Tres Leches "Three Milk" Cake

adapted from the original recipe by April Felix

1 yellow cake mix, baked as directed

mix together:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 can milk

mix together for the topping:

1 box vanilla pudding mix

1 container cool whip

1 cup milk

When the cake is right out of the oven, poke holes in the cake with a toothpick. Pour the 3 milk mixture over the warm cake and let it soak into the cake. Frost with the pudding/cool whip mixture. Serve warm or cold

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2-3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts (or rotisserie chicken was delicious)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1-1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 large can green chilis

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

8-10 corn tortillas, torn into large pieces

2-3 cups cheese, cheddar, Mexican blend....anything

Saute onions and garlic in a few tbs. oil until onions are translucent. Add green chilis, soup, sour cream and heat through. Add 1/2 cup or so of milk to sauce if it seems really thick. Put a small layer of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish to prevent sticking, then a layer of torn tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese, then tortillas, chicken, sauce & cheese (on top). Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Garnish with salsa, guacamole, sour cream.

Ronald McDonald House Dinner

A big thank you to everyone who contributed time, money, planning, recipes, and their hard work to make the Ronald McDonald House dinner a success!

Several of the people staying at the house enjoyed the dishes so much that they requested the recipes! We promised to post everything on the blog for them so please post or email your recipes soon.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter Balls

1 c peanut butter - smooth or crunchy
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c powdered milk
1 c mini or regular chocolate chips
2-3 Tbsp water
crushed graham crackers

Mix first 4 ingredients, adding water one tablespoon at a time until everything is well combined and holds together well. Roll into balls and roll into graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This is a great kid-friendly recipe.

Carmel Corn (Michele)

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 stick butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 bags microwave popcorn (Air popped is fine, don't know exact amount)

DIRECTIONS
Pop popcorn. Strain with fingers to remove all kernels. In 3 quart sauce pan on medium high heat mix sugar and syrup until sugar is dissolved stirring occasionally. Add butter and milk, bring to a rolling boil for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, pour on popcorn. I use 2 bowls. If you have a really big bowl use that. Continue stirring in the bowl until evenly coated.

Tollhouse Pie

1 9" unbaked pie shell
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
(1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional)

Beat eggs until foamy. Beat in sugars until well-blended. Add butter and blend. Stir in chips and nuts. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz package elbow macaroni

8 oz shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

12 oz small curd cottage cheese

8 oz sour cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.

2. In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together ingredients.

3. Bake 30-35 minutes.

One Hour Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup melted butter
4 1/2 cup flour, sifted
2 eggs

DIRECTIONS:
Combine yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add warm water and stir until dissolved. Add flour, butter and eggs. Let rise until double (about one hour) Form into rolls (I prefer cloverleaf) and place in a greased pan. Let rise 5 minutes more. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees.

Chili (Erin Harding)

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs ground beef, browned
1 29 oz can kidney beans w/ liquid
1 cup diced onion (1 med onion)
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups water
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1 29 oz can pinto beans with liquid
1/2 can diced green chili's
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
Add everything in a big pot and simmer. Could be eaten right away, but will be even better the next day.

Barbecue Meatballs (Erin Harding)

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb hamburger
1 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup egg substitute or 2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and make meatballs the size of ping-pong balls. Place in casserole dish and pour sauce over top. Bake covered at 375 for 40 minutes. Serve over rice.

SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Creamy Chicken Noodle soup

-2 Qts water

-8 chicken bouillon cubes

-1 pckg. egg noodles (I use Country Pasta homemade style wide egg noodles)

-carrots, celery, onion

-3 cups chicken

In a large pan I boil the water, bouillon cubes and vegetables.  I cook the chicken in oven and shred it.  Then I boil the noodles in a separate pot because they cook faster than the vegetables. When the vegetables are soft I add the noodles and chicken.  Then add:

-2 cans cream of chicken soup and let heat.  Then add:

-3/4 cup sour cream.  Let heat again.  

Broccoli Cheese Vegetable Soup

4 cups cubed potatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3 cups cut-up broccoli

Boil all veggies but broccoli in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and boil for 10 more minutes. DO NOT DRAIN!

Sauce:
1/2 cup margarine (I use butter)
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 pound Velveeta, cubed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 chicken boullion cubes

In saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add cheese and other ingredients. Mix until smooth. Add to undrained veggies and heat together, but do not boil.

