White Bean & Chicken Chili (soup)

White Bean & Chicken Chili
This was called a "chili" in the recipe that I found, but it was really more of a soup. It sounded really plain, (and therefore boring) but I tried it anyway. It got great reviews form Garry and Parker, the girls wouldn't try it. All in all, it was much better than I thought it would be, I will make it again and again. I altered the recipe a bit, and will post it as such.

1 lb chicken, cut into small cubes
1 can diced Green chilies
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 cans white kidney or navy beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups chicken broth

Toppings: Shredded cheese, sour cream and minced fresh cilantro

Saute chicken and green chillies over medium heat, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, (I actually used "Weber's Kick'n Chicken" seasoning). Pour the chicken and chillies into a 3 quart slow cooker. In the same pan used to cook the chicken, saute the onions, garlic and Jalapeno. Sprinkle in the oregano and cumin. Cook for 1 or 2 min, until the onions are tender. place into the slow cooker. In a small bowl, mash 1 cup of the beans, then stir in 1/2 cup broth, stir until blended. Add to the slow cooker with the remaining beans and broth.
Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours. Stir before serving. (I'm sure that this could also be done in a pot on the stove, everything is already cooked when it goes in.)
Sprinkle on your choice of toppings, enjoy.

Oreo Cookies

These are a new favorite!!!!!

Oreo Cookies:
2 pkg's cake mix (any chocolate, I liked using Devils Food Cake)
1 cup oil
4 eggs
Mix and roll into balls, place on baking sheet. Bake at 375 * for 10 minutes.

Filling:
1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese
4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
(to add some color try dying the filling!) Here I have it dyed light green for Easter.

Once cookies have cooled, add filling! This simple recipe is delicious!!!

Loaded Pasta al Forno

Okay, today I tried something new and it turned out absolutely delightful! My family LOVED it! I'm not sure what to call it, though, besides "Pasta al Forno", which just means "baked pasta". So here's how you make it:

Ingredients:

6TBS butter

3TBS flour

1 cup cream

1 1/2 cups milk

2 lightly beaten egg yolks

1 1/2 cups shredded Asiago cheese

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

13 oz frozen broccoli florets

2 chopped green onions (about 1/4 cup)

2 chopped fresh tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped onion

1-2 TBS chopped garlic

1 1/2 cups cubed ham

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 lb rigatoni pasta

In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta "al dente", about 9 minutes. In a medium pot, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a roux. Whisk in cream, milk, egg yolks, asiago cheese, nutmeg, salt, & pepper. Cook over medium heat until mixture gets creamy and cheese is completely melted and mixed in- DO NOT BOIL. In the large pot, combine the cooked pasta, sauce, frozen broccoli, green onions, tomatoes, parsley, onion, garlic, and ham. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish and evenly sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the top. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Olive Gardens Zuppa Toscana Soup

This soup blends the flavors of potatoes, Kale (its a green leafy veggie found by the lettuce), and Italian sausage in a slightly spicy chicken & cream broth.

5 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth

1/2 cup heavy cream (evaporated milk can be used in place of cream)

4 cups chopped kale

2 medium Russet potatoes

1 lb spicy Italian sausage

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I leave these out, too spicy for the kids)

*Saute sausage. In a sauce pan combine cream and broth over med heat. Slice potato into 1/4 inch slices, the quarter the slices and add to the soup along with the sausage and kale. Add spices, and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (Do not let it boil, the cream will curdle.)

Top with shredded Parmesan cheese. Makes about 4 servings as a main dish.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls!

These are a quick version of my 4 hour recipe, yet just as yummy! They only take about an hour, instead of four.

1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs yeast
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 beaten eggs
5 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

Filling
1/4 cup melted (preferably unsalted) butter
cinnamon
Dark brown sugar

*In a large bowl, mix 1/3 cup sugar, yeast, oil and warm water until dissolved. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 15 minutes. (Yeast will grow rapidly.) Blend eggs into yeast mixture. Add salt to the flour, then gradually add to yeast mixture to make a soft dough. Knead dough about 5 minutes on a floured surface. Roll dough into a rectangle brush dough with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll up the dough and cut 1 inch slices with dental floss. Place in an ungreased pan. Let rolls rest about 15 minutes. Bake @ 350 degrees until golden brown. Glaze while warm, or frost when cool.

Glaze

powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
milk
vanilla
mix together and pour on top of warm (not hot) rolls.

Zucchini Bread

3 Eggs Beaten
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup oil
3 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup choc chips (i've never added them, they are optional)
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon

Add sugar to eggs. Stir in oil and add zucchini. Add dry ingredients (if you can sift them that would be best, but its not required), and add any other ingredients. Bake at 350* F for 50-60 minutes.
Tip- for a sweet crust add cinnamon sugar to the bottom of the pan, or sprinkle it on top of the loaf.

Ultimate Cheesecake

This is my version of a turtle cheesecake. I made the original recipe and added some pecans, Carmel and mini chocolate chips.

Ingredients for the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 TBS sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
*Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter and stir. Press into a 9 inch spring form pan. Chill 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the filling:
5 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz. each)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups sugar 2 tsp.
finely grated lemon peel (omit if not making a plain new york style)
3 TBS white flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 large eggs

*Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add sugar and mix well. Gradually add flour; mix until combined. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, until just blended. Add sour cream, lemon peel, and vanilla; beat until just blended. DO NOT OVER BEAT! Pour into crust. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until there is a 3 inch circle in the middle that is still wobbly. For less cracking, place a pan 1/2 full of water on the bottom rack of the oven while baking. Remove cake from oven and cool completely. Chill, loosely covered, at least 24 hours before serving.
Variations:
Oreo- use Oreo crumbs in place of graham crackers for the crust. Swirl Oreo bits into the batter before baking.
Hot fudge and/or caramel- Swirl hot fudge into batter before baking and drizzle with hot fudge or caramel just before serving.
Fruit- use any flavor pie filling, or jam, swirl into batter before baking. You may also use fruit puree & mix it with batter before baking.
Mint chocolate- use Oreo crumbs in place of graham crackers for the crust. Flavor all or part of the batter with mint extract and green food color. Stir in Oreo bits or chocolate pieces before baking.
Pumpkin- use gingerbread crumbs in place of graham crackers for the crust. Separate 1 1/2 cups of batter into a bowl. Add 2/3 cup pumpkin, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Pour batter into crust and swirl in pumpkin batter.

Killer Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:
9 oz. chocolate wafers, broken into large pieces
6 TBS unsalted butter, melted
Pulse the wafers in a food processor until finely ground. With the motor running, slowly add the butter, and process until just blended. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes at 350 until it is set. Cool on a wire rack. Tightly wrap the pan with aluminum foil. Put 6 cups of water on to boil.

Filling:
1 lb. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 lg. eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter
pinch of salt
2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
24 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sour cream, room temperature

*Melt chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Remove the bowl from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in the salt. Beat in the chocolate mixture just until smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as necessary. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour the filling into the spring form pan. Place the pan in a large roasting pan, place it in the oven, and carefully pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until the center is almost set but still wobbly- do not over bake! Remove the roasting pan from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the water bath for 15 minutes. Remove the spring form pan from the water bath and cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the foil and refrigerate, loosely covered, for at least 24 hours.

Creamy Cauliflower Salad

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup bacon bits
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1/4 sugar

*Mix everything together and serve immediately.

Cream Puffs & Chicken Salad

Cream Puffs
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs
touch of salt

*Boil water and add butter & salt. Bring to boil and add flour, stirring constantly. Cook until batter pulls away from sides of the pan. Put into a mixer and add eggs one at a time, beat well between each egg. Drop onto greased cookie sheet with a melon ball spoon. Bake at 375 for 60 minutes. Cool completely. Slice and fill with chicken salad, cream, etc. May be stored frozen before filling


Chicken Salad
cooked, chopped chicken
salad dressing (I use Mayo)
crushed pineapple,
drained celery
small grapes
green onion
slivered almonds
diced apples
cream cheese

*Amounts are relative, use enough to make as much as you want. Use cream cheese to keep salad together and only enough salad dressing to thin it to your desired consistency. This is great in cream puffs!

