Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

I know this is a little late for grilling season but that is just how my life is right now.  A little late for everything!!  This is such a good recipe and even my kids loved it.  My 2nd son who doesn't like much of anything asked for 3 helpings!  You know it is a good recipe if that happens.  It is also so simple to put together and cooks fast.  So if you are in a warmer climate than we are here, try it.  Or maybe it would work to broil them in your oven.  It is worth a try!  This recipe I found on Sisters Cafe.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
fresh ground pepper to taste

3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces

Stir together marinade ingredients.  Place chicken in bowl and pour marinade over – make sure all the chicken pieces are coated.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat grill to med-high heat.  Thread chicken on metal skewers and discard marinade.  Lightly oil grill grates.  Grill kabobs for 8-12 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

4 Packet Roast

I know this is not the greatest picture but the roast is awesome!  I have been using my crockpot a lot lately and it has done me well.  This recipe is another one from Sisters Cafe.  My husband is not a pot roast fan but he loved this one.  It also makes yummy gravy.  

4 Packet Roast

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 packet brown gravy mix

1 packet Italian salad dressing mix

1 packet onion soup mix

1 roast of choice  ( I used 3 - 4 lb rump roast)

1/2 - 3/4 cup of water

assorted veggies if desired 

Place roast in crockpot.  Arrange vegetables around the roast if being used.  Sprinkle the mix packets over the roast.  Pour water around the roast.  Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

Black Bean Chocolate Cupcakes

So, so good!! You will never know they have black beans in them.  My boys even like them without frosting!   You have to try these as soon as you can.  You will not be disappointed.  I have made them several times.  I have substituted  plain yogurt for sour cream and left out the pudding mix and they still tasted really good. 


Black Bean Chocolate Cupcakes
1 box Devil's Food Cake or Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (if you don't like using preboxed cakes, I am sure you could substitute the oil in a homemade chocolate cakerecipe with pureed beans)
1 can black beans
2/3 c. sour cream
3 eggs
1 small chocolate instant pudding mix

Drain the can of black beans and then refill to the top with water. Put beans and water in a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour the cake mix into a large bowl and add the pureed beans. Add the sour cream, eggs and dry pudding mix to the cake mix and stir until smooth. Grease 18 muffin tins (or use muffin wrappers) and fill with the cake batter. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes, or until cooked through (don't over cook or they will dry out--who likes dry cake? Ugh!). Remove from the oven and let cool until ready to frost.

“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter or margarine

2/3 c. Hershey’s Cocoa

3 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter.  Stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on med. speed to spreading consistency.  Add more milk, if needed.  Stir in vanilla.  About 2 c.  

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops

I got this recipe off of Picky Palate.  This is a very good way to make pork chops.  I know a lot of times pork chops are very dry.  That is not the case with this meal.  They turn out moist and have so much flavor.  Very easy too, just throw it in the crock pot and walk away!!  I love recipes like this.  Also what's better than a recipe that only has three ingredients. 

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1 Cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves roasted garlic (click for directions how to roast garlic)
1- 1 1/2 Cups warm skim milk (any milk will do, I just happened to use skim)
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

1. Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

2. Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consitency.

3. Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. Enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

I have to admit I used the fast and easy recipe on this one. I got this recipe off of Sisters Cafe. We really liked this soup and it turned out to be a quick and easy week night meal.

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 lb great northern beans ( i like to use Navy beans-they are smaller)

1-2 lbs cooked and shredded chicken

6 cups chicken broth

1 Tb olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2- 4oz cans diced green chilis

2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

*additional grated jack cheese and cilantro for garnish

1. Soak beans overnight. Drain, rinse and pick over to remove bad beans. Add broth to beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans until tender (usually all day in crockpot on low).

2 Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute onion and garlic until onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). Mix in green chilies an spices. Add to the beans. Stir in chicken and then cheese. Stir until thick.

Garnish with grated Monterey Jack cheese and fresh chopped cilantro.

Fast and Easy Method

**This makes a delicious soup in a matter of minutes**

For Step 1: Instead of cooking 1 lb beans in 6 cups of broth--just open 3 (14oz) cans of great Northern (or Navy) beans and 2 (14oz) cans Chicken broth and then proceed with recipe.

Tender Grilled Pork Chops

You will love this recipe. Pork chops can be really dry sometimes. That is not the case with this recipe. So tender and juicy. I got this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. Go visiter her blog, she has some very good recipes.

Tender Grilled Pork Chops

4 boneless pork loin chops
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon steak seasoning (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning or make your own*)

Mix olive oil, soy sauce and steak seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and pour into a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork chops and set the bag in a baking dish in a way that the pork chops get a healthy dose of the marinade (it may be advantageous to flip the bag over halfway through the marinating time). Marinate in the refrigerator for 3-8 hours (no more than 8). Heat the grill to medium and grill the chops 6-8 minutes per side (depending on how thick they are) until they are no longer pink in the center. Remove the chops from the grill and tent them with foil and allow them to rest for 5-7 minutes. Slice the chops in 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices across the grain and serve.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This was a nice change from the regular chicken enchiladas I make. It adds a little spice to the already fantastick taste of chicken enchiladas. I think the only change I would make is use a little less chili powder as it was really spicy for me. I know my husband really liked it and probably didn't mind it being that hot. If you are looking for a spicy change to chicken enchiladas this is it.


CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
www.RecipeGirl.com

One 10¾ oz. can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken soup
8 oz light sour cream
1 cup Pace picante sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Ten 6-inch flour tortillas
1 large tomato, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 avocado, mashed and mixed w/ a little sour cream and picante sauce (quick guacamole)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

2. Stir soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.

3. In a large bowl, stir 1 cup of the sauce mixture with the chicken & 1 cup of the cheese.

4. Spread about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side-down in prepared dish. Scoop remaining sauce over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray. Place sprayed-side-down on enchiladas and cover tightly.

5. Bake for 40 minutes or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top individual servings with tomato and onion. Add a dollop of guacamole, if desired.

Servings: 6

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.

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.

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

Garlic Rub

This was very simple and very good. The steaks were good even without steak sauce. Usually I have to have steak sauce but in this case (we had run out) and I was still able to eat it all! I marinated mine for about 4 hours. Stuck it in right before church. I also broiled the steaks because it is winter and didn't really want to go outside to grill them. However by the time I was done, the house was full of smoke, the smoke alarms were going off, and my kids were crying because it was so loud. But don't worry it wasn't the steaks that were burning. Only the juices from bottom of the broiler pan. After that, I was thinking maybe it wouldn't have been that bad to grill them outside in the cold. Very good flavor! I found this recipe on www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com

Garlic Rub

1-2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher or regular salt
1 tsp coarsely ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed with a press

Mix together and spoon over steaks, turn over and spoon over the other side. Let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour or more. Grill, Yum!

White Bean Chicken Chili

I made this last week and everyone in the family thought it was awesome.  There was not a drop left in the pot.  I got the recipe from myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com.  I made a few modifications from the original recipe.

1 lb. dried small white beans (soaked overnight)

10 C water

1 jar of salsa

1/4 C salsa verde or 1 can green chilis

2-4 chicken breasts

1/2 onion, diced or use dehydrated

1 C shredded cheese

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 Tbl cumin

1 Tbl dried cilantro

6-7 chicken bouillon cubes

some cayenne pepper (how spicy do you like it?)

-Throw all the ingredients into a pot and cook on low to medium until beans are tender.  Just put the chicken in whole and raw and take out when cooked and cut up.  It will take about 6 hours of simmer time for the beans to get tender.  Serve with tortilla chips, more cheese, sour cream, whatever.

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.