Tuscan Rosemary Chicken & White Beans

This one is from Betty Crocker. I've had it for awhile and finally tried it for dinner last night. I was impressed with how easy it was and yummy too!

Ingredients:
1/3 Cup Italian Dressing
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup water
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 teas dried rosemary, crushed
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
*Heat Italian dressing over medium heat in 12 in skillet. Add chicken and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly brown.
*Add water, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and rosemary. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
*Add beans, cover and simmer 5 minutes

I served it with a side of brown rice and it was a great dinner!

Mom's Scallop Potatoes

This is my Mom's recipe, I think she got it from her Mom, and they are Fabulous!

These can be done in any size baking dish depending on number of servings needed, so I am going to leave amounts off of the ingredients.

You need:
Baking potatoes, thinly sliced
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Butter
2 types of cheese (One cheddar)
Milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover the bottom of your baking dish with potatoes.
Sprinkle with flour
Add sprinkles of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
Cut 1 Tbsp butter up into smaller pieces and spread over potato layer
Add a layer of cheese, using both kinds
Repeat layers until you are within 3/4 inch of top of the baking dish.
Add enough milk to cover the potatoes
Bake for 1 hour (test with a knife to make sure they are done)

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I found this recipe in Woman's Day and made the cupcakes for Emma's second birthday party. They turned out pretty well. Leftovers went to a church meeting and our pastor loved the little surprise of peanut butter in the center...

PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:
1 ¾ cups All purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
½ cup reduced fat sour cream
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cup sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3 large eggs

Peanut Butter Filling:
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp milk

Chocolate Frosting:
2 Cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup reduced fat sour cream

Cupcakes:
* Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners
*Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until well mixed
*In small bowl, whisk milk and sour cream until well blended
*Beat butter & sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until creamed. Beat in peanut butter until blended. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
*With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour & milk mixtures, beginning & ending with the flour, until just blended.
*Spoon ¼ cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes to wire rack and cool completely.

Filling:
*Beat peanut butter and butter in medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth.
*on Low speed, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar and milk until blended.
*Beat on high 1 minute or until fluffy
*Spoon filling into pastry bag fitted with ¼” plain rounded tip. Inset tip into top of each cupcake; squeeze as much filling into the center of each as possible (top should bulge slightly)

Frosting:
*Melt chocolate chips in large glass bowl. Add sour cream; beat with electric mixer until fluffy and good spreading consistency. Spread on each cupcake.

A couple of tips... When filling the cupcakes, use 2 pastry bags. There is too much filling for one pastry bag to work well. The frosting included in the recipe didn't work well, if I make these again, I will use store bought frosting.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I was cleaning up the mess in my kitchen today and found the recipe I used for lunch at Emma's recent birthday party. I had been searching online for Home Run Inn's Strawberry Pecan salad recipe, but I found this one from McCormick and it was YUMMY!

Vanilla Vinaigrette Dressing:
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with wire whisk until well blended

Salad:
6 ounces (1 package) baby spinach leaves
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups strawberry halves or slices
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

Toss greens, oranges, strawberries, and pecans in large bowl. Serve with Vinaigrette.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

This is a recipe I stumbled onto accidentally one evening. I started out following a recipe that I had found in a magazine (Parenting or the like) and realized that I didn't have everything the recipe called for... then I realized that I was "done" way too early compared to when we were going to eat. Here's what I came up with... and we love it!

Ingredients:
3 -4 Sweet Potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup milk
1/4 teaspoon Orange peel spice (McCormick's grated Orange peel)
Pinch of Cloves
Pinch of Nutmeg
Salt to taste

Wash, Peel, and Cube the Sweet Potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are tender and drain. Add butter to the pot used for boiling potatoes, return drained potatoes to pot and mash with the butter. I use my Pampered Chef Mix 'n' Masher. Add milk and spices to potatoes and mix.If you want, you can stop and serve the potatoes here... But, we add a little twist.

