Honey Chip Granola Bars

Traci, I'm finally giving you the recipe for the granola bars I made for Halloween 3 years ago. Sorry it took me so long to get it to you.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 lbs. miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
5 cups old-fashioned oats
4-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 16 squares)
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup crushed peanuts
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, oil and marshmallows. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in honey and peanut butter. Combine the oats, cereal, cracker crumbs, coconut and peanuts. Add to the marshmallow mixture; mix well. Press into a greased 15 x 10 x 1in. pan. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with chips and gently press into top. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Yield: about 4 dozen

Coconut Almond Muffins

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup sliced almonds
additional sugar

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, sour cream, butter and extract. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in coconut and chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle with almonds and additional sugar. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Makes 6 muffins.

Golden Peach Muffins

1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 can (15-1/4 oz.) sliced peaches, drained and finely chopped
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thick). Fold in peaches. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins!

Everytime someone tastes these, they want to recipe. For you Bozeman ladies, you probably already have this recipe so the Coconut Bread is for you all. This recipe is really good, and way better than the boxed muffin.

2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
2 cups peeled, finely chopped apples (I usually do 4)
Streusel Topping

-In large bowl, mix first 5 ingredients; set aside. In medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Add liquid ingredients to dry; stir just until moistened. Stir in apples. Spoon batter into greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle streusel topping over batter. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

*Streusel Topping:
In small bowl, combine 4 T. flour, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 t. ground cinnamon. Cut in 8 t. softened but not melted butter, until mixture is crumbly (may need a little more butter if mixture is too dry and not crumbly).

Coconut Bread

This is a really good sweet bread!

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 tsp. coconut extract
*Beat together.

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
*Add in slowly and mix.

1 cup buttermilk
*Add in.

1 cup coconut
*Add in.

1 cup nuts (optional)

*Mix wet ingredients and fold in dry.

Glaze:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 T. butter
*Boil 2 min and add: 1 tsp. coconut extract

Pour into 3 medium bread pans and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 min. Poke holes in hot loves and pour in glaze.

Corn Muffins from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 Cups flour
1 Cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 Cups sugar
8 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 Cups sour cream
1/2 Cup milk

Directions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400°. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk the eggs in a second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar to the eggs; whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add the melted butter in 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add half the sour cream and half the milk and whisk to combine; whisk in the remaining sour cream and milk until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix gently with a rubber spatula until the batter is just combined and evenly moistened. Do not over-mix. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping it to form mounds. Do not level or flatten the surface of the mounds.
3. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 18 minutes, rotating the muffin tin from front to back halfway through the baking time. Cool the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes; invert the muffins onto a wire rack, stand the muffins upright, cool 5 minutes longer, and serve warm.

1/2 White & Almost 1/2 Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups white flour

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 ¾ TB. Yeast

¾ TB. Salt

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup oil

2 cups hot water

1 egg

½ cup powdered milk

Put 2 cups flour in mixer; add yeast, salt and sugar.  Mix well.  Add oil and water.  Beat until all yeast is dissolved. Then add powdered milk and egg and mix together.  Gradually add remaining 4 cups of flour while kneading with bread hook until dough begins to pull away clean from the side of the mixing bowl and isn’t sticky. 

After last cup is added, knead for about 7 minutes in the mixer.  Shape into desired shapes or loaves; rise until almost double. 

For large loaves, bake at 350 degrees for about 32 minutes.  Don’t preheat the oven.  If you want to preheat the oven, bake at 325 degrees for about 35 minutes.

*I make this bread once a week, it's so easy and always turns out well!

Almond Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 1/8 cup oil

2 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups milk

3 cups flour

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1 ½ tsp. almond flavoring

1 ½ tsp. butter flavoring

1 ½ TB. Poppy seeds

Beat eggs, oil and sugar.  Mix salt and baking powder with flour.  Add flour mixture alternatively with milk to egg mixture.  Add extract and seeds.  Pour in two greased pans.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.  Pour this glaze on while warm:

 

Glaze:

¼ cup orange juice concentrate

¾ cup powdered sugar

½ tsp. butter flavoring

½ tsp. almond flavoring

½ tsp. vanilla

Remove from pans when cool.

