Pistachio Pudding Parfaits

I made this for FHE treat tonight and it was a big hit. It reminded me of when I was little, except we called it dinosaur pudding. My kids especially loved it and my husband loves anything with real whipped cream on it!

1 small package pistachio pudding
2 c. milk
1/2 pint whipping cream
2 Tbls. sugar
1 small can crushed pineapple drained

Mix pudding and milk according to directions on box. In a small bowl, whip whipping cream and sugar with hand mixer until stiff. In tall glasses, layer pudding, whipped cream and pineapple repeating once and ending with whipped cream. Refridgerate until set. Makes 5 parfaits.

Sloppy Joes

This is my famous sloppy joe recipe. We have it probably every other week just because it's so easy and good and my husband loves it. Christina makes fun of me because I "hide" vegetables in it but it really is a good way to to sneak veggies to your kids!(and husbands!)


1 lb. hamburger
2 celery stalks chopped
shreaded carrots
mushrooms (sliced)
shreaded zucchini
1 c. ketchup
2 Tbls. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard

Brown hamburger and celery until done. Add carrots, mushrooms and zucchini and saute. Add ketchup, worchestershire sauce and mustard and let simmer, stirring occassionally.
Serve on hamburger buns.
*vegetables are optional. You can add any or all of them to your liking.
*I usually half this recipe for my family of four.

Chocolate bavarian Cake

This cake is sooo good! I made it for a birthday party and had huge raves! It is pretty easy and the filling compliments the chocolate cake so well. The chocolate icing was time consuming and taste just like the storebought frosting. If you are in a hurry I would just buy the frosting! I just frosted the top layer and topped with fresh rassberries. You can also just sprinkle with powdered sugar and skip the frosting alltogether. Remember to refrigerate the cake because of the cream cheese in the filling. Enjoy!!!!

1 chocolate cake mix, adding all ingredients called for and;
1 c. flour
½ c sugar
1/3 c oil
1 egg
½ c milk

Mix together all above ingredients. Bake as directed on package. Cool. Cut cake(s) leghnth wise in half.

Filling:
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pint whipping cream

Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; fold in already whipped cream. Fill between layers of cake.

Frosting:
1 c. butter
1 1/3 c. cocoa
6 c. powdered sugar
2/3 c. milk
2 tsp vanilla

Melt butter, add cocoa and beat with mixer until combined. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk beating on medium speed until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add more powdered sugar or milk to get the desired consistency.

Frost the outside of cake and enjoy!

Corn Chowder

We love this soup! We eat it out of soup bowls or with crusty bread. I don't like celery so I just add two carrots instead, and I only add half of the stick of butter at the end, otherwise it is really rich. It's delicious, enjoy!

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 small onion, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups white corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt 1 stick of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned; set aside to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine the corn and chicken stock in another saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the boiling stock with the corn (a little at a time) into the saucepan with the roux, whisking briskly so it doesn't lump. Return the skillet to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick.

In a small saucepan, gently heat the half-and-half; stir it into the thick corn mixture. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Just before serving, cut the remaining stick of butter into large chunks. Add it to enrich the soup, stirring until the butter melts.

123 Hamburger Mac

This is not gourmet by any means, but it is Bryan's and my favorite cheap meal - I crave it all the time, even when I'm not pregnant. And for Denise, you can omit the hamburger and add whatever veggie you think would go well with this dish or just eat the noodles and cheese.

1 pound hamburger, browned (I season with worcestershire and garlic powder)
2 cans tomato soup
3 cups macaroni, cooked and drained to al dente (it will cook a little more in the oven)
6-8 slices Kraft singles cheese (this makes the dish! Don't substitute shredded cheese or the really cheap singles cheese - buy a good brand so it melts!)

Combine hamburger, soup, and macaroni into a 9x13 dish. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Take casserole out and top with sliced cheese (you can tear the cheese to fit - the more cheese the better!) Place back in oven for a minute or two, until cheese is melted. Stir cheese into casserole and serve.

This meal is really versatile. If you don't have tomato soup you can use tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce (I think the tomato soup tastes best, but whatever you like). You can also add veggies like onion, carrots, and spinach and dried herbs like oregano, parsely, and basil. You can also top it with parmesan cheese or torn bits of fresh basil.

Avacado Ranch

This isn't much of a recipe. It's more of just a good idea but I love avacado's and ranch so this is just a good way to have it all!

