Tequila Christmas Cookies

I think I'm going to try these this year.  ;)

Tequila Christmas Cookies
Follow directions carefully!!!!  Read all the way through before beginning!

Ingredients:

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

DIRECTIONS:

Sample the Cuervo to check quality.
Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.  Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar...
Beat again.  At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK, try another cup.......just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, Pick the frigging fruit off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.  Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something.  Check the Jose Cuervo.  Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.  Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.  Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo
and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.
CHEERY MISTMAS!!

Apple Cranberry Cider

Ingredients

• 1 quart apple cider or apple juice
• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the cider, cranberry juice and brown sugar. Place cloves and cinnamon sticks on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag. Add to pan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. Discard spice bag before serving.

Santa Fe Chicken Soup

Here's the recipe for the "clean" chicken soup I made on Saturday.  Clean just means that it doesn't have any MSG or other preservatives in it.  The processing is minimal.

Santa Fe Chicken Soup
1-2 lb. Boneless Skineless chicken breasts
48 oz. chicken broth/stock (MSG-free and low-sodium)
1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 cup frozen corn
1 large jar of natural salsa (Pace Picante Sauce is natural salsa)
1 tbsp. chili powder
1-2 tbsp. cumin
1 to 2 cups of water
avocado
fresh cilantro

Place chicken and water in a large pot.  Boil chicken for approx. 20 minutes.  Carefully remove chicken and shred or cube.  Put chicken back in pot with the water and add chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, salsa, corn and rice.  Continue with a low boil for 10 minutes then turn heat to low.  Let simmer for awhile...the longer, the better.  Top soup with sliced avocado and chopped cilantro.  You can also top with whole-grain tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, but it's not as healthy that way.

Alternative prep method:  Cook chicken using your preferred method (I sprinkle the chicken with coarse ground pepper and bake in the oven.)  Place cooked, shredded chicken, broth, chili powder, cumin, salsa, corn and rice in slowcooker turned to high.  Cook for several hours, until the rice is tender.  Top as desired.

S'more Bites

Here's the recipe for the s'more bites I made for Family Baking Day.

S'more Bites

7 whole graham crackers, finely crushed

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsp butter, melted

4 Hershey chocolate bars, divided

12 large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs.  Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in a small bowl. Place scant scoop of crumb mixture in each cup of a mini-muffin pan lined with mini-muffin paper cups. Press crumbs to form shallow cups. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Meanwhile, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.

Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup on top of chocolate bar. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are just slightly softened. Remove from oven; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. Cool completely.

Break remaining candy bars and place in small bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand until set.

Makes 24 bites

Jalapeno Poppers

• 24 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 pound hot pork sausage, uncooked
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 2 Tbsp. dried cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small skillet fully cook sausage and onion over medium heat; drain. Place in a small bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stuff approx. 1 tablespoon mixture into each prepared pepper half. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until heated through.

Aunt Bonnie's Fresh Apple cake

1 1/4 cups cooking oil
2 cups Sugar
3 Eggs, well beaten
3 cups chopped Apples
2 t. Vanilla
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 t. Salt
1 t. Baking Soda
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix as listed. Bake in well greased pan at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Topping
1/2 cup Oil
1/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 t. Vanilla

Cook until thickened and pour over cake.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I found this recipe online here.  I have made this several times and have made some changes.  I leave out the jalapeno and I double the amount of sour cream and mayonnaise for a creamier consistency.  I also use frozen spinach.  I simply thaw it, then squeeze as much liquid out as possible.  We always serve it with tortilla chips, but I have had other versions served in a bread bowl with bread cubes and it's just as good.  I like to let it cook for at least 2 hours before serving.

Crockpot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (9-ounce) bag baby spinach, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 T jalapeno slices, chopped

Drain and chop artichoke hearts, and add to the crockpot. Scrunch the spinach and chop it the best you can---mostly try to get the long stems off if you can. Add to the crockpot. Add mayo, sour cream, and chopped jalapenos. Top with 1/2 cup each shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, or high for 1. Stir. The spinach should begin to welt. If it hasn't, cook some more. When the spinach is totally wilted, take the lid off and add the other 1/2 cup of each cheese, and let it melt while the lid remains off. The spinach will have created some liquid that doesn't really need to be in there.

Serve with your favorite chips, sliced veggies, or bread cubes.

