Basil Marinated Shrimp

Oh my these shrimp.. A combination of every flavor I love. You can pan sear or bake these but we like to put them on skewers and grill them.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Tb evoo
• 1/4 cup butter, melted 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice 
• 3 Tb dijon mustard 
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil or 1/4 cup dried but fresh is always better
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 lb fresh deveined and peeled large shrimp
• Bamboo skewers, soaked in water

In a large bowl stir together evoo and melted butter. Stir in lemon juice, mustard, basil and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Add shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Skewer if you plan on grilling them, make sure you presoak in water so they don't char!

Oreo Truffles

These truffles are delicious!  I was out of town once and my husband needed them for a work event and was able to make them himself.  My husband really only grills and makes breakfast so this must be a pretty fool proof recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) package oreo cookies 
• 1 (8 oz) package softened cream cheese
• 2 (8 oz) packages semi sweet baking chocolate, melted

Crush 36 oreos in a food processor.  Transfer to large bowl. Add cream cheese, mix well. Roll into 42 balls, about 1 inch in diameter.  

Dip in melted chocolate and place on a wax sheet. Put sprinkles on or drizzle white chocolate over milk chocolate,  whatever you fancy. Refrigerate until firm. Usually takes an hour.

Jeanette's Cheesecake

This is an extremely old recipe created by an old polish neighbor of my grandparents. It has always been the cheesecake recipe my mom has used and I have used. You can serve it plain or make a strawberry glaze. Pictured below is with strawberry glaze which I have included the recipe for.

Ingredients for Crust:

• 14 full honey graham crackers
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 Tb white sugar 
• 1/4 lb melted butter 

Use food processor and crush crackers. Mix cinnamon, sugar and melted butter and press firmly into a 9x13 baker.

Ingredients for Layer #1:

• 2 eggs
• 2 packages cream cheese
• 3/4 c white sugar 
• 1 Tb sour cream 
• 1 t vanilla 

Mix well, pour over crust. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes and then spread on layer #2.

Ingredients for Layer #2:

• 1 pint sour cream
• 2 Tb white sugar 
• 1 t vanilla 

Mix well, drop topping spoonful by spoonful and spread slowly on top of first layer and bake at 425* for 8 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Strawberry Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 pints chopped strawberries
• 2/3 c white sugar
• 2 t vanilla

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat until sauce consistency is achieved. If still too chunky transfer to blender. 

Maple Salmon Marinade

Maple syrup plus salmon sounds bizarre but it actually goes great together! 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c maple syrup
• 2 Tb soy sauce
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t pepper

Combine ingredients in a gallon bag. Add 2 salmon fillets. Marinate in fridge for 30 minutes. Grill or bake and serve. 

Feta Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

The fresh basil really makes this great. Do not substitute for dried. Serve with wheat thins or ritz crackers. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (4 oz) package crumbled feta cheese 
• 2 Tb finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (found in a jar sometimes in international aisle)
• 2 Tb chopped fresh basil

Mix all ingredients until well blended and chill.

Casey's Pizza Sauce

This is another recipe I started in high school and finally feel like I perfected it.  Like my lasagna sauce recipe, you do not need to simmer this for 3 years over the stove top. Make it in advance and pop it in the fridge overnight.  This recipe makes probably 4 pizzas worth. I freeze the sauce and thaw out a couple nights before I plan on making pizzas 2, 3 and 4. Unfortunately I do not yet have a picture of the sauce by itself but plenty of finished pizzas! 

Ingredients:

• 1 t salt
• 1 t sugar 
• 2 t oregano 
• 2 t basil 
• 2 t garlic powder 
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1 t lemon juice 
• 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce 
• 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste 

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Taste to make sure there's enough garlic and spice. Cover and refrigerate overnight. After you make your first pizza, freeze remaining sauce until you want to make more pizzas with it :) we will usually heat sauce in microwave for 30 seconds before topping pizza dough. Just because. And enjoy!

