Check this out!

 I just found this on the blog Are you hungry? and I had to copy and paste this.  I had no idea!


Did you know...

 
I had to go into the kitchen and check this out for myself.
Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box? You know when you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time. Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, Press here to lock end. Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I can't count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up. I'm sharing this with my friends. I hope I'm not the only person that didn't know about this.

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

This soup is creamy and packed full of chicken and dumplings.  This has to be the easiest soup recipe ever!

49 1/2 oz can of chicken broth
2-4 frozen boneless/skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
1 1/2 cups celery, sliced
1 cup onion, chopped
1/8 teaspoon pepper
12 oz Reames Home Style Egg Noodles
(you'll fine these in the frozen section by the frozen pasta)
1 can cream of chicken soup




1. Pour chicken broth into a large soup pot. Add frozen chicken breast, carrots, celery, onion, pepper, and egg noodles. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium, cook 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Take chicken out of broth and cut up into bite size pieces.
2. Return chicken to soup and add can of cream of chicken soup. Stir well. Cook another 15 minutes on medium until thickened and bubbly.  If soup gets too thick for your liking, just add some extra chicken broth or water.



Hint: With the leftovers you can add some chicken broth if it gets too thick.

Parmesan Tilapia

Great fish recipe!
Tilapia is my favorite fish, it's tender, flaky, has a mild flavor and cooks up fast.

2 lbs tilapia fillets (must be thawed, not frozen) (about 4-6 fillets)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (Kraft 100% grated parmesan, not fresh)
4 tablespoons butter, softened room temperature
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce


4 servings | 15-20 minutes


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. On jelly roll pan, lay fillets in single layer. (cover pan with foil for easy cleanup)
3. Do not stack fillets.
4. Brush fish with juice.
5. Bake fish in preheated oven 10 minutes or until fish just starts to flake. (depending on the thickness of your fish, may have to cook longer)
6. While fish is baking, in bowl, combine parmesan, butter, mayonnaise, onions and seasonings.
7. Mix well with fork.
8. After fish has baked 8-10 minutes (depending on thickness) spread with cheese mixture and broil until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
9. Watch fish closely so that topping does not burn.

Avocado and Olive Pizza

I found a recipe for Avocado and Olive Quesadillas - For the Love of Cooking blog, but I had a Boboli pizza crust I wanted to use so I changed up a few things and made these quesadillas into a pizza.  The out come was a wonderful light dinner.  I'm thinking this will be especially good on those nice summer days with a margarita in hand.  A girl has to dream, it's like 14 degrees outside today! Brrrrrr

1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
3 firm-ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and  diced
1 garlic clove, minced (I used a garlic press)
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
2 roma tomatoes, diced (I used a bunch of grape tomatoes, sliced)
Juice of 1 lime or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 pizza crust
Mexican blend of cheese, shredded 
sour cream

Chop all of the vegetables. Stir together olives, avocado, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, tomatoes and lime juice. Season with  salt and pepper to taste.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Cover with plastic wrap so that the avocados don't turn brown.



Bake pizza crust.  Layer with cheese and bake until melted.  Cut pizza into slices.  Top with avocado/olive mixture.  Garnish with some sour cream and you have a wonderful light dinner.  

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

The original recipe came from Real Mom Kitchen.   Check out her blog, she has a few more soup recipes I would like to try.  Great Soup!  Very easy and tasty. 

1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 (14.5oz) can petite diced tomatoes w/green chiles
1 packet enchilada sauce mix
1 1/2 C water
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can ( 10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
3-4 boneless chicken breasts


In crock pot, mix the enchilada packet together with the water and tomato sauce. Add cream of chicken soup and milk and whisk together until smooth. Add chicken. Pour drained black beans, drained corn and diced tomatoes on top of that.Cook on low 6-8 hours.Before serving, take out chicken and shred, then put back and stir it all together. You can garnish with sour cream, shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese, lime, avocado, cilantro and tortilla chips.

Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my favorite chocolate chip cookies.   As the name says they are crunchy but not hard.  I love to have a cup of tea and a cookie to end my day.


Here are the ingredients you will need...
flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, chocolate chips and walnuts
First combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Next cream together butter and sugar.
Add egg and vanilla, beat well.
Stir in flour mixture.
Add nuts.
Add chocolate chips, mix just until combined.
I like to use an ice cream scoop (the size of a golf ball). If you don't have scoop just roll cookie dough into balls.
Scoop out cookie dough and place on cookie sheet.

Bake 350 for 18-20 minutes.
Leave on cookie sheet a few minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack. Makes about 2 dozen large cookies.

Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup walnuts, chopped
6 oz pkg. (1 cup) chocolate chip

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
2. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar.
3. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.
4. Stir in flour mixture.
5. Add nuts and chocolate chips.
6. Shape into balls. I like to use an ice cream scoop (the size of a golf ball). Place on cookie sheet and bake 350 for 18-20 minutes till light golden.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

We don't have this often BUT every once in awhile I need some biscuits and gravy!

For the biscuits I use Pillsbury's frozen southern style biscuits. (In the freezer section)

 They are nothing like the refrigerate Pillsbury can biscuits, they are like homemade from scratch biscuits.  I LOVE these biscuits because you can take out one or six depending on how many you need. 


Sausage Gravy
1 pound ground sausage
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk (I use skim)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning


Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain.  Set sausage aside.


Add butter to pan; heat over low heat until butter melts. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.  Serve over biscuits.

Baked Potato Soup

This recipe is the one they use at the Machine Shed, it's sooo GOOD!

8 cups red potatoes, cut up into bite size pieces

1 jumbo onion

1/2 lb raw bacon, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 qt water (you can use 1 qt of chicken broth in place of water and chicken base)

1/4 cup chicken base

1 qt milk (I use skim or 2%)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper (I only use 1/2 teaspoon)

3/4 cup flour

1 1/4 sticks butter (10 Tablespoons butter)

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon parsley

For Garnish:

shredded colby cheese

crumbled fried bacon

chopped green onions

1. Boil potatoes in water  for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain; set aside. 

2. Sauté bacon until it starts to brown then add onions and celery over medium-high heat until celery is tender in large, heavy pot. 

3. Drain bacon grease and return bacon, onions and celery to pot.

4. Add milk, water, chicken base, salt and pepper.

5. Heat over medium high heat until very hot but do not let soup boil.

6. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.

7. Stir in flour to make a roux.

8. Mix well and allow to let bubble, stirring 1 minute.

9. Gradually add roux to soup, stirring constantly. continue to cook, stirring, until thick and creamy.

10. Stir in potatoes, parsley and cream. Serve hot, garnished with cheese, bacon and onions.

Serves 8-10

Hint:  I like to have everything cut up and all the ingredients ready before I start.  When the potatoes are boiling I start the soup and it all comes together a little easier.