Chicken Parmesan

1 jar; favorite spaghetti sauce
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
12 chicken tenders
3 tbl. olive oil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese shredded

Preheat broiler. Spread spaghetti sauce evenly in 13x9 inch pan. Pour egg into a shallow dish. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan , salt and pepper in another shallow dish. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Dip chicken tenders into egg, turning to coat. Dip tenders into crumb mixture, turning to coat. I use one hand for the egg mixture and the other for the crumb mixture. Place in skillet. Cook the breaded chicken on each side till golden brown, turning once. Arrange chicken in a single layer on the spaghetti sauce. Top with mozzarella chesse. Broil 6 inches from heat till hot and cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Note: This dish is good alone or with spaghetti noodles with more spaghetti sauce.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

This is such a yummy dish! Got it out of the Worldwide Ward Cookbook from Becky Clayton in Sandy, Utah. It has lots of fun recipe's from all over the world.

2lb. ground beef
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 cup onion, finely chopped (or 1/4 cup. dehydrated onion)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
Few grains pepper
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup milk

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Comnined ground beef, oats, eggs, onion, salt, pepper, 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and milk. Form into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place in casserole dish in a single layer (a 9 x 13 inch pan will hold 54 meatballs). In a bowl, combined brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, barbecue sauce, and 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce; pur over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Note: I like to 1 1/2 times the amount of sauce.

Olive Garden's Chicken Carbonara

This recipe I found on recipezarr.com. It's a real keeper because not only is it good, but Evan ate 4 helpings! Of course they were small but he almost ate an adult portion and that's a lot for the little guy. He doesn't eat much so it was so nice seeing him eat this. He kept saying yummy!
This recipe takes a while to make but it's so worth it! You have to at least try it once. You could always go to Olive Garden and pay $16 for it, or you can spend a little time in the kitchen and maybe spend about $7 for it, give or take. I fell in love with this meal while eating it a few weeks ago at Olive Garden with friends but when you have a husband that doesn't care much for pasta, I have a hard time asking to go to Olive Garden when it's so expensive. This really tastes like the real deal so this makes me very happy! Add shrimp if you love sea food. I'm not a fan so I stick to just chicken.

Ingredients
Chicken Mixture
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
3 lbs chicken strips or 1 large shrimp
Sauce
1 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons bacon bits
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
4 cups heavy cream
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pasta
2 (14 ounce) boxes pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.)
Topping
3 tablespoons romano cheese, grated
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
1 3/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Add to Chicken Mixture
1 1/2 cups roasted red peppers, cut into small strips
1/4 cup bacon bit

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Chicken Mixture
2.Whisk extra virgin olive oil together with hot water, seasoning and chopped garlic. Add the chicken strips (or shrimp). Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Sauce
3.Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and bacon bits. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4.Add flour, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, milk bacon base pepper and salt. Use a wire whisk to whip all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer.
Topping
5.Combine Romano, Parmesan, mozzarella, panko, chopped garlic, melted butter and chopped parsley in a mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Set aside.
Chicken Mixture
6.Preheat large skillet. Add chicken (or shrimp) to pan. Add red peppers and bacon bits. Cook for 3 more minutes or until cooked on both sides and internal temperatures reach 165ºF for chicken and 155ºF for shrimp.
7.Add sauce. Stir until well blended.
Assemble
8.Place hot, precooked pasta in a lager baking dish. Top with chicken (or shrimp) and sauce. Evenly distribute topping over top of chicken (or shrimp). Place in broiler until top is golden brown.
9.Serve immediately and enjoy.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.