Broccoli Chicken Casserole

From: I grew up eating this recipe... It was my Mom's favorite way to get us to eat broccoli!  Yumm!!

Ingredients:

1 lbs cooked broccoli
12 oz can chicken, or precooked chicken chunks
2 eggs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c chopped onion
1 c cheddar cheese
3/4 c mayonnaise
cheddar cheese Doritos

How to:  

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl except the Doritos.  Pour it all into a lightly greased casserole dish and bake at  350° F, covered, until bubbly (about 30 minutes). You can serve it as is - my favorite way to eat it as a dip for Doritos.  Or you can pull it out of the oven and top it with Doritos and bake it for another 5 minutes uncovered and serve it as a casserole. Either way, it's yummy!!

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

From: A dear friend, Ashley Martin, over at Adventures in Twinderland, shared this recipe with me.  Wow is it deeeeee-licious!!

Ingredients:

1/2 or 1 large onion minced
6 garlic cloves or 1 Tbsp dried minced garlic
diced celery (to your liking - I used about a cup)
sliced carrots (to your liking - I used about 1 1/2 cups)
4 Tbsp butter (I may have used a whole butter stick. ;)  )
1 cup wild rice
1 cup of long grain rice
1/2 cup of flour
6 cups chicken stock or water with bullion (I used 5 cups of water with 6 cubes of bullion so it would have lots of flavor but be more like rice and less like soup - only because I was on a soup fettish and cooked soup 4 times in a week)
chicken or turkey cooked (optional)
crumbled cooked turkey bacon (half of a package)
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup cream
Parmesan cheese to taste

How to:  

Mince the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots and saute with half of the butter until it's softened and cooked through.

Then melt in the rest of the butter. Add 1 cup of wild rice and 1 cup of long grain rice and cook for a few minutes. Then add 1/2 a cup of flour and mix in, let it cook for a few minutes. Next, add in the chicken stock or water with bouillon and put a lid on the pot, let it simmer for about half an hour or until the rice is cooked and tender (but obviously wild rice still has some crunch to it).

If you want to add pre-cooked chicken or turkey, now is the time to add it along with the crumbled bacon. At this point, I taste-tested and was so in love with the taste that I didn't even add the rest of the ingredients, plus it's right after the holidays and I'm trying to eat healthier.  Ha!

But this would also be delicious:  Ashley says to mix in about 2/3 a cup of cream, and then add Parmesan, salt and freshly grated pepper to taste. Add extra chicken bouillon if needed but it you probably don't need it. Enjoy!  I sure did!

Jalapeño Cheese Bites

From: My husband came up with this little delicious snack. Yummm!!

Ingredients:

Cracker - wheat thin or saltine (I prefer a wheat thin.)
cheddar cheese slice
a dab of honey
jalapeño slice
homemade cheese or cream cheese

How to:  

Stack each ingredient and pop it in your mouth!

Red Orange Salad

From: One evening we were having friends over, and we were missing a key ingredient for a salad we wanted to make, so my husband improvised and threw this one together, inspired by his favorite Italian cook, Lydia. It was so good that it wasn't until I was scraping the last bit out of the bowl and scarfing it down, that it occurred to me to take a picture and post it here.

Ingredients:

romaine lettuce
red oranges, diced
craisins (dried cranberries)
blue cheese
red onion
french fried onions
rasberry vinaigrette salad dressing

How to:  

Toss the dry ingredients together and top with the dressing to your liking.

Chicken Craisin Salad

From: This recipe is from my Aunt Carol.  It's more filling than you'd think!  We love it for dinner!

Ingredients:

mostly white chicken pieces cut from small roasted chicken, about 3 c.
1 cup dried craisins (dried cranberries)
1 cup walnuts
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
3 celery stalks, sliced vertically, then chopped
pineapple slices, cut in wedges, two 15-oz cans
Marie’s (brand) cole slaw dressing (or 1000 Island or Honey Mustard) - we like honey mustard
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

How to:  Combine all the ingredients except the dressing and cheese in a large bowl. Serve.  Top with dressing and cheese as desired.