(I also like to add diced, cooked chicken sometimes for a full balanced meal!)

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Peanut Butter Popcorn

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
6-8 cups popped popcorn

In a small pan melt together corn syrup and sugar. Boil the mixture until the sugar forms a soft ball. Take the mixture off the stove, add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir mixture over popcorn. Serve when cooled.

Gorgonzola Pear Salad

• adapted from allrecipes.com
• 1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces, or spinach
• 3 pears- any variety, cored and chopped
• 5-8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 2 avocados - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 
  
• for sugared pecans:
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• pinch cinnamon
• Heat the sugar, cinnamon and pecans over low heat, stirring occassionally until sugar has melted and coated the pecans. Cool.
• 
  
• for dressing:
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Mix the above ingredients in a blender to mix. Dress the salad just before serving.

Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

Kim, this is for you:

Creamy Chicken Soup

1 tbsp butter
1 small onion
2 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 c chicken broth
2-3 medium carrots, sliced
2 c cooked, cubed chicken
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c flour
1 1/2 - 2 c milk
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

In a large pan, sauté onions in butter. Add broth, carrots, and potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add chicken, parsley, salt and pepper, heat through. In a blender combine flour, milk and cream cheese until smooth; add to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thick.

Bookclub Chicken Salad

Bookclub Chicken Salad - I leave out the chicken when I want the salad as a side dish.

6 to 8 chicken breasts
Cook chicken breasts for 30 minutes at 350°. Cool and cut into small pieces.

Sugared almonds:
8 oz slivered almonds
4 Tbsp sugar
In small skillet, sprinkle sugar over almonds and cook over medium heat until almonds are coated and sugar has dissolved.

2 bags European blend salad mix
1 head Iceberg lettuce, torn into pieces
(Spring Mix and/or Romaine in place of either lettuce is fine)
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c craisins
1 c shredded Mozzarella cheese
Feta cheese, to taste

Dressing:
1/2 red onion
1 tsp salt
2 c sugar
1 c red wine vinegar
4 tsp dry mustard
2 c vegetable oil

For dressing, finely chop red onion in food processor. Add sugar, dry mustard, salt and vinegar and blend until frothy. Slowly add oil. (This makes a LOT of dressing - I store it in a large Mason jar in the fridge - it lasts a long time!) Toss chicken, lettuce, bacon, craisins and cheese together in large salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle sugared almonds on top and serve.

Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes

Alix, this is for you:

Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes (depending on the size of your cupcake papers and muffin tins)
CUPCAKES:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour – do not substitute!
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Buttercream (recipe follows) or Chocolate Buttercream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
Note: If you would like to make a layer cake instead of cupcakes, divide the batter between two 9-inch round cake pans and bake the layers for 30-40 minutes.

Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes*
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*Note: If you are icing a 3-layer cake, use the following recipe proportions: 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, 8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar, 3/4 cup milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. The butter, eggs and milk should be at room temperature before you begin a recipe. When creaming butter, it is necessary to beat the butter until it is light and fluffy, which takes about 3 minutes depending on the mixer. It is important to add the sugar gradually, beating continuously and then continue beating for 2-3 min after wards. The eggs should be added one at a time, beating the mixture until it is thick, fluffy and pale in color. up to this point it is almost impossible to beat the batter too much. It is best to bake the pans in the center of the oven, placing the pans on the same rack if possible, but not touching.

thai peanut sauce/pasta

This was super easy.

peanut sauce for 10:

1 C. peanut butter (I used crunchy)

1/2 C. soy sauce

2 tsp. white or brown sugar

4 drops of hot sauce

2 cloves garlic

1 cup water

(I also added rice vinegar 1 tsp and a sprinkle of ginger) not called for in original

Heat on low over stove and top thai noodles and veggies

Ronald McDonald House Activity

I've reserved the night for us to serve dinner at the Salt Lake City Ronald McDonald House. Unfortunately, our regularly scheduled night for recipe club was already taken, but hopefully you will all be able to make it on Tuesday, December 8th.

We are limited to 12 people in the kitchen so if you are interested, please reply to this post soon. If there are additional spots available (I know December can be a crazy month) then we will open it up to bring your children, if you'd like.

Even if you cannot attend, but would like to donate to the dinner, that is fine too. Last year we served 40-60 people for about $200 total. So a $20 donation would be appreciated if you can swing it. You can give the money to our finance guru, Michele.

We will need volunteers for the following so please include in your reply post if you would like to assist with one of these jobs: We can also discuss this when we meet in October at Kori's.

• menu planning
• grocery shopping
• prepping food

Food must be either store bought or prepared on site. This means, we don't get any of Mona's famous desserts unless she brings the ingredients to the Ronald McDonald House early and makes/bakes them there. Here are some other Dinner tips.

Beef Curry

The directions are on the box, which can be found in the specialty food isle of most grocery stores:

Ingredients:
1lb meat: chicken, beef, or lamb
1 yellow onion
1 carrot
1-2 potatoes, cubed
2.5 cups water
Golden Curry Sauce Mix
White Rice

Directions:
Cut meat into cubes and chop onions.
Stir fry meat and onions in oil in a large skillet until onions are lightly browned.
Add vegetables
Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until veggies are soft and meat is tender (about 10 minutes).
Remove from heat, break Curry Sauce Mix into pieces and add them to the skillet. (You many need to add more water, depending on how much you lost from the previous step.)
Stir until completely melted.
Simmer 5 minutes.
Serve over hot rice or noodles.

Cedar Salmon with Mango Avacado Salsa

Soak cedar plank in water for 20 minutes-4 hours.

Rinse and pat dry salmon. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Put the plank on the grill by itself until edges are black then put the salmon on the plank. You want the grill pretty hot, so it will only take 5-8 minutes to cook. Don't over cook. Just until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is no longer transparent.

Top with Mango Avacado Salsa:

1 Large Mango, peeled and diced
2 Large Avocados, peeled and diced
1/4 Cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1/4 Cup chopped Red Onion
1 Jalapeno Pepper, cored and diced
Juice of 2 Limes
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar

(also good with tortilla chips)

Andrea's Brisket (from stacy)

Marinate brisket for 24 hours covered with plastic wrap in pan with: liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic salt, seasoned salt.

5-6 hours before preheat oven to 300 degrees. Wrap brisket in foil and put back in cleaned pan. Cook 5-6 hours.

Cut off fat, coat with favorite jar of barbeque sauce. Put back in oven to reheat with sauce. Let cool 10 minutes and slice!

Marinated Vegetables for the Grill

• 1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a ziploc. Marinate sliced zucchini, squash, whole mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, onions for several hours. Put on skewers, grill in a vegetable pan (we lined it with foil), or saute in a pan on the stovetop.

Cream Puff Cake

• PUFF
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
•  
• FILLING
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 cups cold milk
• 2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix
•  
• TOPPING
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1/2 jar chocolate fudge topping

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter in water until bubbly. Dump in flour all at once and stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth and glossy. Spread in prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, until puffy and golden. Let cool completely on wire rack.
4. While puff is cooling, beat together cream cheese, milk and pudding mix. Spread over cooled puff. Chill 20 minutes.
5. Spread whipped cream over chilled filling and drizzle with chocolate Freeze 1 hour before serving.

Firecracker Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 pound large (16 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined.

2 tablespoons Sriracha, (found in the Asian spice isle)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

4 to 5 cloves garlic, pressed

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, then add shrimp and marinate for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Skewer shrimp and grill until opaque and brown, with black bits. (Approx 2 minutes on each side.)

Quiche

Quiche
1 ready-made pie crust
6-10 eggs
1/4-1/2 c. milk, cream or half and half
veggies of your choice: mushrooms, peppers, spinach, onions, tomatoes, zucchini...
meats of your choice: cooked ham, sausage, or bacon
cheeses of your choice: swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, colby...
salt and pepper to taste

Unroll the pie crust into a greased pie plate, rolling and pinching the edges under. Beat the eggs and milk together, add any combination of chopped veggies, meats and cheeses. (If I'm using mushrooms or peppers I will saute them with the onion before adding them to the egg mixture to bring out the flavors).

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until pie crust is brown on the bottom and center of the quiche is no longer runny.

Note: About 3-5 minutes before the quiche is baked, it puffs up.

This recipe is incredibly forgiving--any combination tastes great--use whatever you have on hand!
My favorite combinations: spinach, onions, ham, swiss cheese bacon, cheddar, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers--pretty much anything in my fridge!

