Cream of Tomato Soup w/ Grilled Cheese

I am the person who used to not like grilled cheese or tomato soup. But now it is one of my favorite meals! I found this tomato soup recipe a while back in a cook book for one of my old nanny families, but I do not remember the name of it. It is a great one though! It is a little bit of work, but oh so worth it! I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did. :)

Also, Like to call it adult tomato soup and grilled cheese. The soup has a bit of a kick to it, and if you make the grilled cheese Like I did tonight with cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese, it is a bit spicy. But it was a very good combination.

Ingredients:
2 - 28oz cans whole tomatoes, drain & reserve the juice
1 1/2 TBS dark brown sugar
4TBS unsalted butter
4 lrg shallots, minced
1TBS tomato paste
pinch ground allspice
2TBS all-purpose flour
1 3/4 c chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream
2TBS cooking sherry
Salt & Cayenne pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Slice tomatoes in half and line in a single layer on foil. sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until all liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cool.
2) Heat butter in a large pan over medium heat, till foaming. Add shallots, tomato paste and all spice. Reduce heat, cover & cook 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add flour & cook, stirring constantly, until completely combined. Whisk in chicken broth. Stir in reserved Tomato juice & roasted tomatoes. Cover increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer for 10 min.
3) Strain tomatoes out of juice and place into a medium bowl, along with 1 cup of juice. Let cool. Place into a blender and puree until smooth. Combine with remaining liquid in pan. Add cream & warm over low heat until hot. Turn off heat. stir in sherry and season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Hodges Family Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Probably the best Sauce for spaghetti out there! But I may be a little biased :).
My grandma & grandpa Hodges have come up with this recipe and it is one that everyone loves once they have it! Just enough spice to satisfy those people who love HOT but not too spicy that if you don't like spice you would not like it. It is wonderful!

I didn't have spaghetti noodles, so I used noodles that I had. But the sauce is a spaghetti sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
1 heaping tsp anise seed
1 heaping tsp fennel seed
1/2 heaping tsp oregano
1 heaping tsp red pepper flake
1 tsp sweet basil
1/2 tsp parsley
1 TBS sugar
1/2 heaping tsp dry onion
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 14/15oz can tomato sauce
1/2- 3/4 can water

Directions:
Pile all spices & Sugar onto a cutting board. Using a rolling pin, roll over the spices to break open seeds. Place hamburger in skillet and top with spices; brown hamburger, drain grease. Add tomato sauce and water. Heat until hot. Serve over spaghetti and with garlic bread.

Easy Crescent Taco Bake or Taco Pie

I love Pillsbury crescents! they are so delicious. I was curious one day as to what else you could do with them so I looked at their website, which is where I found the fiesta Taco cups and this recipe. This one is delicious! I think it tastes like a big chalupa!

Ingredients:
1 can pillsbury crescents
1 lb ground beef
3/4c salsa (or more)
diced tomato
2TBS taco seasoning
1c shredded cheddar
Shredded lettuce
Sour Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Place in an ungreased pie plate. Press together and up sides to form crust. Cook beef over med.-high heat. Drain grease. Stir in salsa and taco seasoning; simmer 5 minutes. Spoon into crust, sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Top with lettuce, tomato & sour cream.

Cheesy Meat Loaf

I copied this recipe from a cook book where I work. It was a low carb cook book, but I am blanking on the official name of it. It is a little interesting, but still yummy. You may need some ketchup for it though.

Ingredients:
1 slightly beaten egg
3/4c bread crumbs (1 slice)
3/4c shredded provolone or mozzarella
3TBS beer, milk, or water
1/4tsp ground nutmeg
1/4tsp black pepper
1 lb lean ground beef
sliced provolone or mozzarella

Directions:
In a large bowl mix together all ingredients except beef. Combine beef into mixture. Form/press into loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until meat is done at 350. Transfer loaf to platter (optional, can leave in loaf pan, just drain grease) and place cheese slices on top. Let Stand 5 minutes.

*side is a twice baked potato pre-made. Bought at the Grocery store.*

Fiesta Chicken Taco Cups

I have been into crescents lately. They are just so buttery and delicious. So I started wondering what else I could do with them other than just the plain ole crescent rolls. I went to Pillsbury's website and found a couple that I like. This recipe comes from that. It is yummy!! Definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

1 pkg chicken tenders, boiled and shredded

1 1/4c taco sauce

1/2-1/3 c frozen corn

1 (8oz) can Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 TBS yellow cornmeal (or more)

1/2c or more of Mexi blend cheese

*Sour cream, Salsa or sliced black olives if desired

Directions:

Spray 8 medium muffin cups with cooking spray. In Sauce pan, heat taco sauce, chicken and corn until thoroughly heated, on medium heat. *Unroll dough, seperate into 4 rectangles, pressing along perforations to seal. Cut in half to make 8 squares. Sprinkle both sides with corn meal. Press into Muffin cups. Turn edges under, pressing to extend 1/4 inch above the edge of the cup.* Place about 2 TBS of chicken mix into cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 for 12-17 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

*I did this part while I was boiling the chicken.*

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Today I had a brilliant idea! BBQ beef sandwiches. I know it may not seem brilliant to many, but I have never made this meal my self, so I was very excited. I created my own "recipe" for this, which is really more that I put a couple of ingredients together. So here it goes. Oh and this is a crock-pot meal! Wonderful!!

Ingredients:
Roast (I used a 7-bone roast, but any roast that is your favorite will work)
Stubb's BBQ Sauce (Bought at Target)
Bun's  :)

Directions:
Get your crock-pot out and plug it in! :) Pour enough bbq sauce to create a thin layer on the bottom of the pot. Meanwhile brown the roast in a skillet on the stove. Then transfer Roast into the crock-pot. Pour about a little over half of the bottle of bbq sauce over the roast; cover. Turn on high for 1 hour, then turn to low for 7 hours or until tender to the point of falling apart. Then remove bone(s) and big pieces of fat. Shred the meat and mix with the sauce and Juice. then serve on a bun. Enjoy!

Taco Salad Dressing

So I have fallen behind on updating my food blog. But it was worth it! I haven't made a lot of new thing's lately, so I haven't had that many new recipes to post, but I have this one that I found a couple weeks ago when I was in the mood for a taco salad. I knew how to put it together, but I was wanting to find a yummy dressing to go with the salad, and I did! Try it and tell me what you think. It also is very yummy as a chip dip! *Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com*

Taco Salad Dressing
Ingredients:
1 mashed avacado
4oz sour cream
2TBS Italian salad dressing
1TBS lemon juice
1TBS minced onion
1/4tsp chili powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add more or less sour cream for consistency. Add as much as you would like to your own personal salad.

Salad Ingredients:
1 bag Roman Hearts
1/2 can shoe peg corn
1/2 can black bean's
2 tomatoes, chopped
Tortilla chips
1 lb browned hamburger, with taco seasoning (any taco seasoning packet you like) ((add to personal salad, so if you have left over lettuce mix it will keep better.))

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

I have yet to find someone who loves Macaroni and Cheese as much as I do. I grew up on the stuff, literally. But I have to say that I am a macaroni snob. The only boxed macaroni that I like is Kraft and I used to not really care for homemade mac and cheese. As I have gotten older I will gladly admit that my tastes have changed and I prefer the fresh ingredients in my food. To say the least, I think I have found my new favorite Mac and Cheese! It is so delicious and it comes out of my "Southern Living: 40 years of our best recipes" cookbook! Try it out and tell me what you think!

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter
1 small onion, chopped
1TBS all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4tsp dried oregano
8oz elbo noodles, UNCOOKED
2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups milk (can use 3 1/2 cups milk if you don't want it as creamy)
2 cups (8oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Melt butter in a large skillet (or pan) over medium-high heat; add onion, and saute until tender. Stir in flour, salt and oregano. Cook 1 minute.
Stir macaroni, cream, and milk into skillet. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until macaroni is tender, stirring occasionally. Add cheese, stirring until cheese melts (do not boil).

Mushroom and Potato Chowder

Here is a new one! New to me anyway. My husband and I are soup fans. Although we have our favorites that we like to make, we try to find new ones to add to our collection. This will be a new one added to our collection. If you like potatoes and Mushrooms, you will for sure love it. It is very similar to Potato soup, but a different taste as well with the mushroom's added. Try it out and see what you think :)

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1/4c butter
2TBS flour
1tsp salt
1/2tsp pepper
3c water
1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 lrg potatoes, peeled & diced
1/2 c chopped carrots (I just bought a small bag of baby carrots and cut them all in half and put them all in.)
1c cream
1/2c grated parmesan (I am a cheese person, so I used half a bag, probably next time will put the full bag :) )

Directions:
In a large pot, saute onion in butter until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper. Stir to make a smooth paste. Gradually add water, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, potatoes and carrots. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 min. or until veggies are tender. Add cream and Parmesan; heat through.

Crescent Dogs

Okay, so this probably has some other fancy name and a better way to do it, but this is how I made them, and they tasted good.

Ingredients:
little weenies, cheese ones if available
Pillsbury crescent rolls.

Directions:
So my package of little weenies came with 40, so I had to get enough crescent tubes to make 20 regular crescents. I bought the small ones so it would be 5 of the small packages or about 3 of the large ones. Cut each crescent triangle in half, place a weenie on the triangle fat end and roll towards the skinny end. Repeat. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.

And there you have it... basic, simple, delicious! :)

Mexican Mess

Who doesn't LOVE dips!? Well if you love Mexican food and dips, then you will love this :). I inherited this recipe when I joined the Randall family. My father-in-law makes this whenever all the kid's are back home. We all munch on it and eat it up in one sitting that is how yummy it is! I hope you enjoy it as much as the Randall clan does!

Ingredients:
1 can refried beans-mashed
1 1/2 TBS lemon or lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 cup (8oz) sour cream
1/4-1/2 tsp taco seasoning
1 bag cheddar Jack cheese, grated
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4c onion, chopped
1 (2.5oz) can pitted black olives, sliced or chopped

Directions:
Mix beans with juice and salt. Mix sour cream and taco seasoning with bean mixture. Layer in following order: bean mixture, Cheese, tomatoes, onion and olives. serve as is or chill, good either way :).

Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe comes straight from the back of my market pantry old-fashioned oats box. I added the mint chocolate chips as my own creation, I loved it, but my husband said maybe next time leave out the mint... But if you love mint chocolate like me then you will love these cookies! I thought they were great!! So I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

*Makes about 3 dozen Cookies*
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
*1 tsp cinnamon if making cinnamon and raisin variety)
3 cups old-fashioned or quick oats, uncooked

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla on Medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt (and cinnamon if desired) on low speed until well blended. stir in oats. stir in any of the additions listed below, if desired. Form dough into 2-inch balls (about 2 rounded Tablespoons of dough) and place on cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. Bake 16-18 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown and center still appears slightly soft. let cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack, let cool.

Variations:
*2 cups raisins and 1 tsp cinnamon
*2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate candies
*1 1/2 cups flaked coconut and 2 cups butterscotch chips
*1 1/2 cups dried cranberries or cherries and 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

**To keep your cookies soft after you put them away, stick a piece of bread or two in with them!**

Christy's White Chili

Here is a recipe that I got from my sister. It is a chicken chili and very delicious! The best part about this meal is that you can throw it in your crock-pot and leave it for 4-6 hours and then come back to it when you are ready to eat. At least that is what I thought was the best part. Perfect for those busy night's when you run out of time but still want a great meal! :)

Ingredients:
32oz box chicken broth
3 cans white kidney beans, undrained
5 cups of chicken
1 jar of salsa (pace picante-medium)
1 chopped onion, sauteed (forgot the onion? use some dried onion flake!)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2tsp. Chili powder (I used 2, and thought I might use a little more next time for more kick)
2tsp Cumin
1 bag frozen corn
2 cans diced chilies.
**Garnish**
Lime
Cilontro
Cheese
Fritos

Directions:
Throw it all in the crock-pot, even the chicken, and cook on low. The chicken will cook in it as you let it sit and cook for the 4-6 hours. Just make sure you shred it up before you serve. And in the words of my sister, the longer it cooks, the better :)... So let it simmer all day if you would like, it will still taste amazing! Enjoy!

