Black Bean Salsa Chicken

3-4 Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. medium salsa
1 can (15oz) corn, drained or frozen
1 can (15oz) black beans, washed and drained
1 pkg taco seasoning
sour cream
cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

Spray nonstick cooking spray onto the inside of your crock pot. Place chicken in crock pot. Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans, and taco seasoning over chicken. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or on high heat 3-4 hours. Right before serving shred the chicken and place back in crockpot. Stir and re-cover. Place tortilla chips on a baking pan and put them in the oven on the lowest setting for 10 minutes or so until they are warm and crispy (not browned though). Dip the tortilla chips in the chicken mixture, top with sour cream and cheese.

Cabe's Sugar Cookies

or

This is my younger brothers recipe for sugar cookies, they're pretty much the softest best sugar cookies to ever cross my taste buds.

4 c. flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 t vanilla
1 c shortening
1 1/2 c sugar
5 eggs

Frosting:
6 T butter
3T milk
1 1/2 t vanilla
15 oz powdered sugar

Cream the shortening, sugar, and eggs together. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the vanilla. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured board and cut into little shapes with cookie cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool. In the mean time mix all of the frosting ingredients with a mixer... and dye your favorite cookie color. frost cookies.

Cheese Soup

I just have to start out by saying.. this is my absolute favorite soup in the entire world. No really. Since I was a little girl its always been my favorite. I always double the recipe so I can have leftovers that last me an entire week. However, now that I'm married... I am lucky if the soup lasts until lunch the next day :) If I had a bigger pot it would be tripled. We compete for the fridge over it. Its to die for.

2 c. boiling water
2 c. pealed and shredded potatoes
1/2 c carrot slices
1/2 c sliced celery
1 c. ham diced
1/4 c margarine
1/4 c flour
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Combine water, vegetables, ham and seasonings. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add margarine. Mix in a bowl 1/4 c flour and 1/2 c. milk until smooth. Add the remainder of the milk and pour into the vegetable mix. Stir until thick. Add cheese. Don't boil, just stir until melted. Serve. (Always is really hot, but just throw in an ice cube into your bowl and you're good to go!) can also garnish the top with green onions and bacon bits.

BBQ Chicken Spinach Wraps

4 Spinach Tortillas
3 chicken breasts cubed and marinated generously in your favorite BBQ sauce
15 tortilla chips
Ranch dressing
Shredded lettuce
Cheddar cheese shredded
Onions (optional)
Tomatoes (optional)

First take your marinated chicken chucks and cook them, whether you bake them in the over or cook them on a george foreman like I did... they're just as good! While the chicken is cooking spread ranch dressing on one side of the torillas. Add the shredded lettuce and crumbled chips to the tortillas. Divide the chicken up among the tortillas. Add the cheese. Roll tortillas up carefully, wipe the drool from your mouth and serve

Chinese Sauteed Green Beans (SO GOOD!)

Let me first start by saying that I hate green beans. Hate hate them. and peas. I wont touch them for the life of me. This recipe however... I absolutely love. Its the only way I will eat them, when they're around... they don't even last 3 minutes.

1 T soy sauce
2 T olive oil
1 T honey
1 T minced garlic
1 T unsalted butter (or just normal butter, still works fine)
12 oz green beans trimmed

Combine soy sauce, honey, and 1 T water in a small dish. In a 10 inch saute' pan heat the butter with the olive oil over med-high heat. When the butter is melted add the green beans and 1 t salt-coat well with this mixture. Cook, turning beans occasionally, until well browned, shrunken, and tender- 7-8 minutes. (Butter will have turned dark brown). Reduce heat to low, add the garlic and cook , stirring constantly (15-20 seconds) until the garlic is softened and fragrant. Carefully add the soy mixture (make sure to scrape the honey off the bottom). Cook, stirring until the liquid is glazey (30-45 seconds.) Transfer the beans to a serving dish, and pour the extra glaze on top.