Coconut Ice Cream

Coconut Ice Cream
1 cup milk
1 (15 ounce) can cream of coconut (not coconut milk--it's sweeter, found near the margarita drink mix)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and cook in the oven at 400, stirring if needed, for about 5 minutes or until browned.
Mix the milk, cream of coconut & cream with a mixer or wisk until smooth. Add coconut and freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Sweet Hawaiian Pork (Ang)

Ingredients:
1 Cup of Salsa (I used Mango Peach for a sweeter taste)
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 lb. of Pork Tenderloin

Directions:
Put in all in the crockpot and let it cook for 6-8 hours!
EASY!!!

Brazilian Limeade

Brazilian Limeade

In a blender, add 2 1/2 c of water. Add 2 medium sized limes (or 3 small limes) that have had both ends cut off. Blend at medium speed for a count of “1 - 1000, 2 – 1000, 3 – 1000, 4 – 1000, 5 – 1000”. Strain mixture over a pitcher pressing with the back of a spoon to get out all of the juices, then return the juice to the blender and add:

3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
lots of ice

Blend until desired consistency and serve immediately.

Grilled Mahi Mahi w/ Mango Salsa (Alix)

Ingredients:
Mahi Mahi
Mango Salsa (Costco)

Directions:
Salt and pepper fish to taste and put on a well oiled grill (or wrap in tin foil) for 5 minutes. Flip and grill for 2-3 additional minutes. Fish is done when it's flaky.

Top with the mango salsa and serve.

English Trifle (Alix)

INGREDIENTS
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 (9 inch) angel food cake
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup blueberries
3 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 pineapple juice

DIRECTIONS
Soak the sliced bananas in pineapple juice for 3 hours. In a medium bowl, prepare pudding mix as directed. Fold in the sour cream and the Cool Whip. Cut the cake into small pieces.
Line a large trifle or other glass serving bowl with kiwi and strawberry slices, reserving two whole strawberries and two kiwi slices. Place one layer of cake in bottom of bowl, top with 1/3 of bananas, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and 1/3 of whipped topping mixture. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Ricotta Cheese PIzza (Stacy)

Pizza Crust
1 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. honey
3/4 cup cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, olive oil, honey and cold water. Add yeast mixture and knead for 5 minutes. Form into a ball & place in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.
Divide dough in half and shape each half into rectangle. Spray grill with cooking spray. Turn on grill on low. Place directly on grill for about 3 minutes each side. (You will make 2 crusts)

Ricotta Cheese Pizza with Mushrooms, Broccoli & Chicken
1 chicken breast, grilled and cut in bite-size chuncks
1 8 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 pre-baked pizza crust
2 cups fresh sliced mozzarella cheese (you can use the shredded from the grocery store, but not as good)
1/2 cup choppped fresh broccoli (I steamed the broccoli a little to speed up cooking time)
sliced fresh mushrooms

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine the ricotta cheese, butter, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper in microwave bowl. Heat in microwave for 1 minute, stir to combine. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust. Scatter the cheese evenly over the pizza. Arrange cooked chicken, broccoli and mushrooms evenly on top of the pizza.
Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Avacado Bean Dip (Megs)

3 med. avacados
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 med. red bell pepper
6 green onions
2 Tbsp dired cilantro
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cut up vegetables and add all ingredients. Let chill for 2 hours

Mexican Rice (Ang)

Ingredients:
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 small onion
¾ C uncooked long-grain rice
¾ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp chili powder
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 green pepper
2 C water (or chicken broth for more flavor)
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and sauté until translucent.
2. Pour the rice into the pan and stir to coat grains with oil. Mix in cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, salt and water. Cover, bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Cook at a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally.

Stacy's Taco Salad

Lime Cilantro Rice

2 tbsp. oil
4 c. long grain rice (6 c. water)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 3-4 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic
garlic salt to taste

Heat oil in large skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.

Café Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 pkg. dry hidden valley ranch dressing
1 c. mayo
1 c. chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos (remove paper)
1/3 c. buttermilk
¼ t. cayenne pepper (less if you don't like spicy)

put all ingredients in a blender—blend until smooth

Ground Turkey Meat

1 lb. ground turkey meat
garlic salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup taco seasoning
3/4 cup water

Brown turkey meat with garlic, salt & pepper (turkey has less flavor, so you need more seasonings). Drain fat. Stir in seasoning mix & water Simmer for 5 minutes.


