CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, & RICE CASSEROLE

The other night, I needed to make something quick for supper, and remembered I had some leftover CROCKPOT ROASTED CHICKEN in the freezer. I decided to make a casserole out of it, but couldn't find a recipe that I had all the ingredients for, or that sounded like something we would eat. I remembered seeing a casserole chart on southernplate.com that helps you to make up your own casserole. So this is what I came up with, from the help of the chart, and a little bit of tweaking from me! Oh, and here is the link for the casserole chart from southernplate.com.

http://www.southernplate.com/2008/09/southern-plates-handy-dandy-casserole.html

Chicken Broccoli, & Rice Casserole:

2 cups cooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk or chicken broth
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese (or shredded cheese of your choice)
2 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken
1 - 16oz package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked
1 cup frozen corn, thawed or 1 can whole kernel corn drained
1 tsp. Garlic Seasoned Salt
1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 stick melted butter

Cook rice and broccoli (separate). Meanwhile in a large bowl combine soups, cheese, chicken, milk or broth, corn and seasoned salt. When rice and broccoli are done, add them to soup mixture. Spoon mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish. Crush crackers, and stir into melted butter until combined. Sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for about thirty minutes or until bubbly.

SANDWICHES & WRAPS FROM KRAFT FOODS

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Salad Wraps:

4 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 pkg (6oz) Oscar Mayer Southwestern Seasoned or Grilled Breast Strips
1 large tomato, chopped
1 can (11oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup Kraft Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup Taco Bell Home Originals Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
8 Taco Bell Home Originals Flour Tortillas

Toss romaine, chicken breast strips, tomatoes, and corn in large bowl. Combine dressing and salsa. Pour over romaine mixture; toss to coat. Spoon evenly onto tortillas; roll up. Makes 8 wraps.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tbs. brown sugar
1 French bread baguette, 16-20 inches long
4 Kraft Singles

Cook Chicken and onions in skillet on medium-high heat 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add barbecue sauce, water, and sugar; stir. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook an additional 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F). Remove chicken from skillet. Shred chicken with 2 forks or chop into small pieces. Return to skillet; stir until evenly coated with sauce. Cut baguette crosswise into 4 pieces. Cut each piece lenghtwise in half. Fill with chicken mixture and Singles. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Brat Wraps:

1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tbs. olive oil
2 bottles (12oz each) beer
4 fully cooked bratwurst
1 tbs. A.1. Original Steak Sauce
4 flour tortillas (8 inch), warmed
4 Kraft Singles

Heat grill to medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown; cover. Simmer on low heat 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring beer to a boil in medium saucepan. Add bratwurst; cook 5 minutes. Drain bratwurst. Grill 4-5 minutes or until heated through and browned, turning occasionally. Stir steak sauce into onions. Top tortillas with Singles, onions and bratwurst; roll up. Makes 4 wraps.

Chicken Salad Panini:

2 1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breasts
1/4 cup Kraft Light Mayo
2 tbs. Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tbs. Kraft Light Ranch Dressing
8 slices multi-grain bread
1 tomato, cut into 8 thin slices
4 Kraft Deli Fresh 2% Milk Chedder Cheese Slices

Mix first 5 ingredients; spread onto 4 bread slices. Top with tomatoes, cheese, and remaining bread. Cook in preheated grill pan, skillet or panini maker, sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides.
*Special Extra: Stir in a little Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard into the chicken salad mixture before spreading onto bread slices as directed.

BURGER RECIPES FROM KRAFT FOODS

Mozzarella-Beef Burgers:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 cup Kraft Thick 'N Spicy BBQ Sauce, divided
4 hamburger buns

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Mix meat, cheese, bread crumbs, and 2 tbs. of the bbq sauce. Shape into 4 patties. Place patties on grill; cover grill with lid. Grill 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until burgers are cooked through (160 degrees F) brushing with remaining bbq sauce during last 2 minutes of grilling time. Fill buns with burgers and lettuce, if desired. Makes 4 burgers.

Caesar Burgers:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided.
2 cloves of garlic, minced.
4 Kraft Deli Deluxe Mozzarella Cheese Slices
2 cups torn romaine lettuce
6 tbs. Kraft Classic Caesar Dressing, divided
4 hamburger buns

Preheat grill to medium heat. Mix meat, 3 tbs of the Parmesan cheese and the garlic. Shape into 4 patties. Grill 6 minutes on each side or until burgers are cooked through (160 degrees F). Top with cheese slices. Continue grilling 1 minute, or until cheese begins to melt. Toss lettuce with 2 tbs. of the dressing and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Spoon evenly onto the bottom halves of buns, top with patties and remaining dressing. Cover with tops of buns. Makes 4 burgers.

Southwest Stuffed Burgers:

1 1/2 lbs. extra lean ground beef or lean ground turkey
1/4 cup Kraft Mayo Light Mayonnaise, divided
1 pkg. Taco Bell Home Originals Taco Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup Kraft reduced fat Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese Crumbles
1/4 cup Taco Bell Home Originals Salsa, divided
6 lettuce leaves
6 slices tomato
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, split

Preheat greased grill to medium-high heat. Mix meat, 3 tbs. of the mayo, and the seasoning mix; shape into 12 thin patties. Combine cheese and 2 tbs. of the salsa; spoon over 6 of the patties. Cover each one with the remaining patties; pinch edges together to seal. Grill 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through (160 degrees F). Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 tbs. salsa and the remaining 1 tbs. mayo. Place lettuce, tomatoes and burgers on bottom halves of buns; top with salsa mixture. Cover with tops of buns. Makes 6 burgers.

Cheesy Mushroom Burgers:

4 small plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing, divided
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 lb. ground beef
4 Italian-style hard rolls, split

Preheat grill to medium heat. Toss tomatoes with basil and 2 tbs. of the dressing; set aside. Heat remaining dressing in skillet on medium heat. Add mushrooms, cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender and liquid has evaporated. Stir in 1/2 of the tomato mixture and cheese. Cool slightly. Mix meat and mushroom mixture. Shape evenly into 4 patties. Grill patties 7-9 minutes on each side or until cooked through (160 degrees F). Cover bottom halves of rolls with burgers. Top with remaining tomato mixture and top halves of rolls. Makes 4 burgers.

Inside-Out Bacon Cheeseburgers:

1 lb. ground beef
3 tbs. Kraft Ranch Dressing, divided
4 slices Oscar Mayer Bacon, cooked, and crumbled
2 Kraft Singles, cut into quarters
4 hamburger buns, split, lightly toasted
4 lettuce leaves
8 slices tomato

Preheat grill to medium heat. Mix meat and 2 tbs. of the dressing. Shape into 8 thin patties. Mix remaining 1 tbs. dressing and the bacon. Spoon about 1 tbs. of the bacon mixture onto center of each of 4 of the patties; top with 2 Singles quarters and second patty. Pinch edges of patties together to seal. Grill patties 7-9 minutes on each side or until cooked through (160 degrees F). Cover bottom halves of buns with lettuce and burgers. Top with tomatoes and top halves of buns. Makes 4 burgers.

KRAFT FOOD & FAMILY RECIPES

As you know, we are building a new deck. This means quick and easy recipes for supper! Of course this means no "new" recipes for a couple of weeks, but never fear, I dug out some old Kraft Food & Family Magazines, and I'm gonna drum up some yummy and refreshing ideas for Memorial Day, and Summer in general over the next week or two or until we get this deck finished! Some of these I have tried, and some I have not, so I will put an asterisk (*) next to the ones I have tried. Although, I have never tried anything I didn't like out of these magazines, so I am sure they are all yummolicious! I hope you enjoy these recipes, feel free to comment on the ones you try, I like to hear what you think!

REFRESHING BEVERAGES

*Strawberry Pink Lemonade:

1 tub Crystal Light Pink Lemonade drink mix
7 cups cold water
1 cup frozen strawberries, divided
Ice cubes

Place drink mix in a plastic or glass pitcher. Add cold water; stir until drink mix is completely dissolved. Pour half of the drink mix and half of the strawberries into a blender; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour over the ice cubes in tall glasses. Repeat with remaining prepared drink mix and strawberries. Serve immediately. Makes 8 - 1 cup servings.

Peachy Ice Tea Sangria:

1 tub Crystal Light Peach Flavored Ice Tea mix
5 cups cold water
1 cup orange juice
2 peaches, sliced
1 cup rasperries
1 cup blueberries

Place contents of drink mix tub in plastic or glass pitcher. Add cold water and orange juice; stir until drink mix is dissolved. Stir in fruit. Serve over ice in tall glasses. Makes 7 - 1 cup servings.

*"Berrylicious" Smoothie:

1 container (6oz) strawberry low-fat yogurt
1 packet (0.27oz) Kool-Aid Singles Cherry Flavor Soft Drink Mix
6 strawberries
1 cup ice cubes

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Makes 1 serving.

Raspberry Ice Cooler:

1 packet Crystal Light On the Go Drink Mix, Rasperry Ice flavor
1 2/3 cups water
1/3 cup grapefruit juice

Place drink mix in large measuring cup. Add water and juice; stir until mix is dissolved. Serve over ice cubes in tall glasses. Garnish with lime slices. Makes 2- 1 cup servings.

*Sparkling Peach Tea:

1 tub Crystal Light Peach Flavor Iced Tea Mix
3 cups cold water
1 bottle (1 L) diet ginger ale

Place drink mix in large plastic or glass pitcher. Add water; stir until mix is dissolved. Stir in ginger ale just before serving. Pour over ice cubes in tall glasses. Makes 8 - 1 cup servings.

Fruity Lemonade Cooler:

2 cups water
1/2 cup Country Time Lemonade flavor Drink Mix
3 cups chopped seedless watermelon
1 cup ice cubes

Place all ingredients in blender; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve. Makes 4 - 1 cup servings.

DECK IS DOWN!

Well, we finally demoed the old deck, now to build the new one. Just thought I would share these pics of demo day. Can't wait until I can share pics of the finished product!

DO IT YOURSELF WEDDING CAKES

On this day 10 years ago, my Husband and I said our Wedding vows. So in celebration of that, I am posting a link to allrecipes.com that gives yummy sounding recipes for all kinds of Wedding cakes. From the traditional cakes, to pound cakes. It also has punch ideas, and much more, so check it out! Wheather you are planning your own wedding, or helping someone else out with theirs, this will give you some ideas to get you started!

Happy Anniversary to my WONDERFUL Husband! I love you!

http://allrecipes.com/Newsletters/Archive/Detail.aspx?ms=1&year=2010&month=05&nid=10&eid=27&prop25=37454190&prop26=Baking&prop27=2010-05-18&prop28=TopNav&prop29=Archive&me=1

SALSA

6 lbs fresh tomatoes (about 18 medium)
1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
1 pouch Mrs. Wages Salsa Mix
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup sugar, optional (give or take a little, depending on your taste!)
canning salt

Wash tomatoes, scald 3 minutes in boiling water. Dip into cold water. Cut out cores, remove skin, ...and dice. (You can cut your tomatoes any size you like, I prefer bite size.) In a large pot, combine all ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. While salsa is simmering put 1/2 tsp. canning salt in each jar. (I use quart sized jars, but you can use pints if you like) Boil lids in small saucepan. Pour hot salsa in jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace and place hot lid on jar and top with ring. Turn jars upside down onto a towel on your countertop. I usually leave them overnight, and check them in the morning to make sure they have all sealed. If not, you can boil it and try again.

The way I steralize my jars is in the dishwasher under the sanitize cyle. If your dishwasher doesn't have sanitize, just use the hottest cycle. Then when my salsa batch is ready, I dip them back in hot water, and put about 3 jars at a time in the microwave for about 30 seconds it works great, and I have never had any trouble with them not sealing.

If you time it right, and your jars are finished in the dishwasher about the same time your salsa is ready to pour, you can take a couple of jars out of the dishwasher at a time while they are still hot, and you are ready to go!

SWEET RELISH

This recipe makes approximately 8 pints.

