Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

This is another super easy meal for me to make on days I work.  Everybody loved it!!!  It is basically what I call Mormon Potatoes (and everyone in this state morbidly calls Funeral Potatoes), with ham!


Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Recipe from Mommy's Kitchen


Ingredients:


1 (26 oz) bag frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup butter, melted
onion, chopped fine (about 1/2 a small onion)(yuck, I skipped this)
1 (16 oz) package cubed ham
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or a bit more if you like)

Directions:

Stir all the ingredients together. Place into a lightly greased casserole dish (9 x 13 in). This is optional but you can add a bit more cheese on top if you like. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min - 1 hour. Let cool a bit and serve.

Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken

Since I started working part time a few days a week, I have found it makes it a lot easier on me if I put together a crock pot meal before I leave for work in the morning. It leaves me more time with the kids when we all get home in the afternoon, and makes for an easier evening overall. I am SO glad I found this recipe. It is simply delicious. I love it so much. The fact that it is low in calories and fat while high in fiber is just a lucky lucky bonus!!



Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken
Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Ingredients:

24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste

Directions:

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice.

Meatball Stroganoff

I have had this recipe FOREVER.  I have no idea where I got it, all I know it that it rocks!!!


Meatball Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/4 cup oats
1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground beef

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. paprika

1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. minced parsley
1 pkg. egg noodles (prepare according to package directions)

Directions:

Combine egg, ketchup, oats, onion and salt.   Add beef and mix well.  Shape into balls.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  In saucepan, combine soup, sour cream, milk and paprika.  Heat through.  Add meatballs, cover and cook until heated through.  Serve with noodles tossed with butter and parsley.

New Year's Meatballs

Our meal yesterday was what I traditionally make on New Year's Day. Since I am a creative genius, I have named it New Years Meatballs. I have had these meatballs on New Year's as far back as I can remember. (I won't comment on exactly how far back I can remember). What I CAN remember is being so excited for my mom to make these meatballs every year. It was the only day of the year she would make them, and they were SO GOOD! I always looked forward to New Year's Day so much more than New Year's Eve, entirely because of these balls of meaty goodness!


I made a double batch this year, since my boys are getting bigger and along with that comes bigger appetites. It was a good thing I did, because my oldest son came home with two of his friends in tow, and they finished off two or four meatball hoagies a piece! It was so fun listening to them talk about girls, muscles they claimed to have (I think my son lied said he had a four pack), and tease each other about who was going to get clobbered when they all start on the wrestling team next month. This is what I've always wanted, to be the home the kids want to hang out in, and if that means I need to make double or triple batches of New Year's Meatballs every year from now on, then I'm all over it!!


New Year's Meatballs

(recipe courtesy of Maxi Patty, a.k.a. Mom)

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and shape into 1 inch meatballs. Fry in a saucepan drizzled with olive oil. Meanwhile, make the sauce. You can use any kind or recipe of spaghetti sauce, but I always use the kind my mom used all those years ago, Lawry's, which is now called McCormick. Prepare your sauce and when the meatballs are browned all on sides and cooked through, add them to your sauce. We like to eat them on sub rolls topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese

I'm pretty sure the picture above explains how my children feel about this dish.  It was completely gone in 3 point 2 seconds.  It is perfect, I love it!!
Down Home Macaroni and Cheese

4 tbsp. butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1/4 pound Velveeta
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (sharp please, if you're boring mild will do.....)
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (or any other small pasta)
2 tbsp. seasoned dry breadcrumbs


Directions:

Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan on low heat. Blend in flour and salt; cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring contantly, until thickened. Add Velveeta, (cut into cubes) and 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Stir in macaroni. Pour into lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Melt remaining tbsp. of butter and mix with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle casserole with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Vicki's Hawaiian Casserole

So Thom is out of town. I hate it when he is out of town. I miss him so much. He's my best friend, you know. We have so much fun together. There is only ONE positive thing about him being gone and this is it - I get to make things for dinner that he doesn't like. Now he's not a super picky guy, there aren't a lot of things he doesn't like, but it just so happens that he doesn't like a couple of things that I LOVE. One of them is Vicki's Hawaiian Casserole, which he doesn't like because I made it once a week for a year when we were first married. What's the big deal about that??!!