Beefy Pizza Casserole

This recipe also gets credit where credit is due: Southern Living, Our 40 years of Our Best Cooking. If you want an easy, once dish meal, try this one out! it was great! Only thing I would add to this recipe when doing it is about 1TBS salt to the meat mixture and more cheese! And maybe mushrooms, if you are a mushroom fan :)

Ingredients:

2 lb. lean ground beaf

2 med. onions, chopped

1/2 c chopped green bell pepper

4tsp dried Italian seasoning, divided

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 (26oz) jar tomato-and-basil pasta sauce (prego)

2 c (8oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 can refrigerated pizza crust dough (pillsbury)

1 TBS olive oil

2 TBS grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Cook first 3 ingredients and 3tsp. Italian seasoning in a large skillet over med-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and return to skillet.

2) Add 1/4c flour, stirring until blended. Stir in pasta sauce. Bring mixture to a boil over med-high heat, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese.

3 )Unroll pizza crust, and place on top of cheese. (Tuck edges into baking dish, if necessary.) Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and remaining 1tsp. Italian seasoning.

4) Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tomato-Beef-Wild Rice Soup

So I got a new cookbook for Christmas. Southern Living: 40yrs of our Best Recipes. That is where this recipe comes from. Very yummy and a good alternative to Chicken and Wild Rice soup.

Ingredients:

1lb beef tips

2TBS olive oil

4 celery ribs, chopped

2 lrg onions sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS dried Italian Seasoning

3 (14oz) cans beef broth

1 (6oz) package wild rice

1(14.5oz) can diced tomatoes

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4tsp hot sauce

1/2-1tsp salt

1tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Saute beef, in batches, in hot oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat until brown. Add chopped celery and next 3 ingredients; saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in beef broth and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Cover and simmer 30 more minutes or until rice is tender. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.

Homemade Pizza

So I was wondering how we could get a new meal, but not have to spend a lot of money and to use the Cavatelli sauce. Then and Idea hit me. I thought, "this sauce would make a great pizza sauce!" So I made a home made pizza using the cavatelli sauce.

Ingredients:

Leftover Cavatelli Sauce

Cheese

Pizza Crust (we really like the pilsbury pizza crust in a tube, find by the crescents)

Favorite Pizza toppings (we like pepperoni and mushrooms)

Directions:

Spread the pizza dough onto a baking sheet. follow directions on can... bake at i believe 350 for 5 minutes, spread the sauce on as thick as you like, add the cheese and top with the toppings. bake 8 more minutes. 

Side note, if you are using fresh mushrooms like we did, saute them a little bit before hand. The let out a lot of water so can make your pizza a little soggy, although it still tastes good, it's just hard to eat :)

Cavatelli

So this is an Italian meal my grandpa made up, I believe anyways. I have never heard anyone else call anything like this, this name. It is very very good! One of my families favorite meals to make when we have guests over.

Ingredients:

1 (12oz) can Tomato Paste

2 (12oz) cans of water {mix well}

2 (15oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (30oz) can tomato Juice

2 lbs hamburger

2 heaping tsp anise seed, crushed

1 heaping tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

1 heaping tsp oregano

2 small can's mushrooms

3-4cloves garlic, crushed

*1TBS fennel seed, crushed

*1tsp red pepper flake, crushed

*1/2tsp sugar

*1/2tsp salt

*Add after meat is cooked, to sauce.

Penne Rigate Noodles (2 boxes, you will have left overs)

Colby Jack Shredded cheese

Garlic Bread

Cook the hamburger along with the anise seed, red pepper, and oregano. once the meat is fully cooked and crumbled add the tomato paste, water, tomato sauce and juice. Mix well. Add the remaining spices to the sauce and stir. Remain on heat to get hot. Then remove from heat.

While the sauce is simmering, cook Penne Rigate noodles according to the box. Drain. Place Noodles in a bowl (single serving), add cheese, and top with Sauce. There you have Cavatelli!

