Buttermilk Syrup

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. And it's like trying homemade jam. Once you've tried homemade it's hard going back! It was hard to get a good picture. This is right after I made it. Hence the foam. (It makes more than this, just so you know : ))

5/5 Stars

Submitted by: Ashley

Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter in saucepan

Add:

1 1/2 cups sugar (we usually add 3/4 to 1 cup instead and it's great!)

3/4 cups buttermilk

2 Tablespoons corn syrup (we use light. not that that probably does much : ))

1 teaspoon baking soda

Bring to a boil for 5 mins on medium. Remove from heat.

Add:

2 teaspoons Vanilla

We put leftovers in a container and place in freezer. It never completely freezes. I was distracted (imagine that!) while making it today and added the correct amount of sugar in. This was the first time having it with all the sugar it says to use. And I don't know if it's cause I'm use to the sugar cut in half but I like it better with less sugar.

Mom's Whole Wheat Waffles

My absolute favorite Waffle recipe! Mom makes this on Christmas morning topped with fruit and whipped cream. Or you can top it with McKay's Mom's awesome Buttermilk Syrup (post above). I also love making enough to freeze then grab them out when needed. When they have been frozen we microwave them for like 15-20 sec then pop them into the toaster. Brin loves them as snacks!
It makes about 8 waffles.
 5/5 Stars
Submitted by: Ashley

Put 1 cup + 1 tablespoon whole wheat (the actual whole wheat berry right out of the food storage bucket, not yet ground into flour) and 1 1/2 cups milk into blender and blend for 4-6 minutes.
Add:
2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup oil (or can sub apple sauce in)
1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
1/2 tea salt

mix well, cook in waffle iron or as pancakes (makes very thin batter).

Maple Salmon

 

Here's the recipe for our family favorite Maple Salmon
It's from allrecipes.com
It's definitely 5 stars
Submitted by Chris

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

1/4 cup maple syrup                                                         

2 tablespoons soy sauce                                                    

1 clove garlic, minced                                                    

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt                                                    

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper                                                    

1 pound salmon                                                                     

        

     

Preheat over to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork

Pecan Crunch Salmon

Submitted by Chris
5 stars
Ashley pointed out that neither of her favorite salmon recipes is on this website so I told her I'd make them and take a picture. This recipe is from allrecipes.com and is one of my favorites. It definitely tastes better than if photographs!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons butter, melted 5 teaspoons honey 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley 6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon salt and pepper to taste 6 lemon wedges

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
2.	Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.
3.	Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

 

 

Submitted by Chris

5 stars

This is a great fall soup. Last time I made it, I used butternut squash in place of the pumpkin, and chopped pistachios instead of pumpkin seeds.  I think you could use any winter squash, but I do like the flavor of pumpkin.

 

three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups beef broth
a 16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 to 4 tablespoons lime juice (optional)
Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
Preparation:In a food processor or immersion blender, coarsely pureé beans and tomatoes. In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean pureé. Stir in broth and pumpkin until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Just before serving, add lime juice and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Chicken Spinach Gnocchi Soup

This cooler weather really has me craving soup. But I seem to always make the same ones over and over. I wanted to try a new one and this one definitely didn't disappoint! I've never used gnocchi so I was a little worried to try this, but I'm so glad I did! If I were to make this again I would double the recipe. There was definitely enough for Jorden, Krew, and myself, but I always like leftovers, and there were none tonight. But it was after church on a fast Sunday! I loved that this recipe called for lighter ingredients (like the half-and-half) But believe me, it wasn't light on flavor!

4.5 stars

Submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 a cup)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fat free half-and-half
• 1 cup low fat milk
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 16 ounce package gnocchi
• 2 cups cooked, shredded or diced chicken 
• 1 1/2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste. 

Directions:

1. In a 4 or 5 quart pot (bigger if you're doubling it), heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the chopped onion, carrots and thyme. Cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stirring often.
2. Add the garlic. Stir constantly
3. Whisk in the flour and continuously stir until flour is lightly golden. About 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Stir while bringing the mixture to a boil over medium to medium-high heat.
4. Allow to cook, stirring often until the mixture is slightly thickened. About 5-7 minutes. Stir in the uncooked gnocchi and simmer over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
5. The soup will thicken up while the gnocchi is cooking. Stir in the cooked chicken and spinach and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

We served ours with ciabatta bread.

