Chocolate Scotcharoos

These were a favorite especially for the kids. I think Jaden would have eaten the whole pan if I would have let him. I used all chocolate chips instead of the butterscotch and really liked it that way. I know I have made these with corn flakes and they work just as well. I got the recipe from www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

Chocolate Scotcharoos
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
8-10 cups rice krispies
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. butterscotch chips

Melt butter. Add corn syrup and sugar. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Add rice krispies and mix well. Press mixture into large baking sheet (11X17). Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Continue microwaving for 30 second spurts until chips are melted. Spread chips on top of rice krispie mixture. Let chocolate set. Cut into squares.

American Lasagna

adapted from allrecipes

This recipe was 5 stars all the way. Soooo good. This will be the recipe I use to make lasagna from now on. I didn't have sausage so I used all ground beef. I also use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I wish I had a picture but you all know how lasagna looks!

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
12 dry lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt.

Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.* Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*If baking the next night, this is when you would cover and refrigerate. You might need to increase the cooking time by 15 minutes.

Chicken Stew

This stew is so yummy and easy to make. I made this a couple weeks ago when Scott was sick. He said he felt much better after he ate it. Taste alot like chicken noodle soup with out the noodles. I will be making this again soon.

You will need:
2 chicken breasts
1 medium sized white or yellow onion. finely diced
2 red potatoes
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp)
pepper to taste
oregano, basil, and italian seasoning to taste

Dice up your chicken in fine tiny peices. Heat up your pot over medium high, put in a couple Tbsp of oil, then drop and brown the chicken.
While the chicken is cooking, dice up your veggies in tiny little pieces.
Then dice up your onion. When the chicken is done, pull it out of the pot. Put the onion in. When the onion is clear, add the broth and veggies (not the peas yet!). Boil until carrots are soft, or for about 10-15 minutes. Then throw the chicken back in, and add the peas.
Add the cream of chicken soup and your seasonings.
This is a hearty stew that you can eat alone, or fill a bread bowl with it. Even better, use it as a filling for a chicken pot pie!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tried this recipe the other night and it was so easy to put together. I thought it tasted pretty good. I always ask Scott to rate my recipes from 1 to 5 stars. So you will probably see star rating on these recipes. He gave it 3 1/2 - 4 stars only because he said it had to much chicken. He said he would like it again especially if it had less chicken. So we will proably make this again. I got this recipe off of another cooking blog www.cookingwithfriends.bogspot.com

4 Chicken Breast halves
2 15 oz cans black beans (undrained)
2 15 oz cans Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 c salsa
4 oz can chopped green chilies
14 1/2 oz can tomato sauce

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Just before serving remove chicken and shred or slice into bit sized pieces. Stir into soup.
This recipe makes a lot, making 1/2 of the recipe works well too. I didn't have Mexican stewed tomatoes, so I just used regular canned tomatoes and added some taco seasoning.