O'Baby's

A cross between a O'Henry bar and a Baby Ruth. So good!


1 c. light Karo syrup
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanuts, unchopped
1 c. peanut butter
3 c. Rice Krispies
1 pkg. chocolate chips
1 pkg. butterscotch chips

Stir together Karo syrup and sugar. Microwave for 2 minutes. Add peanut butter to Karo mixture and stir until peanut butter is smooth and incorporated. Add peanuts. Microwave everything for 1 minute. Add 3 cups of Rice Krispies. Spread into a greased 9" x 13" pan. Press mixture down with the bottom of a flat glass or measuring cup.

Combine chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes at one minute intervals, stirring in between. Stir until smooth. Spread over rice krispie mixture and cool in the refrigerator until chocolate is set.

Remove and cut into 1-inch squares.

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use 1 Tbs chopped garlic from the jar)
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, julienned
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, undrained
1 can great northern beans, undrained
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 12oz. can V8 vegetable juice
1 Tbs white vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 lb ditali pasta, cooked al dente and drained


Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic in large dutch oven pot. Add carrot and celery. Simmer 10 minutes, then add remaining ingredients except pasta and simmer 1 hour.
Add cooked pasta, simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Pantry Chili

I really don't have a official name for this chili, mainly because it's my standard chili recipe, but "Pantry Chili" certainly describes it, since almost everything comes from the pantry so it's easy to always have on hand and make it on a whim.

1 lbs. lean hamburger
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1-2 Tbs. chopped garlic (i use the kind in the jar)
1 can chopped green chili
2 cans of Ranch Style Beans (this brand only and regular style)
2 cans Bush's plain pinto beans
1 can Bush's dark red kidney beans
1 can Bush's white northern beans
1 bag Carrol Shelby's Chili Kit
shredded cheese of your choice (colby, cheddar, jack, mozzarella)
sour cream, optional

**this chili is spicy enough for my taste, however my husband and son like it even hotter, so we divide it in half and he adds the following: 1/2c sliced fresh mushrooms, 3 sliced and seeded jalapeños, 1 Tbs crushed red pepper, and a few more items that I will have to come back and post after consulting with him)



In a large dutch oven pot, brown the following together: hamburger meat, 1/2 of the chopped onion, can of green chili, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Once all of the meat is cooked through, open the Chili Kit and add the packet of masa to the meat mixture. Stir well and cook a few more minutes. Do not add any water to the meat mixture. Add the large packet of seasonings, stir well. Discard the salt packet. Add all of the beans + their juices. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often as it will stick to the pot. Depending on your preference, you can add a can of water at this point. Add the small packet of cayenne pepper from the kit. If the kids will be eating this too, remove their portion before adding this, as it gets hotter the longer it is cooked. Heat through and serve when ready. Top with cheese, remaining onion, sour cream. Serve with crackers or a boxed cornbread (all again from the pantry).

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This is a huge hit at my husbands office, and is great to serve with a brunch.

1 C. butter, softened
2 C. white sugar
2 eggs
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 5/8 C. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. fresh or frozen blueberries

!/2 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1 Tbs. confectioner's sugar (for dusting over the top)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9" bundt pan. And I mean really grease and flour it, or the cake will not come out of the pan nicely and instead of a bundt, you will have a clump.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Then stir in the sour cream and the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter until it is just blended. Fold in the blueberries.

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans (I have to admit that I usually leave the pecans out of this recipe).

Spoon 1/2 of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the sugar mixture over the batter in the pan. i keep it from getting to close to the sides as it gets quite sticky while baking and makes it nearly impossible to turn the cake out of the bundt pan. Spoon the remaining batter into the pan and then sprinkle the rest of the sugar mixture on top. Use a knife or a thin spatula to swirl the sugar layer into the cake (mine never actually comes out looking like a swirl through the cake, but you may have better luck).

Bake for 55-60 minutes (though it will take longer with frozen blueberries) or until a knife inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Invert onto serving plate and tap firmly (while keeping your fingers crossed) to remove from pan. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Remoulade Sauce

This sauce is great for topping any kind of fish or shrimp.

1 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 C. chili sauce
2 Tbs. Creole mustard (spicy brown will do if you can't find the creole)
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. Louisiana hot sauce, or to taste
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 medium scallions, chopped
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. chopped green olives (can omit)
2 Tbs. minced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. capers, chopped (optional)

Mix together the mayonnaise, chili sauce, mustard, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Once mixed well, stir in scallions, parsley, olives, celery, capers and garlic. Season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Cover and let refrigerate. It can be ready in an hour, but really does taste better the longer it sits. The chili powder and sauce can easily be adjusted to taste as it can come out a bit hot for some people. Also, if using capers and green olives, you may want to cut back on the salt.

This recipe does call for a bunch of stuff, and does take more than a minute to make, but the results are well worth it.

Hamburger Chowder

The soup that eats like a meal.

1/2 lb. ground beef
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 large onion
2 C. celery, chopped
1 small cabbage, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cans tomatoes, broken up
5 C. water
3 beef bullion cubes
1/2 C. uncooked long grain rice
3 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf

Saute meat in a large pot until brown. Add the carrots, onion, celery cabbage and green pepper to the browned meat and saute for a few minutes. I chop and add as I finish chopping. After sauteing the veggies, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Let it simmer for 35-45 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf prior to serving. Leftovers freeze very well.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Quick, easy, and pretty darn good.

2 lbs. tilapia fillets
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C. butter, softened
3 Tbs. Mayonnaise
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt

Preheat your ovens broiler, and line the broiling pan with foil. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Now add the basil, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange you tilapia fillets on the prepared broiler pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the fillet over, and broil for another 2-3 minutes. Remove fillets once again from the oven and top with Parmesan cheese mixture. Place them back under the broiler for another 2-3 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the fish flakes easily. Be careful not to overcook the fish (though my husband prefers his well done so I tend to keep the fish in for 4 minutes on each of the steps).

Solid Gold Chocolate Pecan Pie

This pie is so delicious and easy to make that you'll never make chocolate cream pie from Jello pudding ever again. If you're really inspired you can make your own pie crust. I don't.

1 9-inch pie crust
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped pecan pieces
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Slightly sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Weight pie crust with beans or pie weights and bake 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

In the top of a double boiler, gently melt the chocolate chips over almost simmering water. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate with corn syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pecans. Pour into the cooled pie crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Place half of the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a small bowl. Place the remaining bittersweet chocolate and the oil in the top of a double boiler. Heat the chocolate, whisking, until melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the chocolate in the bowl, whising to melt. Pour over the warm pie, spreading to the edges to coat the top. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.

When serving, garnish each slice with a dollop of whipped cream.

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

I don't know where I found this recipe, but I copied it onto notepaper that says "An Irish Fact: If you're lucky enough to be Irish...you're lucky enough." I serve this to company at Thanksgiving, and even people who say they hate brussels sprouts love it and take seconds.

2 teaspoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 cups halved and thinly sliced brussels sprouts (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in brussels sprounts; saute 2 minutes. Add broth and sugar; cook 5 minutes or until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. Stir in salt. Sprinkle with pecans before serving.

Chili Blanco

I love poblano chiles and so does my husband. It's so delicious it's totally worth the first step of roasting the chiles. So we make this for just us - the kids won't eat it. Just microwave some chicken nuggets for them when you want to have this. I like to throw some chopped, cooked chicken into this chili to make it a little heartier.

2 fresh poblano chiles
2 16-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained (or other white beans)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 14.5 ounce can vegetable or chicken broth
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Place poblanos on a foil-lined b aking sheet and broil until blackened, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. (Or you can use tongs to hold over the flame on a gas range.) Place chiles into a glass bowl and cover with a plate or pastic wrap; let stand for 15 minutes. Peel chiles and cut in half lengthwise. Discard stems, seeds, and membranes.

Place roasted chiles, half of the beans, and cream cheese into a food processor; process until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and bell pepper; saute until vegetables are tender. Add broth, cumin, and coriander; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add pureed bean mixture and remaining whole beans; cook until thoroughly heated.

Tomato Salad

This must be made with ripe, red tomatoes - the kind you buy at the farmer's market. It absolutely doesn't work with the hard, pink tomatoes from the regular grocery store. Which means you can only make it in summertime.

6 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup drained black olives, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and marinate for 2 hours. Serve at room temperature.

Very Berry French Toast

This recipe is really good for when you have to make breakfast, or brunch, for a crowd but don't want to stand at the stove all morning flipping pancakes. Or french toast. People are always asking me for the recipe for this. Well, one friend did. And my mother. And if you have leftovers it's good heated and served for dessert!

p.s. Costco sells a large bag of frozen mixed berries which works perfectly for this recipe.

2 cups frozen blueberries
1-1/2 cups frozen blackberries
1-1/2 cups frozen raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cooking spray
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch slices (slightly stale works best)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 6 ingredients and pour into a 9X13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spracy.

Whisk together milk, vanilla, and eggs in a shallow dish. Add bread, turning to coat. Let stand 5 minutes, turning bread occasionally. Arrange bread in a single layer over berries. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bread is golden brown and fruit is bubbly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Serves 6

Velveeta Mac-N-Cheese

So my kids prefer the kind that comes in a blue box, but they will eat this when I make it.

1/4 C. (1/2 stick) butter, divided
1/4 C. flour
1 C. milk
1/2 lb. (8 oz) Velveeta, cut up
2 C. (8 oz.) cooked and drained macaroni
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C. crushed Ritz crackers


preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 3 Tbs. of butter in a medium saucepan on low heat. Add flour; mix well. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly add milk stirring until it is well blended. Cook on medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens while constantly stirring. Add the Velveeta, cook until melted. Add the macaroni and stir lightly. Spoon into lightly greased casserole dish; sprinkle with cheese. Melt remaining butter and toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

This makes about 5 servings.

Chicken and Dressing

This is a great dish to take over to a person's house when you are making a meal for them. My Aunt made this for me after I had the triplets and it was the most comforting meal ever. The best part is that unless you are making this for a large family, you can divide the recipe into 2 pans and keep 1/2 for yourself for dinner!

1 frying chicken
3/4 stick of butter
1 pkg. Pepperidge farm herb stuffing mix (8 oz. but can add more)
1 medium onion
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4 C. butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 C. Chicken broth

Boil chicken until tender. Reserve 2 C. of the broth. Shred the meat once cooled enough to handle. Saute celery and onion in 1/4 C. butter. Add to chicken and mix. Melt 3/4 stick butter in the bottom or a 9x9 pan (I tend to use a 9x13 pan so I get more stuffing). Reserve 1 C. of stuffing and pour the rest into the melted butter. Top with the chicken mixture. Next, spread the cream of chicken soup over the chicken mixture evenly, then top with the remaining stuffing mix. Then pour the 2 C. of chicken broth over the whole thing and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pigs in a Blanket

I know, Pigs in a Blanket?! But really these are the first things gone at our parties and all the kids love them.

1 Pkg. (16 oz.) cocktail-sized smoked sausage links
1 Tube (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls


Drain the sausage links and blot them dry on some paper towels. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles, pressing the diagonal perforations together. Cut each rectangle in 1/2 and then each half into 6 strips. Wrap a strip of dough in a spiral around each sausage link pressing the ends to seal.Place each link with the seam side down on a baking sheet about and inch apart. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool briefly and serve with your favorite sauce. We usually do a honey mustard (1/2 C. honey, 1/2 C. Dijon mustard and 1 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar whisked together). or BBQ sauce. The kids prefer ketchup.

The best part about these is that they can be made well ahead of time and frozen. Just pull them out of the freezer an hour before the party to thaw a little then just pop them in the oven like you had just made them. I do notice however that they do not brown as nicely when they have been frozen beforehand. They still taste great though. I keep some in the freezer for quick kids lunches.

