Cheesy Garlic Bread

Cheesy Garlic Bread

*****

This is the BEST! You can use any kind of bread (pic is with wheat bread), and it's delicious! Easy freezer recipe so you always have some on hand.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 c. mayo

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I use whatever I have on hand)

1 c. thinly sliced green onions with tops

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 loaf French bread (about 20"), halved lengthwise (I use whatever I have, even wheat works)

1/3 c. minced fresh parsley, optional (I do parsley flakes)

paprika, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix mayo, cheese, onions and garlic; spread on bread halves, if desired, sprinkle with parsley and paprika.

2. Wrap each half in foil. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or freeze. Unwrap and place on a baking sheet.

3. Bake at 400* for 8-10 min. (20-25 if frozen) or until puffed but not brown. Cut into slices.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun Chicken Pasta

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Flavor of this really depends on your cajun seasoning. I have a great recipe for one, I'll add in the future.

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. linguine pasta

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 tsp. cajun seasoning (I make my own)

2 Tbsp. butter

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

4 fresh mushrooms, sliced (I omit, I hate mushrooms)

1 green onion, chopped

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. lemon pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

This makes 2 servings, I always at least double it for our fam!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 min or until al dente; drain.

2. Place the chicken and cajun seasoning in a bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender(5-7 min).

3. Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms (YUCK!) and green onion. Saute and stir for 2-3 min. Reduce heat.

4. Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

**FOR GLUTEN FREE - USE GLUTEN FREE NOODLES!!!**

Banana Crumb Muffin

Banana Crumb Muffins

*****

These are SO YUMMY! Hubby can't rate them because he has an abnormal fear of bananas. But it's the crumb topping that make these SUPERB!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 c. white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 c. butter, melted

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375*. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 c. 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 Tbsp. flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 Tbsp. butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 min, until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

** This makes a yummy crunchy top. If you want more of a crumbly streusel topping, bake muffins without topping and just put the streusel onto bake for last 5 more minutes.**

Hot Chicken Sandwiches

HOT CHICKEN SANDWICHES

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Matthew gives these 6 stars, hands down his favorite and SOOO Easy! If you use gluten-free bread/buns, the recipe is gluten free too!

PDF Version HERE

INGREDIENTS:

8 c. cubed cooked chicken, or turkey (I use 3-4 large cans cooked chopped chicken)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. chopped celery

2 c. mayonnaise

2 c. shredded cheese (I've used mexi blend or mix of mozzarella & cheddar)

buns

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients except buns in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on HIGH 2 hours.

3. Serve on buns. (USE MY SOFT SANDWICH BUNS RECIPE- PERFECT!)

PDF Version HERE

ENJOY!!!

Soft Sandwich Buns

Soft Sandwich Buns

*****

These are the softest sandwich rolls ever and SO yummy! Use them for deli sandwiches or find my hot chicken sandwich recipe. DELICIOUS!

PDF Version HERE

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 c. milk

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened

1/4 c. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

3 3/4 c. bread flour

1 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (about 1 tsp. for high alt)

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. In bread machine pan, place the first seven ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 min of mixing; add 1-2 Tbsp of water or flour if needed.) When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pound down. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion to 3/4" thickness; cut with 2 1/2" biscuit cutter. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush tops with melted butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hr. Bake at 350* for 10-15 min or until lightly browned.

(If you don't have a bread machine, simply knead and let rise by hand before rolling and continuing with directions.)

**For high altitude make sure to adjust to compensate**

ENJOY!

Gluten Free Waffles

The BEST Gluten Free Waffles

*****

Even those these are gluten free for my daughter Hailey, I have served these to my unsuspecting boys and hubby and they haven't even noticed a difference. Not grainy at all like so many gluten free bread products. These freeze GREAT! Just pop in the toaster from freezer like Eggos or Van's.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs, separated

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. sugar

2/3 c. sour cream

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 c. and 2 Tbsp. white rice flour

1/2 c. and 3 Tbsp. tapioca flour

1/2 c. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. potato flour

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat egg whites until stiff, set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks, sour cream, milk, butter and oil.

3. Add dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

4. Fold in beaten egg whites.

5. Scoop 1/3 cupfuls onto waffle maker and bake until golden brown.

ENJOY!!!!

Big Al's BBQ Sauce

BIG AL'S BBQ Sauce

*****

This is the BEST BBQ Sauce I have ever found, hands down! It's sweet with a spicy kick! Reminds me of Stonefire's for all my "Awesometown" friends. This is the best for making BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad (Salad, chicken, bbq sauce and ranch). We've also slow cooked ribs in it all day. It makes a ton but you can use it for so much!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. ketchup

2 c. tomato sauce

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

1 1/4 c red wine vinegar

1/2 c unsulfured molasses

4 tsp. hickory-flavored liquid smoke (I only found mesquite)

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.

2. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking, or use as slow cooker sauce (might need to add liquid depending on how long you cook for) or use as a dipping sauce.

YUMMY!

ENJOY!!!

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

*****

Hubby gives the sauce 5.5 *'s. If you don't like the raspberry seeds, make sure you strain through a sieve. We don't because we like the texture.

Reminds me of white chocolate cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory, with graham crust instead of chocolate. You could sub a chocolate crust if desired.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 ½ c. finely ground graham cracker crumbs

½ c. white sugar

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

Cheesecake:

8 (1 oz) squares white chocolate

24 oz cream cheese

¾ c. white sugar

¼ c. all-purpose flour

3 eggs

½ c. heavy whipping cream

½ tsp. Vanilla extract

Raspberry Sauce:

1 pint raspberries (I used 8oz pkg frozen)

¼ c. white sugar

2 Tbsp. Orange juice (I used strawberry breeze LOL!)

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

1 c. cold water

Directions

For Crust:

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well blended. Press mixture into 9 or 10” springform pan.

For Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 300*. Wrap the outside of a 9-10” springform pan with foil. GREASE the inside of the pan.

2. Place cream cheese, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape bowl.

3. Melt white chocolate. (Microwave on HIGH 1 min, stir, microwave 30 second intervals until melted.) With an electric mixer on low speed, mix melted chocolate into cream cheese mixture. Keeping mixer on low, slowly beat in the vanilla and ½ c heavy cream. Blend well. Pour mixture into prepared springform pan.

4. Place cheesecake pan in a water bath (just a pan bigger than your pie pan filled with about 2” water.) filled with warm water. **MAKE SURE YOUR PAN IS SECURELY WRAPPED WITH FOIL OR THE WATER BATH WILL LEAK. You could also place the water bath a rack below or omit it completely. Water bath helps to prevent cracking, if you don't care then don't bother.** Bake at 300* for 50-60 min or until center of the cheesecake is just firm. Cool at room temperature about 1 hr. Refrigerate until set before removing from pan.

For Raspberry Sauce:

1. Combine the raspberries, sugar and juice in saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until smooth. Add the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until desired consistency is reached. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.

3. Puree the sauce in a blender and strain it through a sieve. (I skipped this part, I like chunks of fruit in my sauce).

Enjoy!

SO WORTH THE EFFORT!

Apple Pancakes

Apple Pancakes

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My son won't eat these because they have "beans" in them (I promise its just apples). But hubby & I like the change of pace. You can shred the apples so that they aren't as noticeable, obviously some kids don't like being able to find them ;)

This recipe makes only 4 servings, so you might have to double it like I do.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 egg

1 c. milk

1 c. shredded apple (I dice mine)

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (I double this)

1 Tbsp. white sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl combine all the wet ingredients. Add baking poswer, cinnamon and sugar. Mix well. Add flour last and mix just until combined.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium high heat. Scoop batter onto hot griddle, using approximately 1/4 c for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

ENJOY!!!

Honey Mustard Dressing

Honey Mustard Dressing

*****

Our FAVORITE Honey Mustard Dressing

Way better than the bottled stuff you find in the grocery store and SOOO easy!

As written probably about 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 c. mayo

1 Tbsp. mustard

1 Tbsp. honey

1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Store covered.

I always make a double batch and store in a dressing container so I never run out!*

Pour over salad, or use as dipping sauce!

Enjoy!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

Southwestern Egg Rolls

*****

OH YUM! I LOVE THESE!

Found the recipe on allrecipes.com but tweaked it a little to suit my tastes. The original calls for spinach in the mix... uh .... WHY?!?!

Is SUPER with tomatillo dressing or you can use sour cream or salsa for dipping.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp. veg oil

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half

2 Tbsp. minced green onion

2 Tbsp. minced red bell pepper

1/3 c. frozen corn kernels

1/4 c. black beans, rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp. diced jalapeno peppers

1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/3 tsp. salt

1 dash ground cayenne pepper

3/4 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

egg roll wrappers

oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute chicken in 1 Tbsp veg oil in medium saucepan until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Heat remaining veg oil over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 min, until tender.

3. Dice chicken and mix into pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 min, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in cheese so that it melts.

4. Spoon about 2 Tbsp. mixture onto egg roll wrapper. Wrap up bottom over filling, then 2 sides, and then roll up, use egg wash to seal to prevent from opening during frying.

