Val's Chicken Tenders

10 pounds flour
5 pounds corn meal
5 pounds masa harina corn flour
4 pounds salt ( we only use 3)
8 oz. Onion salt
8 oz. Paprika
1 oz. Sage
8 oz. Season salt

Mix and coat chicken, then deep fry. I really need to find a smaller version of this recipe. It is great for making for a huge party.

Oven Bake Cream Cheese French Toast

 One 16-ounce loaf unsliced Italian bread,
cubed with crusts on
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed
8 eggs
2-1/2 cups milk,
light cream, or half & half
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon

Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Place 1/2 the bread cubes on the bottom, then the cubed cream cheese, and then the remaining bread cubes. Beat together eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and syrup (we use a blender). Pour egg mixture over bread. Press bread down so all is covered with egg mixture.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours (we freeze and thaw overnight in the
refrigerator).

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes (it will stay warm in the oven for a few hours).
Serve with warm maple syrup.

Maple Bars

1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
4 Tablespoons  granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2  (1/4 ounce) envelopes yeast
2 large eggs, beaten
5 cups flour (might need a bit more)
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Maple Icing
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons mapleine (found by the flavor extracts and seasonings) or maple extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the dough:
In a medium saucepan scald milk; add shortening, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

In a large mixer bowl, add the lukewarm water and the yeast (remember the water should be just lukewarm, too hot and it will kill the yeast) Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the yeast and water and whisk to combine. Let sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble and become foamy.

After the yeast is foamy and the milk mixture is luke warm. Add the eggs to the yeast and stir to combine, then add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Whisk the cinnamon into the flour and gradually add to the yeast mixture. You may need to add more, you want the dough slightly sticky but not too sticky.  Knead for 3 to 5 minutes. I let my kitchen aid do the kneading for about 5 minutes.
Spray another large bowl with non-stick spray, place dough in the bowl and let raise for an hour or until double in size. Punch down and roll out into a large rectangle about 1 inch thick.

Cut into rectangles, I cut the rectangle in half, and then each half into 6 pieces to make 12 bars, then place on a greased baking sheet. Let raise for about 30 minutes. While bars are raising,  preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake the bars for 7 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown, Watch carefully. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before icing.

 

Make the icing while the bars are raising:

In a small saucepan mix butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to boil for medium heat and simmer 3 minutes.l Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Add the mapleine and powdered sugar and blend well with a hand mixer. Add a little more powdered sugar if needed (I added about 1/4 cup more)

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Foil Dinner

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed – I cut mine into bite sized pieces because they cook better and who wants to dirty extra knifes while camping.

1 package Stuffing mix

1 1/4 cup water

fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

5 Tbsp Ranch dressing

Lay foil out on counter. I do all of mine at once, its like one big assembly line. Spray with nonstick cooking spray (which I never remember to do, so don’t sweat it if you forget). Mix stuffing and water and then divide onto foil. Add chicken and broccoli pieces over stuffing. Then sprinkle the bacon crumbles. Then top with the cheese. Lastly, pour 1 Tbsp of Ranch over the top. Seal dinner up.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake with a hint of lemon

I found this recipe here. I made a few mistakes and changes from their recipe but it came out perfect for us!

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
zest from 1 large lemon
3/4 c
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup buttermilk (I juiced the lemon first and then filled it to the cup mark.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

Place in greased 9x9 pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Linda's Mexican Cornbread

2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
3/4 large can of cream style corn
Jalapenos, chopped plus a little juice
Medium onion chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix and bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 40-50 min.

Crock Pot Beef Tips

My family loved this! Its kind of like beef stroganoff but its different and really delicious.  Make sure you give the meat a good 8-10 hours to get really soft. We changed it up so here is how we did it.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds beef sirloin tips (stew meat)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 can (10.5 ounce size) condensed beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons ketchup
1/4 cup white cooking wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
egg noodles

Directions:

Combine 1/2 cup flour with the salt and pepper and toss with beef cubes to coat thoroughly. Place in crock-pot. Add green onions.

Combine with beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, cooking wine, and ketchup. Pour over beef and onions; stir well. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8 to 12 hours. One hour before serving if you want to thicken it up pull about 1/3 cup juice from the crock-pot and mix with 1 Tbsp cornstarch. Mix well and add back into crock pot. Simmer until noodles are ready. Serve over well drained egg noodles.