Now Vicki, the lovely lady behind this recipe, lives across the street from my parents, and besides being the sweetest woman around is an AMAZING cook. Is it horrible that I would look forward to one of my parents being sick, so Vicki would bring us over some lasagna, ravioli or this casserole?! (I didn't really look forward to them being sick, I swear!!) The combination might sound weird, but I'm telling you, it is delicious!!


Vicki's Hawaiian Casserole
Recipe courtesy of Vicki Kovalesky


Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 stick butter
1 bunch green onion, diced
8 carrots, cut into slivers
6 eggs, scrambled
1 package thin pasta noodles (angel hair, fettucinne, spagetti...) cooked and drained
Soy sauce, to taste


Directions:

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the green onions and carrots. Cook until tender. Add chicken, scrambled eggs and butter mixture to the pasta. Drizzle soy sauce over the top and stir it all together. Taste it to see if you like the amount of soy sauce, if not, add some more. If you think you added too much, sorry. That's a bummer.

Cheeseburger Soup

I love this soup, it is SO GOOD. I could seriously eat it by the vat. And if you could see how big that bowl in the picture actually is, you would say, "Yes, Kathee, I believe you, because that bowl looks suspiciously like a vat to me." Listen, you, don't judge me!!!!


My laugh out loud moment at the dinner table tonight was when my 10 year old asked my 12 year old to go outside after dinner to shoot hoops with him. "Kid..." he said, "I just can't. I've been at work all day and I'm just plain tired." He went with his dad to work today to help out and ended up doing such a good job he stayed all day, the poor kiddo was tuckered out. The way he said it was priceless though, like he was so much older and mature than his brother.


Cheeseburger Soup


1/2 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion (of course I omit this because I'm anti onion)
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup diced celery (I almost always forget to buy this, not an essential ingredient!)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
4 tbsp. butter or margarine
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced potatoes
1/4 cup flour
8 oz. processed cheese (Velveeta)
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup sour cream


Directions:

Brown beef; drain and set aside. In same saucepan saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tbsp. butter until tender (about 10 minutes). Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the cheese melts. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Done!! Get out your vat!!!

Homemade Twix Bars

Homemade. Twix. Bars. Yes, you heard right. I'm not going to lie and tell you they come together in a snap, because they're a TAD time consuming, but worth every minute.



Homemade Twix Bars
Recipe courtesy of Not Without the Salt


Ingredients:

Shortbread

5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground rice (rice processed in a spice grinder until it is able to pass through a fine sieve to remove chunks)* (I DID NOT ADD THE RICE - Kathee)

Make the Shortbread:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-X-13-inch baking pan with pan spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add the flour, ground rice and salt and allow the dough to come together. The dough will be crumbly but should hold together when you squeeze it.

Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and bake for another 10 minutes, until the shortbread is a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare the ….

Caramel

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt plus more for sprinkling over the caramel layer

Make the Caramel:

Combine the sugar, golden syrup, water, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Remove any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan by wiping down the sides with water. You can use your hand or a pastry brush. Place the pot on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Wipe down any stray sugar crystals that appear using a very clean and wet pastry brush. Do not stir from this point on. Keep an eye on the pan. The mixture will be very bubbly.

When the sugar syrup starts to turn golden brown insert a candy thermometer to check the temperature. When it reaches 300°F, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 1minute, or until the bubbles subside. Carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Stir until smooth, then whisk in the condensed milk. Add the salt. Whisk until smooth.

Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly over medium heat until the caramel reaches 240°F. Remove from the heat and pour over the shortbread. While the caramel is warm sprinkle the surface with the best quality salt you have. Kosher is fine, Fleur de Sel is better, Maldon would be my preferred choice.

Allow to set. This will take about 2 hours.

Once the caramel layer has cooled prepare your …

Chocolate Glaze

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Bittersweet chocolate chips also work)(I USED SEMISWEET BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I HAD ON HAND - Kathee)
2 tablespoons butter

Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain marie or in the microwave. If using the microwave melt it slowly – in 30 second intervals. Stir well after each interval.

Once completely melted pour over the caramel. Using an offset spatula, smooth the chocolate in a nice even layer.

Place in the refrigerator to set. They cut best when chilled.

