Veggie Pizza

From my lovely mama :)

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. crescent rolls
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1 env. Ranch House salad dressing mix
1 c. mayonnaise

3/4 c. green onions, finely sliced or red onion chopped (i only use 1/4 cup)
3/4 c. carrot, grated
3/4 c. chopped tomatoes
3/4 c. cauliflower, finely chopped
3/4 c. broccoli, finely chopped
3/4 c. ripe olives, finely chopped

Directions:
Place crescent rolls flat on a cookie sheet, pinch seams together, forming a crust. Bake crescent roll crust according to package instructions, then cool completely.
Mix cream cheese, Ranch House dressing and mayonnaise. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Layer vegetables on top. Let sit in refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove wax paper and cut into small squares to serve.

**I don't always have all the vegetable so I don't always use all of them. And I just kind of guess on how much. I chop and then sprinkle on top until its covered as much as I want.

Yakisoba

I love Asian food. Specifically, Japanese food. And I love how quick this meal is! Literally like 10 minutes...

Ingredients

Yakisoba noodles (you can find them in the produce section usally by wonton wrappers and such. I use two packages because I love the left overs!)
Chopped Veggies
(I use chopped broccoli, baby corn, water chestnuts, red bell pepper, onion, cabbage, snap peas, carrots, whatever I've got etc. about 1-2 cups. If you're in a big time crunch, use a pack of frozen stir fry veggies!)
Cooked chopped chicken
(I cut my chicken breast up into chunks and cook it in the same wok or frying pan I am going to use to cook the noodles. It cooks so fast if you chop it first.)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp olive oil
** some yakisoba noodles come with sauce packets, I usually throw those in too just for a good time. If not, you can add more soy sauce, ginger, garlic, to taste.

Directions

Cook your chicken through and leave in pan
With heat on medium - Add chopped vegetables and a few tsp of water
Add 1 tbsp olive oil, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic and any other seasonings you want
Cover and let cook
Add yakisoba noodles and water and stir. Allow to simmer and steam on medium for 3-5 minutes.
Serve! Yum!

Strawberry Cobbler

makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
12 cups sliced fresh strawberries (about 4 pounds)
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup butter, softened

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a large saucepan, combine strawberries and sugar. Let stand for 30 minutes. Cook strawberry and sugar mixture, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until blended. Stir cornstarch mixture into strawberry mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 1 minute or until mixture is thickened. Spoon mixture into 6 (5 ounce) ovenproof ramekins.
In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Divide mixture evenly over strawberry mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Serve warm.
** I used a regular 8x8" pan and cooked the same amount of time and it was so yummy!!

Also found here

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

I took this from my Sister Alicia's Blog and it is so yummy!! But then again, what isn't good with creamy butternut squash??

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 5 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Nutmeg

In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high; add squash and onion. Cook until onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add corn and curry powder; cook until curry is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. In a blender, blend half the soup until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream; Add nutmeg to taste, a dash or so. heat through over medium-low (do not boil).

Roasted Veggies

Mmmm... One of the easiest and yummiest side dishes ever!

Ingredients:
Vegetables such as: butternut squash, mushrooms, zucchini, potatoes, etc.
Olive Oil
Seasoning Salt

Direcions:
Preheat oven to 475.
Cut veggies into chunks (the smaller you cut, the faster they'll cook) Place on cookie sheet or in cake pan and drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle your favorite seasoning on top. Sometimes I use Johnny's, sometimes I use Mrs. Dash, it all depends on your mood. Toss your veggies around so they get mixed around in oil and seasoning. Bake at 475 for about 20 minutes depending on how thin your veggies are. Check after about 15 minutes for tenderness.

Not Even a Recipe Burritos

These burritos are SO easy because they are really just directions. Not even a recipe. But what you'll need is:

Chicken (One breast halved per person)
Black Beans (One can is good for 3-4 Burritos)
Rice Sides or Rice a Roni (One bag is enough for about 4 burritos)
Tortillas (One per burrito)

Okay so just cook your chicken and chop it up. I cook mine in a frying pan with just a tiny bit of olive oil after I've chopped it into small chunks. Heat your beans. And cook your rice as desired. I like Rice Sides because they cook faster and tend to have more flavor. I usually use either the chicken flavor or the Mexican or Spanish rice.
Layer each topping inside a warm tortilla and serve with sour cream, ranch dressing, salsa, etc.

I know this seems easy and way too bland to be good but its really surprisingly super good. So easy, I don't even consider it a recipe.

Focaccia Bread

This takes about 45 minutes to an hour total but is SO easy!

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
**1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
**1 cup mozzarella

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.
When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil.
**Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. OR You can also just brush it with Olive oil and herbs if you would like.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Fresh Spring Salad

Since I am about to go home for lunch I thought you ought to to know that I am going to be making this salad:

Because it truly is the best salad ever.

Ingredients for Salad:
Spinach leaves
Romaine chopped
Craisins
Feta cheese crumbled
Diced pears (not quite ripe)
Small can of mandarin oranges

Combine everything, as much as you'd like and put this dressing on it:


Or oil and vinegar alone is good, or any kind of balsamic vinegar or vinaigerette. Or, frankly just leave some of the mandarin orange juice in there and its yummy too =)

Journey Cakes

This recipe is from my mother-in-law. SO yummy!! We served appetizer sized at our wedding and I made full size for dinner last night. Always so yummy and SO SO easy!

