Pomegranate Salad

2 medium sized pomegranates
2 medium sized apples
2 bananas
1 pint heavy cream
powdered sugar (to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Whip heavy cream. Add vanilla after soft peaks begin to form. Then add powdered sugar to taste. Whip until fairly thick. Put cream in fridge. Shell pomegranates. Chop apples and bananas (this step should only be taken within an hour or two of serving to avoid browning). Put all dry ingredients into a bowl. Fold in cream. Serve immediately.

Leftovers will turn brown and icky looking. It will still taste fine, though.

My niece has brought this delicious salad to the past couple of family gatherings.  It is delicious.  

Homemade Taco Seasoning

(makes about 3 Tablespoons)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. you can easily double this recipe to make more.

When you are ready to use use your Homemade Taco Seasoning, use about 2 tablespoons per 1 pound of meat. Feel free to add more or use less.

Brown your beef then drain off fat. Sprinkle seasoning evenly over meat and add 1/3 cup of water, mix in. Simmer until water is adsorbed.

I got this from Julie Steinbrink's Facebook page.  She always posts lots of recipes on her Facebook page is is always encouraging everyone to follow her.  

Halloween Pretzles

Another fun Halloween treat idea from Family Fun Magazine.  

Goofy Green Monsters!

You won't believe how easy it is to make these goofy green monsters!
1. Start with purchased vanilla pudding cups or homemade pudding divided into small dishes.
2. Use melted chocolate and a small paintbrush to paint monster faces on the inside of clear plastic cups.
3. Refrigerate until chocolate is hardened.
4. Add green food coloring to vanilla-flavor pudding.
5. Pour into prepared cups, top with crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, and refrigerate at least one hour.

I found this recipe on my Facebook wall. It looks like it comes from Parents magazine.   Someone in the FB comments said this:  "You could also use a permanent maker on outside of cup to draw the faces. I know it's not as crafty, but would work."  Another idea for a breakfast treat would be to use vanilla yogurt, add green food coloring, and put granola on top.

Fiesta Crock Pot Chicken

4 Chicken breast
1 packet Fiesta Ranch Mix
1 can of black beans
1 can corn
1 block cream cheese
1 can of Rotel (I used hot)
Put Chicken , Fiesta mix, black beans , corn, cream cheese and Rotel in the crock pot. Don't drain the cans. Cover with lid. Cook on high 4 to 6 hours.
Serving sugestion: over spanish rice, Tortillas, or Romain lettuce
Enjoy

I got this from Julie Steinbrink's face book's page.  Made it up for dinner tonight.  It was delicious.  Before I served it I shredded the  chicken in the crock pot.  

Simple Baked Fish

Ingredients
◦ 1 -1 1/2 lb tilapia fillet ( or cod, haddock, or any other mild fish)
◦ 4 tablespoons butter, melted
◦ 2 teaspoons lemon juice (I use lime juice)
◦ 1 -2 garlic clove, minced
◦ 1 teaspoon sugar
◦ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
◦ 1/2 teaspoon thyme
◦ 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
◦ 1/3 cup breadcrumbs ( I use the Italian style bread crumbs)  
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease or spray a 13" x 9" (or larger) baking dish.
2 Rinse fish filets and pat dry. Set them in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
3 In a small bowl, combine melted butter, lemon juice, garlic, sugar, pepper, thyme and parsley. Stir well. Pour evenly over fish filets.
4 Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
5 Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until filets are opaque and flakey. (internal temperature reaches 145 degree F)

Our friend brought over some fresh caught fish this morning.  I decided to look for a different simple recipe to cook the fish and I found this recipe on the food.com website.  I didn't have any parsley or thyme on hand, yet it still tasted delicious.  

Glazed Orange Zucchini Bread

I got this recipe off of this Mel's Kitchen Cafe website found by clicking  here

Rachel made this when her co-worker shared her homegrown zucchini with her.  Everyone at work loved it.  

Oatmeal bread

1 cup old fashioned oats
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses or honey (I use honey)
3 cups wheat flour
2 tablespoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups white flour

In large bowl, combine oats, water, oil, and honey.  Let cool for 5-7 min.  Add whole wheat flour and yeast and mix with spoon.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 min.  Add salt and white flour, 1 cup at a time.  Knead for 4-6 min.  Shape into 2 loaves and put in greased loaf pans.  Let rise until doubled and bake 25-35 min at 350 degrees.

Rachel asked me to post this.  She said she got the recipe out of a cookbook.

No Bake Energy Bites

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (quick oats stick together better) 
• 2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1-2 TBS chia seeds
• 
  
• 1/3 cup honey 
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I prefer chunky--can also use other nut butters instead)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Stir all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add last three ingredients and mix well.  Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 min.
2. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
3. Makes about 20-25 balls.

Delicious--tastes like No-Bake Cookies, but much healthier!  Recipe adapted from here.  This is a pretty versatile recipe--you can cut out some ingredients (choc chips, chia) and add others (sunflower seeds, chopped almonds).  The original recipe has links to other variations--check them out!

Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Dessert

STRAWBERRY BANANA CHEESECAKE SALAD

Stir together:

1 bag of miniature marshmallows

16 oz of vanilla yogurt

1 regular size tub of cool whip

1 (3 1/2 ounce) box/pkg of no bake cheese cake filling (just add in and mix with rest of ingredients…do not actually make the mix)

Stir in

1-2 containers of sliced up strawberries

3-4 sliced up bananas

Other fruits can be substituted or added as desired.

Best served chilled and same day due to banana discoloration.

I saw this recipe on Sylvia Gaitan Gonzales's Facebook page found here.  She called it Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad.  You may have noticed that I changed the name to Strawberry Banana Cheesecake DESSERT.  When you read the ingredients, I'm sure you can figure out my name change.  My other change that I would do is use one cup of real whipped cream instead of the cool whip.    

Verde Chicken Mexican Lasagna

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups green salsa
1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (plus additional for garnishing)
12 soft taco size flour tortillas
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Mix chicken, sour cream, black beans, salsa, corn, cilantro and spices in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Cut tortillas in half with kitchen shears.
 
In a 9x13 dish, scoop 1/3 of the chicken mixture into bottom of pan. Spread evenly. Place one layer of cut tortillas (about 4 tortillas) on chicken mixture to cover. Top with 1/3 of the amount of shredded cheese. Repeat with chicken mixture, tortillas, shredded cheese two more times. There should be three layers total.
 
Bake in oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and casserole is warmed through. Serve with sour cream and additional chopped cilantro.

I found the recipe on this site

Cleaning With Baking Soda

Watch as you are shown ten ways that baking soda can be used to clean your home.   I do tip #1 every time I do a load of laundry.  

I found the video and information for this post on this site

1. Boost Your Laundry
2. Make Your Carpets Smell Great
3. Detox Your Hair
4. Clean Your Oven
5. Make Kitty Litter Smell Better
6. Enhance Any Cleaning Solution
7. Cleaning Grout
8. Unclog the Sink
9. Underarm Deodorant
10. Scrub Away Marks on Your Walls

I buy this 13.5 lb. bag from Costco for $5.79.  

Last time I picked up a bag it was on sale for $4.39

The bag lasts me several months.  

Hot Fudge Sauce

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. *cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup margarine or butter
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients except vanilla into a saucepan. Heat to a rolling boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 3 cups.

*this is the cocoa I used

I got this recipe off of Living on a Dime's webpage found by clicking here

The Ultimate Stain Remover

The ultimate stain remover that actually works on a seriously set in stain! Never buy oxyclean again!

The mixture is:
1 tsp. Dawn dishwashing detergent...
3-4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide
couple tablespoons of baking soda.
Scrub on with a scrubbing brush.

