Hamburger Soup

From cooks.com

2 lbs ground beef

½ t salt

¼ t pepper

¼ t oregano

¼ t basil

1/8 t seasoning salt

1 pkg onion soup mix

6 C boiling water

1 can tomato sauce

1 T soy sauce

1 C celery leaves

1 C sliced carrot

1/3 C dried split peas

1 C elbow macaroni

grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, brown meat, drain fat

2. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, seasoning salt

3. Stir in boiling water, tomato sauce, and soy sauce

4. Cover and simmer 15 min

5. Meanwhile, prepare celery, celery leaves, and carrots. Add to simmering mixture with split peas and continue to simmer for 30 min

6. Add macaroni and simmer for 30 min longer, adding more water if necessary and stirring occasionally

7. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese

Favorite Chocolate Cake

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

1 pkg devil's food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix

1 pkg (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding mix

1 C sour cream

1/2 C water

1/2 C vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1-1/2 C semi-sweet choc chips

Place cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Bake @350 degrees for 58 to 62 minutes.

Martha's Chocolate Icing

1 C granulated sugar

5 T butter

1/3 C shole milk

1 C semisweet chocolate chips

Place the sugar, butter, and milk in a medium size saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil, 3-4 minutes. Still stirring, let the mixture boil until the sugar dissolves, 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

STir in the chocolate chips and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate has melted.

Spread the icing over the cooled cake or cupcakes of your choice.

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes

1 pkg devil's food cake mix

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

2 large eggs

1 t pure almond extract

1 C semisweet chocolate chips

Place the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined, with pieces of broken-up cherries throughout. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each liner three quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven. (350 degrees for 20-25 min).

Basic Granola

1/2 C maple syrup

1/4 C vegetable oil

1 t ground cinnamon

3 C rolled oats (regular, not quick)

1 C chopped walnuts

1 C sunflower seeds

1/4 C firmly packed dark brown sugar

pinch kosher salt

2 egg whites

1 C shredded sweetened coconut flakes

1 C dried cranberries

1/2 C M&M's (or try choc or white chips)

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small pot over medium heat, whisk together the syrup, oil and cinnamon. Cook unit it just bubbles. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

In a large bowl, add the oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Pour in the syrup mixture and toss well. In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites to combine. Pour over the granola and toss well. Evenly spread the mixture onto a sheet tray. Bake until golden, turning several times, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving bowl and cool. When cool add the remaining ingredients and serve.

Adapted from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/happy-trails-granola-recipe/index.html

Grilled fish tacos

These look delicious! Grilled fish tacos from Our Best Bites. Also, recipe for lime-cilantro vinaigrette.

Thai Peanut Noodle Stir Fry

from Allrecipes

Delicious! I only used 1 T honey and 2 T brown sugar and left out the sake. It was perfect!

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1/4 C flour

1/2 t black pepper

1 T canola oil

1/4 C soy sauce

2 T ketchup

1 T brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t fresh ginger

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1/2 C cashews

Combine flour and pepper in a resealable food storage bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice.

Peanut Trix Squares

1 C sugar

1 C corn syrup

1 stick butter

2 C roasted, salted peanuts

1 C chocolate chips

4 C miniature marshmallows

6 C Trix cereal or similar favorite

1. Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Butter a large 9x12 pan or similar and set aside

3. In a 5 quart saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil.

4. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.

5. Once the marshmallow mixture has melted, add the peanuts and chocolate chips.

6. Pour marshmallow mixture over the cereal.

7. Press mixture into a prepared pan, cool and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

From the ward newsletter. This is a healthy and delicious dessert idea.

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1 lb fresh strawberries, diced

1 8-oz pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed (I used blueberries and they were perfect!)

2 T granulated sugar

1 T brown sugar

3 T fruit preserves, any flavor

In a large bowl, mix kiwis, apples, strawberries, raspberries, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and fruit preserves. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Cinnamon Chips

10 10-inch flour tortillas

Vegetable oil for frying

2 C cinnamon-sugar mixture to taste

Cut tortillas into strips or triangles. Heat oil in frying pan. Drop tortilla strips into hot oil a few at a time. When golden brown, remove and immediately drop into cinnamon-sugar mixture. Coat chips with mixture, then place on paper towels. Allow chips to cool. Serve with fruit salsa.

Chocolate Pretzel Rings

Quick, easy treat from Allrecipes. We also made these today with pastel M&M's.

Cheddar and Herb Biscuits

I made these light, flavorful biscuits to go with our Easter dinner today. From My Kitchen Cafe.

Baked Oatmeal

From My Kitchen Cafe

6 cups oatmeal (you can use quick or rolled – I used quick oats to give it a smoother texture)

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups milk

1 C oil (or try substituting applesauce for all or part)

4 beaten eggs

1 T baking powder

2 t salt

Preheat oven t0 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9X13 inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with milk …or not

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I've never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer. Makes 10 cups dry mix.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it's worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.