Spaghetti/Pasta Salad

This can be made with spaghetti noodles or rotini pasta. I've done it both ways and it's equally delicious. 

Ingredients:

• I box spaghetti,  broken in half or 1 box multi colored rotini pasta
• 1 bottle zesty Italian dressing
• 2 Tb "Salad Supreme" seasoning 
• 1 container halved cherry tomatoes
• 1-2 cucumbers, peeled and diced 
• 1 container feta cheese if using rotini or 1/2 cup parmesan for spaghetti
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 1 Tb poppy seeds

Prepare pasta according to package directions and drain and cool.

Dice and halve the veggies.  

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and cover and chill. 

There's a bit of diced red onion thrown into this batch. Just depends on my mood ;)

Casey's Devilled Eggs

My deviled egg recipe has been a work in progress since I was in high school and just the past few years has it stayed completely the same and I am pleased with it. These are not your normal mayo/yellow mustard/paprika eggs. Not that I have anything wrong with those,  I just like making mine a little crazier. I will pretty much devour any deviled egg though. Munch.

Ingredients for 12 Deviled Eggs (Can be doubled for 24):

• 6 old eggs (Buy eggs 3 weeks in advance. Will make easier to peel.)
• 2 Tb minced onion
• 2.5 t dijon mustard
• 2 t yellow mustard
• 1 Tb mayo
• 1 t white distilled vinegar 
• 1/2 t dill weed
• 1 t fresh lemon zest 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Paprika 
• Chopped green onions
• Gallon bag 

Put your eggs in pot and fill pot 1 inch over tops of eggs.  Cook uncovered on high heat until they come to a boil and then remove from heat and cover and set timer for 20 minutes. Once time is up, put pot in sink and run cold water over eggs for 15 minutes. Peel eggs and slice in half.

Remove yolks and put in a medium sized bowl. Combine all ingredients except paprika and green onion and pop into a food processor to blend together into a nice smooth and creamy sauce.  Transfer sauce to a gallon bag and cut a small part of tip off and squeeze bag to fill the eggs. Top eggs with paprika and chopped green onion and refrigerate. Yum.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

This is a sweet casserole.  It almost tastes more like a dessert but everyone likes it.

Ingredients:

• 6 sweet potatoes- boiled, skinned and cubed.
• 3/4 c brown sugar 
• 1/2 c butter
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t nutmeg 
• 1 package mini marshmallows 

 In a large saucepan over medium heat combine sugar, butter, spices, vanilla and 2 cups marshmallows. Cook, stirring occasionally until marshmallows are melted. 

Stir potatoes into this sauce and pour into a 9x13 baker.  Bake 15 minutes and then take out and cover top with marshmallows and return to oven and bake until marshmallows are melted or browned. 

Green Bean Casserole

This is your traditional green bean casserole and everyone will love it.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 t worcestershire
• 1/4 t pepper
• 3 cans french sliced green beans, drained 
• 1 container french fried onions 

Stir everything but onions together and put in 9x13 baker. Top with french fried onions and bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until hot. How easy is that!

Meat Candy

This is a favorite at family gatherings. Bacon plus sugar plus weenies?  Yes please.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages regular sliced bacon
• 2 packages "Lil smokies" beef weenies
• 1 bag light brown sugar
• Toothpicks

Get out a 9x13 baker. Cut bacon into thirds. 1 piece bacon= 3 smaller pieces. Open weenies. Wrap 1 small piece bacon around each weenie and secure with toothpick. Put in baker. Do not throw out empty weenie packages when done wrapping. Pour all that extra liquid right in the 9x13 baker. Then dump half the entire bag of brown sugar over them and toss to coat. Cover baker and let marinate overnight. 

The next day get out a huge nonstick cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 325*. Line cookie sheet with bacon wrapped weenies, no not overlap. Sprinkle with some more brown sugar.  Bake until bacon is crispy, approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool long enough so you can touch them and place in a slow cooker. Don't let weenies cool down for too long on baking sheet because all of that sugar ooze on the sheet will begin to harden and you don't want the weenies sticking to the pan. 

