Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1 day old loaf french bread
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cinnamon
whipped cream for topping

Break bread into pieces and let it dry out all day OR Bake the pieces at 250 degrees for 20 mins in order dry it out.

Place dried bread pieces in an 8X8 baking dish. In a small bowl beat eggs. Add milk, sugar, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend wet ingredients until combined then pour over the dry bread. Allow bread to soak for 15-20 min- occasionally pushing bread down into the wet mixture. Sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top of mixture. Place 8X8 dish inside of a 9X13 baking dish and then add hot water to the 9X13 until it is half way up the outside of the 8X8. Then carefully place both dishes on the center rack of oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min or until pudding is golden on top and toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm topped with additional whipped cream on top.

Susan's AMAZING!!! Arizona Citrus Pie

Ingredients:

1 baked, empty pie shell

Clear Filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cup water
4 large egg yolks

Fluffy Filling:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
6 oz frozen lemonade-thawed
1 small package lemon instant pudding

To make clear filling: In a small bowl beat egg yolks and lemon juice-set aside. Next mix sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until thick and boiling. Boil an additional minute stirring rapidly and then remove from heat. Stir egg mixture into cornstarch mixture very quickly to prevent lumping. Return to heat and continue stirring until very thick and boiling again. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Press plastic wrap into hot filling to avoid having a skin form while filling cools in refrigerator for 1 hour.

To make fluffy filling: In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. In a large bowl beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Beat in lemonade and pudding mix into cream cheese mixture until completely blended. Gently fold whipped cream into mixture.

Spoon fluffy filling into pie shell and make an even, shallow depression in fluffy filling from the middle to 1" from edge of pie. Refrigerate until set, then spoon clear filling into the depression.

Spiced Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 12 oz. package fresh cranberries
1/2 raisins- golden or purple
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a medium saucepan combine juice, sugar and spices and bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and raisins and stir until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans. Cover and chill. Serve with turkey or ham or pork or.... anything you think of to put the stuff on. IT IS GOOD!

Tamale Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can (8.75 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 oz.) dark kidney beans, drain about 1/2 the liquid
1 can(8.75 oz.) garbanzo, pinto or black beans drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green onions chopped
1 small can diced green chilies
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 package (8 1/2 oz.) cornbread mix

Combine everything together in a large bowl, except the cornbread mix. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish (2 quart). Prepare cornbread batter according to package directions and pour over the top of the bean mixture- smooth out into an even layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Side note:
I could not find small (8.75 oz) cans of beans. So instead of just using half of a can I kind of doubled the recipe by using a 15 oz. can of corn, 15 oz. can of black beans, Marie Callendar's cornbread mix that is sold in a 16oz. package and then doubling everything else. The proportions are not exact but I figured that this recipe was not really exact. I cooked the whole casserole in a 9X13. I think it turned out well. This recipe was a different taste for our family.

Matt's Delicious Turkey Chili (that I have only ever made with Chicken)

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or equivalent amount of turkey)
Marinated in some:
7-up, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and chili powder.
then: grill, cool, cut, and set aside

Ingredients continued:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans with juice
1 can kidney beans with juice
1 can pinto beans with juice
1 can corn, drained
2 14oz cans stewed tomatoes with juice (we always puree at our house)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime ( about 2 Tbs)
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar (Matt specifies dark brown but....)
1 Tbs. chili powder
???? dashes of Tabasco sauce (how hot do YOU like it?)

In a large pot saute the garlic, onion, and peppers in the olive oil until slightly tender. Then add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. This is probably one of those recipes that you should simmer for hours but.... I am normally running behind. So cook til you think it is good.

