Cheesy Eggs and Toast

This recipe was introduced to me by my husband.  His mom always called it Eggs Benedict.  Which was NOT the same.  My husband ordered eggs benedict a few years back at a restaurant and was, quite frankly, disgusted by what he was served.  The next day I made him his mom's cheesy eggs and toast.  It is an Easter tradition in our house.  As are egg salad sandwhiches. 

The ingredients:

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

1-2 c. grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

3-4 hard boiled eggs, chopped up or diced

Toast

The instructions:

In a medium sauce pan melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and stir with a whisk until the roux turns a golden color (about 2 minutes or so).  Quickly add all the milk and stir with a wisk until mixture boils.  Add salt, pepper and cheese.  Once the cheese is melted, add chopped boiled eggs.

Serve over warm buttered toast.  OH so yummy!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

So for St. Patrick's day, I make Corned Beef and Cabbage every year. Last year, I made one that was (for lack of a better description) "Eh." So this year I did a bit more searching for the RIGHT recipe. And I do believe I found it! This is adapted from cooks.com.

The ingredients:

1 (2 1/2 - 3 lb.) corned beef
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 lb white onions, peeled (or a couple handfuls of dehydrated onion)
1 can beef (or chicken) broth
2 cups water
3-5 potatoes (I used plain ol' idaho baking potatoes), sliced in 1/4 inch slices
1 lb baby carrots
1/2 to 1 head cabbage (to taste or as much as fits!), quartered and de-cored

The instructions:

This is prepared in a pressure cooker for best results. Place water and broth in cooker with rack. Cut slits in beef and place sliced garlic in the slits. Place meat on rack. You may need to adjust the amount of water/broth based on the size of the beef and the size of the pressure cooker (the instruction manual should tell you how much). Close cover and cook on medium high until rocking. Turn down to medium(it should continue to rock) and cook for 1 hour. Run pressure cooker under cold water to release pressure. Once safe, open lid and add all the vegetables and as much cabbage as you can fit until it hits the "full line."

Replace lid and cook on medium high heat until rocking. Lower heat to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes. Run under cool water again until pressure is released, then removed lid and serve!

((I suspect this recipe would be fantastic if crock potted. I would suggest you cook the meat for 8-10 hours on low. Adding the veggies about half way and adding the cabbage an hour or so before serving since cabbage cooks quickly. If any of you try this in the crock pot PLEASE lemme know how it turned out!))

**UPDATE**  

I DID make this in the crockpot, and it was fantastic!  Enjoy!

8 Can Enchilada Soup

I found this recipe online, and was pretty happy with the flavor. Spicy, but not too much. MY husband is unable to eat corn, so most taco/enchilada soups are out of the running. I was excited to finally find one I could make! Enjoy!

The ingredients:
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can corn
1 can white chicken breast
1 can northern white beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes (whichever flavor you like best- I like mild...I'm a pansy.)

The instructions:
Add all cans not drained in a large pan and heat through. Just until it boils then turn down the heat. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado, and cheese.

Creamy White Chili

This recipe has become a family favorite of ours. It is mild in spice, and has such a unique flavor for a chili. It is also pretty easy to make, and therefore is a winner in my books.

The ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 medium onion

1 ½ tsp garlic powder

2 15 oz cans white beans rinsed and drained

1 4 oz can chopped green chilies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (more or less as preferred)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 14.5 oz can chicken broth

1 can green beans (chopped)

1 cup sour cream

½ cup whipping cream

The instructions:

In a crockpot add chicken onion and garlic powder. Add broth, chilies, and seasonings and cook on low for 4-6 hours until chicken is cooked through. Take a pair of tongs and squeeze the chicken breasts to shred them (or use two forks). Add white beans, green beans and creams. Continue cooking on low until heated through. Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Play Dough

Ask any young child and they will all tell you the same thing... Playing with your food is FUN! This recipe is the perfect one for playing with, in fact it is highly encouraged! My kids get pretty excited when I make this. Not only do they love play dough, but is there anything better than eating your creations when you are done sculpting them?!

The ingredients:

3 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

4 cups powdered sugar

3 1/2 cups honey

4 cups dry milk powder

The instructions:

Cream together peanut butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat in honey. Fold in milk powder. More milk powder can be added if dough seems too sticky. Divide into 15 equal portions and store in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Can be refrigerated for up to five days. Do not reuse.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I have never been much of a fan of bell peppers. Though admittedly I have grown up a little and as my taste buds continue to die, I have found that I don't mind bell peppers so much these days. I DO prefer yellow or red peppers over green, though! This recipe was surprisingly simple, and OH SO TASTY. Don't believe me? Try it and see!

The ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 1/2 c prepared rice

6 medium to large bell peppers

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup honey, separated

grated cheese

The instructions:

Dice onion and place in a skillet, add ground beef and brown however you prefer seasoning to taste with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Once the meat is cooked, add the cooked rice. Add 1 can tomato sauce and a HEAPING 1/4 cup of honey. Simmer on low while you prepare the bell pepper.

Cut the bell peppers in half and remove seeds and membrane. Cut the stem off and place side by side in a 9X13 baking dish. Pour meat mixture into each bell pepper "boat." In a small bowl combine the remaining can of tomato sauce and another HEAPING 1/4 cup of honey. Microwave for about 30 seconds to better incorporate the honey and tomato sauce. Stir well then pour the sauce over the stuffed bell peppers.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until peppers are cooked to desired done-ness. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve once cheese melts a bit.

((YUMMY! This recipe makes a lot. I cut it in half and was easily able to serve this to my small family of 4 (With leftovers for the hubby to take to work). Also, the filling freezes well, so feel free to make a full batch and freeze half if you have a small family.))

Ham and Noodles

Okay, so this one sounds a bit off, but it is SO GOOD! I mean, I was surprised by how much I liked it since in general, I don't like ham. Our neighborhood did a recipe swap a while back and this was one of the recipes that was swapped. I am so glad that Nik shared this recipe (Thanks Nikola!)

The ingredients:
2 cups uncooked wide noodles (Now I just guess on this since I have no idea how to measure two cups of noodles- I use roughly 3 ounces)
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 cup grated American cheese
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups diced ham

The instructions:
Cook noodles as instructed by packaging. Shorten cooking time by a minute or so since you will be baking this afterward. While noodles are cooking, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Once butter is melted, stir in flour and cook over medium low heat until the mixture turns a golden brown. Add the milk and cook, stirring constantly until boiling. Take it off the heat and add salt and cheese to the milk; stir until cheese is melted. Once the cheese sauce is finished, and the noodles are cooked, combine them, the ham and the peas. Pour into a 7X11 baking dish (or a 9X9) and cover with foil. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Cover with buttered bread crumbs and bake for another 15 minutes.