Mole Rub Steak

Your choice on the cut of steak, in a "Mole" Rub
This is a recipe for a totally bold flavor for your meat!

Mix together equal parts:

chili powder

grated orange peel

chocolate shavings (you heard me; chocolate!)

Apply rub evenly over surface of meat, cover and refrigerate for 30 miuntes. Grill steak to desired done-ness.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened3

tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish

Homemade Take-out!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
This was a complete experiement, but I made this last night, and my family loved it!

2 large chicken breasts - cut into 2-3" pieces
1 bottle favorite sweet and sour sauce
batter for chicken:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup ice water
Yellow food coloring (optional)
Oil for deep frying
Sift together the dry ingredients.Beat egg slightly and mix with the water and a few drops of the food coloring, if desired.Add the dry ingredients. Stir only until mixed; mixture will be slightly lumpy.Dip cut chicken into the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Heat sweet and sour sauce in the microwave and pour over chicken. Garnish with chunks of pineapple.
Serve with chicken fried rice (lipton has a quick and easy one that's pretty yummy!)

Asian Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple

2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins

Marinade

1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups peeled and cubed fresh pineapple (1-inch pieces)

8 wooden or metal skewers

Place pork tenderloins in resealable plastic bag; set aside. In small bowl, combine marinade ingredients; pour over pork. Seal bag; refrigerate for at least 1 hour to marinate, or up to 24 hours to enhance flavor.
Preheat grill to medium-hot. When ready to grill, remove pork from marinade and place on grill. Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of pork is 160 degrees F. Meanwhile, place the pineapple chunks on the skewer; place on grill during the last 6 minutes of grilling time, turning after 3 minutes. To serve, slice pork into 1/2-inch slices (medallions) and serve with grilled pineapple.

Chicken Pasta Salad

2 ounces rotini pasta

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

4 roma (plum) tomato, diced

1/4 cup Italian-style salad dressing (or a ceasar type dressing)

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.Meanwhile, season chicken strips with lemon pepper and garlic powder. Broil in oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cool chicken. Cut into bite size pieces.In a large bowl, mix together the cooked pasta, chicken, quartered tomatoes, and feta cheese.Serve with Italian dressing poured over top of pasta.

Creamy Chicken 'n Veggies

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups frozen broccoli cuts

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 (16 ounce) jar roasted garlic Parmesan Alfredo sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, saute the mixed vegetables and broccoli in oil until tender. Stir in the chicken, Alfredo sauce, salt and pepper; heat through. Serve with rice.

Homemade Barbecue Chicken

(submitted by Brittany M.)

Mix together:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water1 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 worchestershire sacue

Stir together in bowl.

Coat 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in sauce, and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 30 mins @ 350 degrees.Serve with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

(This is a yummy and versitile barbecue sauce that can be used on pretty much anything from bbq ribs to meatloaf!)

German Burgers

This is an old family favorite!
(submitted by Chelsea K.)

Frozen dinner rolls (about 2/person)
Cooked hamburger
Cheddar Cheese - grated
Thaw the rolls according to package directions, you don't actually have to let them raise entirely, but they need to be all the way thawed. Spread out a roll till it's about the size of your palm, hold in one hand and add a spoonful of cooked hamburger and some cheese. fold edges of the roll in and pinch together. place on greased cookie sheet. Baste with butter on top and sprinkle some garlic salt. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, till golden brown. Eat with ketchup.

Dave's Stroganoff

Dave's (my husband) Stroganoff
(submitted by Chelsea K.)

***Great recipe for some of that hamburger you portioned and froze!***

1 lb hamburger
8 oz cream cheese
family size cream of mushroom soup
1 packet onion soup mix
milk
egg noodles or rice
Cook and drain the hamburger (you could also use meatballs if you have them)
Add the cream cheese, half a can of milk and mushroom soup, heat until cheese is melted and mixed together. Add onion soup. let simmer for a few minutes. (Add or use less milk depending on how thick you like it) Serve over noodles or rice.

