Cake Mix Cookies

Any flavor cake mix (I like Yellow or Funfetti)
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Bake 9-12 mins. Remove cookies and place on a cooling rack.

Taco Soup

Last week Matt brought home a stack of recipe's from work and he told me we had to try one by sometime this week. I chose to make Taco Soup from Mary Twohill, who got it from DeAnn Thurgood, because it looked good,it looked like it was easy to make and it looked like it would fill us up because some soups don't. I made it yesterday and we all loved it! Evan even had some and that's saying something since lately it's been hard to get him to eat anything.

Taco Soup

1 lb Hamburger
1 Onion, chopped
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2 8-oz cans Tomato Sauce
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Corn
1 cup Water

Brown hamburger and onion together. Add other ingredients. Simmer until warm. Top individual servings with: Fritos, cheese and sour cream

Very Yummy!

Bread Braid

This is one way to enjoy Homemade Sloppy Joe's when you don't have hamburger buns.

1/2 cup Milk
3 tbs. Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
3 tbs. Butter or Margarine
1 tbs. Active Dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm Water
5 to 6 cups All-Purpose Flour

Place milk, sugar, salt and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups flour. Use dough hook and use speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.
Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.
Place dough on clean counter top and cut in half.
Use a rolling pin to flatten dough into a rectangle shape. Put the dough on a greased cookie sheet. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips into the dough but leaving the middle untouched. Place cooked Sloppy Joe mix in the middle and braid the dough over the mix.
Bake on 400 until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Brush margarine or butter on top and serve.

For the rest of the bread dough I let it raise in a bread pan till it's doubled in size and bake it in the oven on 400 degrees till golden brown.

Carbonara - Rachael Ray

Elizabeth (SIL) introduced this recipe to me. It's from Rachael Ray's website at http://www.recipezaar.com/
I made this for dinner today and really enjoyed it. I used regular White Cooking Wine instead of Dry White Wine and I didn't add the red pepper flakes because I'm not a fan and it turned out great!

1 lb Spaghetti or Rigatoni Pasta
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
1/4 lb Pancetta, chopped (Italian Bacon)
1 tsp. Red Pepper flakes
5-6 Garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
2 large Egg Yolks
Romano Cheese, freshly grated
Fresh Parsley, for garnish

1. Boil pasta.
2. Heat large skillet. Add olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta for 2 mins. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2-3 mins more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
3. In a separate bowl beat yolks, then add about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. This tempers the egg and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour egg mixture over pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper and a little salt to taste. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and extra grated romano.

Chef Salad

I was asked to make a salad to share for our Families Easter Egg hunt over Easter weekend. I wanted to try something new and I was having cravings for green salad with lots of my favorite ingredients. It tuned into a Chefs Salad because I had left over smoked turkey from a recent dinner that we had with friends and family and I thought it would be fun to put hard boiled eggs because of it being Easter. The ingredients that I put together was:

Romain Lettuce
Iceberg Lettuce
Smoked Turkey
Green Onion
Olives
Swiss Cheese
Colby Jack Cheese
Grape Tomato's
Hard Boiled Eggs

I made the homemade Hidden Valley Ranch to go with it because that stuff is far better then the pre-made bottle ranch. It tasted so good. I wont always have the smoked turkey on hand so ham will be a good substitute. I'm already having cravings for this!

Pulled Pork (Crock Pot)

Matt and I had the pleasure of visiting our Aunt and Uncle in Seattle a couple weeks ago and had amazing food. I wanted to try and re-create the Pulled Pork that she made and I succeeded.

Pork Shoulder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup Water

Add all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 4-6 hours. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce and rolls to make a full meal. Yummy! :)

My brother Nathan also makes delicious Pulled Pork by smoking it in his smoker outside. It takes almost all day but it's so worth it! I'm excited for summer coming around the corner because he will start doing it again. He's always smoking some kind of meat so our home always has the aroma of meat being smoked.

Strawberry Lemonade Quencher

10 cups cold Water
1 can (10 oz) frozen non-alcoholic Strawberry Daiquiri mix, thawed
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (4 to 5 lemons)
3/4 cup sugar
Whole Strawberries

Place all ingredients except strawberries in pitcher. Stir until contents are thoroughly mixed. Garnish each glass with a strawberry, if desired. Serve chilled.

Raspberry Lemonade Slush

6 cups Hot Water
4 cups Sugar
1 (12 oz) can frozen Lemonade concentrate
1 (16 oz) can crushed Pineapple with juice
2 (10 oz) package frozen raspberries
2 liter Sprite or Ginger Ale soda

In a 5 quart ice cream bucket or similar container, combine hot water and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add lemonade, pinapple and raspberries and stir until well mixed. Freeze overnight. Serve with desired amount of soda.

