Cafe Rio Salad

Cafe Rio Salad

The Rice:
4 cups rice 2 cups water (I add more water because I use wheat rice)
1 tsp cumin
2 garlic cloves
6 green onions
1 tablespoon butter
6 springs cilantro chopped
*All in rice cooker

The Chicken:
7 chicken breasts
2 cans rote diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 tsp. chili pepper powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 dash tabasco sauce
1 tsp cayenne pepper (warning: this makes it really hot!!!! I usually just add a little pinch)
*Crock pot this and shred chicken when cooked. I just cut with scissors while in the crock pot.

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1 pkg. Hidden valley ranch dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I just use a pinch)
1 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic; minced
3 tomatillos; quartered
*Blend dressing ingredients in blender

Layer: Rice, Chicken, lettuce, black beans and dressing! Sooo Good!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can black beans (15oz)
1 can corn, drained (15oz)
1 can diced tomatoes in juice (15oz)
1 box chicken broth (4 cups)
1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, shredded

Bring water to boil in large pot and add rice. Cook on low for 20 minutes. When done, remove the pot from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and heat to simmer.

Season to taste with: salt, ground cumin, black pepper, chili powder

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.

Grandma's Yams

1 small can crushed pineapple
1 large can yams
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cube butter

Combine all ingredients except for crushed pineapple and yams into a sauce pan. Heat. Bring to boil for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Take off the heat, and add crushed pineapple. Butter square casserolle dish, and add drained yams. Pour sauce over, and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

**I like to add marshmallows to the top for the last couple minutes.**

Cinnamon Rolls

Hey, we all get a sweet tooth sometimes. And usually it doesn't correspond with a time when we feel like baking something. I am a huge fan of the Rhodes Rolls, and yesterday I tried these. They taste delish, just like homemade cinnamon rolls...without all the work! I have been craving cinnamon rolls ever since I saw Paula Dean make some on the Food Network. The 6 hour process wasn't so appealing. All I can say is... You're welcome!

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Tried and true. I made this for lunch today and it was so delicious! I had leftover chicken and leftover wildrice, and this made the yummiest soup. It is definitley worth trying. I really don't think exact measurements matter, just throw in what you got.

Abt 1-2 cups cubed chicken, cooked
Abt 2 cups cooked wild rice
3 stems celery, chopped
1/2 sweet yellow onion
1 cup sliced carrots
3 slices bacon chopped
2 tbsp butter
A few dashes of parsley flakes
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cups milk
About 2 cups water (or until you reach the desired consistency, it is super thick without the water)
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large pot, dump in your butter, veggies and bacon and let simmer on medium heat until veggies are soft. Add the cream of chicken soup and milk. Stir until smooth consistency. Add parsley flakes. Add the cooked rice and chicken. Then add water until you reach your desired thickness/thinness. I let it simmer on low for about an hour while some cornbread cooked and then served, it was wonderful.

Gourmet Caramel Apples

MMMM! Found this online, and after someone brought me one last Sunday I am so pumped about making them for others. Seems like a good recipe.

How to Make Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples
Caramel apples are a special treat and a fabulous gift. They are not hard. All you need is some good quality apples, caramels, and some great chocolate. With just a little practice, you can make some gorgeous apples. The ones in the pictures were dipped in caramel, then chocolate, and drizzled with almond bark. But use your imagination. How about caramel apples rolled in cinnamon candy bits or chopped pecans?
What you’ll need
• Individually wrapped caramels• Apples• Chocolate for coating• Craft Sticks• Almond bark or white chocolate (optional)• Nuts, candies, or sprinkles (optional)
Directions
If you use store-bought caramels, the little square kind that come individually wrapped, it’s easy to make gorgeous caramel apples. Here’s how
1. Use about 14-16 ounces (or 1 lb) of individually wrapped square caramels for 5 large or 6 medium-sized apples. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the melting caramels.
2. Choose the best apples that you can find. They should be free from bruises and firm. Tart apples contrast with the candy coating well. We prefer smaller granny smith apples. It makes for a better serving size. Remove the stem of the apples by twisting and pulling or by cutting with a sharp scissors. Press craft sticks for handles into the stem end of the apples.
3. Dry the apples completely. If the apples are damp the caramel will not stick to the apples.
4. Place buttered or oiled waxed paper on a cookie sheet or several large plates. Set aside.
5. Melt the caramels over very low heat, stirring occasionally as they soften.
6. While holding the pan to its side to make the caramel deeper, twist the apples through the caramel. By grasping the sticks, you can roll the apples on an angle so that the caramel does not need to be deep enough to immerse the apples. Let the excess caramel drip off of the apple. Scrape the caramel off of the bottom of the apple. More caramel will drip down the apple as it sits. Set them vertically on the waxed paper to cool.
7. Melt enough chocolate to twist the caramel covered apples through the chocolate. Use the very best chocolate that you can buy. You can buy melting wafers specifically made for candy coatings. (Avoid those melting chocolates designed for thin, hard coatings.) When the chocolate is melted, dip the caramel coated apples. Again, set on waxed paper to cool or roll the coated apples through chopped nuts or crushed candies.
8. Once cool, consider melting white chocolate or almond bark and drizzling the white chocolate over the apples in an attractive manner.
Notes:
1. Don’t cook either the caramel or chocolate coating. Cooking will change the consistency; it only needs to melt.
2. If the coating seems too thin, it’s too hot. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.
3. If the coating is not adhering properly to the apple, it is too cool. Heat the topping further.
4. The coatings will set up faster in the refrigerator.
5. Once cool, the apples can be placed in individual plastic bags and a ribbon tied around the stick.
6. They do not have to be refrigerated unless you would prefer to do so. If refrigerated the apple itself will be cold, but it may make the coatings harder than desired.