Wonton Chicken Salad

submitted by Chris
4+ stars

2 heads of romaine and 1 bunch of spinach (or whatever greens your family likes best) or one bag of greens and one bag of spinach
3-4 chicken breasts, grilled and cubed (you can marinate these in a little soy sauce and pepper for an Asian flavor)
2 large cans mandarin oranges, drained
3 avocados, cubed
1/2 bunch of green onions, diced thin
toasted slivered almonds and sunflower kernels (I put a handful of each in a frying pan with a pat of butter until browned)
1/2 package of won ton wrappers, fried in vegetable oil (find these at Wal-mart by the bag salads)

Dressing
(I usually use only 2/3-3/4 of the dressing on the salad-I think all of it is too much.)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon accent (optional)
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Blend the dressing in a food processor or blender for best results. I used my immersion blender.

Combine all and serve.

Salmon With Dill Pistachio Pistou

Submitted by Chris

5 stars

I found this recipe on epicurious.com. It's very fast and delicious

Ingredients       

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions (about 2)
• 1/2 cup shelled natural pistachios or almonds, toasted, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons pistachio oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 yellow bell peppers or orange bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 6-ounce salmon fillets (The recipe calls for salmon with skin. I used salmon with no skin because that's what I had.)

Preparation

Mix dill, green onions, pistachios, and 1/4 cup oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Pistou can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and sauté until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add snap peas, garlic, and 1/4 cup water; sprinkle with salt. Sauté until vegetables are just tender and water evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon pistou. Transfer vegetables to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. Reserve skillet (do not clean).

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, in skillet; cook until skin is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn salmon and cook until almost opaque in center, about 3 minutes longer. Arrange salmon fillets over vegetables on platter. Spoon some pistou down center of each fillet and serve, passing remaining pistou alongside.

Chicken Ala Crescents

This is a good one but just takes some time with all the cutting. I usually do that in advance so I can just throw it all together at dinner time.

Submitted by: Jessica

4 stars

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts-cooked and diced
• 12 oz cream cheese- which is a packet and a half
• 2 cups cooked broccoli-chopped
• 1 green bell pepper-chopped
• 1 cube butter melted for dipping
• 2 1/2 cups croutons, butter and garlic flavored-finely crushed
• 3 pkg crescent rolls
• 2 envelopes of turkey gravy mix

Directions

1. Mix chicken, cream cheese, bell pepper, and broccoli together
2. Put mixture on rolls and roll from short side and roll to point.
3. Seal good and dip in butter.
4. Roll in  crushed croutons and placed on a sprayed cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes
6. Serve with gravy over crescent rolls

This makes a lot (using all 3 packages of rolls) I usually make all of the chicken mixture but only use half of it one night and half of the rolls. Then cook the other half the next night or later in the week, for fresh left overs!

Chicken Marinade

Sorry no picture. This marinade is great. The chicken always turns out so moist. Sorry the measurements are a little weird the original recipe is to serve 32. I scaled it down to serve 8 (this would probably not be enough marinade to cover 8 servings of chicken). I would give this a 4 star.

Chicken Marinade (submitted by Shelly)

1/4 cup plus 2 T of oil

3 T soy sauce

2 T worchestershire sauce

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I don't have dry mustard, so I just use a good squeeze of regular stuff)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon finely mince fresh parsley (or a shake or two of dried)

Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Then I like to pour into a sealable plastic bag with the chicken. I let marinade all day in the fridge, shaking it a couple times throughout the day (not necessary).  Pull it out and grill it up.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Yum! This salad is great. It perfect for summer when you don't want to heat the house. The first time I ever had Jicama, was when I ate this salad. If you have never had Jicama or have no idea what it is, Google it and make sure you add it. The Jicama adds a lot. P.S. Jicama is pronounced (He-ka-ma) just so you don't embarrass yourself when you ask for it in the produce section.

BBQ Chicken Salad (submitted by Shelly)

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded fine
1/2 head romaine lettuce leaves, shredded fine
1 pound jicama, cut into thin strips
2 cups Monterey Jack (or any) cheese, shredded
1 cup black beans - rinsed and drained (canned works)
1 cup corn kernels
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 pounds tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1-2 pounds shredded chicken

homemade or store bought ranch (make sure it is good it will make or break the salad)
wontons cut into strips salted and baked or fried tortilla strips
lime (optional, to squeeze on top, I always seem to forget it)

-Cook chicken, shred and add BBQ sauce.
-combined first set of ingredients to make salad
-To serve: dish out salad, top with BBQ chicken, drizzle with ranch, top with wontons or fried tortilla, Enjoy!!