Monster cookies & Banana cookies

Monster Cookies
3 eggs 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter 2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup peanut butter 4 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips 1 cup M&M’s
Cream butter, sugars, baking soda, eggs, and vanilla. Add peanut butter, beat until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Drop onto greased cookie sheet & bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven while center still appears doughy. Cool completely.


Banana Cookies
2 1/2 cups sugar 4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups shortening 4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs 1 tsp. salt
2 cups mashed bananas 1 pkg. chocolate chips
Mix and drop onto greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Tootsie's Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 TBS sour milk (add lemon juice to make it sour)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
3 mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda

Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs, bananas, and then dry ingredients. Mix well. Add milk & nuts. Pour into bread pans and bake at 350 for 60- 75minutes.

Layered Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

1 pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese
¼ cup basil pesto
½ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
¼ cup (1oz.) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 cup (8oz.) sour cream
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
¼ cup pitted ripe olives, sliced (optional)
1 TBS. Finely chopped fresh basil
Additional chopped sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Combine half of the cream cheese and pesto; mix well. Spread in the bottom of a small baking dish. Blot excess oil from tomatoes using a paper towel. Dice tomatoes & grate Parmesan. In a clean bowl, combine remaining cream cheese, tomatoes, Parmesan, sour cream, garlic, and Italian seasoning; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over pesto mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Meanwhile, slice olives and chop basil. Sprinkle olives and basil over hot dip, garnish with additional tomatoes if you wish. Serve with toasted French bread slices, crackers, or chips.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 pkg. Frozen spinach, chopped & drained
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese
1 cup (8oz.) sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1-2 tsp chopped garlic (to taste)
Salt to taste.
Mix everything together very well. Spread into a small baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot & bubbly. Serve with toasted French bread slices, crackers, or chips.

Chocolate Caramel Bars

2 1/4 cups flour, divided
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups cold butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 jar (12 oz) caramel ice cream topping -or-1 bag kraft caramels (I use these)

* In a bowl combine2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or 2 butter knives, until crumbly. set half aside for topping. Press the remaining crumb mixture into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, if using kraft caramels, melt with 1/8 cup water in the microwave. stir until smooth, add flour. If using carameltopping, stir in flour. Sprinkle cooked crust with chocolate chips and pecans. Drizzle caramel over top. sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 18 to 20minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours before cutting.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I made this for dinner the other night and the kids just couldn't get enough! They are VERY picky eaters, so this must be good! Try it, you'll like it!

Fettuccine Alfredo

* 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 2 cups heavy Whipping cream (I used half & half with about 1/4 cup flour)
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, (shredded works better than grated, but you can use grated)
* 1/2 cup shredded or grated Romano cheese
* 2 egg yokes, lightly beaten
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, DON'T leave this out! (I think it makes the whole thing work)
Boil fettuccine noodles, set aside. In a saucepan melt butter over med-low heat. Stir in cream, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, egg yokes, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook and stir over med-low heat until it is almost to a boil...DO NOT LET IT BOIL! Drain fettuccine noodles, top with Alfredo sauce and extra cheese.

Bayou Chicken Pasta

1 pound linguine
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Emeril's Bayou Blast Essence
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped habanero pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes.While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the Essence and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and add the chicken to the pan. Sear the chicken until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and habaneros to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon of Essence, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add the green20onions, Parmesan and parsley and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

ok, maybe just a sliver cheesecake

1-1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sugar 2 tbs sugar
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla, divided
1 cup Sour Cream
4 eggs

HEAT oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends extending over sides of pan. Mix crumbs, butter and 2 Tbsp. sugar; press onto bottom of pan.
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
BAKE 50 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate overnight. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan just before serving.