Onion Soup Mix

Since I was mixing up the ranch dressing mix I went ahead and refilled my onion soup mix too. This time I used chicken bouillon because it doesn't have msg.

3/4 cup instant minced onion
1/3 cup beef bouillon powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed celery seed
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
About 5 tablespoons of mix are equal to 1 1¼-ounce package.
To make onion dip: Mix 5 tablespoons with one pint of sour cream.

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

I made this up myself to avoid msg in the usual brands. It was JUST like the name brand! I was low on parsley so I made a half batch which will work out well for us since I don't use a lot of ranch dressing. I may try this as a dip soon too but this time I used it in the chicken dish tonight.

15 saltines, finely crushed

2 cups minced parsley flakes, crushed

1/2 cup instant minced onion

2 tablespoons dry dill weed

1/4 cup onion salt

1/4 cup garlic salt

1/4 cup onion powder

1/4 cup garlic powder

Put crackers through blender on high speed until powdered.
Add parsley, minced onions, and dill weed.
Blend again until powdered. Dump into bowl.
Stir in onion salt, garlic salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

For dressing use 1 tablespoon mix, 1 cup mayo, 1 cup buttermilk.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

This is a recipe from Mandi and was soooo good! We'll have to double it next time for sure! Her post is here.

6 slices bacon
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons ranch dry salad dressing mix
1 1/4 cups milk
3 cups dried medium noodles
1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1. Start your water for your pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.
3. In the same skillet, cook chicken in reserved drippings until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over chicken; stir well to coat the chicken. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon.4. Serve the chicken over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy

Caramel apple time!

It's that time for our Halloween caramel apples!

I bought a new kind of caramel this year that's supposed to melt easier and it definitely did! Right before we pulled them out and enjoyed:)

Oriental Stir Fry Scallops

The kids absolutely loved it and Justin would have happily eaten a ton of scallops(none of the veggies) but we ran out. I love stir fry so it was a given I'd like it. Leeks were something we'd never had before at home so it was fun to use them!

Oriental Stir Fry Scallops

8 ounces sea scallops

1/2 cup leeks

1/3 cup water chestnuts

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 1/3 tsp olive oil

1 cup snow peas

3/4 cup bamboo sprouts

2 tsp soy sauce

Sauté all the oriental vegetables until tender in olive oil over medium heat. Add scallops to vegetables and cook until done. While cooking, add the soy sauce. Serve while hot.

Chicken Paninis

These were FANTASTIC! With a purchase I got a free jar of roasted red pepper tapenade. Looking online I could only find it mentioned in paninis so I made up my own recipe. In it is a grilled chicken breast, black olives, marinated artichoke hearts, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and the tapenade. Yum!

Pita Chips

I make these quite often and realized I always have to look up the oven temperature I use so why hadn't I blogged it to make it easier to find? So here it is...it's my own recipe and I don't really measure.

Pita Chips

Pita bread pockets
olive oil
salt(or garlic salt)
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each pita into 8 triangles. Put on cookie sheet. Mix oil, salt, pepper and any other seasonings you feel like(a bit of basil etc) then brush on the pita triangles. Bake for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. I start watching mine at 7 minutes. It seems to depend on the brand of pitas but sometimes 7 minutes is perfect and other time they've needed over 10 minutes.

Chicken Stew

I was looking for a way to use up celery and carrots I bought last week so I looked up recipes and made this. It was quite good for a fall meal and I only wish I'd had the energy to make some fresh bread to go with it! 

My changes were...I used chicken thighs(dark meat has more iron and I am still fighting the anemia), I didn't do the dumplings and instead I threw in a box of vermicelli right at the end, I used a lot more celery and carrots because I didn't want them in the fridge anymore, I subbed my cream soup mix for the cream of potato since I couldn't find any without msg and I didn't cut up the chicken. Sounds like a lot of changes, huh? :)

Chicken Stew

1 onion, chopped

4-5 carrots, cut in one inch chunks

3-4 celery stalks, sliced

2 medium potatoes, chopped

4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1" pieces

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of potato soup

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth

pepper

1 cup Bisquick

1/3 cup water

Combine onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, chicken, soups, peas, broth and pepper in crock pot. Mix well. Cook on high till heated through. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Turn Crockpot to high. Mix Bisquick and water and drop by tablesppons onto hot stew. Cook on high 20-25 minutes.

