Texas Caviar (Salsa)

I had to clarify...caviar?! Ew! But this recipe doesn't exactly use fish eggs, so you're all safe. I hosted our ward's first cooking group last week, and one of the girl's brought this salsa. The recipe says to use corn chips, but she just used tortilla chips and it was perfect. Jeremiah and I crave this salsa now, and sadly we don't have any grocery money until next Monday =(

1 (16ounce) can black eyed peas
1 can pinto beans
1 small jar of chopped pimentos
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup green/red bell peppers, chopped finely
1 can corn

Drain and rinse and put in a bowl

MARINADE
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp water
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar

Put all of the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Pour over the bean mixture and let marinate overnight. Drain and serve with corn chips

Lemon Cookies

Nothing says summer like lemons, right? Well, watermelon and bbq chicken works too, but these cookies are really easy and only require 4 ingredients! They have just enough lemon flavor to make you want to eat more and more...So mine cooked for about 10 minutes, but I think I made mine a little bigger that I was supposed to. I just had to keep checking the bottoms to make sure they were done.

1 tub (8 oz) fat free Cool Whip
2 boxes lemon cake mix
3 eggs
Powdered sugar, for rolling

Mix Cool Whip, cake mixes, and eggs in a large bowl until well mixed. The mixture will be thick and sticky. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dusting your hands with powdered sugar, form dough into small ball. Roll dough balls in powdered sugar, and place on a baking sheet (since the dough is sticky, I used parchment paper to make it easier to get off). Bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly golden on the bottom. Do not overcook. The cookies will look a little under cooked. Let sit for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sidewalk Paint

Yesterday, Jordyn's friend came over with some store bought sidewalk paint. My kids were just sitting watching her and I remembered this recipe from my Family Fun Magazine. I made it and it works amazing. The colors are really vibrant and it's much more fun than sidewalk chalk!

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
food coloring

Mix up and let the kids paint away! (Don't forget paint brushes. The sponge ones are cheap and the right size.) And yes, the "paint" washes off the sidewalk with water. Although, I haven't tried to get it out of my kids clothes yet.

Being on my no chocolate diet made me have to branch out! And, I've had this recipe forever--Carissa emailed it to me years ago. But, I have never had the right time to make it (chocolate always took its place). So, I made it the other day for dessert at Kristi's and loved love loved it. I love the caramel sauce. And, I have leftover caramel to use on ice cream. So, if you don't feel like cobbler when the weather warms up--try this!

Apple Pudding Cake with Caramel Sauce

(Carissa Poyfair)

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
4 cup grated apples
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter
2 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Add grated apples, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Pour into lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. To make caramel sauce: melt butter and sugar in saucepan. Gradually add heavy cream. Cut cake into pieces when cooled and pour warm caramel sauce over each piece right before serving. Can serve with real whipped cream as well.

Roasted Eggplant Spread

I had this dip at a baby shower last night and I could not get enough. It is an Ina Garten recipe and it is sooo good, and a great way to get some veggies in your kids (and husbands). It was served with whole grain Wheat Thins. I'm not kidding, it's delicious. It looks a little iffy at first, but just dive in! The hostess also made some turtle brownies that I will post later.

1 medium eggplant
2 red bell peppers, seeded
1 red onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing once during cooking. Cool slightly.
Place the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the tomato paste, and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for salt and pepper.

Beef and Cheese Manicotti

I made these a few months ago and totally forgot about them until I asked Bryan what he wanted for dinners this week and he said he wanted that manicotti I had made a while ago. Now if Bryan remembers something I made a while ago it must be good! And this recipe is nice because, unlike some recipes, you can substitute things for what ingredients you have on hand!

4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 (8-ounce package) manicotti (in the pasta aisle)
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
3 cups shredded mozzarella (I used the shredded cheddar I had and it was great too)
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I didn't use this)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce (I used spaghetti sauce)
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.
Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. (The manicotti will cook more in the oven.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool. (It's oiled so that the pasta doesn't stick to the sheet while cooling.)

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. (I found it best to use my hands to stuff the manicotti shells - the spoon tore some of the shells.) Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

Red Enchiladas

Oooo, I loved these growing up! I really can't believe I haven't posted these already. They are so good and easy and fast. I remember eating so much of this when i was a kid I thought i would explode! Give 'em a try!


12 corn tortillas
oil
1 can red enchilada sauce (found in the Mexican food isle-you can buy it as hot or mild as you like)
1 can Hormel chili, with out beans (so far, Hormel is the only brand I've seen that makes chili with out beans)
Cheese- any kind, I usually use cheddar

In a frying pan, heat oil and fry each tortilla a few seconds on each side until soft. Blot tortillas with a paper towel. Mix together enchilada sauce and chili. Dip each tortilla in sauce mixture and layer with cheese in a casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce on top and top with cheese. I usually do four tortillas per layer so there are three layers of tortillas with cheese in between.
Bake at 375 for 15 min. or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes.

Sweet & Salty Green Beans

So these are delicious! I love fresh green beans anyway, but what is better than green beans mixed with a sweet and salty sauce (teriyaki and honey) with onions and CASHEWS!!! And bacon! Don't let the teriyaki sauce throw you - this isn't an asian-tasting dish at all. And this would be perfect for Easter as a side dish!

2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
2 slices bacon
1/2 cup red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup thin onion wedges
1/2 cup whole cashews

In a small bowl, stir together the teriyaki sauce, honey, and butter. Fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the lemon juice. Drop in the beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until beans are bright green. Drain the beans in a colander and then plunge them into the iced water. Drain again and set aside.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until very crispy, crumble and set aside. Saute the bell pepper and onion in the hot bacon fat for 2 minutes. Add the beans, cashews, and bacon to the skillet. Add the teriyaki-honey sauce and toss gently. Serve warm.

Supreme Strawberry Topping

I made Celeste's cheesecake--yet again. (I think I've made it about 10 times, no joke.) And, I happened to have fresh strawberries and wanted to see how good of a homemade topping I could make. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and it turned out really well. Who doesn't like strawberries and sugar? I actually made the entire dinner the day before--including cheesecake and topping. What's better when hosting a dinner than doing no work that day? Lovin' life!

1 pint strawberries, cleaned and stemmed
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut about 1/3 of the strawberries in half. In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a blender, puree about 1/3 of sauce, then mix back into remainder. Store in refrigerator.

Help me with Easter!

Hey ya'll! I am on a limited budget but still want to have an awesome Easter dinner. Does anyone have any fabulous and cheap side dishes or even main dishes they want to share? I like to have a variety of stuff to choose from, so don't be shy! Just share what ya got!

I'll go first- for dessert I am making the Eclair Cake that I posted back in spring 2007 on the blog. It is so delicious and cheap to make.

Okay.... your turn! Share main dishes, sides, and desserts!