Southwest Sausage Bake

When we got married Jefferson and I decided we wanted to start a tradition of having a nice Christmas breakfast. Nice meaning not bagels, cereal, or pop tarts! This is our favorite thing to make for breakfast on Christmas morning. You put it together the day before so then all you have to do in the morning is toss it in the oven!

6 flour tortillas (10 inches), cut into ½ inch strips

4 cans green chilies, drained

1 pound pork sausage, cooked and drained

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

10 eggs

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon each…salt, garlic salt, onion salt, pepper, and ground cumin,

paprika

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

Sour Cream and salsa

In a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish, layer half the tortilla strips, chilies, sausage and cheese. Repeat layers. In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings; pour over cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate overnight

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 50 minutes. Arrange tomato slices over the top. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Hot Chocolate

2 cubes unsweetened chocolate

½ cup water

¾ cup sugar

dash of salt

½ cup heavy whipping cream (we whip extra so that we can add sugar to it and add it on top of our hot chocolate)

6 cups of milk

Melt chocolate in ½ cup of water on low heat until melted.

Add ¾ cup of sugar and dash of salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes then cool in fridge or freezer.

Mix whipping cream until thick and fold in ½ cup whipping cream and all 6 cups of milk. Heat until ready to serve.

*try it with a dash of cinnamon in your cup!

You can throw the extra in the fridge and heat it up later for another treat!

California Pizza Kitchen Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza

I tried this tonight and it was tasty! I couldn't find Jerk Seasoning so I made my own with the following recipe:

• Jerk Seasoning
• Combine:
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Jerk Chicken Pieces
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons jerk seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

To make Jerk Chicken:

In a clean mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the Jerk seasoning and Cayenne pepper.

Coat chicken breasts with olive oil and jerk seasoning/cayenne pepper mix and grill.

Cut breasts into 3/4-inch pieces.

Caribbean Sauce - (I suggest doubling this)
1/2 tablespoon cold water
1/2 teaspoon Wondra Flour
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
3/4 teaspoon jerk seasoning

To make Caribbean Sauce:

Add water to a mixing bowl.

Slowly sprinkle flour into water while whisking at the same time. Break up any clumps.

Add sweet chili sauce and jerk seasoning to flour mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Add sauce to a non-stick saute pan and cook over high flame for approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Stir continuously.

When sauce is thickened transfer to a container and store at room temperature.

For the Pizza

Pizza dough - (I used Joy's recipe that is listed under pizza dough)

Caribbean Sauce
3-4 cups mozzarella
1/4 cup roasted red and yellow peppers
1/4 cup sliced yellow onions
1/4 cup crispy bacon
13 to 15 pieces Jerk Chicken (3/4-inch)
Sprinkling of additional mozzarella

To make the pizza:

Use a spoon to spread the Caribbean sauce over pizza dough.

Distribute ingredients on the pizza and cook according to the dough directions.

Galbi

This is the most popular traditional Korean dish. Galbi is basically Korean BBQ short rib.
Koreans don't cook this dish often, though, for a few reasons. One, ingredients are expensive. Two, it is a little bit time consuming to prepare the food. So we cook this dish only for special occasions. However once you do it, it is very easy and tasty. If anybody wants to make it and finds it hard to get the ingredients let me know. I cook this dish very often so I can show you how to cook it or go to Asian market with you. I hope you enjoy it.

2 lbs marbled beef (I use Prime Rib from Whole Foods)
6 oz soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp citrus syrup (and more for cooking the beef)
2 tbsp olive oil
½ Asian pear or 1 can pear w/ juice
½ onion
5 cloves of fresh garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 stalk of green onion
a dash of black pepper

Cut the beef in long strips (about 2 inches wide). Cut a grid like pattern on both
sides of each strip.
Pat each beef strip dry with a paper towel.

In a blender put the pear, onion, green onion and garlic. Blend until homogenous.
Add to the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Massage the sauce into the beef (the grid pattern will increase the surface area for
which the marinade can enter the beef). Place the beef strips in a separate container.
When done massaging beef strips with sauce, pour remaining sauce onto beef strips.

Marinade overnight.

Preheat frying pan. Place beef on hot frying pan. Intermittently move the beef
around the frying pan so it does not stick or burn. Do not flip until the water from
the beef evaporates.
After the top of the beef has begun to brown, spread a small amount of citrus on top
of the beef (if you add the syrup when the beef is too moist the syrup will slide off
and burn on the pan).
Flip the beef and repeat.
Garnish with green onion or crushed pine nuts. (optional)

carmelitas

these are by far my favorite dessert. probably because they have three sticks of butter in them. whatever.

Carmelitas

2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cubes melted butter
11 oz milk chocolate chips
1 jar Mrs. Richardson's butterscotch caramel

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. Mix Well. Add melted butter and mix.

