Another Winner

So, last night was my turn to cook again for the dinner group. I tried the beef stroganoff that Jess posted. I altered the recipe just a bit and put in a can of cream of mushroom soup and, like Jess, put in some milk. It made a bit more than we needed, but that might have been because I didn't make enough noodles and we ran out. I think that we may have finished it all off had I had enough noodles. I should have made the whole package of noodles up instead of just 3/4 of the package. Jeff announced that it was the best stroganoff he has ever had. Willie and Jenn seemed to like it and I thought it was yummy. So its a winner recipe!!! You should all try it.

New recipes

Just thought it was about time to add some new recipes. These are some of our favorites so even though they are old to us they might be new to you :) Enjoy! Sorry April I did try a new soup recipe but I didn't like it so I can't post it :D Guess my original Broc and Cheese I posted before will have to work for my soup recipe for now :)

Banana Bread

This is my mom's recipe and I just love it!

1 c. mashed bananas
2 eggs
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 tsp. soda
1 3/4 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar

Cook at 325º for about an hour.

Mock Sherbet Fruit Salad

1 large pkg. vanilla cook & serve pudding
3 c. liquid (water and fruit juice)
1 can fruit cocktail
1 large pkg. orange jello (our favorites are black cherry or raspberry)

Bring liquid and vanilla pudding to a boil and dissolve orange jello in it. Fold in whipped cream and fruit. Chill until firm. (Takes several hours).

Easy Fruit Salad

1 can fruit cocktail, drained and juices reserved
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
1 can crushed pineapple and juice
1/2 small ctn. Cool Whip
1/4-1/2 c. shredded coconut

Mix fruits with dry pudding. Add reserved juice to desired consistency. Add marshmallows and coconut with Cool Whip. Chill.

Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo

This is one of our favorites with chicken on the grill and steamed broccoli

8 oz. pkg cream cheese
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. milk
8 oz fettuccine, cooked and drained (we use penne noodles)

In large saucepan, combine cheese, margarine, and milk. Stir over low heat until smooth. Add fettuccine and toss lightly. Serve hot.

Beef Stroganoff

Ok I know this recipe has the dreaded white stuff in it but Brad really likes it (he doesn't know what's in it) I think he was suspicious of what made it so creamy but he really likes it and just said not to tell him what was in it :D

1 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion
1/4 c. butter (optional)
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp salt or garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
Hot cooked noodles

Mix hamburger, onion, and butter and cook through. (Use butter with game meat, you don't need it with regular hamburger). Add flour, salt, and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Stir in cream of chicken soup and simmer 10 minutes (I add a little milk so it's not so thick). Stir in sour cream. Serve over hot noodles.

Beefy Baked Ravioli

I think I have shared this with most of you, but this is one of our favorite recipes. I promise you will love it - it's almost like lasagna but a whoel lot easier to make!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef (I also add 1/2 pound of pork sausage)
1/2 - 1 (25 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Drain grease, then stir in the spaghetti sauce and tomatoes.
Spread 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Arrange 1/2 of the ravioli over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 of the Monterey Jack cheese over the ravioli. Repeat layers, ending with the last of the sauce on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top before serving.

Success!!!

So, I made the chicken enchiladas last night for dinner group and they were a hit. My friend Jeff couldn't get enough of them. He was funny because he took a couple of bites and then said- and I quote "These are the best enchiladas I have ever had." I thought he was teasing so I said something like "Yeah right you are just saying that" and he said "no, really, I don't like chicken enchiladas but I really liked these." and then continued to eat them until the whole complete 9X13 pan was gone. I was surprised.

I did modify the recipe some. Like Jess said, its a recipe for a huge batch of enchiladas, so I used about 2 1/2 cups of chicken, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, an 8 oz carton of sour cream, I didn't have any fresh onion so I added dried onion, about a cup of cheese and then I added my secret ingredient-- diced tomatoes and green chilies. You can buy them in a 10 oz can but I only used about 1/2 of the can or it would have been way to spicy. Anyway I made up 10 tortillas and they were all completely gone. Thanks Jess for the recipe!!! Which one should I try next?

Dinner Group

So, I hope that you girls don't mind but I am not posting to post a recipe; however, I am going to use one of the enchilada recipes that Jess posted for me to use. We have started the "dinner group" again. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a group of us singles who don't live at home and don't like cooking or won't cook for one person. I was in one over the summer but that one ended for various reasons and so we are starting again. The last group I was in had 6 of us but this one only has 4. Our little group consists of my friends Jenn Englis, Willie, Jeff and me. So they are going to become my guinea pigs for the stuff you post on this blog. Tonight its enchiladas!!! I hope that I can do it justice. I will let you know how it goes.

Hope you are all have a great day!! Stay warm and dry.

See ya, love ya, bye.

Fajita's

Such a perfect meal! Jeans, you will love this, because you can make as much as you want or as little as you would like. This is one of our quick and easy favorites. Hope you enjoy:)The amount below is what I usually make for Trevor and I, it makes enough for 1 meal and lunch leftovers.

2 chicken breast cut up in 2 inc. strips
1 pkg fajita seasoning mix(more or less, depending on how flavorful you like it)
oil for frying ckn in (about 1/4 cup or less)
1/4 or more cups of water
1 green pepper chopped
1/2 onion chopped
tortillas
cheese
lettuce
sour cream

Put ckn and oil in electric skillet to begin cooking. Cook for 10 min. Add green pepper and onion and cook until ckn is almost done. Add fajita mix and water; cook and simmer until liquid is absorbed and ckn is completely cooked(about 15 min). Serve on warm tortillas, with sour cream, lettuce and cheese.

Chicken and Cheese Chimichangas

Yummy!!! I made these tonight, and my kids and husband loved it!! I actually made 8, so two I just filled with cheese. Owen ate almost 1 1/2 of these, and Chad said this was a keeper. Use any kind of salsa that you want, but make sure you like it, that is what made them so good.

6 Rhodes Texas™ rolls, thawed and risen - I found this kind at Winco
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salsa
vegetable oil for frying
salsa, sour cream and grated cheese, if desired

Sauté onion and garlic in oil. Add chicken and cook over low heat until heated thoroughly. Remove from heat and add cheese. Flatten each roll to a 5-inch square. Spread each square with 2 teaspoons salsa. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture onto half of each square. Fold over the other half and pinch the edges to seal. Pour oil 2 to 3-inches deep into a small sauce pan or an electric frying pan and heat to medium high setting or 375°F. Fry each Chimichanga approximately 3 minutes on each side. Serve with salsa, sour cream and grated cheese, if desired.
Variation: Instead of frying, these can be baked at 350°F 20 minutes.