Hacienda Hamburger

This is a yummy main dish. You won't really need any side dishes with this meal because it has everything in it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb hamburger or ground turkey

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 small can sliced olives

1 tsp salt

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 cup uncooked wide noodles

1 cup diced cheese

1 diced carrot

1/4 cup diced bell pepper

1 cup frozen corn, drained and thawed

DIRECTIONS:

Cook hamburger, onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper for five minutes until onion is translucent and hamburger is cooked well. Drain grease from skillet. Add remaining ingredients; stir lightly. Cover and cook slowly for 20 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

Mango Black Bean Salad

This recipe is from Maria Menounos (she's on "Access Hollywood" -- I think!). It was featured on "The Nate Berkus Show" the other day and it looked so good that I wanted to try it. So I googled it and got the recipe. It's delicious and very healthy!

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1/2 cup Italian dressing, any kind you like (use fat-free or low-cal)

Two 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped red onions

1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/4 cup of the mango with the Italian dressing until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining mango with the beans, red onion, and peppers. To the bean mixture, add the mango puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and chill until ready to serve.

Note:

This makes a good side dish or a good snack. We added fresh chopped avocados to it and ate it with chips. It was so good!! But if you do add the avocados don't add them until ready to eat or else they'll brown. We also thought it would taste yummy with cilantro and corn in it. The possibilities are endless!!

Venetian Apricot Chicken

Yesterday, before our little brother Scottie left on a Mormon mission we all went to the Olive Garden. The sisters all ordered the same thing! It is by far one of the best tasting dishes they have to offer. Here is the recipe!

Venetian Apricot Chicken

Ingredients
Apricot Sauce:
1/2 cup chicken stock (broth)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
Salt and pepper to taste

Tomato Mixture:
1/2 lb roma tomatoes, cut into 1” pieces
6 basil leaves, cut into 1/2” pieces
1 tsp garlic pepper
Salt to taste

Garlic Herb Seasoning:
3 tsp garlic pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 bunch asparagus (remove bottom inch of stems)
1/2 lb broccoli florets
1Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Chopped parsley to garnish

Procedures

1. COMBINE Garlic Herb Seasoning ingredients in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
   
2. BLEND chicken stock and apricot preserves in a sauce pan. Add salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
   
3. COMBINE tomatoes, basil, garlic pepper and salt in a separate mixing bowl and set aside.
   
4. BLANCH asparagus and broccoli for 1 minute in a pot of salted boiling water. Transfer immediately to ice bath to stop cooking.
   
5. COAT sauté pan with 1Tbsp olive oil. While keeping ingredients separated in pan, heat cooled asparagus, broccoli and tomato mixture and until hot. Do not overcook.
   
6. GRILL chicken until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
   
7. PLACE grilled chicken on a platter next to hot broccoli and asparagus. Sprinkle Garlic Herb Seasoning on broccoli. Pour tomato mixture on top of vegetables.
   
8. TOP chicken breasts with apricot sauce and garnish with chopped parsley.

So Good Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup butter

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

5 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup oats

12 oz chocolate chips ( these cookies are so good even without the chocolate chips)

Cream together sugars, butter, oil. Then mix in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir into wet mixture. Stir in oats. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 min.

Out of This World Rolls

2 Pkg (2Tbsp) Yeast

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup shortening or 1 stick butter(melted)

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs, well beaten

4 1/2 cup flour

1 cup warm water

Soften yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water. Combine shortening, sugar, eggs, 1 cup warm water and salt. Stir in yeast and 2 1/2 cup flour. Beat with hand mixer until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and let rise until double. (approx. 1 hr) Punch down and refrigerate overnight. Take out 3 hours before baking. Roll out into 1 large rectangle or 2 smaller ones 1/2 inch thick. Spread with melted butter. Roll up jelly roll style and cut 1 inch thick. Place in greased muffin pans. Cover with a dish towel and let rise 3 hours. Bake 400 degrees 12 min or so.

PS. Can make cinnamon rolls out of these too. Just add cinnamon and brown sugar with the butter.

Raspberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes

French Vanilla Cupcakes
1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe French Vanilla Cake Mix
3 Large Eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted (not margarine)
1 cup water

Directions:
Melt butter in microwave
Add cake mix, eggs, butter and water in large bowl
Mix. The batter will be nice and thick.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
While cupcakes are cooling, make Raspberry filling.

Raspberry Filling
2 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/4 cup water
6 tbsp flour
1stp lemon juice

In Medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, flour and lemon juice. Mix Well.
Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens.
Cool completely.
Then stir in thawed raspberries.
(Yields approx 2 cups of filling)

Filling your cupcakes
Cut out small, cone shaped section in the center of the cupcake.
Add Raspberry filling to the hole, and place the cut out cone section back on.
Now they are ready to frost!

Butter Cream Frosting (SO GOOD!)
1 cup real butter (not margarine) room temperature
1 cup vegetable shortening
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Optional: Food coloring

Thoroughly cream butter and shortening. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add sugar, one cup at a time until blended. When the sugar is completely mixed add the whipping cream.

Frost and enjoy! See here.

Baked Potato Soup

3 Tbs butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C flour
4 1/2 C milk (low fat works great)
1 14oz can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked*
2 C grated cheddar (or sharp cheddar) cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 C  sour cream (low fat is fine), divided
1/2 C chopped green onions, divided
8 slices Turkey Bacon, divided, crumbled

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.  Add flour to pan.  Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps.   Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth. (Now, if you get to this point and don’t have a smooth liquid.  Stop!  Save your soup by popping the mixture in the blender, then continue.)  Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low.  Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot.  Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps.  Add 1 1/2 C grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.  Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 C sour cream, 1/4 C green onions, and 4 strips of the crumbled bacon.  Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

This soup is SO yummy! We just made it with some homemade breadsticks. Perfect soup for a chilly day!