Take half the batter and press into a 9 x 13 pan (spray it with Pam first). Bake for 17 minutes at 325 degrees. Take out - sprinkle chocolate chips and then drizzle caramel. Crumble the rest of the batter on top. Bake for another 17 minutes at 325 degrees. Let sit for 3-4 hours (if you're in a hurry you can put it in the freezer for about an hour and a half and it'll be good). Cut and enjoy!

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

I haven't contributed for awhile, but was typing up a recipe I made today and thought I would post it here as well. Thanks to everyone who has shared so many good recipes. This is my go to site for dinner now. : ) This is like Sister's Cafe tortilla soup, but I "enhanced" it to work with what I had on hand. Really easy and really good.

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

3 Large Frozen Chicken Breasts

½ C Water

3 Chicken Bullion Cubes

Chili Powder

Oregano

2 15 oz Cans Black Beans Strained

2 14.5 oz Cans Diced Tomatoes

1 16 oz Bag Frozen Corn

1 7 oz Can of Dice Green Chilis

1 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce

1 14½ oz Can Chicken Broth

1 C Medium Salsa

Cook chicken on low until shreddable (approx. 4 hours). Empty all juice from crock-pot, shred chicken and replace back in crock-pot. Season chicken with chili powder and oregano to taste. Add the rest of ingredients and continue cooking on low for another 3-4 hours. Top with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips when serving. You could even half this recipe to easily feed just 2 adults and kids.

miracle meatballs

i tried getting a picture to accompany this lovely recipe, but meatballs aren't very photogenic. had you seen the pictures i took, you would probably skip making this dish and that would just be a crying shame.

this recipe makes a lot of meatballs {two 9x13's and one 9x9, depending on the size of your meatballs}. i love it because they make great leftover lunches or dinner!

i like to serve mine with rice.

MIRACLE MEATBALLS (McCall's revision)

3 lbs. ground meat (i like ground turkey)
1 can milk
½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 cups oatmeal
2 tsp. liquid smoke
2 eggs
½ chopped onion
2 tsp. salt

Mix and form into balls {I use my cookie scoop}

Sauce:
2 cups ketchup
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup chopped onion

Mix and pour over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

I found this little gem in my BYU alumni magazine this last month. It was the recipe the magazine featured in an article about a BYU alum who tried a new crock pot recipe each day for an ENTIRE year, then wrote a cookbook. I sure wish I had an idea like that so I could make a little extra dinero! Haha! Her website is here. We tried the soup last night and I must say, it was well deserving of the spotlight. Still, I'm not sure I'd really categorize it as a true crock pot recipe. To me a crock pot recipe means minimal effort--throw it all in, forget about it, & Wahlah, a yummy cozy meal. This recipe is a little more involved but tasty none-the-less. If I could do it again, I'd spend more time chopping my vegetables "finely." You could even use a food processor if you have one. I might try throwing the soup in the blender next time before serving. Oh, and we ate it in a bread bowl. Bread bowls always make the soup eating experience divine.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

2 (14oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup finely diced onions
1/2 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large slow cooker, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil (if using fresh oregano and basil; if using dried oregano and basil add those two ingredients in the last hour of cook time). Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

About an hour before serving prepare a roux: Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour; stir constantly with a whisk for 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the slow cooker. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Parmesan Chicken

I had forgotten about this dish until a few days ago, and then after eating it, we remembered how much we like it. It is pretty quick to prepare and is yummy. We usually eat it with rice or potatoes, and a veggie of course. Oh, and I have never tried it with the sauce on top, but if you want to try it, let me know how it is. Oh, and we use butter instead of yogurt, because that is what I usually have on hand.

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers

3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt OR 1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine cracker crumbs, parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt (I use butter) to coat and then in crumb mixture. Arrange in greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Top with sour cream chicken sauce, if desired.

Sour Cream Chicken Sauce
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream

In a small saucepan heat soup and sour cream together over low heat, stirring frequently.

Salmon Marinade (allrecipes)

I don't know about you guys, but I love eating fish. Awhile ago was the first time I had cooked fish without my dad. I found this marinade and we loved it. I do have to say that it takes a little of the "fishy" taste away, which sometimes can be good. So even you not-fish-loving people should try it. Oh, and I need to mention that on allrecipes.com it got a 5 star....oh, and 1,703 people commented.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 
  
• Directions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Easy Easy Crockpot Chicken

This is for Atrena... I keep telling her that I love my easy yummy crockpot chicken meals where the ingredients don't go bad, and you can keep them around the house so when you have a busy day and didn't think about dinner ahead of time... you can make these!

