that I love and this is one of them. I got it off Food network! I love Paula Dean :) I serve it with garlic red mashed potatoes and some kind of veggie. So yummy, and if my kids eat it, I know it's a good!
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• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon House Seasoning (garlic powder, black pepper, and salt mix)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup grated Cheddar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (recommended: Lawry's)
• 2 slices white bread
• Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together, except the bread slices and Sauce. Shape into a loaf. Line a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan with the bread slices. Place meatloaf on top. Bake loaf for 45 minutes. The bread absorbs the grease and should be discarded after loaf is removed from oven.

Sauce:

• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar
• Chopped onions, optional
• 1 bunch fresh parsley leaves, chopped, optional

Heat the soup and milk over medium heat; add the cheese. Add the chopped onions and parsley to the sauce, if desired. Pour Sauce over the meatloaf or pass at the table.

Spicy Honey Chicken

THIS was a HUGE hit...probably the best recipe I made all month. My boys were LICKING their plates. I've had a bunch of friends make it afterwards and they all loved it too. Just posting it on here again makes me want to be sure to include it on our February menu! We did ours on our indoor grill pan. It was smokey in the house, but it was SOOOO worth it!

I'm cutting and copying the recipe straight from this website...http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/06/spicy-honey-chicken.html


Spicy Honey Chicken
2 t vegetable oil

Rub:
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powderfor extra heat, increase chipotle or add ground red pepper

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (Yes, Thighs!!)everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I'm tellin'ya right now it's better with thighs.

Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.
I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.
If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Chicken Brushetta

This was REALLY good. I used that Texas Toast from the freezer section, and it was good, but I think it would have been better to use some big french rolls and toast them myself in the broiler. And probably a little better for you....but it was a HIT with everyone. It even made enough to have another night! I froze the leftovers.
http://www.frugalmenumamas.com/?p=585

Chicken Brushetta

1 lb chicken (I use tenderloins)
Italian Dressing

1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Fresh basil, as much or as little as you like

1 frozen garlic bread (Texas Toast)

-Cube chicken (I just leave the tenderloins whole) and place in freezer bag with ½ cup Italian Dressing.(maranade overnight or for a few hours)

-Saute onions in olive oil. Add garlic. Stir in tomatoes. Take off of heat and cool slightly. Add basil.

To prepare:
Prepare garlic bread according to directions on box.

Saute chicken until no longer pink. Stir in tomato mixture. Serve chicken and tomato over the garlic bread or on the side.

Ham and Potato Pockets

This month I challenged myself to use what I had in my pantry and not be wasteful. I had made some ham for New Years, and we had a lot left over. I didn't want to make bean and ham soup, so I came across this recipe. It was great. Different and fun. I think that you could easily make it with jack cheese (instead of swiss) and italian dressing (instead of ranch.)

It was good the first night, but it was great for leftovers the next day!
http://onceamonthmom.com/ham-potato-pockets/

Ingredients
3/4 lb cooked ham, diced
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup ranch dressing
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 Tablespoons margarine
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cans refrigerator crescent rolls

Directions:
Place 2 cups of frozen hash brown potatoes in microwaveable safe bowl and defrost for approximately 3 minutes.
In a small skillet, cook onions and hash brown potatoes in butter until warmed and slightly browned. Add garlic powder.
In a separate small bowl, mix together ham, Swiss cheese and ranch dressing.
On a cookie sheets spread out refrigerated crescent dough and pinch together triangle perforations to make 4 squares (if you using the non-perforated dough cut into 4 large squares).
Place 1/4 cup of potato mixture and 1/4 cup of ham mixture into the center of the crescent squares.
Fold over dough and seal with a fork.
Place in 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Freezing Instructions

Let cool and then flash freeze (or place each in a small zipper sandwich bag) and place in a gallon size freezer bag. Freeze. To Serve: Place in microwave for 2-4 minutes OR in oven for 10-15 minutes until heated through.

Pizza Pasta Bake

I opted to use pizza toppings that we all like, but I’m sure you could substitute your favorites.
I got this recipe from http://stolenmomentscooking.com/pizza-pasta-bake/

It was a hit at our house...next time I'd use more pepperoni.

Pizza Pasta Bake
1 lb. penne rigate or mostacolli, fully cooked and drained
1 c. ricotta cheese
3 c. marinara sauce (homemade or from a jar)
30 slices pepperoni (or more)
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms (I used canned, but only because that’s what I had on hand)
1/2 c. sliced black olives
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese


1. Combine hot pasta with ricotta cheese and stir until cheese is melted and smooth. Pour into a 13×9 casserole dish.
2. Pour marinara sauce over pasta. Top with pepperoni, mushrooms and olives. Add shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through and cheese is melted.

Banana Sour Cream Muffins

Breakfast is a tough thing to get my kids to eat when we are in a big rush in the morning. This is a FANTASTIC recipe that freezes really well. I made 120 muffins(mini) at the beginning of the month, and we're on our last bag...my boys just eat them up for breakfast. I made half the batch have chocolate chips and the other half not. Make sure you dust the pans with cinnamon sugar--it really makes the muffins taste great!

Ingredients
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
12 oz chocolate chips (optional, but oh so tasty!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans(or muffin tins). In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Easy Taco Soup

I credit http://www.onceamonthmom.com for this one! It was really good and a real hit with the kids! It makes enough to have one time for dinner(family of 4) and enough to put in the freezer for a second night. It's called Taco Soup, but it reminds me a lot of chili too...I guess it depends how you doctor it up!


Ingredients:
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix
15.5 ounces Canned Whole Kernel Corn
1 can (15.5oz) Canned Diced Tomatoes
1 can (15.5oz) Canned Ro-tel Tomatoes with Green Chilis
3 cans (15.5oz) Ranch Style Texas Beans
2 cups Water

Directions:
Brown ground beef and onion. Drain. Add meat and remaining ingredients to crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Serve.
For added flavor serve over tortilla chips and offer sour cream and shredded cheese.

Servings:
12

Freezing Instructions:
After fully cooked, place soup in medium or large plastic ware or gallon size zipper freezer bags. Make sure to leave at least 1/4 inch space above the liquid as it does expand during freezing.

Fried Chicken

Best fried chicken I've had... (the list of ingredients looks strange because it soaks in a brine overnight).

Ingredients

1. 1 gallon cold water
2. 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
3. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
4. 12 bay leaves
5. 1 head of garlic, smashed but not peeled
6. 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
7. 3 large rosemary sprigs
8. 1 small bunch of thyme
9. 1 small bunch of parsley
10. Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
11. chicken pieces to fry
    
12. 3 cups all-purpose flour
13. 2 tablespoons garlic powder
14. 2 tablespoons onion powder
15. 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
16. 2 cups buttermilk
17. Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1. In a very large pot, combine 1 quart of the water with 1 cup of the salt and the honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Add the lemon zest and juice and the lemon halves and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let cool completely, then stir in the remaining 3 quarts of cold water. Add the chicken, being sure they're completely submerged, and refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain the chickens and pat dry. Scrape off any herbs or peppercorns stuck to the pieces.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Put the buttermilk in a large, shallow bowl. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then dredge in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres all over. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
4. In a very large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 330°. Fry the chicken in 2 or 3 batches over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and crunchy and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160°, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain, and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining chicken pieces. Transfer the fried chicken to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature.

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Crockpot Pork Chops

On a day that I desperately needed a new recipe, I gave a shout out to my facebook friends begging for something new. My sister in law posted this and I have since tried it and so have a few other friends who read my post and felt the same way. Anyway, super easy and very tasty!

Brown boneless pork chops and place in crockpot with a can of each, cream of mushroom soup and cream of celery soup. (I used two cans each for my family and four pork chops.) Turn on low all day, about 6-8 hours. Serve over white rice and some steamed veggies. Enjoy!

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

This is the best thing ever and is sooooo easy! I got it from another food blog but I make this often since my kids love it also. Enjoy, I know we did!

* 1 small bag frozen corn

* 1 can black beans -drained and rinsed

* 2 large frozen chicken breasts (this is enough, 3 may be ok but 4 is too much!)

* 1 16 oz jar of MEDIUM salsa (do not use mild, the flavor is not the same)

- Put the chicken, then corn, then beans and salsa all in the crockpot on high for 1 hour then low for 4 hours.

- Shred chicken with a fork and mix together

You can do anything you want with it. I make mini borrito's out of it and for the kids I make quesadilla's and they love it. Add sour cream, alvacado, cheese and eat. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Bistro

*2 tsp olive oil

*3 cups sliced mushrooms

*1 med chopped onion

*1 Can stewed tomatoes, undrained (I used two for a family of 4-6) and cut them up in a bowl.

*1/4 cup Kraft Italian dressing

*3 Tbs tomato paste

*4 small chicken breasts

*1 cup mozzarella cheese (I always use a little more since we all love cheese)

*4 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon

- Heat oil in Lg nonstick skillet on med hear. Add mushrooms and onions; cook 5 min

- Stir in tomatoes, dressing and paste

- Add chicken; cover. Reduce heat to med and simmer 12 min or till chicken is cooked through

- Sprinkle with cheese and bacon and simmer uncovered for 5 min

We serve it over rice!

Lemon Chicken

4 boneless Chicken breasts
1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c water
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and marinate for at least 30 minutes (I did 45min - an hour and the flavor was subtle) before barbecuing.

Indian Tacos...easy and fun!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 6 cups vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup warm water
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Directions

Mix the dry ingredients. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the oil and the water, and stir until smooth. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the dough is just elastic and comes together, being careful not to over work. Shape the dough into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (I skip this step and it comes out just fine)

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Flatten each piece and roll into a 7-inch circle, making as thin as possible. Poke a hole in the center with the handle of a wooden spoon or your finger.

In a large saute pan or deep fryer, heat the 6 cups of oil to 360 degrees F. Slip the rounds 1 at a time into the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes, turning once with a long-handled spoon or tongs. Drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining dough.

Load up each fry bread with your favorite tostada toppings... we use ground turkey, refried black beans, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. We put all the toppings on the kitchen table and we made them together as a family...the kids each made their own and loved it!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough*
marinara/pizza sauce
2T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzerella cheese, diced or grated
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

*You can use regular pizza dough, or thin crust.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400 degrees. If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after) Just eyeball how much. You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.

Serve warm with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Revival of the Recipe Blog!

Lately, I have been hearing lots of talk from moms about wanting and needing new recipes to try. I feel THE same way! This blog has served us well over the last year or so but is in need of a revival. So here's the deal: Start posting. Let's help each other out. As an incentive and because we ALL love giveaways, here's a fun one: For every recipe you post over the next week, you will be entered into a drawing to win a Mary Kay Even Complexion Mask (shameless self promotion). Giveaway starts now and will end Monday Feb. 1st at midnight.

So start posting!

For those of you that view the blog but are not signed up to contribute, send me your email so I can send you an invite.

crock pot Chicken Tortilla soup

SO GOOD and Easy!!!

3 med chicken breasts (boiled, cooked, shredded)
1 jar pace picante sauce (choose mild, med, hot)
2 cans chicken broth
1 can sweet white corn undrained
2 small yellow squash/zuccini sliced
2 small green squash/zucchini sliced
1/2 onion chopped
TOPPINGS:
corn tortillas - cut into strips and fried.
shredded cheese
cliantro , chopped
avacado, cut into squares

Place cooked, shredded chicken in crock pot.
Add chicken broth, can corn, salsa, sliced zucchini, onion all together into crock pot.
Let it cook on high for 3-4 hours. Then turn to low until ready to eat. Or cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Before serving soup...Heat up a frying pan with oil to cover the bottom. Place strips of tortillas in hot oil to fry...they go quick...take out before too brown....place on top of soup when served in bowls if wanted.

Serve and place toppings on if you like.

Black Bean Pot Stickers

Black Bean Filling for Pot Stickers
*measurements are approx.

1 can black beans drained
Minced onion 1/2 to 1 cup depending on how much you like
2 cloves of garlic minced
fresh or powdered ginger to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
tablespoon of sesame seeds
tablespoon of soy sauce
Sesame or Olive oil
Won Ton Wrappers

Cook the onions, garlic and ginger in oil until the onions are translucent. Add the can of beans, lemon juice, sesame seeds and soy sauce. Cooked till heated thru.

Place a spoonful in your favorite won ton wrap, pinch closed, cook and serve.

* we fried them, but on the won ton wrap wrapper all recipes provided were baked in the oven. so we'll try that next time to see the difference.