Heavenly Maple Syrup Muffins

Heavenly Maple Syrup Muffins..... need I say more?????

Ingredients:
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup maple syrup
***GLAZE***
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin pans, or place liners in cups if preferred.

Soften margarine, blend in sugar and salt. Add dry ingredients and blend with pastry cutter until crumbly. Mix in oats.

Blend milk and syrup together and pour over dry ingredients, stirring only until just combined. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins test done.

Mix the butter, powdered sugar and maple syrup. Spread glaze over muffins when they have cooled slightly.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

Another great recipe score from Family Fun. This is one of my hubby's favorite meals... and a cinch to prepare. I have never added sugar or vinegar to mine in the past... but I am eager to try this variation. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The slow cooker is the perfect way to go for this traditional dish, since it must bubble away untended for hours, in any event. Be sure to serve with crusty bread, and Dijon mustard and horseradish on the side.

Ingredients

• 4 cups hot water
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

• 1 large or 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
• 1 3-lb. corned beef round or brisket, packaged with spices
• 8 small white or yellow potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters
• 1 head of green cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs.), cored and cut into 10 wedges

Instructions

1. In a 6-quart electric slow cooker, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, pepper and onions, mixing well. Place the corned beef in the mixture. Scatter the potatoes over the top and along the sides.

2. Cover and cook on the High heat setting 4 hours. Remove the lid and scatter the cabbage wedges over the top. Cover and continue cooking on High 3 to 4 hours longer, or until the beef is tender. To serve, carve the beef into slices and serve with the cabbage and potatoes, with some of the cooking liquid spooned on top of the beef to keep it moist. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

under 10 bucks! 3 cheese pasta bake

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 package (8 ounces) shredded two-cheese blend (about 2 cups)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups corkscrew-shaped pasta, cooked and drained

• Stir the soup, cheeses, milk and black pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Stir in the pasta.
• Bake at 400°F. for 20 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Beef Stoganoff

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 boneless beef sirloin steak or beef top round steak, 3/4-inch thick (about 1 pound), cut into thin strips

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

4 cups whole wheat or regular egg noodles, cooked and drained

Chopped fresh parsley

• Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned, stirring often. Remove the beef from the skillet. Pour off any fat.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until it's tender.
• Stir the soup and paprika in the skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in the sour cream. Return the beef to the skillet and cook until the beef is cooked through. Serve the beef mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Chicken Tortilla Bake

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Tomato Soup

1 cup Chunky Salsa

1/2 cup milk

2 cup cubed cooked chicken

8 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

• Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup, salsa, milk, chicken, tortillas and half the cheese in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Cover the baking dish.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Top with the remaining cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.
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sweet and tangy chicken

1 tablespoon butter

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Tomato Soup

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

4 cups hot cooked regular long-grain white rice

• Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides.
  
• Stir the soup, water, brown sugar and vinegar in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken and sauce with the rice.
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White-Bean Dip with Toasted Pita Chips

1 can (19-ounce) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
In a food processor, combine cannellini beans, olive oil, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon); season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Puree until smooth.
Place puree in a serving bowl, and lightly sprinkle chili powder over the top, if desired. Serve dip with toasted pita chips."

One-Pan Pasta and Meatballs Recipe

EASIEST pasta dish EVER! Pretty darn tasty too! I always eliminate the olives and sometimes substitute artichoke hearts. My family doesn't eat olives.... you can sub in almost anything. Happy Humpday!!!!


1cup water
1jar (25.5 oz) pasta sauce (any flavor)
1 1/2cups uncooked elbow macaroni
20frozen cooked Italian-style or regular meatballs (1 inch)
1can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
Grated Parmesan cheese, if desired



1.In 10-inch skillet, heat water and pasta sauce to boiling. Stir in macaroni, meatballs and olives. Return to boiling.
2.Reduce heat to medium. Cover; cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese."

Swanson Broth Cooking - Recipe Detail - Herbed Brown Rice and Chicken

Swanson Broth Cooking - Recipe Detail - Herbed Brown Rice and Chicken:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:


Season the chicken with the garlic powder and black pepper.
Heat the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until it's well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Stir the stock and thyme in the skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the peas. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Sprinkle with the cheese."

Curried Chicken Salad

Curried Chicken Salad:
"Delicious chicken salad with curry powder, for sandwiches, rolls, or luncheon salad. Serve this flavorful salad on buns or bread, or mound it on lettuce leaves for a wonderful luncheon salad.


Ingredients:
2 chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped or shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple, shredded
5 to 7 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste
1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
In a bowl, combine the chopped chicken, chopped celery, green onion, walnuts, cranberries, and apple. Toss to blend. Stir in the mayonnaise, curry powder, and parsley, if using. Add more mayonnaise, as needed, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 3 to 4."

Cheesy Rice Fritters

Scored this recipe from my friend Rachel. One word...... YUM!

