Granola Bars (from Brooke S)

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 c. quick oats
1 c. rice crispies
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TB mini choc chips

In a large bowl stir together oats and rice crispies. Set aside. In a small sauce pan melt together butter, honey, and brown sugar until it bubbles. Cook 2 min. Stir in vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix well. Pack in tight 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Press down chocolate chips. Cool for two hours. Wrap in parchment.

Tips:
Double to fill a 9x13
Freeze choc chips first so they don't melt as you're pressing down
Maybe try putting them in snack size baggies
I took out the choc chips and added almonds and cranberries. The choc chips are good but a little messy sometimes.

Microwave Mug Brownie

Great for a late night snack, when you don't want to make a whole batch of cookies or an entire cake.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs water
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tiny dash salt
4 Tbs white sugar
2 Tbs coca powder
4 Tbs flour

Directions:

Melt butter in mug. Add water, vanilla and salt. Stir until smooth. Add sugar, cocoa powder and flour. Stir until all the lumps are out. Put mug in microwave and cook 60-80 seconds. (yes, 1 minutes to 1 minute 20 seconds, depending on how gooey you want the center.)
This is very rich. Great with glass of milk, some whipped cream or ice cream.

Recipe from Food.com

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 (9 in) zucchini, peeled
1/4 cup butter or olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease baking sheet. Cut peeled zucchini in half lengthwise and remove any seeds. (I didn't bother with this because I used small zucchini with small seeds.) Slice zucchini into sticks. Combine bread crumbs, cheese and seasoned salt into pie plate. Dip zucchini into butter/oil, then press into bread crumbs. Shake off any remaining bread crumbs and place into prepared baking sheet. (I tossed zucchini in bowl with olive oil, and then with bread crumb mixture because it was faster.)
Bake 15 minutes, and then Broil for 5-10 more minutes, to make them crunchy.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Yellow Cake

Great for cupcakes or for making tres leches cake. We poured some milk on top and ate this with peaches the other day and it was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 TBS vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 9x13 pan.
In medium bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Cream for 7-10 minutes for best results. (I use my Kitchen aid). Beat in eggs, on at a time. Add vanilla. Mix. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Add milk. Mix until smooth.
Cook for 35 minutes in preheated oven. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Two chicken breasts in crock-pot with one tablespoon butter cut in pieces on top. Two cloves of garlic if you like garlic. Let cook on hight for two hours. Shred with forks. Add one pint of cream with two teaspoons "better than bouillon chicken paste." Stir and let cook in crockpot. Cook one cup white rice. Shred cheddar cheese, cup up green onion, olives, celery, sour cream, salt, pepper. Serve rice with chicken and toppings.

Beef Stroganoff

One pound of hamburger browned. Drain. Add one pressed garlic and simmer. Add one cup or so of cream. Stir. Add salt to taste. In separate pan, saute sliced mushrooms in butter and cook one half box rotini noodles (the spiral kind). Mix all together.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1/2 bell pepper, diced small (any color)
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided - we like monterey jack
2 16-ounce jars of your favorite salsa
12 6"-8" tortillas, flour or corn
Optional: 1 cup leftover meat - chicken, pork, hamburger, or shredded beef

In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour about a cup of salsa (half a jar) into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around evenly.

Scoop about 1/3 cup into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and nestle it into the bottom of the crock pot. Repeat with the half of the remaining filling, rolling tortillas until the entire bottom of of the crock pot is filled. Spread another cup of salsa over this layer and sprinkle it with another 1/2 cup of cheese.

Continue with the remaining filling and tortillas to create a second layer. Top with another cup of salsa, but reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese for later. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top and let it melt.

Serve the enchiladas with the remaining salsa. Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Additional Notes:

• You can cook the enchiladas for longer (6-8 hours on LOW), but we found that the tortillas in the middle start to get mushy while the ones touching the sides of the cooker get crispy. Still tasty, though!

• To cook these enchiladas in the oven, layer the rolled tortillas in a 9x13 baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes.

• We haven't tried it, but we so reason why this recipe couldn't be doubled if your slow cooker is big enough. Just continue creating layers in the slow cooker and bake as usual.

from the kitchn.com

Crispy Chicken Tortilla Rollups

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400. Make the chicken filling by combining the following ingredients in a bowl: 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken, 1/2 cup jack cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup corn kernels, 1/2 cup black beans, 1-2 sliced green onions, 2 grated or minced garlic cloves, 1/3 cup salsa, 1 tsp. cumin, the juice of  half a lime, 1 tsp. salt, a finely diced seeded serrano pepper (I didn't add this), and 1 container Chobani 0% Greek yogurt.