Sprinkle some more sugar on the weenies once they are in the slow cooker. I'll usually just turn my cooker to warm. 

Banana Pudding

My husband loves this. It isn't too sweet and is really addictive.  

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened 
• 2/3 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 (5 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 (8 oz) container cool whip
• 6-7 sliced bananas
• 1 (12 oz) package vanilla wafers 

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Best in 2/3 can condensed milk,  pudding mixes, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1 container cool whip carefully.

Line the bottom of a 9x13 Baker with vanilla wafers. Arrange banana slices over wafers. Top with last container of cool whip and crumble several wafers over cool whip for garnush. Chill in refrigerator. 

Blender Hollandaise

This hollandaise doesn't require you whisking your brains out over a saucepan.  It is easy and always turns out. Serve over asparagus or with eggs benedict.

Ingredients:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 t dijon mustard
• 1 Tb lemon juice
• 1 dash tobasco
• 1/2 cup butter

In a small bowl, combine the yolks, mustsrd, lemon juice and tobasco. Pour into blender. Cover blender and blend for 5 seconds. 

Place butter in a glass measuring cup. Heat butter in microwave until completely melted and hot. Hot like you can see it bubble hot. Immediately pour butter into blender in a thin stream while turning blender on high. It will thicken quickly.  Serve warm. 

Davis Family Turkey

This turkey is guaranteed to be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It is packed with flavor and your guests will love it! This is my absolute go to thanksgiving turkey recipe that I started in 2010.

Ingredients:

• 1 (20 pound) whole turkey 
• 12 Tb butter, divided
• 8 cups warm water
• 6 Tb chicken bouillon
• 4 Tb fresh parsley
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 Tb minced onion
• 1 whole onion, quartered
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 Tb seasoning salt 
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 whole lemon, quartered
• Bay leaf

Preheat oven to 375*. Rinse and wash turkey throughly.  Discard inner organs.

 Place turkey in roasting pan. Use your hands and get in there and separate the skin from the breasts as well as over the legs to make pockets. Be careful not to tear. Put 4 Tb butter on each breast between the skin and meat. Put 1 Tb butter inside each of the legs too. While you're going at it with the butter, rub the entire outside of the bird down too. This makes it super juicy.

In a large bowl,  combine water with bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the turkey. Liberally sprinkle seasoning salt all over it. 

Place 2 garlic cloves, 1 sprig rosemary, half halved onion and quartered lemon inside turkey cavity.  Tie off or sew turkey closed. This step is assuming you are not stuffing it. If you are then ignore this part entirely. 

Put 4 stalks chopped celery,  1/2 cup chopped carrots, 3 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs rosemary, bay leaf and remaining half of onion in the roasting pan to flavor gravy for later. 

Cover turkey with foil and bake for one hour at 375*. After that reduce the heat to 350* and continue to cook 5 hours more until it has reached 180* internally.  The last hour of cooking remove foil so it browns and make sure to let turkey rest before carving for 30 minutes. 

Strudel Blueberry Muffins

These muffins have a sugar strudel topping and a prominent blueberry flavor. They are super moist, flavorful and taste great for breakfast. This recipe makes 10 muffins. Double for 20.

Muffin Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour 
• 3/4 cup white sugar 
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature and diced finely 
• 1 1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400*. Line muffin tray with muffin liners. 

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup white sugar,  salt and baking powder.  Place oil into a 1 cup measuring cup, add egg to that and enough milk to fill the cup up. Mix this with the flour mixture. DO NOT OVERBEAT. Fold in blueberries and fill cups 3/4 way and sprinkle with prepared crumb topping. Do not overfill muffin cups. 

Bake 18 minutes or until golden and done. 

To prepare crumb topping mix together brown sugar,  flour, diced butter and cinnamon.  Mix with a fork. 

Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

I make these around Halloween every year! They are moist and just delicious in every way. I love that it's an October tradition, it makes them even more special. 

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 1/2 t pumpkin spice or if you don't have that- 1/2 t nutmeg, 1/2 t cloves and 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tb milk
• 1 Tb melted butter
• 1 t vanilla extract
• Pinch cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine all dry ingredients in cookie recipe.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add the pumpkin, egg, and 1 t vanilla to the butter mixture and eat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients.  Drop on greased cookie sheet by tablespoons, flatten slightly .

Bake for 15 minutes in oven. Cool and then drizzle glaze with fork. 

To prepare glaze, combine glaze ingredients and add milk as necessary to achieve drizzling consistency. 

10 Minute Alfredo Sauce

This sauce is amazing. It tastes like Olive Garden's alfredo. It is rich, velvety, garlicky and best of all super easy to prepare. Serve with shrimp or chicken fettucine or even as a dipping sauce for your breadsticks. Super proud of this recipe!  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 - 1 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 jar parmesan
• 1/4 t black pepper
• Pinch of salt 
• 1/2 t Italian seasoning blend

Melt butter in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat.  Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stir with whisk until smooth. Add milk a little at a time and parmesan. If may not take the full amount of milk. Just keep on whisking and reduce heat some and simmer away. As long as you don't add too much milk at once it will shortly thicken up. Add a little more parmesan if you need to thicken it up some. Taste to make sure garlic, salt and pepper level to your liking and serve! This whole process should only take 10 minutes. 

Burrito Pie

This recipe will always be super close to my heart. That is because it is what I was eating when I was in labor. It was the last thing I consumed before going to the hospital.

Oddly enough this is the piece I ate while in labor. I took a picture. I bring out my holiday stoneware starting November 1st. I went into labor and was hospitalized Tuesday, November 5th and had Logan on the 7th. 

Ingredients:

•  2 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 t minced garlic 
• 1 (10 oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 (16 oz) jar taco sauce 
• 2 (16 oz) cans refried beans
• 12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped lettuce, chopped cilantro and sour cream for topping

Preheat oven to 350*. 

In a large skillet over medium heat,  brown the ground beef for 5 minutes, add the onion and garlic and cook until beef is browned. Drain fat. Mix in taco seasoning, rotel and taco sauce. Stir throughly and reduce heat to low and let simmer 30 minutes. 

1. Spread meat mixture on the bottom of a large casserole dish. A large rounded dish works better if you have one. 
2. Put 3 tortillas on top of that layer on top of each other in a stack.
3. Spread 1/3 can refried beans over tortillas.
4. Sprinkle 1/3 package of cheese over beans.
5. Spread meat mixture over that.
6. Put 3 tortillas on top of that layer on top of each other in a stack.
7. Spread 1/3 can refried beans over tortillas. 
8. Sprinkle 1/3 package of cheese over beans.
9. Spread meat mixture over that.
10. Put 3 tortillas on top of that layer on top of each other in a stack.
11. Spread last of refried beans over tortillas.
12. Spread meat mixture over bean layer. 
13. Sprinkle last of cheese on top.

Bake 20 minutes in oven or until cheese is bubbly.

Slice like a pie and top with desired toppings.

Chicken Florentine

This is a chicken florentine casserole.  The chicken lies on a bed of sautéed fresh baby spinach and portobello mushrooms. It has a delicious creamy white sauce flavored with wine, garlic and italian seasonings and to finish it off is topped with melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless bonesless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 t minced garlic
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 4 Tb butter
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1 Tb lemon juice
• 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 Tb Italian seasoning blend
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 2 bags fresh baby spinach
• 1 large container or 2 small containers fresh portobello mushrooms
• 10 slices bacon, crumbled
• 1 bag shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350*.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly,  mix in 3 t minced garlic, lemon juice, soup,  italian seasoning,  half & half and parmesan cheese.

