Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 packet Ranch mix (not buttermilk)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno

Mix all ingredients together in the blender.

Sweet Pork

2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chilies
3/4 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Seasoned Chicken

• 2-3 Chicken Breasts
• 1 tablespoon  dried parsley, crushed
• 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

 Cook chicken with seasonings. Shred if using on tzatziki sandwiches.

Tzatziki Sauce

Courtesy of Epicurious

• 3 cups plain yogurt (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
• 1 English hothouse cucumber (about 16 ounces), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 large tomato, quartered, seeded, thinly sliced

Apple Crisp

2 C flour
2 C oats
1.5 C brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 C melted butter
Mix these ingredients and press half of the mixture into a 15x10" jelly roll pan (cookie sheet that has sides works too). Set aside the remaining to add to topping.

2 1/2 C apple slices
I put a lot more apples on than this because I was trying to use up some soft apples, just go with what ever you have. You'll need to bake it a little longer if you add extra apples.

1 1/2 C Carmel ice cream topping
1/2 C flour
Whisk together, heat to thicken a little. Pour over apples.

1/2 C craisens
1 C chopped nuts (pecans were great)
Add these to the topping you held back and that's the last layer.

Bake 350 degrees for 25 - 35 minutes or until the apples are soft or it's looking brown enough. Basically you just want to crisp up the topping.

Snickerdoodle Dessert Hummus

http://www.thewannabechef.net/2011/01/17/snickerdoodle-dessert-hummus/

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dessert Hummus

http://www.thewannabechef.net/2011/01/11/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-dessert-hummus/

Summer Pizza

From The New York Times

1. Make your pizza dough.
2. When ready to cook, press one ball into about a 10-inch round. Use a little flour, if needed, to prevent sticking and a rolling pin, if desired. Film a 10-inch skillet with olive oil and turn heat to medium. When oil shimmers, put dough in pan and adjust heat so it browns evenly without burning. (If dough puffs up unevenly in spots, push bubbles down.)
3. Turn dough, then top browned side with tomato sauce, cheese, a bit of salt and pepper, and, if you like, prosciutto and/or basil leaves. If top is now heavily laden, cover pan and continue cooking, or run it under broiler, just until toppings become hot. With only a couple of toppings, just cook until bottom browns. Repeat with remaining dough; serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Maple Salmon

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound salmon

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.
2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Fish Tacos

Courtesy of Kelly

Ingredients

• 1/2 to 1 pound of tilapia
• garlic salt, cumin, dill and parsley to taste
• Coleslaw (directions below)

Directions

1. Thaw tilapia or other mild-flavored fish. Heat oven to 450.
2. Rinse fish and pat dry. Place on greased baking sheet. Season with garlic salt, cumin, dill and parsley.
3. Bake until fish is cooked (no longer transparent and easily flakes or pulls apart). Flake the fish into chunks.
4. Heat crunchy taco shells per directions on box.
5. Put fish and coleslaw in each taco.
6. Add your favorite salsa on top and there's dinner!
   

Coleslaw- Kelly style

Ingredients

• finely shredded cabbage
• 2T mayonnaise (I used light)
• 1 t lemon or lime juice
• garlic salt to taste

Directions

1. I buy a bag of finely shredded cabbage (about a dollar here).
2. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic salt to taste.
3. Blend with your hand. You want enough "sauce" to have a little bit on each piece of cabbage but not drenching it. It really just comes down to what you like.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Original Courtesy of AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Melt butter or margarine over low heat.
• Add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well.
• Add sugars. Mix until smooth but be careful not to burn.
• Spread into a 9 x 13 inch pan.
• Spread chocolate chips over the top. Cool.

Tiffany-Is-Sick Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 8 C water
• 7 cubes of chicken bullion
• 1 large bay leaf
• 2 t rosemary
• chicken 
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• vegetables
• noodles

Directions

1. Boil chicken in the water, bullion, bay leaf and rosemary.
2. Add cream of chicken soup.
3. Add vegetables and cook until soft.
4. Add noodles and cook until done.

