Cheeseburger Chowder

Here is a nice comforting dish to make for dinner tonight! I love this recipe because it is simple and I usually have these ingredients on hand. It is a child pleaser, and delicious with warm homemade biscuits on the side. Autumn has begun!

1 lb. ground beef
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped onion
1 T. instant beef bouillon granules
¼ t. pepper
½ t. salt
1½ cups water
2½ cups milk
3 T. flour
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar

-In large stock pot, brown beef; drain. Stir in potatoes, celery, onion, bouillon, pepper, salt and water. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. In medium bowl, whisk flour into ½ cup of milk; add to pot along with remaining milk. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add cheese; heat and stir until cheese melts.

-Recipe from Good Things Utah

The Abs Diet Burger

I got this recipe off of Good Things Utah a long time ago. It's great--nice hearty, healthy hamburger patties, and if you're watching your carbs these are excellent by themselves with a little ketchup. I love them because they are very satisfying and always fill me up so I don't fill up on other junk!

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 c fresh spinach, chopped
2 T lowfat mexican blend shredded cheese
1/2 c chopped onions
1/2 c whole oats
1 egg
Steak seasoning to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Soy sauce

-Fry onions with a little soy sauce then put in a big bowl with all other ingredients. Mix well. Shape into hamburger patties and grill.

Fresh Pear Cake

I found this recipe in a magazine when I was first married and have loved it ever since! It is so quick and easy and soooo good!

About 2 T butter
About 1 1/2 cups flour
3 firm, ripe Bartlett pears, (about 1 1/2 lb total)
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/8 t salt
Powdered sugar

1. Lightly butter and flour a 9-inch round pan or baking dish; set aside.
2. Peel, core, and slice pears; set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, blend eggs, granulated sugar, milk, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups flour; continue to mix until well combined. Gently fold half the pears into batter. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth surface flat. Fan remaining pears over top of batter; dot with 2 T butter.
4. Bake in a 350 oven on bottom rack unil cake is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve. Or cover airtight and hold until next day.

The Best Guacamole EVER!

Ryan brought this recipe back from Mexico. He said it's the best he's ever had. I didn't see how it could be so good until I made it and--oh my goodness! This stuff is awesome! It's the real thing.

3 large avocados, mashed
2 tomatoes, chopped (try to squeeze out extra juice and seeds)
1/4 of a white onion, diced finely
1 c cilantro, chopped (I used a little less)
1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped very finely (can leave out & it's still dang good!)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

-Mix all in a bowl and dig in!!!

Caramelized Onion Dip with Crostini

This is the yummy dip I made for Mom's retirement party. It's great, because you can make the crostini a day or so in advance, just keep in an airtight container. It's also great to get kids involved-Christian loves cooking, and enjoyed "painting" the little crostinis with olive oil.

1 full baguette, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dip:
1 T unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 c low-fat sour cream
2 T dried onion soup mix
1 T Dijon mustard

-To make crostini, lightly brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and place on a large cookie sheet. Season tops with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted (I had mine in longer).

-To make the dip, melt butter in saucepan and add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 6 minutes (or longer) until the onion is browned and caramelized. Set aside to cool slightly.

-In medium bowl, combine yogurt, sour cream, soup mix, and mustard. Mix well. Stir in cooled onions. Serve atop crostini or use as a dip for crudites.

Monday Morning Cleanse

I call this my monday morning cleanse because Sunday's always seem to be a heavy food day-well the whole weekend can sometimes be that way-so when Monday morning rolls around I want something light and refreshing as I get back to my normal diet and try to be good. So this smoothie is simple, but fills you up and gives you lots of "nutrients" (per Nacho).

1 c frozen strawberries/blueberries/or fruit
8 oz. cold water
2 packets Splenda

-Blend in blender and drink immediately. You can use any kind of frozen fruit, but I prefer berries due to their high content of anti-oxidants and all that good stuff.

Blueberry, Lemon, Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

This recipe comes from the same friend who gave me the Lime Coconut Banana Bread recipe. This is so good! All the right flavors to spice up ordinary banana bread! So don't throw away those brown bananas! I used frozen blueberries for mine but fresh is always better. I would recommend using a basic cream cheese frosting for this instead of the glaze because it is easier to slice and eat plus it will give you a bigger taste! Just add the lemon juice to it!


Bread:
2 C flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C sugar
1/4 C butter, softened
1 C bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1/3 C reduced- fat sour cream
1 t vanilla
1 C blueberries
1 T grated lemon rind


Glaze:
1/4 C softened, light cream cheese
3 T powdered sugar
1 T lemon juice
2 t water

350 1 Hour
Mix butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla, banana, zest, sour cream. Mix dry ingred. and add to wet. Gently fold in blueberries. Spray bread pan with Pam. After bread is baked, cool then glaze.

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

This is another awesome "Our Best Bites" recipe (and picture) that I have absolutely enjoyed making over and over again! I've received a lot of compliments on it and have been asked for the recipe numerous times. This stuff tastes way better than store bought! I've made it in cute little jars like these, set atop a pint size Haagan Daaz or Ben & Jerry's ice cream (they're just the right size) for birthdays or the girls I visit & teach, and they are a hit! (You can get the little squat Ball jars at Walmart or Target, or check your local grocery store.)

1/4 c butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (milk are too sweet)

-Mix all over low heat in saucepan until combined. Pour into jars or other container. Store in fridge. This stuff is yummy cold right out of the fridge. I like to just eat it plain!
-I usually double this recipe for us, because it just never seems like enough!