Bannana Crumb Muffins

This is currently THE #1 recipe on All Recipes with something like 3K reviews of 5 stars. I have not yet tried it, but they look tasty and I guess I can take the word of all the other guinea pigs out there. Good way to use some ripe bannanas!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Cookie Bars

The story behind the recipe. Our Elder's Quorom President is apparently an amazing baker. Not long after he was called he brought these for all the Elders and Jared snatched one for me. I was wondering how he managed to sneak into Relief Society and was shocked to hear they were handed out in Elders Quorom! Very uncharacteristic. I was certain his wife spent hours baking and he took the credit, but she says he did it all on his own! Brother Ruiz also owns an Ultrasound Office and came over to tell us the sex of Porter when I was only 14 week along. I brought him some cookies to say "thank you" but now that I know what an amazing baker he is, it probably wasn't much of a thanks. It was the tastiest treat Jared and I had ever had, and he said "You HAVE to get that recipe!" His wife was kind enough to share. You will LOVE these, but as crazy as this sounds, they are not good warm out of the oven. You have to let them cool, as if you hadn't waited long enough to savor the yumminess. It is well worth the wait though, trust me.

COOKIE DOUGH

1 cup butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2.5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups quickoats

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

FUDGE

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp butter

1 cup eagle brand milk

Melt the following ingredients slowly in a saucepan, and then add 2 tsp vanilla.

Grease and flour a 9X13 glass casserolle dish. Spread 1/2 cookie dough mixture on bottom, pressing down. Pour fudge over cookie dough layer, and then place remaining dough mixture on top. (You can't really spread the 2nd 1/2 well, so I take small pieces, flatten them out and spread over fudge until mostly covered - some fudge may be visible in between the blobs.)

BAKE in 350 preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden. Wait to cool, cut in squares and serve.

Jackie's Macaroni Salad

The taste is similar to potato salad, but it has macaroni noodles instead of potatoes. Lisa's mom, Jackie, made this at Lisa's little boys baby blessing. It was good, I am making it tonight for a Relief Society Dinner.

Elbow Macaroni Noodles, Cooked & Drained
Mayo & Mustard
Season w/ salt, pepper, and parsley flakes
Chopped Onions, Pickles, and Celery
Boiled Eggs, Chopped

Jamie's Self Titled: 'Best Homemade Syrup Ever'

If you have been to Magelby's Fresh for their delicious breakfast, this recipe is for their syrup. It calls for buttermilk, however I never have this on hand. You can actually MAKE buttermilk by doing the following: 1 CUP milk + 1 TBSP vinegar (Let sit 5 min before using.) This recipe makes enough for a large group.

1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp karo syrup
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Bring all to a boil and then add:

1 tsp baking soda
(Be prepared to take off the heat, as baking soda will make the syrup foam to the top of the pan!)

Diane's Blackberry Cobbler

A good family friend of mine, Diane Larson, gave me this recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but I can hardly wait to. If self rising flour wasn't in my pantry I would be making it tonight actually. The link to the recipe can be found here.

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup milk

2 cups blackberries

1/4 cup more sugar

Melt a stick of butter in a micro-safe bowl. In seperate bowl, combine sugar and flour. Whisk in milk until smooth, and then add the melted butter. Butter a casserole dish, and pour the batter in. Evenly sprinkle the blackberries over the batter, and top with 1/4 cup of sugar. Bake at 350 for 1 hour until bubbly and golden.

Note: I would imagine you could substitute for another fruit if you wanted?

Jennie's Pumpkin Chocoloate Chip Cookies

Jennie-O's recipe. How easy is it?

1 box spice cookies
1 small can pumpkin
1 pkg. chocolate chip cookies

Mix together well. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes.