Orange Freeze

2 cups Sherbet or Sorbet
1 cup fresh squeezed Orange Juice
1/4 cup Milk

Put sherbet, juice and milk in a blender and blend for 15 sec or just until all sherbet is smooth. Pour the orange freeze into chilled glasses.

Orange Jello Dump Stir (Dumpster) Salad

1 pkg. Orange flavor Jello gelatin mix
1 6oz Coolwip
1 6 oz Cottage Cheese
1 can Pineapple
1 can Mangarine Oranges

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Serve chilled.

Lasagna

2 lbs Hamburger
1 qt (4 cups) Whole Tomatoes
2 cups Ketchup
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
(12 oz) Ricotta Cheese
2 1/2 cups grated Cheese
1 Onion
1 cup Tomato Juice
1 tbs Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and drain. Add Onion and cook till tender. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, ketchup, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer for 30 mins or until thick. Grease dish. Cover with uncooked lasagna noodles. Spoon one third meat sauce. Cover with half ricotta cheese and one third of cheese. Repeat layers than spoon last of meat sauce over top and cover with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and pinch sides. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove foil and bake till ready to serve.

Hot Artichoke Dip

2 Jars(6.5 ounce each) marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 Mayonnaise
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 Garlic clove, pressed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine artichokes, spinach, sour cream and mayonnaise. Add Parmesan cheese and garlic; mix well and put in a baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with desired crackers.

Grasshopper Pie

Freeze for 20 minutes between each layer

Layer 1
Crush 26 Oreo Cookies, combine with 4 tbs (1/2 cup) melted margarine. Save 2 tbs and set aside. Press remainder into 9x13 pan.

Layer 2
1/2 gallon Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, spread over first layer

Layer 3
Pour 16 oz can Hershey's Fudge Topping over ice cream. Heat Topping, if needed.

Layer 4
Layer small carton Cool Whip over layer 3.

Garnish with saved oreo's or shaved chocolate. Keep frozen till ready to serve.

Pasta Salad

Colored Rigitoni Noodles, cooked
1 sm. Red Onion, chopped
Feta Cheese
Olives, sliced
Lil Smokies, sliced
Italian Dressing

Mix all ingredients together. Add as much Italian Dressing as desired and chill. Before serving add more dressing because it will be dry.

Broccoli-Bacon Pasta Salad

4 spears fresh Broccoli, chopped
2 pounds bacon, fried crisp, drained and crumbled
1 red Onion, chopped
2 pounds Pasta of your choice, cooked and drained
1 cup roasted Sunflower seeds (optional)
1 recipe Pasta Dressing

Pasta Dressing
2 cups Mayonnaise
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
Combine ingredients. Stir well

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour pasta dressing over top and gently stir. Chill for several hours.

Bacon Carbonara

Spaghetti
2-4 slices Bacon
Sm. Onion chopped
4 tsp. Butter
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Fry bacon; sautee chopped onion and garlic in butter till tender. Stir in heavy cream, cheese and toss with bacon and serve with hot spaghetti noodles.

Chicken and Rice

1 cup uncooked Rice 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 can Milk 1 pkg. chicken drumsticks 1 pkg. dry Onion Soup Mix Put Rice in a greased 9x13 pan. Mix mushroom soup and milk; pour over rice. Place chicken pieces on rice, sprinkle with dry soup; cover and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Add water if rice gets dry.

Potato and Cheddar Soup

2 cups Water
2 cups peeled potato cubes
3 tbs. butter
1 sm. onion chopped
3 cups Milk
3 tbs Flour
Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup cooked Ham

Bring water to boil in large saucepan. Add potatoes and cook till tender. Drain reserving liquid measuring 1 cup. Add if necessary. Melt butter in saucepan. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add flour, season with black pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes. Gradually add potatoes, reserved liquid, milk and sugar to onion mixture; stir well. Add cheese and ham. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Stirring frequently.

Beef Stoganoff

1 1/2 pounds cubed Steak
4 tbs Flour
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
6 tbs. Butter
1 1/2 cups chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 tbs. Olive Oil
1 10 1/2 oz can Beef Consomme
1 pound fresh Mushrooms
1 tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Egg Noodles

Combine flour and pepper in a plastic bag. Add meat and shake until well coated. In a large frying pan, melt 4 tbs. of butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until lightly brown. Place in bowl and set aside. In frying pan, melt remaining 2 tbs. butter over medium heat. Add olive oil. Place meat in pan and brown on all sides. Add beef consomme, onion and garlic mixture. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add mushrooms, worcestershire sauce and sour cream. Serve with cooked noodles.

Cheese Toast

4 tbs. Butter
French Bread or White Bread
Parmesan Cheese

Melt butter and brush on bread. Sprinkle cheese on top and grill till golden brown.