Cheesy Ham & Potatoes

1 2-pound bag frozen shredded hash browns

½ cup minced onion

2 cans cream of celery soup

1 8-ounce cream cheese

1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 ½ cups cubed ham (one pkg. deli honey ham)

¼ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. olive oil

 

Preparation:

Soften cream cheese and cream together with soup in a large bowl.  Sauté onion with one tsp. olive oil until translucent. Combine the onions with the soup mixture and add ham, Jack cheese and pepper.  Break apart hash browns.  Gently stir into cheese mixture.

Place in greased baking dish.  Bake covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Uncover and top with cheddar cheese.  Return to oven until cheese is melted.

Crock-Pot Italian Beef

Ingredients:
4-5 lb pot roast or beef
3 C water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 Pkg. Good Season Salad Dressing (dry)
1 onion (optional)
1 loaf French bread

Stir spices in water and pour over the beef. Cook on low all day. Shred beef and return to broth for 15 minutes. Serve on buns of over French bread.

Um........HELLO!

Oh, my, goodness. Do I have anyone reading this blog anymore? I am the biggest slacker, with the most reasons, all of which are not very good ones. Please don't give up on me.

We are back in business! Just took a small nap for the summer!

If I still have anyone wanting to do the recipe blog anymore, let's change the theme this month of September and see how it goes. They best time to cook is fall and winter anyway right.

September's theme: Anything warm. It can be soup, bread, dessert, chicken or beef dishes, veggies, appetizers, whatever. Now that it is starting to cool off alittle, it time to warm up our kitchens and cook things that will keep us cozy.

Mango Curry Chicken Salad

2 lbs. Chicken breast, boiled, cooled, and diced
1 mango, diced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup golden raisins

Dressing:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. curry powder

Candied Almonds:
1/2 cup sliced almonds
sugar

Mix chicken, mango, red onion, and raisins with dressing. Just before serving, stir in candied almonds.

Options:
Substitute raisins for halved green grapes
Add a diced green apple
Substitute roasted cashews for candied almond slices

I thought it sounded pretty interesting (maybe not so good) when I first heard it, but it really is pretty good.

Oriental Pasta Salad

16 oz. pasta, cooked
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

Dressing:
1 cup oil
2/3 cup rice vinegar
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2/3 cups Yoshida's Marinade
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper

Blend together. Toss in a big Ziplock bag with cooked pasta and shredded chicken. Let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Before serving add:
1 bag fresh spinach
2 cans mandarin oranges
1 bunch green onions, chopped
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 cup Craisins
2 cans water chestnuts, slice
1 cup honey roasted peanuts

Broccoli Chicken Salad

2 cans chicken
1 head of broccoli, finely chopped
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup Mayo
1/2 cup Ranch dressing

Mix all ingredients together and serve on crackers, baguettes, or whatever sounds good to you.

Oriental Chicken Salad

½ c. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ c. water
¼ c. vegetable oil
¼ c. ketchup
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 medium head iceberg lettuce, torn
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. salted cashews
1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) frozen snow peas, thawed (I use fresh snow peas instead)
1 can (3 oz.) chow mein noodles
1/4 c. chopped green onions

In a small saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. In a large salad bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; add dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Makes 8 – 10 servings

Chinese Chicken Salad

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• ¾ Cup slivered almonds
• 2 head lettuce, shredded
• ¾ pkg. Won Ton skins
• ½ head red cabbage, shredded
Dressing:
• ½ Cup white vinegar
• 1 Cup oil
• 2 tsp salt & pepper
• ¾ Cup green onion

Cut chicken & brown until cooked. Lightly cook Won Ton Skins in oil until crispy. Then cook slivered almonds. Mix together. Add dressing just before serving

Share and share alike!

I know there are many of you out there who have great recipes, and we need more than 5 or so a month. So do share, please. Even if you have a good receipe that doesn't fit in with the month's theme, still share it. If you view the recipe blog and would like to contribute but have not received an invitation to do so, please just leave a comment with your email here (or if you aren't comfortable doing that, email me at trepscher@yahoo.com) and I will send you an invite. I totally don't care if I know you or not. The more the merrier! I'm glad people want to read it, that's why I did it. I have really enjoyed the new recipes that have been posted. Thank you everyone!

