Black Bean Quesadillas

2 pkgs. (10 count) medium size flour tortillas shells
2 pkgs. (10 ounces) Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 can (15 ounces) black beans
1 bag (22 ounces) of fully cooked grilled chicken breast strips (Tyson’s or John Soules Foods brand)
1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
2-3 sprigs of cilantro (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet cook the chicken breast on medium heat until warm (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. The saves time when you are entertaining.
To assemble the quesadillas, place a tortilla shell on a baking sheet. Spread ¼ cup of the shredded Monterey jack cheese on the tortilla shell. Next, add 1/3 cup of the black beans. Layer about ½ cup of chicken breast on top of the mixture. Add a final ¼ cup of the shredded Monterey jack cheese. Place another tortilla shell on top. Repeat with another tortilla shell.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the tortilla shells are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before cutting. Slice the quesadillas into 4 pieces.

Strawberry Pretzel Jell-o

1C. melted butter
1/4 C. sugar
11/2 C. crushed pretzels
Mix together and spread in a 9x13 pan. Do not press tightly in pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 mins. Let cool completely.

Mix together:
8 oz. cream cheese
9 oz. cool whip
Pour over crust.

Mix 1 lg. package strawberry jell-o with 2 C. boiling water to dissolve.
Add 1 lg. package frozen strawberries to dissolved jell-o.
Pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate until set.
Add a spoon of whipped cream when served.

Pumpkin Dip

Great served with apple slices, gingersnaps or vanilla wafers

2 8 oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened 1/4 t. nutmeg
15 oz. can pumpkin 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice 1 lb. powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese with mixer until smooth. Add pumpkin and spices to cream cheese mixture; fold in powdered sugar. Chill before serving.

Pantry Secrets Bread

www.pantrysecrets.net

10 1/2 cups white Bread Flour (do not use all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBL Salt

3 rounded tablespoons saf-instant yeast

3 tablespoons liquid lecithin*

4 cups hot tap water

Mix ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water. Dough should be very sticky. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Spray counter and pans with Pam. Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel. Let rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. This recipe makes four loaves of bread.

* Squeeze or pour approximately 3 TBL of lecithin directly into the bowl. Do not measure. Make a circle the size of a quarter and fill it in.

** For whole wheat bread, use the same recipe but add one cup of applesauce as part of the hot tap water and 1 additional tablespoon lecithin. Mix for ten minutes.

www.howtomakebread.blogspot.com

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love pumpkin anything! But I like it to be somewhat healthy so I added 1/2 cup applesauce and took out 1/2 cup of the butter. They tasted great!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup applesauce

Then add:

1 cup pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Sift together dry ingredient then add to above wet mixture.

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

Add 1 cup milk chocolate chips. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow to cool then frost.

Icing:

In saucepan, heat 3 Tb butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar over medium to med-high heat until bubbling and thick. Cool 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup milk. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

Frosting
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Ann's Sweet Salsa

3 qts tomatoes skinned and chopped
1 qt bell peppers
1/2 qt anaheim peppers
1 c jalepeno peppers
1 qt. onion
12 cloves garlic
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup cilantro
1 1/2 TBL Salt
1/2 TBL Sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 TBL Italian seasoning (if you don't have this use a combination of basil and oregano)
3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)

Mix together and simmer for 2-3 hours. Process in water bath for 20 minutes.

Spaghetti Sauce for Canning

14 cups mashed and peeled Tomatoes
3 cups chopped onion
1/2 c plus 1 TBL olive oil
4 6 oz cans tomatoe paste
Red pepper flakes
2TBL Oregano
2TBL Basil
2TBL Sugar
1 1/2 TBL unionized salt
1 TBL Garlic Powder
Pepper

Chop and combine everything in a large quart pan. Let simmer for 2-3 hours. Process in water bath for 15 minutes.

No Fail Pizza Dough

My husband told me not to lose this recipe so here it is in the safest place I know:


1 pkg yeast (I think 1 pkg =2 1/4 tsp)
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 TBL oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and add oil. Combine flour and salt. Pour yeast mixture over dry ingredients and mix. Let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough onto greased pizza pan. Add toppings. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

I think I only cooked it at 400 until it was light brown.

I put a bruschetta type mixture on top:

6-7 tomatoes skinned (boil one minute run under cold water and they skin easy)
fresh basil
mozzarella cheese
garlic
pepper

I smashed all the seeds and juice out of the tomatoes and stirred everything together and put it on top cooked until cheese was melted.

Zucchini Soup

I got this from another cooking blog that I love. It is so tasty and you don't have to turn on the oven and can still use all the zucchini from the garden.

http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/2009/05/zucchini-soup.html

1 cup chopped onions
2 T. butter (she usually uses 1 T)
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
½ cup half-and-half (she often substitutes with regular milk and still think it tastes very yummy)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled


In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add sliced zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 min.) Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half-and-half (or milk). Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits. Makes 6 servings.

I think my picture is not as green as hers because she probably left the skin on. Which after making once I think it would still taste good. I added the cheese and sour cream and thought it was delicious.

Striped Delight

35 OREO Cookies

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. cold milk

1 tub (12 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

3-1/4 cups cold milk

2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

PROCESS cookies in food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to medium bowl; mix in butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.

WHISK cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk in medium bowl until blended. Stir in 1-1/4 cups COOL WHIP; spread over crust.

BEAT pudding mixes and 3-1/4 cups milk with whisk 2 min.; pour over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 min. or until thickened; cover with remaining COOL WHIP. Refrigerate 4 hours.

How to Easily Cut Into Squares:

Place dessert in freezer about 1 hour before cutting into squares to serve.

I made this for Mother's Day and everyone seemed to like it. I got the recipe from Kraftfoods.com. Check out their site for a pretty picture of the dessert. I tried to cut a few calories by using low fat Oreos, light cream cheese and light Cool Whip, and it was still pretty tasty.

Breakfast Casserole

8 frozen hash brown patties
1 cup milk
4 cups of grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
2 cups of cubed ham or sausage (sausage should be cooked)
1/2 tsp salt
7 eggs


Line hash brown patties in greased casserole dish. Top with cheese and meat. Mix eggs, milk, salt and mustard powder in a bowl. Wisk until blended. Pour over casserole. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-25 min. You can also add onions and peppers if you like them when you top with cheese and meat.


This picture is not the best sorry, it is really good though!

Deadly Caramel Brownies

I made these tonight and they are yummy!

http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/2009/03/deadly-caramel-brownies.html

Breakfast Orange Rolls

I really love orange rolls but I don't always love planning ahead for them.  I was having a craving for some and I remembered this recipe.  It is really unhealthy though so I modified it.  I will give you both versions

Original Version:

2 pkgs Hungry Jack Biscuits (Flaky)

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

4T frozen orange juice concentrate

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add sugar and juice concentrate.  Continue to cook until it barely boils. Arrange rolls (vertically) in bundt pan.  Pour mixture over rolls and bake at 350 15-20 min.

This is my more healthy version:

1 pkg Flaky biscuits

1/3 cup butter

4 TBL frozen orange juice concentrate.  

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add sugar and juice concentrate. Continue to cook until it barely boils. Arrange rolls in round cake pan.  Pour mixture over rolls and bake at 350 15-20 min. 

I thought they still tasted good with half the fat and no sugar!

Football Brownie idea

My sister in law made these for the superbowl and I thought they were so cute. 

Candy Popcorn

1 cup butter or margarine

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup Karo syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 bag marshmallows

2 bags microwave popcorn set aside in large bowl after popping, make sure you get all the kernels out. 

1 bag cinnamon bears

Over low heat mix butter, sugar & karo syrup 1-3 minutes or until butter is melted and just starts to boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla and marshmallows.  Pour and stir over popcorn and cinnamon bears until mixed.  

Kathy's Boneless Buffalo Wings

I hate buffalo wings usually cause I am not a fan of bones in chicken so I thought I would try these boneless buffalo wings.  You can adjust the hot sauce to you liking.  They are suppose to be a little healthier than normal hot wings.  They turned out great, forgot to get the picture. This recipe came out of the Ogden Standard Examiner.

1 cup trans-fat-free Panko (Japanese) bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Ice water

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup hot sauce

Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Set a rack on a foil lined baking sheet.  Spray the rack generously with cooking spray.  

Combine the first four ingredients in a pie plate or shallow bowl and mix well.  Slice each chicken breast into six pieces, then put the chicken in a large bowl of ice water until well chilled.  Remove the chicken from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels.  Using a pastry brush, throughly coat each piece of chicken breast with light mayonnaise.  Transfer the chicken to the pie plate and bread each piece.  

Put the chicken on the prepared rack and spray each piece lightly with cooking spray. 

Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the coating crisps and browns.  Place the baked chicken pieces into a container that has a lid.  Pour the hot sauce over the chicken in the container, cover with chicken is coated with hot sauce.  

Makes 12 pieces Serves 6 Per serving (2 pieces): 193 calories, 7.5 grams fat grams, 270 milligrams sodium, 45 milligrams cholesterol.  

 

Easy Fast Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c shortening
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Cream above ingredients together Add 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp soda. Mix well. Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Place on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until done.

This only makes about 2 dozen or less depending on how big you make them. Fast to mix together and fast to bake!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Night Before:

3 ½ to 4 lb. Pork Roast
2 Tbs Brown sugar
1 to 1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Mix together and rub on pork roast. Put in crock pot on low. Cook all night.

Next morning, add:
1 can coke
1 cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped

Keep cooking all day in crock pot on Low.

About an hour before serving, shred roast and add:

1 cup brown sugar