Here's what you need:

1 cup arborio rice

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup grated parmesan

1 large egg, lightly beaten

salt & pepper

1/2 seasoned breadcrumbs (i used italian panko)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (this is a Rachel Ray recipe, after all)

1 10 ounce bag spinach, coarsely chopped

1 pinch crushed red pepper (i used 3 pinches)

Here's what you do:

Bring 2 1/2 cups water and rice to boil. Lower heat and simmer until rice is cooked but still firm and all water has evaporated (about 20 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, add bacon to the rice, reserving the bacon fat in skillet. Stir in parmesan, mozzarella, and egg into rice mixture; season with salt and pepper.

Divide rice mixture into 12 mounds. Flatten the mounds into 3 inch patties on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle both sides with breadcrumbs.

Add olive oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add patties and cook until crisp (about 5 min). Drain on paper towels. Sauté spinach over high heat for 2 minutes or until wilted. Season with crushed red pepper and top with fritters.

This meal can be made for under 8 bucks! You gotta love that!

French Dip Sandwiches - Crock Pot Style

I found this recipe on another blog.... It is PAINFULLY easy and sure to be a crowd pleaser! Also, try adding a can cream of mushroom soup if you prefer a creamy sauce.

What you need is:

a 2 pound bottom round roast

(The weight of my roast differs each time - it makes no difference)

1 packet of onion soup mix

1 can beef broth

1 loaf of unsliced bread

(I have used French, Italian, sourdough.
Use whatever your store carries)

sliced Swiss cheese

That's it! Screams "Easy!!", right?

Spray the crockpot with nonstick spray.

I do this to help with the cleaning process.

Combine the beef broth and the onion soup mix in a crockpot.

Add the roast and
cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

When ready, remove roast from the juices
and shred the meat.

Slice the bread longways horizontally.
Slice again top to bottom into individual sandwiches.

On each sandwich, put a layer of beef,
then a slice of cheese.

Put the top piece of bread on and
wrap each sandwich in aluminum foil.
Put them onto a sheetpan for easier handling.

Heat the sandwiches for 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with bowls of warm au jus from the crockpot for dipping.

Easy Carnitas

I am always amazed by how many AWESOME recipe sites are floating around the internet. This recipe is from simplyrecipes.com and I plan to make it for my family tonight.

Carnitas Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds boned pork shoulder, cut into large cubes (remove as much fat as possible)
• 1 quart beef broth
• 2 cups chunky salsa either prepared or homemade
• Water
• Salt
• 2 cups fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo)
• 16-24 corn tortillas

1 In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine pork, broth, and salsa. Add enough water to completely cover the meat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 3 to 4 hours (or longer) until meat pulls apart easily. Add salt to taste if needed.

2 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove meat from liquid in pot (discard the liquid) and spread the meat out in a roasting pan. Break the meat into small chunks. Roast meat for 15 to 20 minutes until brown and crispy.

3 If you are using store-bought tortillas, heat the tortillas one-by-one either in a microwave or on a hot skillet. If you heat them on a skillet you may need to use a little butter or oil to help soften them. When air pockets form in the tortillas they are ready. To heat them in a microwave, place a paper towel on the floor of the microwave. Lay one or two tortillas on the paper towel (whatever will fit so there is only one layer). Microwave on high heat for 10 seconds per tortilla (some brands of tortillas require 20 seconds each). Keep warm tortillas wrapped in a clean cloth towel for serving.

I scored this recipe from my favorite food network show . My family loves it!

Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Penne

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, cut into wedges
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
• 1 red bell pepper, cheeks removed
• 1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, washed and dried
• 2 sweet or hot Italian sausages, thinly sliced or casings removed
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 12 ounces whole-grain penne, cooked according to package instructions, 1/2 cup pasta water reserved
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss all the vegetables, except the tomatoes, with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast, until caramelized, about 30 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through the cooking time. In a small bowl, add the tomatoes and the remaining olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add to the baking sheet, at the halfway point of cooking, to caramelize.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage and saute until cooked through. Turn up the heat and deglaze with white wine. Once the vegetables are cooked, cool slightly, then coarsely chop. Add the vegetables and any pan juices to the sausage in the skillet. Toss in the cooked penne, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve in bowls topped with Parmesan.

Burrito Casserole - Ground Beef Casserole With Tortillas and Cheese

This is a tasty burrito casserole, made with ground beef, Cheddar cheese, burrito seasoning, refried beans, and tortillas. Use part chorizo sausage in this dish, or make it with all ground beef. Serve this easy, flavorful casserole with rice, salsa, and a dollop of sour cream.



Ingredients:
6 medium flour tortillas, soft taco size
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed, or more ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers, optional
1 package (1 ounce) burrito seasoning
1 can (approx. 15 ounces) refried beans
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
6 ounces shredded mild Cheddar cheese or blend of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses


Preparation:
Lightly grease a 2 1/2 to 3-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.
Slice tortillas into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Arrange half of the strips in the bottom of the baking dish. Set the remaining strips aside.
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, chorizo, and onion until beef and sausage is no longer pink. Add the jalapeno peppers and burrito seasoning and stir to blend. Stir in the refried beans and continue cooking, stirring, until hot and bubbly.
Spoon the hot filling mixture evenly over the tortilla layer. Sprinkle with the diced tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Top with the remaining tortilla strips then sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly.