Hobo's

Last night we made hobo's on the grill. Nom nom nom. These are super easy and great for summertime (okay it's not summertime yet, but Mother Nature had me fooled last week!) Here's the recipe:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 large baking potatoes, chopped into chunks
baby carrots (optional)

Create 4 9"x9" square of tinfoil and lay out on your counter. Roll handful size balls of ground beef and place one on each square of tinfoil. In a large bowl, mix onion, soup, potatoes and baby carrots. Pour 1/4 of mixture of each ball of ground beef. Salt and Pepper to taste. Fold up tinfoil squares so food is completely covered up. Place foil packets on grill for 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Rotiserie Chicken Enchliadas

I am ALL ABOUT recipes with five ingredients or less. Last night I made these yummy rotiserie chicken enchaladas, but omitted the cilantro, green chiles, olives and tomatoes. Thought I'd share the recipe with all of you. They were SO easy and VERY yummy! I included the original recipe in case you have all the ingredients lying around or prefer more flare in your dinner. :)

Ingredients
cooking spray
10–12 sprigs fresh cilantro (rinsed)
1 small tomato (rinsed)
1 chilled Deli rotisserie chicken
3/4 cup refried beans
2 (10-ounce) cans enchilada sauce
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives with jalapeño (drained)
1 1/2 cups Mexican-blend cheese
aluminum foil

Steps


Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Chop cilantro coarsely, place in medium bowl. Chop tomato finely; set aside.

Remove meat of chicken from bones (discard skin and bones) and chop coarsely; add to cilantro (wash hands). Stir in beans and 1 can of the enchilada sauce.

Spoon chicken mixture equally into center of tortillas. Roll tortillas around filling and place, seam side down, in baking dish. Pour remaining can of enchilada sauce over enchiladas.

Sprinkle tomatoes, olives, and then cheese evenly over enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Serve. (Makes 6 servings.)

CALORIES (per 1/6 recipe) 450kcal; FAT 23g; CHOL 135mg; SODIUM 1170mg; CARB 27g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 33g; VIT A 15%; VIT C 6%; CALC 25%; IRON 10%

Paula Deen Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

These cheesy potatoes were a little extra work, but well worth it. Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided shopping list
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened shopping list
• 1 cup sour cream shopping list
• 1/4 cup butter, melted shopping list
• 1 (1-ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix shopping list
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled shopping list
• 1 (30-ounce) package frozen country-style hash-brown potatoes, thawed shopping list

How to make it
• Preheat oven to 350˚.
• Lightly grease a 11/2-quart baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, dressing mix, and bacon.
• Add hash browns, stirring to combine.
• Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.
• Bake 30 minutes; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake 10 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly.

Cashew Chicken

I'm always looking for recipes to replicate my favorite restaurant foods. One of my very favorites is the Cashew Chicken at Mandarin House in Mishawaka. Well...I have found the ultimate recipe. It tastes just like it! I ate HALF...yes HALF of this entire thing. Yum! Here's the recipe:
2 tsp chicken bouillon or base
1 ¼ c boiling water
2 Tb soy sauce
1 Tb cornstarch
2-4 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up
½ c cashews
Hot cooked rice

Dissolve chicken base in water. Set aside.
Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and ginger. Combine w/ broth over medium heat til thickened.
In large skillet heat oil until hot, not smoking. Stir fry chicken til browned.
Combine above w/ ¼ cashews.
Serve over rice. Sprinkle w/ remaining cashews.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

DJ has a cold that's been keeping him feeling under the weather for over a week now. I told him I'd make him some homemade chicken soup to make him feel better. It turned out pretty well! Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups egg noodles
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

Trying out a new recipe...

I'm in the mood to cook. After being on vacation, and essentially not really cooking for the past 10 months or so :), I am going to try to make pulled pork this weekend. Wish me luck! I've always wanted to try to make this so we'll see how things go. Here's the recipe that I'm going to follow:

Ingredients
1 whole boston butt (4-7 lbs.)

Dry Rub
1 tbsp ground cumin1 tbsp garlic powder1 tbsp onion powder1 tbsp chili powder1 tbsp cayenne pepper1 tbsp salt1 tbsp ground pepper1 tbsp paprika1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix well and store in an air tight container.

Brine Solution
1/2 cup salt1/2 cup brown sugar2 qts cold water2 bay leaves3 tbsp dry rub mix
Add salt to cold water and stir very well until all the salt is completely dissolved. Then add the brown sugar, dry rub, and bay leaves and stir well to combine.

