Hot Cocoa Mix

I got this recipe from a college room-mates grandma.  The grandma would send a cannery can full of the mix with her grand-daughter (my room-mate).  I remember it being super yummy, although I haven't made it myself.  Cocoa doesn't sound all that pleasant in this weather.  But I intend to this winter.

14 qt. powdered milk
1 large can Nestle Quick
1 lb powdered sugar
1 medium jar coffee mate

Mix well.

To make cocoa...1/3 C. mix to 1 C. hot water

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Philly 3 step No-bake Cheesecake

I fell in love with this recipe while I was in college and I still make it today.  It was off the back of a cream cheese container.  (Hence the reference to "philly" for Philadelphia cream cheese).  It is not like cheesecake from the cheesecake factory (it is not baked) so don't expect that.  But I think it's a fast yummy dessert.

Prep time: 10 Min
Baking time: none
Refrigeration time:  a few hours
Serves: 8

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. white granulated sugar
2 C. thawed cool whip
1 graham cracker crust (or make your own by crushing graham cracker, placing in bottom of pie tin and drizzling with melted better or margarine and baking for a bit)
1 can (20 oz) cherry pie filling (or I like raspberry---just personal preference)

Mix cream cheese and sugar.  Stir in cool whip.  Spoon into crust.  Top with pie filling.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. (probably want to give it an hour or two in the fridge before serving).

Homemade Icecream and Icecream maker

You can ignore the second video...it is basically the same...it won't let me delete it!!!?!?!!!?!!!

I have a cuisinart electric icecream maker.  I love it.  It makes 2 qts of homemade icecream in 25 minutes.  You can start it when you sit down to eat and you have fresh icecream when you are done eating dinner.  Or make a fast FHE treat.

Here are the advantages to the kind I use
Fast
Easy
No rock salt required
No ice required
The ice and bowl don't get stuck
Quiet

Here are the disadvantages to the kind I use
Smaller than traditional (still big enough to feed my family of 6 and have leftover)
Have to think ahead and freeze container (I just keep it in the freezer so it's ready to go)

Here are the different parts to it.

This is the base and the cord is stored in the bottom.

 The beater that mixes the icecream while it's freezing.  The beater does not move while mixing (the bowl does).

The lid. The lid does not move while mixing/freezing.

The bowl that you pour the icecream mixture into.  You freeze it for 24 hours before making icecream.  This is the part of the contraption that turns.

  The bowl sits in the base.

 All put together.

 Completed Ice cream!!!  Yummmmm!!

I can't find the main vanilla recipe I like.  I'll have to keep searching or resort to calling my Mom.

This one is good with fruit (this is for my 2 qt icecream maker---a traditional icecream maker would be double this amount).

1 pt. whipping cream
1 can (soup can size) evaporated milk
1 &1/2 C. white granulated sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 T. lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 C. fruit of any kind (optional) (chopped or pureed)

Mix all ingredients (except fruit) in a jar with lid (shake it up).  Pour into icecream maker.  Add fruit the last few minutes or it will be frozen chunks.

My Mom always said not to use icecream recipes with raw eggs (which this one DOES NOT have) just as a warning.

Quick Chili

Here is a recipe I made up.

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 qt. bottled tomatoes, pureed in blender
1 lb. cooked hamburger

2 pkgs taco seasoning
a little chili pwd
liquid smoke, original flavor (by spices)
pepper
garlic powder

Warm to boiling, allow to cool slightly before serving.

Here is an alternate I made last night


1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained


1 qt. bottled tomatoes, pureed in blender
1/2 lb leftover taco meat


1 pkg chili seasoning (mine was McCormick)
liquid smoke, original flavor (3 shakes)
3-5 shakes garlic powder
3-5 shakes onion powder

It needed pepper.

It really isn't as hard as I used to think.  It is really fast.  Almost as fast as warming up a can of chili (if hamburger is already cooked) and waaaaay better.  Just keep tossing in seasonings that go with chili until the sauce tastes good!

Easy Icecream (Sherbet style)

This is a fun icecream recipe to make.

2 liter bottle of pop (cold) ---minus 1 C.
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix together and freze in icecream maker or the tin can way that you roll.

It is pretty runny...but really good!

We need more recipes!

Life has been busy...so I haven't been posting myself.

We have 9 authors now!  Anyone who is currently or previously has been in our ward is welcome to be an author!  Just send mstans an email. (Ask around at church if you don't know my email).

Please keep (or start) posting.  Your recipes are great.  We want to hear from you!

If you have a cooking/recipe blog of your own.  Let me know and I will post a link on the sidebar.  Or if there is a blog (of someone else's) (cooking or recipe) that you like let me know too.

