Cheesy Mexican Rice

2 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C chopped onion
1/4 C chopped red, orange or green bell pepper
2 C rice (I used long grain jasmine rice)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 t cumin
salt and pepper
1 T butter
1 C shredded mexican blend cheese

1. Heat a large, deep skillet up over medium high heat. Toss 2 tablespoons of butter into the not pan and let it melt.
2. Add 3 cloves of garlic (minced), 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/4 cup chopped red pepper. Allow the vegetables to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent.
3. Add 2 cups of rice. Give it a nice stir to combine and then and allow the rice to cook a bit. You want some of it to turn a beautiful golden brown color. We are just looking for some of the grains of rice to turn golden brown.

4. Add 1 can of tomato sauce and 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth.
5. Toss in 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and stir everything together.
6. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until the rice has soaked up the liquid and is no longer crunchy.
7. Sprinkle the rice with a bit of salt and pepper and toss another tablespoon of butter in. Stir it all together to combine.
8. Turn off the heat and sprinkle 1 cup of mexican blend cheese over the top of the rice. 
Cover the pan and let it sit for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

* I loved this rice and thought that it was a perfect side dish to any mexican meal. And was really easy to make. I got this recipe from one of my new favorite food blogs jamiecooksitup

Slow cooker Baked Potatos

Potatos
salt
foil


1. Wash potatos and sprinkle with salt wrap in foil and place in slow cooker 4hrs on high or 8 hrs on low.



* I loved the idea of these and I thought that they turned out pretty good. They tasted more like microwaved potatos to me then they did baked. They were a little soggy. They work great if you are using the oven but because of the soggy skin I was not a huge fan of these.

Pasta salad

1 pkg macaroni or small shell pasta

1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. mustard
1/4 c. sour cream
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
ground black pepper (to taste)
1 c. ham steak, cut into small cubes
1 c. cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
2/3 c. frozen peas, thawed
2-3 carrots, shredded

Optional mix-ins:
cucumber, peeled and diced
dill pickles, chopped
tomato, diced
red bell pepper, diced
celery, chopped


1.Prepare macaroni to al dente according to package directions. After macaroni is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Once macaroni has cooled down, drain well.
2.In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
3.In a large bowl toss macaroni with ham, cheese, peas, carrots, and other mix-ins.

4.Fold in mayonnaise mixture until pasta is well coated.
5.Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.
6.If the salad seems a little dry after setting up overnight, add some milk a little bit at a time until salad becomes nice and creamy again.

* I got this recipe from favfamilyrecipes it makes alot of salad so its great for get togethers. I love that you can add any veggies to it and anything goes.

Texas Roadhouse Loaded Mashed Potatos copycat

8 medium to large Red Potatoes scrubbed & boiled with the skins on

1 cube butter

1/2 container sour cream

1/2 lb bacon cooked & crumbled

Shredded cheese  to taste

Blend all together leaving some small chunks of potatos in the mix.

* So easy I loved that you just leave the skins on the potatos makes it that much faster to make these. Could add more sour cream or a little milk to make more creamy if desired.

Buttery Garlic Red Potatos

6-7 Med red potatos

1/4 C melted butter

1 tsp season salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp minced garic

1. cube potato's and set aside

2. In a small bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients.

3. Mix the potatos with the sauce until well combined.

4. Pour mixture onto a foil lined cookie sheet

5. Bake a 350 for 1 hour flipping half way thru or until crispy

* I loved these potatos and they were so easy to make. I made a sour cream dill sauce to go over the top and everyone loved them. Will for sure make again.

Baked Potato Casserole

• 8 med potatos (about 2 1\2 to 3 lb. total), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (I left peels on)
• 1 cup Evaporated Milk 
• 1\2 cup light sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1\2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 slices  bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
• Sliced green onions

1. PLACE potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.
2. PREHEAT oven to 350F. Grease 2 1- to 3-quart casserole dish.
3. RETURN potatoes to saucepan; add evaporated milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Beat with hand-held mixer until smooth. Stir in 1 cups cheese and half of bacon. Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish.

4. BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese, remaining bacon and green onions. Bake for an additional 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

* I left the skins on my potato's and also added a little extra milk and sour cream to smooth out the texture of the potato's.

Creamy Bacon Tomato Avocado Pasta Salad

• 
  
• 6 slices bacon, chopped into one inch pieces
• 1/2 pound dried rotini pasta
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• juice of 1 lemon about 1/4 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado pitted and sliced

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Strain. Run cold water over the top until the pasta is cooled.
3. While your bacon and pasta are cooking, whisk mayonnaise,sour cream,milk, lemon, salt, garlic powder, pepper and dill together in a bowl.
4. Stir cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado and reserved bacon into the dressing. Toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

* We loved this it was such a quick salad to make and tasted great. I would wait until serving to add the avocado so that it doesnt go brown but it was super yummy

Creamy Potato Casserole

2 1/2-3 lbs shredded hash browns
2 Cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cups heavy cream
2 cup half and half
1 teaspoon salt
pepper

1.Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2 Combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed.
3 Butter a large casserole dish.
4 Pour mixture into dish.

