Spaghetti No More!

Well, there are certainly TONS of recipes I should add to this page since my last post - I've been cooking so much! It has been fun. It's been forever since I've posted a recipe on here so I'll have to remember to take pictures of what I make from now on! Regardless of the time difference between posts, I wanted to share with you what I did tonight.

Unfortunately, Hyrum was begging for candy when he really needed a nap. Since he already had some candy earlier today, I insisted he eat something for dinner first. He said no to chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs, homemade pizza, and sandwiches. Through his tears I finally got him over to the fridge to look inside and he asked for EGGS! Telling him to go sit down on the couch and finish watching his movie I informed him that mommy would then cook him some eggs. He wanted two. So I took out my frying pan and scrambled those little things up! Hyrum was served his dinner... but what should Mommy eat?

With a variety of leftover foods in the fridge from the week and not wanting to waste a good use of her frying pan tonight - before it gets added to the pile of dishes for tonight's washing she decided she would have spaghetti! However, she didn't want to open or prep whole can of sauce so she decided to change things up a bit...

Hyrum had insisted on eggs tonight, so mommy started with by making herself some scrambled eggs, added in some frozen corn, soy sauce, noodles, garlic salt and VOILA! There you have it! It is Spaghetti No More! I'm glad Hyrum wanted eggs because it saved me from opening a can of chicken or using some more ground beef which can be used for a different meal later on. Thanks, Hyrum!

For a quick and random put together I'm surprised it tasted so well - I just can't figure out if it has too much or too little soy sauce. Guess I better go back for more OR save some for Jaeden ;) Either way. Hope you have a good night!

What new things have you mixed together lately? What do you do with your spaghetti leftovers?

Chicken Zucchini Casserole (allrecipes.com)

Recently received some zucchini from somebody in the neighborhood, had left over onion from a BBQ, and had plenty of chicken to put to good use - found the perfect recipe! This one is YUMMMMMMMY!

CHICKEN ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

1 (6 ounce) package stuffing mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups diced zucchini
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream

In a large bowl, combine stuffing mix and butter. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Add the zucchini, chicken, soup, carrot, onion and sour cream to the remaining stuffing mixture. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved stuffing mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

Goodness in a baking dish :)

Sprinkled with reserved stuffing mixture : )

Ready to eat! 

ENJOY!

BEAN DIP (wikihow.com)

I randomly decided I wanted bean dip with the crockpot enchiladas I was making - so I found this recipe and quickly whipped some bean dip up! It's pretty good! SUPER EASY!!!


BEAN DIP

• Family-size can of refried beans (you'll need it - this stuff is good)
• Shredded or crumbled cheddar cheese
• Mild salsa (or hot, if you're adventurous) NOTE: NOT salsa con queso! It may sound like it's saving a step, but it doesn't work.
• Black olive slices
• OPTIONAL: Ground beef with taco seasoning
• OPTIONAL: Lettuce, sour cream, other cold ingredients
• Soft flour tortillas OR crunchy corn tortilla chips