Bruschetta

From: This is the Pioneer Woman's Bruschetta recipe.  Holy heaven, this woman has done it again.  This is to die for.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
5 fresh cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 pint Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
1 pint Yellow Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
16 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
Salt And Pepper To Taste (don't Oversalt!)
1 loaf of French bread
8 Tablespoons Butter

How to: 

Follow the Pioneer Woman's instructions.  The only deviation I suggest is that you only toast the top side of the bread.  That way, you get the crispy buttery goodness of toast and the soft fresh french bread at the same time.  It's fantastic.

Caprese Salad

From: I have always loved caprese salad.  But this post from the Pioneer Woman inspired me to master our own homemade version.

Ingredients:

3 whole ripe red tomatoes
a handful of fresh basil leaves
mozzarella cheese or homemade fresh cheese
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar

How to:  

Slice tomatoes thinly.  Then layer:  tomato, cheese slice, basil leaf, tomato, cheese slice, basil leaf.  Salt and pepper the entire plate lightly.  Then you can either drizzle balsamic vinegar over the whole thing, or you can make balsamic reduction and drizzle that over the whole thing.  To make balsamic reduction, follow the Pioneer Woman's instructions:

She says, "In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic has reduced to a thicker glaze. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or cruet. Allow to cool."

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

From: This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Ingredients:

1 stick Butter, Divided
2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Carrots, Peeled And Cut Into Thick Circles
1/2 cup Jack Daniels Or Other Whiskey
3/4 cups (to 1 Cup) Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

How to: Just click here.

Sweet Potato Casserole

From: My great aunt Bobbie Carne (sister to my mother's mother) passed this recipe on and we've been cooking it for Thanksgiving as long as I can remember.  It's just not Thanksgiving without it.

Ingredients:  No amounts; just put in what you feel like, and then taste it. You can always add more of something.

sweet potatoes

brown sugar
honey
molasses
a pinch of salt
cinnamon
apple juice
butter
kosher marshmallows


How to: 

First cook the sweet potatoes.  My mom cooks them in the pressure cooker.  You could also boil them.  I poke lots of holes in them with a shish-ka-bob stick, cut off about half an inch of the pointy ends, put them in a microwave safe bowl, cover them, and microwave them.  Yes, I realize this is cheating and probably cooks any shred of healthiness out of them.  But it sure is easy.

Next, peel them.  Use an oven mit you don't mind getting dirty, or wait until they've cooled so you don't burn yourself.  Then add all the ingredients except the marshmallows.  Now mash, mash, mash, until they are as smooth as you desire.

Spread the potatoes into an oven-safe dish.  Sprinkle (or if you're my mom, layer) the marshmallows on top.  Warm thoroughly in the oven (about 350°F) so they melt a bit and get golden brown and crispy on top.  (The ones in this picture are not golden brown, nor are they crispy.  We were too impatient to eat them so I didn't bake them long enough.

Pesto Blue Cheese Ramen Noodles

From: We often have extra pesto sauce and blue cheese in our refrigerator and one day I was trying to figure out what to do with them.  This is what I came up with!

Ingredients:

Ramen noodles
2 or 3 Tbsp blue cheese crumbles
3 Tbsp pesto

How to:  Boil the noodles until they are cooked.  Drain.  Add pesto and mix well.  Top with blue cheese crumbles to your liking.

Side Notes:  For lactose intolerance, you could substitute non dairy cheese.

Dip for Steamed Artichoke

From: I was online searching for something different to serve with steamed artichoke one day and decided to take a few ideas from this site to make my own dip.  Here you go!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of mayonnaise
1 tsp of thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 heaping Tbsp of blue cheese

How to:  

Mix all ingredients well and serve.

Side notes: You can also melt half a stick of butter and dip in both.  Yummmm!