Steak Salad

This is a recipe I stole from my in-laws too. It is so, so good!!

Submitted by: Jessica

5 stars

Ingredients:

• Beef sirloin steak

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

• Romaine lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Avocado
• Green olives
• Sliced Almonds

Directions:

1. In a bowl whisk together all ingredients in dressing. Mix in the cheese after all other ingredients have been mixed. Cover and refrigerate dressing until ready to use.
2. Season steaks according to liking. Lightly oil grill and cook steaks 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Slice steak. Right before serving, put meat in pan and grill up a little bit more.

Picture from my Mother in-law.

  

Salmon Tacos

Okay guys! This is a good one! We've had it 3 times in a week and a half! 

I got this recipe from my in-laws. 

Submitted by: Jessica

4.5 stars

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp lime zest
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp seafood seasoning such as Old Bay
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce
• Salmon (I used four fillets, but there is enough marinade for more)
• Whisk all together and pour on salmon in a Ziplock bag. Marinate in the fridge for 6 hours.

Prepare Salmon your favorite way. We thought it tasted best on the grill.

Dressing:

• 8 oz light sour cream
• 1/2 cup adobe sauce. (I couldn't find this so I used Pace's Chipotle sauce)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp seafood seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:

• corn tortillas
• Tomatoes
• Cilantro chopped
• Coleslaw with dressing. You can buy jarred dressing but homemade is better. I made it with 3/4 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp sour cream, 2 Tbsp sugar-or to taste, 2 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 Tbsp dry mustard, salt and pepper. Or use your favorite recipe.
• Lime wedges
• Black beans

Directions:

1. After Salmon has marinaded and cooked, shred into bite size pieces with a fork.
2. Assemble tortillas with salmon, coleslaw, and dressing. I started with my beans on the side but ended up putting them in the taco and it was good that way!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

These are a fun treat and easy to make! These look like whoopie pies but they taste completely different. Less cake-like and more cookie-like. I made the frosting for these half white and half blue for the 4th of July. We always freeze ours and eat them right out of the freezer. They taste the best that way!

Submitted by: Jessica

4 stars

Ingredients:

• 2 (18 ounce) boxes devil's food cake mix
• 4 eggs, beaten well
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cream cheese frosting

• 2- 8oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Mix cream cheese and butter together until well blended. Mix in vanilla then gradually add powdered sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Directions:

1. Mix cake mixes, eggs, vanilla and oil together well.
2. shape into balls
3. Bake at 350*F for 8-10 minutes. They are done when the tops looked cracked.
4. Move cookies to a cooling rack
5. Once cookies have cooled, add frosting to bottom of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie on top.
6. Freeze.

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

This is definitely one of our favorite meals! We even like it more than the "real" Cafe Rio Salad because we can add/take away anything we want to.

Submitted by: Jessica

5 stars

Meat:

• 3 lb pork roast or 1/2 pork loin
• 1 cup water

Cook in a crock pot on low overnight until tender. (I cooked mine for about 7 hours on low) Shred meat.

Mix and add to pork:

• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup sugar

Cilantro Dressing:

• 2/3 cup salsa verde
• 1 1/2 Tbl sugar
• 2/3 cup mayo
• 2 Tbl lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Put in blender on high and slowly add:

• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 cup vegetable oil

Other Toppings:

• Tortillas-unbaked
• Black beans
• Cheese-mozzarella or yellow
• Lettuce-spring mix
• Spanish rice or white rice
• Olives
• Guacamole
• Tin bowls

This is a bad picture. I will post a better one next time I make it. We usually makes ours in those tin bowls but I didn't have any on hand!

Fourth of July Pudding Pops

submitted by chris
Using Jessica's Chocolate Pudding Pop recipe, I made Fourth of July Pudding Pops. I used white chocolate instant pudding and dyed 1/3 blue, 1/3 pink, and left the last third white. I spooned a little of each color into my Walmart popsicle mold. I think I'd make them in a paper cup like Jessica did next time--they are hard to get out of the mold.

They were delicious! Thanks for the recipe, Jessica.

Chocolate Pudding Pop

This is just a fun summer treat that is easy enough for kids to help with!

Submitted by: Jessica

4 stars

Ingredients:

• 1-3.9 oz package instant pudding 
• 1 1/2 cup milk (2% or higher is the best)
• 2 cups cool whip

Directions:

1. Dissolve pudding in milk
2. whip in the cool whip
3. Spoon into dixie cups (I used 5 oz cups but 3 oz would be fine too)
4. insert popsicle stick
5. Freeze. Be sure it is completely frozen or it won't hold it's shape when you take it out of the cup.

This is what it looks like 2 hours later, right out of the freezer:

Slide the cup off. Sometimes you'll just have to rip it off.

And enjoy!

Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce

This recipe didn't call for chicken but we are trying to have protein at every meal, so I added it to the sauce and it was delicious. You can leave out the chicken or add it or any other meat if you'd like!

Submitted by: Jessica

4.5 stars

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 
• 8 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 2 cups milk
• 6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste if needed
• diced fresh tomatoes and fresh basil for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the dried basil. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it will come together to form a smooth, creamy paste. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
2. Over medium heat, add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. 
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked noodles

This picture isn't very appetizing. I think it's because I used wheat noodles and the colors kind of blend. They recommend bow-tie pasta with this dish.

Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros

I found this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff. These were pretty good, but I LOVE gyros with lamb so it was hard not to compare these to that. Still worth making though! I love crock pot meals!

Submitted by: Jessica

4 stars

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• more ingredients in bold in the directions

Directions:

1. Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts inside slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over chicken breasts. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve with pita bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced onion, sliced cucumbers, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce

This sauce is great with gyros or a topping on fish!

Ingredients:

• 32 oz plain yogurt
• 1 cucumber
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• salt, pepper, and oilve oil to taste

Directions:

1. strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (if you don't have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) for a couple of hours, or even overnight. I didn't do this because I didn't plan ahead, she said it makes a huge difference but I thought it was still pretty good!
2. Shred or grate the cucumbers and blot them with a paper towel to get rid of as much moisture as possible.
3. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep in fridge until ready to serve. (let the flavors come together for 30 minutes before serving). 
4. Drizzle a little olive oil over top before serving.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwhiches

This is really basic but it's an easy meal that we really enjoy.

Stars: 4

Submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients:

• 1.5-2 lbs roast beef. I go to the deli and ask for their favorite, they'll usually give you a sample to taste. Get it sliced pretty thick.
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 case mushrooms
• Tbl butter
• Tbl olive oil
• Hoagie rolls
• Swiss cheese
• 1 cup Mayo
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk

Directions:

1. Mix mayo and buttermilk in a bowl and set aside. (Can add more or less of buttermilk depending on how thick you like the sauce)
2. Slice all veggies and meat into thick pieces. 
3. Put all veggies, butter, and olive oil in a skillet and cook until about half-way cooked. 

4. Add meat to the skillet and cook until warmed and veggies are softened.

5. Lay swiss cheese over meat and veggie, put a lid on and let the cheese melt.

6. While cheese is melting, toast the hoagie rolls with butter on a skillet.

7. Spread mayo sauce on one side of the hoagie and meat/veggie/cheese on the other

I forgot to melt the cheese in the skillet here. But it was still good!

Thai noodles

We really REALLY liked this recipe!!! The only thing I would do different is put a little less red pepper so that Brinlee would be able to enjoy as well. (I added 1 Tablespoon and we felt like it was pretty hot!) To be honest I was skeptical about this recipe. I thought it was going to be a try and never again, but we will definitely be making this dish very soon! And it was super easy and quick to make. 4.999/5 stars
by: Ashley

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound linguine
• 1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup toasted or regular sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or rice vinegar
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• Chopped green onions, shredded carrots, chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small saucepan, heat the sesame oil and red pepper flakes on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Pour the oil through a fine strainer into a liquid measuring cup and discard the pepper flakes. To the warm oil, whisk in the lime juice (or vinegar), honey and soy sauce. Set aside.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine according to package directions. Drain the noodles and return them to the pot or to a large bowl. Toss the noodles with the oil mixture.
3. Serve the noodles warm, room temperature or cold with the desired toppings sprinkled on top.

Oatmeal Cookies

There isn't anything new or different about this Oatmeal cookie, but it's just plain good!!
-Ashley
4 Star

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 2 3/4 cups oatmeal
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add Baking soda, powder, and salt and mix. Add flour, oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix until combined.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Zupa-ish Berry Salad

Submitted by Chris

4 stars

Remember that great berry salad at Zupa's? Here's an internet version I came across. I sort of get the feeling it's not lo-cal. Be sure to make the almonds--they add a lot.

