RECIPE INDEX

Applesauce Cake
Banana Bread
Beef & Barley Soup - Pantry Meal
Blueberry Muffins
Caramel Popcorn
Cauliflower Soup
Cheeseburger Zucchini Boats
Cheesecake, Grandma Cloward's
Chicken & Rice Bake - Pantry Meal
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Clam Chowder
Corn Bread - Pantry Meal
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup - Pantry Meal
Green Chili Beans - Pantry Meal
Green Chili Burritos
Green Chili Burritos - Pantry Meal
Hawaiian Haystacks - Pantry Meal
Hot Fudge Sauce
Ice Cream
Lemon Sauce
Macaroni & Cheese
Pumpkin Surprise
Scones
Shepherd's Pie - Pantry Meal
Spanish Rice - Pantry Meal
Taco Soup - Pantry Meal
Tamale Pie - Pantry Meal
Waffles
Wheat Bread - Pantry Meal
Whole Wheat Bread
Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup, Zupa's
Zucchini Soup

Copycat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing from Our Best Bites:

Ingredients:

• 1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (ignore directions on packet)
• 1C mayo
• 1/2 C buttermilk (or milk works, too)
• 1 lime
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
• 1/4 C green salsa
• hot sauce

Instructions:

1. Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice.
2. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up.
3. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste.
4. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

Cilantro Lime Rice from Our Best Bites:

• 1 cup dry white rice, cooked in 2 C water.
• 2 T real butter
• Juice from 1 large lime, or two smaller ones(taste as you go, I add a lot!)
• ½ – ¾ C chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice.As soon as it’s done, toss in the butter and stir to melt.Add lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro.Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

* You’ll want to serve this right away, if you don’t, the flavors tend to mellow a bit and you’ll probably need to add more lime juice because the rice kind of sucks it up.If you’re not quite ready to eat when your rice finishes cooking, just toss in the butter and keep a lid on it so it stays warm.Then right before you serve it, toss it all together.

Sweet Pork Barbacoa from One Good Thing by Jillee:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds pork (I like to use the pork butt – my butcher concurs)
• 2 cans Coke (NOT diet)
• ½ c. brown sugar
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• ¼ c. water
• 1 can diced green chiles
• ¾ of a 14 oz can enchilada sauce
• 1 c. brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put the pork in a reclosable bag to marinate, pour in one of the cans of Coke and ½ c. brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.
2. Drain marinade and put pork, ½ can of Coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours. Remove pork from crock pot, drain off liquid, shred pork.
3. Mix together (in a bowl or in the blender) other ½ can of Coke, can of chiles, enchilada sauce and brown sugar.
4. Put shredded pork back in the crock pot, cover with sauce, heat just until warmed through.

Gramps's Chili

My gramps, Robert Morris, was famous for his chili.  This is his secret recipe.  So, shhhh, don't tell anyone!  This picture of him is from his younger days serving in the Navy in WWII.

Ingredients:

1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can green enchilada sauce
2 lbs. hanburger
1 can crushed tomatoes
2-3 cans tomato sauce
cooked pinto beans (1 lb. dry)
garlic salt
chili powder

Directions:

Brown hamburger and mix with enough flour to soak up the grease.  Add everything together in a slow cooker.  Add garlic salt and chili powder to taste.  Let slow cook for several hours.  Serve alone or with sour cream and cheese.

Cocktail Sauce

I love shrimp.  But what I love even more, is cocktail sauce on my shrimp!  This recipe is my old standby when I need to whip some up at the last minute.  I really love horseradish, so I add more than the recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. ketchup
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. horseradish
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 drops Tabasco or to taste

Directions:

Whisk all together and chill until ready to serve.

Dad's Salsa

My dad is a connoisseur of salsa.  He says you can always tell if a restaurant is going to be good or not by their salsa.  Good salsa = good restaurant.  Bad salsa = we won't be back.  But the best salsa around is the salsa he makes himself.  Yum!

Ingredients:

2 cans diced tomatoes
1 onion
1 bunch cilantro
1 tsp. minced garlic
jalapeno - to taste
1-2 splashes lime juice
salt and pepper - to taste
mango (optional)

Directions:

Put one can of tomatoes into the blender with the garlic, jalapeno, lime juice and salt and pepper.  Puree until well blended.  Chop cilantro and onion into small pieces.  Put tomato mixture from blender into a bowl.  Add the other can of tomatoes, cilantro and onion.  Mix well and serve with tortilla chips.  For an extra special treat, add diced mango.

Aunt Polly's Salad

Every time I take this somewhere, people fall in love with it!  No one's really sure who Aunt Polly is.  I got this recipe from a Relief Society meeting when we lived in Arizona.  This is my favorite salad recipe ever!  It really doesn't get any better than strawberries, bacon and Swiss cheese all in one bite.

