Zucchini and Chicken Salad

This recipe is adapted from a Martha recipe. Very delicious and easy summer dinner!

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. white sugar
1 1/4 lbs. zucchini, thinly sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast (or I used the meat from a store bought rotisserie chicken)
1 bunch (about 8 oz.) fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 grated Parmesan

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup oil and lemon juice, vinegar, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini; toss to coat, and let marinate while cooking chicken.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until golden brown and opaque throughout, about 7 minutes per side. Or if using rotisserie chicken, just heat it through (but be sure to still give the zucchini adequate time to marinate!)

3. Toss the warm chicken with zucchini mixture, spinach, onion, pecans, and Parmesan. Serve.

Yummy Treat!

Val brought these little guys over the night before they left. Her cousin made them and told her how, so this recipe is more like a method and I have never done it myself. I have, however, eaten them myself and they are GOOD!! And they sound very easy too!

Have you heard of cakeballs? They're very trendy right now. Not quite as trendy as cupcakes, but still popular. I imagine that you can do the same cute things with these babies as you can with cakeballs.

And "these babies" need a name...anyone want to take that on?

Ingredients:
1 package of oreos
1 package of cream cheese
meltable chocolate for dipping
sprinkles (jimmies) for sprinkling

1. Val's cousin used a stand mixer, I don't have one so I might try the food processor, but crush the oreos in the mixer. Add in the cream cheese and mix til combined.

2. Form the dough into balls about the size of a walnut and put in the fridge to harden.

3. Melt your chocolate and dip the balls.

4. Top with sprinkles (or anything really).

5. Keep them stored in the fridge.

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

This is Leah's recipe. Since our church doesn't get out until 4:30 this year, it's nice to have something going in the crock pot so we can just eat when we get home. This was a crowd-pleaser last weekend and our friends are salivating for the recipe so here it is!

Ingredients:
2 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup salsa
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheese

Directions:
Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans, and taco seasoning over the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and place on serving dish. Stir in sour cream and cheese to slow cooker and then pour over chicken. Serve with warm tortillas and spanish rice.

Leah's (and now mine) variations:
Cut the chicken into bite ssize pieces before cooking. Then don't remove them at the end. Just stir in the cheese and sour cream and serve over white or brown rice with tortillas.

I also used rotel cause I was out of salsa and I used chicken taco seasoning.

Chicken & Potato Bake

I got this recipe from a friend. I love that it was yummy and not complicated. And while it cooks for awhile prep time is minimal. I made a couple of substitutions using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and red potatoes. Enjoy!

Chicken & Potato Bake
4 bone-in chicken pieces
4 large potatoes, cut in wedges
1 small onion, sliced or wedged (optional)
¼ cup zesty Italian dressing
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place chicken, potatoes, and onions in a baking dish and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake one hour or until done.

Black Bean, Mushroom and Cheese Enchiladas

I was a little leery of this recipe because I am not a fan of mushrooms but Chris likes them so I decided to go for it and just cut up the mushrooms really little. It worked and we really liked them. They were quite flavorful and you never missed the fact that there was no meat-the price of meat being another reason we wanted to try it. I also think that this could be managed in some form from food storage food.

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Approximate cost: $3 per serving, (factor an additional $5 to $7 if pantry staples are needed).

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 ounces white mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chilies
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, plus more for topping
1/4 cup sour cream, plus more for topping
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 large flour tortillas
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
Cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and mushrooms and sauté just until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, stir in cumin and chili powder. Let cool slightly and stir in the black beans, diced green chilies, Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, sour cream and cilantro. Stir until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Divide mixture between the 8 tortillas, placing filling just off center of each tortilla. Roll tortillas into loose cylinders. Place the seam side down in the prepared dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle with additional cheese.
6. Bake until bubbling and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Remember, black beans, either dried or canned, are inexpensive, nutritious and versatile. They’re low in fat and high in fiber, protein and iron. Just a cup of black beans can provide a good portion of your daily protein and fiber with hardly any fat.

Parmesan Tilapia

Dan's response when I told him we were having Tilapia for dinner: "Ugh. Okay"

Dan's response when he tried his first bite: "This might be the best fish I've ever had!"
(He doesn't eat much fish, though)

This is quick and easy and delicious. I used 4 tilapia fillets and cut this recipe in half.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup softened butter
3 Tbs. mayo (I used fat free Miracle Whip)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

1. Preheat your broiler and place the rack on the 2 setting from the top. Line a pan with foil or grease a broiling pan.
2. Mix together the cheese, butter, mayo, and lemon juice. Then add the basil, pepper, onion powder, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Broil the fillets for 2-3 minutes. Flip them over and broil another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove from oven, cover them with the parmesan mixture and broil for 2 more minutes until the topping browns and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook.

Creamy Chicken Torilla Soup

This is so quick and easy!

Ingredients:
1-2 cans Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles) depending on how spicy you like it.
2 cans (14.5 oz.) Chicken broth
1 can no fat refried beans
1/2 cup corn
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (to make this even quicker I just shred the meat off a rotisserie chicken I buy at the store)
tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream

1. Combine tomatoes and broth in medium saucepan.
2. Stir in beans and corn and bring to a boil.
3. Then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add chicken and heat through.
5. Top with tortilla chips and serve with cheese and sour cream.

I also like to serve this soup with the torillas you cook at home. They are by the eggs in the refrigerated section at my store. Just cook 'em up, butter 'em, and eat and/or dip in soup.

Yummy!

Quick Easy Dressed up Oreos

Sorry this is past the season for candy canes but they taste really good(to my mom and me)Enjoy when you try them. Kieran

Ingredients
Almond bark
Candy canes
Oreos

1. melt 2 squares of Almond bark in the microwave(or stove doesn't matter)
2. Unwrap your candy canes and crush them in a bowl till they are in small little chunks
3.place the bowl of chocolate,crushed candy canes. and Oreos side by side (for an assembly line type thing)
4.dip the Oreos one at a time in the chocolate. covering them half way
5.then dip the chocolate side of the Oreo into the candy canes
6. Set to dry on wax paper(or something of the sort)
7. wait till the chocolate is hard then enjoy

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

I'm not posting this because it is The Best Pizza Crust Ever. I've never even had any other homemade crust that I know of. I am posting this because it is quick and easy and tastes really good. Way better than Boboli, or whatever that stuff is called and you know exactly what's in it. You can top it with anything you'd like, obviously. The opportunities are endless. One of our faves is BBQ chicken pizza.

Just top with BBQ sauce, cheese, sauteed red onion (or any onion, really) and chicken (diced), and cilantro (if you like that). Mmmm!

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

1 (.25 oz) package of dry active yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt


1. Preheat oven to 450. In medium bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in flour salt, and oil. Beat until smooth, (I just use a spoon, not a mixer). Let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. (I just press it onto a greased cookie sheet). Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cake

Another tried and true for thirty years.
2 cups All Purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups dairy sour cream
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees or 325 for a glass pan. Grease 13 x 9-inch pan. In large bowl, combine first nine ingredients. Blend 1 minute at low speed; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour half of batter (about 2 1/2 cups) into greased pan. In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture and chocolate chips over batter. Repeat with remaining batter, sugar mixture and chocolate chips. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (High altitude over 3500 feet: Decrease baking powder to 1 teaspoon. Bake at 375 degrees (350 for glass pan) for 30 to 35 minutes. It really makes a difference.) This cake doesn't need frosting.

Oven Stew

I really do enjoy cooking most of the time. I like to fix a nice meal and have everyone ooh and ah and tell me how good it is. Of course, I have had my share of cooking failures. And I'm always looking for new recipes. About 10 years ago I cleaned out my file of recipes that I'd clipped from magazines or brought home from Relief Society. I knew I wouldn't live long enough to try all those recipes. Guess what, I've got a whole new file of recipes to try. I'm a compulsive recipe clipper. And I buy new cookbooks. The problem is that cooking is so daily. I wake up every morning asking myself what I will be fixing for dinner that night. I like things that I can start early in the day and are ready at 5 PM or meals that can be fixed in less than a half hour. I especially like meat that can be grilled. I've tried making monthly meal plans. Or even two weeks. Or one week. And for those of you who do that, I envy you. But I could never make it work. I used to think I was organizationally impaired. But that's too negative. Now I say that I like to be spontaneous and flexible. Anyway, I enjoy cooking, but I love Fridays when the cook (me) has the night off.
There are many variations of this oven stew, but I've been making this for thirty years. It is tried and true.

1 1/2 pounds stew beef
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch
2 potatoes, cubed
2 ribs celery, sliced 1/2 inch
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca
2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
3 cups water
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
Mix all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and bake at 275-300 degrees for 4-5 hours.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (thawed)
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup water
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
1 can mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained

Place chicken in the bottom of the crockpot.
Combine salad dressing mix and water; pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms and pour over chicken.

Cook 1 hour longer, or until chicken juices run clear.

Remove chicken, stir sauce to blend everything really well. You can cut the chicken up into small pieces and return to the sauce, or just leave it as whole pieces.

Serve over rice or pasta. I like to use bowtie pasta.

Caramel Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt in the microwave:
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 lb. unwrapped caramels

Mix separately:
1 chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup evaporated milk

Smash 1/2 of the chocolate mixture into a sprayed 9x13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips over the top and drizzle the caramel mixture on top.

Crumble the rest of the chocolate mixture on top and return to the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool, cut into bars.

Crock pot Chicken A La King

3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup frozen or fresh red, yellow, and green pepper strips/dices

1/4 cup diced onion

1 clove of garlic smashed

salt and pepper to taste

Throw all this into a crock pot cook six to 8 hrs on high. Remove breasts and dice--return to sauce.

Serve over biscuits, rice, noodles, etc. I used the frozen pillsbury biscuits in the bag---very easy.

I served picsweet brand steam fresh asian vegetables on the side and they went well together. The original recipe called for adding peas and mushrooms to the crock pot for the last 30 min. or so, but we have a non pea eater in the house so I chose to omit them. If you keep the frozen peppers on hand this is a meal you can fix without going to the store for stuff. If you are starting your pot at breakfast time---frozen breasts work--if it's later--thaw them first.

For Starters

Here is a delicious and super-simple little dessert. Someone brought these to Dan's work during the holidays, he brought home the idea, and we've had them as a little sweet snacker when friends come over.

1 bag of pretzels (shaped like a little square grid, mine were Snyder's Butter Snaps)
1 bag of Rolos
1 bag of pecans (whole or halves)

On a cookie sheet, put your pretzels down first, and then a Rolo on top of each one. Put them under the broiler until the Rolo's look kind of melty. As soon as they come out, push a pecan into each one. Let them set up for a few minutes, or eat them right away!