Pork shoulder preparation:Rinse the pork shoulder and place in a large container, pour in the brine solution until the shoulder is completely covered. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Then remove pork shoulder from brine solution, pat dry with paper towels, place in baking pan that is bigger than the shoulder by at least a inch in length and width and at least 3 inches deep. Sprinkle dry rub onto the surface of the shoulder and massage in such that it adheres to the surface. Coat all sides. Make sure the fat layer on the shoulder is facing up before cooking! Place baking pan uncovered in a 225 degree oven on the middle rack. Insert a probe thermometer into the center or thickest part of the shoulder, but not touching the bone. Monitor the temperature throughout cooking (a digital thermometer with an alarm function is the easiest way to do this). Do not remove from the oven until the center of the shoulder reaches 200 degrees. When the shoulder has reached 200 degrees, shut off the oven and let the roast cool for a couple of hours before removing from the oven. If the bottom of the pan is dry (or crusted with dried spices) then cover the pan with foil to retain internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period. When the temperature drops to 170 degrees or slightly lower, remove from oven. Place on a large, clean work surface such as a cutting board, and remove the large sheet of crusted fat on the top. Pull apart with two forks, it will pull apart very easily. Serve for friends and family!

Wish me luck! I'll update on Monday. :)

Mmmmm....

I'm making Paula Deen's Creamy Macaroni & Cheese for Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow at DJ's aunt and uncle's house. Someone at work recommended it to me. I am excited to try it out! Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Grape Salad Recipe

Mmmmmm. That's all I have to say about this delicious dish that Sara's friend Tiffany made for the baby shower on Sunday. It was a hit! Here's the recipe for everyone to enjoy ...

Grape Salad with Brown Sugar and Pecan Topping

Ingredients:
4 lbs grapes(a mix of colors); cleaned
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese; softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract For the topping:
1 cup brown sugar; packed
1 cup crushed pecans
Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and crushed pecans for the topping. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugar sour cream and vanilla until blended. Stir in the grapes. Cover with the topping and chill for at least two hours.

Summer Beer

Here is a recipe for my aunt Marnie's Summer Beer. It's like a margarita without the bite! But be careful - these go down smooth and catch up with you faster than you think!

Summer Beer

1 Can LimeAid
3 Cans Light Beer
1 LimeAid Can filled with Vodka

Serve on the rocks!

New Recipe

I tried a new recipe last night and it was really good! A nice substitute if you're sick of cooking with chicken or ground beef. Thought I'd share it with all of you:

Ham & Swiss Casserole

1 pkg. (8 oz.) egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 C. cubed ham (fully cooked)
2 C. shredded Swiss cheese
1 can cream of celery
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. chopped green pepper
1/2 C. chopped onion

In a greased 9x13, layer half of noodles, ham, and cheese. In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, pepper and onion. Spread half over top. Repeat layers. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

New, Easy Recipe

After being gone for a few days early this week, I couldn't stand the thought of eating another meal out. I get so burnt out on eating out sometimes, don't you? Anyway, my wonderful aunt Dawn picked me up from the airport yesterday and she told me about this easy recipe for Anti-Pasta Squares, so I made it for dinner last night. I thought I'd share it with all of you because it is soooo yummy.

Anti-Pasta Squares

3 tubes of crescent rolls
1/4 pound salami
8-10 slices of provolone cheese
small package of pepperoni
small jar of roasted red peppers
1/2 cup mozzarella
Italian Seasoning (optional)

Spread out one tube of crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread enough so that dough comes up on the sides. Layer provolone cheese, salami, roasted red peppers, pepperoni, and mozzarella (in that order). Make a "topper" of crescent rolls using the remaining tubes. Seal bottom layer of dough to top layer. Sprinkle with italian seasoning (optional - I forgot to do this and it was still good). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Quick, easy, and yummy!

Scalloped Ham with Potatoes Recipe

I made this for dinner for DJ and I early this week and we at the leftovers with some friends last night. This is the ultimate comfort food casserole - perfect for this time of year. It was so good (in my opinion) that I thought I'd share it. Thanks for the recipe, Aunt Dawn!

Ingredients
White Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped

6 large russet potatoes, boiled, cubed
12 ounces sliced baked ham
2 cups grated coby jack cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Saute onions. Stir in flour, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute. When sauce has thickened remove from heat. Spread 1/2 of the potatoes in bottom of baking dish. Spread half of ham and all cheese. Add another layer of potatoes and another layer of ham. Pour white sauce over layers and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.