2 quarts chopped or minced cucumbers
2 cups chopped or minced onions
2 cups chopped or minced green bell peppers
2 cups chopped or minced red bell peppers
2/4 cup salt
7 cups sugar
2 tablespoons celery seeds
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
4 cups cider vinegar



Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot, and bring to a rolling boil. Let simmer 10 minutes. Pack hot relish in hot jars. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two piece caps. Turn upside down on a towel, and let cool.

MRS. WAGES COUPON

For all of you who use Mrs. Wages Canning products, here is a link that takes you to a coupon for *buy 3 Mrs. Wages products, get one free!* ENJOY!

http://www.mrswages.com/PAGE/Spring_2010_Newsletter_Coupon.aspx

OUR GARDEN

I am so excited, our garden is finally taking off!! We hit a few bumps in the road with the weather being hot, then cold, too much rain, but we finally got it going and some plants are ready to produce. I can't wait to eat that first ripe tomato! Then comes the canning, and freezing. It's alot of work, but soooooo worth it when you can make chili with your own canned tomato juice, or have taco night with your own canned salsa!

Just thought I would share these pictures with you of our garden we are so proud of! If you think you don't have room for a garden, or time for canning, you can scale it down, and do a container garden. All it takes is a few pots and containers, and a little TLC and you can have fresh fruits, veggies, or even herbs right in your own back yard. Here is a link to some tips from DIY Network for Container Gardening.

http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/container-gardening/35022.html

STUFFED SHELLS

This recipe is so yummy and versitle too! My neighbor gave me this recipe about a year ago, and it has become a favorite in my house. The original recipe calls for the jumbo shells, but I have made it with Manicotti noodles, and lasagna noodles as well. It is good any way you fix it! Last night, I used lasagna noodles because Kroger did not have the jumbo shells. Here is the recipe hope you try it and ENJOY!

Stuffed Shells:

1 box jumbo shells
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 15oz ricotta cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large spaghetti sauce
1 tbs minced garlic
McCormick Italian Herb Blend,(grinder type) to taste
2 cups of your favorite shredded cheese blend

Brown ground beef and minced garlic; drain. Cook noodles and set aside. Combine cheeses and Italian Herb Blend. Add ground beef to cheese mixture, and fill noodles with this mixture. Pour spaghetti sauce over the top of noodles, and top with the 2 cups of your favorite cheese blend. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Uncover and let stand for 2-3 minutes.

*If using lasagna noodles, do not add ground beef to cheese mixture. After browning beef and garlic, add sauce to beef, and simmer for about 2 minutes. Layer in this order: beef and sauce mixture, noodles, cheese mixture. Repeat twice, and top off with your favorite cheese blend. Cover with foil, and bake as directed.

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!

Summer is on it's way, and you know what that means.....ICE CREAM!!! Here is a link to 20 yummy looking recipes to temp your summertime taste buds! ENJOY!!

http://www.allyou.com/food/treats/ice-cream-dessert-recipes-00411000067231/page23.html

FRESH STRAWBERRY CAKE

First of all, I want to wish my husband a Happy Birthday. Actually it was yesterday, but I failed to get this posted until today. I made this cake for his birthday cake. It was very moist and yummy. If you like strawberries, I highly recommend this cake. With strawberries in the cake, and in the icing, what's not to love?

Fresh Strawberry Cake:

1 box white cake mix
1 3oz box strawberry geletin
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup crushed fresh strawberries

In a large bowl, add all ingredients. With a hand mixer, beat until combined. Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 lb powdered sugar (I didn't use quite this much, it made it too sweet!)
1/4 cup crushed strawberries.
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Fold in strawberries. Mix well. Spread over completely cooled cake.



This recipe is linked to: These Chicks Cooked hosted by Katie @ This Chick Cooks

KING RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Last week I roasted a chicken in the crockpot, and had leftovers, so I froze them for later. I was looking through one of my Mom's old Church cookbooks, and found this recipe, and decided I would make it this week. It turned out really good! I hope you give this one a try.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole:

1 onion, chopped
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 tbs. butter
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 4oz can diced green chilis
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
12-14 6 inch corn tortillas, cut into pieces
2-4 cups of cheese

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. chop onions and add to skillet. Cook until lightly browned. Add chicken, diced tomatoes, chilis, soups and seasonings. Let this simmer for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile in a 9x13 baking dish, layer in this order; 1/2 of the cut tortillas, half of the chicken mixture, 1/2 of the cheese. Then repeat. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

STRAWBERRY RECIPES

This year we decided to plant strawberries in our garden. At first, we were unsure of how to do this since strawberry plants come back each year and my husband tills up the garden in the Fall. Then my Dad told me how a friend of his planted his strawberries, and it was a solution to our problem! We took one of those plastic kiddie pools, and chopped several holes in the bottom with an ax. Then dug a hole in the garden and "planted" the pool up to about the rim. We used the dirt we dug up for the bottom soil in the pool, then topped it off with Miracle Grow Garden Soil. Finally we planted our strawberries. Now when Fall comes, we will cover the plants with straw, and till around the pool. The plants will be ready for next year!

If you love strawberries as much as I do, here is a link from allrecipes.com for a bunch of yummy strawberry recipes!

http://allrecipes.com/Newsletters/Archive/Detail.aspx?ms=1&year=2010&month=05&nid=2&eid=488&prop25=36615327&prop26=WhatsCooking&prop27=2010-05-06&prop28=TopNav&prop29=Archive&me=1

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!!!

Well, I guess you have noticed that I haven't posted any recipes in a few days. We have been soooo busy. We are trying to build a new deck, and checking out all of our options for a cover for the deck! I had no idea there were so many deck styles to choose from! Not only that, but last weekends storms caused hail damage to our roof, and now we have to put a new roof on our house. That means more choices! Who knew there where so many shingle styles and colors. Why is it that when one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong?!?

So anyway, I will be sure and post a recipe tommorrow. KING RANCH CASSEROLE. So come back and check it out!

FLUFFY FRUIT DIP

I have been making the traditional cream cheese and marshmallow cream fruit dip for as long as I can remember. The other day I came across a recipe that used both of those ingredients, but added cool whip to it! I couldn't resist trying it out. It was really good. I think the cool whip makes it a little creamier, and easier to dip your fruit in. Here is the recipe, ENJOY! (Sorry about the horrible picture, my camera is acting up on me!)

Fluffy Fruit Dip:

1 8oz cream cheese softened
1 7oz jar marshmallow cream
1 8oz container cool whip

Using a hand mixer, whip the cheese until smooth. Stir in marshmallow cream. Fold in cool whip. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with assorted fruits.


This recipe is linked to Ingredient Spotlight at Eat At Home

PIMENTO CHEESE

In the summertime, like most of you, my appetite slows down. Especially when I'm outside with my three year old playing, or working in the yard. Since it's not healthy to just skip a meal, I usually turn to something cool and light. Sometimes tuna salad and crackers, or maybe some cottage cheese and fruit, but another one of my favorites is PIMENTO CHEESE. I used to buy my pimento cheese, until last summer my husband and I visited his Dad and Step Mom. She was making PIMENTO CHEESE for a Homemakers meeting, and so of course I asked her how she made it! It was so much better than the store bought stuff, and very easy to make! I thought to myself, why haven't I made this before? Well, no more store bought stuff for me! I think once you have tried this, you will feel the same way. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Pimento Cheese:

1 pkg sliced American Cheese (you can use chedder, or Velveeta, I just like the taste of the American the best!)
1 small jar pimentoes, undrained
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp. sugar (optional)

*First of all, I would like to make a suggestion. Buy the sliced cheese with no wrappers, or you will spend all day unwrapping cheese!

1. Run cheese through a food grinder. (I folded my cheese in half a couple of times, and put it in my food processor using the chopping blade, on pulse. It worked great!)
2. Put ground cheese in a bowl, and add pimentos.
3. In a small bowl, combine mayo and sugar. Add to cheese and pimentos.
4. Stir together until all combined.

Serve on crackers, bread, or toast. YUMMOLICIOUS!

