1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups shredded cheese, room temperature
1 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine butter, cheese and mustard. Add flour and mix until the mixture is completely blended and forms a large ball. Pinch off pieces and roll into a ball about the size of walnuts. Roll these balls into strings. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 3 dozen.
Comments: The original recipe for this called for 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. I have about 1/2 cup of Parmesian and about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheeses that needed to be used. I combined these with 1 cup of cheddar for my cheese. The original also called for a tsp. of pepper. This I eliminated but did add a Tbsp. of a herb blend that included Rosemary to half of my mix. This gave me 2 flavors and also helped me use up some leftover cheese. So for this dish Think With Your Taste Buds!
2 1/2 lb. pork sirloin
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 can (18.5oz.) Progresso French onion soup
2 Tbsp. corn starch
water
In an electric frying pan, heat oil. Add sirloin and slightly brown on all sides. Add water, starting with 1 cup, adding more water as needed to keep meat from cooking dry. Cover pan and cook 45 - 60 minutes depending on the thickness of mean or until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees. When meat is done, in a bowl mix soup and corn starch. Pour over meat and heat for 10-15 minutes or until soup is hot.
Comments - the original recipe called for pork chops. I've adjusted it to work with a pork sirloin or tenderloin. I cooked mine in an electric frying pan on high for browning and then reduced the heat to 300 for cooking. But, this can be cooked in a Dutch oven on top of the stove. For changes, use a pre-seasoned cut of pork. One that's already seasoned with garlic and maybe even a few herbs would be tasty. This will also come out great by using a thick beef roast instead of pork.
1 cup chopped chicken (1-2 no bone, no skin chicken breasts, cooked)
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper to taste
shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything but cheese. Pour into a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with cheese and bake until cheese melts.
Comments - I used 2 boiled chicken breasts which gave me just over 1 cup. For the rice I used 1 pkg of boiling bag rice. And for my cheese I used a thin topping of mozzarella and topped that with cheddar. I wasn't sure how this dish would come out. The idea came from a recipe for rice and tuna which had olives, boiled eggs and lemon juice as additional ingredients. I changed to chicken, left out these 3 ingredients and added the onions. This comes out with a slightly sweet taste from the peppers and oh so good. I took a dish over to 2 of my food testers and they simply loved it and she doesn't care that much for bell peppers. This is a real keeper!
1 can (21 oz.) Bruce's Baked Sweet Potatoes
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmet
1/2 tsp. salt
1 unbaked deep dish pie crust
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. With a mixer beat potatoes, milk, eggs and spices until well blended. Pour into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake another 60-70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Comments - About 30 minutes into baking at the 350 degrees I laid a piece of foil over the top to stop the browning of the crust. This pie is thick and oh so good, as well as easy to make. When my pie was done I dabbed it with thin slices of butter and sprinkled just a little sugar over the top. Then I placed it back into the oven just long enough for the butter to melt completely. Changes - top with marshmallows and pecans. But for me, I loved this the way it is.
1 pkg. Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli Soup Mix (11.2 oz.)
8 cups chicken stock/water
2 chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. sage
1 cube granulated onion
1 cup shredded cheese
seasoned stuffing mix
Boil the chicken breasts until completely done. Remove meat from bone. Strain the broth and measure broth adding enough water to make 8 cups of stock/water. In a large pot, bring to a boil. Add onion cube and sage. Whisk in soup mix and cook on low uncovered 10 minutes. Add chicken and cheese. Heat, stirring constantly until cheese melts. Serve with seasoned stuffing mix.
Comments: This soup comes out a little thick but oh so good. I decided to use the stuffing mix instead of crackers giving it just a little more of that heart warming sage taste. This is a great recipe to have on hand using leftover turkey in place of the chicken.
For my review of Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli Soup Mix, visit my site The Good, The Bad, The Maybe.
4 med. apples, peeled and sliced (or 3 large)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chopped almonds
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread apples in the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2 pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup walnuts and cinnamon. In a large bowl combine flour and both sugars. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk and water. Mix well. Pour over apples. (Batter should be slightly thicker than cake mix, if not, add a little water and mix until you have a thick, pourable mix.) Bake 35-40 minutes or until browned and toothpick in center comes out clean. While cake is still hot, poke holes into cake using a fork. Set aside and made topping.
Topping - In a saucepan combine sugar and sour cream. Cook over medium heat until it starts to boil. Immediately add baking soda and remove from heat. Pour over hot cake allowing to seep into the cake. Great served with ice cream while still hot!