Saute mushrooms and spinach in a separate large saucepan with 4 Tb butter, 1 t minced garlic and 1/4 cup white wine. Let mushrooms saute and spinach break down under medium heat. This will take about 10 minutes.

Pour mushroom spinach mixture on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Place uncooked chicken on top. Pour the prepared white sauce over the chicken and then top with crumbled bacon.

 Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded mozzarella and bake for 10 minutes more.

Remove from oven, let cool some and enjoy! 

Crab Cakes with Aioli

These crab cakes have a little bit of heat to them. The cooling aioli is a wonderful garlicky accompaniment which balances nicely with the spice from the cakes. My husband loves these!  Makes 4 large patties.

Ingredients:

•  1/2 cup evoo
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 (6 oz) cans crab meat, drained
• 1 Tb mayonnaise
• 1 t dijon mustard
• 20 Ritz crackers, crushed (Throwing them in a food processor works good)
• 1/2 t cayenne 
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t old bay seasoning 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs 

Combine crab, chopped green onions, 2 eggs, mayonnaise,  dijon, crushed crackers, cayenne, garlic powder,  old bay, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch patties. Coat both sides with bread crumbs. 

Heat 1/2 cup evoo in large skillet over medium high heat.  Once heated, cook patties 45 seconds - 1 minute and turn patties and cook 45 seconds - 1 minute. These cook fast. Seriously set a timer maybe at 30 seconds at a time and peak at the underside of them. They should be golden brown and crispy on the outside but soft and delicate inside. Serve warm with cold aioli.

Aioli Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 1/2 Tb lemon juice 
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper

Stir ingredients together in a small bowl and refrigerate for a few hours prior to making crab cakes. Delish! 

4 Ingredient Pulled Pork

This pulled pork only has 4 ingredients. It's amazing what the final result tastes like. No one will ever guess that this pulled pork is so stinking easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb pork butt or shoulder.
• 1 bottle A&W root beer
• 1 large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. I like Famous Daves Sweet n Sassy. 
• Hamburger buns 

Place the pork in slow cooker. Pour root beer over meat until submerged. Cook on low 6 hours. If your pork has a bone  remove the bone after the 6 hours is over. Drain slow cooker and shred pork with 2 forks.  Add the bottle of BBQ sauce and stir and cook for 45 minutes more. Serve on hamburger buns with coleslaw. 

Sweet & Tangy Slaw Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) bag classic coleslaw mix
• 2 Tb minced onion
• 2/3 cup miracle whip
• 3 Tb vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 Tb white distilled vinegar 
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t poppy seeds
• 1 Tb of dijon mustard 
• 1 Tb prepared horseradish 

Combine the slaw mix and onion in a 9x13 baker. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together miracle whip, dijon, vegetable oil, horseradish,  sugar, vinegar, salt and poppy seeds. Pour over slaw and toss to coat.

 Chill for 3 hours prior to serving. The longer it sits in the fridge the juicier the slaw will get. I don't recommend making it the day prior. Try to prepare it just a few hours in advance so it isn't too runny. You want a nice creamy consistency.  

Davis Family Lasagna

This is not your average lasagna. It is so jam packed with flavor, texture and ooey gooey cheese. Makes a ton. Pretty much you will be eating it daily for a week but won't be sick of it :) Also plan on starting lasagna one day before you actually plan on eating it. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic,  minced
• 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 4 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
• 4 (6.5 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 4 Tb white sugar
• 2 t ground fennel
• 2/3 cup fresh chopped basil
• 4 t Italian seasoning blend
• 1 t black pepper
• 3 Tb fresh chopped parsley
• No boil lasagna noodles
• 32 oz ricotta 
• 2 eggs
• 1 t salt
• 2 Tb fresh chopped parsley 
• 3 bags shredded mozzarella
• 1 jar parmesan cheese 

In a large stock pot, brown sausage and beef with chopped onion and garlic over medium heat.  Drain grease. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Season with sugar, fennel, italian seasoning,  pepper and 3 Tb fresh parsley.

