Sesame Chicken and Noodles-CHRISTY

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup natural-style, reduced fat creamy peanut butter (I use Smuckers)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (it DOES NOT make the dish spicy)
2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
3/4 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 tablespoon salt
2 cups matchstick carrots, chopped
1 bunch of green onions thinly sliced

Cook pasta omitting salt and drain.
Combine broth, peanut butter, 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, and next five ingredents.
Heat oil in a large skillet over med high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Add chicken to pan, saute three minutes. Add carrots and onions, saute two minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in broth mixture.
Add pasta to pan, tossing to coat. Top with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Serves Four.

Herbed Monkey Bread-CHRISTY

2/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 25 oz. package frozen roll dough
1/2 cup butter, melted

Lightly grease Bundt pan, set aside. In a small bowl combine cheese and It. seasoning. Cut roll dough into one inch pieces, dip each piece in melted butter, coat with cheese. Place dough and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350. Cover with foil during last 10 minutes.

Cheesy Crescent Roll Chicken-CHRISTY

4 Chicken Breasts
1 can crescent rolls
1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup (I use fat free)
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
3/4 to 1 cup cheddar cheese

Boil chicken breasts until done. Roll chicken breasts in individual crescent rolls and place in casserole (it may take two or three rolls). Combine soup, milk and half of cheese in a saucepan and heat until smooth. Pour mixture over crescent rolls and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Chicken and Dumplings-CHRISTY

5 tortillas (8 inch)
3 14 1/2 oz. cans chicken broth
Boiled Chicken cut into pieces
1/4 cup milk

Sprinkle tortillas with flour, boil broth and drop in tortillas. Cook about ten minutes or until tender. Add chicken and milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Boil to thicken. Remove from heat and let sit for fifteen to twenty minutes. Tortillas will turn into dumplings!

ALSO

I don't always use a whole chicken-I use four or five chicken breasts and just chop them up. This is healthier and easier!

I don't always use tortillas, the bags of frozen dumplings work just as well!

Spicy Chicken Ro-tel - From Heather

This recipe can easily be doubled or made a little milder by using the mild Ro-Tel Tomatoes. I also do not make the recipe with black olives because BJ does not like them.

Spicy Chicken Ro-Tel
3-4 chicken breast (I use frozen boneless skinless chicken)
1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 large can Ro-Tel Tomatoes
1 (16 oz) pkg spagetti (my mom liked to use egg noodles to have a different type of pasta)
black olives

Boil chicken. Cook noodles in stock. Cut up cooked chicken. Cut up Velveeta to help ensure it melting. Combined cooked noodles and chicken, Velveeta, and Ro-Tel. (There are two options from here. 1)Warm on medium heat until Velveeta is melted. OR 2) Put in pan and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

"Homemade" Crescent Ravioli--Ashley

This is so simple, but Kurt and I LOVE it. I got this from a church member in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Enjoy!

"Homemade" Crescent Ravioli

1 pound ground beef
1 15-oz. can spaghetti sauce
1 med. onion, diced (I use onion flakes)
1 can crescent rolls
4 squares American cheese (I use the shredded kind)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain off grease. Add 1/2 the spaghetti sauce (retain other 1/2 for later use). Salt and pepper to taste. Open crescent rolls into 4 squares. Do not separate into triangles. Place 3 tsp. of the meat mixture onto each square. Fold squares over one time into a rectangle, and press edges together to seal. Put remaining meat mixture in an 8" baking dish. Place each square in the dish on top of meat mixture, and bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Tops of squares will brown---don't let them burn! Then place a slice of cheese on top of each square. Pour remaining 1/2 of spaghetti sauce on top and bake an additional 15 minutes. It will seem like they're going to burn, but if you cover them with cheese and the sauce, they won't.

This is not gourmet by any means, but it just tastes so good, and it takes no time. The recipe can be easily doubled. Keep posting recipes!!

Judy's Chicken--From Ashley!

My manicurist gave me this recipe to try last night, and it was delicious!!!

Marinade:
-1 bottle of Italian dressing
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup sugar

Mix this up together in a 9x13 dish and put the raw chicken breasts in it to marinate for an hour (give or take). While you're waiting, cook angel hair pasta (I used whole wheat). After the chicken has soaked awhile, get out a skillet and put a little olive oil into it, and cook the chicken til it is all the way done. Set chicken aside. Pour the extra marinade into the skillet and boil. Serve the chicken on a bed of pasta with the sauce drizzled on top. So good and so easy!! Great with a salad and bread. :o)

Baked Chicken Sandwich-CHRISTY

2 cups cooked chicken, cut in small dice
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
12 slices trimmed bread
6 eggs
3 cups milk
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
Almonds

Mix first three ingredients together and spread between slices of bread; place in 9x13 dish. Beat eggs, add milk, salt and pour over sandwiches. Let stand overnight. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Keep covered first 35 minutes, then remove cover, sprinkle almonds over top and continue cooking, uncovered, the remaining 15 minutes.

This is so good-odd looking but turns out wonderful. It was served at one of my wedding showers and is something I like to make when company is coming for lunch.

Garlic Cheese Grits-CHRISTY

1 cup quick grits
1 tsp salt
4 cups water
1 roll garlic cheese, cut up
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
Grated Cheddar cheese

Cook grits slowly in 4 cups salted water. Add cheese and butter. Stir in milk and eggs; mix well. Pour into greased casserole and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, top with grated cheese and cook an additional 5 minutes.

THIS IS SO FATTENING BUT SOOOOO GOOD

Oven BBQ Chicken-CHRISTY

3 tblsp. ketchup
2 tblsp. vinegar
1 tblsp. lemon juice
2 tblsp. Worcestershire
4 tblsp. water
1 tsp. paprika

3 tblsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp red pepper

2 tbslp margarine

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 2 1/2-3 pound chicken

Mix all ingredients. Dip chicken in sauce. Bake covered in aluminum foil at 500 degrees for the first 15 minutes and 350 degrees for 1 hr. Remove cover so chicken can brown, and cooked uncovered for 15 minutes more.

Easy Sticky Buns - KRISTAL

These are so easy to make and so very yummy:

1 1/2T unsalted butter, cold and thinly sliced into 10 pieces
1 medium banana, thinly sliced
1/2C pecans, chopped
2T brown sugar
1 tube of buttermilk biscuits

Heat oven to 375. Drop butter into the bottom of a muffin pan. Arrange banana on top, sprinkle pecans and brown sugar, and top with a biscuit. Bake until golden brown, for about 8-10 minutes. While still warm, place baking sheet over the muffin pan, flip, and tap out the buns.

Here's the outcome:

(the BEST) Chicken Salad - Olivia

My mother in law and I hosted a baby shower for Brock's 1st cousin this morning. She made this chicken salad. It is EASY and sooo delicious (and I am a little bit of a chicken salad snob).

2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup mayo
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced seedless grapes
1 cup ranch style sliced almonds (by the salad stuff in the grocery)
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce

She used canned chicken and you couldn't taste a difference at all.

**DISCLAIMER: you might eat it all by your self in one sitting**

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup - KRISTAL

Best. Soup. Ever. And it's perfect for the fall and winter. It's a bit time consuming, but it makes a ton (3 qts.) so you can freeze some for later.

2T unsalted butter
2T extra virgin olive oil
4C chopped yellow onions
2T curry powder
5lb butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2lb sweet apples, such as McIntosh or Gala (4 apples)
2t kosher salt
1/2t black pepper
2C water
2C apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chucks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2C of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft (Chad had to cook it closer to an hour, but our pot wasn't quite big enough either). Process the soup through a food processor or with an immersion blender.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider/juice to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Thai Shrimp and Pork Ball Over Coconut Curried Rice - KRISTAL

Hi Ladies! This is my first post. ;) My husband does all of our cooking and he's amazing at what he does so I thought I'd share two of my favorite recipes of his. Enjoy!

This meal seems time consuming, but it really only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. And if you like Thai curry, you really can't beat it. I promise it's better than any takeout you could get.

16oz basmati or jasmine rice
4 scallions
3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed, 2 chopped
4T tamari or soy sauce
1/4C cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Zest and joice of 1 lime
1lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1lb ground pork
6T vegetable oil
1t ground coriander
1/2t ground cumin
1T curry powder
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1C chicken stock
1C canned unsweetened coconut milk

Cook rice according to the instructions on the container.

In the bowl of the food processor, combine the scallions, half the grated ginger, half the chopped jalapeño petter, the crushed garlic, 3 T of the tamari, half of the cilantro and basil, and the lime zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl, and then process 1 minutes, or until finely ground. Add the shrimp and pork and process until the shrimp are ground into small pieces and the mixture is well combined but not so fine that it becomes a paste - about 1 minutes.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet with 4T of the oil. With wet palms, roll the shrimp-pork mixture into walnut-size balls and add to the hot skillet as you go. Don't move the balls until they are brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the balls and continue to cook, browing on all sides until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.

While the shrimp and pork balls and rice are cooking, start the coconut curry sauce for the noodles. Preheat a large skillet or soup pot over medium heat with the remaining 2T of oil. Add the coriander, cumin, and curry powder and toast the spices for about 30 seconds in the hot oil. Add the onions, carrot, bell pepper, the remaining ginger and jalapeño pepper, and the 2 chopped garlic cloves. Add a little more oil to the pan if it starts to look dry. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any spices that might be sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook the mixture for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and the remaining tablespoon of tamari and bring it up to a bubble, then gently simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and taste and adjust for seasoning with either more tamari or a little salt. Add the remaining cilantro and basil and toss to combine.

Spoon rice into bowl, add shrimp and pork balls, and pour the curry over both.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Bread-CHRISTY

2 tblsp chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 can refridgerated French bread or pizza dough
2 tablespoons commercial pesto (Classico is good)
1/3 cup feta cheese
2 tbslp chopped olives

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll bread dough. Spread pesto over dough, leaving a 1 inch margin around edges. Sprinkle tomatoes, feta and olives over the pesto. Roll up dough tightly, pinching the edges together to seal. Place loaf on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until loaf is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Serve immediately.

I serve this with a salad and fruit.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta-CHRISTY

This is a Weight Watchers recipe.

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta-I use whole wheat
1 tblsp olive oil
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup sliced and pitted kalamata olives-I also use the regular black ones
1/2 cup tomato and herb feta cheese-I sometimes used the reduced fat original feta
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil.

Cook pasta and drain. Combine pasta and oil in a bowl, toss well. Add other ingredients and sprinkle with basil.

THIS IS SO GOOD AND SO EASY

Skinny Chocolate-Chip Cookies-CHRISTY

These are a little healthier than the norm and SO GOOD.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter until well mixed, about 1 minute. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. On low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended. With large rubber spatula, stir in chocolate chips. Refridgerate dough 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.

Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 14 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

Yummy Potato Soup--ASHLEY

This is my mother-in-law's own personal recipe! It is my FAVORITE, and so easy!

2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken (3 cooked chicken breasts or 1 can of chopped chicken)
1 can chicken broth
4 cups of cooked chopped potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 pureed onion (my MIL does this in the blender but I just use a bit of onion powder)
1 T Dry Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
2 chicken boullion cubes
1 T chopped garlic OR 1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

Mix all together, heat, and enjoy! I usually put this in the crock pot (with the potatoes uncooked) and let it cook on low all day for when I get home. It is DELICIOUS!

9 can soup

one can of each:

hormel chili with beans
hormel chili without beans
whole kernel corn
diced potatoes
diced tomatoes
green beans
campbells's veggie beef soup
sliced mushrooms
veg-all

dump all in crockpot. do NOT drain!! stir a few times to combine. cook on low for a few hours.

we like to eat it with frito's. yum yum. this recipe makes a ton! and i mean a ton!! and there is no real way to cut it down so i usually try to share with a friend, and then i still have some left to freeze! it is a great quick meal to grab from the freezer!

and you can play with the ingredients some... we don't like a ton of green beans so since the veggie beef soup and the veg-all already has green beans we leave out the single can of green beans and have 8 can soup!

thanks to my friend and neighbor, jenny holloway, for sharing the soup with us and giving me this recipe!!!

cashew chicken by adelle

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup sliced celery
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup cashews

combine all ingredients except chicken in crockpot. stir a couple of times but not too much. add chicken; can either place on top or mix in. cover; cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or on high for 4 to 6 hours).

serve over hot white rice.

asian beef stew by adelle

2 onions, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/2 pounds round steak, sliced thin across the grain
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup orange juice
1 cup beef broth
1/3 cup hoisin sauce (i found this with the teriyaki sauce at kroger)
2 tablespoons cornstarch

place onions, beef, celery, carrots, and mushrooms in crockpot. combine orange juice, broth, hoisin sauce, and cornstarch in small bowl. pour into crockpot. cover; cook on high for 5 hours or until beef is tender.

if you want to add peas, get 1 cup of frozen peas, stir into crockpot after the 5 hours and cook 20 minutes longer or until peas are tender.

if you like it a bit spicy you can also add 1 to 2 teaspoons chinese 5 spice powder or curry powder to the orange juice mixture.

serve over broth simmered white rice.

Sausage and Rigatoni Pasta-CHRISTY

I got this recipe out of the new Kraft cookbook. I get one in the mail every season and it is full of quick but delicious recipes! And it is FREE.

Sausage and Rigatoni Pasta

8 oz. (1/2 box) Rigatoni Pasta
Italian Turkey Sausage (Jenny Owens)
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup Kraft sundried tomato salad dressing
1 sm. can tomato paste

Remove the casings and lightly brown the sausage-chop roughly with the spatula. Add onions and tomato paste and stir. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes on med. low or until onions are tender and sausage is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook pasta.

When sausage mixture is done add salad dressing. Mix with cooked pasta and serve topped with parmesan cheese.

The salad dressing is delicious and surprisingly low in fat and calories. I served a green salad with the pasta and used the salad dressing.

Success!!-Christy

Adelle, your paprika soft tacos and Apricot Chicken is soooo good. The kids loved it as well and that is priceless as far as I am concerned!!

Exciting!

Yay! New recipes! How exciting. I can't believe that something I actually started is working, and people seem to be using it. Rare.

Happy cooking :)

Love, Ashley

apricot chicken by adelle

so easy and so scrumptious!

chicken breasts (however many you want; if you do more than 8, you will need to double the dressing mixture)
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 (10 ounce) jar apricot preserves
1 (8 ounce) Russian salad dressing (this can be tricky to find, i have only found it in the 8 oz. bottle, it tends to hide on the shelf; you can substitute with catalina dressing if you can't find it)

combine salad dressing, soup mix, and preserves in a bowl and mix well. arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. spoon the dressing mixture over the chicken. bake, covered with foil at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

great with a salad and rice cooked with chicken broth instead of water.

paprika chicken soft tacos by adelle

i took part of a recipe i had and revamped it so this is not an exact recipe... it is one of those meals that you can adjust easily to fit your personal flavor preferences! and depending on how your stove is, you kind of have to adjust the temperature throughout so that the chicken and onions don't get too done before you add the seasonings. just be sure to move all the stuff in the skillet around alot so they don't get stuck to the pan and make those gross crusties (you know what i am talking about right?).

ingredients:
chicken breast tenders
1 medium onion, chopped or sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
sweet paprika (i use "hungarian paprika 100% sweet delicate by papa imported" but you can use any kind of sweet paprika)
salt & pepper
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
tortillas (small or large, just depends on how much you pile inside (o:)

optional toppings:
low fat cheddar cheese or cheddar and monterey
fat free refried beans
chunky salsa or taco sauce
lettuce

heat large skillet over medium-high heat. add EVOO about 2 Tb. add chicken and let it cook a few minutes on each side. then add onions and garlic. cook all together for a few more minutes until chicken is pretty much done. season with salt and pepper, just a few dashes of each in the pan. then sprinkle the chicken with paprika. stir/shake so all the chicken gets the seasoning. reduce heat to low for a few minutes.

place a small handful of cheese on a tortilla and warm in microwave just enough for cheese to melt. add chicken and any other toppings you'd like, roll up and enjoy!!