Artichoke Stuffed Shells

You know how you can sometimes look at a recipe and just tell that it's going to be yummy by the list of ingredients? Well that's how I felt about his recipe, and sure enough it was excellent! A keeper! I couldn't find frozen artichokes so I used canned-NOT marinated, but in salt water. Christian had fun helping me stuff the shells. It was great! (they don't photo very well though! Ü)

1 (12 oz) box jumbo pasta shells
3 T olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 t kosher salt, plus 1/2 t
1/4 t fresh ground pepper, plus 1/4 t
1 (8-10 oz) pkg. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 (15 oz) ricotta cheese
3/4 c fresh parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 (26 oz) jar marinara or spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c grated mozarella

-Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook shells according to package.

-Meanwhile, in large skillet over med-high heat add oil, onions, and garlic. Cook until onions are soft and starting to brown. Add ground turkey, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper and continue to cook until done. Add artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and cool.

-In large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture, ricotta, parmesan, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Mix well.

-To stuff shells, cover bottom of 9X13 dish with pasta sauce (about a cup). Stuff shells well with turkey mixture and place in rows in dish. Drizzle with remaining pasta sauce and top with mozarella.

-Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is beginning to brown.

-Makes about 24 shells.

Hamburger Bean Dip

This recipe is by mom (Judi) who had it at work the other day and loved it!

1lb ground beef, brown and season w/salt, pepper & taco season/let cool/drain

In crock pot:

Large can refried beans
Large can enchilada sauce/mild
One can cream of mushroom soup
One 8 oz sour cream
2 cups grated cheese
One small can green chili’s/mild

-Simmer all in crock pot for a couple hours.

Raspberry Almond Blondies

When I went to Raspberry days in Bear Lake, they were selling white chocolate chip cookie with fresh raspberries in them and they were so delicious! I thought I'd look for a recipe and I found this one which is way better and doesn't everyone like a bar cookie so you aren't standing by a hot stove for hours waiting for your cookies? Costco had big, beautiful raspberries so I splurged and made these yesterday and Kel loved them! Here you go!

1-1/8 sticks unsalted butter at room temp. (9T)

1-2/3 C flour (I use a little cake flour for extra chewiness)

1 t baking powder

3/4 t salt

1 C packed brown sugar

1 t vanilla

1 C sliced almonds, toasted

1 pint raspberries

Powdered sugar for dusting

White chocolate chips

325 oven for 55-60 minutes

Spray 8x8 pan with pam then line with parchment and spray again. Mix like you would cookies but only put in 3/4 C almonds, reserving the rest for the top, and do not mix in berries! Place berries on top and sprinkle with nuts. Dust when cooled! I one and 1/2ed the recipe for a 9x13 pan. You'll want alot!

Mango Colada

This recipe is from my most favorite cooking website ourbestbites.com (the picture is from their website also). This was really, really yummy! Cream of coconut is a dream! (you can find it in the alcoholic drink mixers aisle) This would be good too without the pineapple, or even just do a lime/coconut colada. Talk about yummy!!

1 c mango cubes (about 1 mango)
Generous 1/2 c. of pineapple chunks and juice (or syrup) together
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 c cream of coconut (NOT coconut milk)-we added even more!
Crushed ice
pinch of sugar to your liking (we added this)

-Mix all in blender and mix thoroughly until no chunks. Add as much or as little ice as you like.

Pasta Wheels with Sausage and Tomatoes

Erin gave me this recipe when I was first married. It has become a staple. I made it again last night and thought you should all have this one if you don't already! The kids love the wheels!

1 lb mild italian sausage
1 med onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 can (14-15 oz) Italian style tomatoes
1 t oregano
1/4 t thyme and pepper
2 T each minced parsley and catsup
12 oz wheels or other fancy pasta

Remove sausage casing (I just use the stuff not in casings), chop and cook with onion, tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Simmer 1/2 hour.
Boil water and cook pasta wheels to directions.
Serve sauce over pasta with grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6

Shrimp Tacos

This recipe is from Cooking Light. This is my simplified version. It's so quick to make, and makes a simple dinner served alongside some fresh fruit. Ryan and I really enjoyed it, but it's not super kid friendly unless your kids love mexican food. My boys chowed on this, but my girls did not! While Ryan was in Mexico he acquired some awesome chile/lime seasoning that we sprinkled on ours and it was absolutely delicious! It added a nice extra kick.

1 lb medium cooked shrimp
1/2 c coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 T minced seeded jalapeño pepper
24 (6-inch)white corn tortillas
3/4 c chopped tomato
1/2 c light sour cream
1/2 c chopped green onions
2 limes, quartered

-Heat up shrimp in a skillet with some salt and pepper, just until heated through, do not over cook since they're already cooked.
-Add to shrimp the cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeño pepper, tossing well to coat.
-Heat tortillas in large ziploc bag in microwave. Double up tortillas-one always breaks and makes a mess-so in your 2 tortillas spoon a little of the shrimp mixture; top with 1 tablespoon tomato, 2 teaspoons sour cream, and 2 teaspoons onions. We also sprinkled a little more cilantro on ours since we love it so!
-Makes 10-12 tacos.

Banana Pudding

This recipe comes from my ward cookbook but it is actually one of the desserts served at Zinn Bistro in SLC. For all you banana lovers, this is an absolute dream! Like banana cream pie! I recommend slicing plenty of fresh, ripe bananas on the side because there is never enough!

2 bags Pepperidge Farms shortbread cookies (Chessmen)

6-8 ripe bananas, sliced

2 C milk

1 (5 oz.) box Instant French Vanilla pudding

1 (8 oz.)pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 ctn. whipped topping, thawed or sweetened whipped cream

Line a 9x13 dish with one bag of the cookies. Layer bananas on top. In bowl, combine milk and pudding. Blend well. In another bowl, combine cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth. Fold in topping. Add to pudding mixture. Pour over bananas and spread well so the pudding gets into the bananas. Layer the other bag of cookies on top. Refrigerate for 7-8 hours before serving.