Chicken Enchiladas

I know practically everyone has their own recipe for this, but I thought I'd post the one I use. I got it from a course I took in college. I highly recommend it! Family Meal Management. There were two sections and only one guy between the two of them. We met once a week and cooked dinner together. There's a lot more to it, but that's where I got this recipe, from one of the girls in my group. I've changed it some, but the basic stuff is the same.

8 tortillas
1 cup chicken, cooked and diced or shredded
1/2 c. onion, diced
1 c. shredded cheese
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream

Okay it's not my picture

The basic idea is to put chicken, cheese, onions, and chilies in the tortillas - reserve some cheese and chilies for the top. Roll them and place them in a 9x13 greased pan. Mix the sour cream and cream of chicken together and spread over the top of the tortillas. Then sprinkle some more cheese and chilies over the top. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until bubbly.
You can add more chicken, cheese etc. to your liking (and budget). I will also saute the onions a little to add flavor and minimize the bite. Other recipes use more sour cream, but I'm cheap and it helps cut down on how much I'm eating.
I have made this with fat free sour cream and reduced fat cream of chicken soup and it still tastes fine. It might not be gourmet, but it's yummy and easy.

Sloppy Joes

This is a great recipe. I've used it several times and tried different things with it. I've substituted 1/4 c. of ketchup for 1/4 c. BBQ sauce and I made this Monday and didn't have green peppers and it was fine. It isn't really sloppy, so if you want it sloppy add some tomato sauce.

Sloppy Joes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 teaspoons brown sugar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I made these today with the boys. Yummy and a little healthier than peanut butter or chocolate chip (or so I tell myself). They are from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp. cloves (optional)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour
2 c. rolled oats
1 c. raisins

In a large mixing bowl beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and, if desired, cinnamon and cloves (of course use them why not?). Beat till combine, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla till combined. Beat in flour and oats. Add in raisins.
Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or till edges are golden. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Makes about 48 (mine were a little bigger and only made 36)

Pastachutta

I usually reduce this a little (to about 3/4 the recipe). However I'm finding that my boys are eating more and that my "serves 4" recipes don't have any left overs any more. The boys mostly just eat the pasta and the Parmesan cheese, that leave lots of mushroom and onions for us!!! Yum.

Pastachutta

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) package fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, but do not rinse.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic, mushrooms and onion until tender. Toss with cooked spaghetti. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Summer Bean Salad

This is really quick and easy. I've made it with black beans as well. It doesn't have to sit in the fridge for hours. I just chop up a regular tomato because cherry tomatoes, are just WAY too expensive! And since my basil isn't ready to harvest yet I used dried basil.

Summer Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomato halves
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, gently toss beans, corn, onion, tomatoes, lime juice, and lemon zest. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Mix in basil just before serving.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

This is also really easy. I will halve the recipe for us, and there might be left overs. Timothy helped me mix the sauce and spoon it over the chicken.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika, and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken, and brush to cover.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Cheesecake

So last night I made a cheesecake for Aaron for Father's day. I guess I never really told this part of the story before. Before we started dating he brought me a plate of cookies (that he baked) for my birthday but I wasn't there. To thank him I wanted to make something for him. So I brought back his plate with a cheesecake. And the rest is history! I think this recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens book, but it's been in my recipe box for so long I don't remember. For the first time I tried it in a springform pan and it turned out great. It also works in a 9-inch pie pan.

2 pkg 8 oz cream cheese

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon peel

Soften cream cheese. (This is essential if you want it smooth!) Cream eggs, sugar, vanilla and cream cheese together, until smooth. Mix in lemon peel. Pour into crust. Bake at 325 F for 35 minutes.

A trick I just learned is to turn off the oven and let it sit in the oven with the door ajar until it is set. Then it doesn't brown on the top but it cooks thoroughly.

I also make my own crust

Graham cracker crust:

16 squares graham crackers

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

Mix together and press into bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. In the springform pan I just put the crust on the bottom.

You can top it however you like. We like the cherry topping, or fresh strawberries or raspberries. Endless possibilities.

White bread

Since the baking is so good up here Aaron asked if I would make some bread. It turned out pretty good. I always wondered why mine didn't turn out like his Moms. Now it does!

2 1/2 c. warm water

1/3 c. powdered milk (I only put this in if I have some laying around)

1 egg

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. oil

1/2 Tbsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

6-8 c. flour

Again I will elaborate on the instructions. Put the yeast and warm water in the mixing bowl. Let dissolve and and remaining ingredients with flour one cup at a time. Knead for 10 minutes. My Kitchen-Aid is small so I can mix in about 5 cups of flour before I have to knead it by hand. Place in a bowl and let rise until double (about an hour).