Cut into desired shape and size. Serve.

Coconut Shrimp

I think it's well known that I HATE seafood.  I just do.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I found that I am totally and completely in LOVE with these shrimp.  Of course, the coconut disquising the very essence of the shrimp is the key, I'll admit it.  I would make these lovlies once a week if I could!!
Coconut Shrimp

Recipe from Allrecipes


Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup water (the recipe really calls for beer, but we were all out. I kid, I kid!!)
1 1 /2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups flaked coconut
24 shrimp (I ended up doing more like 40)
3 cups oil for frying

Directions:

In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, water and baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour and coconut in two separate bowls. Hold shrimp by tail and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in egg batter; allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer (I used a large pan). Fry shrimp in batches; cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce. (I made a quick dipping sauce from orange marmalade and some Chinese hot mustard - AMAZING.)

Rice Balls with Meat Sauce

Rice Balls with Meat Sauce

Recipe from Taste of Home


Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped (since I HATE onions, I used about 1 tsp. of onion so finely minced it is nearly non existent, more like onion juice I guess)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce
1 can (14 oz.) water packed artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 jar (4 1/2 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. pepper

CHEESE STUFFED RICE BALLS:

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/8 inch cubes (3/8 in.?? really???)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for frying


Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the next nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Stir in the rice, butter, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Press a mozzarella cube into each; reshape balls.

In a small bowl, lightly beat remaining egg. Dip each ball into egg, then roll in bread crumbs. In a deep fryer or skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry rice balls until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Discard bay leaves from meat sauce; serve with rice balls.

Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder

Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder



Ingredients:

5 bacon slices, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
1 med. onion, chopped (of course I omitted this)
2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 cup chopped red or orange bell peppers
3-4 tbsp. flour
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 1/2 cups russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried)
1 16oz. bag frozen corn
2 cups half and half or cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (plus more for garnish)
1 or 2 4 oz. cans chopped green chile's
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup green onions (do I even need to say I skipped this?)(plus more for garnish)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large pot over medium high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and cool; crumble and reserve for garnish. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from the pot. (Save those drippings for your refried or black beans for another day!!!!) Add butter to pot and melt over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, chicken and bell peppers; saute until onions are soft and chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add flour; stir and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in broth, then add potatoes, cumin, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered until potatoes are somewhat tender, about 8 minutes.

Add corn, half and half, cheese, green chile's, and Tabasco; simmer until corn is tender, about 8 minutes more. Add green onions and cilantro; simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with bacon, cheese, green onions and cilantro.

Barbecue Beef

Barbecue Beef



Ingredients:

1 3-4 lb. cross rib roast
1 can Coke (or Pepsi)
1 tsp. garlic
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup Coke (or Pepsi)


Directions:

Place roast in slow cooker. Pour 1 can of Coke on roast. Cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. After meat has cooked put it in a bowl and use two forks to shred meat. Drain the coke and fat out of the slow cooker. Mix the garlic, ketchup, brown sugar, barbecue sauce and 1/4 cup of coke and add along with the shredded beef to the slow cooker. Cook for another 1 to 2 hours.

Butter Bars

Last night for dinner we had breakfast burritos, not really something I need to share a recipe for. But our dessert? Oh, my, the dessert. In the name of everything buttery and bad for you, make these Butter Bars - NOW!!!


One funny thing that happened at dinner....... we were all talking and sharing, having a great meal. Suddenly, Cam speaks above everyone else, "Hey! Guess what? I entered the drawing in the library for one of the Justin Bieber posters!!!" Complete SILENCE. Everyone looks at each other. Massive laughter ensues. "What in the world did you do that for?" "Justin Bieber? What is wrong with you?" After we settled down he told us his plan, "I want to draw a mustache and beard on it and put it in Colby's room!!" Oh!!! That made sense, because that particular brother gets accosted on the street by preteens who think he is the Bieb's in the flesh!! We were all worried there for a second though!!!


Butter Bars
Recipe courtesy of Everywhere on the Internets


Ingredients:


Crust:

1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar


Directions:

Combine crust ingredients and pat into a 9X13 pan. Beat cream cheese, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add butter and sugar. Mix well. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Inhale at a dangerously unhealthy speed or hoarde for youself.