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

I realize I am a couple days behind with most things that I do, so I figure it is okay to post my crock pot recipe in the month of June. Thanks Tara for the recipe, it is one of our favorites so I hope you don't mind if I use it.

6 cups raw potatoes cut into small cubes
1 med. onion, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. cooked ham, cubed
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk

Layer potatoes, onion, 1 tsp. salt and ham into slow cooker. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir flour and 1 tsp. salt. Cook until bubble. Gradually add milk. Cook until smooth and thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour over potato-ham mixture, stirring lightly. Cover. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Teriyaki Roast

I got this recipe from a friend in Utah and I make it all the time. It is a great roast and really you can't go wrong with this recipe. You wouldn't think you could mess up a crock pot meal but
I can. Hope you enjoy and thanks Melissa for recipe.

3 lbs. chuck or rump roast
1 sliced onion
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 Cup cider vinergar
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. ground ginger

Trim roast & poke it all over with a large fork. Slice onion and place in bottom of crock pot. Put meat on top of onions.

Stir remaining ingredients together in bowl and pour over meat. Cook on low for 10 hours.

Gravy:
Strain drippings into a sauce pan and thicken with approx. 1/4 cup water and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch. ( I have never made the gravy because I am not so good with that, I just pour
some of the juices over the meat from the crock pot).

Cafe Rio pulled pork salad/burrito

IF you love Cafe Rio, this is a pretty dang close recipe. Living on the east coast, I've felt very deprived of my lovely Cafe Rio. This is a great alternative! If you don't know what Cafe Rio is, check out caferio.com

4-6 pound pork roast with enough water to cover and cook in a crockpot for about 5 hours on low. Drain water and shred meat. Add a 16 oz jar of salsa, 1 can of coke and 2 cups brown sugar. Cook for another 2-3 hours on low.

Cilantro Rice
1/2 diced onion
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
cilantro--to taste--we like at least a bunch. finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
White rice 2-3 cups precooked and as much water as it calls for and cook as directed

Cilantro ranch dressing--this makes more than enough,(a full blender full) so you may want to half it.
1 cup mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 can diced chiles
1/2 avacado
1/2 can tomatillos or 3-4 fresh ones
1/4 tsp cayanne pepper--I don't like anything spicy, so I make it 1/8 tsp
1 pkg dry ranch dressing
lime juice to taste
Combine everything in a blender and chill for at least 2 hours

Making your Salad:
Browned tortilla
black or pinto beans
cilantro rice
pulled pork roast
Romaine salad greens
cheese
tomatoes
dressing
Serve with a scoop of guac and sour cream on the side
Making your burrito:
Just omit the salad greens and dressing
Yummers! Makes me want to make some for tonight! A lot of prep, but well worth it and lots of leftovers!

Crock Pot Chicken and Pasta

I got this recipe at my bridal shower-it is soo good!


4 chicken breasts
1 pkg. dry zesty Italian salad dressing mix
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Pasta Penne, cut mini lasagna, etc.

*Put chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle with Zesty Italian Salad dressing mix pkg. Cook chicken 4-6 hours. When Chicken is cooked, cut into cubes. Mix cream cheese and soup in pan over medium heat. Add chicken, serve over pasta.

Magic Cookie Bars

Ok, so you don't make this in the crock pot, but I promised Traci I would post this recipe last month. . . oops. These are so good!

1 cube butter
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 can sweetened condenced milk

Melt butter. Add to a greased 13x9 pan. Add graham cracker crumbs. Mash with a spoon, spread evenly on bottom. Add chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts, spread evenly over. Drizzle sweetened condenced milk all over top. Bake 30 minutes at 350'. Let cool completely before you cut.

