Recipes

I just got this email with tons of recipes!!! So here is the link: http://www.50plusfriends.com/cookbook/
Wow! APPETIZERS, BEVERAGES, BREADS, CAKE & FROSTING, COOKIES & DESSERTS, COOKING FOR A CROWD, CROCK POT, BREAKFAST, FISH & MEAT & GAME, JAMS!! "GIFTS IN A JAR", so much more! Its a cool site! A lot of hard work!!

Easy Italian Chicken

*1/2 of a medium head of cabbage, cut into wedges (about 12 ounces)
*1 medium onion, sliced and seperated into rings
*1 4 1/2 ounce jar of sliced mushrooms, drained
*2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca
*2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken
*2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce
*grated parmesan cheese
*hot cooked pasta

In a 3 1/2 qt. slow cooker-combine cabbage, onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle tapioca over vegetables. Place chicken pieces on vegetables. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken.

Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours or on high for 3- 3 1/2 hours (or until done)Transfer to a seving platter. Sprinkle with parm. cheese. Serve over cooked pasta.

I had forgotten all about this until I was putting my kitchen back together and found a bunch of recipes I had lost!! Its a really good and easy one to try!!

Chicken & Bean Stew {slow cooker}

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 large onion, sliced

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with pepper, celery and onions (such as Hunts), drained {I did not drain mine, I skipped right over that instruction and it turned out just great not draining}

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper {this goes a long way in this recipe}

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup frozen corn

3/4 cup frozen lima beans

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard {I did not have any on hand so I skipped this and it seemed to work out fine without it}

4 cups prepared mashed potatoes {optional}

Directions

1. Stir together chicken, onion, tomatoes, broth, cayenne and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in slow cooker bowl. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours.

2. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces, stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, frozen corn and lima beans {no need to thaw} and the mustard. Cook 30 minutes more.

3. Serve with mashed potatoes, if desired.

{Notes: Again recipe courtesy of Parents.com. If I make this again I will add just a little bit more corn and lima beans. Overall this had great flavor, was a bit spicy but really yummy and filling.}

Cheesecake Marble BrowniesHot From The Microwave

These brownies are super moist and really easy. All you have to do is cook them in the microwave.....crazy, huh?



Brownie Mix:
5 Tbs. butter (no substitutes)
2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cheesecake Layer:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

*In a large microwavable bowl, melt butter and chocolate squares. Stir until smooth. Wisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour and baking powder. Stir until smooth. Spread into a greased microwavable 8-inch dish; set aside.
*Wash out mixing bowl, and heat cream cheese until softened. Wisk in sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour over brownie mixture and run a knife through the batter (for the marbled look.) Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
*Place a plate/dish upside down in the microwave and place your brownie dish on top. Cook, uncovered, for 11-13 minutes on 70% power. Rotate brownies a 1/2 turn at 5 or 6 minutes. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Heat one last time for one full minute on HIGH. Cool on rack and place in fridge.
Yield: about a dozen

Cahoon Crock Pot Roast

Cahoon Crock pot Roast


I got this recipe from: A little of this and some of that


3-5 pound roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg Lipton dry onion soup mix
1 10 oz can beef gravy
1/2 brown sugar
3 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Garlic salt the roast and place in crock pot. Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on low heat for 12 hours or high heat for 6-7 hours. Take roast out when cooked, strain gravy to get rid of lumps, and thicken with cornstarch and cold water mixture (if needed).



We love this!! The roast turned out wonderfully! The gravy mixture was awesome! We had things to do yesterday so this was perfect, threw everything into the crock pot and left, came home to our house smelling yummy!!! Made some potatoes and carrots, served with buttered bread! Great Sunday evening dinner!! Sorry No Pictures.







If you haven't tried this yet, Try them! McCormick makes them, and they are good! You cut up potatoes (I put in baby carrots, too!)add oil and seasoning, put into the bag (its included)and microwave!

Confetti Beef Skillet

*1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef (I used 1 pound)
*1 medium yellow onion, chopped
*1 env. italian dressing Mix
*1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
*1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
*1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed
*1 cup water
*1-1/4 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
*1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


Brown meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in dressing mix. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add zucchini, tomatoes and corn; mix lightly. Cover; simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Stir in rice; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I found this on kraftfoods.com It had a really good flavor to it. However--if you dont like hamburger (like me) its almost impossible to pick around it in this recipe. Next time I will make meatballs to put in this because I really like how the veggies and tiny rice pieces (that I could sort out) tasted!! :)

Chicken with Cashews {Slow Cooker}

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 cups baby carrots

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

5 tablespoons soy sauce {variation: ginger flavored soy sauce - which I couldn't locate at our local store, so I just used regular soy sauce}

8 ounces snow peas, trimmed {variation: I used frozen peas since I plan my meals ahead of time and didn't dare waste fresh snow peas}

2 cans, 8 ounces each pineapple tidbits, drained and 2 tablespoons juice reserved

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced and cut in half

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup roasted cashews

3 cups rice

Directions

1. Stir together chicken, carrots, broth and 3 tablespoons soy sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook for 3 hours on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW.

2. Remove cover and stir in snow peas, pineapple and red pepper and cook an additional 20 minutes.

3. In small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons pineapple juice and cornstarch. Stir into liquid and other ingredients in slow cooker. Stir in cashews and cook an additional 10 minutes or until liquid has thickened. Serve over rice.

I have to say this is my new favorite. As for the pineapple, my husband detests it and I asked him to just take a bite with some pineapple {as the rim of his plate is lined with picked out pineapple} and his reply was "not bad, not bad at all". So all of you non-pineapple lovers give it a try! Recipe courtesy of Parents.com.

Beef Tostadas {Slow Cooker}

12 Tostadas.
Prep: 15 minutes (1st stage), 15 minutes (2nd stage).
Slow Cook: 6 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped {for a little added flavor/hotness I recommend 2.}
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 packaged tostada shells or hard taco shells
3/4 cup fat-free refried beans
1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup cheese of your choice
3/4 cup salsa

Sour Cream

Directions
1. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Place 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, the garlic, jalapeno, onion, chili powder, cumin and cayenne in slow cooker. Place beef on top and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

2. Remove beef to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred with fingers or using two forks. Place shredded beef in a large bowl.

3. Strain remaining liquid in slow cooker over a colander, discarding solids. Add strained liquid and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice to beef in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover to keep warm.

4. Warm tostada shells in oven according to package directions. While tostadas are baking, heat refried beans in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on HIGH, stirring halfway through until warm and spreadable.

5. Spread each tostada with beans, sour cream, beef, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

Recipe courtesy of Parents.com. This recipe was so yummy. I have a few other new recipes I would like to post; however, I like to taste test them before I pass them on. Keep checking back for more or pick your own favorites off the Parents.com site!

Easy Lasagna Toss

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 cups chopped green peppers (about 2 peppers)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1-2/3 cups water
1/4 cup zesty italian dressing
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


Brown meat in large (4-qt.) saucepan on medium heat; drain.

Add peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover.

Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 min. or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

This was so easy to make and tasted great.

Salmon with Olives and Lemon

*1 medium (about 6 ounces) yellow summer squash
*1 medium (about 6 ounces) zucchini
*1 (17" by 15") extra-heavy-duty foil cooking bag, or heavy-duty foil
*2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
*3/4 cup(s) kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
*1/2 cup(s) loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
*2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
*3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
*1 teaspoon(s) grated fresh lemon peel
*1 (1 pound) skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling over medium-high heat.

Trim ends from yellow squash and zucchini. With vegetable peeler, peel squash and zucchini lengthwise into long thin ribbons. Transfer ribbons to foil cooking bag. (Or, place two 30" by 18" sheets heavy-duty foil on work surface to make a double thickness.) Sprinkle tomatoes, olives, parsley, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt over squash and zucchini ribbons. Sprinkle lemon peel and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over salmon.

Place salmon on top of squash mixture; seal bag. (Or, if using foil, bring long sides of foil up and over salmon; fold several times to seal well, then fold in ends to seal tightly.)

Place foil packet on grill rack. Cover grill and cook 12 minutes.

When salmon is done, cut an X in top of foil packet to let steam escape, then carefully pull back foil to open. Slide vegetables and salmon onto 4 dinner plates to serve.

Chocolate Fondue

*6 ounce(s) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
*1/4 cup(s) half-and-half or light cream
*1 tablespoon(s) flavored liqueur such as cherry, orange, coffee, or raspberry, optional
*1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
*Fruit such as whole strawberries or chunks of banana, pineapple, or pear
*1/2 cup(s) almonds, toasted and finely chopped (optional)


In heavy 1-quart saucepan or fondue pot, melt chocolate with half-and-half over low heat until mixture is smooth, stirring frequently. Stir in liqueur and vanilla; keep sauce warm.

To serve, arrange fruit on large platter. Spoon fondue into small bowl if you like. Place nuts in another small bowl. With toothpick, dip fruit into fondue, then into almonds if you like.

Warm Chocolate Pudding

*1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix
*2 cups cold milk
*1-1/4 cups water
*2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) Chocolate Instant Pudding
*1/3 cup sugar
*1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping


Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside.

Pour milk and water into large bowl. Add pudding mixes and sugar. Beat with whisk 2 min. or until blended. Pour over batter.

Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch any sauce that bubbles over sides of dish as dessert bakes. Bake 55 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center of cake layer comes out clean. Cool 20 min. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools). Spoon into serving dishes; top with COOL WHIP.

Red Velvet Cake

Cake recipe
*1 1/2 sticks butter, softened; plus more for pans
*2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
*Pinch salt
*1 cup buttermilk
*1 tablespoon white vinegar
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*2 large eggs
*2 tablespoons natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
*2-4 tablespoons (1-2 ounces) liquid red food coloring (depending on desired shade of red)
*1 1/2 cups sugar

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and eggs together in a medium bowl. Mix the cocoa and food coloring in a small bowl to make a paste.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.

Add 1/2 the buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat, ending with the buttermilk mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cocoa powder-food coloring mixture, and mix on medium speed until completely incorporated, about 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, give the batter a final stir.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes, rotating the cake pans halfway through baking. Remove the cakes from the oven. Cool the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them on a wire rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour, before decorating.

To assemble, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or cardboard round. Spread 2 cups of the frosting evenly across the top of the cake with a spatula. Place the second cake layer on top, then spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake.

Milk Frosting Recipe

Yield: Enough to fill and frost 1 cake

*3 tablespoons flour
*1 cup milk
*1 cup sugar
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*2 sticks butter

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the flour and the milk until the mixture is very thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool completely.

With a electric stand or hand mixer, cream the sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine this mixture with flour-milk mixture.

This is my favorite cake ever!! And if I can make it----ANYBODY can!!