Step 2:  Heat 1/3 cup canola oil and two grated garlic cloves in a small saucepan over med heat. When the oil is hot, turn off the heat and let the garlic infuse into the oil for 5-10 minutes. Assemble the tortillas by adding about 2 tbs. of the filling along the lower third of 8-10 flour tortillas -- feel free to sprinkle with a bit more cheese on top if you like it extra cheesy! Roll up and place seam-side-down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.

Step 3:  Brush the tortilla rollups with the garlic oil and sprinkle with salt, dried cilantro, and chipotle chile powder. Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping over halfway through cooking so both sides are able to brown and crisp.

Chicken and Green Chili Pasta

1 lb penne pasta

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded with cumin and salt added after shredded (2 cups)

2 cups shredded Monteray Jack Cheese

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

4 oz diced green chilies

1. Cook pasta acoording to package, drain, and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9X13 cooking pan.

2.  In a mixing bowl, stir together chicken and cheese.

3. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour to make a roux and let bubble for 1 minute.  Slowly add in chicken broth and stir constantly. Let bubble and thicken for 10-15 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in sour cream and green chilies. Stir until well combined.

4. In 9x13 baking dish, layer pasta, chicken and cheese mixture two times. Then pour sauce over top. Do not stir. Add more cheese to top if desired (um, yes!). 

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and golden on top.

*Season to your hearts desire. This is a mellow recipe with lots of room to flavor it how you like*

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb hamburger
about 6 peeled and chopped potatoes
1 med/large can pureed tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
some sour cream
salt
frozen green beans
frozen corn
cheddar cheese


Brown one pound hamburger, drain and add two fresh pressed garlic cloves with a little butter and simmer with meat. Add one large can pureed tomatoes or two small and simmer ten minutes. While it simmers boil a pot of water and add about six peeled and chopped potatoes. When they are cooked mash and add two tablespoons butter, some sour cream, salt, and pepper to taste. Next pour tomato and meat sauce on bottom of glass pan and add a layer of frozen green beans and a layer of frozen corn, then the mashed potatoes, then a layer of grated cheddar cheese. Cook at 350 for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is browning and everything is bubbling.
Serve with sour cream if you like.
If you want to take the beans and corn out of the freezer when you start cooking, it speeds up the cooking process.

Vegetable Noodle Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 rib celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, sliced (about 3/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/4 medium onion, about 1/2 cup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup orzo or other small pasta or egg noodles or broken up spaghetti
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (1 quart box, or 2 cans)
Small handful fresh parsley leaves, basil or dill, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
Freshly ground black pepper
Serving suggestion: Whole-wheat crackers and cheese sticks


Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add all the vegetables, garlic and onion. Season with the salt, and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until slightly toasted and golden, about 2 minutes. Add broth, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, covered, until pasta is just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in whatever herb suits you and lemon juice. Season with pepper and additional salt, to taste.

TIP: This soup freezes well, so freeze any leftovers or make a double batch to have plenty on hand. Also, you can stir in some cooked chicken or mini-meatballs, if desired, for another meal.

Makes 2-3 big bowls.



from foodnetwork

Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff (Estroganofe de frango)

An unique and delicious way to make Stroganoff, Brazilian Style. It will turn out fairly thin, but thickens as it cools.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tbs butter
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water plus buillon)
2 TBS Ketchup
2 TBS tomato paste
1 1/2 TBS dijon mustard (or regular mustard)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp oregano (opt)
salt/pepper as needed
1 can Media Crema/table cream (found in hispanic food isle at Walmart and other stores)
shoestring potato fries/stix

Directions:

In large pan, heat butter and saute onion for a few minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute for a few more minutes. Add the chicken and broth and turn down heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the Ketchup, tomato paste and the rest of the spices (but NOT the table cream) and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and add the table cream. The table cream should never be boiled. Serve over rice with the shoestring potato fries on top (or crumpled potato chips).

Carrot Cake II

Ingredients:

Cake
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsps vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsps baking soda
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tsps ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots
1/2-1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 8 oz can crushed pineapples, drained (optional-I like it best without)

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened (I use less)
8 oz cream cheese, cold (turns out creamier this way)
3 1/2-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Directions:

Cake
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In large bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes and then put on wire rack to cool.

Frosting
In medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in nuts. Frost cooled cake (put cake in freezer beforehand so it is easier to frost.)