2 cube steaks
1/2 cup frozen, chopped bell peppers and onions
1 heaping tsp. minced garlic
1 can (8 oz.) Rotel Zesty Tomato & Green Chili Sauce
1/4 cup flour
3 Tbsp. oil
salt & pepper to taste
cheese
rice
In a frying pan, with lid, heat oil on med. high. Place flour in a shallow bowl large enough to fit each piece of steak. Salt and pepper steak then place in flour, pressing as much flour onto both sides as possible. Fry on both sides. You want the flour to be slightly browned and the meat to be no longer pink inside. Remove from pan. Add onions, peppers, garlic and Ro-Tel to pan. Lay steaks on top. Cover and cook 20-25 minutes or until meat, onions and peppers are tender. Push onions, peppers and tomatoes to the side. Cover steak with cheese, shredded or sliced, any flavor you like. Spoon onions, peppers and tomatoes over cheese. Cover and heat until cheese melts. Serve over rice. Serves 2
1 pkg (1 lb) Kielbasa
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery chopped
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 box Rice Pilaf (7.2 oz.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
In a sauce pan cook Rice Pilaf according to package directions.
While the rice is cooking, in a large frying pan heat oil. Add peppers, onion, celery and garlic. Cook on medium high until onions and peppers are tender. Cut Kielbasa into bite size pieces and add to onion & peppers. Continue to cook allowing the Kielbasa to heat thoroughly. Add rice and mix well. Serves 6.
Comments - You can color this up by using red and/or yellow peppers. When cooking my onions and peppers I like them soft but if you like them a little less done, cut down your cooking time. This will give the dish a little more added crunch but remember you will also have a slight crunch from the celery. If you don't like Rice Pilaf, use plain rice, wild rice, brown rice or a combination of both. If you don't like Kielbasa, use chicken.
3 1/2 cups plain flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups apple butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
1 cup chopped walnuts
cinnamon sugar (1 tsp. cinnamon, 3 tsp. sugar mixed well)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Beat in apple butter and vanilla. Stir lemon juice into the evaporated milk. Using low speed, alternately add the flour and milk to the apple butter mix until combined. Fold in nuts. Line regular size muffin tins with liners. Fill 2/3 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes. Makes 3 - 3 1/2 dozen muffins.
Comments - I found this recipe on Food.com and made a few changes. For one, I doubled the recipe to give me more muffins. I also added the nuts and cut down the amount of sugar, which could actually be cut down another 1/4 cup. I used walnuts but pecans would work just as well. You can also add raisins for an added texture and taste. And if you don't have apple butter, use cinnamon flavored applesauce.
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 pkg. (12 oz.) Broccoli Slaw
3 + 1/4 cups water, divided
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup cornstarch
In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, stir-fry chicken in canola oil until the chicken is no longer pink. Move to a large bowl and set aside. Add broccoli slaw to the pan and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and add to chicken. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved. Reduce heat and add soy sauce, ginger, chicken and vegetables. Cook about 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water creating a paste. Stir into chicken/broccoli and bring to a boil. Cook about 2 minutes stirring constantly or until the sauce thickens to the consistency of a thick gravy. Serve over rice. Serves 4-6 depending on serving size.
Comments - My food testers loved this one. The broccoli slaw simplified the recipe eliminating the need to cut up the broccoli and shred the carrots. The mix I bought also had shredded purple cabbage adding another color and taste to the dish. Now, what do you do with the leftovers, if you have any? I wrapped them in flour tortilla, placed them in a baking dish, covered with cheese and baked on 350 until the cheese melted and the dish was piping hot. Yum Yum!
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 cans (15 oz. each) chili with beans
10 (6") flour tortillas
1 can Enchilada Sauce (I used mild green)
cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef. Crumble well and drain. Add taco seasoning and chili. Mix well. Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Spoon beef mixture down the center of tortillas, wrap sides over and place seam side down on dish. Spoon Enchilada sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Comments - I went to Taco Bell a few days ago and had a dish that I can't even pronounce the name of. It was beef, refried beans and onions wrapped in a tortilla, covered with cheese and baked. It was delicious but I knew I could recreate it at home. That's when I came up with my Chili Wrap recipe. I did substitute the refried beans for the chili with beans only because I thought I had a can of beans and didn't but did have the chili. Turns out this was even better. And the best part about this recipe is that you can use shredded, cooked chicken instead of the beef if you want. Also, this would be delicious with a scope of sour cream on top, maybe a sprinkle of chopped green onions and/or tomatoes.
