White Chili

2 chicken breasts ( boiled and chopped )
2 cans corn
2 cands white northern beans
2 cans chicken broth
2 4 0z. cans diced chilies
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 clove garlic
1 tsp cumin
6 tbls. lime juice
bring to boil then let simmer on low for 20 mins
serve with chips and cheese and sour cream!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Boil & chop 1 lb. chicken breats
12 cups chicken broth

pre-cook noodles - I use one bag of Amish wide egg noodles

in separate pot:
12 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. season all
1 tbls. salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup water
can add choppeed onions

to make creamy:
and 1/3 cup cornstarch to 1 cup cold water, then add to soup

Taco Soup

1 lb. Hamburger
1 Med. Onion - diced
2 big cans diced tomatoes
1 can beef broth
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
1 pkg. taco seasoning

bring to boil the simmer on low for 20 mins
serve with cheese, sour cream, taco chips or tortillas

Our Best Bites.Com

This is my new favorite Website! OUR BEST BITES! There are wonderful recipes! Check out the spa & body section!

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbls milk

Salmon Fishcakes

1 can pink salmon
2 medium scallions
2 tsp leemon juice
1/2 tbls mayo
1/2 tbls ketchup
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbls flour
1 egg
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 tbls vegetable oil

mix top 6 ingredients together
and mash lightly
then gently flatten in round patties.
put flour on a plate
beat egg in shallow dish
dried breadcrumbs on another plate
take each fish cake, dust with flour, then dip in egg and coat with breadcrumbs.
heat the oil in an nonstick frying pan and fry fish cakes over medium - high heat for 1 1/2 mins on each side until the turn golden brown.
blot on paper towls and cool slightly!
very good dipped in ketchup!

Chicken Dippers

2 Chicken breast halves

Marinade:

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp caeser salad dressing

1 tsp soy sauce

1 smal clove garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp. dried Oregano

Breading:

5 oz bag cheese flavored potato chips

5 tbls grated Parmesan cheese

6 tbls all purpose flour

1 egg

makes enough for 4 people

bake @ 400

put Marinade ingredients in large bowl or bag and mix together very well!

cut chicken breasts into strips and place in marinade. cover and refridgerate for an hour

put chips in a large bag and crunch with hands until the become small crumbs. pour crumbs onto a large plate and mix in parmesan cheese

put flour on a plate and miz in a little pepper

beat the egg in a bowl with a tbls of cold water.

Dip the chicken in flour, egg them crumbs

Put onto a cookie sheet and repeat until all chicken strips are coated in crumbs

bake in the oven for 15 mins!

They take great with caesar salad and dipped in the caesar salad dressing or ketchup!

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble

1 1/2 lbs chicken boiled in 3 cups chicken broth and cut into bite size peices

1 medium onion diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

3/4 cup frozen peas

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans cream of chicken soup

after can of cream of chicken empty, use that can for one can milk

1/2 cup flour

Crumble Topping:

2 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

6 Tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

3/4 c. Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup milk

Blueberry Pancakes

Emma loves pancakes! Every time I ask her what she wants for any meal, her 1st answer is always Pancakes! So two nights ago, when I asked her what she wanted for dinner, Pancakes was # 1. Since I had just bought some fresh Blueberries...I said sure! We made these wonderful blueberry pancakes together! She just loved them! We all did!

1 1/4 cups Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 Tbls. Baking Powder

1 1/4 tsp. White Sugar

1 Egg

1 cup Milk

1/2 Tbls. melted butter - I love butter, So I added another 1/2 Tbls.