Salad:
Mix together:
One head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup each blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and sliced strawberries
cinnamon sliced almonds (Mix 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in nonstick pan, add 1 cup almonds and sugar mixture, stir and cook until almonds are coated and sugar is melted. Cool.) We added these to our individual salads--they are crunchier that way.

Poppy Seed Dressing:
 Mix and let sit in fridge for a few hours to blend flavors.
 1/2 cup Heinz gourmet salad vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 Tablespoons finely minced purple or red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
Mix well. This dressing separates quickly, I put it in a quart jar and shook it just before we used it.

Grilled Island chicken kabobs

I love Kabobs! We don't have a grill so there's probably no point in putting it on skewers, but it makes it more fun that way! Here is a good marinade for the chicken.
-Ashley
4 Stars 

Grilled Island Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients:

2-4 chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size pieces

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice (from about 1-2 lemons if want want to use fresh juice)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, cut into large chunks
1 large green pepper, cut into large chunks
1 pineapple, cut into large chunks (you can also used canned pineapple chunks, but I love fresh!)

Directions:
Combine vegetable oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Place chicken in bag and make sure all pieces are covered. Put chicken in fridge and let marinate for at least 3 hours, but it tastes best when you let it marinate for 8-12 hours.
If using wooden skewers, let your skewers soak in water for at 15-30 minutes to prevent burning. Skewer chicken, onions, peppers, and pineapple on your sticks until you run out of ingredients.
Turn on grill to medium heat. Place skewers on grill and cook for 7-8 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle (if using a meat thermometer, make sure it registers 165 degrees). 
Remove from grill and serve!

Strawberry Avocado Salad

Submitted by Chris
Rating: 4
We love salads, especially salads with strawberries. Here's a quick salad that goes with everything.
Whisk together:
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons honey (I've substituted Agave a few times and it works just as well)
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Set aside.

2 cups salad greens or spinach
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
10 strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Mix and drizzle with dressing.

Chicken Empanadas

This was definitely a 5-star recipe! I love pie crust and it was perfect for this meal!

Submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 (8-oz) package shredded Colby and Monterrey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you like. All I had on hand was cheddar and that was still good).
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 
• 3 oz green chilies
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped. *optional
• 1/2 Tbl ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 package refrigerated pie crusts. Should come with 2 crusts.
• water

Preheat oven to 400*F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the water and pie crust. Unroll 1 pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Place half of the chicken mixture on one half of the pie crust, then fold pie crust over (in half) over the filling. Lightly brush the edge of the crust with water. Press edges down with a fork to seal. Do the same thing with the second pie crust and the other half of the chicken mixture. Put on baking sheet and sprinkle top with cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.

Mini Taco Pizzas

I love tacos so I knew I would like this recipe. It was easy and so tasty. I love to have Krew help me out with dinner as much a possible and this was perfect for that because he could add any of the toppings he wanted!

Submitted by : Jessica

4 stars

Ingredients

• 1 lb of pizza dough. I used the Walmart brand of pizza dough. It's in a little white bag.
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 can refried beans
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• shredded lettuce, for topping
• salsa or pico de gallo, for topping 
• guacamole, for topping
• sour cream, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 450 F
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef.  Cook until almost no pink remains, then add taco seasoning. Continue to cook until the beef is cooked through/
3. Put the refried beans in a small pot over medium heat until warmed through.
4. Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each out into an individual pizza. Top each with 1/4 cup of the refried beans, 1/4 of the beef mixture, then top with 1/4 of the cheddar cheese.
5. Cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or according to the pizza dough directions.
6. After it's done cooking, top with lettuce, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

We served ours with chips and salsa! Delicious!

Homemade Corn Dogs

These brought back many memories of working at Montana Fair :)

I'm actually not a huge corn dog fan, but since Krew is I thought I would give these a try! Now I am a fan of corn dogs! 

Submitted by: Jessica

5 stars

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 1/8 cup milk
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 2 (16 oz) packages beef hot dogs
• 16 wooden skewers

1. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, white sugar and baking powder.
2. Add milk and egg to the bowl and whisk well.
3. Heat oil in a large pot on stove top unit it reaches 350*
4. While oil is heating, insert wooden skewers into hot dogs.
5. Dip/roll skewered hot dog into batter until completely covered.
6. Cooking 2-3 corn dogs at a time, cook in oil until golden brown in color, about 3 minutes. Set on paper towels once cooked to drain off any excess oil.