Grease loaf pans. Separate and form* into into three 1 lb loaves - or two 1 1/2 lb loaves depending on the size of your loaf pan - and place into greased pans. Let rise until double - about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden. I spray the tops with a little cooking spray when I take them out. They look shiny and stay moist.

* a hint on forming the dough: You want to knead it a little to get the air bubbles out. To keep the top of the loaf smooth take the outer ends of the dough and push the toward the center leaving a smooth edge on the top and the folded edge on the bottom.

Carne Asada Marinade

Aaron made this the other day and it was so good! He did change one thing though. He used 1/3 c. olive oil and 1/3 c. canola oil. It was so good! He said it was pretty close to the flavor he ate in Argentina. So we mixed up some Chimichurri sauce too.

Carne Asada Marinade

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Place beef into the mixture. Rub mixture into the meat. Cover bowl and allow beef to marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before grilling as desired.

Greek Salad I

I reduced this recipe to serve two. I didn't have red peppers, or a cucumber, and I substituted a white onion for the red. And I used half romaine and half iceberg lettuce. Oh, and I just sprinkled some feta on top rather than mixing it in. Timothy loved it!

Greek Salad I
INGREDIENTS
1 head romaine lettuce- rinsed, dried and chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 (6 ounce) can pitted black olives
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, sliced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lemon, juiced
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large salad bowl, combine the Romaine, onion, olives, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and cheese.
Whisk together the olive oil, oregano, lemon juice and black pepper. Pour dressing over salad, toss and serve.

Potato Crescent Rolls

This is another MIL recipe. And you guessed it, it has mashed potatoes in it. The missionaries came over and we served this with stew, yes it is cool enough to have stew! I updated it with pictures.

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/4 c. butter
1 c. cooled mashed potatoes
2 eggs
3-4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt


Dissolve yeast in water in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients except flour. Stir well. Add 2 cups of flour. If you are using a stand mixer switch to the dough hook here. Add remaining flour until dough is elastic and not sticky. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Form rolls. Cover, let rise for at least 2 hours. Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes.

Would you like to know how to form the rolls?

Split dough into 4 pieces. Roll each out into a circle
and cut into 6 wedges (8 if you want them small),

then roll from the outside edge toward the point

Curve the edges in and place on a grease cookie sheet.

This recipe will fill up a 15x10 pan.

After they are risen

Fresh out of the oven!

chocolate chip cookies

This is a recipe I got from my MIL. Hers makes 7 dozen, (I can't have that many cookies laying around-or I'll eat them) so I scale it back to 2/3 of the recipe. That's just enough to have some for a couple of days of snacks and some to give away. Aaron made these with the boys today to give to our new friends downstairs and the RS presidency that stopped by today.
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 2/3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
8 oz chocolate chips (okay I usually still use the whole bag)

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Cream together sugar, shortening and butter. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet by teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 F for about 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen (2/3 of 7 doz. is a messy number).

Tortillas

After a few weeks of eating simple meals, out at friends and restaurants and on the road, I was so ready to make a great meal. But alas, I am still in shock about how much food costs here and I have to search every store before I start paying ridiculous prices. So we decided to have burritos, but I had no tomatoes, or sour cream, or tortillas. Well, we did without the tomatoes and sour cream, but I decided to make my own tortillas, since I could find anything less than DOUBLE what I paid in H*. So I gathered my recipe from my Wymount days. It was in our ward cookbook from a lady from Chile, although she said she got the recipe from her sister who spent time in Mexico.
It's a little time consuming because you have to roll them out and cook each one, but they are soooo yummy. And this recipe doesn't call for baking powder like most others. So here's Mayka's tortilla recipe.

3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 c. hot water
1/4 - 1/3 c oil

Mix together in a large bowl the flour and salt. Mix the hot water and oil together and poor immediately into the flour and salt. Mix together until flour is incorporated. (Mayka used a knife to mix it, I use a fork or a wooden spoon and then my hands at the end)
This will make 16 large tortillas, but you can make them any size. Roll them out on a lightly floured surfaced, as thin as you can get them. It's really hard to get a perfect circle, most of mine are not very round (but they still taste good, so who cares, right?). I cook them as I go, it's helpful to tag team - have one person roll them out and one man the griddle. The griddle (or cast iron skillet) needs to be very hot (400 F). They only need to cook a few minutes on each side.
to keep them warm place a towel on the counter and fold it in half. After each tortilla is cooked put it on the bottom half of the towel and cover it with the top half.
I hope that it's not too confusing!