Potato Cheese Soup

I love this soup. Especially during the cold winter months!

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 cans of chicken broth
8 0z Velveeta cheese chopped
salt
pepper

Directions:
Bring potatoes, onion, chicken broth and a pinch of salt and pepper to a boil. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes). Put most of the potato mixture in the blender - leaving about 1/3 of the potatoes in the pot if you want some chunks in your soup. Blend the potato mixture until smooth (I add all of the liquid to the blender). Return mixture to the pot. Add the Velveeta cheese to the soup. Stir until completely melted. You may need to add a little bit of water (maybe 1/2 cup) to the soup to make it the consistency you would like it. Top soup with a bit of grated cheddar cheese and bacon bits.

Snickers Fruit Salad

My in-laws always make this salad and I love it! Plus it is really easy to make!

Chopped green apples (I used Granny Smith)
Grapes (I used red)
4-6 Snickers bars chopped
1 container of whipped cream

There are no specific measurements. You just toss everything together in the whipped cream and serve. You can make it a few hours ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Enjoy!

Ultimate Mexican Dinner... mmm ;)

Sweet Rice

Ingredients:

1/2-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 of a white onion, chopped (add more or less to your taste)
1 1/3 cups white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/4-1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro


Directions:

Put a little oil in bottom of pan (maybe about 1/2-1 tablespoon). Saute chopped onion until transluecent. Add the rice, cooking until it is light brown (being careful not to burn). Combine the chicken broth and sugar, letting sugar disolve. Then stir into rice until combined. Bring to a boil. Cover and let cook on low, med-low until rice is done, about 25-30 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the chopped cinlantro (no big stems) before serving.

Basic Bean Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bag beans of your choice

1 onion chopped

3 tbs garlic

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Rinse beans. Make sure there are no rocks or dirt. Add to crock pot. Add double the water to beans. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low overnight or on high for 8-10 hours.

For Refried Beans: Cook Pinto beans using basic bean recipe. When fully cooked puree in blender or food processor until smooth (if you don't have either just mash with fork or potato masher until you get desired consistency). Then heat 1 tbs oil in skillet. Fry beans while stirring occasionally 5-10 mins. For a healthier version do not fry beans.

Shredded Pork/Beef

Coming soon... I have to double-check the ingredients.

Super Yummy Broccoli Grape Salad

1 head broccoli, cut stems and tops in small pieces
2 cups red grapes
1 pack bacon cooked and cut into small pieces (if you are in a hurry you could also use bacon bits)
1 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 cup finely chopped celery (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (optional)

Mix the above ingredients than add the dressing and stir.

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

This salad has been a super hit wherever I take it and is my husbands new favorite. Hope you enjoy!

Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Mango Basil Salsa and Lime Jasmine Rice

I was in the mood for some shrimp... so we made this for dinner the other night! It's delicious! We will definitely make this again...

Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman (Food Network)

Ingredients

Salsa:

• 1 mango, peeled and finely diced
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 5 basil leaves, julienned
• 1 lime, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shrimp:

• 2 fresh jalapenos, sliced *I only used 1 and took out the seeds because I don't LOVE spicy food... so it made it very mild
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2--inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 lime, zested
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• Small handful basil leaves, torn
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 15 grinds pepper
• 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
• Lime Jasmine Rice, recipe follows

Directions

For the salsa: Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Make up to a day in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator.
For the shrimp: In a mixing bowl, combine jalapenos, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime zest, coconut milk, basil, vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours, refridgerated.
Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Use tongs or a fork to remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in an even layer in the pan, reserving the marinade.
Cook the shrimp until well browned on each side, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked shrimp to a serving plate.
Add reserved marinade to pan, bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Pour over the cooked shrimp and serve with Lime Jasmine Rice and Mango Salsa.
Lime Jasmine Rice:
1 cup jasmine rice
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water
Pinch salt
1/2 lime, zested
Put the rice, coconut milk, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and gently simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the lime zest. Serve immediately.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings

White Chili

Sooooo good...

White Chili

2 pounds dried great northern beans (6 cans)
1 ½ cups diced onion
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon ground oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ½ quarts chicken broth (1 qt if using canned beans)
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies

Place beans in a saucepan; cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Soak 1 hour; drain and rinse. In a 5 qt. Dutch oven, sauté onion in oil until tender. Combine seasonings; add half to Dutch oven. Sauté 1 minute. Add beans, broth and garlic; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 2 hours. Coat chicken with remaining seasoning mixture; place in a 15 in x 10 in x 1 in baking pan. Bake at 350o for 15 minutes or until juices run clear; add to beans. Stir in chilies. Simmer 1 ½ - 2 hours. Yield: 20 servings.

THE bananna muffins

So here they are the muffins from social studies! don't make the same mistake I did and add all of the brown sugar into the batter, most of it is for the topping. But, as you all still tasted it's still good even with the extra sugar...enjoy
Kamden


Banana Crumb Muffins
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 bananas, mashed
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Homemade Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes

How to make it:Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tips:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more than that

~Enjoy! Alyssa Yandow

Chex Muddy Buddies

By Request....

9 cups of your favorite chex cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
1/4 cup margarine
1tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cup powdered sugar

Pour cereal into large bowl and set aside. In small sauce pan over low heat, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine until smooth, stirring often. remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, stirring until all pieces are evenly coated. Pour cereal into a ziploc bag with powdered sugar. Seal securely and shake until all pieces are well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
1 Cup instant rice
2 Cups water
2 Chicken bouillon cubes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn

Toppings:
sour cream
shredded cheese
tortilla chips

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except toppings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with toppings!

Super easy...that's the way to do it!

Pizza

Seriously, the easiest recipe for pizza. And really good too!

Ingredients:
1. loaf of Rhode's frozen pizza dough
2. jar of pizza sauce
3. Mozzarella cheese
4. toppings of your choice

You have to spray a large bowl with Pam or something and put the loaf of frozen dough in it and cover it with saran wrap. You need to give it about 8 hours to rise, so I usually put it in the bowl when I wake up and it is ready to use by 4 or 5.

Knead dough and roll it out to desired shape. Make sure and roll a nice crust on the outside of crust. Put it on a pizza stone (or regular cookie sheet if you don't have one...I've never done it this way but I'm sure it will be just as good) that is covered in corn meal.

Spread desired amount of pizza sauce on dough, put cheese and toppings on top.

Cook at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. It is usually different timing every time I make it (not sure why) so I typically keep a close eye on it while it is in the oven.

Enjoy!

Molten Chocolate Cake

I just made this for Valentine's Day. I got the recipe off of kraft.com. It looks cool and is yummy too. Next time I think I will try it with strawberries on top :)

Ingredients

• 4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup thawed Whipped Topping

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.

BAKE 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping and a side of ice cream - depending on your oven you may need to cook it less. DO NOT overcook. I cooked mine for 12 minutes.

If desired you can store the batter in the fridge - just make sure to let it sit at room temperature for an hour if you do so.

Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup

This makes a fair amount of soup, but it makes for good leftovers. It is pretty easy to half. I had a recipe that is similar, but I revamped it, added potatoes and changed a couple things - enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 Pinches nutmeg
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves – or 1/4 - 1/3 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 - 2, 12 oz packages frozen broccoli, thawed
• 3 medium potatoes quartered then sliced - cooked
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese – grated

Directions

In a medium pot, melt the 6 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken and vegetable broths, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add one package of broccoli and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender or normal blender.

Add the cream and bring to a simmer add the remaining ½ - 1 package of broccoli depending on how chunky you want your soup and simmer for 7 minutes (if you don't want chunks of broccoli, don't add the extra package, it is still very delicious!). Add cooked potatoes and once the broccoli is tender, add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted.

Serve and top with grated cheese.

*To make even more delicious and unhealthy – add pieces of bacon when you add potatoes and remaining broccoli.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

This is the best cheese ball ever! I love it!

2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 can - crushed pineapple, drained
1 Tbs - seasoning salt (I actually put less so it's not so salty)
2 Tbs -green onions - finely chopped
1/4 cup - green pepper - minced

Mix together in a large bowl until well blended. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours to set back up. Take mixture out of the bowl and using your hands - mold it into a ball or log. Once it is the desired shaped roll it in chopped pecans. Serve with a variety of crackers.

Mini Pizzas

Okay this is kinda a stupid recipe but it's good for poor starving college students ha ha ha

Tortillas
Spaghetti Sauce
Pizza cheese (mozzarella and cheddar)
any toppings you like: mushrooms (yuck!), grilled chicken, pepperoni, etc

Okay super easy:
1. On the tortilla spread 1 to 1 and a half scoops of sauce
2. Put the cheese on top. Be careful to not put too much or it will be gross. I put only enough to barely cover the sauce, you want to be able to see the sauce through the cheese
3. Put the toppings on
4. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the crust of the tortilla is browned and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy! ~Alyssa Yandow

Cake Bites

Ingredients:

Cake mix (and everything you need for the cake--oil, eggs, and water)

A tub of frosting

Chocolate chips

Crisco (shortening)

Something to set-up the balls on

To make the cake bites, bake a cake just like you normally would.  After it is done baking, crumble the cake and mix it with a whole thing of frosting.  This will make it sticky, and you can roll it into balls.  You have to squeeze them to make them stick--you will get nice and messy!!

In the mean time, melt a bag of chocolate chips.  The best way that I have found to do this is to fake a double boiler by putting a glass bowl hanging from a pot.  Put water into the pan and put the bowl on top of the water.  As the water boils underneath, stir the chocolate chips (they are in the glass bowl).  (The consistency of the chocolate will be better if you put a scoop of Crisco in it.)  After the chocolate is melted, roll the cake balls in it and place them on wax paper on a tray.  After you have a whole tray, put the tray in the refrigerator to set-up.  

You can use any combinations of cake mixes, frostings, and chocolate.  Here are some favorites that my friend and I have discovered:  

• Just so you know--she prefers semi-sweet chocolate, and I like milk chocolate, so that just goes to how sweet you want it.
• Funfetti cake, Rainbow chip icing, chocolate
• German chocolate cake, coconut icing, chocolate
• Strawberry cake, strawberry icing, white chocolate (but just know that white chocolate reacts a little differently than the others, so it can be tricky)

Let me know if you find any other amazing combinations!!  =)

Pizza Salad

Here is one of my favorities! It's pretty easy, delicious and makes great leftovers! It's a little much for two people, but nothing except the dressing really needs to be exact. Just put in the quantities that look good for you.

Pizza SaladI pound spiral macaroni, cooked and drained
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 pound cheddar cheese cubed
1-2 bunches green onions, sliced
3 ounces sliced pepperoni
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Croutons, optional

In large bowl, combine macaroni, tomatoes, green onions, cheddar cheese and pepperoni. In a small bowl combine oil, Parmesan cheese, vinegar and seasonings. Pour over macaroni mixture. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Top with croutons just before serving, if desired. Yield: 16 servings

Black Bean Pizza

So this sounds weird and my roommates used to mock me for it, but it is WONDERFUL!!  Everyone who I have made try it, loves it!  Enjoy!

Pizza Crust: (You can use premade crusts or you can make this recipe that is really easy.)

1 TBS (or 1 packet) yeast

1 tsp sugar (white or brown)

1 cup hot water (but be careful, too warm will kill the yeast)

2 TBS oil (I prefer olive oil, but vegetable oil works)

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

Mix the yeast, sugar, and water together, and let it sit for 5 minutes.  After it starts to bubble and has sat for the 5 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Put the crust on a greased pan, and cook for 3 minutes at 450 degrees.  This will allow the dough to rise.  Add the toppings and cook for 10 more minutes at the temperature.  

Black Bean Sauce: (use this instead of normal pizza sauce)

1 can of black beans (partially drained--completely drained is too dry and not drained at all is runny)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic salt

1/4 cup salsa

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender.  Pour some on top of the pizza crust, add salsa on top of that, cheese on top of that, and then grilled chicken on top of that.  Bake for 10 minutes at 45o degrees.  

Good Link

Hello everyone! I will post recipes of my own soon, but in the meantime here is a really good link. This is my cousins blog, she is a dietitian and has some really good ideas!

http://thehealthybite.blogspot.com/

Orange Julius

This is one of my most favorite things!

1/2 can - frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup - milk
1 cup - water
3/4 cup - sugar
1tsp - vanilla
12 - 18 ice cubes

Blend until smooth.

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can kidney beans

1 can chili beans, drained

1 small can chopped green chilies

1/4 c water

1 28oz can diced tomatoes Brown and drain the beef Chop the onion The all you have to do is dump everything into the crock pot and stir it together Then enjoy with a bag of tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream! Enjoy! ~Alyssa Yandow

Homemade Oreos

Ingredients:
1 box Devil's Food Cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tub Cream Cheese Frosting- (whipped or regular works great)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix devils food cake mix, and oil, then add in eggs. Make small (1- 2 inch) balls and place them on a cookie sheet. (Try to make an even # cause they each need a match!) Bake for 7-10 minutes. Let cookies cool then frost one cookie and put another on top! Eat with milk :)

These are so easy and everyone loves em!
by Melanie Park

Apricot Chicken

This is a yummy recipe and it is super easy, aka, the best kind of recipe!

4-6 Chicken Breasts
1 Cup Apricot Jam
8 oz Russian Dressing
1 package dry onion soup mix

All you do is mix all of the ingredients and pour it over the chicken in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 45min-1hour. You can serve it with potatoes, rice or pasta! Easy, easy, easy!!!

Magic Bean Soup

My husband and I absolutely love this and it's actually healthy! We always double the recipe so we can have left overs later.

2 cans - black beans drained and rinsed (reserve one cup)
1 - 1 1/2 cups - chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup - salsa
1 tsp - cumin
1 - 2 cloves - minced garlic
1/4 cup - chopped onion
1 Tbs - fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/2 cup - cilantro

*Top with*
Sour Cream
Thinly sliced green onions (I actually add this into the soup instead)
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla Chips

Put ingredients into blender and blend until there are no big chunks (I actually don't chop the onions or garlic, etc since they are going to be blended anyways). I also add extra cilantro since I love it! Add the blended ingredients into a pot along with the one cup reserved beans - when I double it I reserve one of the four cans of beans. Heat the soup over medium to medium high heat until hot. Make sure to stir soup occasionally and right before serving. When doubling the soup make sure to do one batch at a time in the blender. Enjoy!

Italian Baked Chicken

Okay this is a very easy reciepe that my whole family loves!

4-6 Chicken Breasts (bone-in makes it more juicy)
1 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
Rice
Steamed Veggies

• Put the chicken breasts in a 9x13 glass baking dish
• Cover the breasts with 1/2 the bottle of Italian dressing
• Cover dish with tin foil
• Bake at 375 for 45 minutes
• After the 45 minutes remove foil and baste chicken (pour dressing in pan over chicken)
• Bake another 15 minutes or until chicken is brown
• Serve with rice and steamed veggies. I like to pour the dressing left in the pan over top of the rice, it is really yummy.

Enjoy! ~Alyssa Yandow

Welcome!

Hey everyone! I decided to start a blog where people can post recipes, tips, tricks, decoration ideas, etc. We welcome all of your ideas and if you wish to become an author e-mail me: madelynwayment@gmail.com and I will be happy to add you. I look forward to all the fun things that will be posted.