Ham Fried Rice

2 eggs
1 T olive oil
1 c day-old cooked rice
1/2 c frozen peas and carrots
2 slices deli ham, sliced
2-3 T Yoshidas sauce
1 T soy sauce

Scramble the eggs and remove to a seperate dish.  Throw the oil and rice into the pan used to cook the eggs and heat through for a couple of minutes.  Add eggs and the rest of the ingredients and continue heating.  Add sauce and seasonings as needed.

Au Gratin Potatoes

6 russet potatoes
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese
1 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c finely chopped onion

Boil Potatoes in skins until barely tender.  Cool and grate.  Mix in cheddar cheese.  Mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup, butter, salt and onions and add to the cheese and potato mixture.  Put into a 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Doctored Cake Mix

To make any cake mix more moist and taste home made follow the instructions below:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

cake mix box

2/3 cup sour cream

box of instant pudding

add 2 extra egg 

1 2sp of vanilla

use melted butter instead of oil and double the amount

use milk instead of water

preheat to 350 but reduce to 325 when inserting cupcakes and bake for 25 minutes

Carmelized French Toast

1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale bread
4 tablespoons butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

Grandma Retta's Sugar Cookie & Frosting

Cookie:

Preheat oven to 400*

1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix together, roll out, cut and bak for 6-10 minutes.
Makes about 24 cookies

Frosting:
1 cup butter
1 tsp extract (vanilla, almond, etc) (do not use vanilla extract if you wish to color the frosting)
4 cup powdered sugar
6 T heavy cream
food coloring drops, optional

Cream together the butter and extract.  Add in 1 cup powdered sugar at a time. Add 1 T of cream add a time until it reaches desired consistency.  Add in food coloring drops if desired.

"Holy Yum" Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup pure maple syrup 

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. fresh rosemary for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 8×8″ oven-proof pan with 2 layers of tin foil.
   
2. In small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
3. Place the chicken thighs in the foil layered pan then pour the mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around in the sauce to make sure it gets all coated.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate. Do NOT discard the liquid.
6. Immediately after plating chicken, whisk in the 1 tbsp. of cornstarch into the liquid in the pan. You’ll create a nice, thick sauce to drizzle over your chicken. You need to do cornstarch mixing immediately because the liquid needs to be hot in order for it to thicken properly. If it’s still not thickening after 1 tbsp., you can add a little more.
7. Sprinkle rosemary on top before serving.
8. Serve with rice or potatoes or vegetables

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t kosher salt
1 TBSP olive oil
milk
sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
favorite jarred marinara sauce

Spread the 1 TBSP of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot.
Pour milk into separate bowl.
Mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the Parmesan cheese in another separate dish.
Dip the chicken into the milk, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings.
Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crockpot.
Layer 2-3 slices or 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese on top, depending on how much cheese you like.
Cover chicken and cheese with entire jar of marinara sauce.
Close lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3.
Serve with your favorite pasta.

Creamy Tortellini Tomato Soup

2	whole large Cloves Of Garlic Minced
2	Tbl Olive Oil
2	10¾ oz Cans of Condensed Tomato Soup
¼	cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped
2	cups Half-and-half
2	cups Chicken Stock
1	tsp Onion Powder
1	Tbl Italian Seasoning
½	tsp Salt
½	tsp Pepper
1	whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
½	cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese, for garnish

Saute garlic with the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown.
Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too brown or burnt.
When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, half and half, chicken stock and spices.
Bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup. Cook according to the package directions.
After tortellini are cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese

Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. salted butter
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 (16 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce 
• 1/4 cup milk
• 5 breasts cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
• Any vegetables for add-ins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray an 8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a large, nonstick skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium heat.
4. Cook the onions until soft. {About five minutes, stirring occasionally.}
5. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, milk, chicken and vegetables
6. Cook until thoroughly heated and bubbly, stirring occasionally.
7. Pour mixture into baking dish.
8. Separate your biscuits and cut each one in half, crosswise.
9. Arrange around the edge of the baking dish, overlapping slightly.
10. Drizzle the melted butter over the biscuits and sprinkle with cheese.
11. Bake 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. {Make sure the biscuits are completely cooked before you get to eager to pull them out. We made this mistake the first time we had this and ended up eating doughy biscuits. Bleh.}
12. Serve with veggies or salad and enjoy!

Potato, Cheese & Ham Casserole

26 oz. bag of hashbrowns
2 cups colby jack cheese, shredded (8 oz)
10 oz. ham, cut into chunks
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 cup milk
1/2 cup beef stock or broth
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  In a large bowl, combine hashbrowns, cheese and onions.  Combine, in a separate bowl, the milk, broth, 1/2 of the butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well, then pour over the hashbrown/cheese mixture and mix well.  Heat the remaining butter in a pan.  Cook potato mixture, stirring occasionally, until heated through and all the cheese is melted, about 7 - 8 minutes.  Transfer to a baking dish and put in the oven to bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  

Crockpot Ravioli

• 25 oz bag of frozen ravioli (we like cheese)
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Dump Ravioli & Tortellini into crockpot and cover with sauce.  Cook on high for 3 hours.  20 minutes before done cover with cheese.

Chicken Alfredo Rollups

9 lasagna noodles

2 ½ cups alfredo sauce (optional homemade recipe below)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

oregano

garlic salt

3 cups shredded Mozzarella, or cheese of your choice

Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and pour ½ cup alfredo sauce, or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Boil 8-10 cups water in a large pan, cook lasagne noodles until al dente. (I usually cook 1 or 2 extra just because lasagna noodles always seem to break on me when I am stirring them.)