Crockpot Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken or 1 pkg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper, chopped in large chunks
1 red pepper, chopped in large chunks
1 red onion, chopped in large chunks
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, whole
2-3 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped

Marinade:
¼ cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tsp. dried thyme
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Prepare vegetables and chicken and combine in crockpot. Prepare the marinade by combining all ingredients and whisking together. Then pour the marinade over the vegetables and chicken. Cook on low for 4-8 hours. Serve with hard, crusty bread.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Cook a 3 to 3 ½ pound pork roast all day in the crock-pot on high. Once roast is cooked, shred the meat and add sauce and simmer. The recipe will fill 16 or more buns.

Sauce:
• 18 oz bottle Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, hickory flavor
• 2 ½ Tbsp butter
• ½ Cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp minced onion
• ½ tsp mustard
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp curry powder

Mix together and pour over shredded pork.

Homemade Oreo Cookies!

Okay, what a bad blog hostess I am. I really do have the best of intentions! I have changed the theme for the month of May, but I first have to catch up and post my recipes for April, so my May recipes will be coming. I am posting the two cookie recipes that are pretty much staple at our house, and the most requested recipes whenever I take these somewhere. Both are very basic, but good nonetheless.

Oreo Cookies:
2 Devils Food cake mixes
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil

*Mix together (use a spoon at first and then you may need to use your hands) and roll into same size balls. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
2 t. vanilla

*Mix frosting together and sandwich between 2 cookies. Store in air tight container.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

So these are my standard cookie recipe. They really are such a basic good cookie recipe and I think the pudding in them makes them so soft. One of our favorites!

2 1/4 flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) instant French Vanilla Pudding
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 pkg chocolate chips (Ghirardelli are the best!)

Combine butter, sugars, pudding and vanilla. Cream together. Add eggs. Gradually add flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into small balls and drop on to cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes. Cookies will appear underdone.
Can also add 1 cup of oatmeal and/or 1 cup of coconut.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Sorry to keep posting recipes, but I have to make up for last month!  This coffee cake is one of my favorite recipes and is always a hit.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. sifted flour 

Topping:

¼ c. sugar

1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts—optional

1 (6 oz.) pkg. mini chocolate chips

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs, sour cream, baking powder, salt, soda, and vanilla.  Gradually add flour and mix well.

Topping:  Mix topping ingredients together.  Spray an 8 inch spring form pan or a bundt cake pan with baking spray.  Sprinkle bottom of pan with ¼ of the topping.  Alternate layers of topping and batter.  There should be three layers of topping and 2 layers of batter.  Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  (It's usually ready after 45-50 minutes).

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

Mix these ingredients well.  Then add:

1 – 6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Chocolate mixture:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ cup cocoa

½ tsp. salt

1 cup water

½ cup oil

1 TB. Vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat everything until well blended.  Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full with chocolate mixture, top with heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Makes 16-24 cupcakes.

Caramel Brownies

To start, melt about 50 caramels or 1 bag of Kraft caramels in 1/3 c. canned evaporated milk over medium-low heat.

Mix the following ingredients together:

1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix

½ c. melted butter

1/3 c. canned evaporated milk

1 egg

1 c. nuts (optional)

Divide cake batter in half.  Smooth or pat ½ of the mixture in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees.  Take out of oven and sprinkle with 1 ½-2 cups of chocolate chips.  Pour the caramel mixture over the top.  Carefully spread the rest of the cake batter over the top of the caramel mixture.  Bake for an additional 15-18 minutes more at 350 degrees.  Let cool.

Holbrook Family "Chocolate Cheese Cake"

We have grown up calling this recipe chocolate cheese cake. I'm not sure if that is what everyone else will call it, but... it is absolutely delicious regardless of the name!!! :)

1 cup flour
1 cube butter
1 cup crushed pecans

Crumb like pie crust & pat into 13x9 baking dish. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool

1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Cool Whip

Beat cream cheese & sugar; stir in Cool Whip. Spread on cool crust w/a rubber spatula.

1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 small pky instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk

Mix together until thick.

Fold in 2 cups Cool Whip. Spread pudding mixture over cream cheese.

Put in fridge.

Top with Cool Whip and grate Hershey's chocolate candy bar on top of the Cool Whip before serving.

*You will need at least 2 medium size Cool Whips*

ENJOY!!!

Mrs. Fields Choc Chip Cookies

Ok, by far one the best cookie recipes, and one of the most delicious batters ever!

