August: Potlucks!

August Theme: Potlucks. What do you take with you?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Coconut Berry Pizza

I found a fun recipe for fruit pizza. Check out my blog for the recipe:
Put a Lyd on it...

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Peach Cobbler

This is an easy favorite and feeds a crowd. For some color and variety, add a cup or two of berries.

2 large cans peaches, 1 drained, 1 with juice
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
about 1 tsp cinnamon

Pour the peaches into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with the cake mix and then sprinkle on a little cinnamon. Cut the butter into pats and spread them evenly over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 or until golden. Serve warm with ice cream.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Chicken Cheesesteaks with Peppers

From Everyday Food October 2008
Serves 2

1/2 lb. chicken cutlets, or leftover rotisserie chicken sliced
2 T. vegetable oil
coarse salt & ground pepper
1/2 red and 1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 slices provolone cheese, cut into strips
2 soft hoagie rolls, split lengthwise
mayonnaise or miracle whip

1. If not using rotisserie chicken, heat broiler with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss chicken with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, without turning, until chicken is opaque throughout, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board (save baking sheet); let cool and thinly slice. Set chicken aside.

2. On a baking sheet, toss together peppers, onion, garlic and remaining oil. Broil, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender and slightly charred, 8-10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to broiled vegetables; toss, and spread in a single layer.

3. Top chicken and vegetables with cheese; broil until cheese is bubbling, only about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Scoop out most of the middle of the rolls; discard. Spread rolls with mayonnaise (or miracle whip if you are a person who likes things to taste better!) Fill with chicken and vegetables. Serve immediately.

Southwest Macaroni Salad

My mother-in-law and I made this yesterday. It was mostly her invention. I really liked it. The amounts are not exact and this is the kind of thing that you can leave out or replace anything you don't like.

1 packet ranch, mixed with mayo and/or sour cream according to directions
1 cup fresh salsa
1-2 lbs macaroni, cooked and drained
3 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can sliced olives
2 sliced green onions
1 chopped cucumber
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
handful halved cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Mix and chill.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Baked Ziti

1 lb. dry ziti noodles, I use rigatoni
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2 jars spaghetti sauce
6 oz. provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 c. sour cream
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 T. grated parmesan cheese

Cook ziti 8 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse. Brown onion and beef on medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. Grease a 9x13 dish and layer ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream 1/2 sauce mixture, ziti, mozzarella, and sauce mixture. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Layers:
ziti
provolone cheese
sour cream
1/2 sauce mixture
ziti
mozzarella
sauce
parmesan cheese

**Half this recipe and it still makes a ton!!

Best Meatloaf Ever

It is the sauce that makes this meatloaf what it is!

2 eggs
2/3 c. milk
3 slices bread, torn into pieces
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. grated carrot
1 c. shredded Cheddar or Mozzarella
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. ground thyme
1/2 t. coarse ground black pepper
1/4 t. ground sage
1 1/2 lb. hamburger

Topping:
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t. prepared mustard

Beat eggs. Add milk and bread--let sit for a few minutes. Stir in onion, carrot, cheese, Worcestershire, herbs and seasonings. Add beef. Put in greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Combine topping ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes more, occasionally spooning topping over beef. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*This will make 1 very very large meat loaf or 2 medium size meatloafs and you can freeze one!

Taco Rice

from allrecipes.com

You can use this as a side dish with enchiladas or as a filling with your tacos, whatever you can imagine it will taste good with-- it probably will!

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

14.5 ounces water in chicken broth can
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix, to taste
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream

In your rice cooker, put in rice, chicken broth & water, tomato sauce, and as much taco seasoning as you want. I used about half. Turn rice cooker on. After rice is cooked, stir in the cheddar and sour cream.

*You can also stir in at the end any of the following: 1 can green chilies, 1 can sliced olives, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, 1 can spicy Ro-tel tomatoes & green chilies

Linguine with Vegetables

* I'm sure many of you have recipes like this, but this is my favorite way to eat my veggies!

1/2 lb. linguine
2 t. oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small zucchini, sliced
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 c. provolone or mozzarella cheese, grated
3 T. parmesan, grated

Cook pasta according to box. Heat oil in large fry pan on medium heat. Add garlic, zucchini, and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until tender crisp. Add vegetables to drained pasta, add cheeses and mix until cheese melts. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. lemon-lime soda
2/3 c. white vinegar
3 cloves smashed & chopped garlic
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. ground black pepper

Put chicken in crockpot. Cover with brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic & soy sauce. Add the vinegar and pour in the soda. It will bubble.

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and falls apart. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a a huge ladle full of the broth poured over.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Everyday Food
Makes 12
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas 9about 4 ripe)
1 whole banana for garnish
2 large eggs
1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1 1/4 c. confectioner's sugar, 1/2 c. butter (room temperature), 1 T. honey and 1/8 t. ground cinnamon until smooth, 4-5 minutes.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not over mix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Spread tops with Honey-Cinnamon frosting. Just before serving, peel and slice banana into rounds and place one on each cupcake.

Fresh Fettuccine with Quick Meat Sauce

Serves 4

coarse salt & pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef chuck
1 c. dry white wine (I used combo: white wine, white wine vinegar & apple juice)
1 can (28 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes in juice, chopped
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
18 oz. fresh fettuccine
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion & garlic; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 3-4 minutes. Add pork & beef; cook, breaking meat up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 2-3 minutes. Add wine; cook until evaporated, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and red pepper flakes; cook until sauce is slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, and return to pot; add meat sauce, and toss to coat. Serve immediately, topped with parmesan, if desired.
** I only used half the fettuccine and half the sauce, freezes nicely for another meal!