Taco Salad
Build taco salad with the following:
tortilla chips
meat or pork
cheese
black beans
cilantro lime rice
chopped romaine lettuce
avacados
salsa
tomatoes
corn
black beans
sour cream
cilantro

Shredded Pork

adapted from sisterscafe.blogspot.com

roughly 3 pounds pork roast--any cut, I used loin and removed any excess fat
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 4oz can diced green chilis
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis (Rotel)
2 tsp. chicken base or 2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp pepper

Heat 1-2 tsp. oil in a large pot on the stove and put the roast in for a few minutes until browned on both sides.  Add chopped onion, garlic and saute until onion is translucent.  Place the meat & juices in crockpot. Add the  rest of the ingredients, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until pork is tender enough to be shredded with a fork. 1 hour before serving, pour all of the juices from the crockpot into a pan on the stove.  (Leave the pork in the crockpot to stay warm). On medium heat, let the juices boil and reduce until you have roughly half the liquid you started with. This concentrates the flavors of the juices and thickens the sauce so that your tacos won't be runny, yet still flavored well by the sauce. Mix the thickened sauce into the shredded meat and serve. Serve with warm tortillas and all your favorite Mexican garnishes. Use for meat in enchiladas, with veggies for fajitas, on nachos....enjoy!

Tex-Mex

This is what I would have brought, had I been able to make it this month:

Tex-Mex

Take 4-5 chicken breasts and put in a crock pot with enough water to cover chicken. Add a few chicken bullion cubes and cook until done. (about 4 hrs on high, 6-8 on low.) Take chicken out and shred, drain water, return chicken to crock pot and add:

1 T paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or less, depending on your heat tolerance)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 T salt
1 T garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
2 c chopped onion
1 c chopped cilantro
4 c tomatoes, chopped
2 c tomato juice
2 c water
jalapenos ( 1 tsp canned or fresh to taste)

Cook 1-2 more hours until heated through. Serve with lime slices, jack cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips, or roll into a tortilla burrito style

Michele's Shredded Chicken (Enchilada's, tacos, nachos, salad, or burritos)

6 lbs of boneless chicken
40 ounces of chicken stock
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 bay leaves (optional, but all real cooks should have these in their kitchen)
Decorate bottom of pan with Olive Oil (2 tbsps ??)
1 can (15 ounce) red enchilada sauce

This recipe is large enough for 5 8x13 pans of enchilada's. I like to make a big batch and freeze. So if you make this size freeze in 4 separate portions for easy thaw. To thaw set in refrigerator 24 hours before next use, then heat and use for what ever you are making.

1. Cube chicken (not required, but I don't like shredding my chicken later and I like it fine), chop onion, mince garlic.

2. In an 8 quart (or big pot) pot saute olive oil, onion, and garlic for about 2 minutes.

3. Add cubed chicken, chicken stock, and bay leaves bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cook covered for 3 hours.

4. Drain chicken and reserve 16 ounces of the stock. I am anal at this point and strain mine through a cheese cloth to get rid of all little fat pieces, not required and could be avoided by browning chicken before starting recipe. I think this is easier than browning 6 lbs of chicken.

5. Return chicken to pot and pour the reserved stock over it. Gently mash the chicken with a potato masher to shred. Add can of enchilada sauce and boil on medium for about an hour until the fluid is reduced. Continue to gently mash chicken as necessary to get to desired size shreds.

6. Use in you favorite Mexican dishes.

Enchilada's
10 Medium size tortilla's
2 cups shredded cheese
2 cans (15 ounce) enchilada sauce

1. Coat bottom of 5x13 pan with half a can of sauce.
2. Fill tortilla with cheese and chicken, roll and put in pan seam side down, repeat until pan is full.
3. Cover with remaining sauce and cheese, bake at 350 degrees covered for 20 minutes, remove foil bake additional 5 minutes. (This may take longer if you are starting with cold chicken) Internal temperature should read 160 degrees.

Chili Rellenos Casserole (Michele)

3 (7 ounce) cans whole green chile peppers, drained
10 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, Shredded
8 ounces Mexican mix cheese, or cheddar, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 (15 ounce) can green enchilada sauce

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray

2. Lay half the chilies evenly in bottom of dish (I like to break open my chilies so every inch of pan is covered, but this is optional). Sprinkle with half of the Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and cover with remaining chilies.