1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup white Sugar
1 Cup Butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Cream together then add:
2 1/4-1/2 flour--start with 2 1/4 and add more if needed--I like my cookies a little gooey, so I never add all the flour it calls for.
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Cups oatmeal
Cream together then stir in:
Mini choc chips--as many as desired
Raisins--that is if the rest of your family will let you--as for me, I am the only one in my home that LOVES raisins, so I save a little dough just for me!

Bake in 400 degree preheated oven for 6-8 minutes.
I know it's tedious, but I always cook 1 cookie to test for not enough flour. If it comes out too flat then I know I need to add more flour. And I never over bake them. After they are taken out of the oven, leave them on tray for a couple of minutes and then move then to a cooling rack.

Best Banana Bread

You may already have a banana bread recipe, but after I tried this one, I have yet to go back to my old one. I think it's the secret ingredient! This is an all time favorite at our home.

1/2 Cup Butter at room temp.
1 Cup Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup very ripe bananas mashed--about 2 1/2 Bananas
Cream together then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Cream all together and pour into 2 greased loaf pans. We will add mini chocolate chips to one loaf and keep one plain. I have converted to mini chips for my bread and cookies--the best!!! Bake in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 35-40 min.--longer if necessary. NOTE: Recipe actually says to bake for 1 hour, however I have never baked it near that long because it always burns. Plus I have dark coated pans rather than glass, but I still only cook it around 40 minutes. I thik all ovens heat differently, so just check and insert a toothpick to check for rediness. Turn onto a cooling rack.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Cake:

2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 Cups sugar
1 3/4 Cups butter, softened
6 eggs
2 Cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar
2 Cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Glaze:

3/4 Cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 Cup cocoa powder
2 to 3 Tbsp milk or half & half

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter and dust with flour.

2. Combine flour and cocoa powder and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir in flour mixture by hand until well blended. Gently stir in nuts. (Batter will be thick.) Spoon batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is set and the edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool upright in pan on wire rack for 1 1/2 hours to allow fudge to set. Invert onto serving plate to cool thoroughly.

4. To prepare glaze, combine confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Add 2 tablespoons milk. Mix thoroughly, adding only enough milk to create a smooth but pourable glaze. Spoon glaze over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. Serves 20.

I know that I shouldn't tell you this part, but this cake is delicious and totally worth EVERY bite. I dare you to make it just so that you can see how totally worth the calories this thing is!
Per serving: 410 calories, 26 g fat, 6 g protein, 43 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 135 mg sodium.

Cranberry Chicken

So, I realized today as I came to check out the recipe blog that I haven't posted anything for this month. It has been such a crazy month for us. I can't let a month go by without posting some good recipes though. This dish is one that I recently got off another blog, but I have tried it a couple of times and we really like it. It is quick and easy!

4-6 chicken breasts or 8-10 tenders
1 (8 oz) bottle Creamy French salad dressing
1 (10 3/4 oz) can WHOLE berry cranberry sauce
1 pkg. onion soup mix

-Cover bottom of a greased baking dish with chicken. Mix together the dressing, cranberry sauce and soup mix and pour over top of chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Saucy Chicken

This is a very simple and fast chicken recipe. It is an old stand-by at our house and is something you can make when you don't have dinner planned because these ingredients are usually on hand.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I have used tenders)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I like the kind with roasted garlic)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
scoop of sour cream

-Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (for chicken that is thawed) or 1 1/2 hours (for chicken that is frozen).
Serve over rice or pasta and use the sauce as a gravy. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Stroganoff

So, I hate it when I ask someone for a recipe and they say, "I just sort of throw things together -- I don't really have the exact measurements." I'm not really a make-it-up-as-I-go kind of gal (perhaps it's because I'm fairly inept in the kitchen) so don't hate me, but this is one of those recipes. It really is easy and hard to screw up so here it is:

• Chicken breasts (3-6, depending on size and how many you're feeding)
• Olive Oil (1-2 T.)
• Onion (small onion, finely diced)
• Garlic (1-2 cloves, finely diced)
• Cream of Mushroom Soup (About 1 can; for 3 chicken breasts, I'd probably use about 3/4 can)
• Sour Cream (About 1 cup; approximately the same as above for Cr. of Mushroom)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and add diced onion and garlic. When onion is almost fully cooked, add chicken and cook through.
Add cream of mushroom soup and sour cream to chicken and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until blended well together and warmed through.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Obviously this recipe can be totally altered depending on your taste preference but I think I end up using equal parts soup and sour cream (I think!). Good luck!

