Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter and Chocolate-need I say more?
Bethany, this one's for you!


Ingredients:
2 c. crushed graham crackers
2 c. powdered sugar
2 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your choice)
1/4 c. butter (barely melted in the microwave)
Dipping chocolate

Mix together the first 4 ingredients as you would a pie crust. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Melt the dipping chocolate. Roll peanut butter mixture into small balls, and dip into the chocolate. Allow to set on wax paper. Chill until served.

Aussie Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 tsp. seasoning salt
½ c. prepared mustard
½ c. honey
¼ c. corn syrup
¼ c. mayo
6 slices bacon cooked/chopped (I used real bacon bits)
2 c. Colby jack shredded cheese
1 T. Dried onion flake

Preheat oven to 350. Salt Chicken with season salt. Bake 30 minutes.

Mix mustard, honey, corn syrup, mayo and dried onion flakes to create sauce.

Place cooked chicken in baking dish. Cover with sauce mixture. Crumble bacon over chicken pieces. Top with cheese. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Quick and easy bread

I love this recipe. You can have a nice loaf of bread in about 45 minutes, start to finish. My good friend Holly gave me this recipe. I will say that to me, it's not the best bread I've ever had, but I make it at least once a week just because it is so fast. Plus it's great for french toast. I'll usually use it for dinner one night and use the second loaf for french toast a few nights later.

2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons yeast (yes, TABLESPOONS!)
2 T. sugar (I put 4T though)
1 T. salt
5 to 6 cups flour

pour warm water in a metal bowl (metal is best for bread since it retains heat). Dissolve yeast in the water. In another bowl (I just add this directly to the water) mix flour (I add 1/2 and then slowly add the rest small increments at a time), sugar, and salt.

I mix all of this using a wooden spoon. After almost all the flour is added I just put it on the counter and knead in the rest of the flour until the dough is a good consistency. You could easily make this in a Bosch though, or some other mixer.

Let dough sit for 15 minutes. It should raise pretty well. This is part of the reason I add more sugar. Sugar (or any sucrose) is what reacts with yeast to make it rise.

Form into whatever kind of bread you want. I make 2 french bread style loaves. You could make bread sticks or bread bowls too.

Bake at 425 for 10 to 15 minutes. I turn the oven to 400. I find that my bread bakes better at a lower temp here at 7000 ft.

so, there it is! I hope you guys like it.

Lemonade Ice Cream Pie

Quick and Delicious!
Great summer treat with only a few ingredients required.


1 graham cracker piecrust
1-1.5 quarts vanilla bean ice cream
6 oz. frozen pink lemonade-concentrate
Pink food coloring


Mix ice cream and lemonade concentrate in mixer or food processor. Add pink food coloring until desired color. Pour mixture into graham cracker piecrust. Place in freezer for two hours to set. Thaw before serving.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

I saw this while blog hopping recently and we tried it out yesterday...delicious! And way easy!

1 package chicken tenders (I used 4 large chicken breasts)
butter
2 Tbls lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp white grape juice concentrate
6 thin pats butter
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Cooked Rice (2 cups for 4 people)
Cook chicken in buttered saucepan until cooked. Place in a casserole dish and set aside. In the same saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon peel, and white grape juice concentrate. Keep heat on low and add heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. When heated through, pour sauce over chicken. Put pats of butter on top of chicken, and generously shake Parmesan cheese over it. (Really, be generous!!! I usually use about 2 cups!)
Place under the broiler for 5-7 minutes, until top is a light golden brown. Serve over rice.
Enjoy!

Chicken Chalupas

1 dozen corn tortillas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
¼ cup jack cheese
1 small can sliced olives
½ lb grated cheddar cheese
4 chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
1 pint sour cream
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 small can diced green chilis

Combine all ingredients but cheddar cheese, chicken & tortillas. Slightly cover bottom of 9x13 dish with mix. Add chicken and cheese to the remaining mixture. Spoon mix into warm tortillas. Roll and place in casserole dish right next to each other. Spoon reserved mix over top of rolled tortillas. Cover with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes-1 hour or cover with saran wrap then tin foil and freeze for up to 3 months - then defrost and bake.

Moist Meatloaf

This meatloaf is a favorite at our house. It is tender, and moist, and the tomato topping makes it full of flavor.


Tomato Topping:
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute
2 teaspoons white vinegar or water

Meatloaf:
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
1/4 cup roasted or fresh red bell peppers, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound prosciutto, or any type of ham, thinly sliced
1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix together the tomato topping ingredients. Set aside. Add a few drops of water to thin to a ketchup consistency.

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, eggs, Parmesan, vegetables, herbs, and seasonings.
Working on a waxed paper lined sheet pan or counter, form meatloaf mix into a 10 by 8-inch flat rectangle on the waxed paper. Place a layer of prosciutto slices on top, followed by a layer of provolone slices. Roll up the stuffed meatloaf mix like a burrito and seal the edges all around by pinching the meat.

Place the roll, seam side down, into a 5 by 9-inch loaf pan. Spread a heavy coat of the tomato topping to completely cover the top of the meatloaf. Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the temperature on a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Drain fat and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 8