Baked Potato Bar

Large Potatoes
Butter
Sour Cream
Grated Cheese
Chives
Bacon Bits
Ranch dressing
Anything else you like!
Wash potatoes. If you like a softer, thinner skin, wrap in foil. If you like a thicker crispier skin scrub well and rub with cooking oil. Do not wrap, place directly in oven. Most potatoes take about an hour to cook @ 400. You can check by sticking a fork in, if it comes out easy they're done.
Split potatoes and top with favorite toppings!

*hint* if you don't want to wait a whole hour for your potatoes to cook, sometimes I do mine in the microwave. Just scrub your potatoes, stab a few holes in them with a fork, place in a microwave-safe bowl with a lid (or plate) on top, and microwave on high for about 5 minutes.

Easy Pizza Pockets

(submitted by Chelsea K.)

Large Tortillas
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Favorite pizza toppings
Lay your tortilla flat, spread some sauce in the middle, about 2 inches in form any edge. Add cheese and toppings, fold in two ends, then the other two. Cook on a foreman grill (this holds it together really well) or stick a toothpick in and bake (I've never tried it this way, but probably 350 for about 15 minutes. Till it's hot)

Sunday Roast

{{You can make this any day though! *wink*}}

3 to 4 pound rump roast
1 pund bag baby carrots
1 cup chopped onion OR 1/2 cup dried minced onion
8 to 10 red potatoes, quartered
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
Place carrots, onion and potatoes in bottom of greased slow cooker. Place meat on top of vegetables. Sprinkle soup mix evenly over meat. Cover and cook on low heat 8 to 10 hours. If using a frozen roast, cook on low heat for an additional 2-4 hours.
Serve with green bean-and mushroom medley.

Spaghetti Pizza

The next time you make spaghetti double the noodles you usually make. Refrigerate the leftovers, or cook some up to make it the same day.

What you need:
Cooked Spaghetti noddles (about how much you normally make for spaghetti)
1-2 eggsPizza Sauce (or spaghetti sauce)
mozzarella cheese
Favorite pizza toppings
Ok, so if your noodles will fit in a 8x8 pan use one egg, if 9x13 use two.
Spray the pan really well with cooking srpay. This is a vital step to getting the stuff back out of the pan!
Put the noddles in the pan (you want the 'crust' about an inch thick) and mix the egg in, get all the noodles coated.
Bake this crust at 350 for about 15 minutes, to get the egg mostly cooked.
Take out and spread sauce over noodles.
Add cheese and favorite pizza toppings and bake for another 20-25 minutes till cheese is melty and toppings are sufficiently hot. Eat it up!

Oriental Mandarin Chicken Salad

{{This is my mom's recipe. I LoVe it!}}

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 pkg. cole slaw mix -or chopped cabbage
1-2 cans mandarin oranges - drained
1 pkg. (4 ounces) slivered almonds
2 pkgs Raman noodles - crushed
chopped onion, if desired.
*save oranges and noodles till last
Combine ingredients together in a large bowl.
Dressing:
3/4 cup salad oil
3 Tbsp sugar - more to taste
dash of salt
pepper
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 seasoning packets from Ramen noodles
*Stir till dissolved. Best if made ahead of time.
Stir dressing into salad. Mix well. Chill, and enjoy!!

Not-So-Sloppy Joes

No green pepper in this recipe, so it's a hit with kids.

The mixture is thick, so they are 'neat' rather than sloppy.

This freezes and reheats well.

2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

1/4 cup ketchup1

tablespoon white vinegar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

8 hamburger buns

Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. I like to use a potato masher to even out the lumps. Add onion and celery, cover the pan, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Drain off any grease.Stir the tomato soup (undiluted), ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom.Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns, which may be toasted first, and serve.

Easy Lasagna

8 ounces lasagna noodles

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

8 ounces mushrooms, optional

1 jar (about 16 ounces) spaghetti sauce, your favorite

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, brown beef, onion, and mushrooms; drain well. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and basil. In a 2-quart buttered baking dish (about 11x7x2-inches), layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Bake lasagna at 350° for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Easy Death-By-Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sour cream, eggs, water, and oil together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Place batter in a greased and foured bundt pan.Bake 45-55 minutes, or until a fork inserted into cake comes out clean.While still hot, invert cake onto serving platter. When cool, sift powdered sugar over top of cake.

