Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes

So good, and so easy! Thanks to Sylvia for this yummy one!

1 pkg. ranch dressing powder
2 lbs. red potatoes, washed and quartered
1/4 c. olive or vegetable oil.

Toss quartered potatoes and oil in a ziploc bag to coat. Add dressing powder and toss to coat. Place in ungreased baking dish in single layer.

Bake at 450 for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Got this recipe from Summer/Mandi, and modified it a bit. It was great!

6 chicken breasts
6 thick slices of swiss cheese
6 slices of ham
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 chicken bullion cube
1 can cream of chicken soup

Pound chicken flat. Lay slice of ham and a slice of thick cheese on top. Roll it up and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in seperate container. Coat chicken in flour mixture.In a large saucepan/skillet, melt butter. Cook chicken on med-high till the outsides are golden brown, turning. Add white wine and bullion cube. Turn heat down to low and cover for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Take chicken out and keep warm in foil. Add can of chicken soup to the skillet with the remaining sauce. Wisk this into the skillet mixture. Turn heat up to med-high and stir till it gets thick. Use this sauce on top of the chicken.

Easy Caramel Popcorn

In a saucepan combine:
1 cube butter
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar
30 large marshmallows
Melt above ingredients together.

Pop 1-2 bags light butter microwave popcorn. Sift through and take out unpopped kernels. Pour caramel mixture on top and mix together.

Ham & Pea Pasta

I stole this picture (and recipe) from Krista - of Krista's Culinary Creations. It was quick and yummy!
1 cup frozen green peas

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup turkey ham, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 lb linguine, fettucine or other long pasta (I used cavatappi - the spirals)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste (I'm always liberal with cheese!)

Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. While that cooks melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; add mushrooms and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Add ham and cook 1 minute. Stir in peas, cream, salt, and pepper. Turn heat to low; keep warm, stirring occasionally, while pasta is cooking. Add Parmesan and toss. Serve immediately.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

1 large egg
1 c. whole wheat flour (preferably fresh ground)
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 TBS. brown sugar
2 TBS. vegetable oil
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

With a whisk, combine all ingredients in bowl just until smooth (don't overmix). Heat griddle. Grease with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 c. batter on griddle per pancake. Makes about 10 pancakes.

Heavenly Syrup

This recipe is courtesy of my pal, Denise.

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk

Heat above ingredients until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with:
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Makes a ton! Very tasty!

Hungry Jack Casserole

This is a quick and easy dinner fix.

1 lb. ground beef
S & P
1 large can baked beans
1 c. your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 can jumbo biscuits (8 in a can)
cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and onions on med. high until no longer pink, season with salt and pepper. Add can of baked beans and BBQ sauce (add more or less to your liking). When mixed, add into a 9x13 pan. Open can of biscuits, flatten each biscuit out , place on top of the beef mixture. Bake according to biscuit directions (mine was 375 for 15 minutes). Take out, sprinkle with cheddar to cover, and return to oven. Broil on high for 2 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. This meal reminded me of a campfire cookout.

Cute Quiche Biscuit Cups

3-4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and finely crumbled
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
2 chopped green onions (2 medium), 3 fresh chopped mushrooms, and some leftover chopped roasted potatoes, optional
1 can refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

Heat oven to 375F. Grease 10 muffin cups. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, milk and eggs on low speed until smooth. Stir in Swiss cheese and green onions (and mushrooms and potatoes, if you choose to add them); set aside.Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each greased muffin cup; firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming 1/4 inch rim. Place bacon in the bottom of the dough -lined muffin cups. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over the bacon. I had some extra egg mix, so I filled the other 2 cups without the biscuit cup, and they were good too!

Bake for about 23 minutes or until filling is set and edges of biscuits are golden brown.

Quick Peach Cobbler from Cake Mix

1 29 oz. can of peaches in light syrup, partially drained

1/2 box of white cake mix, give or take, depending on how much crust you like

1/2 stick of butter, softened

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. brown sugar

sprinkle of quick oats, optional

chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375. In greased round casserole dish pour a bit of the juice from the peach can. Sprinkle with a small portion of the cake mix. Cover with entire can of peaches and an remaining juice. Cut butter into small dabs, to generously cover the dry cake mix. Sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar, oats and walnuts. Place in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream!

