Strawberry Lime Riviera Bars

• 1 1/4 C finely crushed pretzels (i used a little more than 1 1/2 C)
• 6 T butter melted
• 1 (14 oz can) sweetened condensed milk OR (1/2 C HOT water, 1 C sugar, 1 C dry powdered milk, 1 T butter mixed thoroughly in a blender)
• 1 C pureed strawberries
• 1/2 C lime juice
• 1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed

1. mix crushed pretzels and butter in a 9X13 inch pan
2. press firmly into bottom of pan (refrigerate until ready to use)
3. in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT whipped topping and mix well
4. gently stir in whipped topping and pour mixture evenly over crust.
5. place in freezer (doesn't have to be covered) for at least 6 hours.
6. let stand at room temp about 20 minutes before serving
7. store leftovers in freezer.

REVIEW

Kids loved this, as did brad... i liked the combination of the sweet with the salty of the pretzels... but still not considering this one of my absolute favorites... a good one for a potluck or taking a family a meal though.

Acknowledgement

Another Food Storage recipe from Crystal Godfrey's I Can't Believe It's Food Storage.

Oven "Fried" Chicken

(after looking at the picture, i realized this was a pretty starchy dinner! oops)

Oven "fried" Chicken

• 1 lb chicken breasts cut into pieces (the recipe calls for 3-4 pounds of chicken pieces, but i'm assuming those are with bone and such, i had boneless c.b. so that's what i used:)
• 1 large egg (or 2 T dry egg powder and 1/4 C water)
• 2 T milk (or 1 t dry powdered milk and 2 T water)
• potato FLAKES for coating
• 1/4 C (1/2 stick of butter)

1. preheat oven to 425 F
2. mix egg and milk together
3. spread 2 T of butter on a pan or casserole dish with at least a 1 inch lip.
4. dip chicken in mixture then dredge in potato flakes and place in pan.
5. bake for 25 minutes, flip chicken then bake 20-25 more minutes. (this is for bone in, about 15-20 per side for boneless skinless chicken breasts)
6. sprinkle with salt and pepper as the pan comes out of the oven. 
7. serves 4-6

Potatos (i never measure stuff for my potatoes.... sorry)

• about 2 pounds of red potatoes cut into small bite size pieces
• EVOO
• salt and pepper
• your choice of seasoning... we really enjoy rosemary.

1. mix evoo and spices together
2. toss over potatos
3. cook at 425 for about an hour, till soft, tender, and crispy on top :) (hint on potatoes, you can shorten your cooking time by "steaming" the potatoes in the microwave for a little while to "pre-cook" the taters... unfortunately ours died tonight while making the corn :( 

Bread

this is the same bread recipe used here

REVIEW

This got  TWO thumbs up from everyone at the table, EVEN my picky eater... (he's behind the flowers) everyone's plates were completely clean when we finished.  This has kind of a chick filet texture to it.  I think i may try doing little nugget sized chicken pieces next time. :) Brad even said this a DEFINITE repeat! (yeah for food storage :)

Acknowledgements:

The bread and chicken reicpes come from Crystal Godfrey from her website www.everydayfoodstorage.net, and her book, I Can't Believe It's Food Storage. The potato recipe is another noel original (hehe it rhymes :)

Angel Food Cake and Custard

This is our absolute FAVORITE! we can't even eat the store bought stuff anymore!

Angel Food Cake

• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 ½ c egg whites (about 12 eggs)
• 1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Oven @ 375
2. Beat eggs and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy.
3. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, scraping bowl often.
4. Add salt, almond extract and vanilla.
5. Mix flour and powdered sugar and add to the mixture.
6. Fold until flour mixture disappears.
7. Put into pan.
8. Cut through with metal spatula.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
10. Cool by placing upside down on top of a bottle with the bottle nose at the center of the back pan. Cool for 1 ½ hours. (we have a new angel food cake pan and it has little things on the outside of the pan so it just flips over to cool and then you pop out the center)

Custard for Angel food cake  (this is a single batch... I usually triple it since i have 12 egg yolks anyways)

• 1 ½ cup whipping cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Bring cream to a boil and remove from heat.
2. In a separte bowl mix sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and egg yolks.
3. Gradually add cream.
4. Cook over medium heat until custard can coat the back of a metal spoon (probably about 3-4 minutes)
5.  Can be served over berries as well.