Parmesan Chicken Bake

This recipe is hardly fattening ;) and is DELICIOUS! It is by far the favorite in my household. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breasts, boned & skinned
• 1 cube butter
• 1 Cup flour
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt butter and pour half in 9x13 inch pan. Season flour with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Wash chicken and cover with seasoned flour. Place in buttered pan. Cover with cream and sprinkle with generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with remaining butter. Bake for 1 hour in 375° oven. Serve on hot buttered noodles.

Marinated Chicken

This is probably the best chicken marinate around. Sorry it's not homemade, but I had to add it to the recipes because it it definetly the best around.

-As many chicken breasts, or chicken tenderloins as you want or need
-Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet sauce (I get mine at Costco, for a big bottle, but I think I've seen it at the grocery store by the bbq sauces.)

Marinate chicken overnight in a ziploc bag, in the fridge. Then it's best if you can BB-Q the chicken. This is the best!

Melinda Harr

Stovetop One Dish Chicken Bake

This is also one of my families favorite's. It's also very easy.

1 (6 oz) pkg. stove top stuffing mix for chicken
1 1/2 cup hot water
1/2 stick butter cut up, or 1/4 cup margarine
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream, or milk

If there is a seasoning packet with the stove top then mix it with the hot water and butter in large bowl until butter melts. If there is no content just mix hot water and butter together. Stir in stuffing crumbs just to moisten. Let stand 5 minutes. Place chicken in baking dish. Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing. Bake uncovered at 375 for 35 or so minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Melinda Harr

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

This is a great recipe for the days that I am out doing errands and don't have time to even think about dinner. When I pull into my garage I can smell it cooking, it's yummy! It's fast and easy and most likely you have the ingredients at home.

4 Chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1 can Cream of chicken soup, I've also used cream of mushroom
1 envelope of dry Italian dressing mix
grated carrots, opt
cubed cream cheese, opt
sliced potatoes on bottom of crock pot, opt

Spray crockpot with Pam. Mix dressing with soup, pour over chicken and place in crockpot for 4 hours if not frozen, 6-7 if frozen. Shred chicken when done cooking. It will shred easily when fully cooked. Serve over rice or egg noodles.
Melinda Harr

Lime Chicken Tacos

For those that were in the Bozeman recipe group, you probably already have this recipe, but it's one of our favorites, and it certainly applies to this month's theme of "easy chicken" recipes. Enjoy!

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa
12 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Place the chicken in a 3 quart slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired.

Hey All!

So I decided the easiest way to let you all know what the theme for the month is would be to use it as the header. Nothing fancy, but at least as people post, the theme won't get pushed down to the bottom of the page. With this theme, I guess it doesn't even have to be "easy" chicken dishes, but we are all busy active people and easy may be the most useful. However, if you have a recipe that is really good, but not necessarily easy, still post it. My whole purpose for this blog is to get a wealth of recipes to add to our repertoires (I know that's a word, but don't know if I spelled it right? Oh well!). So share and share alike. Thanks for all your posts. I love having all these great recipes to choose from as I'm sure everyone else does too!

Potato Cheese Soup

This is for Jamie Burger and Traci Repscher, because they requested that I post this recipe. This is my husbands favorite soup, and I love it too, because he is the one who makes it.

4 medium potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, diced
4 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
bacon, crumbled (optional)

Cook potatoes and onion in enough water to cover potatoes. Melt butter in skillet, add flour and heat slowly until it bubbles, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and continue cooking until thickened. Stir in potato, onion, and water mixture and bring slowly to a boil. Add cheese. Simmer until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and bacon.