**You can adjust the amount of mayo and sugar to your own taste. Or just omit the sugar completely.

NO PEEK BEEF TIPS

No Peek Beef Tips:

2 lb. beef tenderloin tips, stew meat, chuck roast or chuck eye (cubed)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 cup water or ginger ale (I used water)

Add cubed meat to a 9x13 inch pan. In a big bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the meat. Cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours. Do not remove foil until done! (this is the "no peek" part) Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

NO COOK STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

I just love strawberries, and every yummy and delicious thing you can make with them! I discovered this last year, it is so easy, yet sooooooo good. You can also use other fruits like peaches, blackberries, pears, or plums. This recipe is also on the back of the fruit pectin packet, but I wanted to post the recipe so you can see for yourself just how easy this really is. This jam is great on biscuits, ice cream, french toast, pancakes, or just dip your spoon in and eat it!

Strawberry Freezer Jam:

4 cups crushed fruit
1 pkg BALL No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
1 1/2 cups sugar or SPLENDA (granular)
5 BALL Plastic (8oz) Freezer Jars

1. Stir sugar and contents of package in a bowl until well blended.
2. Stir in crushed fruit. Stir 3 minutes longer.
3. Ladle into cclean jars to fill line. Twist on lids. Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes.

**NOTE: If you use peaches, you have to add 3 tbs. of lemon juice to the sugar, pectin, and peaches mixture, and let stand for 10 minutes. If you want your peach jam to be a little thicker, put your crushed peaches in a saucepan, and bring to a boil before adding to the other ingredients.

MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS

For those of you who know me best, you know that my second favorite thing to do next to cooking is crafts. This year for Mother's Day, I decided to let my son make something that he can give to his Grandmother's as a keepsake. GARDEN STONES. I got this idea when my neighbor showed me the ones that her Grandkids made her last year. These are easy to make, and very inexpensive. Here is a list of the things you will need:

Aluminum pie/cake pans
Quick set Cement (the smooth kind, not the one with the rocks in it)
Crisco
craft beads
Glass accent gems (those little glass things you put in fish tanks or clear flower vases)
Your child's hand
Anything else you can think of to decorate your stone(rocks, shells, buttons, etc.)

Grease your pie/cake pans with crisco.(this makes it easier to get them out, so don't forget this step!) Mix cement according to bag directions. Smooth out prepared cement in pie/cake pans. Have your child press his hand into the cement, pressing firmly to get a good print. Then use your craft beads, accent gems, rocks, etc. to decorate around the print. Be creative, and have fun with it! For older children, you can let them decorate it themselves.(with proper adult supervision of course!)

**I bought most of my decorations at Dollar Tree. The Accent Gems were only $1 a bag!

CURLY NOODLE PORK SUPPER

Tonight for supper I am taking a break, we are having fried clams (store bought frozen!) and french fries. So for tonight's post, I am giving you a recipe for another one of our favorite dishes. CURLY NOODLE PORK SUPPER. I found this recipe a few years ago in one of my QUICK COOKING cookbooks. It has been a favorite ever since.

Curly Noodle Pork Supper:
 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 medium sweet red bell pepper , diced
1 cup broccoli florets
4 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
2 packages pork ramen noodles
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon soy sauce

 In a large skillet, cook pork in olive oil until brown. Add red pepper, broccoli, and onions, cook until tender. Add the water, noodles with contents of seasoning packets, parsley and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until noodles are tender.

 **For a lower sodium dish, use only one of the seasoning packets.

This recipe is linked to: Ingredient Spotlight at Eat At Home.

PINEAPPLE GLAZED HAM STEAK

Well, as you can see, my page is somewhat back in order. I am finally able to post a recipe that you can actually see! I tried yesterday, and for some reason, the post would not show up, only the title! So anyway, here is what we had for supper last night. The original recipe was APRICOT GLAZED HAM STEAK, but I prefer pineapple on my ham, so I changed it up just a little. Also, I found a similar recipe in a cookbook that added a little orange juice with the Apricot preserves, but in this case since I used Pineapple preserves, I would use pineapple juice instead, and of course I didn't have any. I do suggest if you make this, add the juice! The glaze was almost like a paste, but turned out ok, I would just prefer a little more liquid, maybe just a tablespoon or two no more than that. Here is the recipe, you could still use the Apricot preserves if you want, just use the orange juice instead. Oh, and I forgot to take a picture of this one! SORRY! I will do better on the next post, I promise!