1/4 c. ranch dressing
1 small avacado

Scoop avacado into a bowl and mash. Stir in ranch and mix until smooth.
Serve on hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, with chips as a dip, tacos, or anything else you would normally put avacado on.
*I put this on my taco burger last night and it was delish!

Brunch Casserole

My favorite meal is definitely breakfast, but I never have time to make a big yummy breakfast in the morning. This has turned out to be a favorite dinner in my house. We also do this breakfast every Christmas morning. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for having me on your blog!!!

1 pound bacon, ham, or sausage (optional)
1 TBS butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 cups frozen hash browns, thawed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pinch dried parsley
1 cup grated cheese

Directions:
1. Grease 9x13 casserole dish with butter (I just use pam)
2. Cook bacon, ham or sausage until evenly brown
3. Melt butter and fry onions and mushrooms in skillet until tender.
4. Place hash browns in bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with salt, garlic slat, and pepper. Top with meat then onions and mushrooms.
5. In large bowl beat eggs with milk and parsley. Pour over casserole. Top with grated cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 1 hour or until set. If preparing and baking the same day, cook for 45 minutes.

Tip: I add an extra egg to the dish. If you’re not adding the meat add a few extra eggs.

Easiest Minestrone Ever!

I know most of you- ok, all of you- are having warm weather, but I'm not so I'm posting a soup recipe. So I got this recipe from a girl in my ward. When she gave me the recipe I was way skeptical! But I decided to give it a shot and I was way impressed. It's one of those "throw in the pot" recipes, where you can pretty much add whatever you want. Adam really liked it and it's one of my new faves that I will make lots more, because of the taste and easiness!

Leftover roast, cubed or shredded- the amount is up to you
3 cans Campbells Minestrone soup
2 cans regular Pork and Beans, undrained
3 Campbells cans of water (more or less depending on if you like thicker soups and how many things you add to your soup)

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large pot and heat. You can add whatever you want to this, like leftover cut up potatoes and carrots and celery from your roast, frozen peas or corn, drained canned tomatoes, onions (softened first in a skillet), etc. Be creative and use what you like in soups. I added corn and peas to mine since that was all I really had, but I loved it. If it is too thick after you add things, just add more water. The three cans of water worked perfectly for me.

Enjoy!

Chicken Oriental Pasta Spinach Salad

This was a recipe at one of my Cooking Club meetings and I couldn't stop eating it. I loved the dressing! It was interesting to have a salad with chicken and pasta along with the spinach but it made it more filling so this could definitely be a main course for a dinner. Delicious!

Salad:
1 box Gemelli pasta (Barilla brand)
3 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
8 cups fresh baby spinach (I use 1 bag)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional, but it tastes great with orwithout it)
1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Dressing:
1 cup olive oil (can use vegetable oil too)
2/3 cup rice vinegar
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix the dressing ingredients in a blender. Mix remaining ingredients with dressing and chill until ready to eat. If making (way) ahead, mix pasta and chicken with a little bit of dressing and refrigerate. Mix spinach, parsley and onions seperately. Refrigerate dressing until ready to mix salad. Add sesame seeds just before serving.

Easter Egg Cookies

I've been wanting to make these for over a year. My mom gave me Betty Crocker's Celebrations cookbook. My cookies actually turned out like the ones in the picture. Give it a try. It just takes time, not talent. Trust me.







1 pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 egg
3 food colors
Granulated sugar, if desired
1/2 tub Betty Crocker® Whipped vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

(I made my own sugar cookies cause I didn't buy a mix and it's just as easy to make them from scratch.)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Stir cookie mix, margarine, flour and egg in medium bowl until soft dough forms. Divide dough evenly among 3 bowls; tint each dough by stirring in a few drops of desired food color.
2. Shape 1/3 cup of each color of dough into a rope about 5 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Place ropes side by side and a little more than 1/4 inch apart on floured surface; roll until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2- to 2 1/2-inch egg-shaped cookie cutter so each cookie has 3 colors. Sprinkle with sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. (When rerolling dough scraps, carefully lay matching colors together.)
3.Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread frosting on bottoms of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.
(Total time will vary; cook or bake time is per batch.)

Food Color Guide:
(You may have to double or triple the amounts sometimes. Purple was hard to achieve, I had to triple it.)

Orange (2 drops yellow and 2 drops red)
Peach (4 drops yellow and 1 drop red)
Lime Green (3 drops yellow and 1 drop green)
Turquoise Blue (3 drops blue and 1 drop green)
Purple (3 drops red and 2 drops blue)
Rose (5 drops red and 1 drop blue)