Ingredients:

spinach or red and green leaf lettuce
bacon
strawberries
almonds
red onion
Swiss cheese
Aunt Polly's poppy seed dressing

Directions:

Chop and wash the lettuce, cook and chop the bacon, slice the strawberries , grate the Swiss cheese and slice the onion into thin slices.

Toss everything except the dressing together in a large bowl.  Right before serving, mix in the dressing.  Serve immediately.


Aunt Polly's Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients:

3/4 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/3 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. oil
1/3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. mustard
3/4 tsp. salt

Dressing Directions:

Blend all together unil well mixed.  Add to salad and mix right before serving.

Baking Powder Biscuits

Baking Powder Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
3/4 cup milk (or 1 cup for drop biscuits)

Directions:

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together and cut in the softened butter.  Add the milk and stir just until mixed.  Roll out and cut into biscuits.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.

***As a busy mom, I don't have time to roll and cut out biscuits.  I always make the "drop" version with the additional milk.  This makes the dough the perfect consistency to scoop out with my large scoop onto a baking sheet.  Bake the same amount of time and you have delicious biscuits in a flash!

If you add cheese to the dough and then sprinkle garlic salt on them before baking, these taste just like Red Lobster's biscuits!

Stone Soup

I grew up reading the story of "Stone Soup" by Marcia Brown.  It always made me so sad that no one would share any food with hungry soldiers.  And then I love the ingenuity of the soldiers to finally teach the town's people to share.  Here's the "recipe" of what goes into stone soup from this book.  Just add as much as you like of the ingredients.  Ours always turns out great!

Stone Soup

Ingredients:

water
stones
salt & pepper
carrots
cabbage
beef
potatoes
barley
milk

Directions:

Put everything in but the milk and cook until the barley and veggies are tender.  Add milk, warm though and serve.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Grandma Cloward's Cheesecake

For Marshyl's first birthday after we were married, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted.  He told me that he wanted blueberry cheesecake.  "But it has to be grandma's cheesecake", he told me.  Not knowing what the recipe for "grandma's cheesecake" was I just made a simple cheesecake recipe that I knew was good.  When I asked him how he liked it, he said, "It's good, but it's just not grandma's."

Not wanting to disappoint him on any other birthdays, I went on a search for "grandma's cheesecake" trying every single recipe I could get my hands on for the next 4 years.  But none were "grandma's".

In 1999, we went to Michigan to visit Marshyl's sister, Krysti, and we were there over his birthday.  Krysti made him his traditional cheesecake and she had grandma's recipe!  I asked her for the recipe so that I would have it for all the future years and came to find out that "grandma's cheesecake" was the very same recipe that I had made him the very first year we were married!

The "story of the cheesecake" is a family legend now!



1 pkg. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 prepared graham cracker crust

Combine cream cheese, milk and lemon juice.  Mix until smooth.   Pour into prepared crust.  Refrigerate to set and serve with fruit toppings.

*** Grandma Cloward made this for Marshyl every year for his birthday.  His favorite topping for it is blueberry pie filling.  Blueberry cheesecake is still a tradition every year on his birthday.

Caramel Popcorn

6 qts. popped popcorn
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1 c. karo syrup
1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix butter, sugars and karo together.  Cook in a saucepan on medium heat until boiling.  Stir constantly.  Add milk and boil fro 2-3 more minutes.  Stir into popcorn until all corn is coated.

Pumpkin Surprise

This is another one of Marshyl's favorite desserts!  Sometimes we even have it for breakfast... ice cream and all!

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1/2 c. butter
1 egg - beaten

3 eggs
1 2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. each - pumpkin pie spice & ginger
1/4 tsp. each - cloves & cinnamon
1 lg. can of pumpkin

3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. reserved cake mix


Reserve 1 cup of the cake mix, set it aside, it will be used later in the recipe.  Mix remaining cake mix, butter and 1 beaten egg together and press into a 9x13 pan.  Mix pumpkin, 3 eggs, evaporated milk, 1 c. sugar and spices together and pour over crust in pan.  Mix together 1/2 c. sugar and reserved cake mix and cut butter into it.  Sprinkle over the top of the cake.  Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.  Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Applesauce Cake with Lemon Sauce

This is one of Marshyl's favorite desserts to make!

Cake 

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. applesauce
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 c. raisins (optional)
2/3 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Beat all ingredients, except raisins and nuts, together with an electric mixer for 30 seconds, then on high for 3 minutes.  Stir in nuts and raisins.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Serve topped with Lemon Sauce and a scoop of ice cream.


Lemon Sauce

1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. boiling water
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
3/4 c. lemon juice (adjust up or down per your personal taste)

In a large sauce pan stir together sugar, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg.  Gradually stir in boiling water then simmer over low heat until thick, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; stir in butter, lemon zest and lemon juice and serve over warm Applesauce Cake with a scoop of ice cream.

Waffles

This is our favorite waffle recipe!

