Sharing amazing recipes that I have collected over the years and that I will continue adding to daily. Some call it an addiction...I call it a hobby....a delicious hobby!
Ingredients: 2 medium-sized zucchini, cut into slices or half-moon slices 2 medium-sized yellow squash, cut into slices or half-moon slices 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or even less depending on how much you like the flavor) 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onion 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 3/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 c. low-fat white cheese, divided (can use a mixture of different cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, romano etc) 1/2 c. coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (use less if you only have the finely grated kind from a can) Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8x8 baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. Wash the squash and cut into slices of your choice. Wash basil, spin dry or dry with paper towels and finely chop. Slice green onions. Combine the sliced squash, chopped basil, sliced green onions, dried thyme, garlic powder and the low-fat white cheese and stir together until the vegetables are coated with cheese and the herbs are well-distributed. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes. When the zucchini is nearly cooked through, take the casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 c. grated cheese. Put the dish back in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted and nicely browned and the zucchini is fully cooked. Serve hot. This will keep well in the refrigerator overnight.
Ingredients: 1 egg 2 c. whole wheat or unbleached flour 3/4 c. beef or chicken broth (can use sodium-free) 3 Tbsp. old fashioned oats OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING: Nonfat plain Greek yogurt Honey Sprinkles Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray. Whisk the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, broth and oats to the egg mixture. Continue to mix together until you have a dough like consistency. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface (can do this on wax paper for easy clean up). Cut out the donuts using a large circular cookie cutter. Take a smaller circular cookie cutter and cut a hole in the center of each donut. Place the donuts on a baking sheet. Place the donuts in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Once the donuts have cooled, decorate them with some icing (can mix together yogurt and a drop of honey to thicken it up). Add sprinkles for decoration if you would like.
Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts, or enough to fill the pan 6 slices Swiss cheese 1 can cream of chicken soup 1/4 c. milk 1/2 box turkey stuffing mix 1/4 c. butter Directions; Cover bottom of pan with chicken. Layer Swiss cheese over chicken. Mix cream of chicken soup and milk then pour over chicken. Top with stuffing mix (can use more than 1/2 box if you want). Drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 46-60 minutes. Serve over rice.
Ingredients: 1/2 c. canola oil 6 flour tortillas (6 inches), cut into 6 wedges each 2 Tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 c. crushed cornflakes 6 large scoops vanilla ice cream Chocolate syrup, optional Whipped cream in a can 6 maraschino cherries with stems Directions: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Fry tortilla wedges, a few at a time, for 1-2 minutes on each side or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Combine the sugar and cinnamon; set aside 1 Tbsp. Sprinkle both sides of tortillas with remaining cinnamon-sugar. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs and reserved cinnamon-sugar. Roll ice cream in crumb mixture to coat. Freeze until serving. Drizzle serving plates with chocolate syrup if desired. Place 6 tortilla wedges on each plate; top each with a scoop of ice cream. Pipe whipped cream around base and on top of ice cream. Garnish each with a cherry.
Ingredients: 3-4 oz. pineapple-orange juice 2 oz. Malibu coconut rum Grenadine, drizzled Maraschino cherries, for garnishing Pineapple and/or orange slices, for garnishing Directions: Add ice to glass. Add juice and Malibu then serve. Drizzle in grenadine. Garnish with cherries, pineapple and/or orange slices. Serve immediately.
Ingredients: 2 pkgs. (16 oz.) frozen peas, thawed and drained 1/2-1 c. diced cheddar cheese 1/2-1 c. diced mozzarella cheese 1 medium red onion, chopped 1 c. Miracle Whip or mayonnaise Salt and pepper, to taste 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled Directions: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until serving.
Ingredients: 4 bone-in pork loin chops or pork rib chops, cut 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick (about 10-12 oz. each) 1 (12 oz.) bottle honey wheat beer 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper 4 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded or blue cheese, crumbled (1 c.) 2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted 2 green onions, thinly sliced Fresh herb sprigs (optional) Directions: Place pork chops in a 2 gallon heavy self-sealing plastic bag set in a very large bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, combine beer, garlic, olive oil, salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; pour over pork. Seal bag; marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Drain pork chops, discarding marinade. For charcoal grill, arrange preheated coals around a drip pan. Check for medium heat above the pan. Place pork on grill rack over drip pan. Cover and grill for 35-40 minutes or until done (160 degrees). (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect cooking. Place pork on unheated side of grill rack. Cover and grill as above.) Meanwhile, for topping, in a small bowl stir together cheese, nuts, green onions and remaining pepper. Spoon mixture over chops. Cover and grill for 2-3 minutes more or until cheese melts. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Ingredients: 1 box angel food cake mix Water Cool whip free Fresh strawberries, cut into quarters Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Spoon the batter into cupcake a cupcake pan with liners and fill about 3/4 full. Bake for 8 minutes until the top is slightly colored (not brown anymore). Allow to cool completely. Top each cupcake with 2 Tbsp. of Cool Whip free. Add 2 pieces of strawberries to the top of the Cool Whip for decorations.