Keep up the good work.

Spread the word!

Also remember you can subscribe to the RSS feed or receive emails when anyone posts so you can keep up with all of the latest posts.

Crock Pot Chicken

The first six years of my marriage, I only used my crock pot once.  The last six months, though, I've become a bit obsessed with it (1:00 church may have something to do with it...).  My "go-to" dish is to throw in 3 pieces of chicken (you can do more, but that works for my little family), a can of cream of chicken soup, cubed red potatoes with the skin on (russet is fine, too), and carrots cut into bite size pieces.  I throw the chicken in still frozen and let it all sit for about 7 hours.  I've tried a new dish recently, though, and wanted to share it.  It's been crazy popular over on Pinterest and it's called Hawaiian Barbeque Crock Pot Chicken.  Here is the original link.  Basically, you take 4-6 pieces of (frozen) chicken, an entire bottle of BBQ sauce, and a 20 oz can of pineapple chunks...throw it all in the beautiful crock pot and let it sit for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.  Shred the chicken with two forks and stir it all up to get lots of saucy goodness, then serve over rice!  It's SUPER easy and SO delicious!

I forgot to take a picture, so I stole this from the original blog where I got the recipe.  :)  Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb hamburger
1 onion, chopped (or dried onion)
1 can tomato soup (do not add water)
about 1 T. brown sugar
about 1/2 T. prepared mustard
about 1/2 T. worcestershire

Brown hamburger with onions.  Add remaining ingredients.  Heat through.  Change amounts to taste.

Serve in any of the following ways:
-on buns
-on rice
-on baked potato
-on bread or toast
-OR MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE WAY... in a tortilla with sour cream and lettuce wrapped up.  (Can also add salsa on top...but I usually don't).  Wrap up like a burrito.

Jason always likes to add cheese and mustard on his sloppy joes (on buns).

Amounts listed above would serve about 4 people 1 sloppy joe each.

French Dip Sandwiches (Au Jus)

Not one of the cheapest meals, but definitely one of the fastest!!!

Au Jus packet mix (79 cents each not on sale) ( I made 2 for 6 large buns)
Sliced Roast Beef from the Deli (about $6.99 /lb) (I needed 1 and 1/2 lbs for 6 large buns)
White cheese (mozarella, swiss, pepperjack, etc...)
Crusty Buns ($2.99 for 6 large)

Make Au Jus according to packet directions.  Add meat to Au Jus.  Bring to a boil.  Remove meat from juice and place in bun.  Place cheese on top.  Broil for a minute or so until cheese melts.  Ladle Au Jus into individual bowls.

Gauzas (Pot Stickers)

Dip in Sweet and Sour Sauce. (recipe posted separately)

We usually make these for New Years Eve with Ham Fried Rice and Sweet and sour sauce.

1 tube jummy dean hot sausage
1 bunch green onions (wash and cut off roots and ends...but leave most of the white part to be chopped up with the rest of the stalk)
1/4 head green cabbage, chopped
1 pkg wonton skins (found in the produce section)

Brown sausage.  Drain if excess fat.  Add chopped onions and cabbage to frying pan with sausage.  Cook
until cabbage starts to sweat and onions are cooked.  Remove from heat.

Place a wonton skin on counter.  Get a small bowl of water.  Get your fingers wet.  Wet down 2 adjacent (touching) edges of the wonton wrapper.  Place a small spoonfull of filling (sausage mixture) in the middle of the wonton skin.  Fold the two dry edges of the wonton skin diagonally to form a triangle.  (So the 2 dry edges will meet the two wet edges).  Fry in a small amount of oil until browned on both sides.  (Not deep frying---just a few T. in a pan).  Remove from oil and place on a plate covered with paper towels.

Sweet and Sour Sauce (Won Ton Sauce)

Great with Ham Fried Rice, or chicken strips or Gauzas.

1 (6 oz) pineapple juice
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1-2 T. Ketchup (I do 2)
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1-3 tsp. soy sauce (I do 3)

Combine all and bring to boil.

Use a whisk to stir in mixture of...
2 T. cornstarch mixed with
1/4 C. water

Turn down heat and cook until thick.

Ham Fried Rice

This is one of my family's all time favorites.  If I am ever making a weekly menu and ask "what should I make for dinner this week"...I get a unanimous resounding "Ham Fried Rice!!!"

I got the recipe from my Mom, who got it from the Pitkins who were our next door neighbors when I was growing up.

I always serve with sweet and sour sauce (which I will post separately).  Usually when I make ham fried rice  it is a meal in and of itself.