3. In a bowl, mex together the eggs, milk, and flour, and pour over the chilies.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes.

5. Sprinkle with the remaining Jack and Cheddar cheese and serve.

You can play around with the recipe the eggs and milk determine consistency so the batter can be thinned out with less egg and flour. Or thicken with a whole can of evaporated milk and eliminate the regular milk. I love the chilies so I use 3 cans you can cut it back to 2 cans or use fresh (you just have to roast and peel).

Mexican Cornbread (Alix)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
1/2 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers, drained
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in cream corn, chiles, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese.

Add Jiffy mix to corn mixture; stir until smooth. Pour batter into pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into center of the pan comes out clean.

Spinach and Ricotta Manicotti (Ang)

Ingredients:
-3Tbs. butter
-olive oil
-2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
-A large handful of fresh oregano chopped
-¾ tsp of nutmeg
-4 C of spinach
-A handful of fresh basil. Stalks chopped, leaves ripped
-2 (14oz) cans of plum tomatoes chopped
-sea salt, black pepper seasoned to taste, pinch of sugar
-1 ¾ C of ricotta cheese
-2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
-16 Manicotti tubes
-1 C of mozzarella, broken
-Optional-white sauce-Crème Fraiche

Directions:
Preheat oven 350̊̊̊̊̊̊̊̊̊̊̊ ̊
-Boil manicotti, drain, and place individually on wax paper, let cool

-Take a saucepan on high heat and melt butter, olive oil, one garlic clove, oregano and nutmeg. Garlic becomes soft then add as much spinach as you can to the pan. Keep turning it over, it will wilt quickly so you will be able to keep adding more spinach until it’s all in. Moisture will cook out of the spinach. Cook 5 minutes on high heat constantly stirring. Remove from pan and place in bowl to cool.

-Use the same pan on the high heat again and add a little olive oil, the other clove of garlic, basil stalks and the tomatoes, then fill one of the empty tomato cans with water—add in. Bring to boil, then add pinch of salt, pepper, sugar and simmer 10 minutes. Take off heat and add basil leaves.

-Now your spinach has cooled down. Squeeze excess liquid out of spinach back into the bowl and finely chopped spinach. Put spinach back into the bowl with excess liquid add ricotta, and a handful of Parmesan cheese-stir. Fill manicottis by using a spoon or Ziploc bag with the tip cut off. Fill manicottis tight with mixture.

-Place ¾ of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay in manicottis on top tomatoes. Add remaining tomato sauce to the top of with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella.
(optional-you can top off with Crème Fraiche—very rich and caloric)
-Bake in oven 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Pasta Salad (Meg)

1 pkg multi colored rotini noodles
Wishbone Italian Dressing
1 c. cheddar chesse (cubed)
1 c. ham (cubed)
1 can of olives
1 cucumber
1 bunch of broccoli
1 tomato

Cook noodles. Set aside to cool. Cut up vegetables. (You can add whatever vegetables you like).
Mix pasta with all ingredients. Poor about half a bottle of Dressing on. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Panna Cotta Parfaits with Raspberry Compote (Stacy)

Makes 6 servings (I doubled this recipe)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups whipping cream, divided
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2-pint containers raspberries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Place water in very small saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup sugar in medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Pour into large bowl. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups cream, then sour cream and vanilla just until mixed. Stir gelatin mixture over very low heat until gelatin dissolves; whisk into cream mixture. Place 1 berry in each of 6 Champagne flutes. Add cream mixture, dividing evenly. Chill until panna cotta sets, about 3 hours. Toss remaining berries, 1/4 cup sugar, and vinegar in bowl; spoon over parfaits.

(I spooned blueberry sauce in the bottom of a few before I put in the berry. I didn't taste these ones so I don't know if it was a good addition. Try it if you liked it! )

Caprese Salad (Alix)

Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 package fresh mozzarella cheese packed in water
16 leaves basil sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Slice tomatoes about one quarter inch thick and arrange on a plate.
Slice thin discs of mozzarella cheese and place on each tomato. Top with a sprig of basil.
Mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour over tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve

Marinara Sauce (Erin Ruy)

INGREDIENTS

2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/3 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
In a large skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Alfredo Sauce (Amy)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.