2 large eggs
2 c. flour
1 3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Heat waffle iron.  Beat eggs in a large bowl until fluffy.  Beat in the remaining ingredients just until smooth.  Cook in a waffle iron.  Serve hot with syrup and butter!

Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 c. crumbled bacon (optional)


Directions:
1.     Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
2.     Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
3.     Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in optional crumbled bacon, and season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup (a la Olive Garden)

1/3 c. olive oil or butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lb. chicken, cubed
1/3 c. flour
1/2 carrot shredded
1 stick celery, chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh spinach
2 1/2 c. whole milk
1 1/2. cream
3 chicken bullion cubes
cracked pepper
1 pkg. Gnocchi (around 17 oz.)

Melt over medium heat in a soup pot. Add garlic and saute.  Add chicken and cook through.  Add flour and mix well until flour is cooked into the chicken.  Next add milk and cream.  Then add veggies.  Add three bullion cubes.  Add Gnocchi last.  It takes 3-4 minutes to cook through.  Mix well until soup thickens.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

*Notes from the friend I got this recipe from (Sallie H.): This is one of those, friend of a friend recipes.  I've never tasted Olive Garden's version, so I don't know how it compares, but I think this is yummy.  It comes out really thick.  I've messed with it and thinned it out with chicken broth.  Still yummy, but the flavor isn't as strong.  I've subbed whatever milk I have for whole milk.  I've even replaced the cream with regular milk or chicken stock and it's still yummy.  I like to add more carrot and spinach, and more garlic too.  I tried it using frozen spinach this evening and it was fine.  It makes just enough to feed our family for 1 meal, so you may want to double it with your boys : )  If you've never bought gnocchi before, you find it in the pasta aisle of any grocery store.  There's usually not a big selection, one, maybe two brands, so it kind of hides.  If I were doubling the recipe, I probably wouldn't double the gnocchi.  There's a lot of them in the single recipe.  Enjoy!

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

This is a copy-cat recipe for Zupa's Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup:

2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk or cream (I used half-n-half)
1 can (13 oz.) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 lbs.) cauliflower, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese ( I doubled this, cuz we love it)

In a 4-qt. saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion & cook til golden, about 10 min. stirring occasionally. Stir in flour & salt; cook 2 min. stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk or cream, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Add cauliflower & heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce to low; cover & simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 min. Use an immersion blender to blend till very smooth. (Can use normal blender, too, just do in small batches.) Remove saucepan from heat; stir in cheese. (It is not necessary to blend, it tastes just as good if you don't.) Garnish with extra cheese & a sprinkle of parsley.

Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Soup

12 cups peeled, seeded and sliced zucchini
2 c. water
1/4 c. fresh or minced onion
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 c. chicken soup base or 8 bouillon cubes
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 c. milk
2 c. light cream


Combine zucchini, water, onion, parsley and 1/2 the the soup base.  Cook until zucchini is tender.  Mash or puree zucchini and set aside.  In a saucepan melt butter, blend in flour and the rest of the soup base and pepper.  Add milk and cream and simmer until thickened.  Stir in pureed veggies, thin with milk, if needed.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Makes 16-20 servings.  (*** That's about enough to feed my family and have left overs for lunch the next day.)

This is SO YUMMY!  Serve with homemade bread and you have the perfect cold weather meal.

Scones

Our family's favorite Scone recipe:

Ingredients:

2.5 tsp. active dry yeast
1.5 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
vegetable oil

Instructions:

Mix the yeast with the warm water and let sit for 5 minutes.  Combine the flour and salt.  Add the butter and sugar to the yeast/water mixture and then slowly add to the flour and salt.  Knead for 2 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

Rise in a covered, greased bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size.  After dough has risen, punch it down, and on a floured surgace, roll it out into a 1/4 inch thick rectiange.  Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the rectangle into 3 inch squares, and then cut the squares diagonal into triangles.  Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

While the dough is resting, heat 3 inches of oil up in a pot to 375 degrees.  Fry triangles in oil for 1 minutes on each side.  The dough should puff up when it hits the oil.

Drain and enjoy!

Makes about 18 scones.

Pantry Meals: Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

Ingredients:
1 tsp dried onion
2 ¼ c. rice   
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 can diced tomatoes   
1 tsp chili powder   
1 tsp cumin


Directions:
Mix the bouillon cubes with 4.5 cups of water.  Stir to dissolve.  Add the remaining ingredients, stir, cover and cook until the rice is cooked.  About 20 minutes.

UPDATE: Okay, this made WAY too much.  It was a lot of rice.  We had left overs for 4 days, and that's saying a lot with the amount that my teenaged boys eat!  So let's half it for one meal.  That would make the recipe this:

1/2 tsp. dried onion

1 c. rice

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

2 c. water

Follow the directions above.

I know what you are thinking.  "That's not exactly half of everything".  I know.  But it's really good this way!