Dairy Free Mac 'n Cheese

From: Once I figured out how to make dairy free cheese, the very first thing I did was make my kiddo some good ol' macaroni and cheese!  Because EVERY kiddo should be able to enjoy mac 'n cheese.

Ingredients:

macaroni noodles
dairy free soft cheese
soy milk

How to:  

Cook the macaroni noodles and drain.  While still hot, add desired amount of cheese (I added about 1/2 cup) and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of soy milk so the mixture is creamy and moist, not sticky.  Enjoy!

Ensalada de Palmito

From: Hearts of Palm (or palmito) is one of our favorite common things to eat in Costa Rica.  I had a can of them in my cupboard and was looking for a salad to put them in.  I started with this recipe and then changed it to my liking.

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can hearts of palm, drained & sliced (if not already)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper (use fresh ground pepper if possible)
2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly shaved
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 cup finely chopped iceberg lettuce (optional)

How to: 

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Serve.

Side notes:

Serves two.

Turkey Ham & Scalloped Potatoes

From: My mom sent me this recipe.  She got it from a slow cooker recipe book she has had for 30 years.

Ingredients:

Turkey ham, cut into bite sized pieces
3-5 medium potatoes cut but not peeled
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
sprinkle with paprika
green chilies (optional)

How to: 

Put all the ingredients in the slower cooker and cook it on high for 3 hour or low for 6-8 hours.

Side notes:

For lactose intolerance, hold the cheese and add it on the side when serving.

Taco Salad

From: This one is an original.  :)

Ingredients:

romaine lettuce
crushed tortilla chips
tomatoes
ground beef
cinnamon
olive oil
salt
sugar
barbecue sauce
ketchup
cheese
salad dressing (my favorite is Ranch flavor)
other options:  raisins, craisins, anything else you think you might want to add

How to: 

Start by browning meat withe same spices from my hamburger recipe. The only difference is that you add about a Tbsp per pound of ground beef of olive oil to help break it up and add more ketchup and barbecue sauce so it's juicier.  Then add all the ingredients together in a salad.  Enjoy!

Costa Rican White Rice

From: I learned how to make Costa Rican rice when I lived there for a year.  Now, my husband and I make rice for our meals a couple times per week.

Ingredients:

2 cup white rice
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
3 cups of water

How to:  

Put all the ingredients except the water in a rice cooker or pot.  Mix well so that the rice is well coated with the oil.  Add the water.  Cook the rice.

Romaine Lettuce Salad

From: This one's an original...  I love salads and adding new things to them.  This is my most recent salad combination favorite.

Ingredients:

PICTURED ABOVE:
fresh (not packaged) romaine lettuce

grape or cherry tomatoes
craisins (That's not a typo. They're dried cranberries and they can be found near the raisins in most grocery stores.)
blue cheese crumbles
french fried onions
blueberries
your favorite dressing

HERE'S ANOTHER GREAT COMBINATION: 
fresh (not packaged) romaine lettuce

grape or cherry tomatoes

craisins (That's not a typo. They're dried cranberries and they can be found near the raisins in most grocery stores.)

french fried onions

grilled chicken strips 

your favorite dressing

How to:  It's a salad so, you know, throw it all together.  Make it big.  You're gonna like it.

Banana Bread

From:  This one came straight from Simply Recipes.

Ingredients:

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

How to:  Just click here.

Black Beans

From: This one came straight from my husband's brain.  It's a Costa Rican recipe and it make me feel like I'm home no matter where I am.

Ingredients:

1Tbsp of salt
1/2 onion skewered
16 oz dry black beans

How to: 

Put all the ingredients in the crock pot and fill the pot one inch below top of slow cooker.
Cook until the beans are soft (overnight on low, or on high if you can observe it and test the beans after several hours).

Green Bean Casserole

From: It's the classic Campbell's Kitchen recipe.

Ingredients: 

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

How to:  Just click here.

Side notes:  In this picture I topped it with mozzarella cheese and french fried onions. Yumm!!