 Cover and refrigerate over night.

 This is what I do with all of my homemade marinaras, pizza sauce, etc. I learned this from a professional caterer.  If you put your sauce in the fridge overnight, the flavors will attach to each other just as they would if you simmered it on the stove for 3 hours. Saves such a mess and it's hard not to burn the bottom of acidic sauces while on the stove top. Seriously, try this with your lasagna or any homemade tomato sauce.

The following day take your sauce out of fridge and let come to room temperature for 30-40 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375*. 

In a small bowl, mix ricotta with egg, 2 Tb parsley, and 1/2 t salt.

1. To assemble lasagna, spread a layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. 
2. Arrange 5 noodles lengthwise over sauce.  
3. Spread a layer (1/2 of bowl's worth) of the ricotta mixture over noodles.
4. Pour an additional layer of meat sauce over ricotta layer.
5. Sprinkle 1 bag of shredded mozzarella and 1/3 jar parmesan over that.
6. Arrange 5 more noodles over cheese layer.
7. Spread a last layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.
8. Pour an additional layer of meat sauce over the ricotta layer.
9. Sprinkle another bag of shredded mozzarella and 1/3 jar parmesan over that.
10. Arrange 5 more noodles over cheese layer.
11. Pour a last layer of meat sauce. 
12. Top with the remaining bag of mozzarella and last of parmesan. 

Cover with foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Amazing with garlic bread. 

Garlic Bread Ingredients:

• 4 Tb melted butter
• 2 t evoo
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 t oregano 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Spread on thick sliced bread tops and place on greased baking sheet and broil until golden, 5 minutes or so.

Italian Beef Sandwiches and Hot Giardiniera

These sandwiches taste like they came straight from Chicago. Slow cooked beef with melted cheese and fresh giardiniera on top in a soft hoagie bun. One of my absolute favorite recipes. 

Ingredients for Giardiniera (Make at least 5 days before you plan on making beef) -

• 1/4 cup table salt ie Mortons
• 1 cup small diced carrots (I buy a small bag carrot sticks and dice them up)
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 4 to 8 serrano peppers,  chopped
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 stalk celery,  diced small
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 2 cups vegetable oil (do not use evoo- will turn to jello in fridge if you do)
• 1 Tb dried oregano 
• 1/2 t ground black pepper

Combine 2 cups water and salt in a large glass bowl. Mix until salt is dissolved. Add the carrots,  cauliflower,  serranos, garlic, celery and bell pepper to the water and cover and refrigerate over night.

The next day drain and rinse the veggies. In a large Mason jar or bowl with lid, mix the oil with the oregano and pepper. Add the drained vegetables and mix to combine. 

Seal and allow to marinate a few days at the minimum. I try to prepare my giardiniera 5 days in advance as it only gets better with time in the fridge. Giardiniera keeps in air tight jars up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients for Italian Beef:

• 2 1/2 lb chuck roast
• 3 cups beef broth 
• 1 t salt
• 1 t pepper
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t onion powder
• 1 t dried parsley
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (.7 oz) package dry Italian style salad dressing mix 
• 2 pepperoncinis if available
• Provolone cheese slices
• Hoagie buns
• Prepared hot giardiniera

Combine beef broth with salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, onion powder, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Place roast in slow cooker and pour dressing mixture over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. 

At hour 8, remove bay leaf and shred beef. Do not drain. If you have any on hand, throw in a couple pepperoncini's. If you don't have any, don't worry about it. 

Cook for 1 hour more.

Serve on hoagie buns with provolone cheese and hot giardiniera.  Makes a ton of leftovers and heats up so well :)

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is fairly easy and I often make it for my husband for valentine's day. Probably could be made into a healthier dish by substituting the heavy cream but we all deserve to splurge sometimes.