Breadmaker bread and cabbage goulash

For a cold night this was good. The cabbage goulash was from my week awhile back and the bread was from Mandi on her week. I wouldn't make the cabbage goulash again but everyone ate it here. The bread was hot and good fresh out of the breadmaker. I wasn't sure if it was going to turn out since it never turned into a real dough...just a very thin mix but it tastes really good! It's a heavy bread with a great buttery taste.

1 Pound Loaf (12 slices)

1 cup warm water -- (75 to 80°F)

2 cups white bread flour

3 tablespoons buttermilk powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter -- room temperature

2 teaspoons active dry yeast -- or 1 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast

Put ingredients in the bread pan and assemble the bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Select regular, rapid, or delayed bake cycle and medium crust setting. Bake and cool as directed.

CABBAGE GOULASH

1 pound pork sausage

1 pound ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 can (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper {optional)

10 cups shredded cabbage

Brown sausage, beef and onion, drain fat. Add remaining ingredients, except cabbage and mix well. Stir in cabbage. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

Frito Pie Pizza

I got this from the Hormel website. Everyone else seemed to like it(well Justin liked the Fritos) but I really didn't...it could have just been the prebaked pizza shell I bought.

FRITOS® Chili Pie Pizza

Ingredients

1 prebaked pizza shell (10 to 12-ounces)

1 can HORMEL® Chili No Beans (15-ounces)

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

2 cups FRITOS® corn chips, crushed

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place pizza crust on a pizza pan. Spread chiliover pizza crust. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutesor until crust is crisp and cheese is melted and golden brown. Sprinklepizza with crushed corn chips and serve.

Lemony Lime Cake

I had lime jello so this is lemony lime cake instead of lemony lemon:) This was gooooooood!!! I love tangy dessert and this was super easy.

Lemony Lemon Cake

1 small box lemon gelatin

1 box yellow cake mix

4 whole eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased13 x 9-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Topping 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar Juice of 2 lemons and rinds of 2 lemons Mix well. While cake is still warm from oven, punch holes in top with awooden pick. Pour topping over cake. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Mother's Macaroni Bake

This was from Mandi's frugal week. I used vermicelli again instead of macaroni and added a pound of sausage so this would be a complete meal. It was a lot like spaghetti and really good! I would make this again and the cost can't be beat:) I'm changing the prices to what I paid. It equals out to 1.77 plus $2 for the sausage. A full meal for 3.77!

Mother's Macaroni Bake

2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (10 cents for the box of vermicelli)

1 small onion, diced (45 cents)

1 small green bell pepper, diced (.35)

1/2 stick of margarine (I used butter that I got on a huge sale... 3 cents)

1 can tomato soup ($.60)

2 slices of American cheese singles, cut in half diagonally (24 cents)

Cook and drain macaroni, set aside. Sautee onions and peppers in margarine until tender. Add vegetables to macaroni and mix lightly. Stir in soup. Pour mixture into a lightly Pamed casserole dish and arrange cheese singles over top. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated through and cheese is melted (about 15 mintues). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving. Serves 4. Approximate cost, $1.50 for the whole casserole.

Candied Garlic Chicken Wings

We were hungry so as soon as these came out we dug in and I totally forgot to get a picture. This recipe came from Shar and she has a picture up on her blog here.
These were SO good!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups runny honey
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds chicken wings
DIRECTIONS
Mix honey, soy sauce and garlic together. Place the wings in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, and pour the honey mixture over the chicken. Cover with foil. Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour; turn the wings after 1/2 hour. Remove the foil cover, and bake for 15 minutes. Take the wings out of the sauce, and bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken wings, and cook for another 10 minutes.

Simply Salsa

I didn't take a picture of this but I want to save the recipe here for future use. After making this I add half a thing of sour cream and it's a great dip:)

Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend(I use at least 2 tbsp)

Directions
Peel and slice onion into 4 pieces; place in Quick Chef with blade, cover and turn handle until onion is roughly chopped. Peel and smash two garlic cloves and add to Quick Chef. Add remaining ingredients; cover and turn handle until desired consistency. Serve with chips or as a topping for tacos!

Shrimp Scampi

This was my first time making shrimp scampi and it was so easy and fast! I need to mess with the measurements but this was really good!

Shrimp Scampi

2 pounds peeled, deveined shrimp

1 stick butter

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Parsley(as much as you want)

Wash shrimp.

