Microwave Caramels

2 C. sugar
1 C. Karo Syrup
1 C. butter

Mix in 3 qt. glass or ceremic dish. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir until all sugar dossolves. Gradually add while stirring:

1 Can sweetened condensed milk

Then microwave on high for a total of 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes with a clean spoon. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.

Fudge

1 1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter
1 6oz. evaporated milk
1 1/2 C. Marshmallow Cream (1/2 of 13 oz. jar)
2 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 C. Milk Chocolate Chips
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Nuts or add-ins as desired (optional)

1. Lightly grease 9x9x2 pan and set aside.
2. Heat sugar, butter, milk and marshmallow cream in heavy 3 qt pan over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 5 minutes.
3. Add chocolate chips and vanilla extract, stirring until chips are melted. Stir in nuts if desired.
4. Spread into prepared pan. Cool.

Cereal Mix Treat

1/2 Large box Corn Chex
1/2 Large Box Golden Grahams
Flaked Coconut- any amount
mixed nuts

Sauce:
2 Cubes Butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. white corn Syrup

Mix cereals, coconut and nuts in a large bowl. Mix sauce ingredients in a pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes. Pour over cereal mixture and stir gently

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef, browned
1 can stewed tomatoes, diced
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 15 oz. can Tomato sauce
1 4 oz. Can green chiles
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 cup favorite salsa
Taco seasoning to taste (I used 1/2 pkg.)

I have a lot of taco soup recipes. I don't love any of them by themselves, so I took a couple of recipes and put in what I thought would make for a yummy taco soup. I made this last night and it was really good. All you have to do is throw everything in the pot and let it simmer for 10-20 minutes. The hardest part is opening all of the cans. Then make sure you have the staple garnishes for this dish:

Cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Corn chips

Enjoy!



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Mexican Taco Casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup water
3/4 cup Taco Sauce, Medium
4 ounces Diced Green Chiles
1 can sliced black olives, drained, divided
1 package Taco Seasoning
1/2 bag tortilla chips
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/8 cup sliced green onions

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. Cook beef, onion and garlic until beef is brown. Stir in water, taco sauce, chiles, 1/4 cup olives, and seasoning mix. cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Layer half of broken tortilla chips on bottom of greased 12x8 inch pan. cover with half of meat sauce and then sprinkle 1 cup cheese. Repeat with remaining chips, meat sauce and cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Top with remaining olives, tomatoes, and green onions.

The great thing about this recipe is you can modify it to fit your taste buds. For example, I left out the onions and olives. I also used a mild instead of a medium taco sauce and I didn't use a whole package of taco seasoning because the stuff is too strong for me. This is basically something of a glorified, layered nachos dish. We loved it and will definitely be making it again!

Coke Roast (Coca Cola Pot Roast)

This recipe is from Cooks.com

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1827,159190-252201,00.html

6 carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
12 new potatoes, unpeeled
3 white onions
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms
5-6 lb. boneless beef roast
1 (10 oz.) can consomme
1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
8 oz. Coca Cola
Salt and pepper
Soy sauce
Seasoning salt

Lightly precook potatoes and carrots in saucepan. Add salt, pepper, seasoning salt and soy sauce to roast, rubbing into meat. Place roast in pot. Drain carrots and potatoes and put in pot. Add onions, quartered and whole mushrooms. Add Coca Cola, consomme, cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix. Cover and place in 325 degree oven for 3 hours.

Notes: I've heard you can use other kinds of pop, i.e. rootbeer, pepsi, etc. I think it's the bubbles that count.

Zuppa Toscana (Sausage, Kale soup from Olive Garden)

This is a look-a-like recipe I found online for Zuppa toscana from Olive Garden

1 lb ground italian sausage

1 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces

2 tsp garlic puree

10 cups water

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes

1/4 bunch of kale

1. Saute' italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refridgerate while you prepare other ingredients.

2. In the same pan, saute' bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.

4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half and hour.

5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

(It doesn't say in the recipe but I added the onions, bacon, and garlic mixture about the same time as the cream but I would think you could add it at any time after the potatoes are soft)

6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve

Tan Mein (Soup Noodles)

This recipe comes from the book, The Complete Oriental Cookbook.

12 oz. egg noodles or spaghetti

1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 in. piece of fresh green ginger, peeled and chopped

8 oz. lean pork, finely shredded

1 Tbs. butter

1 cup mushrooms

2/3 cup cabbage, blanched for 1 minute and drained

1/2 c bean sprouts, blanched for 1 minute and drained

2/3 cup peeled shrimp

1 1/2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/4 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled

2 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock

Cook the noodles or spaghetti in boiling, salted water until they are just tender. Drain and keep hot.

Heat the oil in a large frying-pan. When it is hot, add th onion, ginger and pork and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the butter, and, when it has melted, stir in the mushrooms, cabbage, bean sprouts and shrimp. Stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and sugar and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Bring the water to boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to moderate and add the stock (bouillon) cube, stirring until it has dissolved. Add half the pork mixture to the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the noodles or spaghetti and simmer for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, return the frying-pan to high heat and stir-fry the remaining pork mixture for 1 minute to reheat it.

Divide the noodle mixture between four or six serving bowls. Spoon over the pork mixture and serve at once.

Serves 4-6

Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

Notes from Raschel :)

Ginger root is hard to get chopped small enough so you don't get a big bite of ginger in your mouth (blah). You can buy bottles of it all ready to go. I recommend that.

Usually grocery stores don't have ground pork sitting on the shelf ready to buy. But if you ask one of the meat-guys for a pound of ground pork they should be able to grind it up. I had it done at Broulim's one time. And I bought some on-the-shelf at Walmart once. Or you could cook a pork roast and use that or use any other imaginative pork retrieval ideas you may have.

Chile Rellenos Casserole

From Allrecipes.com and altered by Melynda Gessel

4 (4oz) cans whole green chile's, drained. Make sure all the seeds are removed.
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese shredded
8 oz. Mild cheddar cheese shredded
3 eggs
7 oz. evaporated milk
3/4 c. milk
3 T. Flour


Open 2 cans of chile's and open each chile up to lay flat on greased 9x13 inch pan. Cover with half of the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Place the other two cans of peppers over top of the cheese in the same way.

Mix eggs, milk, and flour with a whisk. Pour over top of the chile's and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, place 1 tomato, 1/2 onion, cilantro, and 6 cloves garlic with 1/2 can spaghetti sauce. Puree together.

After chile's are cooked, place this over top with remaining cheese over top of sauce and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Serve hot and enjoy!!!

2 yummy side dishes.

I usually don't seem to get around to the side dish but I made both these yesterday and they were easy and really good.

Parmesan Herbed Noodles
3 c. uncooked wide egg noodles
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt

In saucepan, cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat.
(This was especially good with parmesan chicken)

Marinated Veggie Salad
1 1/3 c. frozen french-style green beans, thawed
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
2/3 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onions
2 jars (2 ounces each) diced pimientos, drained

Dressing:
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbs. canola oil
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 tsp. water

In a salad bowl, combine the beans, peas, celery, green pepper, onions and pimientos. In a smalll bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Pour over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with slotted spoon.

(I didn't have pimientos and I didn't chill it for 2 hours. But it still tasted really good)

Pickled Peas

We have had quite a few sugar snap peas coming out of our garden and I saw this recipe for pickled peas and wanted to try it. The girls ask for more- which gives it two thumbs up from me!

This is from the website I took it from so these are her words. Here is the link if you want to see pictures. I didn't add red pepper flakes.

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas
From Smitten Kitchen who Adapted from The Joy of Pickling via Epicurious

1 1/4 cups white distilled vinegar
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 tablespoon kosher or pickling salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound sugar snap peas, stems trimmed and strings removed (I didn’t know what strings Deb was talking about)
4 garlic cloves, sliced
dried red pepper flakes, 5 or 6 shakes from a shaker jar if you like things spicy

In a nonreactive saucepan, heat the vinegar with the salt and sugar until they are dissolved. Remove from the heat, and add the cold water which starts the cooling process faster.

When the vinegar mixture is cool, pack the sugar snaps, garlic and flakes into a 1-quart jar and pour the brine over it. Cover with a non-reactive cap. [I have started to save tons of glass jars and I used a leftover TJs apple sauce jar.]

Deb mentions that original recipe suggests you store the jar in the refrigerator for two weeks before eating the pickled peas, but it is likely that you will start eating them the next day, and the jar will be gone a few days later. They are that good.