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Preheat the oven. Cook the ground beef in a pan on the stove set on medium-high heat, breaking it into little pieces with your spatula, until all brown. Add taco seasoning; pour a small amount of water over the meat to help spread the seasoning. Turn the heat down to very low to keep the meat warm. (If using hamburger!)
3. Go to another counter, open the can of refried beans and get a tablespoon. This is the fun part. Spoon half of the can of refried beans into the 9x13 casserole dish and spread it around, making a fairly even layer. Add more where necessary, but make sure to save roughly half a can of beans.
4. Know that if you're adding ground beef, this is where you do it. Spread a layer of ground beef over the refried beans, possibly saving enough beef to make a second layer later. It depends on your tastes and how much beef you have.
5. Take your shredded or crumbled cheese. Apply liberally. Seriously, don't skimp on the cheese - you'll use most of a full bag for just this layer of cheese, and there's a second one later. On top of the cheese, spread a layer of salsa using a spoon. Be generous with it. Add to next layer the rest of the refried beans. It's a little difficult putting a layer of dense refried beans over a layer of not-as-dense salsa, but it's not impossible, and it's okay if they mix. And they will mix. It all goes to the same place anyway.
6. Finish the ground beef if you've got any left on top of the second refried beans layer. Add some more cheese and the black olives. These can be put on together - the layers have a tendency to mix anyway. Take the whole mixture, and put it in the oven for five minutes. After those five minutes have passed, check on it - if it looks like the cheese needs to melt a little more, then pop it back in there. If you're making burritos out of this (which is a really good idea), then take a plate large enough to hold a tortilla and two paper towels. Wet both paper towels and squeeze them out so they're damp. Place one damp paper towel on the plate, place the tortillas in a stack on the paper towel, and put the other paper towel on top of the tortillas. Microwave for about 45 seconds. When the microwave beeps, your bean dip should be done as well.
7. Take a tortilla, scoop a generous amount of bean dip onto it. If you want to add lettuce, sour cream, more salsa, or a packet or two of Taco Bell sauce, do it now. Then fold the burrito. You may want to use a fork to eat it. If you're using it as a chip dip: Scoop some onto a plate with a pile of tortilla chips. If you're using this for a party, maybe array the chips nicely around the casserole dish. If you're just eating it on its own: Just put a dollop on your plate, get a fork, and dig in!

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD (Angela Owen)

Tried this and loved it - even had a visitor over for dinner and they loved it! This recipe was a great success even though we burnt some of our almonds and had to add non-toasted almonds to help with the taste. Still, with this recipe we couldn't go wrong! Hope you like it as much as we did!

Note: We only used half a head of cabbage and we used a regular onion.

Chinese Chicken Salad

2 c. cooked, cubed chicken
1 head cabbage (medium)
1/3 c. sliced/slivered almonds (toasted)
1 bag ramen noodles (crushed)
2 green onions

Combine chicken, chopped cabbage, toasted almonds, crushed ramen noodles, and green onions.

Dressing:

1 pkg. ramen seasoning
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. soy sauce (opt.)
1/3 c. vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper

Mix dressing and pour over salad. Toss and serve. (Great cold)

BLUSHING APPLES (kraftrecipes.com)

Also, made this with a friend! Simple treat - tastes kind of like apple pie when served warm. Great cold, too!

Blushing Apples

2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

1/4 tsp.  ground cinnamon

4 cups water

4 medium  apples, such as Granny Smith, McIntosh or Golden Delicious

1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

 

COMBINE dry gelatin mix and cinnamon in 3- to 4-qt. saucepan. Add water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat, stirring frequently until gelatin is completely dissolved.
PEEL and core apples. Add to gelatin mixture in saucepan; partially cover saucepan with lid. Return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 to 15 min. or just until apples are fork tender, gently turning apples every 5 min. Remove apples from liquid.
SERVE apples warm. Or, cool and store in tightly covered container in refrigerator at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve each apple topped with 2 Tbsp. of the whipped topping. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired. 

NOTE

After draining the cooked apples, pour the cooking liquid evenly into eight dessert dishes. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until set for a refreshing JELL-O snack!

SUBSTITUTE

Prepare as directed, using any other flavor of red JELL-O Gelatin.

 

 

 

A yummy healthy snack! Enjoy!

 

 

ROLLED BUTTERCREAM FONDANT (allrecipes.com)

Made this with a friend and put it on top of a carrot cake made from a box - delicious! 
Warning: Very sweet!

Rolled Buttercream Fondant


1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners' sugar

1. In a large bowl, stir together the shortening and corn syrup. Mix in the salt and vanilla flavoring, then gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until it is a stiff dough. If you are using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment. Otherwise, knead by hand. If the dough is sticky, knead in more confectioners' sugar until it is smooth. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.Use food coloring - if you wish to color fondant.
2. To use, roll out on a clean surface that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar until it is 1/8 inch thick or thinner if you can. Drape over frosted and chilled cakes and smooth the sides down, or cut into strips to make bows and other decorations. 

 
 

 Above: Carrot cake with store bought frosting between layers.

Above: Carrot cake with buttercream fondant on top.