Works on every stain I've tried it on !!!

I saw this "recipe" on Julie Steinbrink's Facebook page.  

You might want to look her up. She has a lot of ideas.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken

Ingredients:

2½ to 3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, skinned
1 (16-ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
3 cups hot cooked rice
Directions: Place chicken pieces in a 3½- or 4-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, stir together cranberry sauce, dry soup mix, and tapioca. Pour over chicken pieces. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2½ to 3 hours. Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked rice. Makes 6 servings.

For the past 30+ years I have cooked chicken in the clock pot almost every Sunday.  I'm excited to try this new recipe for chicken in the crockpot.   I traditionally put chicken legs in the crock pot in with a cup of salsa and a can of chicken broth.  I got this recipe from this link.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

To enlarge the recipe, click on above picture 

We had dinner at our friend's home last night and really enjoyed this meal.  The chicken stroganoff was simple, easy to make, and DELICIOUS.  The recipe is from allrecipies.com

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

I saw this recipe on this website and they looked delicious, so I thought I'd post the recipe....Later:  I did make this recipe and it is my new favorite cookie recipe.  You'll want to double the recipe.  

I have made this recipe twice.  The first time I doubled it.  When I made this recipe this morning I quadrupled it.  to make it easier for future baking I'll put the amounts for the different sizes.  

Here is a list of the amounts for a recipe that is DOUBLED:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 whole egg
2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar (I didn't double this amount because when I rolled the dough in powdered sugar , I didn't  use all of the powdered sugar that it originally called for)

Here is a list of the amounts for a recipe that is QUADRUPLED:

Ingredients:




2 cup butter, softened
4cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4whole egg
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
6 cups all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar (I didn't double this amount because when I rolled the dough in powdered sugar , I didn't  use all of the powdered sugar that it originally called for )

News flash.  I saw a recipe posted on FB for the" same" cookies using only 3 ingredients, so I thought I'd make it and give the two cookies a taste test.  You can find the recipe on the idearoom.net by clicking here

Lemon Drop Cookies

1 box of Lemon Cake Mix 
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl.
3. Using a spoon, mix ingredients together until dough forms and is well mixed.
4. Grease a cookie sheet and roll into 1 inch round balls.
5. *Add some confectioner's sugar to a small bowl and roll the top of the cookie in
the sugar.
6. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Remove cookies from oven before they turn golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely.

*If you want to add a Lemon Sugar Glaze to the cookies instead of rolling them in confectioner's sugar, simply omit step 5 above. When the cookies have cooled completely, glaze them with the recipe below.

Lemon Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp lemon juice water

Directions:
Add lemon juice and water to a bowl and mix together. Slowly add water to mixture while stirring. When you get a nice consistency for a think glaze stop adding water. If you add too much water, simply add a little more confectioner's sugar. Drizzle each cookie with the lemon sugar glaze.

This is a  picture that I took of the cookies from the second recipe (Lemon Drop Cookies)  that I made this morning.  

My comparison of the two recipes:  The first recipe tastes a lot better.  The second recipe is quicker to make because it only has 3 ingredients.  

Squire's Minestrone Souip

Brown and drain off fat of 1 lb sausage

Combine with and simmer 45 minutes:

• 6 cups water
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• ½ tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 TBS olive oil
• Handful of chopped cilantro
• 1 quart (4 cups) tomatoes (cut tomatoes to bite size or smaller)
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 2 average onions (chopped)
• 1 minced clove garlic
• 1 tsp fennel seed

Add and cook until pasta is done:

• 1 drained can of green beans
• 1 drained can of corn
• 2 chopped carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 package (or less) noodles or favorite pasta
• 1 tsp (or less) salt (and pepper to taste)

This recipe is  from Janelle.  This is what she said about the recipe:  This is my neighbor's recipe that I used...  it is SOOOOOOOOO good and SOOOOOOOOOOO easy.