Cranberry Chicken

2-8 breast of chicken

1 package of dry onion soup (unprepared)

1 bottle French Dressing

1 can wholeberry cranberry sauce

Mix ingredients together and pour over chicken. You can do this in a casserole dish in the oven, or in a crockpot all day... whatever works, the sauce tastes the same!

Citrus-Glazed Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons of brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon corn starch

Place chicken in crockpot. Pour orange juice over chicken. Sprinkle brown sugar and salt over top. Cover and cook on low heat until done (4-6 hours). Remove chicken with slotted spoon. Pour liquid into a medium saucepan. Stir in cornstarch with a wisk. Over medium heat bring to a boil. Boil until sauce thickens. Pour over chicken.

White Bean Chicken Chili

3 - 15 oz. cans of great northern or white kidney beans (drained)

2 breast of chicken, cooked and shredded

1 large onion chopped (or sprinkle desired amount of dried minced onion)

1 small can of green chilis

1 can cream of chicken

2 tsp chili powder

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn (drained)

2 cloves of garlic minced (or garlic paste... I just do it to taste)

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Combine and bring to a boil. We eat over crushed torilla chips, a dap of sour cream, and shredded cheese.

Tailgate Chili - By Jeff Holm

If you don't have a good recipe for the Chili cook off try this! We left out the beer. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds ground beef chuck 1 pound bulk Italian sausage 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 large yellow onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped 1 tablespoon bacon bits 4 cubes beef bouillon 1/2 cup beer

1/4 cup chili powder 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™) 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos® 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2.	Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3.	After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4.	To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Sometimes I forget that this bread is especially good in the fall since I'm mildly addicted to it and therefore have to eat it year round. Happy Fall!

Ingredients:
1 cup oil
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
16 oz. can pumpkin
2/3 cup water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. allspice
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 bag mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream oil and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time while mixing. Add pumpkin and water, then mix. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to mixture little by little, mixing until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees:

2- 1 pound loaves for about an hour or
6 small loaves for about 40 minutes

(The timing really varies so check the bread with a toothpick once you think its done. I also sometimes like to make mini loaves and those only take about 20 minutes.)

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pumpkin turkey chili

my sister in law just introduced me to this fall dish. and let me tell you, it's wonderful. i think i like it better the next day. i definitely like to eat it with cornbread IN my chili. i may be weird, but it's a piece of heaven. fyi, costco has the best cornbread mix. the brand is penguin. if you don't have a costco membership and want me to pick you up some, let me know. it's that good.

now, for the recipe. the original recipe didn't call for the corn or beans, but i added them. and i'm glad i did.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Chicken-Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls

This came from a friend of mine (who is a total foodie) and I haven't tried it yet but one day when I'm feeling ambitious I will!

Print Recipe Text Only

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
sharp cheddar cheese (I used 75% sharp cheddar and 25% mozzarella)
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
about 1 C shredded, cooked chicken.
3/4 C mayo
3/4 C milk

First take 1 teaspoon of your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside. Combine the remaining ranch mix with 3/4 C mayo and 3/4 C milk and place in the fridge to chill.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400-425 degrees.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.


When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings.


I grab the four corners first and then squeeze the seams shut. Then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush with melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan-ranch mixture.


Time out for a sec. I tried a few new things this time around. One was to cook some of my rolls in a mini-muffin pan. This might work better for serving depending on the situation. They turned out great. You're making 24 rolls, so it fills up the pan perfectly. They cook quicker this way than in a pie pan so keep an eye on them. Mine only took about 8 minutes whereas the ones in the pan took about 13-15.


Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Place your rolls in the oven. I've noticed baking time really depends on the type of dough I'm using. Whether it's different brands from the store, or homemade dough, they all take different amounts of time. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 or 20 to be done. Take them out when they're lightly golden on top.

Serve them warm with a side of freshly made ranch dressing for dipping.



I'm serious when I tell you these are amazing. They were actually way better than I had imagined them. Although how could you possibly go wrong with warm dough, gooey cheese, and crispy bacon, dipped in ranch. You can't. You just can't.



The other great thing is that these are freezable! Before baking, flash freeze individually, or together right in a disposable foil pan. Bake from frozen until golden brown.

pumpkin cookies

it's fall. and that means baking. these pumpkin cookies are melt-in-your-mouth, even-if-you-don't-like-pumpkin-cookies-i-bet-you'll-like-these type cookies.

make them. you won't be disappointed.

best pumpkin cookies

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin (you can use the canned from the store)

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

Cream shortening and sugars well. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla; mix well. Sift dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture and blend well. Drop onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool and frost.

Frosting:

3 T. butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 cups powdered sugar

Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan: bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Cool Slightly. Add milk, beat until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar to make a spreading consistency. Spread on cooled cookies.