Better-Than-Classic Stuffed Shells

Courtesy of Julie Lindstrom
Makes 24 shells

24 dried jumbo pasta shells
2 cup ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese
2 eggs
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 or 3 garlic cloves, pressed
Salt and pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, to al dente. Drain and reserve shells.
3. Mix ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, spinach and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Evenly spread about 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
5. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly among them, about 1 heaping tablespoons each.
6. Lay the shells side by side, open side up, in the dish. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over the marinara sauce.
7. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pizza Hut Pizza Dough

Pizza Hut Dough
1T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup warm water
2 T veg oil for dough
4 cups flour
1/4 C non fat dry milk
1 package yeast
9 ounces veg oil for pans

Put yeast, sugar, salt and dry milk in large bowl.  Add water and stir to mix well.  Let sit for 2 minutes.  Add oil and stir again.  Add flour and stir.  Turn out on flat surface and knead 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 3 balls.  Oil pans on bottom. The recipe would have you use 3oz / pan. Its a lot. Just put a good layer in the bottom of the pan so the dough doesn't stick.  Roll dough out in circles and place in pans (dough doesn't need to come up the sides of the pans very much - or at all).  Cover with dish cloth and rise 1 1/2 hours. ( we skipped letting them raise and they turn out great).
Cook at 475 -- I think we cooked them about 13 minutes -- it's hard to tell when - I say overcook a little so that they are cooked through the middle.

Tortellini Soup

• 1 pkg fresh spinach (prepare by taking off stems while soup is cooking. Can also chop if you want)
• 1-49oz can chicken broth
• 2pkgs 8oz tortellini (cheese or meat filled) I prefer cheese
• 1 lb of italian sausage cooked (reg flavor works too. just buy the tube)
• 1/2 lb. of mushrooms sliced
• 1 onion diced
• 1-2 carrots, diced
• 1 can Italian tomatoes chopped up
• 2 t dry basil
• Parmesean cheese and salt and pepper to taste (add some salt and pepper while cooking and just put cheese on table when serving)

Cook and set aside sausage. in 8-19 qt. pan saute onion, mushrooms, carrots in 2-3 T of butter. Add broth, meat, tomatoes, basil to vegetables and cook 20-30 min. May add salt and pepper to taste or let people do it themselves.

Add tortellini and cook 6-8 min more or until done. Add spinach and cook an additional 2-3 min. Serve with parmesan cheese.

try Jicama Salad

1/2 large jicama, peeled and cubed
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 orange pepper, diced1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. diced red onion
2 oranges, peel cut away and cut into small wedges
1/2 c. finely-chopped cilantro
1/3 c. fresh lime juice
2 T. olive oil
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of paprika
Salt to taste

Fast Food Recipes

http://lifehacker.com/5665491/top-10-fast-food-recipes-you-can-make-at-home

try Frosty

Courtesy of eHow.

• Half gallon of chocolate milk
• 12 oz whipped topping
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Ice cream freezer/maker, rock salt and ice.

1. Pour the chocolate milk, whipped topping and sweetened condensed milk into the ice cream freezer tank.

2. Insert the mixing paddle and stir up the contents until it is thoroughly mixed. Place the lid on tight.

3. Place the tank into the bucket.

4. If you are using an electric ice cream maker, put the motor in place, lock it in and turn it on.

5. Add a layer of ice in the bucket, about 1/4 full and pour a layer of rock salt on top of the ice. Repeat this step three more times until the ice has reached the top. As the ice melts and settles, you will need to add more ice and salt to ensure it is covered.

6. The ice cream is finished when the motor slows down to a crawl or stops completely. Stop the motor, remove the lid and enjoy!

Icebox Butterhorns (Rolls)

Via my awesome brother


1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

2 tablespoons warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

2 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)

½ cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup butter or margarine, melted

Additional melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water.  Add milk, sugar, egg, salt and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth.  Beat in butter and remaining flour (dough will be slightly sticky).  Do not knead.  Place in a greased bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Punch dough down and divide in half.  On a floured surface, roll each half into a 12-inch circle.  Cut each circle into 12 pie-shaped wedges.  Roll into a crescent. Place rolls, point side down, 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, (about 1 hour).  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush tops with melted butter.

Yield:  2 dozen.

Or, if you are in a hurry…let rise in a warm place (covered) for about an hour. Roll out into wedges and cover as said above and let rise until doubled.

Chunk-a-poo Cookies

Wet

------

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Butter Flavored Crisco

2 Eggs

1 Tsp. vanilla

1 Cups sugar

1 Cups brown sugar

1/8 cup milk

Dry

------

2 Cups flour

1 Tsp. Soda

1 Tsp. baking powder

2 1/2 Cups blended oatmeal (measure it then blend it).

1/2 Tsp. Salt

12oz. Chocolate chips

Blend, then add to Dry mix

-----------------------------------------

1 Bag M&M’s (regular sized or 1 big handful from Costco bag)

1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

1 Skor (or Heath) Bar

(all candy bars should be blended into powder)

Other

---------

1 package or Rolos

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips and candy bars. Roll into balls with a Rolo in the center—place about two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

If mixture isn’t quite “moist” enough, add an extra egg in (especially if you are using medium eggs).