Amazing Chocolate Pudding

there are several things that are amazing about this pudding :
It is easy to make (use your blender)
it is good for you (no added sweeteners, only natural ingredients)
it tastes wonderful (rich and creamy)
it doesn't cost alot (only about 40 cents per serving)

I am not sure where I got this recipe, but I think it was from one of Mary Hunt's (the Everyday Cheapskate) readers. The only bananas I had were frozen solid, and I don't think they were supposed to be, so it took me alot longer, and I had to add a couple of tablespoons of milk to help the blender out. And my kids said it tasted a little like unripe bananas, so make sure yours are ripe enough.

AMAZING CHOCOLATE PUDDING
1 banana per serving
1 t cocoa per serving

mix together in blender until smooth.

that's it. you will truly be amazed. i was.

Barbeque Chili

this is some of the best dang chili I ever made. I was trying to use up a bunch of stuff I had left in the fridge and freezer and this is what I came up with...

1 lb ground deer (or beef)
1 chopped onion
2 cans ro-tel chili and tomatoes, one original, one mild
1 small can Bush's Baked Beans
1 large can Bush's baked beans
1 c water
1 c barbeque sauce (Cattlemen's is best)
2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
2 t salt
brown meat and onion. drain and add remaining ingredients. bring to a boil, lower temp and simmer for about 30 minutes.

French Toast

3 beaten eggs
3/4 c milk
1 T sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
10 slices dry bread
butter or oil
maple flavor syrup, honey or jam for topping
Beat eggs, milk, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a flat bowl. Dip bread in egg mixture, coating both sides. Melt butter or oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook bread until browned on both sides. Serve with toppings.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1 small jar apricot or strawberry preserves
1 envelope lipton onion soup mix (see homemade mixes on this blog!)
1 small bottle Russian dressing (see homemade mixes on this blog!)
1 large can crushed pineapple

mix all ingredients and pour over chicken in casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, baste occasionally. Serve with rice

this also works well with pork chops. for a larger crowd, dice meat first, so it will stretch to make more servings.

Homemade Mixes

these are some homemade mixes that help you save money and time, and taste just as good as the originals!(I like to save the large parmesan cheese containers when empty and reuse for storing homemade mixes)

Taco seasoning
6 t chili powder
5 t paprika
4-1/2 t cumin
2 1/2 t garlic powder
3 t onion powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 to 1 t salt
mix all and place in container.
use 3 t to replace 1 envelope of commercial mix.


CHILI POWDER
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
(hmm, seems like taco seasoning is just chili powder with a little salt and onion powder added. I may just start making up a bunch of taco seasoning and substituting it into my chili recipe...)

Eagle Brand milk
1 c boiling water
1 stick butter
2 c sugar (might work with honey?)
2 c powdered milk
mix all in blender or food processor
this makes 5 cups. 1c=1 can commercial. you can measure out leftovers into individual servings and freeze in ziploc bags, or other containers.

Low fat whole wheat bisquick
9 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c olive oil
1 T salt
1/4 c baking powder
2 c non fat powdered milk
mix all well, store in freezer in sealed container

Dry Lipton Onion Soup mix
4 t beef bouillon
8 t dried onion flakes
1 t onion powder
1/4 t seasoned pepper (or 1/4 t celery salt)
Use 1/4c mix for 1 envelope commercial mix

Spaghetti Sauce spice blend
This is a combination of my mom's recipe - the spices she used. I like to make this up ahead of time so I can just add it in quickly instead of measuring a bunch of ingredients when making spaghetti sauce.

8 t oregano
8t Italian seasoning
8 t sugar (optional)
16 t salt
8 t instant onion flakes
4 t black pepper
use 6 tsp per lb of meat

Russian dressing
1/4 c honey
1 c oil (I only used 1/2 c)
1/2 c ketchup
2-3 T lemon juice
1 t vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/3 t paprika
1-1/2 t celery seed
1 T worchestershire
1/4 c grated onions or 1/2 t onion powder
combine all. this works great in the sweet and sour chicken recipe. did I post that yet? well, I will check and if not. I'll do it now!

Bailey's Whole Wheat Pancakes

Bailey has discovered a love for cooking, and one of her first and favorite things to make is whole wheat pancakes. She can now make them without even looking at the recipe! We recently bought a manual grinder, so we have to all take turns grinding the wheat before we make them! It is pretty tiring, so even though we have good intentions of grinding extra, we barely get the 2 c of flour needed for this recipe. Bailey likes the recipe as follows, but see bottom note on how I add even more flavor and moistness to these delicious breakfast treats!

2 c whole wheat flour
1 T oil
2 T honey or sugar
1 T baking powder
2 eggs
2 c milk
1 t salt
combine all ingredients in a large bowl, whisk to mix well. Pour by 1/4 cupfuls onto greased griddle or pan. Flip when bubbles begin to appear.cook until they spring back when touched.

Cook's mom's note: I like to add 1 c pureed pumpkin and about 1/2 t cinnamon to the batter before cooking. It really makes them more light and moist, something you don't always get with whole wheat! This is especially nice during the holiday season.

Coconut Cake (from Mary Wright's grandmother)
1 box white cake mix (not pudding)
1-1/3 c water
2 egg whites
15 oz cream of coconut
12 oz cool whip
1 can coconut, divided

Combine cake mix, 1 c water and egg whites. Beat 2 min at high speed. Reduce speed and beat 1 minute. Put into a sheet cake pan (greased and floured) and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Cool and leave in pan. Poke holes in cake Mix cream of coconut and coconut, pour over cake and cool completely. Spread cool whip on cake. Sprinkle rest of coconut on top of cake. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.

To make very attractive top cake with sliced fruit such as strawberries, or whole raspberries.

This is a simple recipe my friend Mary Wright made for her daughter Esther's first birthday. I have not made it, but tasted it at the party, and it was DELICIOUS!

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

My mom loved to cook, and she was good at it. She would often take a recipe and modify it to make it better. This is one such case. She got this recipe out of a small cookbook for recipes using Hunt's tomato paste. I remember seeing the original cookbook, with her recipe changes noted out to the side. Growing up, I learned how to make it, and have since memorized her version - don't know what the original was cause we never made that!


1 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped bell pepper
1 T instant onion

2 6 oz cans tomato paste, plus 7 cans hot water
1 t oregano
1 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t pepper
2 t salt
1 t sugar
3/4-1 c Heinz ketchup

brown meat, onion and bell pepper. Add remaining ingredients - do not drain off grease (yet)
Mix well, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 45 min to 1 hr
As sauce cooks, dip grease off top of surface with a spoon. Serve with cooked pasta of your choice.
I have also used other ground meats such as turkey and deer successfully.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

RECIPE: SIMPLE LEMONY FISH

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. fish fillets of your choice
1/4 cup chicken broth
4-6 lemon slices
1-2 tbsp butter, melted
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange fish in a 9x13" baking
dish. Top with remaining ingredients. Bake fish, uncovered,
for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish flakes
easily with a fork.

Cream Of Anything Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup low-fat or fat free milk
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste.
Use in casseroles in place of condensed cream soups.
Can be varied by using vegetable broth, sauteéd chopped celery, celery seed, or sauteéd chopped mushrooms

Flavorful homemade yellow rice recipe

Yield:
4 servings
Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter (can substitute olive oil)
1 medium sized onion (larger will make rice more flavorful)
1 1/2 cups rice
1 can (2 cups) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Put 2 T butter in rice cooker, melt. Grind onion in food processor or chopper until pulverized. Add to butter. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.

2. Add rice, cook until rice glistens. Add broth and turmeric, stir until turmeric is dissolved. Close rice cooker and let cook!

3. When rice cooker is finished, stir in last two tablespoons of butter and add salt and/or pepper to taste.

Additional Notes:
This recipe was submitted to TammysRecipes.com from visitor Kristina Olson. She included these notes:

I make this rice in my rice cooker. If you don't have a rice cooker, you can make it in a sauce pan. Add an extra 1/2 cup water at the same time as the broth (more water cooks out if you make it in a sauce pan.)

To turn this recipe into rice pilaf, add a fresh chopped tomato when you add the broth. When the rice is finished cooking, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about half a lemon - not lemon juice concentrate!) and 1/2 cup fresh parsley. Stir WELL and serve!

When I make regular yellow rice, I usually make a double batch. The leftovers make great fried rice. Start by frying about 1 egg per 2 cups rice in oil, add a bit of soy sauce, chop the eggs into tiny bits with a metal spatula, (can add veggies if you like) add more oil, the rice, and soy sauce. Fry until all the rice is hot.


Preparation Time:
10 minutes
Cooking Time:
20-30 minutes

another recipe to make with this rice is

Rice and corn casserole.

Mix 2 cans mexicorn with the prepared rice. stir in 1 can of cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup and stir in 5 oz grated cheddar. place in casserole dish, and top with 3 more oz grated cheddar. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Mojo Fajitas

I have not personally tried this yet, but have always loved Mojo marinade, so I wanted to save this homemade recipe for it. You can sometimes find it commercially, but it is rare.

Ingredients
2 1/4 pounds skirt steak, fat trimmed and cut into thirds
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 lime, juiced
extra-virgin olive oil
12 flour tortillas, warm
1 orange, juiced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 -3 chipolte chiles in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Print
Share Save This Recipe

Cooking Instructions
Prepare the mojo (marinade). Combine 1-3 chiptole chiles in adobo sauce, 2 limes (juiced), 2 garlic cloves (roughly chopped), 1 orange (juiced), 3 tablespoons rough chopped cilantro leaves, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and some fresh ground pepper in a bowl. Using a stick immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor, puree the mojo until smooth. Transfer mojo into a re-sealable plastic bag. Add 2 1/4 pounds skirt steak to bag (flank steak, New York Strip, and filet mignon are great alternate cuts). Seal and shake to coat meat thoroughly. Refrigerate for up to 4 hours to fully tenderize and flavor the beef.

