Cinnamon Swirl Cake

I made this cake for Easter breakfast. My husband loves cinnamon rolls and would have me make them once a week if I would. I however will not. This recipe gives you a cinnamon taste with much less work. It was very easy to make and tasted wonderful. If you are looking for a healthy recipe this is not it. However do not pass up this recipe. Make it for a holiday then you won't feel so guilty.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

1 cube butter, softened
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

*Mix together and pour into a 9X13 pan.

Then mix:
1 cube melted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 T. flour
1 T. cinnamon
*Pour on top of yellow mixture and swirl in using a fork. Don't mix completely. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Drizzle with frosting:
1/2 cube butter, softened
powdered sugar
some milk
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt

Lemon Yogurt Cake

My boys and I loved this cake. The cake itself did not have a lot of lemon flavor so I think next time I might try making it with lemon yogurt instead of plain to see if that changes anything. I would also say it is almost better the second day after it has time to sit and soak up all that lemon sugar that you pour over it. This is another recipe from sisterscafe.blogspot.com


Lemon Yogurt Cake
Recipe from Ina Gartin


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice


For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.


For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Thick and Chewy Double-Chocolate Cookies

These are the most amazing cookies. I love chocolate and these have plenty of it. They are chewy and the chocolate chips melt in your mouth. You can also freeze them (which I had to do so I didn't eat them all in one night!) If you are not a dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate fan you could use milk chocolate instead and I am sure they would be just as good. These cookies are now my favorite and I know I will be making them over and over again. I found them on www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

Thick and Chewy Double-Chocolate Cookies
Adapted slightly from The New Best Recipe

**Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.**

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 ½ ounces) baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or melt the equivalent of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (50% power for 2 minutes, then stir and microwave in 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted - be careful not to overheat or chocolate will sieze). In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork; set aside.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in the sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; the mixture will look granular. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Finally add the chocolate chips. Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners (this is pretty important - if the cookies are baked on a greased baking sheet only, they will probably stick). Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place them on the cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart.

Bake until the edges of the cookies have just begun to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 5 minutes or until set and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Green Enchiladas

Sorry there is no picture!  But these are really good anyway.  We made these for St. Patricks Day and they were yummy!  I got the recipe from recipezaar.com.   I baked my chicken in a 325 degree oven with a rub consisting of cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic salt and a few shakes of crushed red pepper flakes.  I added a bouillon cube and a little water and covered the chicken tightly and baked until tender.  I then cut the chicken into bite size pieces.  This was one of the suggestions in the recipe or you could just boil the chicken and shred it.  The recipe also calls for an 8 oz cream cheese, I only used half that amount, and I used light.  I also used about 1/4 C salsa verde in place of the green chilies as we are not fond of diced green chilies.  The consistency is more like a casserole since the corn tortillas disintegrate a little when baked.  The next time I would like to try flour tortillas and see what they are like.  Anyway, Enjoy!!

1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

4 oz. diced green chilies

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 C onion, diced and sauted until tender

3 C green enchilada sauce (I used a lg can of old el paso)

12-14 white corn tortillas (small size)

1-2 C shredded cheese (I used mexican blend)

Put about 1/4 C enchilada sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan.  In lg bowl mix chicken, chilies, cream cheese, onions, 1/2 C cheese and 1/4 C enchilada sauce.  Spoon mixture evenly on tortillas and roll up.  Place rolled  tortillas in pan and cover with remaining enchilada sauce.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  (I also topped mine with sliced black olives).  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min.  Remove from oven and let stand 10 min. before serving.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I cut this recipe in half because I knew my family would not eat the whole thing and I didn't think it would be very good as left overs. I was so glad I did. I used one can of green enchilada sauce. I also had some chicken that I had cooked already, so I simmered it in the enchilada sauce for a few minutes. This came together very fast especially with the chicken already cooked. Seems like most of the ingredients are optional so play around with it. We really liked it as long as it had the sour cream on it. Without the sour cream it would just be okay.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1-2 chicken breasts
1 28 oz can enchilada sauce (or 2 small cans or one small can and one can tomato sauce)
1/2 c corn (optional)
1/2 small onion (optional)
Tortilla Chips, crushed
1 c shredded cheese
sliced olives (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Put endhilada sauce into sauce pan. Add chicken breasts, corn and onions to sauce and boil. Once chicken is boiled and cooked through, shred.
While chicken is cooking, preheat oven to 350.
Take a 9x13 pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Line pan with crushed tortilla chips.
Pour chicken, corn, onion and sauce mixture over chips.
Top with cheese and olives.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.
Top with sour cream and serve.

Irish Soda Bread

This is the wheat soda bread. I didn't make it with any of the optional ingredients. The dough is very sticky and is more like biscuit dough. I made it in the kitchen aid and let it do the kneading. This is great with chicken soup. Grandma Swalberg really enjoyed it.

4 cups Flour

1 tsp. Salt

3 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 cup sugar (optional)

1/8 tsp. cardamom or coriander (optional)

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

Combine in a large bowl flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and spices. Add butter to flour mixture and cut with a pastry blender or 2 knives until crumbly. Beat egg slightly and mix with buttermilk. Add buttermilk mix to dry ingredients. Stir until blended. Turn out on floured board and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough in half. Shape into 2 round loaves and place each round in a pie pan. Press down until dough fills the pan. With a sharp knife cut crosses on top of the loaves about 1/2" deep through middle. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Substitutions: if you want a wheat bread swap 2 cups of wheat flour with the white. You may also add raisins for a sweet bread, just make sure to add the sugar.

Pizza Dough

I'm always up for trying new recipes and one night I was looking for a different pizza dough recipe.  I found this one on recipezaar.  It had over 200 5 star reviews.  We made it and it was awesome.  Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside. We assemble our pizza by first putting about 1/2 C sauce on pre-baked crust, then about 1 C mozzarella cheese, then toppings, then a sprinkling of mixed shredded cheese. We top it all off with a couple of shakes of parmesan cheese and bake it the rest of the time.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may substitute whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the all-purpose)
• 1 Tbl  active dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil
• cornmeal, for sprinkling

1. Mix a little sugar into the warm water.
2. Sprinkle yeast on top.
3. Wait for 10 minutes or until it gets all foamy.
4. Pour into a large bowl.
5. Add flour, salt, olive oil.
6. Combine.
7. Knead for 6-8 minutes until you have a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (add a bit more flour if you need to).
8. Cover and let rest for 20-30 minutes.
9. Lightly grease two 12-inch pizza pans.
10. Sprinkle with a little bit of cornmeal.
11. Divide dough in half.
12. Place each half on a pizza pan and pat it with your fingers until it stretches over the whole pan.
13. Try to make it thicker around the edge.
14. If desired, pre-bake at 425 F for 10 minutes (I don't always do this).
15. Then spread with pizza sauce and use the toppings of your choice.
16. Bake at 425 F for 10-20 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot.
17. Makes 2 12-inch pizzas.
18. If you don't want to use all the dough, you can freeze it.
19. Take a portion of dough, form into a ball, rub olive oil over it and place it in a freezer bag (the oil makes it easier to take out of the bag).
20. When you want to make a pizza, take dough out of freezer and allow to thaw before using.

Smothered Chicken

I got this recipe from www.myfoodstoragedeals.com.  All the family thought it was really yummy.  The only thing different I will do next time, is not use the bacon.  I am just not a bacon fan.  I think it would taste just as good without it.  Sorry about the picture.  My kids said that it looked really gross, so on this one don't judge it by looks!  It is actually really good.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

garlic powder and seasoned salt to taste

1 Tbl oil

mushrooms, cut in quarters

1 C shredded cheese

1/2 C chopped green onions

1/2 C chopped cooked bacon

BBQ sauce, any type

-Sprinkle chicken with seasonings and brown in oil until almost cooked through.  In seperate pan saute mushrooms, bacon and onions.  Put chicken in baking dish and spread each piece with about 2 Tbl BBQ sauce.  Cover each piece with bacon, mushrooms and onion mixture and then cover with shredded cheese.  Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for approx. 15-20 min or until cheese melts and chicken is cooked through.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I made these for a YW activity last week.  Oatmeal raisin cookies are my absolute favorite cookie.  I don't make them very often because every recipe I have used turns out crispy and not the right flavor.  I love Great Harvests oatmeal raisin cookies.  They are soft and chewy and taste perfect.  I was looking around on recipezaar and found these amazing cookies.  They had 542 5 star reviews.  These are sooooooo good!!  I am not a big cookie freak, but I could have eaten the whole batch myself, I think.  I did do half raisins and half chocolate chips but I liked the raisin ones better!!  I also just used regular salt and regular brown sugar.  Enjoy!

Whisk together and set aside

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream wet ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Then stir in

• 3 cups oats (not instant)
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
3. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.
4. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.
6. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.
7. Fill cookie scoop with dough.
8. (Use a #40 cookie scoop; it measures 2 tablespoon of dough) Press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough.
9. Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
10. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.
11. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Yummy Breadsticks

A friend in my ward brought these to a lunch we were having.  They were so yummy and she said they were really easy to make, so I had to have the recipe.  They are perfect for dunking in soup.  My friend said that the dough is actually a basic white bread dough, that you can use for cinnamon rolls, regular rolls etc.  One tip is that if you don't have instant yeast it would probably be best to soak it in a little water with sugar before adding.   I also did this all in my bosch and did not mix by hand or knead by hand.   So here you go...

3 - 3 1/2 cups white flour
1 Tab. dry yeast
1 tesp. salt
1/4 cup sugar (1/8 is fine)
1 cup milk or 1/3 cup powdered milk (church kind) and 1 cup water
3 Tab. butter or marg.
1 egg beaten

In large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour with dry yeast, salt and sugar.  In sauce pan, heat milk and butter until very warm (not hot)...or cook approx. 2 min. in microwave; add to flour mixture along with egg. With mixer beat two minutes.  By hand stir in remaining 2 to 2 1/4 cups flour to form a stiff dough.  Cover and let rise.  Turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead a few times or until no longer sticky.  Make into rolls, breadsticks or cinnamon rolls.  Let rise in greased pan.  Bake for 20 min. at 350 degrees.

For breadsticks, roll out until flat then cut into strips.  Dip into melted butter then twist and place in pan.  Once the pan is full, before baking, sprinkle with garlic powder and parm. cheese.

Sugar Cookies

Now that it's almost been a month since Valentines Day, I guess I better post these.  My sister brought these to us for Valentines Day.  She has the most awesome recipe for sugar cookies.  I have also made these several times and they are really pretty quick and easy.  The trick is to not roll them out too thin and to not over cook them.  They are so delicious, make them for a holiday and then find someone to give most of them to or you will end up eating the whole batch! So here is her recipe.   Enjoy!!

1 lb. margarine

3 eggs

2 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

6 C flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

-cream sugar, margarine, eggs and flavorings until very fluffy.  Mix in dry ingredients until well blended.  Chill and roll out to 1/4 in thick.  Cut out shapes and put on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min.

frosting:

1 C shortening

1 C butter

dash salt

2 tsp vanilla

full 1 lb bag powdered sugar

milk- add to thin

- mix altogether and color if desired.  You can use this for spreading and decorating.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake (Texas Sheet Cake)

This is the same old Texas Sheet Cake we have all probably tasted before. I have not made it for years and this reminded me of how good it really is. I saw this recipe on www.thepioneerwoman.com.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake
Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Amazing Buttermilk Rolls

These rolls are very good. I love that you can put the dough in the fridge for up to 7 days. They are so easy to pull out of the fridge and roll out before church and have fresh rolls for dinner. My husband almost ate the whole basket of rolls. I didn't have any buttermilk, so I just used 3 cups milk with 3 tablespoons vinegar. I am sure they would taste even better if I used real buttermilk. I will try that next time. www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Buttermilk Refigerator Rolls

3 cups Buttermilk (room temperature)
3 cups flour
1 T. yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water (first let rise a few minutes)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour (sometimes you need a cup more--it should not be too sticky)
½ cup oil
1 tsp baking soda

Dissolve yeast in ¼ c. warm water and let proof a few minutes. Mix the buttermilk, flour and yeast together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Let this stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.
Add sugar, eggs, salt, flour, oil, and baking soda. Mix well and kneed for 7-10 minutes. Roll out what you want and place the rest in the refrigerator, covered. The next time you want some fresh baked rolls, take from the bowl what you want and again put the rest back in the refrigerator. It will keep for 7 days. (This is perfect for Sunday meals because you don’t have a lot of mess to clean up and it’s quick.)
Let rolls rise on baking sheets until double in size. Time depends on the room temperature, usually 1½ - 2 hours. Dough from the refrigerator will take longer because the dough is cold.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter if you like.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

I got this recipe from the sisters cafe blog.  I made them to serve with the chicken noodle soup I made this week.  They were super easy (20 min total prep and their on the table), and really tasty too.  Shawn and the kids all thought they were great for dunking in the soup.  I did adapt the recipe a bit to our tastes.

2 C bisquick mix (I used the heart healthy kind)

2/3 C milk

1/3 C shredded cheese

2 Tbl parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp parsley

2 Tbl butter (I used light margarine)

--mix together bisquick and milk just until moistened.  Fold in cheeses and drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 min. or until lightly browned.  Melt butter and add salt and parsley.  Brush on cooked rolls and serve immediately.  You can also sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese on them if you want.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I needed to bring a pot of soup to a Stake Youth activity this week and this is what I brought.  I got the recipe from a dear friend I served with in the Relief Society Pres.  She is known as the soup lady in our ward.  My family loves this soup and whenever one of the kids is sick this is the first thing they ask for.  It just makes everything all better.  You can use homemade noodles if you would rather, but the Kluski ones are so much easier!

