Cream Cheese Chicken-Elise's

Here a few yummy recipes from my friend Elise. I was so excited to see her meat loaf recipe because my husband Landon loves meat loaf but I have yet to find a recipe that I like. I can't wait to try it! She was so great and sent me a ton of recipes so I will be posting them here and there when I get a chance.

Cream Cheese Chicken

4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter

1 envelope Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix

1 10 3/4oz. can cream of chicken soup

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

rotini noodles or white rice (depending on which way you cook it)

First variation - saucepan:

Brown chicken, set aside. In a large saucepan or frying pan, melt butter and seasoning. Add soup and cream cheese. Stir until melted. Add chicken and simmer for 45 minutes until chicken is done. Serve over noodles.

Second variation - Crock Pot:

Place chicken evenly on bottom of crock pot. Drop cube of butter on top (you do not need to melt it). Shake seasonings packet over the chicken and butter. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. Shred chicken with two forks while stirring mixture around. Add soup & cream cheese and let melt for about 10 minutes in crock pot. Stir all together and serve over rice.

Meat-loaf-Elise's

Meat-loaf

Preheat oven to 375

In a large bowl mix together:

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 packets (.98 oz. each) instant oatmeal, regular flavor (or 3/4 cup quick oats)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup low-fat milk

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

Divide mixture into 8 equal servings and shape into mini loaves. Put the loaves in a 9 x 13" baking pan

In a small separate bowl prepare the glaze

Mix 1/3 cup ketchup and 3 Tbs light-brown sugar. (I always put in more brown sugar than it says)

Brush glaze onto the sides and top of the meat loaves.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160F when inserted into the center of the loaves. Let cool 10 minutes.

If you aren't going to serve all eight servings, you can freeze the extra ones. Cool the meat loaves and then individually wrap the loaves in plastic wrap or waxed paper and freeze. To reheat put the frozen meat loaves in the refrigerator overnight. Unwrap and bake 15 minutes @ 350 or microwave until heated through.

Baked Ziti-Elise's

Baked Ziti

8 oz. dry ziti pasta

1 jar (1lb. 10oz.) 3 Cheese Prego spaghetti sauce

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. shredded parmesan cheese

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. pepper

olive oil

optional: browned sausage or ground beef to add to the sauce

Boil ziti noodles until soft, drain and moisten with olive oil to keep from sticking. In a separate bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, basil, and pepper. In a 2 1/2 qt. (I used a 9x13) casserole dish, layer a small amount of sauce, a flat layer of noodles, some ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Repeat layering process until ingredients or space runs out. Last layer should be any leftover sauce sprinkled with a little mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly around edges.

Crunchy Romaine Strawberry Salad

I was looking on my computer for some saved recipes I had and I came across this recipe 3 different times.  As in, I had typed it up and saved it three different times forgetting that I had already typed it up before. Obviously this recipe is good enough for me to want to save it and type it up several times. This is a really great crowd pleaser too.  It looks so fresh and colorful with the green leaves and bright red strawberries.  I love the sweet and savory contrast you get with each bite you take. *This recipe came from a Taste of Home magazine where it had one first prize in a salad recipe contest.

Crunchy Romaine Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

1 package (3 ounces) ramen noodles

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

8 cups torn romaine

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

Directions:

Discard seasoning packet from ramen noodles or save for another use. Break noodles into small pieces. In a small skillet, saute noodles and walnuts in butter for 8-10 minutes or until golden; cool.

    For dressing, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce; shake well. Just before serving combine the romaine, onions, strawberries and noodle mixture in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently. Yield: 12 servings.

Cafe Rio Salad

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  It takes a little bit of work but it is so worth it.  We tend to have leftovers for a few days and even though I am not a huge fan of leftovers this meal tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge (but not too long...).

Cafe Rio Salad

Chicken:


1 small bottle zetsy Italian dressing


1 T chili powder


1 T cumin


3 cloves of garlic


5 lbs chicken (about 3 large chicken breasts)



Add everything in a crockpot and cook for 4 hours. Shred chicken and then cook 1 more hour.