Mexican Caviar

One can black beans
one can mexicali corn

Drain and rinse beans and corn

2 diced tomatoes
3 diced avacados
3 diced green onions
1 small red onion diced
chopped cilantro to your taste

Mix altogether with black beans and corn.

Mix together
1 Italian seasoning packet
1/4 C. vinegar
1/2 C. oil

Pour over mixture, chill and serve with chips.

Fiesta Chicken Pasta Salad

1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch dip mix
½ c. oil (I used corn oil)
½ c. vinegar
1 lb cooked chicken (about 2 chicken breasts)
3/4 box pasta (I used an entire 12 oz box of Wacky Mac bowtie pasta)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black olives, halved
2 -3 tomatoes, chopped 1 can corn (or you could use frozen)

Mix dressing mix, oil, and vinegar in small bowl and set aside. Combine chicken, cooked pasta, beans, olives, corn, and tomatoes in large bowl. Add dressing about 20 minutes before serving. Be sure to toss again just before serving, as the dressing will seep to the bottom.

Notes: I had some radishes and green onions on hand that I added. I also made the salad hours before serving. The next time I make it I think I will add some salt.

I got this from this website if you want to see the original recipe.

Melynda's Spinach Arichoke Dip

Artichoke dip

1 Can artichoke hearts drained and chopped

2 packages Feta Athenos cheese

1 c. Mayo

½ C. Shredded parmesan Cheese

1 jar diced pimentos, drained

1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all together. Place in 9 inch pie dish.

Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes or till lightly browned. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and green onions if desired.

Spinach Manicotti

I like this recipe for manicotti.

1 pkg. manicotti noodles
1 bag spinach
1/2 lb. ricotta cheese
1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
Spaghetti sauce

Cook noodles as directed on the box. (Cook them just as the box says. When they cook too long they are a lot harder to stuff without breaking) Mix together ricotta, parmesan, cream cheese, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Chop up spinach and add to mixture. Stuff cooked manicotti noodles with mixture either by hand or use a zip-lock bag with a hole cut in one corner. Place noodles in a 9x13 pan. Top with spaghetti sauce. Bake at 350 approximately 30 to 45 minutes until heated through.

Cajun Cake

Cajun Cake
2 C. flour
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. soda
2 eggs
2 C. crushed pineapple with juice (20 oz. can)

Icing:
1 stick margarine or butter
1 C. Evaporated Milk
1 C. Angel Flake coconut
1 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. nuts

Cake: Mix all ingredients and bake in 9x13 inch pan, well greased. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Icing: Combine margarine, milk and sugar. Boil for 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, coconut and nuts. Pour on cake while cake and icing are still hot.

It tastes good warm or cold.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

3 to 4 lbs. chicken
5 cups water or chicken broth (I used broth)
1 lb. baby carrots
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 celery stalks, finely sliced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp. low sodium chicken soup base (or bouillon)
1 large onion, chopped
1 or 2 green onions, chopped (optional)
2 bay leaves
pinch ea oregano and thyme
salt and pepper (to taste)
additional seasonings of your choice (to taste)

Put all ingredients in Crockpot.

Cooks Note: Allow soup to come to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat until steaming hot but not boiling (barely simmering is OK). A boiled chicken soup is tasteless. If your Crockpot doesn't allow a steaming hot soup without rapid boiling, do not use it for making soup.

Cook all day (6-8 hours) or until chicken is tender (not stringy).

Thirty minutes before serving time, add homemade noodles; cook until noodles are tender. Taste and season soup with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, to taste, before serving.

Homemade Noodles:

1 cup sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1-2 tbsp. water or milk

Measure flour onto a work surface or into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add egg, water and salt into the center. Mix to make a stiff paste.

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until it forms a smooth ball.Cover and lest rest for 5 minutes.

Roll out to a 1/8-inch thickness. Turn and roll very thin. (A pasta machine may be used).

Allow to dry for 1 hour, then cut into lengthwise strips of 2 1/2-inches wide and stack. Then slice the other way to one-eighth to one-sixteenth inch width. Separate and allow to dry.

Add noodles to chicken soup and cook on high for 20 minutes.

Variation: To make pot-pie noodles, cut noodles into 1 1/2 to 2 inch squares.