Pineapple Glazed Ham Steak:

1 fully cooked ham steak
4 tbs. brown sugar
4 tbs. pineapple preserves
1 tsp. ground mustard
2 tbs. pineapple juice (optional)
dash of ground cloves (optional)


Place ham in a greased baking dish. Combine brown sugar, preserves, mustard and cloves in a small bowl and spoon over ham steak. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!

Well, as you can see, my page is a little different. I am trying to change over to three coumns, and as I have said before, I am not a pro at this stuff, so it may take a few days to get it just the way I want it. Thanks for bearing with me while I stress over fixing this thing!! I will still be posting recipes as usual, so come back and visit often!

ANGIE'S MEATLOAF

A few years ago I found a recipe for meatloaf in the Kraft Foods Magazine that used Stove Top Stuffing. I thought this was a great idea, dried bread and seasonings all in one box! So I decided to try it, but there was just something missing. So I added this...and that...and this is what I came up with. Don't hesitate to take a recipe and make it your own. Only you know your family's likes and dislikes.

Angie's Meatloaf:

2 lbs ground beef
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 eggs
1 tbs. grill seasoning (I use Weber Grill Creations Gourmet Burger Seasoning)
3 tbs. BBQ Sauce (I use Country Bob)
1 tbs. Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. mustard

Combine all meat loaf ingredients. Pat into a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours. (One hour is enough in my oven.) Make sauce and brush over meat loaf about 15 minutes before done. Continue baking the final 15 minutes.

DERBY DAY!!

It's Derby Day here in "My Old Kentucky Home", so I wanted to post a recipe to celebrate! I searched several other blogs, and everyone was posting the obvious Mint Julep, Derby Pie, etc....etc.... So I thought I would do something a little different. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com after serching "Kentucky Derby", and I thought it sounded really good....and YES it is VERY yummy! So here it is KENTUCKY BUTTER CAKE:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter, softened (not melted!)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Butter Sauce:

3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter
3 tbs. water
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. In a large bowl, mix the flour 2 cups sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Blend in buttermilk, 1 cup of butter,2 tsp vanilla and eggs. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Poke holes in the still warm cake. Slowly pour sauce over cake. Let cake cool completely before removing from pan. To make Butter Sauce: In a saucepan, combine the ingredients for the butter sauce. Cook over medium heat until fully melted and combined. DO NOT BOIL.

*The original recipe said to use a fork to poke the holes, but I was afraid the sauce would only saturate the bottom of the cake. So I used the end of a wooden spoon to poke the holes. This worked great!

SALMON PATTIES

This recipe is from last night's supper. I didn't get it posted because we took our little man to the park, which quickly turned into a disaster! We had planned on playing on the playground, riding his bike, and doing a little fishing. After playing on the playground, we got his bike out of the car, and started down one of the walking paths. We came to one with rose bushes on both sides of the path. Immediately, my brain went into "Mommy mode" but before I could say anything, one of his training wheels went slightly off the path, which made him fall right on top of one of the rose bushes! Needless to say, that was the end of our park trip. He had about 6 stickers in him, and by the time we pulled all of them out, he was ready to go home. Poor little guy, as we were pulling out of the park, in the midst of his crying, he says "We come back tomorrow". I could have cried for him.

Anyway, back to the SALMON PATTIES. This is a recipe I have been making since my husband and I got married. It is one of our favorites. I hope you enjoy!

Salmon Patties:

1 large pouch pink salmon
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup mayo
1 tbs. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. garlic seasoned salt or garlic powder
dash of hot sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs, divided

In a bowl, combine bell pepper, onion, mayo, lemon juice, salts and hot sauce. Stir in salmon, egg and 1/3 cup of the bread crumbs. (you may need more if your egg is extra large) Divide and for into 4 balls. Roll salmon balls in remaining bread crumbs; flatten into patties about 1/2 inch thick. In skillet, heat evoo over medium heat. Fry salmon patties 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

*I usually serve this with fried potatoes, and macaroni and tomatoes.