Strawberry & Blueberry Topped Brownies

A Pampered Chef Recipe

2 boxes brownies, cooked in 1 9x13 casserole dish
1 container Cool Whip
1 8oz pkg. softened cream cheese
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1 lb. sliced strawberries
1 pkg. blueberries

After you have baked your brownies, let them cool to room temperature. If you do not let them cool, the topping will simply melt. In mixing bowl combine whipped cream, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until well blended. Using rubber spatula, spread over brownies until completely covered. Top with sliced strawberries and blueberries. Tasty!

Crepes

1 cup milk
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs
Pinch salt

Use a whisk to blend ingredients well together until there are no lumps. Place a pan on the oven and turn to medium. Wait about 5 minutes until pan is heated up. Spray with non-sticking spray and pour a thin layer of crepe mixture to pan. Tilt pan back and forth until the mixture covers the entire pan. Let cook for about 3 minutes, and flip with a rubber spatula. The opposite side will only take about 30 seconds to cook. Continue this process until all your crepes are made.

Filling: We like to fill our crepes with sliced strawberries and bananas (fresh not frozen), and whipped cream. We roll up our crepes and sprinkle some powdered sugar and a little more whipped cream. Delish!

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Casserolle

This is a good one to make the night before, and then just bake in the morning. Believe it or not, I got this recipe from the Harmon's grocery store. It's a keeper!

1 dozen eggs
1 lb. sausage (I like turkey apple maple)
2-6 oz. cartons plain yogurt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. frozen shredded hash browns
1 c. onion, chopped
12 oz. cheese, grated

In skillet, cook sausage until brown and crumbly. Remove from pan and add onions to same pan. Cook until tender. Combine all ingredients and place in casserole dish. Bake in 375 oven for 1 hour or until fork comes out clean.

Jamie's Frog Eye Fruit Salad

This is my sister-in-law Jamie's recipe, it is yummy!

1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 c. pineapple juice
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 cans mandarin oranges
2-20oz. cans pineapple chunks
1-20o. can crushed pineapple
1 large carton Cool Whip
1 pkg. mini marshmallows
1 c. coconut
1 pkg. acini de pep pasta

Cook sugar, flour, salt, eggs, pineapple juice (from canned pineapple chunks) and lemon juice over medium heat until thick and then cool. Put 1 package of acini de pep noodles in water with 1 tsp. oil and 1.5 tsp. salt. Drain and rinse in hot water. Cool to room temperature and add egg mixture. Mix lightly. Refrigerate

Grandma's Cranberry Jello Salad

My Grandma and my Mom have been making this jello salad for as long as I can remember! We have it with every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, and it always brings back memories.

1 large package cherry Jell-O
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple
2 cups hot water
1 container Cool Whip
1 8oz. container sour cream
Chopped walnuts

In mixing bowl combine 2 cups hot water with cherry Jell-O and mix until dissolved. Add cranberry sauce and crushed pineapple and mix well. Pour ½ the mixture into a 9X13 casserole dish and refrigerate until set (about 1 hour). Cover the remaining mixture with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature. Once Jell-O has set remove from refrigerator. In mixing bowl combine sour cream and cool-whip, and spoon over the set Jell-O. Pour the reserved Jell-O mixture over the top, and return to refrigerator to let finish setting. If desired you may top with chopped walnuts.

Red Potato Salad

1 5lb bag red potatoes, cooked and cut into medium sized cubes
1 small jar mayonnaise
½ red onion, diced
5 dill pickles, diced
5 boiled eggs, chopped
Seasonings: salt, pepper, dill, and celery seed

Combine all ingredients and fold together.

Hawaiian Pineapple & Chicken Pasta Salad

I made this up and I think it is pretty good!

1 pkg. penne pasta- cooked and drained
½ lb. shredded chicken
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained
4 stems green onion, chopped
4 stems celery, chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
4 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

One of my favorites!

1 lb chicken breasts (thawed or frozen)
1 can cream of chicken
1 small can mild green chiles
1 large can green enchilada sauce
-Add these ingredients to your crock pot and cook at High for 4-5 hours, or on Low for 8+ hours.
1 8 oz container sour cream
1 lb. Jack Cheese, grated

After your crock pot cooking time is complete, remove chicken breasts from crock pot and place in large mixing bowl. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken (it should just fall apart). Add ½ of the sauce from the crock pot to the shredded chicken, along with the sour cream, and ½ of the grated cheese. Spoon the chicken enchilada mixture into flour tortillas, roll up with the ends closed, and add to casserole dish. Top the enchiladas with remaining crock pot sauce, and the reserved grated cheese. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo

½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 cloves garlic (I used the already minced garlic from a jar and add two tsp.)
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch salt & pepper- (I also add parsley at the end)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Strips of chicken
1 12oz. box pasta- I use bowtie.

1. Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium/low heat.
2. Add garlic, cream, salt and pepper, and bring to simmer. Turn heat down if it reaches a boil as it could boil over. You just want a simmer. Add the cheese and continue to simmer sauce for 8 minutes or until thick.
3. While sauce cooks, boil water and add pasta. Cook for 12 minutes or until tender, and drain.
4. Combine pasta, cubed chicken, and sauce into a bowl and stir. Top with additional grated parmesan.

Lasagna Casserolle

This is the easiest recipe, and it is SOOO good. From start to finish it is only 30 minutes!

1 pkg rotini pasta, cooked
1 jar Ragu spaghetti sauce (w/ super chunky mushrooms)
1 lb ground beef, cooked
8 oz. shredded mozarella cheese
8 oz sliced provolone cheese
8 oz sour cream

Brown beef, and add jar of spaghetti sauce. In casserolle dish, layer as followed:

1/2 pasta
1/2 slice provolone
1/2 sour cream (dollops 1 inch apart)
1/2 sauce/meat mixture
1/2 shredded mozarella cheese
Repeat, and then bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Mom's Rice & Chicken Casserolle

My mom always made this growing up, and everyone loved it. It is super easy to make, and all the ingredients are things you will always have on hand.

3 cups cooked rice (1.5 uncooked rice makes 3 cups cooked)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 cups salsa
1 lb. chicken, cooked and cubed
8 oz. grated cheese
Optional: Occassionally I like to throw in a can of corn.

Add all ingredients, except cheese, to casserole dish and mix well. Bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with grated cheese and put back in oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Famous Homemade Rolls (or Cinnamon Rolls)

2 c. hot water
1 stick butter, melted
2 tbsp. yeast
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
6 c. flour- (I find that I need to add a lot more flour when kneading to reach correct consistency)
2 tsp. salt

Place water and yeast in bowl and stir ‘til dissolved. Add sugar and let activate. In meantime sift together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add butter and eggs to yeast mixture. Slowly mix in dry ingredients.
Let dough rest 5 minutes before kneading for 5 minutes. For rolls, I like to tie knots. Let rise 2 hours at room temperature before baking at 425 for 20 minutes (or until golden brown).

For cinnamon rolls- after kneading dough, roll the dough to ½ inch thickness. Brush melted butter onto dough and add cinnamon/sugar mixture. (Cinnamon, White Sugar, and Brown Sugar) Roll the dough and cut 1-inch thick slices. Place in casserole dish and let rise 2 hours until doubled in size. Bake same as above.

Mom's Zuchini Bread

Makes 2 loafs.

2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
Add 2 eggs
1 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. raw zucchini, shredded

Mix together, add walnuts if desired. Grease and flour loaf pans, and bake 60 minutes in 350 oven.

Easy Taco Soup

I saw Paula Dean make a similar Taco Soup on the Food Network, and I decided canned would be much easier that fresh ingredients. It worked wonderfully, and this is truly one of THE easiest soups you can make. Everything is canned except for the meat of course.

1 lb. ground beef, cooked
1 can stewed tomatoes, plain
1 can stewed tomatoes, Mexican style
1 can diced tomatoes, with green chiles
1 can black beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can corn
1 small can mild green chiles
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. chili seasoning
1 pkg. ranch seasoning packet

Add all ingredients to a huge pot, and let simmer for about 30 minutes until warm. Top with tortilla chips, grated cheese, and sour cream. The only cans you drain are the beans.

Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder Soup

4 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. onion, chopped
¾ cup celery, large dice
2.5 cups hot water
2 cups raw potato, peeled and cubed
1 quart half & half
3 cups frozen corn, thawed (I use the sweet white corn)
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 pinch pepper
3 tbsp. flour

1. On medium heat, melt butter and simmer onion and celery for 5 minutes until soft, but not brown.
2. Add water, potato, corn, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are barely tender.
3. Whisk the flour into 1 cup of the half and half, and stir into the soup. Add the remaining 3 cups of half and half. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until soup has thickened to a creamy consistency. (You must stir frequently or the half and half will scald at the bottom of the pan.)
4. Correct seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. To correct consistency: to make soup thinner, add milk. To make soup thicker, simmer for additional 5-10 minutes.

Mom's Spinach Dip

The jokingly "secret" recipe, that's really no secret at all - it can be found right on the back of the Knorr's soup mix.

1 box frozen chopped spinach
1 pkg. Knorr’s vegetable soup mix
1 pkg. sour cream
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 stems green onion, chopped
Mayonaise
Bread- French Loaf or Sourdough

Follow spinach dip instructions found on the back of the Knorr’s vegetable soup mix. Refrigerate before serving. Serve with cubed bread.