Spoon mashed potatoes into a baking dish and smooth, sprinkle top with brown sugar and top with pecans. Slide into a hot oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

This is a side dish I like to make when I know I will be using the oven for our main course, so I don't worry about what temperature the oven is at for the potatoes. I just pop them in for the last part of the cooking process.

Quick and Easy Punch

I got this one from one of the ladies in my DAR chapter...

Equal parts Hawaiian Punch and 7-up (2 liter bottles). Poor into a punch bowl and top with scoops of Raspberry sherbet.

We used this at our recent awards ceremony and we used 3 - 2 liter bottles of each soda (6 total...) for about 60 people.

Super Potatoes

This is another idea from cousin Sandy....

1 bag Frozen Ore-Ida Potatoes O’Brien
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (do not dilute)
16 oz. pkg. Shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1 pt. Sour cream
1 Medium onion (chopped) (optional – the Potatoes O’Brien already have onion in them)
1 stick butter or margarine

Rolls bag of potatoes to loosen. Mix all but the butter together, then spread evenly into 9x13 baking dish.
Top with about 2 cups of corn flakes that have been mixed well with the butter.
Bake uncovered at 325 for 1 to 1.5 hours; test to see that potatoes are cooked through.
Let set for a while so that liquid is absorbed.

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix

Dave's cousin, Sandy served this at a recent family get together... YUMMY

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal
4 cups popped popcorn (unbuttered if you can find it)
¼ cup butter or margarine

In small bowl, mix sugar and ground cinnamon; set aside.
In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals and popcorn.
Microwave butter until melted (about 40 seconds); pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.
Microwave cereal mixture on high about 2 minutes (stirring after 1 minute).
Sprinkle half of the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over cereal mixture; stir.
Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; stir.
Microwave 1 minute longer. Spread on waxed paper or paper towels to cool.
Store in airtight container.

Lori's Easy Coconut Cake

Dave's cousin, Lori, makes this one and it's a big hit with Dave's family, even though he's not a huge coconut fan. I think it's yummy and it reminds me a little of a Tres Leche cake....

Lori's Easy Coconut Cake
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Recipe By: Lori Koch
Serving Size: 12

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix
1 tub Cool Whip
1 can coconut milk
1-2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Bake the cake according to box directions in a 9X13 pan.
2. Once the cake is completely done baking, remove the cake from the oven. Take a fork and quickly and gently punch holes over the entire surface of the HOT cake, trying not to break the cake into pieces.
3. Shake up the can of coconut milk and open, pouring the coconut milk directly over the surface of the cake, letting the coconut milk seep into the hot cake.
4. Cover the cake with aluminum foil and refrigerate until it is cold to the touch. Remove foil and cover with Cool Whip, sprinkle with sweetened, shredded coconut and serve. Enjoy!

5 Cup Salad

This one is from my Mom... It's a nice light fruit salad, perfect for summer!

Ingredients:
1 - 8 oz can mandarin oranges
1 - 8 oz can pineapple chucks
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows
8 oz Sour Cream

This is a quick salad to make, so it's perfect to mix up in your desired serving bowl.
Open and drain the oranges and pineapple. Dump fruit into your bowl and add coconut and marshmallows. Add sour cream and mix everything up. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I sometimes make a six cup version and add a cup of chopped pecans.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

This is an easily customized old favorite. Below is how I like to make it, but feel free to mix it up...

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 package spaghetti seasonings (Lawry's or McCormick)
Fresh basil to taste
1 package whole wheat spaghetti

Sauce:
Brown the ground meat with small amounts of salt and pepper. Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is clear. Add tomato products, packaged seasonings (and anything on the package directions), chopped fresh basil, and simmer. The longer the sauce simmers the thicker it will be.

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Divide pasta, top with sauce, and serve warm with a salad and fresh bread. Leftover spaghetti and sauce should be combined and frozen for another yummy dinner on another night.