REVIEWS

A classic that just can't be outdone! this is light and fluffy, and just plain delish! bet you can't stop at just one bite!

Acknowledgement

This came from my mother in law... she KNOWS yummy desserts!

Black Bean Chicken Nachos

(Good news is we have BOTH a camera AND a chord now... i'll update the posts with pictures as we make the meals again, bad news... i haven't taken any pictures lately) 

• 1 bag of tortilla chips
• 2-3 chicken breasts frozen or thawed sliced/cut into bite size pieces
• EVOO (extra virgin olive oil... or whatever you like to add to your pan to cook up your chicken)
• 1 can of black beans
• taco seasoning
• shredded Monterey jack cheddar cheese
• taco/nacho toppings that your family enjoys

1. pre-heat oven to 375
2. in a frying pan, add oil and warm for a few minutes.
3. add chicken to pan and sprinkle with some taco seasoning and cook till done
4. while chicken is cooking, line a big cookie sheet with foil and place a good layer of taco chips
5. in a bowl, mix cheese with more taco seasoning and sprinkle on top of chips... good and thick!
6. drain and rinse beans really well (once there are no bubbles when rinsed with water, all those fun gas bubbles will be no problem:)
7. sprinkle beans over cheese
8. once chicken is done, layer over the beans and add a little more cheese
9. put in the oven until cheese is melted... about 5-10 minutes.
10. to serve, put pan in middle of the table (careful for little fingers... it's still hot!) with choice of toppings and let everyone dish up on their plates! mmmm. soo good fresh out of the oven, AND easy clean up, just wrap up with the foil, and then pretty tasty as leftovers too! just unwrap and place back in the oven. :)

REVIEW

This is ALWAYS a big hit in our family, poor brad hadn't ever had them fresh out the oven till this last time, and despite that he still always enjoys them :)

Acknowledgment:

This is a genuine original from yours truly :)

PIZZA! (like pizza hut)

Who doesn't love pizza!!!???!!!
Every Friday night our family does some variation of pizza and a movie... our kids LOVE it and look forward to it EVERY week!  But we were still trying to perfect our homemade crust... until NOW!  I got this recipe from a sweet sister who our family just adores, but i don't know where this recipe originally comes from.

The Crust

• 1 1/3 C warm water
• 1/4 C non-fat dry milk
• 1/2 t salt
• 4 C flour
• 1 T sugar
• 2 T yeast
• 2 T vegetable oil
• additional vegetable oil for pans

1. put yeast, sugar, salt and dry milk in a large (2qt) bowl.  ad water and stir to mix well.  Allow to sit for 2 minutes.
2. add oil and stir again, add flour and stir until dough  forms and four is absorbed, turn out onto a flat surface and knead for 10 minutes. (I just put it all in my kitchen aid and kneaded for about 5-7 minutes.
3. Then divide into three balls.  in three 9" cake pans, put 3 oz of oil (i used a bit less) and spread it evenly (I also didn't have 3 cake pans so i used on big rectangle pan).
4. using a rolling pin, roll out dough to fit your pan(s).  place in pan(s).  spray dough with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 1-1 1/2 hours.
5. cover with sauce, cheese, toppings, a little more cheese. (about 9 oz total cheese)
6. pre-heat oven to 475 and bake about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and outer crust is brown.

this makes a pan pizza crust like at pizza hut... mmmm, one of my favorites!

Make your sauce

• 1 clove garlic, mashed and minced
• 1 t salt
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1/8 t pepper
• 1/2 t marjoram
• 1/2 t dry basil
• 1/2 t garlic salt
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1 T olive oil
• dash of red pepper (optional)

1. mix everything together... makes enough for two pizza recipes!

REVIEW

This made a PERFECT amount for our family of 5. and tasted DELICIOUS!

Acknowledgements:

Like i said, i'm not sure where my friend got the crust recipe... and the sauce recipe I came up with after experimenting with lots of different kinds... enjoy and let me know what you think!

Grilled Cheese and Creamy Tomato Soup

There's just something that says "COMFORT" in grilled cheese with tomato soup... now our family can NOT stand the tomato soup from a can... bleck. but this... now THIS is something else... delicious and scrumptious! Try it and let me know what you think! okay?