Enjoy!

Scalloped Potato Casserole

Great dish - if you like potatoes! My husband suggests adding bacon bits on top or serve it with your favorite meat and veggies! Next time we have this dish we'll have green beans on the side. Enjoy!

SCALLOPED POTATO CASSEROLE (Emily Hughes)

6-7 med. potatoes, peeled, diced & boiled
1 stick Margarine or butter (1/2 cup)
(reserve 3 T. of margarine for corn flakes)
2 c. corn flakes, crushed
2 cans cream of chicken soup [we used 1 large can]
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cheese, grated
1/2 c. onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, dice and boil potatoes. While your potatoes are boiling, crush your corn flakes and mix with 3 Tbsp of margarine and set aside for later. In a large bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, cheese, and onion. Place the boiled potatoes into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Pour the soup mixture over the boiled potatoes. Top off with the crushed corn flakes and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

CROCKPOT CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE

We absolutely loved this dish! Even more than the last one! Served as a great meal and still had plenty to freeze since it is just the two of us eating.

CROCKPOT CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE (Christine Cahan)

1 pkg. cream cheese
1/2 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pkg. frozen broccoli
1 c. milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. water
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 - 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken cut up
1 pkg. egg noodles

In a crockpot, place broccoli, milk, soup and water, stir to combine. Add cheeses and spices, stir. Add chicken. Cook about 2-3 hours on high or 3-5 hours on low. Cook noodles as directed, serve chicken casserole over noodles when done.

 Stir, stir, stir!

 Add chicken

Ready to eat!

BOW-TIE PASTA

We liked this dish - it was easy enough and used up some of our ham! However, my husband suggests the broccoli be diced or finely chopped.

BOW-TIE PASTA (Mindy McBride)

1 box Bow-Tie Pasta
1 (8 oz) mushrooms (cooked or uncooked)

1 (1 lb) broccoli (frozen)

1 pkg. cubed ham

1 1/2 jars Alfredo Sauce [we actually used 1 jar of Alfredo Sauce - it was perfectly fine!]
Honey Mustard

1. Mix cubed ham, mushrooms and broccoli in a sauce pan with honey mustard.
2. Put lid on the pan to steam broccoli.
3. Cook bow-tie pasta in a separate pan, follow the instructions on the box.
4. Drain excess honey mustard and mix the pasta.
5. Add Alfredo Sauce. 

 In the sauce pan

 Ready to serve

BLUEBERRY JELL-O-SALAD (Brenda Smith)

I tried this recipe out last week. My husband didn't care for it too much, but I brought the rest of the pan to my family afterwards and my sister ABSOLUTELY loved it! It was gone within minutes!

BLUEBERRY JELL-O-SALAD

1 pkg. grape jell-O
1 can blueberry pie filling
2 cup boiling water
1 (20 oz.) crushed pineapple with juice
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar

First: Dissolve jell-O in 2 cups boiling water. (You only need a small package of jell-O). Add blueberry filling and pineapple juice. Put in refrigerator until set. 
Second: Beat together until fluffy; cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar. When your jell-O has set use this as your topping and refrigerate until served.

Enjoy!

SPINACH STRAWBERRY SALAD (Marilyn Bullock)

In attempt to spice up my parent's anniversary - we provided them with a massively elegant dinner. On this fancy occasion, we served them this salad! Usually, I am not too fond of spinach and do not make many salads, but I really liked this this one! In fact, the whole family tried it and we all loved it! May modify proportions of ingredients to meet your family's individual needs (e.g. extra nuts, strawberries). Enjoy!

SPINACH STRAWBERRY SALAD

1 lg. pkg. fresh spinach leaves
1 cucumbers, sliced
1 c. strawberries, sliced
1 sm. pkg. sliced almonds
1/3 c. sugar
1 T. vegetable oil
1 lemon, juice only
2 T. white vinegar
1 tsp. poppyseed

In large bowl combine spinach leaves, sliced cucumber, strawberries and nuts. In another bowl combine remaining ingredients using wire whisk. Pour over greens just prior to serving.