5. Fry in oil at 350* for approx 2 min, frying a few at a time. Drain on paper towels before serving.

**For my gluten free friends, I have not yet attempted to fry these in corn tortillas although I imagine they would work, you'd just have to soften the tortilla first so that it wouldn't crack when rolled. Will update after I've tried it. Hailey LOVED the middle with just corn tortilla chips**

Enjoy!!!

Fresh Tomato Pasta Toss

Fresh Tomato Pasta Toss

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Found this recipe in the Taste of Home Cooking Book when I had 3 large tomatoes I received from bountiful baskets and needed to use up.

I give this recipe 5 STARS but hubby gives it 4. (Probably because it's lacking in meat!) It reminds me of a bruschetta pasta I've gotten at a restaurant before.

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs. ripe fresh tomatoes (I used the 3 large, no idea how much they weighed)

1 pkg. (16 oz) uncooked pasta of your choice (I used about 1/2 pkg of thin spaghetti)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. veg oil

1 Tbsp. minced fresh (OR 1 tsp. dried) parsley

1 Tbsp. minced fresh (OR 1 tsp. dried) basil

2 tsp. minced fresh (OR 3/4 tsp. dried) oregano

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 c heavy whipping cream (I put bout 1 Tbsp. melted butter and filled to 1/3 c with whole milk)

1/4 c. shredded parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

1. To remove peels from tomatoes, fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Place tomatoes, one at a time, in boiling water for 30 seconds. Immediately plunge in ice water. Peel skins with a sharp paring knife (I used my fingers, they slid right off) and discard. Chop pulp; set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to pkg directions. In a large skillet, cook garlic in oil over medium heat until golden. Add the parsley, basil, oregano, salt, sugar, pepper and reserved tomato pulp; mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Add cream; heat through. (I cooked mine a little and let some of the liquid evaporate since I used slightly more liquid.)

3. Drain pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour tomato sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

MMMMM! YUMMY! Light and vegetarian, or you could add some cooked chicken for those needing a little more ;)

**It's easy to make this recipe gluten free by subbing regular noodles for gluten free ones! (My daughter's allergic to gluten.)**

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

*****

OK! I can OFFICIALLY SAY I've written MY OWN AUTHENTIC recipe :)

I tried all the recipes they had on allrecipes.com for a pb ice cream and nothing worked quite right. So I took what I thought was the best of each of those plus some of our recipe for rocky road and tweaked it until my baby was born!

I LOVE pb ice cream especially with chopped mini pb cups and/or choc chips. Not anything you'll find in your grocers' freezer!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 c sugar

3 eggs

1 c whole milk

1/2 c peanut butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups whipping cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

mini peanut butter cups, chopped (optional)

chocolate chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until thick, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Pour milk into a small asucepan, and bring to a simmer over low heat. Gradually drizzle the hot milk into the eggs while whisking vigorously (GREAT arm workout!) Then pour the whole mixture into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. DO NOT BOIL!

2. Remove from heat, and whisk in peanut butter. Allow to cool slightly, then whisk in the sweetened condensed milk, cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Mine mixes for 20 min, then I transfer to a container and freeze.) After about an hour I took out and folded in pb cups and choc chips, while mixture is still soft. Then return to freezer until frozen solid.

Totally worth the wait in my opinion!

P.S. If you don't like pb this is NOT the recipe for you. I've seen reviews of people saying something tastes like pb when thats the main ingredient. This DOES taste like peanut butter, hence the name.

ENJOY! :)

Pear Bread

Pear Bread

*****

I found this recipe after canning a crate of pears and I had only a couple pears that weren't enough to can another batch.

Ok, So the picture doesn't really do this justice. I tried to make it look different than the apple bread picture, so I spread some butter on which tastes better than it looks.

But trust me it is DELICIOUS!

Hubby gives it a solid 5 STARS and wishes pears were available year round!

This recipe makes 2 8x4" loaves

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 pears (2 1/2 cups) - peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
2. In large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar and eggs, beat well. Stir in pears, pecans and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into the pear mixture; mix well. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean (the original recipe says to bake for 60 min WHAT?!?!?! If you want burnt bread go ahead, but 45 min did well for me). Allow loaves to cool in pans for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

**Just a reminder for my fellow high altituders (is that a word? HA!), remember to decrease the sugar somewhat and/or add a little more liquid so your bread won't sink in the middle. (Unless you don't care what it looks like.) You could also adjust the temp and time, raising the temp approx 15* and decreasing time about 10 min. **

Enjoy!