 

Rice:


3 cups water


4 tsp chicken boullion


4 tsp minced garlic


1/2 bunch cilantro


1 can green chiles


1/4 tsp salt


1 T butter


1/2 onion


3 cups minute rice (or 1 1/4 cups regular)



Blend cilantro, onions, garlic and chiles in a food processor. Boil water, add all ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make Salad:

Layer:
A tortilla (melt cheese on top), chicken, rice, beans, salad greens, add any salad toppings you wish, like olives, tomatoes, cheese, and dressing. You can put tortilla chips on top, or cut corn tortillas into thin strips and bake them until they're crispy--like at the restaurant.

 

Café Rio Salad Dressing

 

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix


1 c. mayonnaise


1/2 c. buttermilk (or 1/2 c. canned milk)


1 c. chopped cilantro


1 c. Herdez salsa verde


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 small can green chilies


1 small can jalapenos (add to taste)


crushed red pepper (add to taste)



Blend first 7 ingredients in blender. Add jalapeno and red pepper to taste. Makes one quart. Keeps in refrigerator up to 1 1/2 weeks

Mediterranean Bulgur and Lentils-Katie's

This recipe comes from my cute friend Katie. It reminds of something my all time favorite chef Ina Garten would make, and it cooks in the crock pot! This is what she has to say about it:

This recipe is delicious! It has whole grains and it tastes very mild (except for the feta cheese). Don't let the bulgur wheat scare you away. It is essentially cracked and toasted hard winter wheat (very good for you). You can find it in most grocery stores. I like Bob's Red Mill brand or you can get it in bulk at health food stores.

Mediterranean Bulgur and Lentils

Prep time-15 minutes. Start to finish 3 hours 30 minutes. 8 main dish servings (I usually make this for the two of us and we eat it for two meals).

1 cup uncooked Bulgur wheat or cracked wheat 

½ cup Lentils sorted and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel Corn, drained

2 cans (14 oz each) Vegetable or Chicken broth

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1.5 cups)

½ cup chopped Kalamata Olives*

1 cup reduced fat Feta Cheese (4 oz)**

 

 *I am not a fan of kalamata olives, so I just use normal black olives. Still tastes delicious.

**In my opinion, the feta makes the dish, so if you don't like feta, this one is not for you.

 

 1. In a 3-4 quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except tomatoes, olives and cheese.

2. Cover cook on low heat setting 3-4 hours or until Lentils are tender.

3. Stir in tomatoes and olives. Top with cheese.

1 serving: 210 calories (calories from fat 35) Total fat 4 grams ( Saturated fat 1.5 g. Trans fat 0g.) Cholesterol 0mg., Sodium 880 mg, Total Carbohydrate 33g (dietary fiber 7g. Sugars 4g.) Protein 10g. % Daily Value Vitamin A 20%, Vitamin C 8%, Calcium 8%, Iron 15%. Exchanges: 2 Starch, ½ very lean meat, ½ fat. Carbohydrate Choices: 2

Courtesy Whole Grains: Easy Everyday Recipes, The  Betty Crocker Library, published by Wiley Publishing, 2007

strawberry cheesecake trifle-Sarah's

Sarah is one of my really good friends and I am so excited to post some of her recipes! She is so cute and organized and sent me a bunch of her favorite recipes that she already had typed up and ready to use whenever she needed them. I couldn't decide which ones to choose (because they all look so good)so I thought I would post a few of her recipes here and there. Here are three of her dessert recipes.

Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

2 qts. strawberries

1 cup sugar, divided

2 pkgs cream cheese, softened

3 T orange or lime juice

3 cups whipped whip cream

2 loaves Sara Lee Pound cake, cubed

strawberries divided

Toss strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar. Allow to chill in fridge until juicy (about 1 hour). Cream together juice, cream cheese, and remaining sugar. Add whip cream and blend until creamy. Drain of strawberries and drizzle juice onto cake cubes. Layer in trifle bowl:

-1/2 cake cube

-1/3 cream cheese mixture

-1/2 strawberries

-remaining cake cubes

-1/3 cream cheese mixture

-remaining strawberries

-remaining cream cheese mixture

-garnish with strawberries

homemade reeses-Sarah's

Homemade Reeses

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter melted

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup chocolate

Mix all together except chocolate and press into 8x8 pan. Melt chocolate and spread over crumb crust. Chill before serving. SO YUMMY!

cherry cream cheese pie-Sarah's

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

8 oz. cream cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 can cherry pie filling

1 ready-made graham cracker crust

Soften cream cheese and beat until fluffy. Gradually add milk, juice, and vanilla. Put in pie crust and let chill before adding cherry filling on top.