Ingredients:
2 Packages Crescent Rolls
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can medium olives sliced
1 pkg Brown Gravy Mix
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Brown your meat and drain fat off. Add brown gravy mix and just enough water to moisten. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile... slice your olives and shred your cheese and preheat your oven according to the crescent roll directions.
When your meat is cooled, add cheese and olives and stir together.
Roll out one crescent roll and fill with beef mixture. I like to use a rolling pin because it rolls out nicer but you can just press it out to the sides if you would rather. Close it up and place on cookie sheet according to crescent roll directions. Cook for 11-13 minutes or until barely golden brown. Serve!

PS these are great as a freezer meal and leftovers are AWESOME cold or warm.

Roasted Tomato and Herb Pasta

What you need:
12 ounces pasta
5-6 cups cherry tomatoes
5-6 smashed garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs, i.e. basil, parsley, oregano, chives etc.(I've used dry when I don't have any fresh and its still yummy)
Parmesan for serving if you want
Chicken grilled and cut in strips if you would like

Directions:
Turn on your oven to 400°
Meanwhile: Cook the pasta as normal, strain and return to pot when done
Meanwhile: On a cookie sheet, stir and toss around the tomatoes, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, half teaspoon salt, and a little less than half a teaspoon pepper.
Roast the tomatoes in the oven... about halfway through toss them once, until they begin to pop open, (20 to 25 minutes)
Add the oven mixture to the pasta with the chopped herbs and remaining tablespoon oil.
Serve with the Parmesan and oil if you would like. Chicken can easily be added to this dish if you want!

Brown Sugar Salmon

This yummy Salmon dish is SO easy to make and so yummy!

All you need:
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. + 2-4 tsp. packed brown sugar
4 Salmon fillets
1 tbsp. butter, melted
(opt.) 4 thin slices lemon

What to do:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a rectangular or deep square dish depending on how big your fillets are, pour your lemon juice and sprinkle your 1/4 c. brown sugar. I prefer to cover mine with foil for easy clean up first!
Place fillets flat in dish and drizzle melted butter over the top.
Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes and turn.
If you want to... it does add some nice garnish, place 1 slice lemon on each salmon fillet
sprinkle with 2-4 teaspoons brown sugar (or more if you want).
Bake until fish flakes easily with fork, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Serve with juices from dish.

Atlantic Salmon

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 bay leaf
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes (you can simmer less than this if you would like, 90 minutes is enough time for the flavors to fully merry but if you're on a time crunch, shorten it!). Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer 30 minutes more (again, less is okay, just until the flavors are how you like them). Serve.

Recipe also found here

Teriyaki Chicken

You will need:
4-6 Boneless skinless chicken breast (I prefer halved)

Sauce:
½ cup sugar
5/8 (1/2+1/8)cup soy sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp powdered garlic
dash ginger

Mix sauce ingredients and bring to a boil in deep frying pan or sauce pan
Drop in chicken and cook until done (20-30 minutes depending on thickness of chicken)

THE BEST EVER OREO TRUFFLES

Okay so there are tons of recipes for this out there and I don't know which one I may have used since I honestly didn't look at a recipe once while I made these, but, they were delicious =) I almost always keep a package of Oreo's on hand to have as a fast dessert or treat so this was perfect!

Ingredients:
1 package double stuff oreos
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 bag milk chocolate chocolate chips
White chocolate (optional)

Helpful but not required:
Wax Paper
Cookie scoop

Directions:
Dump your Oreo package into a blender and pulse until it is pretty broken up.
Add entire package of cream cheese and then really blend it. (I like this better than crushing all the Oreo's first so the cream cheese actually really mixes with the cream filling of the oreos and then you get cookie chunks still.)
Lay wax paper over cookie sheet
Use a cookie scoop or large spoon to spoon out the right amount and either shape into nice neat little balls, or do like I do... leave them as dallops
Stick them in the freezer for about 10 or 15 minutes so they get cold and harden
Meanwhile, melt your milk chocolate chips. I do mine in the microwave (I know I know... gasp!) Just doing 15 seconds the first time, then stirring for about 30 seconds, then 10 seconds, stir for 30 seconds, 10 seconds, stir for 30... you get it.
Then take your little Oreo balls and dip, drizzle, cover, do whatever works for you to get them nice and chocolatey.
Stick them back in the freezer (still on cookie sheet) for about 20 minutes.
After you are done serving if you have leftovers like to keep them in the fridge in an airtight container instead of the freezer so they aren't rock hard when I want to eat one =)

Drizzle white chocolate if you want them to look extra fancy =)

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

My favorite ever comfort food casserole recipe from my very own mama!

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

4 cups chicken cooked and cubed (can also use turkey)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
2 cups water
1 boxes chicken stove top stuffing

Mix sour cream, soup and water. Prepare stuffing according to directions. Mix chicken, soup/sour cream
mixture, and stuffing. Pour into freezer bag and freeze. When thawed, bake in greased 9x13 , at 350
for 40 minutes.