Spicy Alfredo Bowtie Pasta

(based on Mom's Bowtie)

1/4 C olive oil

red pepper flakes to taste (we like quite a bit)

2 cloves of garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1 lb bowtie pasta

4 C water

1 C heavy cream

1/4 C butter

7 oz shredded parm (a small bag)

SAUTE the red pepper flakes & garlic in olive oil. Add salt & pepper to taste. Once garlic is toasted remove it (you can use minced garlic instead and leave it in). Add pasta & water. High pressure for 0 minutes. Slow release for 5 minutes and then release.

Put back on SAUTE and add heavy cream, butter & parm. stir until melty.

Teriyaki Sauce

1 c sugar
1 c soy sauce
1/4 c lemon juice
1 T oil
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ginger
1 c water
1/4 c corn starch

Mix all ingredients. Bring to boil until thickened. 

Green Chili Burros

Shauna Kuykendall

2 lb hamburger
1 (small) can el Pato
flour (1/4 c)
Worcestershire sauce
2 cans beef consommé
1 (small) can green chiles

Brown hamburger with salt & pepper to taste, add a little Worcestershire sauce then add green chiles and el pato.

Add flour until beef is “gummy."

Then add beef consommé. Serve rolled in flour tortillas.

* combine consommé with additional flour if needed for thickness

Lentil Soup - Instant Pot

¼ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup carrots, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
Butter/oil for saute

1 lb hamburger
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

½ lb lentils (1 lb for chili consistency)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 bay leaf
46 oz tomato juice
3 cups water (½ can)

In Instant Pot: 

Saute celery, carrot, onion
Brown hamburger, add s&p and Worcestershire 

Add tomato juice, water, lentils, brown sugar and bay leaf

15 minutes high pressure
10 minutes natural release 

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients 

1.5 lbs lean ground beef 

1 can of Condensed Cream of whatever Soup 

Sliced American Cheese - optional

24 oz Bag of Tater Tots 

+ Your favorite add-ins! 

 Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a 13" x 9" baking dish, press out the raw ground beef evenly.

Empty of Cream of soup over the meat. Spread out an even layer.

Cover the dish with a single layer of American cheese. Fill in any gaps for extra cheesiness.

Top with a single, even layer of tater tots.

Bake uncovered for 55-60 minutes.

Mom’s Oatmeal Cake

Shauna Kuykendall

Pour 1 ½ Cups Boiling Water over: 1 Cup Quick Oats 1 Cup Sugar 1 Cube Butter
Mix and let stand covered for 20 minutes and then add:

2 eggs
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 ⅓ Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Salt

Bake 35 minutes at 350°

Sauce

Melt together:

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cube Cold Butter
1 Cup Canned (evaporated) Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Coconut (optional)
1 small package Pecans (optional)

Mix until Butter is melted. Stir. Pour over hot cake. Place in broiler for 1 minute to set.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2 T real butter
2 cans Progresso Tomato Basil Soup
1 can Campbell’s condensed tomato soup
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 c cooked macaroni

Melt butter in saucepan and add soups.
Cover and simmer while you cook the macaroni.
Add the evaporated milk and stir.
Add macaroni.

IP Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients

•  1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts— about 3 medium breasts (see blog post above for tips on using chicken thighs or frozen chicken)
•  2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
•  1/3 cup water
•  3 tablespoons rice vinegar
•  3 tablespoons honey
•  3 tablespoons brown sugar
•  2 cloves garlic — minced
•  2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
•  3 tablespoons cornstarch — stirred together with 1/4 cup water to create a slurry

Double the sauce!!

Instructions

1. Lightly coat the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot with nonstick spray. Arrange the chicken breasts in the bottom. (I slice up the semi-frozen chicken)
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Pour over the chicken.
3. Close and seal the Instant Pot. Cook on HIGH (manual) pressure for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then immediately vent to release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid. Turn the Instant Pot OFF. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let it cool a few minutes. 
4. Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Once the liquid begins to simmer, slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Continue whisking to ensure the sauce is smooth and does not have any lumps. Continue to cook and whisk until the sauce thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Turn the Instant Pot OFF. Add the chicken back to the pot and toss to coat in the sauce. Serve hot with prepared rice and a sprinkle of green onions and sesame seeds.
   

