Cottage Cakes

This was super good.  The kids gobbled it up!  I was looking for a pancake recipe...we usually use bisquick, but I wanted something different.  I found this recipe online.  Very rich!

1 cup cottage cheese

4 eggs, beaten

4 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1/2 cup flour

Whisk the first three ingredients. Fold in flour. Bake on a pancake griddle using medium high heat. Serve with Vermont maple syrup, apricot sauce or jam.

Serves: 3

Cream of Chicken and Rice Soup

So tonight I was looking for an easy dinner and noticed the can of Chicken and Rice soup.  It has been sitting there for awhile not looking very appetizing.  I decided to make up a recipe to use it...and the soup turned out quite yummy!

1 can Chicken and Rice soup

1 can corn

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

I mixed them all together and rinsed out the cans that needed it...I think I used about one can's worth of water.  Then just let it cook as directed on the soup can until warm.  

Cheese Fondue

I love my family's tradition of cheese fondue every New Year's Eve...but there was always the stress of finding a decent recipe that was easy, melty, and non alcoholic.  I finally found it!  Bettie found the recipe online in preparation for her birthday.

1 lb. medium aged gouda, coarsely shredded

3 c. heavy cream

White pepper

1. in a medium saucepan, simmer the heavy cream over moderate heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
2. Whisk in the Gouda until melted.
3. Strain the cheese sauce through a fine sieve set over a heatproof bowl or fondue pot and season lightly with white pepper.

Hints and variations:

*We used a mix of gouda and smoked gouda.  Did you know the brown edge of the smoked doesn't melt?  It looks like worms.  Cut them off or strain.  We didn't strain it when we did it.

*Serve with crusty bread like french and veggies like celery, broccoli, cauliflower.

*I used a crockpot that sits on a hotplate for my fondue pot.  You could put it in a bowl and microwave it every so often to re melt.

*The leftovers separated in the fridge...lots of oil floating on top.  We just added a bit more cream when we warmed it up.

Buffalo Wing Dip

My online friend Beth shared this recipe with me.  She calls it "The Best Dip" and says she likes it so much she would lick it off old stinky shoes!  I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it is really good!

2 cans of chicken, drained

2 blocks of cream cheese

1/4 c hot sauce

1 c. shredded cheese

1 c. blue cheese dressing

Stir all the ingredients together and heat until warm.  I usually do it on the microwave or stove.  The original recipe calls for putting it in a casserole dish and mixing in half of the cheese and putting the other half on top and baking in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dipping ideas:  celery, carrots, pretzel chips, tortilla chips, crackers, fingers....  :D

Variations:

*Works well with ranch dressing too.

*Vegetarian (no chicken) works, it just gives it a different texture.

*It is a slight bit spicy.  It needs the flavor of the hot sauce, but you may want to experiment with how much you use.  I wouldn't use more than it calls for, personally.

*Make a green chili dip!  Use green enchilada sauce instead of the hot sauce, and pepper jack cheese instead of the blue cheese dressing.  Wow!

Hawaiian Haystacks

I remember this from my youth.  It's a nice way to get all the food groups in one meal.  I've fed it to the missionaries and tonight I'm serving it to my bunco group.  Wonderful way to feed the masses!

Rice

Chicken gravy (cream of chicken soup diluted with milk or chicken broth to desired consistency)

Cubed chicken 

Cubed ham

Chopped celery

Chopped green onions

Chopped tomatoes

Slivered almonds

Maraschino cherries

Crushed pineapple

Shredded coconut

Chow mein noodles

Shredded cheese

Just lay it all out like a taco bar.  Typically, it is gravy over the rice and then whatever toppings people want.  

Variations and hints:

*Use any chicken gravy recipe you have.  

*Of course, you can customize the list of toppings to your liking. (Don't knock the cherries til you try it!)

*It's easy to make this vegetarian.  Omit the meat and use cream of mushroom soup or any other gravy recipe you have.

Applesauce

I bought cases of frozen apples and rhubarb and was looking for new ways to use them.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and changed it up a bit to include my rhubarb.  I am not a rhubarb fan, but I love this applesauce!  