5 Cover dish and bake for one hour.
6 Uncover and bake till top is golden brown approximately 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Salsa

3-4 Med tomatos diced
juice of 4 limes
1 med white onion diced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 T minced garlic
1 can green chilis
dash of chili pepper
salt to taste


1. Mix all together and let sit in the fridge about an hour before serving. (I diced up 2 tomatos and then I put 2 tomatos in my food processor and blended them up smooth so that there were a mix of textures in the salsa.

Creamy Corn

3 cups frozen corn, thawed
pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic salt
1 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp milk

1.Melt butter in a skillet, then add corn, salt, pepper, sugar,and water.
2.Cover and simmer 5 minutes or until corn is heated thoroughly.

3.Combine flour with milk, whisk with a fork until smooth. Stir into corn.
4.Cook five more minutes, stirring constantly.

* We all loved this corn it tasted great and was so simple to make. I got this recipe from elisebakes.wordpress.com

5 Min Yogurt Fruit Salad

1 (8 oz) container of Cool-Whip (light or fat free is fine)
2 (6 oz) containers of yogurt- (I used Yoplait Orange Creme)
1/2 package of mini marshmallows
1 can of mandarin oranges (well drained)

1 can of pineapple tidbits (well drained)

1.Dump your yogurt into a bowl. Fold in the container of Cool Whip. Mix well. Add marshmallows and fruit. Chill and serve

* I got this recipe from  sixsistersstuff I love there recipes there so simple to make and always to taste great. This is so fast and easy and I loved it. It tastes so light and would be perfect for a summer bbq. I made a batch without pineapple (allergy) and loved it.

Cranberry Raspberry Jello

 2 pks 3oz raspberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1 can 15oz whole berry cranberry sauce
1 can 8oz undrained crushed pineapple
1 cup orange juice
cool whip(optional)

1.In a bowl dissolve the jello in the water. Then add the cranberry,pineapple and orange juice
2.Pour into a 8x8 pan and cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight when set spread with cool whip if desired.

* I made this for Thanksgiving and it was the perfect side dish. I was not so sure about using the cranberry sauce but it actually was really good. Also I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9x13 pan and also made one pan without pineapple and just added 1/2 cup more orange juice to make up for it. It tasted great and the whole family liked it.

Pink Jello Salad

1 pk 3oz strawberry jello
8 oz thawed cool whip
16oz small curd cottage cheese
20oz can well drained crushed pineapple
15oz can well drained mandarin oranges
3 cups mini marshmallows

In a large bowl, whisk together the jello powder and cool whip. Fold in rest of ingredients and serve.

8 Servings

 

* I left out the pineapple (allergy) and added an extra can of oranges in its place. Also only used 1/2 the cool whip and only sprinkled 1/2 the marshmallows on the top before serving. 

Buttermilk Creamsicle salad

1  (15oz) can mandarin orange segments, separated (reserve juice)
2  (3oz) boxes or 1 (6oz) orange gelatin (Jell-O)
2  tablespoons sugar
1 3/4  cups low fat buttermilk
1 (8oz) container lite whipped topping (cool whip)  
 
1.In a small sauce pan heat the mandarin orange juice along with the sugar. Bring to a low boil until the sugar dissolves.
 
2.Add jell-o and mix well. Remove from heat and let the mixture come to room temperature. Chop the mandarin oranges and add to the jell-o mixture (set aside 6-7 segments for garnish).


3.In a large bowl  pour in the jell-o mixture and add the buttermilk; stir to combine. Refrigerate the mixture for one hour. Remove and stir. Fold in the whipped topping; mix well and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. 

* I got this recipe from mommyskitchen I thought that it was pretty good. I was really surprised by the buttermilk in the recipe and that you can not tell at all that its buttermilk. It was all eaten at the party.

Macaroni Salad

2 pounds uncooked elbow macaroni
12 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2-1/2 pounds fully cooked ham diced

1 package (16 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
3 cups sliced celery
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream 
1T salad supreme  
  

1.Cook macaroni according to package directions. Rinse in cold water; drain and cool completely. 
2.Mix together the mayo,sour cream and salad supreme and set aside.

 3.Place pasta in a large bowl and stir in all remaining ingredients including the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

                


Yield: 34 (1-cup) servings.


 

Classic Herb Stuffing

2 sticks butter
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
12-14 cups unseasoned bread cubes.
4-5 cups chicken broth

 1.Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, poultry seasoning, seasoned salt and pepper. 
2.Place bread cubes in large bowl. Add celery mixture and broth; toss gently until well mixed. Spoon into lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish. 
3.Bake 35-45 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.

* The amount of bread and broth really depends on what type of bread you use and how thick it is. I used pretty thin bread and so I ended up using about 14 cups of bread and about 4 cups of broth but just go by how it looks you want it to be well moist but not soggy.

Strawberry Tapioca Jello Salad

1 box tapioca cook and serve pudding
1 box vanilla cook and serve pudding
3 cups water
3oz box strawberry jello
12oz cool whip thawed
1 cup cut up strawberries

1. Mix tapioca and vanilla pudding in a pan and add the water.Bring to a boil stirring constantly until thick about 3-5 min add the jello and let cool.

2. Once cool add the cool whip and berries and mix well.
3. Cool completly



* I got this recipe from julieseatsandtreats I thought that it was good but I don't think that I cooked it long enough mine never thickened up as much as her's did. I did like the change with the tapioca in it and not the normal cottage cheese. I think that I will try this again with other kinds of jello.

1 box tapioca pudding cook and serve
1 box vanilla pudding cook and serve
3 c. water
1 (.3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
12 oz Cool Whip
1 c. strawberries, cut up
1. Mix tapioca and vanilla puddings. Add water. Bring to a boil, stir constantly until thick. About 3-5 minutes. Add strawberry jello. Cool.
2. When it is cool add cool whip and strawberries. Mix well.

Read more at http://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/2012/07/strawberry-tapioca-salad/#Qri7alEf5SFYZbfT.991

1 box tapioca pudding cook and serve
1 box vanilla pudding cook and serve
3 c. water
1 (.3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
12 oz Cool Whip
1 c. strawberries, cut up
1. Mix tapioca and vanilla puddings. Add water. Bring to a boil, stir constantly until thick. About 3-5 minutes. Add strawberry jello. Cool.
2. When it is cool add cool whip and strawberries. Mix well.

Read more at http://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/2012/07/strawberry-tapioca-salad/#Qri7alEf5SFYZbfT.99

1 box tapioca pudding cook and serve
1 box vanilla pudding cook and serve
3 c. water
1 (.3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
12 oz Cool Whip
1 c. strawberries, cut up
1. Mix tapioca and vanilla puddings. Add water. Bring to a boil, stir constantly until thick. About 3-5 minutes. Add strawberry jello. Cool.
2. When it is cool add cool whip and strawberries. Mix well.

Read more at http://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/2012/07/strawberry-tapioca-salad/#Qri7alEf5SFYZbfT.99

1 box tapioca pudding cook and serve
1 box vanilla pudding cook and serve
3 c. water
1 (.3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
12 oz Cool Whip
1 c. strawberries, cut up
1. Mix tapioca and vanilla puddings. Add water. Bring to a boil, stir constantly until thick. About 3-5 minutes. Add strawberry jello. Cool.
2. When it is cool add cool whip and strawberries. Mix well.

Read more at http://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/2012/07/strawberry-tapioca-salad/#Qri7alEf5SFYZbfT.99

Roasted Oven Corn

Preheat oven to 400   
Generously season your corn on the cobs with kosher salt and pepper.  Add a pat of butter to the tops and roast on a small jellyroll pan (lined with nonstick foil) for 40-50 minutes, or until starting to brown turn the corn every 15-20 min in the melted butter and salt in the bottom of the pan.

* I got this recipe from hugsandcookiesxoxo.com

Light Garden Shell Salad

• 8 ounces uncooked small pasta shells
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the peas during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Drain and rinse in cold water.  
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, peas, celery, red pepper and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, basil, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.   

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts 3/4 cup equals 157 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 380 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 6 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 2 starch.

Boston Market Cornbread

2 boxes Jiffy Mix Cornbread Mix

1 box regular yellow cake mix (Duncan hines Butter Golden yellow cake mix. Its the only one without pudding in the mix.)

 

1.Mix both boxes according to directions, and combine the batter. You can use a large mixing bowl and combine both boxes of mix together and add the other ingredients all at once.Pour into a  9x13" pan.

 

2. Spray pan with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees until done, approx. 30-40 minutes.Until done.

* I got this recipe from thesistersdish It was a good mix on cornbread. I never had Boston Market cornbread so I dont know how close it is to the actual bread. I have a recipe already on my blog for a cornbread cake Sweet Cornbread Cake I  love the sweet cornbread recipe.It tastes more like cornbread and it is light and fluffy where this recipe was more dense and heavy.