Confetti Yogurt Pops

Once again, I haven't tried this recipe, but it looks like a really tasty yet healthy snack!
~Christy Lynn

Ingredients

• 2  cupslow-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1  cupassorted berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, chopped strawberries)
• 5  pretzel rods, halved, or 10 baked snack stick crackers

Directions 1. In a large bowl gently stir together the yogurt and fruit. Spoon into 4-ounce ice-pop molds or 3-ounce paper cups. Cover molds or cups with foil; use a sharp knife to cut a small hole in the foil and insert cut side of pretzel rod or snack stick. Freeze until firm. Remove foil and mold or cup before serving.
2. Store for up to a month. Makes 6 pops.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

   
                                                      1 stick butter            3 c oats - 1 minute quick cook                        
                                                      1/3 c cocoa              1/2 c peanut butter
                                                      2 c sugar                   1 tsp. vanilla
                                                     1/2 c milk                    1/2 tsp. salt
Boil butter, cocoa, sugar and milk for 1 minute. Make sure to boil for no longer than 1 minute or cookies will be hard! Remove from heat and blend in remaining ingredients. Spoon onto wax paper, let cool and enjoy!!!

I got this recipe from Mom (Cherri) but I thought I would share it for her.
~Christy Lynn

Vera Cruz Tomatoes

So, I haven't actually tried the recipe yet, but it looks amazing! Bacon, spinach, tomato and cheese! I mean, what's not to love!! I'll give an update after I try it, but thought I would go ahead and share now!
~Christy Lynn


Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 firm ripe tomatoes
• 3 slices bacon
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces fresh spinach, stems snipped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
2. Cut tops from tomatoes; remove seeds and membranes. Place tomato shells upside down on paper towels to drain until filling.
3. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, reserve drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Return 2 tablespoons of drippings to skillet.
4. Cook onion in the bacon drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, reserved crumbled bacon, and hot pepper sauce.
5. Sprinkle tomato shells with salt; fill evenly with bacon and spinach mixture. Place tomatoes in prepared baking dish.
6. Bake in preheated oven until hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove, and top evenly with the shredded cheese. Return to the oven; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 262 | Total Fat: 21.3g | Cholesterol: 43mg

Pineapple Mango Salsa

This stuff is amazing. I got the recipe from a friend (Thanks Beth!!) and we've made it 3 or 4 times in the past month. It's just that good! And SO easy to make...unless you happen to get jalapeno in your eye. If you do that, rinse it out with milk. It really works! (Not that I've ever done that or anything!)

Pineapple Mango Salsa

1 large can of pineapple tidbits, drained

2 ripe mangos, cubed*

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, minced

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Serve over grilled chicken or with tortilla chips. Even better the next day!

*Here's a great tutorial for cubing a mango.

Black Bean Salsa

2-15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed, drained
1-15 1/4 oz. can whole kernal corn ,drained
1-10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1-7 1/2 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro, (: I put one whole bunch of cilantro in the salsa. It was good.:)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup orange juice
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. grated orange peel
1/8 t. coarsley chopped green pepper
Tortilla Chips

Combine the first thirteen ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with tortilla chips

Rustic Pasta

I originally shared this on my other blog, hence the photo tag.  Enjoy!
Rustic Pasta
Thin spaghetti or fettuccine noodles
3-4 cloves minced garlic
Olive oil
Fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers
2 handfuls fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 container feta cheese
Pine Nuts
Parmesan Cheese



Start water to boil for pasta. While the pasta cooks, roughly chop your tomatoes, roasted red peppers and basil. Set basil aside. (I used 6 campari tomatoes, but you can use whatever kind you like. I've used my garden tomatoes and cherry tomatoes before.) In a large skillet, saute minced garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and peppers and cover. Simmer on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until cooked down slightly. The tomatoes should still hold their shape. In a large bowl, toss cooked and drained pasta with tomato mixture, basil and feta cheese. Top each serving of pasta with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

Edited to add: You can also top this with strips of grilled chicken if you like. We have done this before and it really helps to fill it out as a full meal.

Welcome!

I'm so glad everyone wanted to get on board with this blog.  Please please share your favorite recipes here.  I know that I'm really looking forward to hearing what your favorite meals and memories are.  If you have any trouble using it, please email me at aprilchon@gmail.com.  I'll also be checking the email address tied to this blog, so you can send messages there as well.  It might take us some time to get used to this, but I think it will be a great resource for the family.

Buon Appetito!