Ok, first off, the Soup recipe:

• 2 t olive oil (or coconut oil :)
• 3-4 onions quartered or sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled (or since i had it in the fridge, i used it, minced)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 freshly ground pepper
• 2 (35 oz) cans of whole, peeled tomatoes, drained (or 4 lbs ripe tomatoes)
• 8 flat-leaf parsley sprigs (extra for garnish)
• 5 C vegetable broth
• 1 C half and half

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  add the onions, garlic, salt, pepper; cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
2. transfer the onion mixture to a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.  add the tomatoes and parsley sprigs.  pour the borth over the vegetables.  cover and cook until the flavors are blended, (4-5 hours on high or 8-10 on low) (OR in a sauce pan on your stove for about 30 minutes)
3. discard parsley sprigs and pour the soup in batches into a blender or food processor and puree.  return the soup to the slow cooker or pot; which in the half and half.  cover and cook on low until heated through (about 30 minutes, or 5-10 on the stove) Garnish each serving with extra parsley sprigs.

This makes double what we need for our family (2 adults and 3 kids 7 and under) when we add our sandwiches... if it's your main entrée, it's enough for 6 servings :)

Sandwiches

(because homemade bread makes THE BEST grilled cheese!)

• 1 1/8 C warm water
• 2 t active dry yeast
• 2 T sugar
• 3 C flour
• 1 T vital wheat gluten
• 1 t salt
• 2 T nonfat non-instant powdered milk
• 1 1/2 T butter/margerine/oil  (I always use applesauce)
• 1/4 C potato flakes (flakes... NOT pearls!)

1. Add all the ingredients in the order listed into a mixer bowl (i use my kitchen aid)  with a dough hook and mix on low for 10-12 minutes. OR on the dough cycle in your bread machine.
2. once dough is manageable with your hands, let rise 45 min-1 hour (My trick? i spray my bowl, add my dough back in, spray the top of my dough, cover with saran wrap, put in my oven... which while i was mixing i turned on to 350 for ONE minute... JUST ONE minute, then turned off... it makes it nice and warm in there! and shortens my rising time!) 
3. punch down and put in your bread pan and rise until a bit over the top of your bread pan
4. bake 375 for 20-25 (my oven goes more to the full 25 minutes)
5. once bread is cooled, slice.  Butter one side of each slice and place on griddle or pan with a slice of cheese of your choice and cover with another slice... you know how to make grilled cheese, right?

REVIEW

This one is a FAVORITE in our house... and always gets everyone eating! like i said, when we pair it up with our sandwiches, the soup makes a TON! 

Acknowledgements:

The cream of tomato soup comes from weight watchers slow good super slow cooker cookbook, and the bread recipe comes from www.everydayfoodstorage.net (if you haven't already you should really check out crystal's site... a LOT of helpful cook from scratch tips and tutorials!)

rotisserie chicken... non-rotisserie style

I have been really craving those rotisserie chickens you can get at the grocery store... the hot n' ready ones that are warm and tender and just delectable! but they can be so expensive, and I read somewhere that you can put one in your crockpot and get the same taste and effect!

• 1 rotisserie chicken (bought on sale makes it one tasty meal!... or two or three with leftovers:)
• potatos (i like red the best:)

1. wash, fork and wrap potatoes in foil, like baked potatoes. place in the bottom of your crockpot (i have an oval shaped one that fits it perfectly...)
2. season your chicken with whatever you like, a suggestion was lowry's seasoned salt, but i found this rotisserie seasoning in one container at publix and LOVE it!
3. place chicken on top of potatoes and set to high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-9 hours.

By putting the chicken on top of the potatoes you allow the chicken to get "crispy" for that rotisserie type of chicken, plus the potatoes get the chicken broth flavor.

REVIEW

I made mashed potatoes from the baked potatoes using some of the broth as well as some gravy too :) add some rolls and salad or another veggie and it's complete and enough so that you can use leftover meat for sandwiches the next day!

When it was done, the meat was cooked through and falling off the bone, but the skin wasn't as "crunchy" as i was hoping... it wasn't until i was trying to carve the bird when i couldn't figure out where all the white meat went when I realized that i cooked the bird upside down :)  don't make my mistake and i bet you'll get a better crunch! 

definitely a great meal worth repeating!!!! enjoy!