A note from the Links tab...

Here's a spot where I previously started saving a few recipes about six months ago in an attempt to get organized a bit. Ironically, I never got around to posting a coffee jello recipe. It was a short lived phase. :)    ~ Brenda   (burendachan1)
   Mmmmm....coffee jello

     Some of my faves are the cornbread with chilies and cheese. ...the scone recipes... the BROWNIE recipe is so easy and yummy. (Recently when I made this I creamed the sugar and butter together first and mixed the flour in last. Made a big difference in the texture.)  This recipe is "two" of almost everything. 2 cups flour, sugar, etc. 2 sticks of butter. 2 eggs. Easy Peasy.
    It's getting to be chili weather. A couple of our fave chili recipes are on here as well. One is a crockpot recipe that is spicy, easy, and yummy. 

Slow Cooker Spaghetti

Feeling inspired by Amy's Penne Pasta! And by the ingredients in my pantry...Going to try a variation of this recipe today:   Slow Cooker Spaghetti

Will probably use less meat and more carrots and onions. Cuz that's the way I roll.

 2 large cans of flavored spaghetti sauce- (ie garlic, meat, herb)

1 pound of either turkey, or beef

1 pound of either ground pork

1 large onion

2 chopped carrots

2 table spoons of Italian herbs

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

It’s best to sauté the onions, and brown the meat if you have time. If not make sure that you chop up the ground meats or you’ll end up with a gigantic meatball (not recommended). Toss all the ingredients in your crock pot. I turn it too high while I do my prep work, and turn it to low for the duration. Six hours minimum cook time up.

Make your pasta and enjoy

B's notes:     Added a can of stewed tomatoes I had on hand.   Will be adding mushrooms and some spices..from this link:     basil, oregano, sugar, salt pepper, crushed red pepper flakes

Betty Crocker recipe

Spicy Italian Sausage & Penne Pasta

We just had this for a very yummy supper. It is a pretty simple recipe, and not too many ingredients. For the sausage, I got HyVee's ground italian pork sausage. I opted for the spicy kind, and it did have some zip to it! Also, I took a couple handy shortcuts. For the broccoli, I got a bag of broccoli florets -- cut, washed, and ready to go. For the garlic, I used a teaspoon from a jar of ready-to-use minced garlic.

8 ounces uncooked penne
1 pound hot italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 oz. each) seasoned diced tomatoes
3 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Asiago, Romano, or Parmesan)

Cook penne according to package directions; drain. Return to saucepan; keep warm.

Meanwhile, place sausage and onion in large skillet. Cook and stir until sausage is no longer pink, stirring to break up meat; drain fat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and broccoli. Cover; cook 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Add sausage mixture to penne; toss well. Sprinkle with cheese.

Great with garlic bread or rolls! Makes 4-6 servings.

Harvest Pot Roast with Vegetables

I just finished gorging myself with this fabulous pot roast...it was such a delicious feast! Also, I love crock-pot meals, they are so easy and convenient. We didn't have any mushrooms or rutabaga, so we left them out, and it still tasted great.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 slices of bacon, halved crosswise

2 lbs. red skinned or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 inch pieces

4-6 carrots, peeled and cut in 2 inch lengths, halved lengthwise

1 small rutabaga

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp dried leaf thyme, divided

1 boneless beef chuck roast, about 3 lbs

1 bag, about 16 oz, frozen small white onions

8 ounces of mushrooms, scrubbed and left whole, halved if large

1 1/2 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons flour

2-3 tablespoons of cold water

Place bacon over the bottom of the crockpot. Arrange potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots over the bacon. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and half of the thyme. Place the pot roast on the vegetables, then add onions, and mushrooms over and around the roast. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and the remaining thyme. Combine the beef broth and tomato paste, pour over the pot roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.

Remove the pot roast to a warm platter. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables and arrange around the roast. Cover and keep warm.

Separate the fat and broth using a fat separator, or skim fat off the top of the broth; discard fat. Put the broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a cup or small bowl, whisk flour with water until smooth. Whisk the flour mixture into broth until thickened and bubbly. Serve gravy with meat and vegetables.

Enjoy!!

Skittles Vodka!

A cousin of mine posted this recipe last week, and it looks like a lot of fun to try...and it was! This was a very fun afternoon project for us, and it really is fun to drink too. Skittles...Taste the Rainbow!

http://mixthatdrink.com/skittles-vodka-tutorial/

Amazing Chinese Meal....Okay, so I cheat a little bit! :)

Soooo....Brenda is going to shudder that I call this my "delicious Asian meal", since she is a goddess in the kitchen when it comes to great stir-fry, but for this unexperienced little wife, I go for a quick, easy, delicious meal from a bag every once in a while. :) I thought I'd share the brands that we have been eating lately...it's great to eat each of these on their own, or all together for a great meal!

This fried rice is in the freezer section at Sam's Club and is SO delicious and easy to make. Plus, it already contains some chicken, so it can be an entire dish on it's own, and you don't have to add your own meat.

These are also from Sam's Club and are also delicious and easy to prepare...we usually put them in the oven.

The Green Giant stir-fry bags are great...just add any type of meat, and you are set! So delicious and fast. We usually buy this at Cub Foods, but I'm sure you can get it other places as well.

Like I said, great all together, or separately! Let me know if you like them as much as we do. :)

Give me some of your tots...

Tator Tot Casserole

Skier's French Toast

This is a really yummy overnight caramel-ly french toast. You could easily do a half batch. Highly recommend. Just made a pan.

This looks like an interesting variation with bananas foster...
click here

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 loaf french bread, sliced into 2 inch slices

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine syrup, butter, and brown sugar in a pan and simmer until thick (syrup-like) approximately 5 minutes. Put in a 9x13 pan. Add bread slices. Pour egg mixture over bread. Refrigerate, covered with saran wrap, for at least an hour. Can be refrigerated overnight. Bake for 45 minutes. Invert to serve.  

A loaf of french bread - cut into 2/3 inch slices works really well - makes about 12 "slices" usually...and they will expand when baked to fill the pan.

If you use a different kind of bread, you can overlap them as needed...cut off crusts if you use a different kind of bread. . . .I found another recipe that called for a one pound loaf of unsliced white bread, with crust trimmed.