Italian Rigatoni and Spinach Chicken

3 c cooked chicken
1 onion
2 T olive oil
1 can Italian tomatoes
2 c dry pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
9 oz frozen spinach, thawed and pressed) - I only had fresh, so I used that
1 pkg Philly Cooking Creme onion and chive - I only had cream cheese, so I used it
1 t garlic powder and 1 t onion powder - I added this since I used the plain cream cheese
2 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella

The original recipe said to cook the chicken and onion separately, but I combined them, and cooked them in the oven in olive oil til the chicken was done, then cut everything into bite size pieces. Cook the pasta as directed, then drain. In a large bowl, stir together pasta and cream cheese. then add a can of drained tomatoes. If you do not have Italian style, you can add a t of Italian seasoning. Chop and stir in spinach. stir in rest of ingredients, except mozzarella. place in greased casserole, top with cheese. Cook for about 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

I played with these recipes I found and here are my final versions. One recipe was for 12 servings, and the other was for eight, so I had to change some numbers around. I ended up making half of the original tuna patties recipe, and adapting the stuffing mix to fit that. Not exact, but it tasted great, and worked well. My recipe made 4 LARGE patties. You probably could double the recipe, and make some of the patties smaller to feed everybody. You might have to triple. I just divided the "batter" up into quarters since there are 4 of us, but the kids could have gotten by on a smaller portion.

Homemade Stove Top Stuffing (makes enough for 1 recipe of tuna patties below)
2 c bread (homemade, of course), cubed
1 t parsley flakes
1 t chicken bouillon granules
1 T dried onion flakes
1 T dried celery flakes
1/3 t thyme
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t sage
1/4 t salt
(they say to brown the bread, then cube, but this just makes toast, which has to be softened back up when you mix up the tuna patties. So you can just cube your bread, I think. also saves time and energy)
toss all ingredients together in a bowl (or ziploc if you're not going to use immediately.)
can be frozen

Tuna Patties (Single Recipe)
1 can light tuna in water, drained well
above recipe of stuffing
1/4 c cornmeal (I added this)
1/2 c shredded cheddar (mighy need more - we could not really taste it)
1/2 c water
1 egg ( theirs called for mayo, but we don't keep it)
1 T sweet pickle relish (I omitted this)

beat egg slightly, mix in other ingredients. refrigerate 10 minutes to help it stick together. (I forgot to do this, but it still worked)
heat skillet,medium heat. spray with cooking spray (they used ice cream scoop to put 1/3 c portions onto skillet.) then mash flat with spatula. cook 6 minutes, turning to brown on other side halfway through.
This tastes like the traditional salmon patties, but with alot more flavor. My whole family loved it (which is unusual). Hope yours does too!

Pesto Chicken Salad

Ingredients:Servings:
10 Servings



1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup pesto sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups cubed rotisserie- cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup diced celery
walnuts, to your taste
1 (1 lb) focaccia bread, cut in half horizontally, toasted, and cut into 20 slices
1 (12 ounce) bottled roasted red peppers, drained & chopped
10 romaine lettuce leaves

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in chicken, celery and walnuts.
Spread 1/2 C of salad onto each of 10 bread slices. Top each serving with about 2 tablespoons bell pepper, 1 lettuce leaf, and one bread slice.

never made this, but am looking forward to trying it.

Cinnamon Scones

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, separated
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* I didn’t have this on hand, but easily made do with 1/3 cup milk and a squeeze of lemon juice for acid.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. In another bowl, mix the egg yolk (save the white for later) with honey and buttermilk until blended. Then, add to the dry mixture. Stir until just combined.

Using floured hands, form the dough into a ball on a floured surface, or parchment paper.

Roll or pat it out until it’s roughly a half an inch thick and 8 inches in diameter. Cut pizza style into equally sized pieces.

Put onto a greased baking pan, or again, use the parchment paper. Then, whisk the egg white until frothy and coat the tops of the scones. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

According to the recipe, these are done. But you can add something special - glaze!
To make the glaze, mix a bunch of powdered sugar (or sucanat with honey ground in your blender to mimic the powdered sugar) with a touch of milk until nice and thick. Then, drizzle. Top with a dash of more cinnamon. Perfection!

Excellent Whole Wheat Biscuits

this recipe was given to me by my friend Betsy Character. For some reason, I did not try making it until today. All I can say is WOW! They were super simple to make, the dough was perfect (not too dry, not too sticky) and they taste fabulous!

3 c soft or hard white whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
3/4 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
1 stick room temp butter
1-1 1/4 c buttermilk ( I used whole milk soured with lemon juice)

mix dry ingredients well. cut in butter to resemble cornmeal. Pour in buttermilk and mix well. Place dough on parchment paper and roll to 1/2-3/4" thickness. cut out biscuits and place on parchment lined cookie sheet or biscuit pan. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes. yum!

Cocoa Peanut Butter Fudge
you have had cocoa fudge, and you may have had peanut butter fudge.  But here is the marriage of these two recipes, for a delightful result!  Similar to a Reese cup, but much easier to make! They used to serve a similar recipe in my grammar school lunchroom, which is what started my search for this recipe.  Not exactly the same, but very similar.

Ingredients:
1 cup chunky peanut butter,
PLUS 3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 cup salted butter, no substitutes
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla
Directions:
In a saucepan, combine peanut butter and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until blended. Remove from the heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.

Spread into a buttered 8" square pan. Freeze for 30 minutes or just until firm before cutting into squares. Store at room temperature

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.

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RECIPE: SIMPLE LEMONY FISH

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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
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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.