Heat frying pan. Put in butter and let it get warm and bubbly. Add shrimp, lemon juice and garlic. Cook until all the shrimp turn pink(about 5 minutes). Do not overcook shrimp. Add parsley, stir and serve hot.

Chocolate Mint Smoothies

This is from Lisa's week and I couldn't wait to try it! They were soooo good! We'll have to make double next time!

CHOCOLATE MINT SMOOTHIES
2 c. milk, divided

1/4 c. instant cocoa mix

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. peppermint extract

1 pt. vanilla ice cream
Heat 1/2 cup milk just until hot. Combine hot milk and cocoa mix in container of electric blender. Process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, vanilla and peppermint, blend well. Add ice cream and process until mixture is smooth. 4 cups.

Pepperoni-Pasta Bake

Tee posted this recipe for her week this week. I had intended to make another meal tonight but forgot to thaw the meat so I looked and had everything for this. Very fast to put together and the family loved it! I didn't use all the pepperoni called for because it seemed like a lot and I used vermicelli because I have lots of that on hand. I was running late on dinner so it's still steaming in the picture and was on the table fast!

Pepperoni-Pasta Bake

1/2 to 3/4 lb. rotini pasta

1 12-oz. pkg. sliced pepperoni

1 can mushrooms (optional)

Your favorite spaghetti sauce

4 to 6 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, and spread it evenly in the bottom of an oven-safe casserole dish. Arrange pepperoni slices and drained mushrooms on top of pasta. Pour spaghetti sauce on top. Top generously with cheese. Bake for 17 to 22 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Hamburger Casserole

This was one of Mandi's recipes in June that I'd saved to try. Everyone ate it and liked it but it seemed to be missing something...I'd like to try it with rotel! I added green Tabasco to my serving:)

Hamburger Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
small box macaroni
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
grated cheese

Cook macaroni & drain. Brown ground beef, onion, and bell pepper; drain
grease. Mix mushroom oup, tomato sauce and milk. Add to ground beef
mixutre. Add macaroni to mixture. Put in casserole dish, grate cheese over
the top, put in over at 350 until cheese melts.

Pumpkin Muffins

I looked for a recipe online but didn't find any I really liked so I pieced together my own. These turned out great and I doubled it and made two loaves of pumpkin bread(no pictures) with pecans in those. For the tupperware spice you can just use cinnamon. (made these again 9-3-10 and I think this is too much spice.  I'll cut them all in half next time)

Pumpkin muffins
1 15oz can pumpkin

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, tupperware spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together pumpkin, vegetable oil and eggs.

Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Butterfinger Cake

For Corrine's birthday I made this since we had a surplus of Butterfingers. It was good but definitely not better than the recipe that calls for heath or skor bars(also known as the better than sex cake).

Ingredients
Devil's food cake mix

Jar caramel ice cream topping

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz. container Cool Whip (thawed)

6 butterfinger candy bars (crushed)

Directions
Bake cake as directed on the package in a 13x9 pan.
Let cool for about 10 minutes, then poke holes in the cake and spread caramel topping and evaporated milk over top of the cake.
Let cake cool completely.
Mix thawed whipped topping with the crushed Butterfinger candy bars, and spread over the top of completely cooled cake.
Best if served 2+ hours later.

Chili Casserole

I got this from Mandi's blog here but it was originally from Melissa's week on the recipe group:) This was spicy but really good! We had no leftovers and even with it being spicy all the kids ate it happily.

I didn't want to spend the money for chili seasoning so I subbed some chipotle seasoning I had from Tupperware:)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound macaroni, cooked
1 (15 ounce) can chili with beans
1 (15 ounce) can sweet corn, drained
1/2 pound ground beef, browned and drained
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chili seasoning mix
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (used monterey jack & cheddar)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, chili, corn, beef, hot sauce, onion, seasoning mix and cheese. Mix well and spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Figs

I made up 9 jars of fig preserves this year. We drove out to the orchard to pick and this was every single fig they had! Ended up costing over $10 a jar just for the figs...but a pregnant woman has her cravings:)

Marey's Grandma's Meatloaf

This was dinner tonight. It was really good! If I made it again I'd add two eggs to help it hold together when cutting and I needed to cook it longer.

2 Lb. Ground Beef
1 Package (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing, any variety
1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce

Mix all ingredients except 1/2 of BBQ sauce. Shape into 2 oval rolls. Bake in a 13x9-inch baking dish on 375 for 35 minutes. Remove & pour rest of BBQ sauce and bake for a few more minutes.