Last night I tried a great soup from Family Fun Magazine.  It was a great lasagna soup.  It took about an hour from start to finish but it was souper easy! No pun intended.  Both Turkey Butt and Little Man loved it.  Turkey Butt’s job was putting the cheese mixture on the bottom of the bowl and then putting the mozzarella on top.  She loved it.  I had never chopped herbs before.  I had alwasy used dried herbs but I have a fantastic small processor and use it for everything.  It made quick work of both the onions and the …read more

This month’s Lifestyles’ Carnival theme is picnics. I thought I would share with you my pasta salad recipe. Personally, I don’t like the taste of the boxed pasta salad mixes and this one is always well received.
You’ll need:
1 box of garden rotini noodles
1 bottle zesty Italian salad dressing
1 small can of sliced olives, drained
handful of fresh chopped mushrooms
2-3 diced roma tomatoes*
1 cucumber – peeled and chopped
chopped deli ham (optional)
shredded cheese
Fill a large pot with water and bring water to a boil. Add box of noodles. Boil about 10 minutes, until noodles become tender. Drain and allow to cool. In a …read more

I’ve made this cheese spread a few times.  It goes well with crackers and is so simple to make. 
You’ll need:
8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature or softened)
2-4 tablespoons Catalina dressing
Simply mix the cream cheese and the Catalina dressing until the dressing is completely mixed into the cream cheese.  The amount of dressing you use will depend upon how tangy you like the cheese spread. 
I’ve served this at two parties and it was well received.  Thanks to my friend Darlene for the recipe.
Enjoy!

I was looking through an old Good Housekeeping magazine today and found an article about Kelly Ripa.  Each year at Christmas, she makes hundreds of spritz cookies using her grandmother’s recipe.  They are simple and easy.  I thought you might enjoy having this recipe on file.  You don’t have to wait until Christmas to make them.
Grandma Esther’s Spritz Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
1. Heat oven to 375 F degrees.
2. Combine butter and sugar, then add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
3. Load into cookie press. Place dough 1/2 inch …read more

Last night, I meant to open a can of evaporated milk, but accidentally opened a can of sweet condensed milk.  I didn’t want the sweet condensed milk to go to waste, so I asked my mom what I should make with it.  She suggested this simple and yummy cake.
You’ll need:

Box of cake mix – You’ll also need the ingredients to make the cake, which are probably eggs, oil, and water.  Or if you’re feeling up to it, you can make a cake from scratch.
14 oz can of sweet condensed milk
container of Cool Whip or whipped topping
coconut (optional)

Make the cake according …read more

With the rising price of groceries, we all could use some inexpensive recipes for our families. This is a slow-cooker recipe and it is great because it is easy, tasty, healthy, and inexpensive! Score!
Ingredients:

chicken (I used 4 boneless breasts)
1 can diced tomatoes (I used the ones with green chilies)
green salsa (such as the kind made by Herdez)
minced garlic
sliced onions
sliced bell peppers
salt and pepper (I used Goya Adobo seasoning, which is one of our faves!)
14 oz can of kernel corn, drained
15 oz can of black beans, drained and chopped or mashed

In a crock pot, put in your chicken, tomatoes, …read more

This is a very easy to prepare.  You can have dinner in about 30 minutes.  Since the shells are baked, this is a pretty healthy meal. 
You will need:

boneless chicken
refried beans
salsa
taco seasoning
Azteca taco shells (usually found in the refrigerated stuff, near the eggs)
lettuce
tomatoes
sour cream
shredded cheese

Set out your Azteca taco shells so that they can begin to soften.  Wash and cut up your lettuce and tomatoes; set aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
Form your taco shells using the forms that are included in the Azteca kit.  Bake these on 350 until they’re browned.  This should take about 8-10 minutes.
Cut your chicken into bite size …read more

My husband is not fond of pasta.  I know, it’s weird. lol  Sometimes it is hard to cook for him because there are so many dishes that have pasta in them. 
Last week I decided to concoct a pasta free lasagna.  Here’s a picture of it before I cooked it.  Sorry, I don’t have an after picture.  This pic will help you to see the layers. 
My husband said this was the best lasagna he had ever eaten.  When he had the leftovers the next day for lunch, he said again how much he enjoyed it.  That made me feel pretty good.  …read more

I was looking through the recipe archives this week and couldn’t believe that I haven’t given you this recipe yet.  I am making this tonight and it is so yummy!  My kids even eat it.
2 rolls of croissants (from the dairy case)
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut or torn into small size pieces
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can milk
1/2 can water
garlic, salt, pepper (optional)
How you choose to cook the chicken is up to you.  I would recommend boiling it or cooking it in a skillet with a little butter.
Preheat …read more

Remember my cousin’s Sweet 16 party?  I thought I would share another recipe for one of the dishes we made – stuffed jalapenos. 
This recipe makes a big batch of jalapenos.  Adjust as needed.  You’ll need:

35-40 fresh jalapenos
three 8 oz packages of cream cheese (at room temperature)
approximately 3/4 of a roll of sausage
2 packages of bacon (pieces cut into thirds)
toothpicks
gloves

To start, you need to wash the jalapenos, cut them lengthwise from top to bottom, and then take out the seeds, leaving the stems attached.  I’m sorry, I had pictures of us doing all this, but they got deleted.  You will need to wear gloves while taking out …read more