Chili Cheese Frito Salad

Courtesy of Laura Powell and "Real Mom Kitchen".
Sorry no picture.

3 (14 oz) cans corn, drained well
1/4 red pepper diced
1/4 green pepper diced
1/4 red onion, diced (after making this I wouldn't use this much because it's a little strong for my family- I also prefer to grate the onion not dice it)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cup mayo
1 bag (9 1/4 oz) Chili Cheese Fritos

Combine corn, peppers, onions, cheese, and mayo in bowl.
Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Just before serving add most of the chips into the vegetable mixture reserving some to sprinkle on top.

Serves 8-10

Super Easy Manicotti

Ingredients:

About 12 string cheese

Your favorite Spaghetti sauce

Manicotti noodles

Grated mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

Boil the noodles according to package directions.  Drain and cool enough to handle.  Spoon some sauce over the bottom of a casserole dish.  Stuff each noodle with 1 string cheese.  If the Manicotti has fallen apart just wrap around the cheese and tuck under the edges.  Spoon more sauce on top and cover with the mozzarella.  

Bake at 350 just until the top cheese is about melted. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

If we were giving prizes away at Fabulous Friday I think this soup would have been a blue ribbon winner for sure. I'm pretty sure I saw people licking their bowls and weeping over the empty crockpot. :)

Thanks Alyssa for sharing this yummy recipe with us.

Cheesy Cream of Vegetable Soup

2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery (I replaced with broccoli)
6 teaspoons or cubes of chicken bouillon
Simmer above to semi-soft.

1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
3 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk

Do not drain vegetables. Add the white sauce to cooked vegetables. Add 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Heat together but do not boil.

Pear and Feta Salad

Dressing:
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp canola oil
salt/pepper to taste

Salad:
Lettuce of your choice
Feta Cheese crumbles (or blue cheese)
Dried cranberries
Toasted walnuts
Diced pear

Toss until combined.

Farfalle Pasta with Tomato Cream

You can't really tell, but there is a pink sauce on the noodles besides just big pieces of tomato

1 lb farfalle pasta (bowtie)
4 tbsp butter
1/2 beef bouillon cube
2 tsp finely chopped fresh basil (or half this amount if dried)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (half this amount if dried)
1 tsp finely chopped sage (half this amount if dried)
2 pounds fresh ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into dices (or two- 15 oz cans diced tomatoes*much easier)
1 tsp salt
dash pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cook pasta according to directions. While cooking, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add herbs and boullion. Stir until cube is dissolved. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until butter has separated from tomatoes (about 5-10 min). Raise heat to medium-high and pour in cream. Cook, stirring frequently, until it has reduced by about half. Remove from heat and combine with cooked, drained pasta.

Stuffed Potatoes

This is a great recipe for any leftover baked potatoes. When I bake potatoes for a meal I will throw in a couple extra and plan on making these that week. Plus, this is the only way Dallin will eat a baked potato.
When the potatoes are baked, cut in half and dig out all the potato, reserving the skinMash the potatoes the way you like them. I like to add sour cream, it makes them really creamy. When they are smooth, I add garlic salt, salt, pepper and a little parsley flake.

Spoon the mashed potatoes into the skins and top with cheese. (sidenote: two seconds after this picture I dropped the pan upside down in the oven! I no longer have fingerprints)

Bake at 350 until heated through, about 20 minutes. They are a little worse for the wear because of their fall, but delicious.

This is our main dish and I usually serve with cottage cheese, fruit, and a vegetable.

Yakisoba

This is a favorite dish at our house. I made it last night with some gyoza, I'll add that recipe too, but it turns out great every time. You can switch it up and make it with whatever vegetable you have/like. I like to make it vegetarian much to Dallin's dismay, but it's nice to have a couple vegetarian dishes. Last night I did add a little pork that was left from the gyoza though.

You can find these noodles in the asian section of the produce at a grocery store. For some reason Walmart doesn't carry them in Burley, but Smith's does.


This is a picture of the vegetables I used, but it was before I added the carrots. We had bean sprouts, mushrooms (shitake), cabbage, carrots and onion. Again just use whatever vegetables your family would like.
I use the instructions on the back of the noodle package, you stir fry your vegetables for 2-3 minutes, then add the noodles. Stir fry the noodles for a 1-2 minutes and add powdered sauce packet and 1/4 cup water and you have this:

Absolutely delicious. Similar to the 'mall noodles' we call them. The noodles you get at chinese restaurant's in the mall. We make it in our electric skillet, this was one package of noodles, but I usually make two. I have made up to four when we have had guests and the electric skillet handled it just fine. I think with just one or two packages you would be fine in a skillet on the stove or a wok would work great too.

Sesame Noodles

This is the recipe I brought to the Vegetarian Recipe Swap last night. All I could think of was noodle dishes and we just happen to be having this one that night. I got it from Confessions of a Pioneer Woman several months ago and it is now a staple in our home. I have added chicken or thinly sliced beef strips, but I like it plain the best.




Ingredients:
12 oz any thin noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic- minced
2 tbsp Rice vinegar
3 tbsp Sesame oil
1/2 tsp hot chili oil - (I've never used this I've used crushed up tiny pepper flakes, just a pinch)
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp hot water
4 green onions, sliced thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed. Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

Cheese-lover's Pasta Roll-ups

To follow the current theme of pasta, I'll add another recipe that we ate this past week. It will also count as my Vegetarian recipe for this month's recipe exchange since I won't be able to attend due to Tithing Settlement. :) If anyone wants to make and take this recipe, please do. I got this recipe from the Kraft Foods magazine. It's very similar to a stuffed shells or manicotti recipe. Yummy!