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

diced carrots, onions, celery, green pepper

1-2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 tbl parsley

1/2 tsp pepper

4-6 chicken bouillon cubes

2 can cream of chicken soup (I use light)

2 pkgs chicken gravy mix

1 pkg Kluski noodles (found with all the other pastas)

--Boil chicken in water with bouillon until cooked through.  Remove chicken and set aside to cool.  Strain liquid  and then add enough water to make 3-4 qts liquid total.    Add veggies, garlic, parsley and pepper and simmer until veggies are tender.  Chop chicken and add to pot with veggies.  Add soup and gravy mix and mix well (you may have to use a big wisk).  Bring soup to a boil and add noodles.  Continue to simmer until noodles are tender and soup is thickened.  Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

I got this off of The Sister's Cafe blog.  It was easy to make, moist and really yummy!  Everyone loved it.  I had a hard time keeping the kids fingers out of it until after dinner.  I did cheat and use canned chocolate frosting because I had some in my food storage that needed to be used.  I also did not have any buttermilk, so I just did the milk and vinegar thing.  I think this would also be great just as a regular chocolate cake without the peanut butter. 

2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 C sugar

1 C butter

1/4 C cocoa

1 C water

1/2 C buttermilk

2 lg eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

-Combine flour, soda and sugar in a mixing bowl.  In a saucepan, melt butter.  Add cocoa and stir to combine.  Add water, buttermilk, and eggs.  Cook, stirring well until mixture boils.  Remove from heat and add to flour mixture and mix until smooth.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Pour batter into greased and floured 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for about 25 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool for about 10 min and then spread with about 1 C peanut butter (softened in micro for a few seconds).  Let cool completely.  Spread with chocolate canned frosting or homemade. Enjoy!

-Chocolate frosting:

1 lb. pkg powdered sugar

1/4 C cocoa

1/2 C butter

1/3 C buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

-bring cocoa, butter and buttermilk to a boil in saucepan stirring constantly.  Pour hot mixture in a bowl with the sugar and stir until smooth.  Add vanilla.

Chicken Parmesan with Rigatoni Bake

This was easy to make. I have never cooked chicken this way but it turned out really moist and delicious. I will definetly be making it again. I didn't have rigatoni so I just used what ever pasta I had on hand. I also used all plain bread crumbs and added some italian seasoning. It turned out great. I got this recipe off of http://www.picky-palate.com/

Chicken Parmesan Rigatoni Bake

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 Cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs plus 2 Tablespoons water
1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs (Progresso)
1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 lb dry rigatoni
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 26 oz jars of your favorite pasta sauce
6 slices of your favorite bread, toasted
Butter
Garlic Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pound chicken breasts to an even thinness with a meat mallet. Place flour, salt and pepper into a shallow dish. Place eggs and water into a separate shallow dish. Place bread crumbs and parmesan cheese into a 3rd shallow dish. Dip chicken into flour, then eggs then into bread crumb mixture pressing gently. Place coated chicken onto a baking rack placed over a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

2. Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Place olive oil into a large dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, sauté onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic for 1 minutes then add pasta sauce, reserving 1 Cup for later. Reduce heat to low and stir in cooked pasta. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Cut chicken into strips and place over dish. Drizzle with reserved pasta sauce and serve. Spread butter over warm toasted bread and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Cut into triangles if desired. Serve with each dish.

6 servings

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

This is a really great recipe.  Comfort food at its best.  I got the recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook.  It stays nice and creamy and doesn't dry out, even when re-heated the next day.  It's also super easy! I did change and lighten up the recipe a bit :)

3 C dry macaroni noodles or other pasta

2 Tbl light margarine or butter

2 Tbl flour

1 1/2 C milk

1/2 lb velveeta cheese(2%), cubed

-Cook pasta.  Meanwhile melt butter in saucepan.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add milk and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Reduce heat and add cheese.  cook and stir until melted.  Drain the pasta and add to cheese mixture.  Stir until cooked through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This is very simple and good. Another great way to use stove top stuffing. Not much else to say about it. Sorry the picture isn't that great.


Bruschetta Chicken Bake


1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.
PLACE chicken (I brown my chicken first) in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Belgian Waffles

We had breakfast for dinner last night and everyone wanted waffles.  I'm not a huge fan of waffles, but everyone else thought they were great.  Crispy outside, light and fluffy inside.  They thought they were especially good with powdered sugar, strawberries and syrup. 

3 eggs, separated

1 C milk, or more for the right consistency

1/4 C melted butter or margarine (I used light)

1 Tbl vanilla

2 C flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbl baking powder

1 Tbl sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4-1/2 C applesauce

beat egg yolks, milk, butter, vanilla, and applesauce in a bowl.  Mix dry ingr. separately and then add to egg mixture.  Mix well.  Whip egg whites until they are somewhat stiff in another bowl.  Gently fold egg whites into batter.  Cook according to your waffle iron directions.