Brenda's Baked Potato Soup

Prepare yourself for deliciousness! And for dishes! This meal is great, but requires a lot of cleaning afterwards, but it is oh so worth it. This recipe is from Brenda Munson, she came up with it one night and we loved it so we got the recipe :)

Ingredients:

1med. yellow Onion, chopped

1 package bacon, cooked, crispy and crumbled

4 cans Chicken broth

1pkg (4-6) chicken breasts

1 bag frozen corn

6 large Potatoes

1 (8oz) sour cream

1-2 bags shredded cheddar

1 1/2tsp parsley

1tsp salt

1 1/2tsp garlic powder

1tsp pepper

1 1/2tsp basil

1 1/2tsp Tabasco

2/3c Flour

Directions:

In a large pot, boil 6 large (cubed) potatoes. In medium size pan cook chicken breasts until done (usually boil them). Cut into cubes. In a large pan, fry bacon. After bacon has cooked about 10min., remove 3TBS of grease into small frying pan. Add 1 chopped onion, saute. Finish cooking bacon. Crumble crispy bacon. In a large pot add 4 cans chicken broth, 2/3c flour, sour cream and the following: parsley, salt, garlic powder, pepper, basil and Tabasco. Add frozen corn, cubed chicken, bacon pieces, onion, and cooked potatoes. Cook on low heat for 45min. Serve with Biscuits; top with cheese.

Chicken Marsala w/Baby Red Potatoes

We love Chicken Marsala from Caraba's, an Italian restaurant that I think can be found in most bigger cities across the country. We decided to try to find a marsala recipe that was like that, well, we haven't found it yet, but this one isn't too bad itself. Jon says it reminds him a lot of the marsala at Macaroni Grill. So if you are in the mood for italian, but not the traditional Spaghetti or Lasagna, try this one out. (we also made baby red potatoes to go along with it)

Ingredients:

1c all-purpose flour

2TBS Essence (recipe to follow)

4-6 boneless chicken breasts

2 TBS olive oil

8TBS Buter

6c sliced shiitake mushrooms (i have a preference for baby bellas, which would work well too)

1 1/2 c Marsala cooking wine

2c Chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Chives, for garnish

Directions:

1) In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence. Stir to combine Thoroughly. Dredge chicken in flour mix, shaking to remove any excess flour.

2) Heat oil in large pot over med-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 2TBS butter and cook chicken until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to plate; set aside. Add 2TBS butter to pot and add mushrooms. cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around edges and have given off their liquid. Add Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken broth and cook 3-5min or until sauce has thickened slightly. lower heat to medium and return chicken breasts. Cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5-10min. (may need to had up to 2TBS of seasoned flour to help thicken). Swirl in the remaining 4TBS butter, add Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essesnce:

2 1/2 TBS paprika

2TBS salt

2TBS garlic powder

1TBS black pepper

1TBS onion powder

1TBS cayenne pepper

1TBS oregano leaf (dried)

1TBS dried thyme

*combine and store in air tight container. 

**Baby red potatoes, cut up, coated in butter, garlic salt and Chives. Baked at 300 for 2 1/2 hours (put them in while we went to church)

Mexican Style Meatloaf

If you are a meatloaf fan, this may be a recipe for you! If you are looking for a variation, that is. I still like original meatloaf the best, but this we pretty yummy. A good way to add variety while sticking to a basic :)

Oven= 350

Serves= 8

Ingredients:

1TBS Paprika

2tsp cumin

2tsp oregano

1stp salt

1/2tsp Cayenne pepper

2slices bread, crumbled

1/2c frozen corn, thawed

1TBS veg. oil

1/2c chopped onion

1/2c chopped green pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1/4c milk

2 lbs lean ground beef

1/2c mild salsa (or how ever spicy you like) or a little more.

Directions:

Mix paprika, cumin oregano, salt, and cayenne in a small bowl. Heat Oil in a small skillet; med. heat. Add onion and green pepper; saute 5 min or until tender. Add spice mixture and cook 30 sec. Set aside. Mix eggs, Milk and bread crumbs in a bowl. Add ground beef, corn and spiced veggies. Mix well. shape into loaf in a foil-lined 9x13 pan (no cooking spray). Bake 45min. Spoon Salsa over meat loaf. Bake 15 more minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

*picture is of it cold... I forgot to take one till about the end, but it was still yummy and keeps very well.

Cinnamon Beef Tagine

o this recipe is a little different, I'm not going to lie. But I cook for a man who likes variety, so I try to find things that are new, but that I will like as well. It is a stew, but it is sweet. It is a Moroccan Stew. If you are a salty fan like me, you may not totally be a fan of it. But it is a nice one to have for variety.

I would say that It would probably be better all put in the crock-pot on Low all day, because the meat doesn't get very tender the way that it is cooked according to the recipe. If you are feeling adventurous, try this one out for size :)

Ingredients:

2lbs Stew Beef

2TBS Flour

2TBS Veg. Oil (seperated)

1 - 14.5oz can Beef Broth

1 med. onion, cut in wedges

1TBS ground cinnamon

2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

4c cubed butternut squash (this time of year costco has it already pre-cubed; recommended)

3c cubed sweet potatoes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2c raisins

Directions:

Coat beef cubes with flour. Heat 1TBS oil in pan, med-high heat. Add 1/2 the beef and cook until browned on all sides. Remove. Repeat with other half. Set aside all meat. Stir broth, onion, ginger, salt, cayenne and bay leaf into pan. Bring to boil, stirring to release brown bits on bottom. Return meet to pan. Add veggies; mix welll. Return to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer and cover 30 min. or until veggies are tender. Stir in Raisins. Serve w/couscous, if desired.

Swiss Chicken Bake

Here is another one that we made Saturday night. If you like quick easy meals then this one is for you. Basically all you do is through everything into the pan and bake and then you are ready to eat. Very taste and one of our favorites if you want something easy! 

Ingredients:

10-12 frozen chicken tenders or 6 chicken breasts

Swiss Cheese slices (I use target's market pantry slices)

2 can's cream of chicken soup

1/4 c white cooking wine or milk (i use milk)

6oz box stove top dressing/stuffing

3 TBS butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350. place chicken in a 9x13 pan/dish. place cheese on top of the chicken. combine cream of chicken soup and white wine/milk. Pour over cheese. Sprinkle generously with stuffing mix. Drizzle melted butter on top. Bake 40 minutes. If dressing begins to get too dark, cover with foil.

Chili

Hey everybody! Hope you all are doing well. Made the Hodges Family chili today for a small group get together and it was delicious! So if you are in a mood for chili and want a good, tasty recipe, try this one. Got a lot of complements on the spices tonight so hope you all enjoy it as well!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Hamburger

1 onion, chopped

2tsp chili powder

1tsp red pepper flakes

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can dark red kidney beans

1 can black beans (drain juices from all beans)

1 (46oz) can Tomato juice

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp cumin

Directions:

Cook hamburger, onion, chili powder and red pepper together until hamburger is no longer pink. Drain the grease. Add the beans (juice drained), tomato juice, salt and pepper, and cumin. Mix well. Heat until warm. Can cook on low in a crock-pot all day.

Southwest Chicken Soup

Hey y'all! so this soup is very delicious! It is a little bit similar to the Hearty Chicken tortilla soup, but only because you eat it with tortilla chips (and cheese for us!)

But it is a great one for a long work day... just put all the ingredients in (except corn and green pepper) and let it cook all day while you are at work, add the final two ingredients a half hour before you want to eat! and there you go... a great soup, that wasn't a whole lot of work :)

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut up (i used chicken breasts and it was great)

2 med. dark orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes (about 2 cups)

1 lg onion, chopped

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes

1 3/4c (I 14.5oz can) chicken broth

1/2 c green bell pepper, chopped (i just used a whole green pepper)

2tsp dried oregano leaves

1tsp ground cumin

1c frozen corn (i really like corn so i added an extra cup)

2TBS chopped fresh cilantro (or dried)

Tortilla chips

Cheese (optional)

In crock-pot, mix chicken, sweet potatoes, onion, tomatoes, broth, oregano and cumin (if using dried cilantro, add it in as well, that's what i did). Cover and cook on low for 7-8hrs. Stir in corn and bell pepper. Increase heat to high; cover and cook 30 mins. or until chicken is no longer pink and veggies are tender. Spoon soup into bowls and top with fresh cilantro and chips (and cheese if desired).

*I used dried cilantro so I didn't put any on top. I am glad i used dried and added it into the crock pot in the morning because i think it added to the flavor. But feel free to try it the way the recipe says :)