Hot Aritichoke Dip

2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 cups mayo
2 cups sour cream
2 cups parmesan cheese
1 small 4 oz. green chilies

Mix together (The food processor works like a charm.). Bake at 350 until cheese melts; stir and watch.

This makes A LOT of dip, so I halve the recipe. Also, I use all sour cream and no mayo.

Creamy Coleslaw

Combine 1 (16-oz) package carrot-and-cabbage coleslaw, 1/2 cup sliced red onions, 1/4 cup light cream, 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss to combine.

Easy and delicious!

Dutch Babies

Set oven to 450 F

Melt 1/3 c. butter in a 13×9 pan

Blend 60 seconds in a 5 cup blender:

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1 1/2 tsps vanilla

Pour into pan, bake 20-25 minutes. Serve w/ syrup, fruit, applesauce, powdered sugar, or whatever your wee little heart desires.

Quick Soft Breadsticks

1 cup warm water
3 T. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 oil (olive is good!)
3 cups flour
2 1/2 t. yeast

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and set aside. Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a medium sized bowl (I use my Kitchenaid). Add yeast mixture and oil and mix until combied. Roll out into a 10x12 rectangle and with a pizza cutter, cut into 3/4 inch strips. Give each strip a twist and place on greased cookie sheet or stone. Cover and let rise for 10-20 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic and parmesan cheese.

Chicken Sate

The sauce got mixed reviews, but everyone enjoyed the chicken. I served it with rice, green beans and rolls.


RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Chicken and Marinade
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 to 2 garlic cloves crushed
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes

Saté Sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 scallions, chopped (optional)

1. For the chicken and the marinade: Whisk all the ingredients except for the chicken together in a medium bowl.
2. Add the chicken cubes, turn to coat, cover, and marinate them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24. (The sauce can be made ahead too and chilled for the same amount of time.) 3. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Thread the chicken onto skewers, if you're using them, or just put the pieces on a foil-lined pan. If you plan to use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for 1 hour beforehand. Bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, for the saté sauce: Whisk together the broth, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Over low heat, whisk in the peanut butter (it will be messy at first) until smooth. Whisking constantly, heat the sauce until it has thickened, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the optional scallions. Serve the sauce as a dip for the chicken along with any cut-up raw vegetables your children might also want to dip. Serves 4.

Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole

Meatballs, frozen
1 16 oz. package of spaghetti
3 T. olive oil
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
s&p, to tasted
2 26 oz. jars spaghettis sauce (or make your own, ha!)

1. Bake meatballs according to directions. When done, slice in half and set aside.

2. While meatballs are baking, prepare the spaghetti.

3. Toss the cooked spaghetti in 3 T. olive oil.

4. Once pasta is a bit cooler, mix in eggs and cheese (1 c. of parm and 1.5 c. mozzarella) and spice well with s&p. Use your hands to do this--it will work much better than a spoon.

5. Place the spaghetti in greased 9x13 pyrex.

6. Place the cooked meatballs on top of the spaghetti.

7. Pour both jars of sauce on top.

8. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. (I put on a cookie sheet to catch spill-over.)

9. Take off the foil, sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella and bake for 5 to 8 min. until the cheese looks melty and delicious!


I served with a Caesar salad. I didn't do bread because this dinner is already so much, but I originally I wanted to make rolls with it and ran out of time. I actually didn't miss them!!!

Suzi

Roasted Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Roasted Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
(from Cooking Light)

1 (6 ounce) box of long grain and wild rice mix
1 T. olive oil
1 1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 c. chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (8 ounce) package of mushrooms, halved (I omitted these)
1/4 c. flour (I used 1/2 c.--I like the soup to be a little thicker)
1/2 t. dried tarragon
1/4 t. thyme
2 c. water
2 (15.75 ounce) cans fat free chicken broth
1 (12 ounce) can of fat free evaporated milk
3 c. shredded roasted skinless chicken

Prepare rice according to package directions, set aside.

Heat oil in a large dutch oven (I just used a big soup pot) over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and next 4 ingredients, and saute 6 minutes or until onion is tender. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Stir flour, tarragon, and thyme into onion mixture, and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add 2 cups water, broth, and evaporated milk; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in cooked rice and chicken; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

(I added more of the thyme and added pepper and garlic powder to taste. I also added one chicken bouillon cube instead of salt.)