Submitted by: CM

I found this at Cooks.com. I made the Homemade noodles but they didn't turn out well (they were tough). Probably something I did wrong but they were still edible and I cooked a little longer to soften them.

Clam Chowder

I made this yesterday and it was a big hit and supper easy, so I thought I'd share.

5 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) cream of potato soup, undiluted
2 cans (12 ounces each) evaporated skim milk
2 cans (10 ounces each) clams, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 2/4 ounces) cream-style corn
2 cans (4 ounes each) tiny shrimp, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup crumbled bacon (about 1/2 pound) or imitation bacon bits
Lemon Pepper to taste
Oyster crackers

Combine all ingredients except crackers in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with crackers.

Okay, so I didn't follow this recipe exactly because I forgot to pick up an extra can of evaporated milk (I used 1 can evaporated 2% milk and then a can of water), and my cans of oysters were 6.5 ounces each and my shrimp cans were about 6 ounces each. I forgot the lemon pepper and we had rolls instead of oyster crackers. I also waited until the end to put in my crumbled bacon because I didn't want it to get soggy (I used already cooked, crumbled bacon from Costco).

Eva ate 3 bowls which is quite unusual for her, and I really enjoyed it too (I'm not a huge fan of clam chowder). So, enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1 TBSP vegetable oil

4 cups cubed cooked chicken

3 (10 oz) cans or one big can (30 oz)

2 eggs

1 carton (15 oz) ricotta cheese

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

12 no-cook lasagna noodles

4 cups (16oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:

In a large skillet cook onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in chicken and enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil. reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, and cilantro.

Spread 3/4 cup chicken mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with three noodles, 2/3 cup ricotta mixture, 3/4 cup chicken mixture, and 1 cup shredded cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and shredded cheese.

Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for ten minutes before cutting.

Notes:

I always substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese (less expensive). I also use green enchilada sauce because that is what we prefer but if you like red- easy substitute. I have made this with the no-cook noodles and with the noodles you have to cook before using them- for sake of convenience be sure to get the no-cook lasagna noodles (it will say Oven Ready on the package). Both kinds of noodles taste the same to me. I usually use Monterey Jack cheese.

Uhh.... I think that is it. Enjoy.

Texas Caviar

1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15oz) can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup fresh salsa
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
hot sauce, to taste

In a large glass or plastic mixing bowl or a large resealable plastic container, combine the beans, corn, salsa, cilantro, vinegar and cumin. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight before serving. Serve with chips

Oreo Balls

Ingredients:
1 package oreos (we used regular but I bet other flavors would be good too)
1 8oz package cream cheese
Dipping Chocolate (I don't know exactly how much we used)

Instructions:
Grind up the whole package of oreos in a food processor or blender. Mix in cream cheese. (I mixed them together in a separate bowl because my blender wouldn't mix it all.) Roll into dipping size balls. (my hands are small so ours were small.) If you want you can refridgerate them a little while so they are more firm for dipping. Melt chocolate and dip and let set.

Also, You can dip some in white chocolate and drizzle with dark or vice versa.

Calling for recipes

Hey everyone-

I am trying to put together a 3 month food storage cookbook. My vision behind the cookbook is to have planned meals (7 breakfast, 7 lunches, and 21 dinners) that just use pantry items and from these recipes figure out how much I will need to buy to plan a 3 month food storage with the intent to rotate these meals through our regular eating and restock as needed so I will always have a 3 month storage of foods we like and enjoy. Another intent of this approach is to know that if we seriously just had to eat from our food storage- I would have meals for 3 months that I wouldn't need to go to the grocery store to make. I have breakfasts and lunches planned but I am looking for dinner recipes. If you have any food storage friendly (meaning pantry items or easily substituted pantry items)- could you post them so I can try them out and add them to my cookbook.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bran Muffins

2 C. boiling water
1 qt. buttermilk
2 C. bran flakes
4 C. All-Bran
5 C. flour
5 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 C. oil
1 1/4 C. honey
4 eggs

Mix all together. Makes 3 quarts plus one pint of mixture. We would always store it in the fridge and use over time. If I recall, one quart makes about 12 muffins. Delete this if it doesn't. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Eat with butter and honey.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Cream together:
4 eggs
1 C. shortening
2 C. sugar

Add:
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. soda
4 tsp. baking powder
6-8 C. flour

Roll out and cut into shapes

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Cool and frost.