Instant Mocha

My older son, Steven, loves his morning coffee. This is his recipe.


1/2c instant coffee
1c sugar
1c powdered milk
1/4c powdered creamer
1/4c unsweetened cocoa
1/4c instant vanilla pudding mix

Mix all together in a bowl. Pour into quart sized jar. Use 3-4T per cup of hot water. Don't leave out the pudding mix - that's what makes it creamy.

Super Easy Sloppy Joes

Or as my mother calls them - Juicy Pigs


1 pound ground beef, browned
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup tomato sauce
2T brown sugar

I didn't have tomato sauce, so I used a cup of jarred spaghetti sauce and will do that again. Just mix this all together and simmer until you're ready to eat. Really, really good. We use hoagie buns rather than hamburger buns just for a change. And of course, potato chips and pickles and cheese.

Crustless Cheese Quiche

A friend brought this to work the other night and I can honestly say that it was the best quiche I've ever eaten - and I've eaten a LOT of quiche!! Hope you enjoy it too. Thanks, Sherri!


2 Cups small curd cottage cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons chopped black olives ( I left out of mine)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. In bowl, combine cottage cheese, Monterey jack cheese,
cheddar cheese, eggs, butter, chiles and 2 tablespoons olives. (This can be
prepared ahead & refrigerated.)
Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to cheese mixture and mix well.
Transfer to greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F;
bake 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
ENJOY!!

Pizza Crust

From the SL forums. We are now totally hooked on homemade pizza.

1 cup warm water
1 Tbl yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
2.5 cups flour
dried italian spices

Mix together water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Then add salt, oil, flour and spices; mix together then let sit for about 15 minutes. Roll onto large pizza pan, top with favorite toppings, bake for 20 minutes at 425.

Maple-Butter Syrup

My boys just love pancakes and syrup for dinner. Can't say I blame them.


1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
maple flavored extract
butter flavored extract

Mix together sugars and water and corn syrup, heat until sugars melted, just below boiling. Remove from heat. Add 1 capful each of extracts. Let cool before storing. Makes just shy of two cups.

Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing

My youngest son licks all the plates


6-8 pork chops, enough to fill 13x9 dish
3-4 sweet potatoes, sliced
1 can apple pie filling
1 box instant stuffing mix, fixed as directed

Pour apple pie filling into 13x9 dish, set pork chops on top, cover with sweet potato slices. Spread prepared stuffing all over top. "Spread" may be a bit optimistic; place stuffing evenly over entire dish. Cover. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Sausage & Corn Chowder

This one definately made the cut


1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 lb Kielbasa, diced
1 lb new potatoes, cubed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 qt chicken broth
2 cups frozen corn
1 qt half and half
1/2 t baking soda
3 T all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in 1/4 cup butter in large saucepan. Add kielbasa; cook until browned. Stir in potatoes, celery and broth; bring to boil. Add corn, half and half, and baking soda; simmer for 10 minutes and set aside. In a seperate saucepan, melt remaining butter; add flour. Stir for 2 minutes; add to soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I used regular smoked sausage because that's what I had. I also simply added the flour and remaining butter into the soup at the end and heated for a bit longer - not sure if that made a difference or not but it was GREAT.

Lasagna Sandwiches

Trust me on this one


1/4 cup sour cream
2 T chopped onion
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t seasoned salt
8 slices Italian or other white bread
8 bacon strips, halved and cooked
8 slices tomato
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2-3 T butter

Combine first four ingredients; spread on four slices of bread. Top each with four bacon pieces, two tomato slices and a slice of cheese; top with remaining bread. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 T butter and cook sandwiches on both sides until lightly browned and cheese melted, adding more butter if needed. Prepare to make seconds.

Preacher's Delight

Wonderful Sunday lunch dessert


21-oz can pie filling, flavor of choice
1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Pour pie filling in a 4-qt crock pot. Combine butter with cake mix until crumbly; sprinkle over pie filling; sprinkle walnuts on top. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Serve with ice cream, of course.

Turkey Bean Soup

Another favorite, healthy, easy and delicious


4-6 cups water
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans navy beans
1 can pinto beans
1/3 cup dry lentils
1/3 cup dry split peas
14oz ground turkey, cooked
1 onion diced
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in crock pot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Great served with cornbread. This is another recipe to play with. I use Rotel tomatoes instead of plain. You can also mix up your variety of canned beans - just make sure you have three cans total.

Juicy Pork Chops

Add mashed potatoes smothered in the gravy


1 egg
1-1/2 cup milk
6 boneless pork chops
2 cups bread crumbs
14-1/2 oz can beef broth

Beat egg and milk together; set aside. Dip pork chops in the egg mixture; coat with bread crumbs. Brown on both sides in a 12 inch skillet, use a little oil. Pour broth over the pork chops; simmer until tender, about one hour.

Whole Wheat Bread

This is our standard loaf of bread from the breadmaker


1-1/4 cup milk
3 T honey
2 T butter
3 cups wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1-1/2 t salt
2 T yeast
1 T vital wheat gluten

Follow the directions for your breadmaker for a 2-lb loaf of bread. You can also substitute some bread flour for the wheat flour if you'd like - as long as you end up with 3 cups total. I usually use 2 cups wheat and 1 cup bread flour. And as with all breadmakers, make sure your measurements are exact.

Carrot Apple Salad

Always reminds me of my grandmommy


8 oz crushed pineapple, drained, reserve liquid
2 medium tart apples, diced
3 cups shredded carrots
3 T raisins
3 T flaked coconut
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 T mayonnaise
1 T lemon juice

Add apples to the reserved pineapple juice; toss to coat; stand for 5 minutes; drain. In a large bowl, combine pineapple, carrots, raisins, coconut and apples. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; pour over carrot mixture; toss to coat. Cover and chill for 3-4 hours prior to serving. Feel free to use the fat-free versions of the yogurt and mayo if you'd like. My kids love this.

Creamy Aztac Chicken

This is a great meal served over rice or a great dip with tortilla chips


2-3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, undrained
jar of salsa
8 oz cream cheese, quartered

Place all except cream cheese in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, remove chicken (it may fall apart - just do the best you can); add the cream cheese; stir. Cook about 30 more minutes. Either place chicken over rice and use the sauce like gravy, or mix the chicken back into the sauce and use as a dip.

Dixie Pie

My family won't let me in the door at Christmas without this


Pie crust for 2 9-in pies, baked at 450 for 10 min
1-1/2 c raisins (in pan, cover with water, boil, set aside)
1 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
2-4 t ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup flaked coconut
chocolate chips optional

Cream butter and sugars; add eggs one at a time; add vanilla. Drain raisins. Add to the creamed mixture the raisins, cinnamon, nuts and coconut. Mixture will appear slightly curdled - it's ok. I lightly line the pie crusts with chocolate chips before adding the pie filling. Pour filling into the two baked crusts. Bake pies at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Angel Chicken

From the Sonlight forums


1-1/2 lb chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/4 c butter
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
10 oz can golden condensed mushroom soup
1/2 c dry white wine (or chicken broth)
4 oz cream cheese
angel hair pasta

Melt together all ingredients except chicken and pasta. Place chicken in the crock pot; pour all the rest over the chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve over angel-hair pasta. For some reason, this is SO much better with angel hair than regular spaghetti. People claim this to be the best crock pot meal they've ever eaten.

Pot Roast with Vegetables

This really is the best roast and veggies I've ever had


Roast (specific cut and size to preference)
red potatoes
baby carrots
onions, quartered
cherry tomatoes, whole is fine
fresh green beans, snapped (NOT canned or frozen)
envelope onion soup mix

Layer in the crock pot (or roaster) potatoes, then carrots and green beans, then cherry tomatoes and onions. Top with meat; sprinkle soup mix all over and pour about 2/3 cup water. The layering is important - you want the meat juice to mingle with the onions and tomatoes, then that flavor will mingle with the veggies. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I have no idea how to time a roaster since I've never used one. These green beans will be the most awesome you've ever tasted. The cherry tomatoes will disolve and the juice dispersed. Oh my it's yummy!

Ham & Potatoes Au Gratin

This is not for those with high cholesterol...


2 lb bag frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
2 cans cream of potato soup
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups cooked ham, cubed

Combine hashbrowns, soup, sour cream, 1-1/2 cups cheese and ham in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan (or 2 8x8 pans - one for now, one for the freezer). Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Beef Tips with Rice

One of our favorites and oh so easy


1 1/2 lbs stew beef (or leftover roast)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup
Cooked rice

Combine meat and soups in crock pot; cook low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Serve over rice.

This is one of our Sunday lunches. We time the bread maker to be finished at noon. One kid opens and washes a bag of salad; one sets the table and fixes drinks; I fix the rice and open a can of green beans. Really nice meal in no time.

Broccoli, Bacon and Mozzarella salad

This is a fun salad to play around with


Salad:
3 cups fresh broccoli florets, bite-size
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 chopped red onion
4 slices cooked bacon
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 T sugar
2 t lemon juice

Combine all salad ingredients except bacon. In a small bowl, mix all dressing ingredients then pour over salad; toss to coat. Just before serving, stir crumbled crisp bacon into salad.

For different options, try cheddar in place of the mozzarella cheese or cauliflower in place of broccoli.

Hearty Minestrone

This is my all-time favorite cold-weather soup


1-2 pounds ground beef
2 15.5 oz cans Ranch Style beans
4 10.5 oz cans minestrone soup
1 10 oz can tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 onion chopped
3-4 soup-cans of water

Brown ground beef with onion until cooked. Combine beef and onion with all the rest of the ingredients into crock pot or soup kettle. Crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or simmer on stove top low for 1 hour.

Easy Baked Potato Soup

Quick and Easy and comforting


3-4 medium baked potatoes
5 bacon strips, diced
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
3 1/2 cups milk
2 t garlic powder
2 t worcestershire sauce
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t pepper
8 oz sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese

Peel and dice baked potatoes and set aside. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove the bacon and reserve 1-1/2 teaspoons of drippings. Add soups, milk, garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, onion powder, pepper and reserved potatoes to the drippings. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes until heated, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream and cook for 1-2 more minutes until heated - do not boil. Garnish with cheddar cheese and bacon.

Pineapple Casserole

This one seems really strange, but oh my...


2 20-oz cans of crushed pineapple (lightly drained)
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 stack Ritz crackers
1 stick butter, melted

Pour pineapple in 9x13 dish. Mix flour, sugar and cheese; sprinkle over pineapple. Crush crackers and sprinkle over top. Spoon melted butter all over. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. This can be a side with pork or poultry. Or you could get away with calling it pineapple cobbler and serving with ice cream.

Chocolate Pudding

This will change your life.....


2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 T baking cocoa
3 cups milk
2 T butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract

Sift together dry ingredients in a medium saucepan. Add cold milk; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla; mix well. Serve warm. Serves 6.