Pizza Roll

We eat this one a lot! Because it is easy and so good! If you love pizza you'll love this one!

Submitted by: Jessica

5 stars

Ingredients:

• Rhodes frozen dough. Looks like this:

• Olive oil
• Pizza toppings such as, Pepperoni, ground beef, bacon, olives, canadian bacon,pineapple, anything you love on a pizza.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese. 
• Shredded cheddar cheese

I don't have measurements for cheese amounts, I just use a couple of handfuls of each.

• Shredded or grated parmesan cheese
• Italian seasonings. Basically dried oregano, parsley and basil. Be careful with the oregano, it can be strong.
• Garlic powder
• salt
• half a cube of melted butter

1. Place 2 or 3 frozen dough on a sprayed cookie sheet. One loaf equals one roll, and one roll serves about 3 people. But I always make more for leftovers.
2. Spray the top of loaves with pan spray and cover with plastic wrap. Allow loaves to thaw for about 3 hours at room temperature.
3. Roll dough out to approximately 11x11 square
4. Brush dough with olive oil.
5. Lay toppings on dough (except the cheese).
6. Now sprinkle with shredded cheeses and parmesan.
7. Lightly sprinkle with Italian seasonings, garlic powder, and salt.

    8. Roll up dough starting at one end of the square.

    9. Place rolls on a baking sheet, leaving space between.

   10. Brush some melted butter on top of uncooked pepperoni roll.

   11. You don't have to let rise. Bake it right away

   12. Bake at 375* for approx. 20-25 minutes

When done, top of roll should be golden brown and you should be able to make a tapping sound on the crust with your fingernail. Make sure you let cool before slicing and serving!

This is one roll that I cut in half.

We like to dip ours in marinara sauce!

Cinnamon Syrup

I wish I had a cute little syrup container to put this in. But honestly I didn't care once I tasted it because it is goooood!

Submitted by: Jessica

5 stars

• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan add corn syrup, sugar, cinnamon, and water. Stir well.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once you have reached a nice rolling boil let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add evaporated milk.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Whisk to combine and pour over pancakes, waffles, french toast, or just drink it!! ;)

Baked French Toast

K. I didn't get a great picture of this. It tastes better then this picture, I promise! I made this on Easter morning and the fam loved it!

Submitted by: Jessica

4 stars

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Kings Hawaiian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (this is good but any bread will do).
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Place cubed bread cubes into a greased 9x13x2 inch pan. 

2. Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. 

3. Mix in remaining ingredients until blended. 

4. Pour mixture over bread. Press bread into the liquid. 

5. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

6. Next morning, bake uncovered at 350* for about 45 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes before eating.

7. We topped ours with butter, powdered sugar, and our yummy homemade syrup.

I loved that I could make this the night before and have little to worry about in the morning.

Mom's Mud Pie

The one and only! I know we all LOVE this dessert! Jorden always requests this for his birthday instead of cake. 

• 1 package Nabisco chocolate ice box cookies, crushed
• 1 cube butter, melted
• combine, press into 9x12 pan, freeze

Spread 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream over crumbs, freeze

Melt 2 squares unsweetened chocolate with 1 cube butter, cool a little and add 2 beaten eggs and 2 cups powdered sugar. 

Spread on top of ice cream and freeze

Top with cool whip and cashews.

Taco Pasta Bake

Submitted by: Jessica

4 stars

• 1/2 – 3/4 of a bag of large noodle pasta like zitiapprox. 
• 1lb of ground beef
• 1 pkg/envelope of taco seasoning
• 1C water
• 1/2 pkg of cream cheese
• 1 1/2C shredded cheese 

Directions

1. boil pasta until just cooked, drain, run cold water over it

2. brown ground beef

3. mix together taco season and 1C of water, pour over cooked beef and let simmer for about five minutes until the liquid has reduced

4. add the 1/2 pkg of cream cheese to the beef mixture, stir until melted and combined, remove from heat

5. put pasta in your casserole dish or pot, mix in 1C of the shredded cheese

6. top pasta and cheese with beef mixture, gently mix until the pasta is coated

7. top with remaining 1/2C of shredded cheese

8. bake at 350 uncovered for approx 30 minutes