Clam Chowder

1 cup onions finely chopped
1 cup celery finely chopped
2-3 cups potatoes chunked
2 cans minced clams and juice
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 Qt milk or half and half
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
Freshly ground pepper

Drain clams and pour clam juice over veggies. Add enough water to barely cover vegetables in a small sauce pan. Simmer until tender. Melt butter and add flour and blend. Add milk and stir constantly until smooth and thick-(you're making a white sauce.) Add undrained veggies and clams and simmer. Add a little more milk to thin it out if desired. Top with freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a hunk of your favorite bread or saltines go great with chowder. 6-8 servings.

Easy Taco Soup

This makes a ginormous crock pot full, so I always freeze some for later.

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can corn w/juice
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 pkg dry instant onion soup
3 cans beans with juice any varety: black, kidney, white etc.

Brown onion and add taco seasoning and water according to taco seasoning directions. Add to rest of ingredients in crock pot and simmer. Serve with Fritos, Sour cream, and Cheese.

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:
2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced (3 cups)
2 leeks, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced (2 cups)
4 cups chicken broth
1 sweet red pepper, remove seeds and slice into ¼ inch strips
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Dash of grated nutmeg (optional)

Instructions:
In a large pot combine potatoes, leeks (do not use dark green portion unless you want this to taste like it came out of a can), chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to gentle simmer for 15 minutes.

While potatoes and leeks are simmering, roast about ¾ of the sweet red pepper in olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Set aside.

After potatoes and leeks are cooked, drain and save liquid. Place all solid ingredients – including red peppers – into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add a small amount of the broth as needed to facilitate this step. Hint: consider reserving a few cooked pieces of leek from the puree process and reintroduce them in the next step to give the soup some texture.

Combine potatoes, leeks and red pepper mixture with broth and mix thoroughly. Stir in cream. Let this mixture heat, then add nutmeg. Do not cook more after the cream mixture has been heated. Serve immediately.

This soup is better if it is not too thick so don’t be afraid to add more broth if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Double the recipe for leftovers – it will be even better the next day! Serve with fresh bread like sour dough or a baguette. It's definitely best with cream but if you don't have it a little whole milk will work.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups half and half (1 pint)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder (you can add more if you like)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 4oz cans of diced green chilies
4 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
3 cans navy beans (must be Bush's brand)
1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
Melt butter in pot and whisk in 1/4 cup of flour. Let cook for 1 minute then whisk in the chicken broth and 2 cups of half and half. Whisk continually so it doesn't burn. Simmer until thick. When thickened add chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin. Add green chilies, navy beans, chicken, and cheese. Warm through and serve. You can serve with cheese, diced tomatoes, and sour cream if desired.

Any Music Suggestions?

I though it might be fun to have a little tune playing while you browse through the recipes. Any suggestions on good music that we could put on here? Let me know. Thanks for all those who have posted soup recipes for the month of February and remember, you still have about a week and a half if you have a soup recipe you would like to share!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Okay, if any of you like homemade chicken noodle soup, but think you don't have time to make it... this is so easy and very yummy!!!

Ingredients:
2 quarts water (8 cups)
8 chicken bouillon cubes
2-4 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
1/2 cup frozen carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of milk
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
In large pan bring water and bouillon to boil. While boiling, add noodles and frozen veggies - cook 10 minutes. Add chicken soup, milk, and chicken - heat through on medium heat - turn to low and add sour cream. Keep warm until served.

My favorite way to serve this is in bread bowls. Panera Bread has some yummy ones if you don't want to make them yourself.

Just so you know, I added the frozen vegetables to this recipe myself. So you can add more or less if you like, or take them out all together. I think they make the soup way better.

Winter Vegetable Chowder

A great soup for you vegetable lovers. It's good for you and tastes good too! The best part, it will warm you up on a cold winters night.

1 cup chopped onion
½ tsp. crushed basil
½ cup sliced celery
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. margarine
1 ½ cups sliced zucchini
1 large peeled potato, diced
1 7 oz. canned corn, including liquid
1 cup peeled, sliced carrots
1 tbsp. flour
2 cups water
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 beef bouillon cube

Saute onion and celery in butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven just until tender. Cut potato in ½" cubes. Add potato, carrots, water, bouillon cube, salt, basil, and pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and boil gently for 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and corn with its liquid. Boil gently again until zucchini is done. Combine flour with water just enough to make a paste; then combine with evaporated milk and add to the vegetable mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup cheese until melted. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with additional cheese and/or bacon bits, if desired. Makes six cups of soup.

Zuppa Toscana

If you love the Zuppa Toscana soup at The Olive Garden then this recipe is for you. It is so tasty you will want to run to the OG to get bread sticks and salad to go with it!

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 3-4 large russet bakers potatoes (slice in half then 1/4'' slices)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
• 2 cans chicken broth (3 cups)
  
• 1 quart water (4 cups)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions
Cook sausage and drain on a paper towel. Add onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in a pot and cook until potatoes are tender. Add sausage, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and then turn on low heat. Add kale and cream then heat and serve.

Bacon Potato Chowder

This soup goes really well with a bread bowl. Be careful not to scortch it, it happens fast if not watching soup.

8 slices of bacon
3 med potatoes, cubed
1 med onion, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup milk or cream, of course cream is better!
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. parsley
Pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crisp. Saute onions in the bacon grease. Put cubed potatoes in a 3 qt. kettle. Chop up bacon. Add the chopped bacon and sauteed onions to the potatoes. Pour water over and let simmer in covered pot until potatoes are tender. Stir in soup and sour cream. Gradually stir in milk and seasonings. Heat to serving temperature.
Melinda Harr

Potato Soup

This recipe is from my mother-in-law. It is sooo great! Not your typical potato soup with huge chunks, it is more smooth. I like to use Nature Seasoning for my spice, it does make it have a real peppery taste, though, so beware of adding too much.

Potato Soup

Chop 1 onion
Chop celery stalk
4 chicken bouillon cubes
10-12 potatoes (pealed and chopped)
Water to barely cover

*Simmer after boiling for 1 hour or longer. Mash it all up, leaving a few chunks. Add 3 cups half and half (or 4). Keep simmering, add spices (salt, pepper, nature’s seasoning, etc.).

Top off with some cheese. (It would be a great "baked potato" soup if you top off with cheese, bacon bits, sour cream and chives when serving-we used to do that when I was a server at Black Angus.)

Watch while simmering, this soup can burn fairly quickly if not being watched for the last step.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup is the greatest! It is one that I make, and am craving again in a couple of weeks. It can be pretty thick, so you definately need to thin it down at the end. Enjoy!

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
2 cans chicken broth
4 cups water
1 Tbsp. onion flakes
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. basil
2-3 celery

*Boil above ingredients until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and shred.

1/2 cup wild rice - in second pot, cook in 2 cups water for 30 minutes, then drain.
1 cup white rice - add to soup (raw) after chicken is done with partially cooked wild rice.
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour - mix with butter in separate pan until bubbly.
16 oz. half and half or milk

*Add half and half or milk to roux and stir till thickened. Add white sauce to soup and stir till thick and blended. Shredded chicken can be added anytime. Add milk or water if it is too thick.

Chicken Barley Soup

We just tried this soup recipe out last week and LOVED it! It's really easy to throw together and has a delicious flavor.

Ingredients:

• 8 Cups water
• 2 cans Cream of Chicken
• 1 Cup carrots
• 1 Cup celery
• 1 Onion
• 1/3 Cup barley (quick cook)
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Boil chicken in 8 cups water until cooked. Shred chicken into bite size pieces. Using the same water, add cream of chicken, barley and chopped carrots, celery and onion. Bring to a boil and stir. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Let sit for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

What's Cookin' at your house?

Well, we'll see how this goes! I wanted to start a blog where posts could be made with "tried and true" recipes from anyone who would like to participate. There will be a theme each month which I would like to try to stick to for ease of categorizing the recipes. What I am going to do with my recipes from this blog is print them out and put them in page protectors in a binder. Although there is a theme, if you have a great recipe that you would like to share that doesn't fit into the theme, don't worry. Just share it anyway, we would rather have your recipe than not at all. I know alot of you have great recipes and I for one am getting sick of taco's every week, so dig deep and let's share and share alike! Sound good? If there are any other suggestions, I would love to hear them!


The theme for the month of February is "Soups". Thanks for sharing!