Now this is the important part! Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other. Then, lay out each noodle individually and blot dry with a paper towel.

Spread about 2 Tbs. alfredo sauce over each noodle. (if there is too much sauce you will have a big mess on your hands!) Sprinkle oregano and garlic salt on top of sauce. Take 1/9 of the shredded chicken and spread it out evenly over each noodle. Add approx. 3 Tbs. cheese. To roll up, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings. You will need to lift the noodle a little to prevent squishing out the inside ingredients while rolling.

Place the roll-ups in the pan, one by one, seam-side down so they don't come undone. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top.

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

• 8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 14 oz freshly shredded, low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg white
• 1/3 cup freshly, finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/4 oz)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 - 4 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/6 inch thick slices)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup marinara sauce

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente. Drain pasta (DO NOT rinse with water) and align lasagna noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.
• For filling, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese and egg white until well blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Mix in 12 oz. of the Mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste (I wouldn't recommend seasoning with salt just because the cheeses already have plenty of salt).
• Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other. Align 4 thin tomato slices over cheese mixture then sprinkle fresh basil over top. Snugly roll lasagna noodles to opposite end. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Align lasagna roll ups, seam side down in dish. Top each roll up with about 2 Tbsp of the pasta sauce (covering edges of pasta so they don't dry out while baking). Sprinkle top with remaining 2 oz. shredded Mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven, plate pasta and garnish with plenty of basil ribbons. Serve warm.

Snickers Cake

1 box devils food cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Smucker’s hot caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 snickers candy bars, chopped
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
caramel sauce
chocolate sauce

Bake cake in a 9×13-inch pan according to direction on the package.

While cake is baking, mix condensed milk and hot caramel topping until well blended. When the cake is done and while it’s still hot, poke holes in it with a fork or straw. Pour milk mixture over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely. Sprinkle chocolate chips over cake.

In a chilled bowl, whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high speed of an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Stir in chopped snickers. Spread over cake. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over cake. Drizzle caramel and chocolate sauce on top. Chill.

Chicken Gyros

Tzatziki sauce:
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil
For the chicken:
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
To assemble:
• Pita bread
• Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
• Red onion, sliced thin

Instructions

1. Shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
2. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
3. To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
4. Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Pulled Chicken Suiza Sammies

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped (all I had was half an onion)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 cups salsa verde (I used Goya brand)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 rotisserie-style chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
4 sandwich rolls, split
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Instructions:
Preheat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the sour cream. Add sauce a little at a time to your bowl of shredded chicken. YOU MAY NOT NEED ALL THE SAUCE depending on how much shredded chicken you have. Stir in the sauce to coat.
Pile the chicken mixture on the roll bottoms. Top with the cheese and broil to melt. Set the roll tops in place and serve with the chips. *I have lettuce in my picture but I liked it better without!

*Recipe Notes: My meat was a little on the wet side because I didn’t get all of the dark meat off the chicken so my meat to sauce ratio was a little off. You may want to make the sauce and then add as much as you like to your meat.

Cheesy Potato Soup

• 1 package cubed frozen hashbrowns
• 2 cans cream of chicken
• 1 can cream of celery
• 1 pint Half & Half
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt butter in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese, salt and pepper).
2. Cook in crockpot on high for 3-4 hours.
3. Add 1 cup cheese, salt and pepper before serving. Use reserve cheese to sprinkle on top.

3 Envelope Roast

• 3 to 5 pound beef chuck roast (or other braising roast)
• 1 cup of water
• One envelope of dry onion soup mix
• One envelope of dry Italian dressing mix
• One envelope of dry brown gravy mix

Instructions

Whisk together the water with ingredients from all 3 of the envelopes. Pour about 1/4 cup of the liquid on the bottom of the crockpot, place the roast on top. Don't be tempted to season the roast. There is plenty of salt and other seasonings in these envelopes.

Pour the remaining liquid mixture all over the top and all around the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high 4 to 5 hours.

To thicken gravy, remove the roast and tent with foil to keep warm. Carefully transfer the contents of the crockpot to a saucepan and stir in a slurry of one tablespoon of cornstarch with just enough water to loosen. Stir into the sauce, bring up to a boil, reduce and simmer until thickened.

Cook's Notes: Use a larger roast for planned leftovers. Can use any appropriate braising beef roast including eye or bottom round steak (not top round), rump, shoulder, arm or blade pot roast.  The traditional 3 envelope roast uses a brown gravy mix, Ranch dressing mix and Italian dressing mix.

"Mississippi Roast" Variation: Use one envelope of brown gravy or au jus gravy mix with one envelope of Ranch dressing mix. This recipe calls to sprinkle the envelope contents over the roast and top with a stick of butter, but I don't find the added fat necessary when using a chuck roast, so I omit that and substitute a cup of water. Whisk the contents of the envelopes with the water and pour over the roast. Add 5 whole pepperoncini peppers to the top of the roast, cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high 4 to 5 hours.

To Make Sliders: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the insides of dinner rolls and toast, butter side down, on a baking sheet in the oven just until warmed through and browned on the bottoms. Meanwhile in a skillet, caramelize a sliced onion in a tablespoon of canola oil and one tablespoon of butter. While onions are browning, use the lowest setting on the microwave to gently warm the leftover beef, just enough to take the chill off. Use a fork to shred the meat. Place a scoop of beef on the bottom half of dinner rolls, then top with caramelized onion, and some finely shredded Swiss cheese. If you like, stack all the sliders back on the baking sheet and cover the whole pan tightly with aluminum foil. Return to the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. Stack the sliders on a platter and serve with condiments at the table or with a nice sauce like a Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce.