Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

by penji1
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Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

The weekly pot of soup, it was a little too spicy for me but Bob liked it and really, I made it for him.

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 (12.5 oz) can chicken, drained and broken up

2 cups tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes

1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup water

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (10 oz) package frozen corn

toppings as desired such as shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker or crock pot and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours or on high for 3 – 4 hours.

recipe from A Dash of Sanity

Navajo Tacos/Fry Bread

by penji1
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Navajo Tacos

We had a full house on Sunday night, 15 people for dinner so I was trying to come up with a plan that would feed that many people easily and then I saw a post on Facebook about Navajo Tacos and thought perfect!

1 recipe of your favorite chili, I used this one, Family Favorite Chili

2 – 4 cups vegetable oil, depending on size of skillet you are using

frozen rolls, as many as you need (I did 30 and there were only 3 left!), thawed according to package directions

toppings

shredded Cheddar cheese

chopped onions

sliced olives

shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes

sour cream

salsa

Fritos

1  Prepare chili.  Prepare all toppings.

2  Heat oil in skillet to 360 degrees.  Take 1 thawed roll and stretch with fingers until desired shape is achieved.  (This works best if you don’t crunch the roll in your hand into a ball, carefully pick it up, pat it into a flat circle and then let it hang from fingers while working your way around the edge of the roll, it should get into the correct shape quickly, does this make any sense at all?)  Carefully place dough in oil and fry until bottom is light golden brown then carefully turn over with tongs until other side is light golden brown.  Set on paper towel covered plate to drain.  Place in 200 degree oven to keep warm.

3  Set everything up buffet style and let everyone have at it!

Another note – the fry bread was so good!  You could serve it for breakfast with butter and cinnamon and sugar or syrup; my niece was smothering it with Nutella and my little great nephew was eating his with honey, the options are endless!

recipe inspiration from The Food Nanny

Butterfinger Caramel Cake

by penji1
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Butterfinger Caramel Cake

We had a full house last night, 15 people for dinner, with nieces and nephews and their kids and a friend, it was a party and a party needs cake and this cake was the bomb!

1 box yellow cake mix plus ingredients to make cake

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 – 17 oz) jar caramel ice cream topping

1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed

4 regular size Butter finger candy bars

1  Put candy bars in freezer.  Bake cake according to package directions for a 9 x 13″ cake.

2  While cake is baking, mix milk and caramel topping together until well blended.  When cake is done and out of oven, immediately poke holes all over the top with a fork.  Pour milk/caramel mixture over top of cake and especially into the holes.  Let cake cool completely.

3  Take candy bars out of freezer and smash with hammer while still in wrappers.  Sprinkle 2 of smashed bars over top of cake.  Spread Cool Whip over that then top with remaining 2 bars.  Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

recipe from Six Sisters’ Stuff

Cat Face Fondant Birthday Cake

by penji1
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Cat Face Fondant Birthday Cake

My friend Heather asked me to make a cat face cake for her daughter Riley’s 18th birthday so of course I said yes because I love cats more than I love making cakes!  This is an 8″ vanilla cake (from the White Almond Sour Cream cake recipe) with buttercream icing and Wilton brand chocolate fondant from Michaels.  All the decorations are fondant except for the whiskers which are black licorice.  I got these great new tools called PenBlades from Pick Your Plum which were so perfect for cutting the fondant to make the ears and the eyes, if you’re into crafting or cake decorating, you should check them out.  I love this cake!  Happy Birthday Riley!

No Bake Samoa Eclair Cake

by penji1
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No Bake Samoa Eclair Cake

My son in law Jaren does not have as big a sweet tooth as the rest of us so instead of a traditional birthday cake I decided to make him this cake as I know he loves Samoa and it was a success, he liked it!  It was really good and pretty easy to make.

cake

2 (3.4 oz each) packages vanilla instant pudding mix

3 cups milk

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

12 oz Cool Whip,thawed

1 (14.4 oz) box graham crackers plus a few extra

frosting

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons milk

6 tablespoons cocoa

2 cups powdered sugar

toppings

1 cup toasted coconut

caramel ice cream topping

For the cake

1  Whisk milk and pudding mix together for about 2 minutes.  Add caramel topping and mix well.  Fold in Cool Whip.

2  In a 9 x 13″ pan, layer graham crackers to cover bottom of pan.

3  Pour half the pudding/Cool Whip mix over crackers and smooth out.

4  Add another layer of graham crackers over pudding mixture.

5  Spread remaining pudding mixture over crackers and smooth out.

6  Make a final layer of crackers over the pudding mixture, bumpy side down.

For the frosting

1  Microwave butter and milk just enough so that they melt together.  Add cocoa and powdered sugar and blend together.  Pour over top of graham crackers and spread out.  (This makes a lot of frosting, you might not need all of it, mine ran over the sides a bit.)

2  Sprinkle with toasted coconut and drizzle with caramel topping.

3  Refrigerate overnight before serving.

recipe from Chef in Training

Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad

by penji1
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Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad

I made this for Jaren’s birthday dinner and Jaren was really the only one who liked it so that worked out well.  It is really yogurty so you gotta love yogurt to love this salad.

1 (5.1 oz) box vanilla instant pudding

32 oz vanilla yogurt

8 oz Cool Whip, thawed

1 bag frozen raspberries

Mix together pudding mix and yogurt until well blended.  Fold in Cool Whip.  Stir in raspberries.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

recipe from Butter with a Side of Bread

Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

by penji1
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Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

Here’s a quick and easy side dish which kicks broccoli up a notch.  Everyone here loves broccoli so it’s a win!

24 oz broccoli

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 pinch salt

1/4 – 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan

1  Preheat oven to 425.  Brush baking sheet with olive oil.

2  Toss broccoli, olive oil, garlic and salt in large bowl until broccoli is coated.

3  Spread broccoli out on baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until broccoli is cooked through.

4  Sprinkle broccoli with Parmesan before serving.

recipe from Homemade Hooplah

Yummy Potatoes AKA Funeral Potatoes

by penji1
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Yummy Potatoes AKA Funeral Potatoes

Yesterday we had a big late birthday dinner for my son in law Jaren.  It was also kind of a Christmas dinner because we never did that either.  We had ham and I decided to give a new funeral potatoes recipe a try.  It made a 9 x 13″ pan and there was hardly anything left after dinner so I’m going to call this a win.

potatoes

8 oz sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 pounds frozen diced hash browns

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

topping

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

1  Preheat oven to 350.

2  Combine sour cream, soup and butter in large bowl.  Add hash browns, cheese and onions and mix well.  Add salt and pepper.  Pour into 9 x 13″ pan.

3  Combine bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over potatoes.

4  Bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until heated through.

recipe from Clarks Condensed

15 Minute Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet

by penji1
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15 Minute Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet

Here’s a dinner you can literally throw together in about 15 minutes and odds are that you have all the ingredients already in your pantry and you can serve it in a variety of ways such as straight from the skillet, in a taco shell, wrapped in a tortilla, over tortilla chips, however you like.

1 (12 oz) can chicken, drained and broken apart

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with liquid

1 cup Minute Rice

1 cup water

1 envelope taco seasoning (or about 2 tablespoons if you have a bulk bottle of it)

Stir together all ingredients in a skillet, bring to a boil, cover skillet with lid and reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is done.

Spinach Salad with the Works

by penji1
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Spinach Salad with the Works

I threw this salad together one day and now it’s become my favorite.

1 bag baby spinach

1 can Mandarin oranges, drained

1/3 – 1/2 cup craisins

1/3 – 1/2 cup Feta

1/3 – 1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 – 1/2 cup bacon crumbles

Toss all ingredients together and serve with poppy seed dressing for a sweeter salad or Balsamic Vinaigrette for a more savory salad.