Prep: 25 min, Total: 1 hour 15 min
Makes: 8 servings, 2 roll-ups each.

What you need:
1 egg, beaten
1 container Ricotta Cheese
2 cups Shredded Italian Three Cheese Blend
4 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce, divided
16 lasagna noodles, cooked
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Make it:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended.
Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish.
Spread each noodle with 3 Tbsp cheese mixture; roll up.
Place, seam-sides down, in dish.
Top with remaining sauce and Parmesan; cover.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 minutes.
All done!
We added a side salad and it was dinner. I wish I would have had Heidi's bread stick recipe before I made this. :) It would have made another great side.

Make ahead tip: Assemble as directed; cover with heavy-duty foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours, then bake, covered, 1 hour 5 minutes or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 minutes. Or freeze up to 1 month. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, 1 hour 5 minutes or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 minutes.

Veggie Lazagna

I posted this recently on my family blog, so my apologies if it's a repeat for some of you, but I thought maybe the others would like it, and I already had the pictures and recipe on my blog so it was easy to move it over!

This has become one of my favorite things to cook and serve. I made it up myself... and I've tried and tested it several times now and every time it comes out tasting delicious! You can add sausage if you don't like to go all vegetarian. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fresh Veggies: squash, zucchini, onions, red and green bell pepper, fresh or jarred garlic. spinach Fresh or canned tomatoes... *important: if you don't have garden tomatoes use canned... don't try store bought, they are just nasty. They don't even taste like real tomatoes and you won't like it.* 1 can any spaghetti or marinara sauce, 1 small container of ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (I have used both, they both taste good. I always use the low fat variety.) Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, mozzarella or Italian blend shredded cheese, whole wheat lasagna noodles boiled, al dente.


Method:
Chop all veggies.

Start cooking, garlic and onions first, add squash, zucchini,pepper,etc. season with salt and pepper and a little dash of Mrs Dash original blend. I always start with just a tiny bit of olive oil and then pour a little bit of chicken stock to steam the veggies so they don't get all crispy and burned. They cook faster this way and it adds flavor.

When the veggies are still a bit firm, but mostly cooked (not soggy!) add spaghetti sauce.

Next I prepare the pan and the noodles. Starting with one layer of noodles, ricotta cheese on top, thin layer of spinach leaves, then sauce and a small amount of cheese. Reapeat. Top with spinach leaves and mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake it at about 350 until it looks and smells done! Sorry, I'm so terrible with cooking times, it's really about 30 minutes. Cover it with foil for the first half of cooking so the cheese doesn't brown too early and burn. Let stand for a few minutes, serve and enjoy! Eat your veggies! :)

Baked Ziti

This is Bailee's FAVORITE meal. She always asks me to make it. I made it last night and thought I'd share. It's another recipe with no meat, but I'm sure you could add some ground beef, chicken, pork, or whatever, to add a little more protein. I'm not a vegetarian by any means!!

8-12 oz package ziti noodles (also called Mostaccioli)
1 small container cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup parmessan cheese
1 Tbsp Parsley
1-2 tsp garlic salt
Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
1 Can of Hunts Spaghetti Sauce (26.5 oz, I use traditional)
1 Can of Tomato Sauce (8 oz)

While noodles are cooking, mix together cottage cheese, eggs, parmessan cheese, parsley, and garlic salt. (Can also use fresh pressed garlic).
Layer in baking dish: sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, and mozarella. (two layers of each). Top with extra sauce, mozzarella, and parmessan. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until all cheese on top is melted.

Grandma Winder's Cheesy Potato Soup

Well, I guess I better contribute to this blog, instead of just TAKING all of these wonderful recipes! I made this the other night, and I make it quite often. It's one of our families favorites. Even the kids gobble it up! I've actually not yet met a person that doesn't absolutely LOVE this soup! I got the recipe off of Good Things Utah 3 years ago, and have been hooked ever since. Some of you may already have it, since I've probably made it for recipe swap, and I made it for our freezer meal exchange way back when. Anywhoo, here ya go.....

4 C. peeled and cubed potatoes (although I never peel them)
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped carrots
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1/4 C. butter or margarine
2 tsp. all-purpose seasoning (I use Lawry's Seasoned Salt)
1 tsp. salt
2 C. uncooked small shell pasta
3 C. shredded cheddar cheese (but I only use 2 cups, it's plenty!)
1 C. whipping cream

Heat 8 cups of water to boiling. Add everything except the pasta, cheese and cream. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the pasta. Turn heat down to medium and cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes). Stir often. When the pasta is done, turn off heat. Stir in the cheese. When cheese is melted, stir in cream. Salt and Pepper to taste.

NieNie's Mexican Lasagna

This recipe was okay. I had some issues with it. First of all, I don't own a food processor, so I just used my blender. Obviously, dry spinach won't blend, so I added the salsa to the blender, but then that just made a puree. When all was said and done, it was more like Mexican lasagna soup. It wasn't disgusting - it's worth trying, and it's a healthy dish. Just make sure you have a food processor. Here's the recipe, straight from CuisineNie.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

4 scallions, coarsely chopped

Coarse salt and ground pepper

10 ounces fresh baby spinach

Nonstick cooking spray

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup prepared salsa (mild or medium)

8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, combine cilantro, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with as much spinach as will fit; pulse, adding remaining spinach in batches, until coarsely chopped.

Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (they will overlap slightly). Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing in gently.

Cover dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.