Haystack Cookies

Does anyone remember these? I hadn't had one of these babies since I was a kid. So easy and so good!

1 c. butterscotch chips

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. peanuts

2 c. chow mein noodles

In a dish microwave at 50% power, melting the chips and peanut butter (3-5 minutes). Stir in peanuts and chow mein noodles. Drop on wax paper. Put in refrigerator for faster set or let sit overnight on counter.

I omitted the peanuts, and didn't wait for them to sit overnight! They got eaten as soon as they were able to be handled without falling apart!

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

Ok, another one of Matt's favorites. We usually eat it as a sandwich, but Matt has also ate it over rice. It's really good.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine (ok, so I used a substitute)
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
4 to 6 fresh Italian sandwich rolls, optional

Some changes being made. . .

I went down to my mom and dad's this past weekend to see my brother and his family. We had a great time while down there, and my sister-n-law,Janeen, had a great idea!! We decided that this blog could be shared by lots of different people. For right now, me and Janeen both will add recipes, but if you have good recipes and would like to share, just let me know!

This is a tasty dish made at my mother-n-law's house, who ate it at her son, Ryan's, house, who got it off of Food Network. Did you understand that? :) Anyway, here is the recipe:

Parmesan Chicken

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 extra-large eggs 1 tablespoon water 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving Unsalted butter Good olive oil Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry 1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 1/2 cup good olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Chili on Rice...Yum

Ok, so I am apologizing right now!! Yes, I know it has been a LONG time since I posted anything. . . I don't have any excuses. Blogging just didn't sound like fun to me lately, so I am going try to get back into the swing of things! I promise!!

This meal was so yummy. I'll admit that it doesn't look that appetizing, but, actually it is so good!! I got it off of the food network. (You know all of the recipes I cook are from other people! Speaking of, Janeen--can you send me the recipe that you made in Disney, with the zucchini and bacon stuff? OK, thanks!) So, here's the recipe:

Recipe courtesy Kathleen Daelemans
Show: Cooking Thin

3 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion,
diced 1/2 red pepper,
diced 1 large carrot,
diced or shredded 1 clove garlic,
minced 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can whole or chopped tomatoes
1 cup broth (vegetable, chicken, tomato juice or water)
1 (28-ounce) can black beans
1 ear corn, kernels removed
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, peppers, carrot, and garlic, cook stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until they smell delicious. Add the tomatoes, broth, black beans and corn to the pot with the vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook 10 to 20 minutes, until flavors are well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve over rice. Note: If the chili seems too thick, thin out with water or chicken stock.

And, I heard that some people, uhmm...Mrs. Gifford :). . .wanted to know the nutritional value of these meals. Here you go! hee hee!

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per serving
Calories 350
Fat 4 g
Saturated Fat 0.9 g
Carbohydrates 67 g
Fiber 6.7 g
Protein 12g

The BEST Tacos

So this one comes straight from my mom. Never have I been of fan of premade taco shells that you buy at the store. They are hard, they break in half as soon as you touch them! No thank you! Tacos were a family favorite in my home growing up, and it was all because of the shell! My mom always bought fresh corn tortillas and fried them herself. It makes the taco so much better!

Brown the meat and add whatever you like to it. This time all I added to it was seasoning salt and kidney beans. (the beans were a request from my son.) Fix all the toppings you like. Now for the shells. I use canola oil, but I think my mom uses Crisco. Heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the corn tortilla, and let it fry for a couple of seconds open (like in the picture below).

Then carefully fold it over (with tongs!) :0 Let it cook on one side and then flip it over to cook the other side. The longer you leave it cooking on one side, the harder the shell will get. I like my taco shells softer than harder, so I only cook it about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.

(Sheesh, next time I'll have to clean my stove before taking pictures!!)

Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place taco shells on it when done. The extra grease will soak into the paper towels. These are the best tacos! Thanks mom for showing me the secret!!

Try this Pizza. . .

So, I am usually not of fan of pizza unless it is cheese or pepperoni. (Yes, I realize I am very boring!) One day my personal Pampered Chef consultant, Megan :), needed me to sample this pizza for a show she was thinking about making it at. I agreed, and was so glad I did!! It was really good!! I have been making it ever since. Here's the recipe:

Tomato-Basil Squares

Ingredients:

refrigerated pizza crust, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 2/3 cup mayo, 2 T fresh basil or 2 t dried basil, 1 garlic clove, 4 plum tomatoes sliced.

Roll pizza crust onto stone or pizza pan. Sprinkle with one cup of the mozzarella cheese. Layer tomatoes evenly over crust. In bowl, mix remaining mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, mayo, garlic, and basil. Using scoop of spoon, scoop cheese mixture evenly over tomatoes. Spread evenly. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.