1/2 cup Fresh Blueberries

yeilds about 12 normal pancakes

Cheese Filled Breaded Chicken

4 chicken breasts
one 4 oz peice of swiss cheese, such as emmantaler cut into four 3 inch sticks
salt and pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 lrg eggs
3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
5 tbls olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets

Preheat oven to 350

place raw chicken breasts on a work surface, gently cut thep top of the chicken breast back, and cut out a small pocket of chicken out of the breast.
insert the cheese into the pockets. put the top back over the top of the cheese.
sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
Place the flour in a bowl
whisk the eggs to blend in another bowl
place the breadcrubs in a third shallow bowl.
working with one breast at a time, lightly dust with flour
then dip in egg to coat
finally coat chicken breasts with breadcrumbs

place a very large oven proof constick saute pan over medium heat. Drizzle 3 tbls of olive oil into hot pan. Place the chicken breasts, tenderloin side up, in hot pan and fry for 5 mins then turn over and drizzle 2 tbls olive oil around chicken and gently shake the pan to ensure that the oil coats the bottom of the pan.

transfer pan to oven and bake chicken breasts for about 10 mins., or until the are cooke through and the cheese is melted. take out of oven and let sit for about 5 mins. While sitting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add broccoli florets and cook for 4 mins. until broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain the broccoli and season it with salt and pepper. serve with chicken and Enjoy!!

Star shaped rice!

This is no recipe, just a fun way for kids to enjoy eating rice! when you cook the rice, just cook it a little longer to make it a little sticky. Take a cookie cutter, spray with pam, put on plate and fill with rice! pack it in there. then slowly pull of the cookie cutter! put other food around it on the plate! Emma just loved this!

Argentina Empanadas

Empanada Dough:
4 cups flour
1-2 tsp salt
2-3 tbls sugar
2 tbls butter
12 tbls veg. shortening
3/4-1 cup water
2 egg yolks

Sift flour in bowl, stir in salt and sugar
blend butter and shorening into flour mixture
whisk the egg yololks and water,
stir in with flour mixture
may need to add a few tbls water until dough is smooth
cover dough with saran wrap and fridge for 1 hr.
put dough on floured surface - roll to desired thickness
makes 10-12 large empanadas
Filling:
3 cups cooked and chopped chicken
shredded colby-mont.jack cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbls ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
bunch cilantro, chopped

Lightly grease baking sheet
in large bowl, combine cream cheese, peppers, cumin, salt, pepper, cilantro
roll out dough to circles
spread cream cheese mixture on dough
add chicken, shredded cheese and black beans if wanted
fold over circle dough, and smash edges with fork
place on baking sheet and bake @ 400 for 15 mins, until edges are golden brown

Serve with lettuce and fresh salsa, or pico de gallo

Curtis Stone - Spinach/Chicken and Ricotta Cannelloni

I found this wonderful book at the library and so the next couple of yummy dinners will be coming from this man, Curtis Stone!

I made my own tomto sauce, but you can just use a bottle of spaghetti sauce too! It is just to give it a yummy taste at the bottom, it is not a huge part of the meal!

Ingredients:

Béchamel Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
1½ cups whole milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg, to taste

some salt and pepper to taste

Spinach And Ricotta Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil,

1 bunch fresh spinach - for meat use 1-2 chicken breast, boiled in chicken broth and shredded
1 lb ricotta cheese fresh or container by grated cheese

⅓ bunch fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, (from pantry)

One bottle of prego spaghetti sause

cannelloni noodles

fresh grated parmesan cheese

Method:
To make the béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir for 3 minutes, or until thick. Slowly add the milk and stir constantly until the sauce is smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and thick. Season to taste with a little nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
To make the spinach and ricotta filling: Heat the oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and sauté for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer the wilted spinach to a colander to drain off the excess liquid. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze the spinach to remove any excess moisture. Coarsely chop the spinach and mix it in a bowl with the ricotta and basil leaves. Season the spinach mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble the cannelloni: Preheat the oven to 425. Spoon the pasta sauce over a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Spoon about ¼ cup of the spinach filling into one end of all the 8 cannelloni shells. Place the cannelloni over the pasta sauce. Top with a thick layer of the béchamel sauce to coat the cannelloni completely. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, save a small amount to add on top of cannelloni prior to serving.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles and the cannelloni are heated through.

Let stand for 10 mins before serving!

Strawberry Layers :)

Emma and I found this fun cookbook at the library the other day and Emma and I decided to try it out! Our First dessert was a huge hit! Look below!
Strawberry layers: This is super amazing! Recipe below...

