Tex-Mex seasoning

Tex-mex seasoning mix

2 Tbs. dried parsley flakes
4 tsp dried minced onion
4 tsp chili powder
3 tsp dried minced chives
3 tsp ground cumin

In a small bowl, combine seasonings. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. Yields about 6 Tbsp.

Tex-mex dip
½ cup mayo
½ cup sour cream

To prepare dip: in a small bowl, combine the mayo, sour cream and 4 ½ tsp. seasoning mix. Serve with corn chips. Yields: about 1 cup

Tex-mex Chicken
7 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 pkg. (16 oz) Velveeta cubed
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
2 Tbs milk
3 pkg. (6 oz. each) ready to use Southwestern Chicken strips
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

To prepare chicken: Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the process cheese, sour cream and milk. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until cheese is melted add the chicken, beans, tomatoes and 2 Tbsp. seasoning mix; heat through.
Drain noodles; add to sauce and toss to coat. Yield: 7 servings

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup
Prep/Total time 10 min

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¾ cups chunky salsa
½ cup canned whole kernel corn, drained
Dash hot pepper sauce
2 tsp lime juice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped green onions

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until heated through. Pour into four serving bowls; drizzle each with lime juice. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions Yield 4 servings

I just cooked it on the stove and let it simmer until we were ready to eat. We also crumbled up tortilla chips and added them. My hubby likes the jalapeno ones!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sweet & Sour Chicken

makes 4 servings ~ cook & prep time: 40 min.

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 egg; beaten

Cornstarch (can add flour if you don't have a lot)

Oil

Sauce:

¾ cup sugar

4 tblsp. Ketchup

½ cup vinegar

1 tblsp. Soy sauce

½ tsp. Garlic powder

Cut up chicken into bite size pieces. Dip chicken into the egg, then roll in cornstarch. Heat aprox. 2 tblsp. of oil in a skillet. Fry the chicken pieces until just browned. Mix all ingredients for sauce & pour over chicken in skillet. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice.

This was really easy and there were NO leftovers. Everyone loved it and wanted more! I added pineapple, but you could add broccoli and peppers to.

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar
1 cup oil (I use 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
3 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon soda
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups pumpkin, canned
nuts (optional)

Combine ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Fruit Salsa

1 large Granny Smith Apple, cored and cut into wedges
2 Kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into pieces
8 Strawberries, remove stems

Place apple pieces, kiwi pieces, and strawberries in food processor until fruit is coarsely chopped. Serve with Graham Crackers.

Sweet and Saucy Chicken Drummettes

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes

1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup Catalina Dressing
1/4 cup apricot jam

Preheat oven t 400. Place chicken in foil-lined baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes.

Combine BBQ sauce, dressing and jam in large bowl. Add chicken; toss to evenly coat. Return chicken to pan.

Ban an additional 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

The Drummettes I used were a little big, so I cooked them about 15 minutes longer. The kids loved them and the husband did to although he's not a fan of baked chicken, so I need to throw his on the grill to brown them up some more. Also next time I'll take the skin off-I'm not a fan of the skin, but I will definitely make this again. You can get Drummettes pretty cheap.

Honey Teriyaki Mini Meatloaves & Noodle Toss

This was a super fast and easy recipe--I left out the green onion and just added some honey and Teriyaki sauce to regular BBQ sauce because I didn't have any Honey BBQ sauce--it worked just fine.

1 1/2 ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 cup Honey Teriyaki BBQ sauce
1 egg
1/4 tsp pepper

Noodle Toss:
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen oriental veggie mix
2 cups water
2 pkgs Oriental flavored Top Ramen
1/4 cup green onion
3 Tbsp. Honey Teriyaki BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 400. In large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, egg, and pepper. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Place approx. 1/4 cup beef mixture into each of 12 medium muffin cups (no liners, just in the pan) pressing lightly. Spread remaining 1/4 cup sauce over tops. Bake 20-30 minutes until centers are no longer pink.
MEANWHILE, prepare noodle toss: in 10 in skillet, combine veggies, water, noodles (broken in several pieces) and seasoning packet from 1 package of noodles. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer 2-4 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in green onions and BBQ sauce.
Remove meat loaves from pan; serve with noodles

Pasta Salad

There is nothing really special about this recipe, but I let my kids help make it and they really liked it. I even used it as a main dish and it was a nice light summer meal.