We ALWAYS serve this with some really good sourdough bread*

* Until we moved to Lamar and sourdough became nonexistent :)

Italian Potatoe and Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into soup size bites
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can real bacon bits ( you can replace with real bacon if your "really" in the mood to cook it)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 C. kale, chopped*
2 cans chicken broth ( I never use broth I always use water and bouillon powder- I think it comes out to be about 3 1/2 cups water and 3 1/2 tsp. bouillon.)
4 cups water
1 C. whipping cream

* (I didn't know how to handle kale so I looked it up) To chop kale: remove leaves from the bunch. Fold in half and cut out the stalk. Roll remaining leaf portion into a cigar-type roll and then chop down the roll. Set aside until later

Brown sausage and drain on paper towels. Combine onions, potatoes, water, broth, and garlic. Boil until potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon and simmer an additional 10 min. Stir in cream and kale and then cook an additional 5 min to slightly wilt the kale, then serve.

For some extra spice you can either use hot Italian sausage OR I just added red pepper flakes to my own serving because of the mild preference of most of my family.

Apple cranberry stuffed pork chops

Ingredients:

3 boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 granny smith apple- peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe apple glaze

In a small frying pan combine 1 tablespoon olive, onion and apple. Cook on med-high for about five minutes. Add dried cranberries and balsamic vinegar. Continue cooking until onions and apples are tender. Place on a plate and cool.

Cut a pocket into pork chops by starting to fillet the chop but not pushing the knife completely through. Stuff the chops with cooled apple mixture and then brown the sides in remaining tablespoon of olive oil in small frying pan. Place stuffed, browned pork chops in a baking dish and top with any remaining apple mixture. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chops are cooked through. Serve with the apple glaze

Apple Glaze (for meats)

Okay- so I found this glaze recipe and was excited by it's simplicity. I just wanted to record it so that I could reference it in the future. This would be so yummy with ham and potatoes. Tonight I made it to go with apple stuffed pork chops.

In a small saucepan mix together: 1 cup apple juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Stir until smooth and then cook on medium heat until it thickens to a gravy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Baked S'mores Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3 (1.55 ounce) chocolate bars ( I just used the equivelent amount of milk chocolate chips)
1 (7 oz.) jar of marshmallow creme

Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add crushed graham crackers, flour, salt and baking powder- mix well until completely combined.
Spoon half the dough into pan and press with fingers to make a crust. Lay chocolate evenly on dough and then smooth marshmallow creme on top of chocolate. Take remaining dough and make into pancakes and then lay on top of marshmallow layer to completly cover. Bake until golden brown-about 30 min. Enjoy!

Autumn Chicken

Ingredients:

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
20 oz cubed butternut squash (fresh or frozen)
4 apples
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and prepare with cooking spray. Mix mayo, mustard and garlic powder into a shallow dish. Measure out bread crumbs into a second shallow dish. Filet chicken breasts and then cut into tenders ( so each breast is cut length ways and width ways to make 1/4s.) Pat each chicken piece so that it is dry and then season with salt and pepper. Dip each piece into the sauce mixture first and then coat by dipping in the bread crumbs. Lay flat to bake.

Bake for ten minutes- while chicken is baking start to prepare the apples and squash, and glaze. Microwave the squash until slightly soft (about 6 min if fresh or 10-12 if frozen ), Then place squash in a 9x13 baking dish. Apples need to be peeled and cubed and then tossed in with the squash. For the glaze boil apple cider in a small pan for 10 min. After 10 min remove from heat and then add butter and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

After apples and squash are ready to go and chicken has cooked for ten minutes rotate the chicken pan in the oven so that both baking dishes will fit and then cook the chicken, squash and apples for 10 minutes. Top both dishes with the glaze and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the chicken is done done and apples and squash are tender. Enjoy!

Cowboy Cavier

Ingredients:

1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of black-eyed peas, drained
2 cans of diced tomatoes w/ mild chilies, drained
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 pack of good seasonings Italian dressing, prepared according to the directions (this means you will also need 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 vinegar and 3 Tbs. water)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and chill for 6 hours. Then add two chopped avocados right before serving. Serve with tortillas chips

Steak Gorgonzola

Ingredients :
2 1/2 lbs boneless top sirloin
1 1/2 cups Italian dressing
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 lb uncooked pasta ( I used fettuccine)
16 oz Alfredo Sauce
4 cups chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 Tablespoons Gorgonzola cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
2 Tablespoons balsamic glaze

1. Cut beef into 1 inch cubes ( I used strips so that I could grill them on shish kabob skewers) and set aside 2. mix the dressing, rosemary and lemon juice together 3. Add the marinade to the beef, toss and let marinate for at least 1 hour.