Shipwrecked Casserole

1/2 pkg egg noodles cooked
1 lb ground beef cooked
1/4 c onion cooked with beef
1 can corn drained
1 can tomato soup
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything in a large bowl. Transfer to a 13x9 pan. Top with cheese. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Stuffed Peppers

6 large green peppers
1 lb ground beef
1 T minced onion
1 c. cooked rice
few drops of Worcestershire sauce
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
dash of basil
sprinkle of oregano and garlic

Cut thin slice off the top of the peppers and remove the insides. Wash. Cook peppers in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain. Cook and stir ground beef and onion until brown. Drain. Stir in rice, garlic, powder, basil, oregano, and worcestershire sauce. stir in 1 c of the tomato sauce. Heat through.

Stuff each pepper with the beef mixture. Stand upright in an ungreased square baking 8x8 dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers. Cover the dish and back at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover. Bake 15 more minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Chicken N' Gnocchi (Olive Garden Copycat)

1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. carrot grated fine and chopped
1 1/2 t garlic minced
3/4 c heavy cream
4 c. chicken broth
3/4 c. fresh spinach julienne cut
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/2 t salt
3/4 c celery chopped fine
3/4 c onion chopped fine
1/3 c. flour
3/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken
16 oz gnocchi
1/2 t pepper

Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan. Add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and saute' until soft. Add flour mixing well. Cook 3-4 minutes while stirring frequently. Add heavy cream, milk, and chicken broth. Mix. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in chicken, spinach, gnocchi, and remaining seasonings. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes until the gnocchi become tender. (or put in the crockpot on low for 1-1 1/2 hours for the tastes to combine; I transfer to the crock pot prior to putting the chicken, spinach, and gnocchi in, otherwise it splashes everywhere during the transfer.)

Taco Dip

2 cans refried beans
1 T lemon juice
2 medium avocados
1/2 t salt
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 t pepper
1 taco seasoning packet
1 large sour cream
8 oz grated cheese

Bottom layer: (uses a 13x9 pan)
1) Refried Beans
2) avocado mixed with salt, pepper, and lemon juice (mash avocado)
3) sour cream mixture (sour cream + mayonnaise + taco seasoning)
4) grated cheese

Chill before serving, serve with tortilla chips. (Can also add other toppings like olives, green onions, etc)

Ranch Potatoes

Potatoes
Powder Ranch Packet
Olive Oil

The specifications for these just depend entirely on how much you want to make! Slice the potatoes into little chunks. Put them into a large ziploc bag. Add in enough olive oil to coat each potato slice, and then pour in some of the ranch packet, to your taste. Place in baking dish and cook at 350 degrees until the potatoes are tender or crispy

Restaurant Teriyaki Chicken Sauce (my favorite!)

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
2 T corn starch
1 c. water
5 T packed brown sugar
1/4 c. cold water
1/2 t ginger
1-2 T honey

Mix soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar and honey. Mix cold water and corn starch together separately, and then add to the other mixture. Heat till warm and bubbly. (I prepare the chicken the same was as the Orange Chicken (here), but change the sauce and use this one instead for teriyaki chicken, its to die for!) I also top mine with chopped green onions and chow mein noodles.

Raspberry Jello

1 (6oz) pkg raspberry jello
2 c. boiling water
2 (10oz) bags frozen raspberries
1 1/2 c. apple sauce
2 c. miniature marshmallows
2 c. sour cream

Dissolve Jello in hot water, and let cool slightly. Add frozen raspberries and apple sauce. Mix and pour into pan or bowl. Let it sit in the fridge until slightly thick. Mix sour cream and marshmallows together. Carefully spread on top of Jello mixture. Chill.

White Pasta Sauce (Saucy Meatballs)

I love this recipe, we use it all the time with meatballs and pasta, good for beef stroganoff!

1/3 c. Milk
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream

Mix milk, nutmeg, and soup and heat to boiling. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat when boiling. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve (this would be where you mix the ground beef into it, or just pour it over the noodles and meatballs)

Cinnabon Classic Copycat

Dough: 

1 pkg yeast

1 c. warm milk

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. margarine

1 t salt

2 eggs

4 c. flour

Filling: 

1 c. packed brown sugar

2 1/2 T cinnamon

1-2 T flour

1/3 c. margarine softened

Icing: 

1/8 t. salt

1/4 c. cream cheese

1/2 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

8 T. margarine

Dissolve yeast into warm milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, margarine, salt, eggs, and flour. Mix well. Knead dough into a large ball, using hands lightly dusted with flour. Put into a large bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

 Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, until it is approximately 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. Should be approximately 1/4 inch thick. Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees. To make the filling combing the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl with 1-2 T of flour (The flour keeps the center of the cinnamon rolls from rising up out of themselves while cooking). Spread softened margarine over the surface of the dough and sprinkle with the brown sugar cinnamon mixture.