Honey Wine Apple Crisp

My absolute favorite Apple Crisp recipe. I have been making it for half of my life (that is 20 years of making it, if you are counting).

4 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith Apples
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup honey
2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans

Spread apples in a 9x9 baking dish, preferably one with high sides. Sprinkle with the white sugar, lemon juice, and wine. Pour honey over top. Mix flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter until crumbly. Add in the pecans. Spread over the apples. Bake about 40 min. at 350 or until apples are tender and crust is a crispy brown. Let cool and set. Serve warm with a good vanilla ice cream.

Praline Cake

A very moist sweet cake that is a twist off of a German Chocolate cake, however, you would never guess that there is oatmeal in the cake and no chocolate!

(This cake is even better served warm or reheated for a few seconds in the microwave)

CAKE:

1/2 cup regular oats
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 eggs
3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

ICING:

1/2 cup butter
2 Tbs milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine oats and water, let stand. Cream sugars, oil, and eggs. Add oat-water mixture, flour, soda, and cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 35 min in a 9x9" baking dish or until passes the toothpick test. After the cake has finished baking, remove cake from oven and switch oven to BROIL. In a saucepan on the stove, combine butter, milk and brown sugar. Boil 1 minute, and then remove from heat. Add coconut and pecans to the butter-sugar mixture. Spread icing on cake while cake is hot. Place iced cake under the broiler until icing bubbles. You must watch it carefully! Remove cake and let cool slightly, serve warm with ice cream.

Toasted Garlic Dipping Sauce

Very easy dipping sauce for bread on pasta night.



1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tbs. Balsamic Vinegar (or to taste)
2 tsp. Herbs de Provence
3-4 tbs. toasted minced garlic (found in the spice aisle)

(I usually divide this among 4 ramekins, instead of one bowl, so everyone has their own dish)

Pour all ingredients together. Dip bread of choice into it. yummy.

Sour cream and Salsa Chicken

Super easy prep.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 C. salsa
1/4 C. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. place chicken in baking dish and season with taco seasoning mix. Pour salsa over chicken and bake for 35-35 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear. When ready to serve, remove chicken from baking dish and stir sour cream into salsa. Once mixed, return chicken to dish.

This can be served with warm tortillas and Spanish rice. I also serve this with either guacamole or sliced avocados.

Cool Chick Salad

A very easy version of my favorite salad from The Red Onion in Vancouver, BC.

This is super easy because if you don't want to cook anything, just buy a store-roasted chicken and remove the skin + fat.

The combination of these ingredients is what makes this salad so good. It just isn't a "Cool Chick" without the noodles and the Catalina dressing.

You will need the following:

3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts or 1 store-roasted chicken (omit the lemon + pepper if use)
2 lemons or limes
black pepper

1 pkg washed spring greens
1 pkg washed hearts of romaine
1/2 of a small red onion, sliced into thin rings, then sliced in half
1 jar of mandarin oranges, drained
3-4 firm roma tomatoes, cut into wedges and then cut again (or whole grape tomatoes)
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped into 1/2in chunks
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups crispy Chow Main noodles
1 jar of fat free Catalina dressing

Line cookie sheet with foil, place chicken breasts on foil, cover chicken with juice from the 2 lemons/limes, slice lemons/lime and also place on top, sprinkle with pepper. Wrap with foil to seal the breasts. Bake at 325 until chicken is cooked and tender. Shred chicken.

Layer the salad as follows:

bed of mixed lettuces
tomatoes
oranges
avocados
cranberries
chicken
noodles
pecans
onion slices
drizzle Catalina dressing on top

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 C. frozen corn kernels
1 C. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 C. chunky salsa
Corn tortilla chips
1/2 C. shredded Monterrey jack cheese



In a large pot over medium heat saute the chicken and onions in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, lemon juice and salsa. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

In a bowl, break up some tortilla chips. Ladle soup over chips, top with cheese and garnish with some sour cream if desired.

Instead of buying the deep fried chips, I buy some whole wheat tortillas, cut them into slices, spray them with a cooking spray and pop them in a 350 degree oven until they are toasted and crisp. Take them out and sprinkle with a little salt and it is a much healthier option than a deep fried chip.