Asian Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

Holy cow this recipe is so tasty and good for you too! the recipe is from Skinny Taste

8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup water
1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (in the Asian section- you can add more if you like things hotter)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little olive oil. Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally.

Mine didn't get too thick so I added a little of the liquid to some cornstarch and then added it back in and it helped thicken it up. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives/scallions and sesame seeds and serve. Serve with rice.

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

We love this recipe!So easy for busy mornings. You can not allow it to overcook! 7 hours and then unplug or turn off the slow cooker. I found the recipe from The Yummy Life. You also have to use steel cut oats. Don't try this with rolled oats or it will be a mushy mess.

• 2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 

Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. Stir, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours.  We love to eat it drizzled with maple syrup.

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

This soup was yummy! We made it with half and half like the original recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking. It was delicious and super creamy but I think it could have been thinner. Considering how much fat this recipe has in it next time we will just add milk. If I ever take it to a soup party I will do it with the half and half though because it is super rich and yummy. Its like spaghetti or pizza in soup form!

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups milk (half and half if you want it really creamy)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, and basil to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly until smooth. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Baked Oatmeal

Holy Cow! This is SO good. Ive made a few changes but the recipe came from Inspired tastes. It is perfect for a nice breakfast and yet not nearly as fattening as Cinnamon Rolls. Plus its super easy to make and you can get ready while it bakes. Its going to be a staple for Sunday mornings around our house.

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnut pieces, chopped
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, nuts, and chocolate chips. Melt the butter in a large glass measuring bowl. Add milk, egg, and vanilla and whisk together.

Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shimmy/shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set.

I didnt do this step but it sounds yummy:
For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar on top then place back in the oven under the broiler and broil for 20-30 seconds. Serve warm with an extra sprinkle of sugar or drizzle of maple syrup.

Chicken Gyros

I found this recipe on The Girl who Ate Everything. John loves gyros so I was excited to try this recipe. I tweeked a few things for our tastes (thanks Val!) but they were good! Even our boys ate them! Its best to prepare the sauce and marinade the night before and it makes putting them together a cinch. We used the pitas from Costco.

Pitas

Tomatoes

Red onion, we sauted ours slightly

Tzatziki sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (1 Tablespoon)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

Directions:
Peel cucumber and remove seeds. Chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend but I think its best overnight.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour, best overnight.

 

Cook the chicken in a saute pan. I added quite a bit of the marinade I liked it already cut into strips so it had a lot of the marinade flavor.. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately. 

 

Chicken Parmesan

Yummy and easy. I found this recipe off of Food Wishes. He has a great video tutorial. I made the marinara from our freshly canned tomatoes. So yummy!

2tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 5, but they were huge!)
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Drizzle olive oil, garlic, red pepper into baking dish. Place chicken on top. Add marinara sauce and fresh basil. Add half of the cheese, then top with the croutons. Ours were huge and I should have broken them up a little bit. Next time I think I will lightly crush them. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for about 40 min. I also think next time I will wait 10 to 20 minutes before adding the top cheese because it got a little too done by the time the chicken was done.

Teriyaki Sauce

 This recipe came from Our Best Bites.

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. You can use either ground ginger as directed or about 1 1/4 tsp. of fresh ginger. Combine your ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. You can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks

Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

This recipe came from Our Best Bites and it is YUMMY! Their recipe is more for a party where we have adjusted it for large dinner.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

About 8 oz. lean bacon, NOT thick-sliced (thick bacon is too hard to work with in this recipe)

1 large can pineapple chunks

Homemade Teriyaki sauce (recipe at bottom)

Kebab skewers or toothpicks

 

Use kitchen shears to cut the bacon slab in half.. Refrigerate until ready to use. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Drain the pineapple and set up a little work station with skewers, bacon, chicken, and a 9x13 baking dish. Wrap a piece of bacon around a chicken piece, add pineapple and onionand repeat until skew is full. Repeat until you run out of chicken. We ran out of bacon first and we did some plain chicken mixed into our skewers. Pour Teriyaki sauce over everything, reserving about 1/4 c., and marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, no longer than about 8.

 

Preheat grill; when about 350-400 degrees, place skewers on grill and baste with reserved Teriyaki sauce. Cook about 7 minutes and flip skewers. Baste again and cook another 7 minutes.

 

Teriyaki Sauce

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. cold water
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. You can use either ground ginger as directed or about 1 1/4 tsp. of fresh ginger. Combine your ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. You can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks

Grilled Salad

Oh my goodness prepare yourself! This is SOOOO yummy. My sister in law Sarah and her husband Erik introduced us to this.

You need Romaine hearts to do this. The ones from Costco are perfect. Cut the bottom 2 inches off and wash. Then you are going to cut the hearts down lengthwise, from the top of the heart to the bottom. You want to have the two halves that look the same. After they are cut place them on a plate with the insides facing up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and salt.

Put them face down onto the BBQ and cook for a couple of minutes. Just until the edges are starting to wilt. Take off grill and put face up on plates. Drizzle with Caesar dressing, cut, and enjoy!

Canning tomatoes

Blanch tomatoes in hot water for a few minutes (usually until skins start to split). Ladle into ice bath and then peel the skins off. I leave Roma tomatoes whole and big round tomatoes I cut into quarters. Be sure to cut off any green parts. Add tomatoes into a pot as you peel them and when they are all peeled turn the pot on and boil tomatoes for 5 minutes.

While the tomatoes are boiling remove clean hot jars from the dishwasher and add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp salt per quart jar, or for pints 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Ladle hot tomatoes into hot jars and use any remaining liquid to fill jars. Add boiling hot water if needed to the jars to fill them leaving 1/2 inch head space. Run a nonmetallic spatula around the jar and through the tomatoes to release any trapped air.

Wipe jar rims with clean damp cloth and place lid from warm water onto jar.

Process for quarts 45 minutes/ pints 40 minutes in a hot bath canner. When time is complete remove and set on a towel to cool.

Cheesy Chicken Italian-o

My Bro and Sis in law made this while camping and it was so yummy. They even had everything all cut up in bags so there was very little prep while camping. The recipe came from Byrons Dutch Oven Recipes. When they made it they had adjusted a few things and I liked it that way so I adjusted it here the way they made it.

1 lb. bacon
1/4 cup honey
8 chicken breasts; cut into chunks
2 tsp. ground oregano
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 tsp. basil
1 large yellow onion; sliced
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
6 large tomatoes; diced
(1) 10 3/4 oz. can tomato puree
1 tsp. salt
1 yellow red pepper; cut into chunks
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups Mozzarella cheese; grated
3 cups Cheddar cheese; grated


Heat a 12" Dutch oven using 20-22 briquettes bottom. Slice bacon into 1" strips then add to hot oven and fry until brown. Remove bacon from oven. Remove and reserve all but 2 Tbs. of the bacon grease from the oven. Add chicken and garlic to oven and cook, turning frequently, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Remove chicken from oven and add reserved bacon grease. Line the bottom of the oven with onion slices then put chicken on top of the onion. Add tomatoes and bell pepper.

Cover and bake using 12 briquettes bottom and 12-14 briquettes top for 30 minutes. In a large measuring cup make a sauce with the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, honey, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix well. Sprinkle bacon over top of cooked vegetables then pour sauce over vegetables. Cover and bake another 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheeses over the top. Replace lid and let sit for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

While my Mom was sick her friend Suzie made our family the most delicious Jello salad ever! You can use different fruit flavors but I like raspberry the best. Be sure to start this recipe early so you have time to let the layers cool.

Crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
2/3 cup nuts pecans (optional - they are really yummy in the crust but since Caleb is allergic to nuts we don't do them)
3 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup butter

Crush the pretzels into small pieces. Mix together with sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350. Let this cool for about 10 minutes before adding the next layer.

Cream Cheese Layer
8z cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 pt whipping cream, whipped

Mix the cream cheese and sugar and fold in the whipping cream. Layer on top of crust and refrigerate until this layer is set and cooled.

Jello Layer
1 pkg frozen raspberries, thawed
1 large raspberry jello mix
2 cups boiling water

Combine boiling water and jello and mix and add thawed raspberries. Gently ladle over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until jello is set, at least 3-4 hours.

Enjoy!

Brazilian Limeade

My friend Valerie made this for us and it became our favorite drink overnight. John recently told me he doesn't like limes but this recipe changed his mind! It seems like it would be too sweet but its actually really refreshing. A perfect summer drink!

5 limes
6 cups water
1 c sugar
6 Tbsp sweet and condensed milk


Juice limes and lightly zest skins into juice. (Most recipes have you grind the entire lime but Valerie told us that it made her batch bitter as time went on. With juicing and only using the zest it does not get bitter).

Mix with water and sugar. Right before serving stir in sweet condensed milk. Serve over ice.