Margarita Chicken

We love to try anything new on the grill. This was a winner. The chicken was very moist & had the tangiest flavor.

Ingredients
1 can (10 ounces) frozen non-alcoholic margarita mix, thawed
3 tbsp lime juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the margarita mix, lime juice & garlic. Pour 1 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. Drain & discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Grill chicken over medium heat basting frequently with reserved marinade.

Freezer Directions
Place chicken in freezer ziploc bag. Mix marinade ingredients and put 1 cup marinade in a seperate freezer bag, pour remaining over the chicken. Freeze falt.  To serve, thaw and prepare as directed.

Recipe courtesy: Simple & Delicious

Taco Meat

Ok, so I am guilty of buying the pre-made taco seasoning packets for our taco nights. This past week, when I went to make tacos, I realized I forgot to buy the seasoning. Since the meat was already browning I had no choice but to create my own taco meat. Needless to say it was delicious & way better than any store bought mix. My husband really liked it too! I will never buy that packaged stuff again!

Ingredients
4 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1# ground chuck
3/4 c water

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine all spices together. Crumble the ground chuck into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until browned. Drain grease from beef. Return meat to skillet, and pour in seasoning. Stir in water. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until most of the liquid has cooked away, about 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite shell & toppings!

It is CRAZY (in my opinion) not to make more than you need and freeze. DO IT!!!!

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

WOW!! I made this for our home team at church tonight & it was absolutely delightful. The cake could stand alone. It has a slight sweet & cinnamon taste. The topping really is like a yummy caramel apple. The two together is like a symphony.......

Ingredients

Topping
1/4 c butter or margarine
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 medium apples, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

Cake
1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c milk

Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. Spray bottom and sides of 8- or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. In 1-quart saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour into pan; spread evenly. Arrange apple wedges over brown sugar mixture, overlapping tightly and making 2 layers if necessary. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beating after each addition until smooth. Spread batter over apple wedges in brown sugar mixture. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Serve warm cake with whipped cream. Store cake loosely covered.

Recipe courtesy: Betty Crocker

Ham & Hash Brown Casserole

Three words describe this casserole: Quick, Easy & Delicious!

Ingredients

20 oz bag refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes

1 1/2 c diced cooked ham

2 c shredded mild cheddar cheese

1 c sour cream

1 1/2 c milk

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried minced onion

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a two-quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix potatoes, ham & 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Spread mixture in baking dish. In same bowl, mix sour cream, milk, seasoned salt, pepper & onion with a wire whisk until well blended. Spoon over potato mixture. Stir to mix. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes longer or until bubbly.

Meatballs

Ingredients

1# ground chuck

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c Italian style bread crumbs

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp Dried parsley

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Do not overmix or you will get tough meatballs. If mixture is too wet, add a little more bread crumbs. Once everything is combined, roll the balls. I like them to be a little smaller than a ping pong ball. You can make them bigger if you want. The size I make them results in about 24 meatballs per pound of meat. Now you are ready to brown them & start your red spaghetti sauce (click for recipe).

My Red Sauce (aka Spaghetti Sauce)

My mom taught me, my brother & my sister to make "red" sauce better known as spaghetti sauce. She learned from one of her Italian friends many, many years ago. The funny thing is that we all make the same sauce yet they all taste different. They are all delicious, but it goes to show that the cook truly influences the food they make. I've had so many people ask for my recipe but I never measure things so it can be a little hard for people who want measurements. So I finally took the time to measure ingredients. Here they are:

Ingredients

Meatballs (click for recipe) or other meat (ground chuck if you like meat sauce, also can use a chicken breast or pork chop)

Olive oil

1 large can Hunt's Tomato Sauce

1 large can water

2 small cans Contadina Tomato Paste with Italian Herbs

3/4 tbsp oregano

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 tsp basil

1 tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Directions

This sauce can be made on the stove or in a crock pot (after you have browned your meat). I always make meatballs with my sauce. So after rolling the meatballs, I pour olive oil in my pan over medium heat. I brown the meatballs on all sides. Once they are all brown I start adding the sauce ingredients. If I use the crock pot, I transfer the meatballs & pan drippings to the crock. If I am using the stove I just leave them in the pot. Pour tomato sauce, water & tomato paste into the pot/ crock. Stir until paste is dissolved. Add all of the spices. Do not add the Parmesan cheese. Stir well. Bring to a slow boil. Cook for 1 hour on the stove or 2-3 hours in the crock pot. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Cook for 1 more hour on the stove or 2-3 hours in the crock pot. Serve with your favorite pasta. We use whole wheat pastas.

Note: Recipe can be doubled for a very full pot of sauce. For our family (2 adults, 2 children) I make the single recipe. We eat 2 meals from the single recipe. The sauce freezes perfectly for another meal.

Squash & Veggie Couscous

Another winner! We loved this side dish! You could add all kinds of different veggies.

Ingredients
1 c chicken broth
3/4 c uncooked couscous
2 yellow squash, chopped
3/4 c carrot, chopped
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1/4 c sweet onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

Directions
In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover & let stand for 5-10 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the squash, carrot, green pepper & onion in butter until tender. Stir in seasonings. Fluff couscous with a fork; toss with vegetable mixture.

Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients
1 qt fresh blueberries
1 c sugar
1 c self rising flour
1/2 c butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place blueberries in 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Mix sugar, flour, butter and salt together with fork and knife until well mixed. Sprinkle mixture over blueberries. Bake for 1 hour.