1 bag tri-colored pasta, boiled, drained
2 Med tomatoes-cut up
1/2 cucumber cut in chunks
1 can sliced olives
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 bottle Italian dressing
1/2 bottle Ranch dressing
2 chicken breasts, boiled, cup up

Mix everything and enjoy--I altered this a bit and left out the carrots and added mushrooms. It made a huge batch, so unless you have a large family or are making it for a pot luck you could probably cut it in half.

spinach-pasta toss

(I found this recipe on kraftfoods.com)

1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 cup water
1 pkg. (9 oz) baby spinach leaves
1 cup Kraft shredded Italian three cheese blend

Bring tomatoes, pasta and water to boil in large saucepan; stir. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. Uncover; simmer 1 min. or just until pasta is tender.

Add half the spinach; simmer, covered, 2 min. or until wilted. Stir. Repeat with remaining spinach.

Serve topped with cheese.


For pictures and tips go to: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/spinach-pasta-toss-112862.aspx

Saucy Pork Chops

6 pork chops
1 medium onion sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup ketchup
2-3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Brown both sides of pork chops, salt and pepper to taste. Top with onion slices. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until done. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Pretty Package Cake

I made this cake for my sister's 30th birthday 2 years ago and just looked it up so I could make it again. It was so easy and fun and turned out really great, I think. It'd work great for any kind of occasion!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	Frosted 9- by 13-inch cake
	Fruit by the Foot
	Spree candies

1. Ribbon:   Cut 12-inch and 16-inch lengths of Fruit by the Foot and drape them across the cake and down the sides to resemble ribbon. Tuck the ends under the cake, using a spatula to gently lift it just a little. 
2. Bow:   Top the ribbon with two 8-inch lengths of Fruit by the Foot fashioned into loops and 5-inch-long streamers with notches snipped into the ends. Add a small oval to resemble a knot. 
3. Polka-dot gift wrap:   Press randomly spaced Spree candies into the frosting (we used about 3 dozen). 

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

I love freezer meals, they are great to have for those busy weeks when making dinner doesn't seem possible. Spending an entire day in the kitchen cooking and preparing these meals is a little overwhelming to me so I do it while I'm cooking dinner - I make two batches and put one in the freezer. This is one of the freezer meals that we like!

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

1- 2 pound bag frozen shredded hashbrowns
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cans cream of celery soup
1- 8 ounce cream cheese
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups cubed ham
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Soften cream cheese and cream together with soup. Stir in onions, ham, Jack cheese, and pepper. Break apart hash browns. Gently stir into cheese mixture. Place in gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze.
To serve: Thaw. Place in greased baking dish. Bake covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Waffles with Berry and Caramel syrup

First, make your waffles...any way you want. We personally like Bisquick...it's easy. Most people get it wrong...if you don't want a soggy waffle, follow my instructions...and that's an order!

Next, top your waffle in the below mentioned order:

• butter (real, not margarine)
• whipping cream
• berry syrup
• caramel syrup

You will be in heaven and you might groan a little bit...it's that good.

Berry syrup:

Frozen berries, however many you need

Put berries in a saucepan and put a generous amount of sugar on them. Heat on med-high until sugar is incorporated. Cover and let it reduce for awhile on low heat. Mash with a potatoe masher and cool. Yum

Caramel syrup:

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cube butter

1 tbsp. flour

1 cup whipping cream

Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and cool. Yum!

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

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• 4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
  
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
4. Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.

Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo...

I found this recipe on the web and it is so good. I personally don't like fettucine so I used angel hair pasta instead...and I always use Barilla.

Alfredo sauce...

1 cube butter
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
1 pint heavy cream
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
2/3 cup italian cheese

Melt butter in saucepan on med. heat. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth and blended. Whisk in heavy cream and add seasonings. Simmer for 20-25 minutes whisking frequently until thickened. Add cheese just before serving.

Also, we added cubed, grilled chicken breasts...the one's that are precooked at Sam's and Walmart. So So So good!

Bread...Homemade...

This is such an easy recipe and I have failed miserably in the past with bread...The nice thing too about this recipe is that it only makes 2 loaves...cuz there's nothing like warm bread for dinner! It's a crime to eat homemade bread not straight from the oven...

White Bread:

4 1/2 tsp. yeast (2 packages)

2 1/2 cups warm water, 110* degrees

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. melted butter

1 Tbsp. salt

6-6 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in kitchenaid mixer with sugar and water...rest for about 10 minutes. Add butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Add rest of flour 1/2 cup at a time. Turn into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel, rest for about 1 hour. Turn out onto floured surface and shape into 2 loaves and place in greased pans, rest for about 1 hour. In the meantime, preheat oven to 425* degrees. When the dough is ready to bake, decrease oven to 375* degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool ever so slightly and enjoy...best bread you will ever eat!

I have also made this into breadsticks and rolls and they are to DIE for! Decrease cooking time accordingly.