This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

This is a quick and easy salad that most people love.

1 1lb. bag of baby spinach
1 C. sliced strawberries
1/2 C. sliced almonds

Dressing:

1/3 C. white sugar
1/3 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. white vinegar


Mix together the sugars and vinegar in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil making sure all the sugar is dissolved and then remove from heat. Cool before pouring over salad.

Dump spinach in a salad bowl. Toss in 3/4 of strawberries and 3/4 almonds reserving the rest for the top of the salad (to try and make it look pretty). Toss to evenly distribute. Place remaining strawberries and almonds over the top of the salad.

Right before serving, pour cooled dressing over salad and toss.

When making this recipe I tend to up the amount of strawberries and almonds because the family likes it with more. And should you double up on this recipe to feed a lot of people, there is no reason to double the dressing. There is plenty. If it is not strawberry season, you can substitute mandarin oranges instead.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Great for a cold night. Just add a meat for a more substantial meal.

3 C. peeled and cubed potatoes
1/2 C. chopped celery
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 C. water
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pinch ground pepper
2 tsp. all purpose flour
1 1/2 C. milk
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar or American cheese
1 C. ham or hamburger, cooked and diced (can omit)

In a large stock pot add potatoes, celery onion chicken bouillon, water and parsley flakes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until vegetables become tender. In a separate bowl, mix flour and milk. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup thickens. Stir in cheese and optional meat. Simmer until cheese is melted.

This recipe serves 4, but I find it better to double up the recipe for leftovers!

Sweet Potato Casserole II

1 cup flour
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter (or margarine), melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg white
1 (5 oz) can fat free evaporated milk


Place the sweet potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until very tender. Drain well and mash in a bowl. Combine the first 5 ingredients by hand until crumbly and set aside. Add 1 cup of the pecan brown sugar mixture to the the mashed sweet potatoes, add white sugar, extract, egg white, and evaporated milk. Spoon potato mixture into a 2q baking dish that has been coated with non-stick spray. Top with the remaining pecan-brown sugar mixture. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

[From Crescent City Collection by The Junior League of New Orleans]

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe is all about the sauce! Yum!

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 slices Swiss cheese
3 slices ham
1 1/2 Tbs. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp paprika
3 Tbs. butter
1/4 C. dry white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream



Pound chicken breast to flatten. Place a cheese and ham slice in the middles of each chicken breast leaving about 1/2" of chicken for the edges. fold the chicken over filling and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika and coat the chicken. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook until chicken is browned on all sides. Add wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove the toothpicks and transfer chicken to war platter. Blend the cornstarch and cream in a small bowl and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over chicken. Serve warm.

Porcupine Meatballs

I used to beg for these as a child. Now my kids love them too.

1/2 C. uncooked rice
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. onion, minced
2 Tbs. oil
1 C. condensed tomato soup
1 C. hot water


Combine rice, beef, salt, pepper and onion; mix and shape into 12 balls. Brown meat and rice balls in oil in a heavy frying pan. Once browned, add tomato soup and water. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours over low heat or until rice is tender.

Sweet Potato Casserole.

This is the one recipe that I am asked to bring to just about ever fall and winter dinner that we attend. There are never any leftovers.

1 (40 oz.) can cut sweet potatoes
1 C. white sugar
2 eggs
1/3 C. butter
1/3 C. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

1 C. packed brown sugar
1 C. chopped pecans
1/3 C. all purpose flour
1/3 C. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 Qt. baking dish
Place sweet potatoes in their liquid in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, drain and mash. In a separate bowl mix the brown sugar, chopped pecans, flout and melted butter. In a medium bowl mix the mashed sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over the mashed sweet potato mixture. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Easy Skillet Chicken Divan

1 Tbs. margarine or butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/4 C. water
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 C. quick cooking brown rice
1 pkg. broccoli pieces (thaw if using frozen)
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium high heat; add chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet. Add water, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to skillet and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and broccoli and return to boil. place chicken over the top of rice and broccoli. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed and the chicken is fork tender and the juices run clear. Sprinkle with the cheese, cover and let stand for 5 more minutes.