 Carefully roll dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices and place in lightly greased baking pan (13x9). Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. While the rolls are baking, combine the icing ingredients. Beat with a mixture until fluffy. Spread over warm rolls.  

Stuffed Strawberries

First off... I must say that these strawberries are amazing. Probably the best "chick food" that Ive ever come up with in my entire life. Chocolate+fruit+cream cheese...... YUM. To die for. Craving them already just thinking about it. 

2 lbs strawberries

1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

8oz cream cheese softened

2T vanilla

3/4 c (or more) of powdered sugar

Cut the bottom tips off of the strawberries after washing and cutting the green tips off. (cutting the bottom tip off... makes them stand.). When I cut the green leaves off the top I try to do it so that the top forms a V notch for the icing to sit in. After this is done put all of your strawberries into the refrigerator. Whip your cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until its thoroughly mixed. With an icing tip (or those cake pastry plastic decorator pumps) squeeze out just a bit of the icing mixture onto the top of each strawberry. Once these are all done put them back into the refrigerator carefully. (If you don't put them back in... the icing will melt off the top.) Get your chocolate all nice and warm and melted and then however you want to pipette a little drizzle across each strawberry. this is important.... PUT THEM BACK INTO THE REFRIGERATOR FOR A GOOD 15 MINUTES. I learned this the hard way. If they don't go RIGHT back into the fridge.... you can say goodbye to all of your icing as it melts off of the strawberries and onto your serving platter. When cooled, put on the counter and watch how quick these babies disappear! 

Orange Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts
4-6 green onions
3T soy sauce
3T Orange Juice Concentrate
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
3T oil
3-4 garlic cloves
Flour

Chop the chicken breasts into bit sized pieces. Season with a little salt and pepper and coat with flour. (The easiest way to do this to put them all into a ziploc bag and shake it.) Heat about 3 T of oil in a pan and add an even layer of chicken into the pan. Fry until browned. Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked. If needed, add just enough oil to your hot pan (1-2T) to saute' 3-4 cloves minced garlic, and about 4-6 chopped green onions. Saute' until soft. Next, add the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and OJ concentrate. Continuously stir and heat until bubbly. Add chicken to your sauce and combine until well coated. Serve over rice.

Oriental Cabbage Salad

4 c. shredded cabbage
2T sunflower seeds
2T oil
1/2 t pepper
4 green onions sliced thin
1T apple cider vinegar
2T sugar
1/4 t salt
1 pkg ramen noodles (chicken flavor)
1/2 c chopped green peppers (opt.)

Combine seasoning package from noodles with the vinegar, sugar, oil, salt and pepper. Shake and mix well. Put cabbage, onion, pepper, seeds and noodles (crushed) in a bowl. Pour seasonings over and mix well. Chill for several hours. To use a full head of cabbage just double the recipe.

Harvest Hamburger Soup

1lb Ground Beef

1/2 onion

4.5 c. water & 4 beef bouillon cubes (dissolved in water)

1 1/2 c chopped tomatoes or 1 can stewed tomatoes

1 1/2 c frozen corn

1 c carrots

3 medium potatoes peeled and diced

1 t taco seasoning*

salt and pepper

Brown ground beef with onion, set aside. Boil carrots and potatoes for 10 minutes in the water/bouillon mixture. Add everything else to the mixture. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. (and for those daring few... cheddar cheese melted on top when the soup is done can be a fun experiment)

*(But if you're like me and cook on a whim and its too late when you realize that you're out of taco seasoning.... I substituted it with a few shakes of chili powder, cavendars greek seasoning, onion powder, garlic, and rosemary and it worked just fine!)