Brownies

Brownies

1 Chocolate cake mix

2 eggs (you can use three if you like it a little smoother)

1/3 C. oil

Filling

1 C. chocolate chips

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/4 C. butter

Mix first three ingredients together and press 2/3 of mixture on bottom of glass pan. Melt filling ingredients and pour on top. Dot the top with remaining cake mix. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

You can use different types of cake mix and different types of chips for a variety of flavors. I tried it with yellow cake mix and it turned out o.k. Everyone ate them.

Enjoy!! Melynda

Thai Lettuce and Chicken Wraps from www.thaikitchen.com

Makes 8 lettuce wraps

These little rolls are great for lunch or appetizers and are perfect for easy entertaining. Guests love “rolling their own,” prep is a snap and you can have everything ready and waiting in the fridge long before the party starts.

2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. minced galangal (or ginger)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 lb. ground chicken (or turkey)
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1 tbs. chopped cilantro
1 tbs. chopped green onions
1 tbs. minced lemongrass (the bottom 2/3 inch of stalk only)
1 tbs. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce
1 tsp. chili flakes
salt & pepper to taste
8 large washed butter lettuce leaves

1. Heat peanut oil in sauté pan. Add galangal (or ginger) and garlic and sauté for I minute

2. Add ground chicken and stir to make sure chicken breaks up. Sauté for 4 minutes

3. Add water chestnuts and sauté 2 more minutes

4. Add cilantro, green onions. lemongrass, fish sauce, chili flakes, salt and pepper

5. Place in bowl. Cool slightly or refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

6. Present with cold crisp lettuce leaves, allowing guests to form their own little rolls.

7. Serve w/ Thai dipping sauce

Thai Dipping Sauce

1/4 simple syrup (1 cup sugar boiled w/ 1 cup water. Allow to cool)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp. tamarind paste (optional) or rice vinegar
2 tsp. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce
1 red serrano chili - seeded, sliced in half rings
1 tsp cilantro leaves
Combine and blend all ingredients together.

I usually use turkey but I am sure chicken would be great too.

Lately I have been adding a little cornstarch to the dipping sauce because otherwise it is almost as runny as water.

Some of the ingredients are a little hard to find so I usually use the alternative or just leave it out. Examples - I use the rice vinegar in the dipping sauce, usually leave out the lemongrass and since butter lettuce is a little expensive I've just used iceberg lettuce (just something with a nice size leaf).

Dutch Oven Lasagna

Dutch Oven Lasagna

1 1/2 lbs hamburger (or sausage)
1/2 chopped onion
1-10 3/4 oz. can tomato puree
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 cups water
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbs salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
3/4 lbs sharp cheese-grated
1 package lasagna noodles

Brown meat and onion. Drain grease. Blend other ingredients (except noodles and cheese); layer (noodles, meat, cheese, etc.) in 14" dutch oven. Cook with 6-8 coals on bottom and 16-18 coals on top (which is about 350 degrees) approximately 1 hour.

I cook the noodles on a gas stove. If you are camping without a gas stove, you can cook the noodles in the dutchoven first. I usually brown the meat before going camping and warm them with the sauce on a gas stove but you can cook the meat in the dutch oven after the noodles, blend in the sauce, then take it all out to layer with the noodles and cheese. You would need more coals to add for the cooking. Also, I've just used cheddar cheese and I use more than they say.

I think that's it. I hope that made sense. I like the recipes given so far. I will try them.

Swiss Chicken

This is a tasty way to make chicken and rice. I like it a lot anyway. Got the recipe from my old roommate!

4 boneless chicken portions
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 slices swiss cheese
bread crumbs for topping
Rice

Use a casserole dish large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer. Spray dish with nonstick spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with part of the soup. lay chicken breasts on top of soup. Place cheese on top of chicken, then cover it with the rest of the soup. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cover tightly. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice.

Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

I am in love with this salad. It makes me feel like I am eating at Panera Bread (a restaurant back East). I usually have bread to go on the side. I am not a huge mandarin orange lover but so good in this salad.

It comes from Recipezaar. Here is the link.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Mandarin-Orange-Chicken-Tossed-Salad-282792

My alterations:

I don't use Teriyaki sauce for the marinade. I just make up one with some olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, sugar, pineapple juice (we usually have some leftover from a can of pineapple we had for pizza), and soy sauce (almost repeating what is in the dressing).

I also don't put in almonds (they are expensive and I don't like nuts in most of my foods).

Hope you like it as much as I do!

Stromboli

Welcome to the Simmons recipe blog. I was just thinking about all of the amazing food you all make and how I'd like quite a few of your recipes. Raschel and I had talked about starting this blog, so I decided it was time. I will be the first to post a recipe, but I've invited you all to be authors, so you each can post your favorite recipes or recipes by request. I really want that brownie recipe of Melynda's (the one you made for the 4th of July), and I would love Shanalee's recipe for dutch oven lasagna. So there, I've requested them.

Anyway, here's my recipe. I made this tonight because I had a ton of ham and cheese in my fridge and wanted to use it up. I got this base recipe from cooks.com, but I used the ingredients I had in my fridge (ham and cheddar and swiss).

STROMBOLI

2 c. flour 2 tbsp. oil 1 tsp. sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 1 pkg. yeast 3/4 c. warm water Mix flour, oil, sugar, and salt. Combine water and yeast. Gradually add water and yeast to flour mix. Blend well. Knead 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle a little flour in bowl; put dough in bowl. Cover and let rise in warm oven until double in size. STROMBOLI FILLING: 1/2 lb. Mozzarella cheese 1/2 lb. Provolone cheese 1/4 lb. American cheese 1/4 lb. hard salami 1/2 lb. ham 1/2 lb. pepperoni You can substitute other cheese and meat. Roll dough to 1/4 - 1/8 inch thick. Spread small amount of mustard on dough. Alternate layers of cheese and layers of meat on 1/3 of dough. Roll tight, starting with meat end. Seal edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 or 45 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce.

I layered ham first, then cheddar cheese, then ham, then swiss, then a few more pieces of ham. I rolled it up and cooked it for 35 minutes. Then I cooked up a packet of alfredo sauce for dipping. Gid and Eva loved it. Eva usually is sooooo picky, so I was pleasantly surprised that she ate her first helping and asked for a second. Anyway, just wanted to share a recipe that turned out to be a favorite for Kirk and the kids. Can't wait to see your posts!

Joy