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 slices swiss cheese
• 6 slices ham
• 5 Tb bread crumbs
• 1 t paprika 
• 3 Tb evoo
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 t chicken bouillon granules
• 1 Tb cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 c chopped fresh basil 
• 1 t garlic powder
• Toothpicks
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish if desired

Pound breasts until they are 1/2 inch in thickness.  To save time, sometimes I will just slice the breast length wise almost like your butterfly-ing it but continue to cut through. Make sure chicken is even in thickness so it will cook the same throughout. 

Beat 1 egg in a pie dish or shallow bowl.

Mix bread crumbs and paprika in a seperate pie dish or shallow bowl.

Preheat oven to 350*.

Place a cheese and ham slice in the middle of each breast and roll the chicken up and secure with toothpicks. Continue until you have rolled up all of your chicken. Dip into egg wash and then into bread crumb mixture.

Heat the evoo in a skillet over medium heat and cook chicken until browned on all sides. Be gentle when turning them. This should take maybe 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a greased baking sheet and finish cooking in oven for 20-25 minutes.

While chicken is baking prepare your sauce. Whisk heavy cream, wine, bouillon,  garlic powder, basil and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium high heat and let come to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 

When chicken is finished cooking, remove toothpicks and cut chicken rolls into slices. Transfer to plates and top with your sauce and enjoy. Garlic bread goes great with this. 

Beef & Bean Chimi's

Chimichangas.... yum. No further description necessary. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup whole kernel corn
• 7 oz diced green chilies
• 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce
• 2 t chili powder
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (16 oz) can refried beans
• 8 (12 inch) flour tortillas 
• 1 package shredded monterrey jack cheese
• 2 Tb butter, melted
• Shredded lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream optional for topping

Preheat oven to 350*. 

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Drain grease. Add the onion, chilies and corn. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium high heat. Stir in enchilada sauce and season with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Open can of refried beans and mix into meat mixture until combined. Cook until heated through and remove from heat and set aside. 

Spread a layer of meaty beans onto one tortilla. Top with a handful of shredded cheese and roll up the tortilla and place seam side down into a 9x13 baking dish. Continue to do the same with remaining tortillas.  Brush tortillas with 2 Tb melted butter and pop into the oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and tomato if desired. 

My Favorite Shish Kabob Marinade

This marinade is super easy to make and works great on any type of meat but we always pair it up with sirloin. This is enough marinade for about 2 lbs of meat.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup lite soy sauce
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup worcestershire
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 1 t black pepper
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Meat of your choosing, chopped into bite sized pieces
• Bamboo skewers 
• 2 red bell peppers, thickly sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, thickly sliced
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 2 packages whole portobello mushrooms

We make tons of skewers when we do shish kabob so I will double this marinade recipe and have one gallon zip bag for the meat and another for all the veggies. Or if your mushrooms are super huge you can cram those into the bag with the meat and put your peppers and onion in the second gallon bag.

We will let these sit in the marinade for at least 8 hours, usually overnight though. 

Soak your skewers in water for an hour prior to assembly so they do not catch fire on grill. 

Assemble your shish kabobs. Grill and enjoy. 

Tacos in Shells

This is a twist tying together tacos and stuffed pasta shells. They heat up and even freeze well and are very addictive. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 taco seasoning packet 
• 1 package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 (28 oz) can red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 bag shredded cheddar
• 1/2 bag shredded monterrey jack
• Sour cream
• Chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, and chopped tomatoes for topping if desired

In a large skillet, brown beef over over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain grease. Add cream cheese, rotel and taco seasoning packet and stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add your jumbo shells and cook for 10 minutes or package directions. Drain and toss in a tiny bit of evoo so shells don't stick to each other in strainer or pot.

Preheat oven to 350*.

Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce in a 9x13 baking dish. Fill cooled shells with beef mixture and arrange in dish and cover shells with remaining enchilada sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove dish from oven and top with shredded cheeses and return to oven, uncovered, and cook for 15 minutes more.

Top with sour cream, green onions or whatever toppings you desire and serve. 

Makes probably 16 or so shells.

Should Be Award Winning Chili

I would love to enter my chili in a chili contest.  I'm not tooting my own horn but I have spent several years perfecting this recipe and I think I have finally got it right.  Meaty, spicy, flavorful and has great depth. Will warm you right up and of course gets better with age. You will look forward to these leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef chuck
• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 8 slices bacon, crumbled
• 5 (15 oz) cans chili beans, undrained
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes,  undrained
• 1 (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper,  chopped
• 4 cubes beef bouillon
• 1/2 bottle Guiness dark beer
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 Tb worchestershire
• 1 Tb minced garlic
• 1 Tb dried oregano
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t salt
• 1 t ground black pepper
• 1 t paprika
• 1/2 t cayenne
• 1 t white sugar
• 1 package cheddar shredded cheese
• 1 bag Fritos scoops corn chips
• 1 container sour cream 

First cook your bacon and crumble the slices and put aside.

Then heat a very large stock pot over medium high heat. Brown chuck and sausage in evoo until browned and drain grease.

Pour in the beans, diced tomatoes, rotel, beer, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, chopped green pepper, chopped red pepper, bouillon cubes, worchestershire, garlic and season with chili powder, oregano, basil, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika and white sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours minimum,  stirring occasionally. 

After 2 hours, taste and adjust salt, pepper and chili powder if necessary. (Longer you can simmer the chili, the better it will taste.)

Remove from heat and serve with sour cream, fritos and cheese. 

Chicken Gyros with Tzatiki Sauce

The chicken can either be grilled or pan seared. We always grill it if it's summertime.  This is super fresh and tasty.

Chicken Gyro Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 t red wine vinegar
• 2 Tb evoo
• 1 Tb dried oregano
• 1 package skinless, boneless chicken breasts - cut into a strips 
• 6 (6 inch) pita bread rounds 
• 2 diced tomatoes
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 1 container feta cheese

Tzatiki Sauce Ingredients:

• 8 oz plain greek yogurt
• 1 Tb lemon juice
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 Tb fresh dill
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 finely chopped cucumber

Prepare tzatiki first. Combine all Tzatiki ingredients in a small bowl and cover and pop in the fridge.

Whisk together 4 cloves minced garlic, juice from 1 lemon, red wine vinegar, 2 Tb evoo and oregano in a large bowl. Stir in chicken strips and toss to evenly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in fridge for 2 hours.

When finished marinating, either grill chicken or pan sear, covered for 10 minutes or until juices run clear. 

Serve pita topped with chicken strips, tzatiki, lettuce, tomato, red onion and feta cheese. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

This stroganoff is creamy, not bland, easy to prepare and so hearty. A great winter meal and reheats well.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb cubed beef stew meat
• 2 cans golden mushroom soup
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 Tb worchestshire
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup beef stock
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 packet french onion soup mix 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 package fresh sliced mushrooms 
• 1 Tb butter
• 1-2 Tb cornstarch
• 1-2 Tb cold water 
• 1 package wide egg noodles

In a large slow cooker, combine meat, soup, onions, garlic, worcheshire, water, soup mix, cream cheese, sour cream, pepper, stock and water. Cook on low 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. 

Saute mushrooms with 1 Tb butter in sauce pan over medium heat until tender. (5 minutes)

Add mushrooms to slow cooker and cook 30 minutes more. Stir cornstarch into a cup and mix equal amounts cold water and add to slow cooker to thicken the sauce. Normally I will start with 1 Tb+1Tb and see how thick the consistency gets until I have what I want. Nice and creamy. During the last 30 minutes that the mushrooms cook in the slow cooker, get a large pot and fill it with salted water, bring to boil and cook wide egg noodles according to package directions. 

Combine drained, cooked noodles with beefy saucey mixture and Enjoy!

 Makes probably 6 servings or more.