Nancy's Spinach Salad

My mother-in-law makes this salad. The dressing is so good and you can make it ahead of time. I've never met anyone who didn't like this.

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp poppy seed
1 Tbs onion juice (I'm not sure what this is. I just use a little finely chopped onion, or grate a chunk on the cheese-grater on fine side)
1 cup salad oil (I use grapeseed oil)
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup cider vinegar

Mix together in a jar and refrigerate over night. Dressing will keep up to 1 week. When ready to serve, shake well and toss with fresh baby spinach, 2-3 diced hard boiled eggs, and 1/2 pound chopped bacon (cooked).

Courtesy of Nancy Burton

Christina's Sticky Buns

My husband LOVES these. My neighbor Christina has made these for us a couple of times and they always get scarfed down quick!

18 frozen dinner rolls
1 (3 oz) package butterscotch pudding (non-instant)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup melted butter

Arrange frozen rolls in greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle pudding, brown sugar, and pecans over rolls. Drizzle butter all over. Cover Bundt pan with Saran wrap and let rise at room temperature overnight, or for about 12 hours. Remove plastic wrap. Bake @ 350 for about 25 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes before inverting to serving plate. Serve warm.

Courtesy of Christina Howden

Jamie's Cinnamon Rolls--aka The World's Best!

I can't believe Jamie just GAVE me this recipe! They are THE BEST cinnamon rolls I've EVER had. I copied it down word for word from her directions. She told me that the warm water at the beginning has to be JUST RIGHT so I hope it's not too difficult for anyone. Enjoy!

1 cup warm water
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp sugar
4 Tbsp yeast

Mix together and let stand 5 minutes

Add:
3/4 C sugar
1 Tbsp salt
4 Heaping cups bread flour
1 cup melted butter
4 eggs

Mix together

Add:
2 more heaping cups bread flour-- it will be sticky. Let mixer run for 10 minutes. Roll out immediately.
Soften 1 cube better and spread over dough. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top (5 Tbsp sugar & 5 tsp cinnamon). Roll and cut into rolls. Put them into baking pans and let them rise until doubled.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes-glass; 10-12-dark.


Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
1 cube butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 lb box powdered sugar

Mix altogether and spread on cinnamon rolls. Did I mention that this is THE BEST recipe?

Courtesy of Jamie Kunsch

Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt



Mix everything together. Chill for at least one hour. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Don't let the edges get very golden, or they will be crunchy. Yum.

Cafe Rio Pork Roast and Cilantro Dressing

1 Boneless pork butt roast (Jaime says it has to be BUTT roast)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup salsa (any kind)

Combine listed ingredients and cook in a crock pot on low for 6-7 hours. (Don't let it go all day like a roast, it'll get dry.) Shread pork before serving. It's just that easy!!!!

Here's the sauce to put on the top once you've put the pork into a tortilla:

1 1/3 Cup sour cream
3/4 Cup mayo
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp Green salsa verde
Juice of one lime
1/4 tsp Tabasco

1 bunch of cilantro--Leaves only!

Put everything in blender until smooth.
Garnish burritos with cheese and beans. Muy delicioso!!!!


Recipe courtesy of Jamie Kunsch!

Raygon's Thai Lettuce Wraps

This is one delicious recipe. I got it from my friend Raygon who cooks mostly organic and VERY healthy. These taste so good they have become a staple in my house. She has a recipe for homemade peanut sauce if you want to check it out. www.mealicious.blogspot.com/2009/08/thai-lettuce-wraps.html

I stole her picture ;)

3-4 chicken breasts, minced half red onion, finely chopped
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot (or more if desired)
2 cloves garlic, minced
soy sauce (I used amino acids instead), or peanut sauce, or BOTH
lettuce cups (cut ice burg in half and peel cups apart) wash and chill ahead of time

Saute onion in hot oil until tender, add chicken and cook til no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients, except sauce, and saute about 2 minutes. Dont over cook the veggies, you just want to get them tender, not mushy. sprinkle with sauce for flavor. Scoop into chilled lettuce cups and enjoy.

Whole wheat waffles

1 cup Whole wheat flour
! cup all purpose white flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs honey
1 1/2 cup warm milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter melted
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat waffle iron. Heat milk, butter, and honey in a small pot until butter is melted
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl
3. In a separate small bowl whisk eggs and vanilla
4. Combine all ingredients together in the large mixing bowl. DO NOT OVER MIX. Some lumps are okay.

Mexican Chicken Chili

1 Tb oil
3 garlic cloves minced
4 chicken breasts cubed
1-28 oz can crushed tomato
1 can tomato sauce
3 cans beans (any kinds) rinsed/drained
2 cups corn
1 cup water
2 Tbs chili powder
2 bay leaves (these weren't included in the original recipe, but my chef BIL says bay leaves help counteract GAS)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano


Add everything but chicken, oil, and garlic to the crock pot.

Cook chicken in oil and garlic until no longer pink, then add it to the crock pot.

Let cook for 6-8 hours.

Garnish with cheese, LIME JUICE, avocado, tortilla chips, etc!!!

Courtesy of Lyndsay Wood

Garden Fresh Egg Casserole

18 eggs,beaten
1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/c butter, melted
1/2 cup onion, grated

Mix all ingredients together; pour into a greased 13x9" baking pan. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour (or more). Serves 8-10.

Christmas Morning Chile Relleno

16-oz. pkg. shredded Cheddar cheese
16-oz pkg. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 4-oz cans chopped green chiles
4 eggs
1 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. all-purpose flour

Sprinkle cheese and chiles together alternately in a greased 13x9 baking pan. Whisk together eggs, milk and flour in a medium bowl and pour over cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Makes 8-10 servings.

Courtesy of Shirley Miller.

Banana Bread

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup (2 medium) mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cups chopped nuts, if desired
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9x5 or 8x4-inch loaf pan. In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat well. Add bananas, milk and vanilla, blend well.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add to banana mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into greased pan.
3. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.

Variation:
Applesauce Bread: Substitute 1 cup applesauce for mashed bananas and add 3/4 tsp cinnamon with flour.

Courtesy of Pillsbury Complete Cookbook

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar

4 Tbs cocoa

1 stick butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 Tbs vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

waxed paper

1. In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute continually stirring, then add peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.

Ultimate Cornbread

This recipe is so yummy! However, recently we (my mom and I) haven't been able to find Jiffy cake mixes ANYWHERE. The other day my mom found some and bought 40 boxes. We might have to retire this recipe if we can't find more, but if by chance you have box of Jiffy cornbread and Jiffy yellow cake mix, make this and you won't be sorry!

1 Box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 Box Jiffy Yellow Cake mix

1 Tb flour

2 Eggs

1/2 cup cool water

1/3 cup milk

1 Tb oil

1 tsp baking powder

1. Pour contents of each box into large bowl. Add eggs, water, milk, flour, oil , and baking powder. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish or muffin tins.

2. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Ovens and altitudes may vary cooking times/temps.

Courtesy of my mom

Amazing Chocolate Mint Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp mint extract (optional)

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Box Andes Mints, unwrapped and cut in half


1. In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.

2. At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Then stir in mint extract*. Chill dough about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie. Let them set in the fridge or counter top until the mint has cooled and set. Eat and enjoy!

Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

*A variation I do to appease my son (who thinks mint is yucky and too spicy) as well as the rest of the family is: I set aside some of the plain chocolate dough before I add the mint extract. I stir M&M's into the dough. The colors against the rich dark brown is beautiful. Then with the remaining half of the dough I proceed as normal. Both kinds are yummy.

All-American Beef Chili

2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1 Red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/4 Cup chili powder
1 Tbs cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs (85% lean) ground beef
2 (15.5-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
*Grated cheddar and sour cream for topping

(This makes a large batch that could feed my family 3 times over, so invite some friends and family over, or freeze for a quick home-made dinner in a snap.)

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until simmering. Add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.

2. Add the beef and increased the heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato puree, and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.

3. Remove the lid and continue to simmer until the beef is tender, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

TO MAKE AHEAD
The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to one month. Reheat over low heat, adding water or broth to adjust the consistency.

Courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 1/3 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

16 TBs (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 Tbs vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, 1-2 minutes. This will help your cookies be fluffy. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chocolate chips until incorporated.

4. Roll the dough into balls and lay on parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden but the centers are soft and puffy, 1o-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. At my house at 5000 ft I have to bake mine for the full 20 minutes. At my parent's house at a lower elevation (1200 ft) I bake them for 10. (THESE COOKIES ARE EASY TO OVERCOOK. THEY WILL NOT LOOK COMPLETELY DONE like other recipes. If they actually look golden brown, they are already crunchy. They finished cooking ON THE BAKING SHEETS. See step #5)

5. Let the cookies cool ON THE BAKING SHEETS for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.

TO MAKE AHEAD
The dough can be made through step 3 and either covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or rolled into balls and frozen. When ready to bake, reduce the temperature to 300 degrees and increase the baking time to 25-30 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Pecan Pie

I just finished reading the "THESE IS MY WORDS" trilogy. It was so good! It is one of my all-time favorite books!!! The main character is ALWAYS whipping up stuff in her kitchen for her family and ranch-hands. I thought it was so appropriate at the very end to have a recipe for Pecan Pie (some of her family owned a pecan farm). Since Paul loves pecan pie, I decided to make it for Father's Day. It was DELICIOUS! I ended up just buying the pre-made, refrigerated pie crust at the store but here is the filling recipe:

4 Large Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

1 big pinch salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)

2 tablespoons butter, melted, cooled slightly

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup Light Karo syrup

1/2 cup Dark Karo syrup

1/2 cup clear maple syrup (mine wasn't clear)

2 1/2 cups shelled pecan halves, do not chop

*Don't substitute artificial sweetener, vanilla, margarine, or anything else that's not the real thing!

Beat eggs lightly in a big bowl. Stir in sugar and salt, butter and vanilla. Blend well. Then add all three syrups and mix well. Put pecans in and stir. Pour into crust and bake for about an hour and 350 degrees. After 55 minutes, start checking for doneness. Slide a table knife into the syrup mixture an inch from the edge. When it pulls out clean, pie is finished. Let cool slowly; the center will finish cooking on the table. Good served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Seriously, this tastes like heaven!

Sarah's Pecan Pie

I just finished reading the "THESE IS MY WORDS" trilogy. It was so good! The main character is ALWAYS whipping up stuff in her kitchen for her family and ranch-hands. I thought it was so appropriate at the very end to have a recipe for Pecan Pie (some of her family owned a pecan farm). Since Paul loves pecan pie, I decided to make it for Father's Day. It was DELICIOUS! I ended up just buying the pre-made, refrigerated pie crust at the store but here is the filling recipe:

4 Large Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 big pinch salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons butter, melted, cooled slightly
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup Light Karo syrup
1/2 cup Dark Karo syrup
1/2 cup clear maple syrup (mine wasn't clear)
2 1/2 cups shelled pecan halves, do not chop

*Don't substitute artificial sweetener, vanilla, margarine, or anything else that's not the real thing!

Beat eggs lightly in a big bowl. Stir in sugar and salt, butter and vanilla. Blend well. Then add all three syrups and mix well. Put pecans in and stir. Pour into crust and bake for about an hour and 350 degrees.
After 55 minutes, start checking for doneness. Slide a table knife into the syrup mixture an inch from the edge. When it pulls out clean, pie is finished. Let cool slowly; the center will finish cooking on the table. Good served warm with vanilla ice cream.