2 1/3 cups whole strawberries

4 tbls strawberry jam

7/8 cup heavy whipping cream

6 tbls Greek yogurt

mint leaves - decor

I added 2 tsp vanilla and 2/3 cups powdered sugar to sweeten the yogurt part.

1 - destem strawberries. put a few aside for decor and slice the rest into a bowl with the jam

2- use a potato masher to mash up strawberries and jam - Emma did this for me and she did a great job!

3 - in a separated bowl, or in mixer, whisk the cream to stiff peaks, the fold in yogurt. ( add powdered sugar and vanilla if you want to sweeten it! taste to make your decision!)

4 - Layer the strawberry and cream mixutres as shown in pics, in little serving dishes.

5 - decorate the top with sliced strawberries and mint leaves!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

2 lbs pork
3 cans cherry coke - maybe a bit more!
1/4 cup brown sugar
garlic salt
1/4 cup water
1 can sliced green chilies
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar

-put pork in ziploc bag. add about a can and a half of coke & 1/4 cup brown sugar - marinade overnight
- drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can coke, water, & garlic in crock pot on high for 3-4 hrs. - shred pork- remove pork and drain liquid.
-in food processor or plender, blend 1/2 can coke, chilies, enchilada sauce, and remaing brown sugar. if too thick - add coke little by little
-put pork and sauce in crock pot for 2hrs!

I marinaded it overnight, then put it in at 12:00pm before church - came home at 4:oo pm, drained and put it back in for the last two hrs. We ate dinner at 6:00pm! it was perfect and wonderful!

Homemade Tortillas

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup very hot water

in large bowl mix flour, salt, & baking powder.

cut in shortening

add water & mix until dough comes together

knead for a few mins

place in bowl, cover & let sit for 1 hr.

divide into 6 pieces

preheat large skillet - medium high heat

roll out doug into thin round tortillas!

do not over cook!

Feta Brushetta

I found this on that back of Ritz cracker box and we loved it!

1 lrg tomatoe - chopped
1/2 cup Athenos crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup italian vinagrette with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1tbls chopped fresh basil
-ritz crackers

combine all but crackers
refriderate 1 hr - but it tastes great not refriderated
spoon onto crackers and Enjoy!

Royal Icing

6 egg whites - room temp.

1 pkg - 8 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. cream of tartar

food coloring

don't let sit out! it will dry quickly

This makes a lot of frosting!!! like way too much for two gingerbread houses! I would half or quarter this is you are doing a small job! I used a quarter recipe on the back parts of this birthday cake and it was way too much!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I did mini cupcakes for fun for kids, but obviouse you can do big ones too!

1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. butter flavor extract
(if no butter flavor extract - you can cancel the shortening and extract, just add 1 cup butter)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
4 tbls red food coloring
2 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk - (I used 2% milk and it worked just fine)
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbls distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda

preheat oven to 350
-cream shortening , buter extract, sugar and eggs with mixer - until fluffy.
-in separate bowl, make paste with food coloring & cocoa powder.
-add to other mixture
-in separate bowl combine; buttermilk, salt, baking soda and vinegar - add to other mixture
-slowly add flour to mixture in batches
bake @ 350 for 20-22 mins ( If you do mini cupcakes, just bake for less time)
let cool and frost
buttercream frosting is best, but cream cheese is really good too!

Orange Julius

1 cup water ( I use 1/2 cup and add more ice)
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup milk
1 6 oz can frozen orange juice

put in blender; as blending...add 6-8 ice cubes (or more if used less water)

Homemade Mac & Cheese

1 pkg elbow macaroni noodles
1/2 cup butter - cut into chunks
1/3 big block Velveeta - cut into chunks
1 1/2 -2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cups milk
salt & pepper to taste
Paprik ( optional )

Cook noodles according to pkg in salted water
when noodles are cooked, drain and put back into pot and put on low hear
immediatley add butter
when butter is melted add cheese and milk
keep stirring until cheese is all melted
if too think, add milk
if to thin add more cheese!

add seasoning!
Enjoy!