2 chicken breasts - cooked, cooled, cut up into bite size pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup celery, chopped (about 2 stalks)
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 cups stuffing mix
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix chicken, soup, chestnuts, mayo, celery and cheese. Spread into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Mix melted butter and stuffing. Pour over chicken mix. Bake 45-50 minutes.
This dish has a story. Here is my co-author, Lillian Mort's portion of the story.
When our sister was ill, my sister, Lorretta, brought dinner to us (I was there helping to care for my sister and, when Lorretta brought dinner, she did the whole thing from salad, to entree, to home made rolls and to dessert!). This time, the entree was Chicken Delicious and it stood up to its name. Later, after I came home, I added Water Chestnuts and, sometimes, thinly sliced green onions, to her recipe and have been making it ever since. It's always a hit with shut-ins from church, too. Sometimes, I make two smaller casseroles and freeze one before baking for a meal on another day.
You can bet this recipe will be in our next book Think With Your Taste Buds - Meats. In the meantime, make it our own recipe by adding your own ingredients.
3 eggs
2 cups cake flour or all purpose flour (I like cake flour)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
3 oz. dark or bittersweet chocolate, grated
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl mix together flour, cocoa, soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl cream butter until smooth. Continue to cream adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Start adding eggs one at a time to the butter mix. Add 1/2 of the four mixture and whipping cream. Mix until smooth. Add remaining flour, milk and vanilla. Fold in grated chocolate. Pour into a angel food or bundt pan that's been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Drizzle:
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup cooking cream cheese
Mix together and spread over top of cake allowing to run down sides. Sprinkle with chocolate (optional)
Comments: If you like chocolate you can't help but love this cake. It's full of chocolate and so moist that you can actually eat it with very few crumbs. Changes can be to add a few finely chopped nuts to the batter or the drizzle. You could also add a little coconut to the drizzle.
5 medium-size potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cooking cream cheese
1 Tbsp dehydrated onion
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 string cheese sticks
French fried onions (optional)
Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover until tender. Drain. Mash lightly with a fork. While still hot, add the sour cream, cream cheese, onion, butter, bacon, pepper and salt. Mix well. Cut cheese sticks into small pieces. Fold into potato mix. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place in a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake 20 minutes. During last 5 minutes of baking top with French fried onions and bake last 5 minutes. More cheese can be added at this time if desired.
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cooking cream cheese
1 Tbsp dehydrated onion
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 string cheese sticks
French fried onions (optional)
Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover until tender. Drain. Mash lightly with a fork. While still hot, add the sour cream, cream cheese, onion, butter, bacon, pepper and salt. Mix well. Cut cheese sticks into small pieces. Fold into potato mix. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place in a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake 20 minutes. During last 5 minutes of baking top with French fried onions and bake last 5 minutes. More cheese can be added at this time if desired.
Comments – you can add just about anything to this simple dish. Broccoli would be a great addition. The bacon can be left out and roast beef can be added making the dish a main course. Spring onions would make a great substitute for the dehydrated onions. You can also use instant potatoes but they won't be near as good as the real thing. Think With Your Taste Buds!
2 cups sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
7 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups cake flour
1 cup hot chocolate mix
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine sugar and butter and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Sift flour and chocolate mix together. Add half of the dry mixture and 1 cup of the whipping cream. Beat until smooth. Add remaining dry mixture and other 1/2 cup of cream. Pour into a Angel food pan or bundt pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. or until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove and cool completely before slicing.
I came up with this idea when I found that I had hot white chocolate mix left over from Christmas. I hate to throw things away so decided to give it a try in a pound cake. It's great! The pound cake recipe that I used called for 3 cups of sugar but since the mix is sweet I cut the sugar down to 2 cups. Also, the recipe called for 1 cup of whipping cream but due to the addition of a whole cup of hot chocolate mix, I added the extra 1/2 cup. And yes, you can use regular hot chocolate mix (without marshmallows) in place of the white chocolate.
1 lb. sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion, more if you like
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers, more if you like
3 large yellow squash, peeled, sliced, cooked and drained
3 cups cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups dry stuffing mix
1 carton (6 oz.) plain yogurt
1/2 French fried onioins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet brown sausage, onions and peppers. Pour off drippings. Stir in squash, 2 cups cheese, 2 cups dry stuffing and yogurt. Mix well and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with 1 cup cheese, 1/2 cup stuffing and French fried onions. Bank another 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts. (Watch French fried onions so they don't burn. If they start browning too quickly, cover dish loosely with foil. Serves 6-8 as a main dish.
1 cup salad shrimp
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. mustard
8 slices French bread
Toast the bread on both sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all other ingredients. Spoon onto toast. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly bubbly.
4 cups cooked rice
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz. bay scallops
1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large frying pan heat olive oil. Add shrimp, scallops and garlic. Cook 4-5 minutes or until shrimp is no longer pink. With a slotted spoon remove shrimp and scallops. Whisk cream cheese into the juices from the shrimp and scallops. Add to cream cheese, shrimp, scallops and rice. Pour into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Serves 6-8
Comments - For my rice I used instant but you can, of course, use any rice you might like. The flavor of the finished product is a combination of Shrimp Scampi and Shrimp and Grits. Changes you might add would be a little nutmeg and maybe a splash of Sherry. Also, you can serve this over grits. It's rich, creamy and delicious!
1 pork tenderloin (1 1/2 - 2 lbs.)
1 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Mix sage, garlic, thyme, allspice, paprika and olive oil in a shallow bowl. Rub over tenderloin coating completely. Place tenderloin in a deep pot. On med. high heat brown on all sides. Turn heat to low. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover pot and cook 1 hr. Spoon juice over meat when serving.
Comments: My idea for this dish came to me when I found that I had a package of McCormick Recipe Inspirations. The recipe on the package was actually for apple pork chops but I decided to "Think With My Taste Buds" and create something different using the herbs/spice included in the package. And I couldn't have chosen a better piece of meat to work with than the pork tenderloin. It picked up all of the flavors, it was juicy and tender and my kitchen has had a wonderful smell all day.
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 tsp. salt (to taste
1 package taco spices and seasonings
1 cans Rotel
1-1/2 cups uncooked pasta (macaroni, spiral, etc.
1 cup water
1/2 cup shredded cheese
chopped green onions
sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain. Cook pasta according to package, drain and rinse. Add Rotel, taco seasoning, water and pasta to beef. Pour into baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover with cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with onion tops and sour cream when serving.
Notes - You can heat this up by using the hot Rotel and/or hot taco seasoning. I used the mild. You can use just about any type of paste that you want. I used elbow mac. You can also use any cheese you want. I used a Mexican blend. The leftovers, if you have any, heat up quite well in the microwave and it also freezes well so you can double the recipe and freeze one.
Chicken broth
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
2 cans (6 oz. each) crabmeat, drained, cleaned
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup butter
Old Bay seasoning, to taste
2 eggs
Panko bread crumbs
Cooking Oil
Cook rice in chicken broth according to cooking directions on package of rice. Stir in crabmeat, cheese, butter and Old Bay. Add eggs. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat oil in large frying pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour Panko into a shallow bowl. Shape into patties, press patties into Panko to coat. Fry until browned on both sides. Place on a baking sheet covered with foil. Bake 20 minutes.
Tips/Changes - I mixed everything but the eggs so I could taste my mixture as I went along. This way you can add as much or as little of the Old Bay. You can add more or less cheese, I used cheddar but you can change that to fit your own taste. I used plain Panko bread crumbs but I'm sure seasoned would be good. I haven't tried it yet but I want to give this a try using Salmon instead of crab. Bet that one will be good too.
2 regular pie crusts (not deep dish)
1 pkg Smoked Sausage (I used Hillshire)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell peppers
1 Tbsp. oil
8 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 cup shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake shells 15 minutes. In a small frying pan saute onions and peppers. Set aside to cool. Cut sausage into bite size pieces. In a large bowl mix eggs, milk and mustard with a whisk until well blended. Add onions, peppers, sausage and cheese. Stir well. Pour into pie shells and bake 40-45 minutes. Serves 8 (4 for each pie)
Tips: I poked holes in my shells before baking to keep them from bubbling. To make life even easier I used pre-cut peppers and onions. These can be found in the freezer department and are usually mixed red and green. I cut the sausage into 1/2" circles and then cut them into 4ths. You can cut this recipe in half but after tasting you will probably wish you hadn't. I used cheddar cheese but I'm sure pepper jack would have been wonderful! To complete the meal I served a salad and slices of fruit.
24 jumbo shells, cooked according to package
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
Your favorite meat seasoning, to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can water
French fried onions
shredded cheese
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef. Drain and remove from pan. In the same pan saute peppers and onions (there should be enough grease in pan from cooking beef, if not add 1 tsp. oil). Add meat to pepper and onions. Let cool. Spray baking dish large enough to hold all 12 shells with non-stick spray (I used an oval dish that was 8 x 6 and fit my shells tight). In a bowl whisk soup and water. Pour over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with cheese and French fried onions. Bake about 20 minutes or until bubbly but watch onions so they don't burn. If they start over browning cover with a sheet of foil. Serves 6-8
Notes: I used a cheese blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack. You can use any cheese that you like. The seasoning I used was an herb & garlic blend. Think With Your Taste Buds and use whatever you really enjoy on your meats. You can also leave out the soup and cover with a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce for a totally different taste and dish.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/4 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup regular sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Peanut Butter Bars, crushed (about 20)
8-10 Peanut Butter Bars, crushed and set aside
Glaze (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a med. bowl mix flour, nuts, brown sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of 9 x 13 x 2" baking dish. Bake about 10-21 minutes or until slightly browned. In another bowl using a mixer blend cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in 1 cup peanut butter bars. Pour over crust. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread a fine glaze over top and sprinkle with remaining peanut butter bars. Refrigerate. Makes about 30 bars.
Notes: In the picture you'll see the type of peanut butter bars I used. You can use chocolate coated peanut butter candy instead of the type I used. This also works well with crushed toffee candy. For my glaze I used Duncan Hines Amazing Glazes. I keep a bottle of this in my refrigerator to use when I want a glaze that isn't sticky when cooled. This works perfect. You can also use the chocolate glaze for added flavor.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 cup potato chips, crushed
1/4 cup French fried onions crushed
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup ranch dressing
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place cut chicken into a bowl. Add ranch dressing and toss to coat. In another bowl mix chips, onions and cheese. Individually roll chicken pieces in chip mixture, then placing them on baking sheet. Don't crowd. Use a second pan if needed. Bake 20 minutes.
Notes: I found a recipe for chicken crusted with cheese crackers and couldn't wait to give it a try. It turned out that I was out of cheese crackers so I did my usual - I decided to Think With My Taste Buds and came up with this recipe. Changes can be in the cheese. Pepper Jack would be wonderful and give it a touch of heat or you can increase the onions and add more flavor.
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. lean beef cut into chunks
3 Tbsp. oil
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
3 Tbsp. flour
1 bottle beer (12 oz.)
1 med. onion, chopped
4 med. potatoes, cubed
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. caraway seeds
salt & pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook and brown beef turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove and place in crockpot. Add mushrooms to skillet. Sprinkle with flour and saute 2-3 minutes (add 1 Tbsp. of oil if needed). Slowly add beer stirring constantly to keep down foaming. Cook about 3 minutes or until sauce thickens. Pour over meat in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on Low 8-9 hrs.
Notes: Serve over rice or noodles. The meat needs to be a lean cut such as round but you can use any lean pre-cut stew meat. You can use any mushrooms you want. I like portabella but white button are good too. You can also add carrots giving you everything but the bread in one dish. This is great served with cornbread but crackers and rolls work too.
1 bag (16 oz.) Baby Lima Beans
8 cups water
1 med. onion, chopped
1 lb. ham, cubed
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste (with Italian Herbs, optional)
4 garlic cloves
hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Place everything in a slow cooker. Cook on med. 6-8 hrs.
Note: I used the Italian Herb tomato paste for added flavor. You can change the ham to turkey ham if you want.
1 pkg (3 oz.) lime jello
2 pkg (6 oz. each) Key Lime Yogurt
1 cup hot water
Whipped topping
Nuts
1 Graham Cracker Crust
In a bowl mix jello with hot water until melted. Whisk in both pkgs of yogurt. Pour into graham cracker crust. Refrigerate or freeze until firmly set. Top with whipped topping and sprinkle with nuts. Serves 6-8.
Changes: Change jello and yogurt flavors e.i. strawberry jello & strawberry yogurt, lemon jello & lemon yogurt. Or blend flavors e.i. strawberry jello & banana yogurt.
2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups sugar & 1 cup sugar (separated)
1 cup milk & 3/4 cup milk (separated)
1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped nuts
glaze, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter into a 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish. Place in oven while preheating allowing butter to melt. Mix flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 cup of milk until well blended. Pour over melted butter. Mix 1 cup sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over flour batter. Mix 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water. Pour over sugar/cocoa mix. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 60 minutes. After about 30 minutes lay a sheet of foil over mix to slow down browning. Drizzle with glaze, optional. Serves 8-10. This dish is VERY rich and sweet. You can also serve it with ice cream while hot.