NEXT

Heat ( or make) Alfredo sauce in a large saute pan, add onion, spinach and Gorgonzola cheese.

To put the dish together:
Grill steak to preferred doneness. Cook 1 pound pasta according to the directions. Place drained pasta on platter and then top with a portion sized amount of sauce. Place grilled beef on pasta and sauce and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Sprinkle on extra Gorgonzola cheese and sun dried tomatoes.

*** Note: I was in a hurry and feeling lazy so I just used Ragu alfredo sauce and I thought it worked great. However, sometime I would like to try the scratch Alfredo recipe.

ALFREDO SAUCE:
1 1/2 cup(s) White Milk
1 1/2 cup(s) Heavy Cream
1/2 cup(s) Imported Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 cup(s) Imported Romano Cheese, grated
6 Egg yolks, fresh jumbo eggs
Salt and black pepper

Dad's Meatloaf made-mini !

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. sausage (I tried turkey sausage for a lower fat option)
2 eggs
1/2- 3/4 cups milk
1 medium onion chopped
3 TB worchestershire sauce
1 big squish of BBQ sauce
about 8 oz of salsa
2+ cups of corn flake crumbs
liberal sprinkling of:
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Really this is one of those recipes that you kind of play around with just to find the right consistancy and depending on what taste you like!
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mash with your hands (yuck- most times I am able to talk Nick into doing this part.) Add cornflake crumbs last, and continue to add until the mash is a moldable consistancy and can be shaped.

At this point you have a choice to make. 1- take the whole bowl and pat it into a loaf pan thus making a meat "loaf." This is the choice that my Dad has always gone with. 2- Take handfuls of the meat stuff and shape into individual portion sized loafs and place on a cookie sheet. I personally make them potatoe shaped, and the last time I made them I divided the recipe into nine balls. Really no rules on this, however I did kind of depress a hole into each portion in hopes of having the inside cook better. This depression however did collect some of the grease that I was hoping to collect by placing each loaf on a piece of bread (see picture below) so I don't know for sure if I will do it again.

This recipe was a huge hit with both Drew (very picky eater) and Will. They loved dipping theirs in ketchup.

Tiffany-Ann's Bow-tie Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
6-16 oz (depending what you like) bow-tie pasta
1 medium zucchini
2 large garlic cloves
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1-3 (depending what you like) boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 small onion
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 medium tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta al dente- drain and keep warm. Chop tomato and onion. Slice zucchini and pepper into little pieces. Heat oil in skillet until hot, then press garlic into oil. Add chicken and then stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add onion, zucchini, bell pepper, peas and seasonings and stir-fry 3-5 additional minutes (or until veggies are slightly tender.) Add tomatoes and heat through (1-2 minutes.) Remove from heat and stir in warm pasta and cheese.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

For the crust- I am a simpleton and just use the roll out dough in the pop cans from the refrigerator section at the grocer.

Roll out dough to the size you want and then pre-cook you dough for 7-10 minutes depending on thickness.

Now the recipe:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
2 slices bacon-cooked and chopped
1/2 cup BBQ sauce, divided
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the chicken breast into small slices or chunks- whichever you prefer. Stir fry the chicken in the sesame oil and then mix in 2 Tablespoons of the BBQ sauce. Set aside when chicken is fully cooked.

Mix remaining BBQ sauce and marinara sauce. Spread evenly over the top of the pre-cooked pizza crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Arrange chicken and onion slices over the top. Sprinkle on the chopped bacon.


Bake pizza 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and crust is starting to turn golden. Remove pizza from oven and sprinkle on the chopped cilantro. Let cool until touchable and then serve and enjoy !