From My Kitchen Cafe (www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com)

Buttermilk Pancakes

These are really, really good pancakes. Worth the extra effort and dirty bowls! From Allrecipes.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Crockpot Nachos

4-5 Frozen Chicken Breasts

1 can drained black beans

1 can drained canned corn

1 15 oz jar of salsa

1 8 oz package cream cheese

1. Put frozen chicken breasts into crock pot.

2. Add corn, black beans and jar of salsa.

3. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until chicken forks apart.

4. Add 1 pkg cram cheese and let sit for about 1/2 hour. Use a fork to pull apart all the chicken before adding the cream cheese. Can serve over tortilla chips or sticky rice.

Black and White Brownies

Charlene discovered this recipe in a magazine and has made it several times. So delicious! The brownies start with a mix, but you would never know it!

1 19-21 oz pkg fudge brownie mix

1 pkg white baking pieces

1 C semisweet chocolate pieces

1/2 C pecan pieces

1/4 C butter, melted

3 T hot water

2 C sifted powdered sugar

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t vanilla

3/4 C pecan pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking pan; set aside. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Stir in half of the white baking pieces, all of the semisweet chocolate pieces, and the 1/2 C pecans. Spread the batter into prepared baking pan.

2. Bake about 30 min or until center is set. Sprinkle with the remaining white baking pieces; bake for 1 min more. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

3. For frosting, in a small bowl combine melted butter and hot water, stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat by hand until smooth. Spoon over top of brownies. Sprinkle with the 3/4 C pecans. Cool about 1-1/2 hours or until frosting is set. Cut into bars. Makes about 36 brownies.

Basic Cake Mix Cookies

1 vanilla cake mix

1/2 C butter softened to room temperature

2 eggs

1/4 C brown sugar

1 t vanilla

1 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips

Mix cake mix, butter eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. If batter is too sticky add 1/4 C flour if needed for consistency. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.

Honey Bun Cake

1 yellow cake mix

2/3 C vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 8-ounce container sour cream (1 cup)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 C chopped pecans

2 t ground cinnamon

1 C powdered sugar

1 T milk

1 t vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350. Lightly flour and grease 13x9-inch pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.

2. Beat cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread HALF of the batter in pan.

3. In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter in pan. Carefully spread remaining batter evenly over pecan mixture.

4. Bake 44 to 48 minutes or until deep golden brown. In another bowl, stir powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until thin enough to spread. Prick surface of warm cake several times with fork. Spread powdered sugar mixture over cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Store covered at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Chip Bars

1 yellow cake mix

1/3 C vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 C smooth peanut butter

1-1/2 C peanut butter morsels

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil. Mix in peanut butter. Stir in peanut butter morsels. Pat the mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. Let cool 30 minutes before serving. Store covered.

Creamy Spinach Lasagna

This is a delicious healthy recipe from Cookinglight.com. Everyone liked it, even though it is filled with spinach rather than meat. I cooked fresh spinach and used regular noodles. Also, I used Monteray Jack cheese, since that is what I had on hand. The leftovers the next day were even better!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce, divided
• Cooking spray
• 12 cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles, divided
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• Parsley sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until onion is browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and spinach. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 3 minutes or until spinach is tender. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, milk, salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add 2 cups milk mixture to spinach mixture. Cover remaining milk mixture, and set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce; top with half of spinach mixture. Top with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 cup marinara sauce, and 3/4 cup cheese. Layer 3 more lasagna noodles, remaining spinach mixture, and remaining 3 lasagna noodles. Top with remaining marinara sauce. Pour reserved milk mixture over the top, and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until lasagna is browned on top. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

328 (25% from fat)

Fat:

9.3g (sat 3.8g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.2g)

Protein:

17.3g

Carbohydrate:

45.6g

Fiber:

6.9g

Cholesterol:

19mg

Iron:

3.1mg

Sodium:

726mg

Calcium:

371mg

Orange-Cranberry Bread

Debbie Shepherd

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 T grated orange peel

2 C flour

1 C sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

2 T shortening

1 C orange juice

1 egg, well beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Generously grease and lightly flour 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Prepare cranberries, nuts and orange peel. Set aside.

In a bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and soda. Cut in shortening. Stir in orange juice, egg and orange peel, mixing just to moisten. Fold in cranberries and nuts.

Spoon into prepared pan. Bake 60 min. or until wooden tooth pick inserted into center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack 15 min. Remove from pan, cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Bev Lawson

4 medium peeled and diced potatoes

1 lb bag baby carrots

1 head cauliflower (chopped)

1 head broccoli (chopped)

2 family size cans cream of chicken soup (4 regular size)

1/2 lb grated cheese

Cook potatoes and carrots until not quite done in just enough water to cover them. Then add broccoli and cauliflower. Cook until tender with still just enough water to barely cover. Add the 2 cans of soup. Cook until all vegetables are tender and the soup is thickened. Add the cheese in a little at a time until it is all melted.