Apple Juice Pork Chops

[I apologize for the quality of the photo, a new one will soon replace it. ~gena]

2-5 pork chops
2 large sweet onions
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C. apple juice or 1 small (4 oz.) container of apple sauce diluted in 1/2 cup water

Put a few Tbs. of olive oil in a frying pan and brown the onions. While onions are browning, season pork chops with salt and pepper. Once the onions have caramelized, remove them from the pan and add the pork chops to brown. Once the pork chops are browned, place onions back into the pan and situate pork chops on top. Add apple juice to pan and cover. Bake at 350 degrees until the pork chops are tender (about 45 minutes depending on the thickness of the pork chop).

Marie's Pork Chops with Noodles

This recipe has been in the family forever. It is one of my dad's favorites.

2 C. egg noodles
1 small onion, minced
1/3 C. ketchup
1 1/4 C. water
4-6 pork chops
salt and pepper
soft bread crumbs

cook egg noodles in boiling salted water for 8 minutes and drain. Mix onion, ketchup and water. Mix together with noodles. Season pork chops with salt and pepper (to taste) and brown in a skillet. Place browned pork chops in a casserole or baking pan and cover with noodles. Spread bread crumbs evenly over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Caramel Layer Chocolate Squares

This is hands-down my family's favorite cookie.

I made this many years ago for a church event, they flew off the cookie table. I had one in my hand while I was talking to a friend. A elderly lady approached me, seeing that I hadn't touched it, and asked me if I was going to eat it. I think she wanted it if I didn't!

1 (14oz) pkg. light caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 pkg. Butter Pecan cake mix (if you can't find this, you can use 1 pkg golden butter cake mix + 1/2 cup pecans, which have been placed in a food processor to a very fine powder)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup milk chocolate chips

oven temp 325
baking time: 25 min

Generously grease a 13x9" baking pan (must be a 13x9 pan, nothing smaller or the recipe will not work well).

In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix, butter, 1/3 cup milk, and nuts. Stir by hand until dough holds together. Divide dough in half and press 1/2 of the dough into the prepared pan. Reserve the remaining dough for topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust.

In a microwave safe dish, combine caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk, cook for 1 min then stir, cook again at 1 minute intervals until smooth and melted when stirred.

Spread melted caramel mixture over the chocolate chips. Crumble reserved dough over caramel and chocolate layers. Return to oven and back an additional 18-20 minutes to set the caramel filling.

Let cool, cut into small squares and store in an air tight container to keep moist.

Green Chile Potato Chowder

When made with canned green chiles & the jalapeno is omited, this is a very mild soup for a child. Katie (4 year old) loves it.

1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced (may omit to taste)
1/4 cup fresh long green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely chopped (approx 3 medium chiles)*
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2inch cubes
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
4 cups fat free chicken stock
1/4 cup butter (can substitute margarine)
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk (may use 1 1/2 cups milk and 1 1/2cups half-half)
2 cups frozen sweet white corn
fresh tortillas
oil
cheddar cheese, shredded
green onions, chopped

Combine first 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Melt butter over low heat; add flour to blend, stirring constantly for 3 minutes to make a blond roux. Reserving all of the liquid, strain liquid from potato, chile, and onion mixture. Mash half of the potato mixture, leaving the other half unmashed. Stir 3 cups of the reserved liquid into the roux. Raise heat, stirring with a whisk until thickened. Add milk to the thickened liquid and continue to stir until it comes to simmer. Add mashed potato mixture, stir. Add cubed potato mixture and corn. Heat through.

In the meantime, cut the tortillas into thin 1/4inch strips, heat oil in separate pan, cook tortillas strips until crispy, drain on paper towels.

Laddle soup into bowls, top with cheddar cheese, crisp tortilla strips, and chopped green onion.

*may use 1-2 small cans of chopped green chili (depending on your taste)