   
   

Fannie Farmer Cecils with Tomato Sauce

1 cup cold roast beef or rare steak finely chopped
Onion juice
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce

2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter
Yolk 1 egg slightly beaten

Season beef with salt, pepper, onion juice, and Worcestershire Sauce; add remaining ingredients, shape after the form of small croquettes, pointed at ends. Roll in flour, egg, and crumbs, fry in deep fat, drain, and serve with Tomato Sauce.

Mom's Alfredo

Combine 1/4 C Olive oil, red pepper flakes and 2 cloves of garlic in pan. Heat until garlic is toasted. Remove garlic. Add 1 pint heavy cream. Bring to a boil. Add 7 oz shredded parm. Stir. Remove from heat.

Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Enchiladas

1 lb ground beef
1 can black (or pinto) beans rinsed
1 C salsa
1 can chopped green chiles
1/2 package of taco seasoning
4 flour tortillas (Guerrero - tortillas de harina riquisimas are the BEST store bought flour tortillas)
1 can enchilada sauce (Hatch is the best brand)
2 C cheddar cheese

Brown beef and add beans, salsa, green chiles, taco seasoning and all but about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.

Butter the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Layer flour tortilla, 1/3 sauce, 1/2 C cheese, flour tortilla, 1/3 sauce, 1/2 C cheese, flour tortilla, 1/3 sauce 1/2 C cheese, flour tortilla, the rest of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 C cheese.

Cook for 1-2 hour on high or 2-3 hours on low.

Delicious Chicken Casserole

Delicious Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

·         4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

·         2 stalks celery, cut into thirds

·         salt & pepper to taste

·         3 cup cooked rice

·         6 ounces sour cream

1    1 cup chicken broth

·         2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (I use 2 C homemade)

·     

·         2 cups crushed buttery round crackers

·         1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring to a boil the chicken breasts. Boil until cooked through. Cut into bite-size pieces.
3. In a large bowl, stir together sour cream, soup, broth, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in cooked rice and chicken. Spoon mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish. In a re-sealable bag, shake together crushed crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle crackers over the top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Grain-Free Taco Shells

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper [I use a Silpat]. Put 4 rounds of SLICED PROVOLONE on it (they will spread so leave space). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes [I did 12 in my oven]. Meanwhile, get a broom and set it between two chairs so it's suspended. Line it with a double-thickness of paper towels. Then drape the golden brown cheese rounds (crispy on edges at that point but still pretty gooey in center) over the broom to cool. Can do other kinds of cheese the recipe says, but provolone starts out the perfect shape.

*Recipe and image from my cousin, Allyson Updike Rogers

Gingerbread

Favorite Old Fashioned Gingerbread

"This soft and spicy cake is flavored with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Serve it with fresh whipped cream!"

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 egg 1 cup molasses 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup hot water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
2.	In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
3.	In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
4.	Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

Slow Cooker Yogurt

What you need: 1/2 gallon of pasteurized milk (any fat content); 1-1/3 C powdered milk or 2-2/3 C instant powdered milk (not fake milk like Morning Moo – real powdered milk); yogurt (make sure it says “live and active cultures” – you only need to purchase this the first time you buy your yogurt, after that you can use your own homemade yogurt!); a 4-5 Quart slow cooker.
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Advice: Start this process when you first wake up or at about 4-6pm. This process is very, very easy and very, very time consuming.

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Also – NEVER stir your yogurt, only scoop or fold, or it will break down and become thin.
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Process:

1. Combine the powdered milk into the milk, mixing well (I use my stick blender). The powdered milk adds milk solids to your yogurt giving it a thicker consistency than most homemade yogurt. I HIGHLY recommend it. Plus, it’s a great way to use your food storage!
2. Pour the milk into a 4-5 quart crockpot, cover and turn on low heat.
3. Leave it alone for 2.5 hours.
4. Unplug your crockpot.
5. Leave it alone for 3 hours.
6. Uncover the milk and skim off any skin. Scoop 2 C of warm milk into a bowl and whisk with 1/2 C yogurt. For my starter I used Greek Gods traditional plain greek style yogurt.
7. Pour the milk/yogurt back into the other milk and cover your slow cooker.
8. Wrap the entire slow cooker crin a fluffy towel and let it sit on your counter for 8 hours.
9. Unwrap. Scoop yogurt into clean containers and refrigerate.

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That’s it. If you follow the measurements exactly and use the proper size slow cooker this method should work for you. If you change amounts or use a smaller or larger crockpot your heat will vary and it may not work. I cannot believe how easy and INEXPENSIVE this is. I will never buy store bought yogurt again. To flavor it – just stir in some jam or homemade syrup (I combine 1 C sugar, 1 C water, bring it to a boil and then add 1 C of mashed fruit and let it simmer for about 10 minutes). Delicious!!

Chicken-Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe

ingredients:

Gravy
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Steak
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
2 tsp baking powder
Salt & pepper
4 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 pound sirloin steak tips (flap meat) cut into four 4-oz pieces- I also bought 3 sirloin tenderloin steaks & cut 1 in half to make 4 steaks
1 1/2 cups peanut or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)

directions:

For the Gravy:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Stir in the flour and garlic powder and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.
3. Slowly whisk in the broth, milk, salt and pepper and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Cover and keep warm while preparing the steak. (The gravy can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

For the Steak:

1. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, garlic and onion powders, cayenne, baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Transfer 1 cup of the seasoned flour to a shallow dish.
2. Beat the eggs in a second shallow dish.
3. Add the milk to the bowl with the remaining flour mixture and rub your figures until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Pat the steaks completely dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
5. Score the meat lightly using a knife at 1/4 inch intervals in a crosshatch pattern on each side.
6. Dredge each steak after scoring in the seasoned flour.
7. Using a meat pounder, pound the steaks to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.
8. One at a time, coat the steaks lightly with the seasoned flour again, dip in the egg and then transfer to the bowl with the milk and flour mixture, pressing to adhere.
9. Arrange the steaks on a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to 4 hours; do not discard the milk and flour mixture.
10. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees (if not already done so).
11. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking.
12. Return 2 of the steaks to the bowl with the milk and flour mixture and turn to coat.
13. Fry the steaks until deep golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
14. Transfer to a clean wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
15. Repeat with the remaining steaks. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Rice Cooker Lime Rice

Put into rice cooker:

1 C Rice
1 C chicken Broth
1 C Water
2 cloves of minced garlice
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon lime juice

Mix together and add to rice once cooked:

1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon freeze dried cilantro

Homemade Orange Sherbet

Ingredients:

1/2 C Sugar
2 t finely grated orange zest
1/8 t kosher salt
1 C freshly squeezed orange juice, approximately 1 to 2 pounds oranges
2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 C very cold whole milk

Directions

In a food processor combine all of the ingredients except the milk and process until the sugar is dissolved, approximately 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and whisk in the milk. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 1 hour.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may serve now or transfer to a lidded container and place in freezer until firm, approximately 3 hours.

French Silk Pie

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 heaping tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Eggs

Baked Pie Shell

Mix all ingredients, except EGGS and shell, well. Add one egg, beat for five minutes. Add a second egg, beat for five minutes. Add a third egg, beat for five minutes. Pour into pie shell and chill overnight - if you can wait that long to eat it!

Biggest Loser Pancakes

Ingredients:

6 egg whites
1 cup rolled oats, dry
1 cup cottage cheese
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla 
*Skim milk as needed for the right consistency

Instructions:

In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed. Makes about 10 pancakes.

Number of Servings: 3

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
181 Calories, 2.7g Fat, 10mg Cholesterol, 361mg Sodium, 20g Carbs, 2.8g Fiber

Half of this recipe is 7 WW points (made with low fat cottage cheese)