Chicken Okaboji (Oak-a-boe-jee)

3 c Cooked Rice
3 c Cooked Chicken Chunks
1 c Cornflake Crumbs
2 tbs Butter
1 can Sliced Water Chestnuts
1 tbs Lemon Juice
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 c Mayonnaise
1 tbs Onions (grated)

Layer rice in bottom of 9x13 pan. Spread chicken evenly over rice. Mix soup, mayonnaise, onion, lemon juice and water chestnuts and spread over chicken. Mix cornflakes and butter and spread over all. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

SUPER SUPER EASY...SUPER SUPER DELICIOUS! Hits the spot everytime!

Cream Potatoes

8-10 medium potatoes peeled and sliced

1 medium onion diced

1 1/2 cups diced carrots

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp. butter

Salt and Pepper

In a skillet add butter, onions and carrots. Cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft and translucent.

Fill a 9 x 13 inch pan with peeled and sliced potatoes. I like to add some salt and pepper to the potatoes at this point. Then dump the onion and carrot mixture over the potatoes and give it a stir to mix it up. Pour the pint of whipping cream over top of everything.

Place in oven uncovered and bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Potatoes are done when they are soft (test with fork) and look like this:

These are a great side dish with fish or Parmesan chicken. They are also really yummy the next day. I could eat these everyday.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

I've never been an enthusiastic cook before, but I've decided that I better start, for the benefit of my family and my pocket book :) I'm really happy to say that this one turned out really good. I found it here. Nick said it's the best homemade stew he's every eaten. That's the best compliment I've ever received from him about my cooking :)

2 lbs. stew meat in 1" cubes
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. beef broth
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic or chopped onion (I did both, mmm)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. paprika
4 sliced carrots
3 diced potatoes
1 stalk celery, diced

Put meat in crock pot, Mix flour, salt and pepper and add to meat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix. Cover and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours. Stir well before serving.

I like my stew gravy a little bit thicker than this recipe made, so I added some thickening at the end and let it finish cooking for the last hour.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Cream Cheese Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 pkg. Italian Seasoning Dressing Mix
8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken soup

Put chicken and butter in crock pot, then sprinkle Italian seasoning mix over chicken and cook on high for 2 and 1/2 hours. Beat together cream cheese and soup and pour over top of chicken. Cook on high for another 1/2 hour. Stir when done. This is great over rice!

This is my husband's favorite dish. If you want to make it a little healthier, you can do 1/4 cup butter and the reduced-fat cream cheese. Sometimes I just cook it over the stove by opening two cans of canned chicken and heating all the ingredients in a sauce pan. Yummy!

French Bread Pizza

Super Easy dinner idea, we had it Friday!

Buy a loaf of French Bread ($1.49) cut it down the middle so it opens like a large sandwich. Spread spaghetti sauce (.99) on both halves. Top with whatever you would like (We like Pepperoni and Ham and Pineapple (not all on the same pizza). Top with cheese and put it in the oven until the cheese melts. Yummy!

Sometimes, I precut the french bread into individual slices and let the kids make their own pizza. It is a mess but they love it!!

Old School Hamburger Macaroni

My Grandma's favorite recipe!

Cook 1/2 box elbow macaroni as directed

While macaroni is cooking brown about a pound of hamburger with chopped onions. I like a lot of onions so I do about 1/2 a medium sized onion.

Drain macaroni and then add hamburger and onions.
Now put back on stove at med. heat.
Add two cans tomato sauce and a bunch of ketchup. A cup maybe? Taste it and see if it needs more!

That's it. It is so easy and I love it because Myles will eat it and you can stick the ketchup on the table incase your kids want more.

Serve with Bread, salad, or alone!

Super-Easy Stick Buns

12 Rhodes Frozen Cinnamon Rolls

(slow rising kind...they come in a red bag)

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar

1 cup chopped Pecans

(really you can leave these out, use more, or choose your favorite kind of nut)

In a saucepan stir together cream and brown sugar. Heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour cream/sugar mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan

Add chopped nuts to bottom of pan (if you want them)

Place 12 frozen cinnamon rolls into the pan

Follow directions on bag for raising the cinnamon rolls (you can do a fast method or an overnight method) and also follow the directions for baking.

When rolls are finished baking, let sit and cool for 10 minutes. Then place a serving tray (or cookie sheet if you don't have a big enough serving tray) on top of the 9x13 pan and flip pan over, dumping rolls and "goop" onto serving tray.

Eat!! So Yummy.

Shredded Pork & Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

This is a recipe from a very popular restaurant here. I am pretty sure that it is not Cafe Rio's exact recipe but it is pretty dang close and Yummy!!

Pork:
1 Pork Loin
2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 160z Jar of Pace Picante Sauce

Cook in a crock pot for 8 hours on Low, Shred pork and return to Crock Pot


Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
In a blender add:

1/2 Cup Buttermilk
3 Fresh tomatillos, cut into quarters
Juice of half a lime
1/2 Cup Mayo
1pkg Dry Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1Cup fresh Cilantro
2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
5 Stalks Green onions
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Combine in blender and refrigerate one hour

Add all your favorite salad goodies, Lettuce, Chips, Salsa, beans, rice. ENJOY!