Creamy Chicken Soft Tacos

{{SO easy!}}

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa - any of your favorite brands is fine!
1 cup sour cream
6-8 flour tortillas
Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Pour salsa over the top. Cover and cook on high heat 6-8 hours or on low heat 10 -12 hours. Shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks. During the last hour of cooking, stir in sour cream.
Fold chicken mix inside warm flour tortillas with lettuce and grated cheddar cheese, if desired.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

(submitted by Kira P.)

mix:
3/4 cup mayo
1 large can cream of chicken soup, or 2 small cans
1/4 cup lemon juice
4-5 chicken breasts - cooked and cubed
2 cups shredded cheese
Steam and add as much broccoli as you want and add to mixture.
Melt one stick of butter and mix one sleeve of crumbled saltine crackers. Pour over casserole.
Bake @ 375 degrees for 25-30 mins.

Honey Burgers

(submitted by Kira P.)

2lbs of ground beef
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon, paprika, curry
1/8 tsp ginger, nutmeg
1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix all together in a bowl and form patties- then grill them up!
Serve with tomatos, avacados and red onions, pinapple, cheese

Spinach Salad

(submitted by Chelsea K.)

Combine in a large bowl:
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 pkg bacon cooked and crumbled
1 c grated swiss cheese
4-6 boiled eggs (depends on ow much you like, we like lots)
small red onion sliced or chopped

Dressing:
3/4 c red wine vinegar
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 TBS poppy seeds
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 c olive oil (light)

Combine all ingredients together but seeds and emulsify for several minutes (mix really well with and electric mixer), add seed and mix in. If serving to a crowd, prepare the salad and add the dressing just five minutes before serving, it makes the spinach wilt slightly, which is good but not for too long.

Ground Beef - for several meal!

{{I love these ideas from Chelsea!}}

I'm not all that organized when it comes to preparing meals for my family, but one thing i am good at is hamburger. I will buy the biggest package of ground beef at the store, and then at home I separate it something like this:

*two quart-sized freezer bags with plain meat (about 1 lb each bag, or a serving for your fam)
to make ground meat for tacos etc.
*put the rest in a large bowl
add about 1 egg for every two pounds of meat, oatmeal- about 1/2 cup per lb, garlic salt and pepper (i estimate all these additives, i never measure anything).
I make this into hamburger patties.
*Just portion out how much meat for each, flatten into patties, put in a gallon size freezer bag (i like to do four to one layer, use wax paper in between layers if your making a lot. Put enough for one meal in each bag. Make a couple bags at a time if you want)

* add crackers or crushed croutons to the meat thats left, usually some more seasoning, and make either meatballs or a meatloaf.

For Meatballs:
*Add italian seasoning, more garlic powder, and onion salt
*Then portion the meat, roll into balls and place in a freezer bag, whatever size will be enough for your fam.

For Meatloaf:
*Add garlic powder and onion salt
*Put right into a pan that can go from the freezer to the oven.
Use plastic wrap and press it right onto the meat, then cover with foil. (Don't forget to remove the plastic before baking!)

So now I have meat servings for several meals ready to pull out of the freezer and cook. All of these things can be cooked from frozen, it may take a little more time, but i rarely thaw (mostly because I forget) anything.

Make-Your-Own Mini Pizzas

(this was a favorite of mine and my brother's when we were growing up...kids LOVE it!)

12 Rhode's Frozen Dinner Rolls - thawed, but NOT risen (more if you have a larger family)
1 can pizza sauce, or make your own with tomato sauce, garlic powder, and italian seasoning
grated mozzerella cheese
desired toppings (pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, pineapple, peppers, sausage, etc;)

This is a family dinner-making event that everyone will have lots of fun with!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put all your toppings into little bowls (pepperoni in one bowl, olives in another, etc;)
Give everyone 2 or 3 thawed dinner rolls. At a clean and floured table or counter, have everyone mash their rolls together and then roll their dough out flat and circular to make their own personal pizza. Spoon some sauce on each pizza for them to spread around. Give everyone some cheese to sprinkle onto their pizza. Allow each person to put their own toppings on their pizza. Let them pick what to put on and how much! (They may even want to make faces or designs on their pizzas with the toppings!)