Lightly oil grill or grill pan, and preheat to medium-high heat. Remove beef from the bag of mojo, throw the steaks on the grill, and season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill for approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare steaks, or around 10 minutes on each side if you prefer well-done steaks. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest.

Once the beef is off the grill pan and resting, add 2 red bell peppers (thinly sliced), and 1 large onion (thinly sliced), to the grill and toss with lime juice and olive oil. Grill the veggies for 7 to 8 minutes, until just barely limp.

Heat up flour tortillas. Turn any free burners on a medium low flame by placing a tortilla on each flame. Let it char about 30 seconds to 1 minute, flip the tortilla and repeat on the other side. Remove the tortillas to a clean kitchen towel and wrap to keep warm. You can also heat your tortillas in a microwave by wrapping tortillas in a lightly dampened kitchen towel and heating for about 1 minute. Check to see if they are warm, and if not, continue heating at 1-minute intervals until tortillas are warm and pliable.

Thinly slice steak, against the grain on a diagonal.

To serve fajitas, spread some guacamole on a tortilla, top with a few slices of steak, peppers and onions, and salsa. You may serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. Roll up the tortilla to enclose the filling.

Green Bean Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c milk
1 t soy sauce
dash pepper
4 c cooked green beans
1 1/3 c french's french fried onions

mix all ingredients, except f.f. onions.
stir in 2/3 c onions, place in casserole dish.
bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
top with remaining onions, bake 5 more minutes

Sweet Potatoes in the Crockpot

2 lbs sweet potatoes, grated
1/3 c honey
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 coconut
1/4 c toasted pecan pieces
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t coconut extract
1/4 t vanilla

mix all, except extracts. cover, cook on low for 8-10 hrs, when done, stir in extracts and serve.

Nelle's Chocolate Chess Pie

one of the best chocolate pies - should be called fudge pie!

1 1/2 c sugar
3 T (heaping) cocoa
add 1 stick melted butter, 2 eggs, slightly beaten, 5 oz can Pet milk
1 t vanilla
pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 45 minutes at 350 ) or longer, til center is set)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cocoa Mounds ( No Bake Cookies )

place the following in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
1/3 c cocoa
2 c sugar
1/4 c butter
1/2 c milk
boil 2 minutes, while stirring constantly

remove from heat, stir in the following:
3 c quick oats
1/2 c peanut butter
2 t vanilla

stir well, drop by spoonful onto wax paper

Seven Layer Bars

When I was a kid, we called these Hello Dolly's - I'm not sure why. The title 7 Layer Bars is more appropriate, since there are, well, 7 ingredients.

1 stick butter
1 cello pack graham crackers, crushed
1 c chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips
1 c coconut
1 c chopped nuts
1 can eagle brand milk

melt butter in 9x13 pan. stir in graham cracker crumbs and press crust into bottom of pan. sprinkle rest of ingredients onto crust in order given. top with can of milk. bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cover with foil if starting to brown too quickly while baking

Nelle's Chocolate coconut pralines

mix all and bring to a boil:
2 T butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
5 T water
3/4 c pecans
3/4 c coconut

boil 1 minute.

remove from heat.

stir in:
1 c chocolate chips
1/2 t vanilla

drop by spoonful onto wax paper. let harden or for quicker cooling, place in refrigerator.

My favorite chili

this recipe came from a bottle of Mexene chili powder. I have updated it by adding beans.

1 lb ground meat
2 T chili powder
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 T flour, dissolved in COLD water
3/4 c chopped onion
1 t salt
1 sm (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 t cumin
1 can tomatoes (14 oz)
1/2 t sugar
2 cans chili hot beans
1 c water
brown ground beef, onion and garlic, drain fat. add rest of ingredients, and mix well. bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

Mom's original cornbread dressing

I eat tons of dressing at the holidays. I joke that I'm making up for all those years as a kid that I thought I hated it and wouldn't even try it!

Carolyn's cornbread recipe (I usually double this recipe to make a full iron skillet)
1 c cornmeal MIX
3/4 c milk or buttermilk
1 egg dash salt and pepper
heat oil to cover bottom of iron skillet. Heat in oven (475)Mix rest of ingredients to make batter. when oil is hot, pour into prepared bowl of batter. stir well, then pour all back into skillet. Bake for 20 minutes.

Mom's Cornbread Dressing (updated by me with wheat bread instead of white, and a little more cornbread than bread)
1 recipe cornbread (2 1/2 c)
2 c white bread crumds (1 1/2 c whole wheat bread)
1/2 c chopped onion
1 1/2 cans chicken broth
season to taste with sage and poultry seasoning. add more broth if needed.
mix together, bake in buttered casserole dish. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes