Another good one for the Crock pot

Bacon Swiss Chicken – Crock pot
6 slices bacon
6 chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
5 slices Swiss cheese
2 tsp chives
6-8 red or new potatoes
Wash and dice the potatoes and place in crock pot.
Cook bacon and set aside. Brown chicken in bacon grease and place on top of potatoes in crock pot. Drain grease and mix soup, 2 slices cheese, and 2 pieces bacon, crumbled. Heat until cheese is melted. Pour over chicken in crock pot. Cook on low 3-4 hours. Put remaining cheese on top of chicken and crumble the rest of the bacon. Cook until cheese is melted. Garnish with chives.

Uncle Greg's Carrots

I haven't made these in a while but made them for a dinner with Kevin's family and remembered how great they are. I call them Uncles Greg's carrots - its actually a recipe I got from my mom but my Uncle Greg requests that my mom make them at family gatherings.


Uncle Greg’s Carrots
Mom
5 Cups sliced carrots
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
10 oz tomato soup
½ cup vinegar
½ cup oil
1 cup sugar
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Cook carrots until still firm, drain and chill.
Mix all other ingredients to make sauce.
Add carrots, onions and green peppers to sauce.
Chill for full day or over night.

Don't Cook!

I haven't really felt like cooking lately so my post for now is go to Famous Dave's BBQ on Blue Diamond Road. It was AWESOME!!! I loved it. And for those of you who know me ( I'm not real big on meat, especially on the bone) I LOVED the ribs. Their Corn bread muffins are so yummy too.

The BEST Chicken Tortilla Soup -thanks Melinda

I have been craving this soup but it seems weird to make soup when its 90+ degrees outside.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Melinda Anderson
2-3 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp oil
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
4 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp sugar
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese
Fry chicken in pan with garlic, shred and set aside. Dice onions and saute in oil. Add everything together in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer on low 1 hour.
Crumble chips in bowl add soup and then put cheese on top.

Good for Sunday dinner

I love using my crock pot on Sundays so I can come home from church and have good food to eat right away. I think I will have to use my crock pot a lot more during the week. Looks like we will be having Soccer on Monday and Wednesday, Dance on Tuesday and scouts on Thursday. Another reason why Friday is my favorite day!


Country Style Spare Ribs – Crock Pot
Halene Cypers – Mom
1 cup ketchup
½ cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ Tbsp mustard
Brown ribs in skillet (boneless country style spare ribs)
Place in crock pot with onions.
Pour sauce over meat.
Cook on high 3-4 hours, low 6-8.

I usually make mashed potatoes with this. The sauce makes a yummy gravy.

Frog Eye Salad

Frog Eye Salad
Jennifer/Mom

½ box Acini Pepe Pasta
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
13/4 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
1 small vanilla instant pudding
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
2 cans mandarine oranges
2 cups cool whip
3 cups mini marshmallows
½ cup coconut
Cook pasta and rinse in cold water.
Mix ½ reserved pineapple juice, milk, sugar and pudding and beat 2 minutes add pasta and let chill over night. Add fruit and marshmallows and cool whip, mix and serve

GOOD Baked French Toast

I think my friend, Erin Fonnesbeck, gave me this recipe. I usually find that when I make baked french toast recipes they turn out a little soggy so I usually don't like them. This one I thought was really good. I changed it a little.

Armstrong Mansion Baked French Toast
½ loaf French bread (I used the whole loaf)
8 oz cream cheese
10 eggs ( I used only 8 eggs)
1 ½ cups half and half
¼ cup maple syrup
8 tsp butter

I also added 2 tsp vanilla and sprinkled in some cinnamon too.

Cube bread and layer half in a 9x13 pan. Cut cream cheese in slices and layer on top of bread. Cover with remaining bread.
In a bowl mix eggs, half and half, syrup and melted butter. Pour over bread press down so bread absorbs egg mixture. Refrigerate over night. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

Chocolate Candy Bar Cake

I love this cake. i've only eaten one cake that I like better - my moms 4 layer chocolate cake that she makes every year for my birthday and I can't bring myself to give out that recipe! This cake is so moist and the frosting is the best.



Chocolate Candy Bar Cake
Jacki Chantrill

1 pkg Devils food cake mix
1½ cups milk
3 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 pkg (3.4oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
12 oz cool whip
1 cup chopped pecans
4 Hershey’s candy bars, chopped

Preheat oven 325. Grease and flour 3 8 inch cake pans.

In bowl combine cake mix, milk, eggs, oil and pudding. Beat on low until blended. Scrape bowl and beat another 4 minutes on medium. Pour batter into pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Fold in cool whip, pecans and chopped chocolate. Spread between layers, on top and sides. Garnish with chocolate.

Apple Pancakes

When Riley was little he would wake me up by coming in my room, putting his face inches in front of mine and saying, "Mom, the suns up! I got a good idea. How 'bout we make apple pancakes." This is how he woke me up a lot when he was about 3. He use to get up really early (before the sun) so I started telling him to stay in bed until the sun came up. The good little kid that he is, he would stay in his room until the sun was up and then come let me know. He loved these pancakes. I made them for him this morning for breakfast but told him he had to say the line first. He did.

1 apple peeled and diced
1/2 cube butter

2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 flour

1/3 cup sugar
cinnamon

Heat oven to 350.

In an oven safe large skillet melt butter on stove top and cook the apple pieces until they start to brown. Mix eggs, milk and flour together and then pour over the apples.

Remove from heat and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on top.

Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

If you're not sure if your skillet is oven safe you can use a 9x13 pan after cooking the apples.

Gulliver's Corn (creamed corn)

My family makes this for Thanksgiving and get-togethers and my kids love it. Kevin made it when he cooked Mother's Day dinner and Macy ate it everyday with her lunch until it was gone.


2- 20 oz pkgs frozen corn
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tbs sugar
salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs butter, melted
2 tbs flour

Add corn, milk, cream, sugar and salt and pepper in a large pot. Cook on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat.

Melt butter in microwave and mix in flour until smooth. Add to corn to thicken.

My salsa

1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro
2 jalapenos, diced
4 green onions diced
2 tbs diced garlic ( I just use the stuff in a jar)
garlic salt to taste

I don't like my salsa hot so I just dice the green of the jalapenos and throw away the inside and the seeds. But if you like it hot use the whole thing. I also just dice everything I don't use a blender.

Chicken Enchilladas

Chicken Enchiladas

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 oz sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
½ cube butter
1 sm can diced green chilies
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1pkg flour tortillas
Melt butter in sauce pan. Mix in every thing but cheese and chicken. Cook. Add ¾ cup of each cheese into sauce. Cook just until cheese melts. Reserve 1 cup of sauce. Add chicken to the sauce in pan. Spoon chicken mixture into shells, roll up and place in 9x13 pan. Spoon reserved sauce over shells and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Skinny pancakes

This recipe would be the first choice of all living in my house for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are kind of plain but Kevin and the kids love them. Really they are crepes but my kids call them skinny pancakes.

2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp melted butter

Mix wet ingredients first.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt

Add in dry ingredients and whisk until smooth

Heat a 8-10 inch skillet (with slanted sides if you have it) on medium low heat.

When heated spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 - 1/3 cup batter into pan while rotating pan in circles to spread batter over the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip for 2 more minutes. You don't want it to turn brown or it will be too stiff to roll.

After cooking you can add anything you want but the favorite at our house is just butter and powdered sugar.

I like raspberry yogurt and fresh raspberries or bananas with some chocolate syrup.

I got this recipe from my SIL( sis in law) Sherri King

WHO NEEDS BAJIO?

I made this recipe up the other night and my kids loved it!

2-3 chicken breasts -fresh, boneless, skinless never frozen :)
1 12 oz jar Pace picante salsa ( I used the mild)

2 cups minutes rice.
1 14 oz can black beans
burrito size flour tortillas
shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese

Place the chicken and salsa in a crock pot and cook 3-4 hours on low (or you can boil the chicken with some celery salt or bake in oven) shred the chicken when cooked and add salsa if you didn't add it in crock pot.

Cook rice then add to the chicken and salsa.
Rinse and warm the black beans.
Warm a tortilla on a griddle.

Place some cheese in a line across the tortilla add black beans and then the rice and chicken mixture. Roll it up like a burrito and put some sour cream on the side.

It was so easy but so good! When we had them Carson told me I was the best cook ever and Riley told me we didn't need Bajio anymore!

Me, a food snob?

I have wanted to start a blog that really is just my cookbook. I like to cook. My friends call me a food snob because I won't eat chicken on a bone and I don't ever buy chicken that has been frozen. I only buy fresh boneless, skinless chicken breast and then before I cook it I trim the heck out of it. Does that make me a food snob?

I don't think I'm the best cook but I think I'm an ok cook and I know what I like so I figure why mess with anything else. Not that I won't try new things, I do all the time. I have even found a new liking to halibut. Me, who hates all seafood. I ate Parmesan crusted halibut at Joe's Stone Crab in Caesar's Forum Shops. It was amazing, so I've tried halibut a few other places. Maybe someday I'll try cooking it myself.

So I'm going to do this blog and share with you my recipes from my cookbook. I will use recipes that I have collected form others and I will tell you who they are from. I won't take credit for someone else's recipes. I hope you will like the things that I cook in my kitchen and use them in yours!