Ingredients: 1 1/2-2 lb. flank steak or 8-10 thin sliced sirloin steaks Salt and pepper to taste 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce Any steak seasoning you like 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 carrot 1 bell pepper 1/2 zucchini (depending on size) 5-6 green onions 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning 2 tsp. butter 2 Tbsp. finely minced shallots 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1/4 c. beef broth Directions: Start by prepping the steak- trim the fat and cut the steak into 3 inch-wide strips. Season the steak pieces generously on both sides with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Let the steak sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes but if possible for a few hours. While the steak is marinating you can prep the filling. Chop up the carrot, bell pepper and zucchini into matchstick size pieces a little longer than the width of the steak strips. For the garlic, simply peel and crush the cloves with the flat side of your knife, just enough to bruise them. For the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallots and saute it for a minute or 2 until it turns soft and translucent. Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and beef stock and stir to mix everything well. Allow the sauce to come to a boil and reduce to almost half its volume. You will notice it start becoming thicker and will have the consistency of syrup. The butter will also start to separate and come to the top. Turn off the heat and transfer the sauce to a bowl. In the same pan (no need to wash it) add a touch of olive oil and toss in the garlic cloves to allow them to flavor the oil for a few minutes. Turn the heat up to high and toss in the carrots, bell pepper and zucchini (there is no need to cook the green onion) and stir fry the vegetables for no longer than 2-3 minutes. Season the vegetables with the Italian herb seasoning and salt. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl. To assemble the steak rolls, simply take a strip of the marinated steak and lay it with the short end towards you. Place the vegetables (including the green onions) in the middle and roll the beef up over the filling, securing it with a toothpick. Repeat it with the same with the other rolls. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a touch of oil swirling to coat the bottom. When hot, add beef rolls, seam side down, not touching and pan fry for a couple minutes. Then turn roll and cook it on all sides in the same way. Cook until desired doneness. Sprinkle with desired steak seasoning when cooking in the skillet. Remove the toothpick and serve with the balsamic glaze sauce spooned over the top of each roll.
Ingredients: 30 puff pastry shells 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1 c. white granulated sugar Berries of your choice, such as raspberries or chopped strawberries Directions: Remove puff pastries from packaging. In a small mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and granulated sugar. Mix by hand or with a hand mixer until completely combined and smooth. Put the cream cheese mixture in a ziploc bag and snip the end to squeeze into pastry shells. Fill each shell with approximately 1-1 1/2 Tbsp. filling. Top with the berries of your choice. Keep refrigerated until serving. Best if served within 2-5 hours of making. Shells will soften the longer the filling is in them.
Ingredients: 1/2 c. unsalted butter 1 large clove garlic, smashed and minced 2 Tbsp. lemon zest 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. kosher salt Directions: Put butter and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the garlic slowly in the butter for about 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice and continue to heat gently for another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.
Ingredients: 6 fresh raspberries 1 packed Tbsp. dark brown sugar Ice cubes 2 oz. golden rum Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 Tbsp.) Directions: Muddle raspberries with sugar in a rocks glass. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the rum and lime juice, shake until chilled. (In general, the drink is ready by the time the shaker mists up). Pour drink with some ice of the berries in the glass.
(Courtesy of More Recipes from the Heart of Union County) Ingredients: 1 tsp. sugar 1/2 c. milk 1/4 tsp. vanilla 6 Tbsp. salt 1 pt. ziploc bag 1 gal. ziploc bag Directions: Put sugar, milk and vanilla in the pint bag and seal well. Fill large bag half full of ice; add salt. Place small bag inside of large bag, seal carefully. Shake until mixture is ice cream (about 5 minutes). Wipe top of small bag before opening.
(Courtesy of More Recipes from the Heart of Union County) Ingredients: 2 lbs. browned ground beef 4 eggs, slightly beaten 1 c. fine bread crumbs 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. oregano 1/8 tsp. pepper Onion, finely diced 36-40 shells, cooked according to package directions 3 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce Cheese sauce or cheddar cheese soup (2 cans soup and 1 c. milk mixture) or shredded cheese Directions: Mix together first 8 ingredients. Stuff into the cooked shells. Place the shells into a baking pan. Pour the spaghetti sauce over top. Top with the cheese sauce, soup mixture or shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Ingredients: 1/2 c. butter, softened 1 1/2 c. sugar 2 eggs 1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed, about 1 c. FROSTING: 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1/2 c. butter, softened 2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 3/4-4 c. confectioners' sugar Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in bananas. Spread into greased 15x10 baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool. For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually beat in enough confectioners' sugar to achieve desired consistency. Frost bars. Store in the refrigerator.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb. very thinly sliced beef sirloin or ribeye Salt Cracked black pepper 1/4 tsp. onion powder 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided Olive oil 2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced 10 oz. white mushrooms, sliced 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press 4 c. beef stock, hot 4 sourdough bread bowls, centers hollowed out and reserved for dipping 4 sliced provolone cheese Directions: Add the thinly sliced beef to a large bowl and season with a couple pinches of salt and cracked black pepper, plus the onion powder and toss to coat; sprinkle over 2 Tbsp. of the flour, and again, toss to coat. Place a non-stick pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 3-4 Tbsp. of oil; once hot, add about half of the beef in, and allow it to sear for about a minute or two, then toss/stir, and allow it to sear/brown on the other sides for another 1-2 minutes, and remove onto a plate to hold (the meat may still be a little pink inside); repeat with the remaining half of the beef, and set aside. Next, add a little more oil to the pot if needed, and add in the sliced onion, along with a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper; allow the onions to caramelize for roughly 6 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning them, until golden-brown and softened; then, add in the mushrooms, and allow them to continue sauteing with the onions for another 6 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Add in the dried thyme and the garlic, and stir to incorporate. Once the garlic becomes aromatic, sprinkle in the remaining 2 Tbsp. of flour (the tablespoons can be a bit heaping) over the onion/mushroom mixture, and stir well to combine and blend; next, slowly add in the hot beef stock, stirring all the while to avoid any flour lumps from forming. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow the stew to simmer gently for about 10 minutes, uncovered, just to "tighten" it up a bit, and to allow the flavors to marry, after 10 minutes, turn off the heat, and add the seared beef back in, along with any accumulated juices, and stir to combine; check to see if you need any additional salt or pepper. To serve, ladle some stew into your hallowed out sourdough bowls, top with a slice of provolone, and place the bread bowls onto a foil-lined baking sheet until the broiler for just a couple moments to melt the cheese. Serve with some of the hallowed out, left-over sourdough bread on the side, for dipping.
Ingredients: 2 1/2 c. crispy corn and rice cereal 2 c. pretzel sticks 1 c. wasabi-flavored dried peas 3/4 c. whole almonds 1/4 c. light butter 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar 4 tsp. sesame seeds 1 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 c. snipped dried apricots Directions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine cereal, pretzel sticks, peas and almonds. Set aside. In a small saucepan heat and stir butter, vinegar, sesame seeds, soy sauce, ginger and cayenne over medium-low heat until butter melts. Drizzle butter mixture over cereal mixture; stir gently to coat. Transfer mixture to a 15x10 baking pan. Bake about 30 minutes or until mixture is almost dry and almonds are lightly toasted, stirring twice. Stir in apricots. Spread mixture on a large piece of foil to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Ingredients: 1 pkg. (20 oz.) refrigerated Southwest-style shredded hash brown potatoes 6 eggs 1/2 c. 2% milk 1/8 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. butter 10 thick-sliced bacon strips, cooked and crumbled 1 1/4 c. (5 oz.) shredded Cheddar Jack cheese, divided Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide potatoes among 12 greased muffin cups; press onto bottom and up sides to form cups. Bake 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt. In a large nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture; cook and stir until eggs are thickened and no liquid egg remains. Stir in bacon and 3/4 c. cheese. Spoon into cups; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese. Bake 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Note~ You can use leftover ham as a replacement of the bacon in this recipe.
Ingredients: 2 envelopes (0.13-0.16 oz. each) Kool Aid Unsweetened Drink Mix any red flavor 2 envelopes (0.13-0.16 oz. each) Kool Aid Unsweetened Drink Mix any orange flavor 2 envelopes (0.13-0.16 oz. each) Kool Aid Unsweetened Drink Mix any yellow or green flavor 2 envelopes (0.13-0.16 oz. each) Kool Aid Unsweetened Drink Mix any blue flavor 1/2 c. water, divided 1 1/2 dozen hard-cooked eggs, cooled Directions: Empty contents of 2 red (same flavored) drink mix envelope into 6-8 oz. container. Add 2 Tbsp. water; stir until mixes are completely dissolved. Repeat in 3 separate containers with remaining mixes and water. Place eggs on cooling rack in sink; rinse with tap water. Spoon mixtures, 1 at a time, over wet eggs to create tie-dye patterns. Pour small amount of tap water over each egg to set colors. Use tongs to transfer eggs to paper towel-covered baking sheet to dry. Rinse sink immediately as needed.
Ingredients: 1 large ripe banana 2 eggs Cinnamon Directions: Mash the banana very well with a fork then whisk together eggs and cinnamon. Heat skillet on low to medium setting. Spray pan with cooking spray or butter. Pour small pancakes into pan and heat on each side for about 2 minutes. Flip after checking to see the bottoms are done. Note~ These tend to be flimsier than normal pancakes, so make them smaller so they are easier to flip.