*This is Sarah's all time favorite dessert!

Jenni's Recipes

My cute friend Jenni sent me these awesome recipes.  I am totally making the southwestern egg rolls for dinner!  Thanks so much Jenni! (I am making each recipe it's own post)

This is what she said:

Ok, I have a million that I love but here are a few of my current favorites from just cook already. I have made all of them multiple times and they are ALL a huge hit every time.  Happy cooking!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

1 can Corn (drained)

1 can black beans (drained)

1/2 bunch cilantro

Juice from 1 lime

1 1/2 cup of chopped spinach

1 tsp minced garlic

2 medium sized chicken breast...cooked, finely chopped

1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese, mexican mix

2 T olive oil

Cumin about 1 tsp

Chili powder about 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Cracked red pepper or cayenne pepper to desired spiciness

1 packet of 20 egg roll wraps.

Mix it all together, put about a big spoonful inside the wrap. (It takes a few times to judge the size of the egg roll and you will think you have too much and think you need to make them bigger)...don't. Roll it up tight. Seal edge with a little water.

Deep fry in oil {i used evoo.}

I served with tomatillo dressing and spanish rice.

honey-lime chicken enchiladas-Jenni's

honey-lime chicken enchiladas

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)

2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded

12 corn tortillas

2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)

1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)

1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream

nonstick cooking spray

1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.

Serves 4 to 6

chicken pesto strombolli-Jenni's

chicken pesto strombolli

1 Rhodes Rolls Frozen bread Loaf

1/2 cup Pesto Sauce

2 cups Spinach

2 cups Cooked Shredded Chicken

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella

1/2 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 tsp. Garlic Salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

Thaw bread according to package.

On greased counter roll out to a rectangle about the size of a cookie sheet

Spread Pesto all over leaving a 1 inch space from edge

Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan on top of pesto. Sprinkle Mozzarella the layer of spinach, last your shredded Chicken.

Now roll, jelly roll style,  starting at the long end.

Roll it all the way so it makes a long tube.

Place on a greased cookie sheet, make sure seam is on the bottom.  Tuck ends under.

Brush with egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Garlic Salt.

Cut slits along the top to vent

Let Rise 30 minutes. Bake @350 until golden brown, 20-30 minutes.

Puffy Oven Pancake

This recipe is one of our family favorites!  My husband asks me to make this almost everyday.  If you have a large family I would make a triple batch and put it in a 9X13 inch baking dish because my husband and I can eat a whole one of these by ourselves.  The recipe could not be easier.

Puffy Oven Pancake

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put 2 tbl. butter in baking dish and melt in the oven 

In a bowl mix 2 large eggs

add:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp. salt

mix just until combined

pour into the baking dish on top of the melted butter

bake for 25-30 min.

sprinkle powdered sugar or lemon juice on top when it's done

* Our favorite way to eat it is with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a drizzle of syrup.  So delish!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I really wanted a yummy muffin recipe I could make during conference. I found this recipe and knew it would be perfect. The muffins were divine! They were soft and chocolatey and somewhat healthy (pumpkin counts as being healthy right?) Holy cow, I will definitely be making these muffins again!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat 5 eggs.
Add:
1 1/3 cup oil
16 oz pumpkin puree
2 c flour
1 c sugar
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t baking soda
1 3 oz package of instant vanilla pudding
Mix everything together until creamy
then stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (or more...)

*Helpful tip: Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into a cupcake pan, then all the muffins will be the same size.
Bake for 25-30 minutes
Makes 2 dozen

Homemade Salsa

My parent's have a huge garden and an over abundance of tomatoes. I really wanted to use a few of their tomatoes and I thought what better way to use them then to make salsa! There are so many salsa recipes out there and I have only ever tried this one but it was sooo good and easy that I thought it deserved a post on this blog. I seriously just put all the ingredients in a blender and voila, homemade salsa! I found the recipe on this cute blog.

My Favorite Salsa

Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 (28 0z.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa) you could also use chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.