• 8 apples - peeled, cored and shredded
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

1. Place shredded apples in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Sprinkle with cinnamon, then add water and cook until the apple bits become soft and mushy.
2. Stir in brown sugar and mix well; if desired, top with ice cream and serve.

Variations and hints:

*To make my variation, I used 6 cups frozen apple slices and 2 cups frozen rhubarb slices.

*The original recipe calls for lots more cinnamon.  Add it to your taste.

*I used frozen sliced fruit.  When the fruit was soft and mushy I used a pastry cutter to cut up the apples.  Maybe a potato masher would work too.

*You can probably reduce the brown sugar.  It is pretty sweet.  If you don't use tart apples, you won't need much sugar at all.

*It's good warm or cold.  

Banana Chocolate Chip Dessert

One of my scrapbooking heroes, Stacy Julian, mentioned a favorite family recipe Banana Brownies.  I went in search of something that matched the description, and found this recipe on allrecipes.com.  It is now one of our family favorites!

• 3/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Fold in mashed banana. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Fold flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, until set. Cool before cutting into squares.

Variations and hints:

Put in a 13x9 and bake for 30 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

This is comfort food for me from Mom's kitchen.  This is her simplified recipe.  It still tastes the same, only it's now a lot easier.

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

sliced fresh mushrooms

1 can tomato soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 T worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

1 c. sour cream

cooked wide egg noodles

Brown beef and saute the onions and mushrooms in a large skillet.  Add the soups and seasonings.  Just do it to taste.  When it is heated through, stir in the sour cream and serve over noodles.

Variations and hints:

*Substitute 1 cup TVP (see taco soup for more on TVP) reconstituted with 1 cup beef broth and some kitchen bouquet for color.  Use in place of the beef.

*Use chicken instead of beef.

*Serve over rice or toast (Grandma Sycamore's if you are lucky enough to have it).

*Mom used canned mushrooms, but we prefer fresh.

Chicken enchiladas

This is definitely a staple around here.  We always have the makings for this.  Too bad J and C don't like it.  Oh well, more for the rest of us!

2 regular size (15 oz?) cans green enchilada sauce

1 pkg. flour tortillas

shredded cheese (your favorite)

1 can chunk chicken breast, drained

2 pkgs. cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350.  Pour a little green sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan to prevent the tortillas from sticking to the pan.  Mix chicken with cream cheese.  Spread some down the middle of a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.  Roll up and place in pan.  I can usually fit 7-8 enchiladas widthwise in a 13x9. It's ok to scrunch them together. If they are small tortillas, I can also fit one or two lengthwise to fill in the gap.  Pour the remaining green sauce over the top and sprinkle on some more cheese.  Bake about 25 minutes.  Cover with foil if you feel like it needs it.  Serve with sour cream.

Variations and hints:

*Red or green sauce?  That's the state question in NM. Use your favorite.  We love green!

*Substitute about a pound of fresh or frozen chicken breast, cooked and shredded.  Canned is just quicker when I'm hungry.

*Replace one package of cream cheese with a can of cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup.  Just as yummy!

*Green tabasco sauce is always a winner to have on the table with this.

*We like this even better as leftovers, when the flavors have all soaked in.

*Add some extra green chile to the chicken mixture and the sauce for that matter.  This is NM, after all!

*I just tried this with about 1/2 c pepper jack cheese mixed into the cream cheese mixture.  Yummo.....especially if you turn this into dip instead of filling and warm up the filling with some cheddar grated on top. Wow!

Oreo Truffles

I got this recipe from a scrapshare friend, I think it was Desiree.  It's very fattening, but soooo good!

1 pkg. oreos

1 pkg. cream cheese

Chocolate almond bark

Crush the oreos.  Mix in the cream cheese until the color is uniformed and not swirly. Getting your hands dirty is the best way to get this mixed.  Roll pieces into balls, about 1", and place on waxed paper on a cookie sheet.  Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate bark and dip frozen cookie balls in chocolate and return to waxed paper and then to the freezer.  Eat straight from the freezer.

Variations and hints:

*While the cookie mixture is yummy fresh, it is SO much better if you wait until these truffles are done and frozen.  

*Try with nutter butters instead of oreos

*Use other flavors of chocolate coating.  

*Mint oreos are yummo in this too!

UPDATE:
*I finally learned that if you add a small amount of shortening to the bark when you melt it, it thins out the coating and makes it easier to dip.
*Use a cookie scoop to make the process easier
*Break cookies in a food processor and add the cream cheese in.  Or do in batches in a blender.  Much easier.
*Sprinkle toppings on immediately.  Like crushed candy cane on mint truffles.  Or large salt on truffles dipped in chocolate with butterscotch chips melted in.  It is like the yummy salted caramel hot chocolate at Starbucks!

Veggie Pizza

I can eat a whole pizza all by myself.  I love this stuff!  I think it is originally a Pampered Chef recipe.

2 pkg. crescent rolls

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. (or so) dry ranch dressing

chopped raw veggies, such as:

carrots

cauliflower

broccoli

green onion

sweet peas

bell pepper

cucumber

In a cookie sheet, spread out the crescent rolls as much as you can and pinch the seams together.  Prick with a fork and bake as directed on the package.  I usually bake for 8 minutes and then start checking until it's golden brown.  Watch out and don't bake it too long...burnt crust isn't very tasty.  Take out and let it cool on the cookie sheet.

While the crust is cooling, mix the cream cheese and ranch seasoning in a bowl.  When the crust is cool, spread the cream cheese mixture on the crust.  Sprinkle on the chopped veggies and cut.  Makes about 15 pieces.

Variations and hints:

*Change out the seasoning: taco, dill, nothing.  Whatever you like.

*Choose specific veggies to go with your seasonings (lettuce, tomato, and olive with taco seasoning, for example)

*Use one package rolls on a pizza pan to make a circle pizza

*Add more cream cheese if you like more filling

*I use a Pampered Chef baker's roller to roll out the crust inside the pan

Ramen Foo Yung

We got this recipe out of the Deseret News.  So easy and all three kids love it!

1 pkg. ramen, any flavor

2 eggs

1 T. butter

Cook ramen noodles according to package directions, but reserve the seasoning packet for later.  Drain the noodles when they are cooked through.

Beat eggs in a bowl together with the seasoning packet.  Add cooked noodles.

Melt butter in a 10" skillet.  Add egg mixture and cook on medium.  Push down around the edges with a spatula.  When you can lift the bottom and it is golden brown, place a plate over top of the skillet and flip it over so the cooked side is facing up on the plate.  Slide the food into the skillet so you can cook the other side.  When it is firm in the middle, it's done.  (It's easier than it sounds, I promise!)  Slide it out onto a plate and cut in wedges.  Serve hot.  

Variations and hints:

*We like it with hoisin sauce (next to the soy sauce in the grocery store) or soy sauce 

*Cut in cubes for an appetizer and serve using toothpicks

*The original recipe called for dissolving the seasonings in the melted butter and frying the cooked noodles in the butter before adding the eggs to the pan.  We've had better luck with our method...we don't burn the butter as often our way.

*Dad makes this all by himself, so it can't be all that hard, right?  LOL

Taco Soup

I got this recipe from my scrapshare friend Stacy.  It has been a hit every time I make it.  Here's the original recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 can Ranch style beans (or pinto beans if you can't find Ranch)

1 can pinto beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans corn

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing

1 pkg. dry taco seasoning

Brown the beef and drain then add everything else.  Don't drain the cans!  Simmer, simmer, simmer then serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, olives, jalepenos, avocados or whatever else sounds good!

Variations and hints:

*Leave out the meat

*Replace the meat with 1 cup TVP

*Replace the beef with chicken

*Rinse out cans with water to get the flavor and extend the soup, making it more soupy

*Freezes well...which is good because it makes a lot!

*Works well in the crock pot, too