Banana Cream Pie

3 small boxes of Banana Pudding 1 qt. Half and Half 1/2 pint carton Whipping Cream Bananas (slices) Graham Cracker crust Beat till thick and pour over sliced banana's and crust. Makes 2

Fettuccine w/ Ricotta, Tomatoes and Basil

Fettuccine
3 tbs. butter, melted
3/4 cub Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 lg. Tomato, chopped
2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh Basil Leaves

Cook fettuccine and drain; return to pan. Stir melted butter, ricotta cheese and 1/3 of parmesan cheese and toss into hot fettuccine. Top with tomato, basil and remaining parmesan cheese.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups shredded Chicken
1 cup Sour Cream
1 7 oz can Green Chilies
1 cup Onion
2 tbs. Butter
4 cups shredded cheese
Flour Tortillas
1 can Enchilada Sauce
Green Onion

Boil Chicken and shred. Sautee Onion in butter till tender. Mix together chicken, sour cream, green chillies, onion and 2 cups cheese. Cover flour tortillas in enchilada sauce and add 1 cup of chicken mixture and roll until mixture is used. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees till cheese is melted and enchiladas hot. Garnish with green onion.

Alfredo Pasta

1/2 cup Butter or Margerine
2 cubs Heavy Cream
1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/8 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
Fettuccine

Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Add heavy cream, garlic powder and pepper and simmer for 10 to 12 mins. Stir in parmesan cheese and pour over cooked fettuccine.

Broccoli Casserole

1 Onion chopped
1 cube Margerine or Butter
1 Bag of Broccoli chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 Cups cooked Rice
1 bottle of Cheese Whiz
1 can water (soup can)

Saute Onion in margerine. Add rest of ingredients. Cook until it boils and serve.

Four Layer Dessert

1st Layer
1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Margarine melted
Mix and Pat into 9x13 dish; chill for 15 mins.

2nd Layer
8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 cup Cool Wip
Mix together and spread over crust

3rd Layer
1 lg. package Instant Chocolate Pudding
Mix as directed and spread over 2nd layer

3rd Layer
Spread remaining Cool Wip on top

Keep chilled until served.

Chex Party Mix

1 sm. box of Rice and Corn Chex Cereal each
1 sm. package of Coconut
2 cubes of Butter or Margarine
1 cup Sugar
1 cup White Karo Syrup

Combine both cereals and coconut in a large bowl. In a sauce pan, melt the butter, sugar and white Karo Syrup. Boil for 3 mins and pour over cereal mixture. Stir mixture well enough to evenly coat the cereal.

You may substitute any cereal you would like, such as Golden Graham Cereal.

White Tacos

1 lb. Hamburger cooked and drained
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 sm. can Green Chillies
Cheese grated
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Tortilla Chips or Corn Tortillas cut in pieces

Combine everything together in a casserole dish, reserving enough cheese to sprinkle on top. Bake until cheese is melted and casserole hot.

Porcupine Meatballs

Mix together the following ingredients and make meatballs; place in baking dish.

1 lb Hamburger
1/2 cup uncooked Rice
1/2 cup water
1/3 tsp. Onion Salt
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Celery Salt
1/8 tsp. Garlic Salt
Stir remaining ingredients and pour over meatballs.
2 15 oz or 1 30 oz can(s) Tomato Sauce
2 cups water
4 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Bake 45 mins covered and 15 mins uncovered at 350 degrees.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. Hamburger
1 can Tomato Soup
1 sm. onion (optional)
1 squirt of Mustard
1 tsp. Vinegar
2 good squirts of Ketchup
2 Sprinkles of Worcestershire Sauce

Brown meat and drain. Add all ingredients. Simmer until good flavor. Serve with hamburger buns or a bread braid.

Shepherds Pie

1 lb. Hamburger
1 or 2 cans of Cream Corn
Mashed Potatoes
Cheese grated

Make mashed potaoes with either real or imitation potato flakes. Brown the hamburger. Beginning with potatoes, layer potatoes, hambuger and cream corn, ending with potatoes on top. Sprinkle grated cheese on the top and cook in the oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and casserole is hot.

Chicken Casserole

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pkg. Frozen Peas
2 pkgs. Chicken Stuffing Mix

Boil chicken until cooked through and shred. Cook peas according to package. Mix peas with cream of chicken soup and the shredded chicken. Prepare stuffing mix accoring to the package. In a 9x13 pan, spread half of the stuffing mix in the bottom. Pour the chicken mixture over the top. Spread the remainer of the stuffing over the top. Put casserole in the over and cook until it's heated all the way through.

Chicken Pillows

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 tubes of Pop Out Biscuits

Boil Chicken until cooked through. Shred chicken and add to the soup and cream cheese. Flatten a biscuit and put a spoonful of chicken mixture in it and fold over and pinch closed. Place on a Pam sprayed cookie sheet. Continue until mixture and biscuits are used up. Cook at 350 degrees until lightly golden. Serve with chicken gravy. Before cooking them you can dip in melted butter and seasoned bread crumbs.