6 whole cabbage leaves
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided (I used pepper jack for a touch of heat)
1 brown rice boiling bag, cooked according to package
1 Tbsp. garlic & herb seasoning (no salt)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot boil cabbage leaves, about 10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to drain and cool. Brown ground beef with garlic. Drain and set aside to cool. After beef has cooled add eggs, 1 cup cheese, rice and garlic herb seasoning. Stir well. Spoon down the center of your cooled cabbage leaves. Place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray, seam side down. Cover with undiluted soup. Bake covered with foil 20 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake 15 minutes more uncovered. Serves 6.
Comments and changes - This dish is so good. The original recipe called for 2 egg whites as well as the 2 whole eggs, I left them out. It called for basil and dill which I also left out. Also, the cheese in the original recipe was cheddar, I wanted a little heat so I used Pepper Jack which gave this a wonderful taste!
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 lb. ground pork
1 med. onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Zatarain's Jazz it Up Seafood seasoning
2 pkg (6.2 oz.) Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice
(or 1 1/2 cups any brand long grain & wild rice)
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) low sodium chicken broth
1 lb. (40-60 count) shrimp, shelled, cleaned, cooked & cut in half
3-4 green onions including tops, chopped
In a large saucepan heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil. Add pork and cook over med. heat until the meat is no longer pink. Reduce heat to med. low and add the other Tbsp. of oil, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in Zatarain's seasoning and rice (do not add seasoning mix). Add broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-25 minutes or until rice is done. Stir in shrimp and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serves 8-10.
Tips: The original recipe called for regular rice, I wanted the different textures so I used the wild and long grain rice. I also had a list of 6 different seasonings but I had just bought a jar of Zatarain's Jazz it Up Seafood so decided to try it instead. I used 1 Tbsp. but wanted just a bit more heat so I added an extra teaspoon which is optional. I also bought my shrimp already cooked which saved time. All-in-all, it turned out wonderful!
Changes: Use Polish Sausage or chicken instead of the shrimp.
4 boneless pork chops
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup milk
1 heaping Tbsp. mustard
¼ cup flour
¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
½ cup crushed French fried onions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a cookie cooking rack sprayed with non-stick spray on a baking sheet covered with foil. In one bowl mix mayonnaise, milk and mustard together. In a second bowl mix flour Panko and crushed French fried onions. Dip chops in mayonnaise mixture then into crumb mixture. Place on cookie rack. Bake 20-25 minutes or until chops are done and crumbs are lightly browned. If the crumbs start to brown before chops are done, loosely cover them with a sheet of foil.
Tips: Use a fork to crush the fried onions. You want them crushed small enough that they will cling to the mayo mixture. The mayo mixture should be about the consistency of a slightly thick gravy. You want it to stick to the meat on both sides without running off.
Changes – It was suggested to me by a man I work with that this would probably be good made with zucchini squash instead of the chops. Thanks John for the suggestion, I’ll have to give it a try. I also suggest maybe broccoli or change the meat to chicken and even cube steak. Also, if you don’t have Panko bread crumbs, regular bread crumbs will work too. I like the Panko for the added crunch when cooked.
1 pkg (4 oz.) Instant Potatoes
(with butter, sour cream, bacon, onions and/or chives)
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
Panko crumbs, seasoned
24 cheese cubes (1/2" x 1/2")
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix potatoes with hot water. Stir in flour. Add egg. Let cool. Shape into 1 1/2" balls. Press a cube of cheese in center. Roll in Panko. Place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned.
Changes - The original recipe called for "real" potatoes baked, mashed and seasoned with green onions. I simplified the whole recipe by using instant potatoes with the works. The original recipe called for a Shake 'N Bake coating, I changed it to the seasoned Panko. You can change these by using regular instant potatoes and adding cooked, crumbled bacon for a stronger flavor. You can use regular instant potatoes and add shredded dried meat. As always...Think With Your Taste Buds.
1 deep dish pie shell
1/2 lb. bacon
1 Tbsp. bacon drippings
1 can (4 oz.) Shiitake mushrooms
3/4 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
6 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese (I used Pepper Jack)
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pie shell for 10 minutes. Set aside. Fry bacon until crispy. Crumble bacon and set aside. Saute mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers and onion in bacon drippings for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. In a bowl, whisk eggs and sour cream. Stir in cheese and bacon. Pour mushroom broccoli mixture into pie shell. Add egg mix. Bake 40 minutes or until center is set. Cover top with additional shredded cheese and broil until melted. Serves 6.