Place all pizzas on a baking tray and bake @ 350 for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, watching closely. Pizzas are done when crust is a light, golden brown.

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

{This is one of my favorite summertime meals!}

2 to 3 pounds boneless pork roast
3/4 cup minced onion
1 bottle favorite barbecue sauce
1/4 cup honey
sandwich rolls - I like harder ones because they don't get soggy as fast.

Place roast in greased slow cooker. Combine onion, barbecue sauce, and honey. Pour mixture over meat. Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. When roast is done, use two forks to shred meat.

Serve with watermelon and corn on the cob. Yummmmm.

Fried Rice

This can be used as a side dish OR a main course. Whatever you want to do!
(submitted by Stephanie S.)

4-5 cups cooked rice (more of less depending on how many people you are feeding)
2 peppers cut (red, green or orange mix it up)
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 lb bacon or as much as you like
1/2 lb ham cubed
6-9 eggs (more or less depending on what you like)
peas
carrots
or any other veggie you have around

Directions:

cook rice-while rice is cooking cut up bacon and ham and fry in pan medium heat-chop onion, peppers and garlic add to meat continue to fry -add any veggies you want to the mixture and cook through-cook and scramble eggs in separate frying pan-when rice is done throw it all together in a large mixing bowl and add soy sauce to taste.

Buffalo Chicken Poppers

(submitted by BethAnna S.)

1 pkg Crescent rolls or wanton wraps
canned chicken (or cooked boneless skinless breasts, shredded)
Franks Buffalo Sauce
Melted butter
Fresh Blue Cheese
Blue Cheese Dressing or Ranch Dressing
Mix Franks sauce & chicken together in a bowl to desired saucy-ness reserving some of the sauce. Flatten out crescent rolls on a pan and cut in halves. (If using Wanton wraps no need to flatten or cut in half) Brush with melted butter then franks sauce. Add a small amount of crumbled blue cheese to center then chicken mixture. Seal off fried wanton style brush with more melted butter (beaten egg mixture works best to seal if using wantons). Bake 350 Degrees until rolls are golden brown. (about 8-10 min) Serve with favorite dipping sauce (If using wantons a pampered chef type baking stone or just deep frying works best)

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

( as seen on the back of cream of chicken soup cans)
submitted by Kira P.



1 can (26 oz) cream of chicken soup
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
3 cups fresh or frozen mixed veggies
1 tsp. onion powder
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1. stir soup, water,rice, veggies and onion powder in 13 x 9 shallow baking dish
2. top with chicken. season chicken as desired. cover
3. bake at 375 for 1 hour top with cheese..
works best if chicken isnt frozen

same instructions, but here is the recipe for the smaller can of soup so serves a smaller family:
1 can (10 3/4 oz ) cream of chicken soup
1 1/3 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked rice
2 cups veggies
1/2 tsp onion powder
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup cheese

Steak Fajitas

(I make these with left over steak meat!)
1 lb of flank steak or skirt steak
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced with the grain, not against the grain as one would normally slice an onion. Slice first in half, and then slice off sections a half inch wide at widest point.
2 large bell peppers (I usually use one red and one green,) stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into half-inch wide strips

Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
optional: 1/2 fresh Jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped (be careful not to touch your eyes or anywhere near your eyes after handling a Jalapeño pepper!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems
Mix all marinade ingredients.

Set the steak in the marinade and let it sit at least an hour, the longer the better.
Heat to high heat a large cast iron pan or griddle. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. 3 minutes per side will yield approximately medium rare doneness for an average cut of flank steak. If pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium high. We want the steak browned, not burned. Remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes.Reduce the pan heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the onions, bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent.Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. If you slice the meat at a slanted angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin. Flank steak is flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices will really help make it easier to eat.Serve immediately with shredded cheese, salsa. shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and warm flour tortillas. (Hint for warming tortillas - put in microwave over a paper towel for 20 seconds on high heat.)