Onion Rings to Die For

INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk, or as needed
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
seasoned salt to taste
1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

THE RESULTS:

I wish everyone could have tasted these. If you have a little bit of time. MAKE THESE. They were just as good maybe even better then any restaurant onion rings. I was kind of confused for a little bit of what to do with the left over flour then finally after I read the recipe again it says mix the flour mixture with the egg and milk. Anyways, so good. These are way past 5 stars. We dipped them in ranch dressing. Oh and I don't have a deep fryer I just used any ol' pan and added some veg. oil to it. Sprinkle on a little seasoning salt and waaa la. Finger lickin' good.:)I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.

Red Bell Pepper and Mushroom Hamburger

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg (beaten)
2 tsp. Montreal Steak seasoning
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup onion (chopped really small)
1 1/2 TBS red bell pepper (chopped really small)
3 white mushrooms (chopped)
cheese
lettuce
tomato
ketchup
mustard
hamburger buns

Directions:
Add the first 6 ingredients together and make into patties. Place them on the grill for 7-10 minutes. Once they are done add everything onto your hamburger bun.

The Results:
These were good. The red bell pepper gave the hamburger a good taste. I think that next time I will saute up some onions and mushrooms on top.

Shrimp Scampi Saute with Tomatoes and Spinach

Ingredients:

1/2 carton SeaPak Shrimp Scampi (frozen) ( I got this at Costco the shrimp are in garlic butter sauce)

1 bag (about 6-10 ounces)fresh baby spinach

1 can (14.5) diced tomatoes

1/2 of a 16 ounce package Linguine, cooked and drained (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook the shrimp in a 12 inch skillet for 6 minutes

Add the spinach and tomatoes. Cook and stir for about 5-6 minutes more or until the shrimp turn pink, and spinach wilts.

Add pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Portion onto plates and top with sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Serve Immediately.

The Results:

I thought this was soooo good. I served this with the breadsticks left over the other day. It was super quick and easy. I picked this shrimp up the other day at Costco. I sampled it and thought that was good. So I bought some. I have served it with pasta and rice. I'm sure you can get shrimp scampi at the grocery store too. I got the recipe from the back of the SeaPak Shrimp Scampi box.

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (or you can use Italian sausage)

1 cup onions (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (4oz) can mushrooms

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsps. Italian dried seasons

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

dash salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large ( big enough for the sauce and meat) pan cook your ground beef until done. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Once the onions turn translucent add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, water, Italian dried seasons, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover.Turn it on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then turn it down to low heat for about 2 hours. Covered. ( You can let a little steam out.So the lid is just off a little.) Stirring sauce occasionally. The sauce will have a thick consistency once done.

The Results:

This is my own recipe for spaghetti sauce and my family loves it. A good sauce is always nice to have. Serve with spaghetti noodles and top with parmesan cheese. Also if you want this sauce to take less time only use about a 1/2 cup or less of water. Letting this sauce simmer for 2 hours makes it sooo good though.:)

Breadsticks

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup warm water

1 Tablespoon yeast

2 Tablespoons sugar

3 ½ cup flour

½ tsp salt

Butter for pan

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let it sit and bubble for a few minutes. Add the salt and flour. Knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. (I do all of this in my Bosch--any mixer would work great) Melt 3-4 Tbsp of butter and pour most of it onto a cookie sheet. Roll dough to cover cookie sheet. Cut to desired width, then twist or lay flat on cookie sheet. Brush remainder of butter on breadsticks and sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and parsley (or whatever seasonings you like). Raise for 10-20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. You can roll them out to fit a cookie sheet and they will be pufffy and soft. If you prefer a thinner, crunchy breadstick roll them out to fit a cookie sheet and a jelly roll pan. Either way they are great!

The Results:

These were super good and super easy. I got the recipe from http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/search/label/bread. I sprinkled garlic salt and parmesan on my breadsticks and only cooked mine for 17 minutes. I would suggest only cooking them till they are golden brown. These were tasty little breadsticks with my spaghetti.

Tasty Sensations: Cookbook Contest!

Here is a good recipe blog with a cookbook contest.
Tasty Sensations: Cookbook Contest!

Grandma's Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

6 cups of Raisin Bran

5 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsps. salt

5 tsps. baking soda

1 cup of Raisins

Mix together all these ingredients in a LARGE bowl.

Then.....Add

1 cup of oil

4 eggs (beaten)

1 Quart buttermilk

1 small can of crushed pineapple (drained)

Directions:

Add the top 6 ingredients together and mix. Then add the next 4 ingredients to the bowl and mix. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning take it out of the fridge and spoon in the muffin mixture into muffin tins. Make sure to spray some non stick cooking spray in the muffin tins.

Bake 350 for 16-18 minutes

The Results:

These are the BEST Bran Muffins. I got this recipe from my sister-in-laws grandma.

Chicken a la King

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine
1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2cup) (You could use a red bell pepper too.)
1/2 cup onion, chopped *
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms or (1 can 4 ounces of canned mushrooms)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas*
2 cups cut-up chicken or turkey ( you could even use a can of tuna)
1 jar (2 ounces)diced pimientos, drained
3 cups hot cooked rice or 12 triangles of toasted bread
* Added to the recipe

Directions:
1. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper,onion and mushrooms in butter, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper is crisp-tender.
2. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and pimientos; cook until hot. Serve over rice.

The Results:
This turned out good for a fast meal. I got the recipe out of the Betty Crocker cookbook. I didn't have any pimientos on hand so I didn't add them. I'm sure they would have been good with it though. I also added the onion and peas to the ingredients. I thought it needed it. :) This could also make a good chicken pot pie filling. Just buy or make 2 pie crusts. You could serve this over toast, rice or noodles. Whatever floats your boat.

Baked Penne Mozzarella with Sweet Italian Sausage

Ingredients:
1 lbs dry penne pasta
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 lbs Sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 package of fresh mushroom or 1 can of mushrooms
season with a little salt and pepper
1 jar Traditional Prego
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside. Heat up a large pan and add the Italian Sausage , onion and garlic. Add the mushrooms to the pan once the sausage is cooked. Cook the mushroom with the sausage for just a little bit and season with a little salt and pepper. Next add the Prego to the Sausage mixture. Add the cooked penne to the sausage and prego sauce.
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Add half of the pasta into the pan. Next put the cup of cottage cheese on top and 1 cup of mozzarella. Then top it off with the rest of the pasta and put the remaining mozzarella on top and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

The Results:
It turned out so good. I loved it. It is going to make GREAT leftovers for the next couple days. It makes a lot. I wish I could have made some bread sticks with it but I ran out of time. So it was served with a salad and we had some cut up strawberries for dessert. YUMMY!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Spread melted chocolate over the crumb crust. Chill for about 5 minutes, then cut into bars before the chocolate is completely set, then chill until ready to serve.
The Results:
So yummy and they tasted like Reese's peanut butter cups.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Before it went in the oven
After it came out.
All cut up and looking soooooo good.

Ingredients:

1 prepared pizza crust

1/2 cup bbq sauce, divided ( Any kind is good just pick your favorite bbq sauce. I used Tony Roma's famous bbq sauce.) ( Don't use more then a 1/2 cup or the crust will get soggy.)

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 1/2-2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

cornmeal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. If you have a pizza stone (they make the best pizzas), put it in the oven to preheat as well. Toss shredded chicken with 1/4 c bbq sauce. Remove hot pizza stone from oven and sprinkle with corn meal. Roll or toss dough and place on stone. Spread remaining 1/4 c bbq sauce over dough. Arrange onion slices over sauce. Spread chicken over onions then top with cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. (That time is for a pizza stone - if you are using a cookie sheet, it may be a shorter time) Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and slice into 8 wedges.
In case you don't have a good pizza dough recipe, here is the one I like:

1 cup very warm water

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbs yeast

3 Tbs oil

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

Dissolve sugar in warm water then sprinkle yeast on top and float for 1 minute. Stir in yeast and proof (let it sit) for 10 minutes- yeast should foam. Stir in oil, salt and flour and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

The Results:

Oh soooooo good. I loved this pizza. You can really do whatever pizza you want with this crust but I wanted to try the bbq pizza. I used a pizza stone. I got a pizza stone for my wedding 6 years ago and have NEVER used it till today. It made the BEST pizza. I only cooked mine for about 17 minutes. Make sure to check it. I think 20-25 minutes is way to long. I guess it depends on your oven.
* I got the recipe from one of the recipe blogs I contribute to http://justmade.blogspot.com/search/label/pizza

White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups and 1/2 TSP of flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup coconut

Directions:
Put the sugar and brown sugar together and mix. Then add the shortening and mix that all together good. Then add the eggs and mix really good together. (Builds good muscles) Then sift in the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix, Mix, Mix. Then add the vanilla and mix again. Then add the oatmeal and chocolate chips and mix AGAIN. I swear all this mixing makes these the best. :)Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Until light golden brown. Let them sit on the rack for about a hour before eating. If you eat one before they will seem like they are not done. Just be patient.

The Results:

This is my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe except for milk chocolate chips I added white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of coconut. They were also very good. I'll add macadamia nuts next time.

Snicker Ravioli's

Cut up Snicker Ravioli

I forgot to take a picture of it cut open so the above picture is the picture Jenn took.

Just like The Macaroni Grill's Snicker Raviolis.

Ingredients:

won tons

cut up snickers

egg wash ( egg white with a couple drops of water)

Directions:

Put the snickers inside and to seal the won ton you put egg wash on the edges and throw it in bubbling hot canola oil and within 30 seconds it's ready! Sprinkle with powered sugar and serve with ice cream.

The Results:
I had some hot fudge left over but I was too impatient to put the hot fudge on. As soon as these bad boys were done we ate them up. I got the recipe from one of the recipe blogs I contribute to Food, Friends and Fun. This was yummy and easy.

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

10 cups of fat-free chicken broth, low sodium ( I would use just regular chicken broth next time.)

( I used a 48 oz box of broth, low sodium and 1 can of broth)

4 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes ( I used 3 red potatoes)

4 cups onions, quartered ( I used one large onion)

1 cup carrots, sliced 1 inch thick ( I used 3 carrots)

3 cups celery, sliced 1 inch thick ( I used 3 celery stalks)

2 cups zucchini, sliced 1 inch thick ( I used 2 zucchinis)

8 ounces tomato sauce, canned ( I used about 3/4 of the can)

2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 cloves)

1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped ( I used dried parsley)

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped ( I only used a couple leaves of cilantro)

dash black pepper

dash garlic salt

dash salt

* I added about 8 fresh mushrooms -quartered

Directions:

1. In large stockpot, combine the chicken broth, potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the zucchini,tomato sauce, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Reduce hear to medium-low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the zucchini is just tender. Season to taste with black pepper and serve.

The Results:

This turned out really good. Topped the soup with parmesan. I served it with grilled cheese because hey I have a 3 year old to feed too. Surprisingly he ate the soup too. Just make sure to season and taste.

* I got this recipe out of our workout cookbook.