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 :)

Hearty Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here is a deliciously fantastic soup! This one would be our favorite at the moment... Lot's a flavor and pretty healthy :)

Enjoy!

Veg.

Spray4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-in. cubes

3 1/2 c Chicken Broth

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 c Uncooked Rice

1 pkg frozen corn

1 c Salsa

1 TBS cilantro

2 TBS Lime Juice

Tortilla chips

Shredded Cheese

Spray pot with cooking spray. Heat over med-high heat 1 min. Add chicken, cook until done. stir in broth, cumin and rice. Heat to a boil. Reduce Heat, cover and cook 20 min. Stir in corn, salsa, cilantro and Lime Juice. Cook until Rice is tender. Top with cheese and Tortilla Chips. Serves 4 (it is very yummy so you may want to double it in order to have leftovers. Saves very well.)

Beef 'N Noodle's

Hey Guys! I just made MY favorite meal ever, and if you love mashed potatoes and gravy like I do, then you will love this meal as well! :)

I am going to apologize right now because I forgot to take a pictures. I just ate the last of it today too and I totally told myself earlier to take a picture of it before you eat it, but I ate it and didn't take a picture. But take my word for it, it is delicious!

Ingredients:

2-2 1/2 lbs stew beef

6-8 15oz can's beef broth

2-3 beef bouillon cubes

dried onion flakes

garlic salt

1 1/2 bags frozen egg noodles

3lb-5lb bag potatoes

1/2 cup cold water with 3TBS corn starch.

Directions:

(This is a great meal for the crock pot, but can be adjusted to the stove, I will say how to do it in the crock-pot)

Pour the beef broth into the crock-pot. Add the bouillon cubes and stew beef. Then season with the onion flakes and garlic salt. Do this before bed and set it on low, then the beef gets really tender by the time it's dinner time. I would say let it cook at least 12hrs before you want to eat it. A half hour before dinner time add the egg noodles and slowly add the corn starch water, to thicken. Let it sit a couple minutes to thicken a little bit.

While that is finishing cooking, peal and cube your potatoes and start boiling them. *Little trick I learned from my aunt, add a scoop of butter to the top of your potato water and it won't boil over!* Then once they are tender, drain the water, add butter, milk and some salt and mash away.

Once you are ready to eat, take a bowl, pile in some potatoes and top with the Beef 'N Noodles. Then mix around if you would like and enjoy!

**To Make With Chicken**

To do this meal with chicken, purchase 2-2 1/2 lbs worth of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and Chicken broth instead of beef broth. Boil chicken before adding it to the broth in the crock-pot, but then season the same, other than use chicken bouillon cubes, and follow the rest of the directions.

Baked Mexican Macaroni

Do you love mac & cheese but are sick of the same ole box of Kraft? Or maybe you are like me and ate mac and cheese too much growing up, but still kind of like it, but just want some change up, some FLAVOR added to your mac & cheese, well if that is the case, you will LOVE this classic spiced up.

I pretty much lived on mac & cheese growing up (5yrs old-20yrs old) so I believe I have finally had my fill of the good ole Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I found this recipe a little over a year ago and it has been one of my favorites because it spices up my old favorite. I hope you enjoy it as much as Jon and I do!

Ingredients:

2 2/3c uncooked penne pasta (or any noodle if you like)

1/4c chopped onion

1/4tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or smashed in garlic press

2c plain yogurt

1 1/2 -2c Mexican-4 cheese blend

2TBS butter

1tsp ground mustard

1/8tsp pepper

2TBS all-purpose flour

4oz Velveta cheese, cut into 1/2 in. cubes

1 1/2 bags garlic butter croutons

Heat oven to 375. Cook/drain pasta, set aside. In 3 quart pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic; cook 5-7 minutes, until onion is tender. Stir in flour. Cook over medium-low heat, until bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt, stirring constantly. Gently stir in cheeses; stir in pasta. Pour into un-greased 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle with croutons, just enough to cover all of pasta mix. ( I have used a full two bags before and it's just too much crunchy.) Bake uncovered about 25 min. or until bubbly.

Then enjoy! I haven't done this yet, but I have always thought a grilled piece of chicken would go great with this meal, so if you are wanting to add meat to your meal and not just have pasta, grill up some chicken and have the pasta on the side!