Lasagna...Thrown Together

I was interested in making a lasagna that could be frozen and used for later use...I threw in some stuff I had in the fridge for "secret ingredients" (which I am about to divulge), and it was honest-to-goodness the best lasagna we've ever had. I made 2 lasagna's out of the below ingredients, and my measurements are purely estimates, so take liberties where you see fit!

Lasagna (makes 2, 9x13 pans) - Make one for tonight, and freeze one for a friend!

about 17-18 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 lb. pork sausage

1 15 oz. carton ricotta cheese

2 c. cottage cheese

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

28 oz. jar cabernet marinara (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

2 cans diced tomatoes, partially drained

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 bag of fresh spinach leaves

1-2 cans mushrooms, drained

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

s&p to season

4 c. mozzarella - divided

2 c. fresh shredded parmesan

1 c. shredded or sliced muenster cheese

1 c. fresh shredded asiago cheese


In large sauce pan, brown sausage and ground beef with garlic and onion on medium. Meanwhile, in separate bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, s&p to taste, cottage cheese and cream cheese together until well blended, set aside. Once the meat is cooked, add spaghetti sauce, all 3 cans of tomatoes, Italian seasoning, spinach and mushrooms. Simmer for 20 minutes or so, continuing to stir until well incorporated. While that's simmering, mix all the rest of the shredded cheeses together.

In 2, 9x13 pans, pour enough sauce to thinly cover bottom of each pan. Cover that layer of sauce with the dry lasagna noodles (about 4 and a half, one will be broken to fit the short end of the pan). Pour a layer of sauce on top of this, then a layer of the wet cheese mixture, then a sprinkle of the dry cheese . To complete lasagna, place another layer of noodles, then cheese mixture, then sauce, then a whopping topping of the rest of the cheese for the top.

Set one of the fridge to get cool enough to put in freezer. Cover with foil. Freeze for later.

For the room temperature lasagna - Cover with foil, bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

For the frozen lasagna - there are 2 ways to cook it. I write both on the foil and let the recipient decide. 1) From Frozen, leave foil on and bake at 375 for 1 hour, remove cover and bake for 30 additional minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. -or- 2) Thaw in fridge for 8 hours. Bake with foil for 1 hour, remove foil, bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Kimmy's Smash Hit Ranch Southwest Chicken

Got this one from Kim, the head chef over at...you guessed it, Kimmy's Kitchen! She's got lots of goodies, check it out. I changed a few things here, but stole her picture since they looked the same!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup medium salsa
1 cup corn (drained)
1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes, or chopped fresh tomatoes
salt
pepper
1. Marinate four chicken breasts in 1/2 cup barbecue sauce for at least 15 minutes.
2. Place chicken halves in glass pan and cook chicken at 350 for 22-25 min, or until juices run clear (Kim used a little olive oil and fried hers up in a frying pan, which might be faster)
3. Remove chicken from pan, then baste the chicken with barbecue sauce on both sides.
4. RANCH SAUCE: Combine 1/2 a cup of ranch dressing and 1/2 cup salsa.
5. Toss 1 cup of drained corn and 1/2 cup of tomatoes together (or just throw in as much of each as you'd like). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Top chicken breast with ranch sauce and garnish with corn mixture.

This was definitely a favorite! Quite easy, too!

Resurrection Rolls for Easter

Tube of Crescent Rolls (or however many you want to make)
Melted Butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350
*Give each child a triangle of crescent roll (represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in)
*Give each child a marshmallow (represents Jesus' body)
*Have them dip the marshmallow in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon and sugar (represents the oil and embalming and the spices used to anoint the body)
*Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll-not as you would normally roll a crescent...but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside (This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after his death
*Place in 350 oven for 10-12 min. (The oven represents the tomb. Pretend it takes three days)*When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN!(The marshmallow has melted, and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty)

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

*These are just like those peanut butter bars with chocolate frosting that you used to find in your elementary school cafeteria! Yum!

3/4 C. butter, softened

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 egg (large)

2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 C. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. flour

1.5 C. oats

Frosting: 1 C. milk chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8x8 glass pan13x9x2 inch pan. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and peanut butter and beat until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Press mixture evenly into pan and bake 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. (Note: Will be underbaked.) While still warm, evenly distribute chocolate chips. When chips have melted spread into a thin layer.