Changes and short cuts - you can use precooked bacon to save time. You can change the meat to ham instead of bacon or change the cheese. You can even use asparagus instead of broccoli.
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can chicken broth
2 cups half and half cream
5-6 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) chopped clams, with juice
1/2 cup dry sherry or cooking sherry
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
In a large sauce pan melt butter. Add flour and potatoes. Stir well. Add broth and cream. Cook on med. heat stirring often until potatoes are tender. Add clams with juice, sherry, cheese, salt & pepper. Cool until cheese melts. Serves 8-10.
This is good with a little cheese garnish too. Be very careful when cooking the potatoes. You don't want the soup to stick or scorch. If you find your soup is getting a little thicker than you want, add a little water. This dish can be made using shrimp instead of the clams and boy is it good!
1 tube pizza dough
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
finely chopped nuts
ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Open and remove the pizza dough from the container. Cut in half. Unroll and slice into 1" strips. Carefully twist the dough and place on the parchment paper lining the cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown.
While twists are cooking mix powdered sugar with melted butter. As soon as the twists come out of the oven, drizzle with butter mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and cinnamon to taste.
While running through an old cookbook I ran across a recipe where you made up a dough, let it rise, rolled it out, cut it into strips and baked. After baking it was drizzled with butter, cheese and seasonings. Well, this sounds good but I wanted something sweet and didn't want to go through the process of making my own dough. That is when I decided to give pizza crust dough a try. It works perfectly! And if you Think With Your Taste Buds you can even come up with your own combination making your Twists sweet or basted with butter and sprinkled with seasonings and cheese.
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
3 cups uncooked Rotini pasta
1 jar (26 oz.) pasta sauce with mushrooms & peppers (or your choice)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot cook pasta according to package. Drain, rinse and set aside. In a skillet over med. heat, cook ground beef and Italian sausage. Drain well. In a large mixing bowl combine garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, eggs and 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese. Add garlic, cooled meat, pasta and pasta sauce. Pour into a 13" x 9" glass baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes. Serves 8
Changes - I chose Rotini due to it's shape which allows the sauce to stick to its crevices but you can use any pasta you want with this, even spaghetti. Spice it up some by adding a cup of Parmesan, half inside the dish and the other half sprinkled on top. Change the pasta sauce flavors. Add sauted onions and bell peppers. Think with your taste buds on this one.
I served this dish with my "Crescent Knots." They are made by spreading a thin layer of garlic butter over crescent rolls before rolling and baking.
1 box (17.5 oz.) Snickerdoodle cookie mix
1 box (19.5 oz.) milk chocolate brownie mix (no nuts)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients until completely blended. Shape into 1" balls. Place on cookie sheet 2" apart. Bake 10 minutes for soft cookies and 12 minutes for crisp. Makes 4 dozen.
Additions: Bottom center - press a thumb print into the cookie ball before baking. Fill hole with English Toffee Bits. Place a pecan half on top of toffee. Bottom Left - press candies into unbaked cookie balls. Top Left - Press a large chocolate candy into unbaked cookie ball. Top Right - Roll in cinnamon sugar before baking. Bottom Right - Roll in cinnamon sugar with chocolate sprinkles. Center - Roll in cinnamon sugar and press a pecan into the center of unbaked cookie ball.
These are just a few ideas. Get the kids in the kitchen and come up with other ideas.
1 Tbl. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. herb seasoning (your favorite)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 - 1 1/2 lb. steaks
Combine all in a large zip type plastic bag. Add steak. Marinate 2-6 hrs. Grill.
This simple marinate works great with chicken, pork and any cut of beef including roast. You can even use it to marinate hamburgers but put it in a flat bowl, cover and leave up to 30 minutes, carefully turning once.
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 bell pepper, sliced thin
1 can (4 oz.) shiitake mushrooms, sliced & drained
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Lasagna noodles, boiled if needed
1 jar (l lb.) garlic Alfredo sauce
4-5 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large frying pan crumble and brown ground beef. Drain well and set aside. In same pan saute onions and peppers in olive oil until transparent (not brown). Add drained mushrooms. Add Alfredo sauce to ground beef. In a 13 x 9" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray cover bottom with lasagna noodles. (I use the no pre-cook type which are wide. For my dish it takes 3 noodles to cover the bottom. If you use the type that must be boiled 1st it may take 4 lengthwise.) Top noodles with 1/2 of the ground beef/Alfredo, 1/2 of the onion/pepper/mushrooms. Cover this with the Swiss cheese slices. Top with another layer of noodles, the remaining onion/pepper/mushrooms, ground beef/Alfredo and then cover evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly, cheese has melted and starting to brown.
Changes - Use Italian sausage instead of ground beef. This is also good made with Imitation Crab or shrimp. I've not tried it yet but I think chicken would also be great and I might even add some spinach to the 1st layer.
Crust
1 pkg (about 18 oz.) butter pecan cake mix
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
Topping:
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup toffee bits
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9" pan with non-stick spray. In a bowl combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg. Mix until well blended. Pour into pan and press evenly to form crust. Bake 15 minutes. For topping mix syrup, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Pour over crust. Evenly sprinkle pecans, coconut, white chocolate and toffee bits. Bake 25 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into squares. Makes about 24 bars.
Changes - I think this would be good with a lemon cake mix. If I used lemon I would sprinkle with a little lemon zest and maybe leave out the toffee bits. Or change it to a chocolate cake mix and use chocolate chips. This is a fun recipe to play with.
1 pkg (16 oz.) pasta (your choice, macaroni, spiral, etc.)
1/2 lb. Italian sausage, bulk (not in casings)
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg (5 oz.) mini pepperoni
1 jar (16 oz.) spaghetti sauce (your choice of flavor)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (your choice of color)
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onions and peppers in oil. Set aside. In the same pan brown and crumble sausage and ground beef. While meat is cooking, cook pasta according to package directions. In a large bowl combine coked meat, onions & peppers, pepperoni, spaghetti sauce, cheddar cheese and drained pasta. Mix well. Pour into a 13 x 9 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Top with mozzarella cheese. Turn oven to broil and cook, watching carefully until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serves 6-8.
The idea for this came from a recipe for a casserole that required ingredients that I simply didn't have in my kitchen so I just changed it up a bit. These changes gave me the dish above and it is so delicious. You can make your own changes by doing exactly what I did. I decided to Think With My Taste Buds.
4 Granny Smith apples (peeled, chopped)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 - 3/4 cup walnuts (I like to use 3/4 cup)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place apples, brown sugar and cinnamon in a sauce pan. Cook on med. heat until apples are tender and most of the liquid cooks out. (Don't add liquid, the apples will create their own liquid) While apples are cooking combine cake mix and butter. Mix until crumbly. Take out 1 cup of mix and set aside. Press the remaining cake mix into a 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Top cake mix crust evenly with cooked apples. (You can drizzle with 2 - 3 Tbsp. of the liquid from the cooked apples but no more than that.) In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese, flour and egg. Spread over apples. (This is not easy to spread but using a butter knife or the back of a spoon works best. Just smooth it over the apples the best you can.) Sprinkle with walnuts. Using your hand, sprinkle the remaining cup of cookie mix over nuts. Bake 18 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Changes - change the cake mix to carrot or spice cake. Change the fruit to pears. This is delicious served with a scope of ice cream drizzled with caramel.
1 lb. stew meat cut small (1/2" x 1/2")
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 med. sized potatoes, cubed small (1/2" x 1/2")
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese
Cover beef with water and boil until tender (about 45 minutes). Remove beef from pan. Strain 1 cup of broth and add back to pan. Bring to a boil. Add onions, potatoes and beef to broth. Let simmer until potatoes and onions are tender. Stir in mushroom soup. Top with shredded cheese when served. Serves 6-8
I want a clear broth so when I strain my broth I also rinse off my stew meat.
Changes - try this with chicken or pork. Serve as a meal or as a side dish. This is so simple and so easy that it's one you won't want to miss trying.
1 lb. Italian sausage
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tube crescent rolls
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 cup Alfredo sauce with mushrooms
cheese for topping (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Crumble and brown Italian sausage. Drain well and cool completely. After cooling mix in cream cheese. Cover a cookie dish with foil sprayed with non-stick spray. Unroll crescent rolls and seal seams by pressing together. Form sausage mix into a roll placing it long-way down the center of dough. Top with shredded cheese. Bring sides up and over sausage roll. Bake 20-25 minutes or until slightly browned. Top with optional cheese and heat until melted. Heat Alfredo sauce in a saucepan. Cut Roll into slices topping with hot Alfredo. Serves 6-8
Changes - This one is fun to play with. Add very well squeezed spinach to meat mixture. Use different flavors of cheese such as sharpe or blended cheeses. Use Pizza or Spaghetti sauce in place of the Alfredo. You can also use a tube of thin crust pizza dough in place of the crescents.
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