Broccoli, Cheese, and Rice Casserole

Broccoli, Cheese, and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup (or you use 1 can each cream of chicken and cream of mushroom)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• butter

Directions

1. Cook onion in butter in large skillet until done.

2. Add remaining ingredients and cook just until cheese is melted.

3. Put in 2 quart casserole dish.

4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

5. To make ahead and freeze: Mix all ingredients together (start with your rice cooked, not raw) and spoon into two or even three smaller casserole dishes, cover, label and freeze. If you thaw overnight, just cook the one hour. If cooking from frozen state, add ten minutes or so, check for doneness. Many thanks to Tornado Ali, for her wonderful tips for freezing this.

TIP - I didn't heat this up prior to cooking. I mixed all ingredients in a bowl and the hot rice warmed everything up enough to mix. Made 3 small casseroles. Used 1 can of cream of mushroom and 1 can of cream of chicken. I added 2 minced cloves of garlic instead of onions.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

Sauce:

1/3 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

1 Tb chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed together of:

mozzarella cheese, shredded

cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9x13 and one 9x9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy! (I sometimes use more like 1 1/2 cans- you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy. It is now time to WOW your family!!

Creamy Chicken Soup

Creamy Chicken Soup

1 lb chicken (breasts or combination)

1 onion, diced

1-2 Tb butter

2 handfuls baby carrots (about 2 cups sliced small)

4-5 potatoes, diced small

1 c milk

1/4 c flour

8 oz package cream cheese

1. Put chicken in pot and cover with water; boil until cooked. Take chicken out of water but keep the broth. When chicken is cool, shred.

2. Saute onion in butter. Put onion in pot and add carrots and potatoes. Add 3-4 cups of broth or enough to cover vegetables. Add bouillon cubes or soup base for flavor (I add 4 bouillon cubes). Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are tender.

3. Mix flour with milk and add to soup. Soften cream cheese in microwave then add to soup in little pieces and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip - I used 4 oz of cream cheese and thought it was amazing. I added 2 bouillon cubes and a little chicken stock and I cooked this in the crockpot. I added flour/milk and cream cheese mixture 30 mins before serving and I suggest more carrots and celery but this soup is great.

Ranch Pretzels

Ranch Pretzels

3 oz. Orville Redenbacker Oil
1 dry pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
24 oz. small round pretzels

Pour over pretzels. Stir well to coat.

Layered Berry Trifle

Layered Berry Trifle


SYRUP:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup water

LAYERS:
12 oz. pound cake or butter loaf (store bought ok)
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups fresh blueberries
3 cups fresh strawberries


1. Slice cake into ¾” slices.

2. Prepare lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, bring sugar, lemon juice
and water to a boil over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar
completely. Let cool, then brush over both sides of each cake slice.
Quarter each slice.

3. Beat cream cheese with sugar on high speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to medium and slowly add cream. Continue beating until
mixture resembles soft whipped cream.

4. Arrange half of the cake pieces in the bottom of a glass serving
bowl or dish (2 qt. size is sufficient). Spoon half the cream-cheese
mixture over the cake in dollops; spread to the sides of the dish.
Scatter half of the blueberries and strawberries on top. Repeat
layering with cake, cream cheese and berries. Pile additional
strawberries on top.

5. Cover and refrigerate until chilled (about an hour). You may also
refrigerate overnight.

Servings: 6-8


Tip: Try doing 1 and 1/2 cream recipe.

Banana Cream

Banana Cream
yield: 2 cups
2 large bananas
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

Mash the bananas in a small bowl and sprinkle them with the sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Whip cream in a separate bowl until it is stiff. Fold the banana mixture into the whipped cream and serve immediately.

Yeasted Waffles

Yeasted Waffles:

1 3/4 Milk

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 Tbl sugar*

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp yeast

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Heat the milk up until hot, but not boiling. Add the butter to the milk and melt. Cool slightly. Beat the eggs lightly and then add to the milk mixture, along with the vanilla. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients and stir until combined, a few lumps are OK. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

Heat your waffle iron a good 10-15 minutes before you use it. Whisk your batter and ladle it into the iron. Cook until golden. Serve immediately.

Chicken Posole

I have made this recipe from about 15 other recipes I read online. I just geared it to ease and my family’s taste. I am not claiming this is an authentic posole. As for hominy you should be able to find it canned at any local grocery store in the canned veggie aisle. If you prefer to use dried then follow the bag’s soaking and cooking directions and then add to soup as directed in instructions. If you don’t like hominy just use a can of white corn. It will change the flavor but to me it’s all about the red sauce. As for the chiles, I get my dried guajillo chiles from Aldi. This soup can be as spicy or mild as you want depending on what type of chile you use. It would be worth it to go to a Hispanic grocery store and get the chiles and hominy if you can’t find them at your local grocery store. This is so good and very worth the effort. It actually doesn’t take much time or prep to make this really delicious soup. My super picky toddler LOVES this soup (minus the hominy and chicken). This recipe feeds 2 to 3 people.

Ingredients
2 cooked chicken breasts (cubed or shredded)
32 oz chicken broth
1 15.5 oz cans of hominy, rinsed (or 16 oz bag of dried hominy soaked and cooked)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 teaspoon cumin

Red Sauce Ingredients:
1/4 large onion, chopped in large pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 dried chiles (either New Mexico red chiles or ancho chiles, which are mild. For more heat use 2 guajillo chiles, which is what I use. Supposedly they are spicier but I didn’t find them spicy at all.)


Red sauce:
Wearing protective gloves (I don’t do this I just wash really well after I touch them and I don’t touch them once they’ve been soaked), discard stems from chiles. In a dish that the chiles can lay flat in, combine chiles with boiling-hot water. Soak chiles in 1 1/2 cups boiling water for 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes. Puree onion, chiles and soaking liquid, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 teaspoons salt in a blender until smooth. (Don’t take a big whiff of it at this point because it’s potent!)


In a large soup pot add the chicken stock, canned or cooked dried hominy, cooked chicken, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 15 minutes. Then add red sauce to mixture 1/2 cup at a time until taste is to liking (I use all the red sauce). Simmer for 15 more minutes stirring occasionally.
 Garnish individual bowls.

Garnishes are where the soup really gets GREAT! Pick and choose from cabbage, radish slices, chopped cilantro, lemon or lime wedges, and fried corn tortilla strips (or you can use tortilla chips). I always use cilantro, lots of fresh lime juice (the more lime the better) and fried corn tortilla strips.

Fried corn tortilla strips - Stack about 4 or 5 tortillas and cut in half then half the other direction so you have triangles. Then cut strips from the triangles and fry in a pan with hot oil.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a whole grain that looks really funny once it's cooked but is super good for you. This is a great salad to bring to a BBQ as a side. It’s really refreshing and did I mention really good for you? Lot’s of fiber, protein, and iron. It tastes great too! I buy mine at Trader Joe's but I've seen it at Costco and some local grocery stores near the dried rice.

Ingredients:
1C quinoa
2 C water
1 med tomato cut into 1/2 in. cubes
4 to 6 green onions, finely chopped
1 med cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1 small red pepper seeded and cut into 1/2 in pieces
1/4 to 1/2 C finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 teas. salt

Rinse quinoa thoroughly. I just put the 1 cup of quinoa in the pot I’m going to use to cook it and add enough water to cover and swish it around with my fingers. Slowly drain the water out trying not lose too much quinoa. Repeat this at least one more time. Cook quinoa per directions on package (should be 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water). Remove from heat, fluff, and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Add the chopped ingredients. Mix lemon and EVOO together and pour over quinoa and veggies. Salt to taste. This is best when it’s been chilled in the fridge for at least 2 to 4 hours. The longer the flavors mingle the better.

Easy Pretzel Turtles

These are EASY and yummy. I promise you won't be disappointed. This came from Our Best Bites. Here's the link. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/12/tis-season-for-goodies-and-it-seems.html#

Pretzel Turtles
adapted from Our Best Bites

small pretzels
Rolo candies - one bag has about 55 candies
Pecan halves - or optionally peanuts, cashews, and m&m's
Optional: almond bark or white chocolate for drizzling.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper for easy handling, but you can also put them on foil, a silpat, or directly onto the cookie sheet.

Unwrap your Rolo candies and place one on top of each pretzel.Place pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Any longer is probably too long. You just want the chocolate on the outside to look glossy and melty, but they should still hold their shape.

Remove pan from oven and take a pecan and gently press it right into the center of the chocolate candy. You can also use cashews, peanuts (honey roasted too), M&M's, mini Hershey Kissables, or almonds. You can drizzle melted almond bark or white chocolate on top.

TIPS
I found that in my oven 3 -4 minutes was too long. It was closer to 2-3 minutes. They'll get runny if you leave them in the oven too long. I like to use the waffle type pretzels.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Adapted from Orangette

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted but not hot
Vegetable oil or spray, for greasing the pan
Maple syrup, for serving

The night before:
Combine the oats and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The morning of:
Take the bowl of buttermilk and oats out of the fridge. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs and melted butter to the oat mixture, and stir well. Add the flour mixture, and stir to blend. The batter will be very thick.

Warm a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, and brush (or spray) with vegetable oil. To make sure it’s hot enough, wet your fingers under the tap and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it’s ready. Scoop the batter, about a scant ¼ cup at a time, onto the pan, taking care not to crowd them. When the underside is nicely browned and the top looks set around the edges, flip the pancakes. Cook until the second side has browned.

Re-grease the skillet, and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve hot, with maple syrup.