It is also delicious with Gauzas (Pot-stickers) which I did not make this night for dinner, but I will post the recipe separately.  Also great with fried chicken strips ( as in the previous post).

Cooked and cooled White rice (8 cups cooked for a huge batch)  (This is good reheated and one of the few things I will save for leftovers)
3 eggs
soy sauce (a lot)
White sugar (a lot)
1 bunch green onions
1/2 lb ham (from the refrigerated deli by the hot dogs and cheese---not from the deli itself)



You really just have to adjust the amounts of everything to your liking.  I do a really large batch because we love it.  I usually do 8 cups of cooked white rice (which is 4 cups of uncooked rice).  You can cook it in a pot, a rice cooker or a pressure cooker or however.  Make sure it is all the way cooked and not crunchy.  Then you need to let it cool the whole way.  This is the most important step.  You can spread on a jelly roll pan and put in the fridge to speed things up(if making the same day.  Or place cooked rice in a baggie or container if making with in a few days.

Scramble 3 eggs in a little oil in a frying pan.  Remove from pan and place on a small plate or in a small bowl and set aside

Use 1/2 pkg (which is 1/2 lb) of lunchmeat ham.  We have tried it with these options...chicken, cubed ham, sliced ham from the deli...and we don't like any of them as well as good old lunchmeat.  It does not have to be smoked (as pictured) and it does not have to be this brand.  Any brand will do except buddig.

Chop the ham.




Wash  one bunch of green onions.

Chop off the roots (hairy part) but leave some of the white part and chop off the tops (they tend to be dried out).  Throw roots and tops away and chop the rest.

Saute in a frying pan with a little oil (vegetable or canola are my preference).  The ham and green onions always look like they are about equal parts to me (they are not...but they kind of look like it).

Once ham shrivels a bit and the onions are cooked through remove from frying pan and place on a small plate or in a small bowl.

I have a wok, but you can use a large pan instead.  Wok's get seasoned the more you use them (like a dutch oven or cast iron).  So the more you use it the better your food will taste.

Use a little oil and a paper towel to rub off the old oil.  Whenever you get done using your wok you rub it down with oil to season and protect it.  Then before you use it you use a little oil to clean the old oil off and get it primed for using.

Place a small amount of oil (maybe 1 T) in pan.  Add fully cooled rice.  Remember the cooling is the most important part.  Reheat rice on Medium heat.  If it starts to stick turn down heat and add a little oil.

Stir occasionally.Once rice is heated through add ham and onion mixture (DO NOT ADD EGGS AT THIS TIME).

Add soy sauce and white sugar to taste.  This is the hard part to explain because it is to taste, not measured out.  This is the way I do soy sauce...I pour it on until the pan starts to sizzle (the soy sauce hitting the bottom  of the pan).  Sugar...I'm guessing start with 1/3 C. Stir those both in.  Almost every single time it needs more soy and more sugar (maybe even up to a total of 2/3 C. sugar---just guessing). The soy sauce will also turn the rice into a pretty brown color.

 It should taste really good before adding the eggs, then once you add the eggs it just puts it over the top.

This night I served it with fried chicken strips and sweet and sour sauce on top of chicken and rice.

Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

White flour

Garlic Salt Pepper

Vegetable or Canola Oil

You can do this method with either strips or whole breasts.  (obviously this time was strips).

Start with fresh (non-frozen) boneless skinless chicken breasts or thaw by placing in hot tap water (not boiling) in a bowl or water pitcher.  Replace hot water every few minutes until thawed.

If making into strips (instead of whole breasts) cut them up now.

Place chicken breasts or strips in flour (either on a plate or in a baggie).

Coat each piece with flour.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan (either non-stick or not non-stick pan---either one works--I am using an electric skillet, but you can do on the stove also).  You know the oil is hot enough when you get your fingers wet and fling a few drops of water into pan and the water sizzles.  Then add flour coated chicken.

Sprinkle tops with garlic salt and pepper.

At all times while cooking you should be able to lift pan up and when shaking pan side to side the chicken pieces should slide back and forth.  It they are stuck then loosen with a spatula and add a little more oil.

Once the bottoms start to brown flip over each piece with tongs.  Sprinkle tops (that were previously the bottoms) with garlic salt and pepper.

Once both sides are cooked and browned check for doneness by cutting one open or using a meat thermometer.  Remove from pan and place on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb any extra oil (there shouldn't be a lot of oil).

This particular night I served with Ham Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour Sauce.  (I will post those recipes separately). I could have added some frozen stir-fry veggies (but didn't think ahead---oh well).