Maple Salmon

Ingredients:

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 pound salmon

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish and marinate the salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes; turning once.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes or until easily flaked with a fork.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 baking potatoes

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks; place in a shallow 2-qt baking pan. Pour butter over and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

I use olive oil instead of butter.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken

Originally from Ina Garten of the Food Network. I didn't grill mine, I just cooked it on the stovetop, and I used thin cut chicken breasts and didn't flatten it.

Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, flattened
Kosher salt
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved

Directions:
1. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side.
2. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup.
3. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Or, alternately, put it in a Ziplock bag like I did.
4. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish.
5. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.
6. When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on 1 side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread most of the coals across half of the grill.
7. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the opposite side of the grill and place the dish you used for marinating on top of the chicken to weight it.
8. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown.
9. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
10. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
11. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
12. Cut in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbs. rapid rise yeast

2 Tbs. sugar

3-4 cups flour (I use 3 1/2)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cube butter(I only use 1/2 cube)

Toppings: Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salad or vegetable supreme

Directions:

Mix water, yeast and sugar. Dissolve.

Add in flour and salt and mix with hook or hand. Knead and let rise 10 min. Melt butter on large cookie sheet. Roll or press dough out to almost size of cookie sheet. Cut into 14-16 strips and then cut lengthwise. Lay strips in butter on cookie sheet to coat and then turn over and place on sheet so butter side is up. Do for all strips. Top with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and salad supreme. Let rise in cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, until almost fills cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 15-25 min.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger

1 chopped onion

1 15 oz. can pinto beans

1 15 oz. can black beans

1 15 oz. can kidney beans

3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies

2 Tbls. Taco seasoning

1 15 oz. can corn

1 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Put hamburger and onion in soup pot and brown meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then add rest of ingredients and let simmer until flavors blend, about 1/2 hour. Top with grated cheese, corn chips, and sour cream. Can be frozen.

Sweet Pork Salad (Cafe Rio)

Sweet Pork

4 lb pork roast
2 18 oz. classic coca cola (not diet or generic)

Put pork roast in crock pot and cover with coca cola. Cook on high for 7 or more hours.
Pour roast and liquid in strainer. Discard liquid. Remove fat from roast. Return to
crockpot and shred with forks. Add sauce to pork - just enough to coat it lightly.

Sauce:
1 c sugar
1 c ketchup

Mix and add to pork. Repeat as needed to evenly and lightly coat all shredded pork.

Serve with chips, black beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, olives,...
Top with the salad dressing:

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

2 tomatillos, quarter
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
1 cup milk
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 tsp garlic minced
pinch cayenne pepper
1 large jalapeno
1 TBL lime juice
1 cup mayo

Blend tomatillos then add all the ingredients except mayo and blend together. Wisk in
mayo, chill and serve.

Sour Cream and Onion Pork

Add pork chops (1lb) and 1 envelope onion soup mix to crock pot.  Cook for 6-8 hrs.  Add 1/3 c sour cream (approx I will measure when I make it).   Break up pork chops and mix in sour cream.  Serve over rice.

homemade chile

1 lb ground beef

1/2 diced onion

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 TBL Chile powder 

Brown beef and drain fat.  Add onions.  Cook until tender.  Add other ingredients.  

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Make homemade pie crust (single for a pot pie roll up double for potpie)
Roll out crust and fill with the following:
2 shredded or diced cooked chicken breast
3 diced and cooked potatoes (can used frozen hash browns)
2 cups frozen pees or frozen corn (or other veggie)
1 can cream of chicken soup (have used cream of mushroom too)
Baked 350 for 1 hr.

Sweet Corn Bread

Sweet Corn Bread

1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. corn meal
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 c. milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 T. butter or margarine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine milk eggs, vegetable oil and butter in a small bowl. mix well.  Ad to flour mixture, stir just until blended. Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 12 servings.

For Muffins: Spoon batter into 18 to 20 greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup
by: Rachel LeavittBrown; Stir In: 
1 lb. ground Italian sausage 
2 cups onion, chopped 
1 cup carrots diced or shredded
2 cups mushrooms 
2 T. garlic, minced 
Add; Stir In: 
4 cups chicken broth 
1 can chopped Italian-style stewed tomatoes (14 1/2 oz.) 
1 cup Bowtie Pasta 
2 cups of fresh spinach 
4 t thinly sliced fresh basil 
Serve Soup Over; Garnish With: 
1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, diced 

Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and carrot; saute 3 minutes or until veggies are semi soft. Stir in mushrooms and garlic, and saute another 3 minutes. 
Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes (or according to package directions.) Add the spinach and cook about 1 minute until wilted. 
To serve place cubes of cheese in each serving bowl, then ladle over to melt. Garnish with parmesan and basil. 
Makes about 8 cups 

30 Minute Rolls

1 cup, plus 2 tbsp, warm water
1/3 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
2 tbsp yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 cups flour

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In your mixer bowl combine the water, oil, yeast and sugar and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Using your dough hook, mix in the salt, egg and flour. Knead with hook until well incorporated and dough is soft and smooth (just a few minutes).

Form dough into 12 balls and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

*These are technically 35-40 minute rolls, but they are still fast.

**Angela, these are the ones that you said your boys loved.

Black Bean & Rice Enchiladas

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can sweet whole kernel corn, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cooked brown rice (or white)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups Mexican cheese blend
1 cup pepper jack cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion salt
1 bottle (or big can) of your favorite enchilada sauce - I use Trader Joe's
16-20 Flour Tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small frying pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add diced bell peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes. Combine sauteed bell peppers, black beans, corn, rice, sour cream, 1 cup Mexican cheese blend, pepper jack cheese, garlic powder, and onion salt. Spray a 2 9x9 casserole dishes with cooking spray. Coat both sides of a flour tortilla in enchilada sauce, fill with a heaping spoonful of filling, roll up tight, and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas, filling each dish with 7-8 tightly packed enchiladas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the tops of the enchilada dishes and top with remaining 1 cup of Mexican cheese blend. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. If you don't like it when your tortillas get a little crispy on the edges then cover with tinfoil for the first 20 minutes of baking and then uncover the last 5 minutes.

*If you don't have pepper jack cheese on hand then just use whatever you have. It is good no matter what cheese combinations you throw in it!

**Also, this actually makes roughly 7 enchiladas per 9X9 dish, plus a tiny casserole dish with 4 enchiladas for my little family. So technically it is enough to feed 3 small families. If you want to make a big casserole for a larger group then this will fill a 9x13 dish, plus a 9x9 dish to freeze for a small family another time.

Creamy Chicken Italiano

8 boneless skinless chicken-breasts (cut in half)

1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
¼ cup water
8-oz pkg. cream cheese (softened)
10 ¾ -oz can cream of chicken soup
4-oz can of mushrooms stems & pieces, drained (optional)

1. Place chicken in crockpot.
2. Combine salad dressing mix & water. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 3 hours.
4. Take out chicken. Put cream cheese & soup into crockpot and stir with wire whisk until well blended with no chunks. Stir in mushrooms. Put chicken back in and pour sauce over chicken to coat.
5. Cover. Cook on Low 1 hour.
6. Serve over noodles or rice.

Classic Baked Ziti

3 cups uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
1-3/4 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
1 cup (8 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, parsley, oregano, garlic powder and pepper. Drain pasta; stir into cheese mixture.

In a greased 8-in. square baking dish, spread 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce. Top with pasta mixture, remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer.