Ingredients:

3/4 pound carrots, scraped and shredded
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation:

Combine carrot, raisins, and walnuts in a bowl.

Combine mayonnaise and remaining 3 ingredients, stirring well; add to carrot mixture. Toss gently. Cover and chill.

Ingredients:

1 3-lb chicken
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup Uncle Ben’s rice
2 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 (2 oz) jar pimientos
1 (4 oz) can green chillies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
8 oz Cheddar cheese, grated

Cooking Instructions:

Stew chicken with bouillon cubes; remove bones and chop into bite-size pieces. Cook rice in water just until tender.

Saute onions in margarine; then add garlic, cumin, chili powder, pimientos, and green chilies. Set aside.

In saucepan, heat chicken soup, broth, and sour cream; then add Monterrey Jack cheese. Stir until cheese melts and add onion mixture.

Spray 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Put rice in bottom of dish, add chopped chicken and top with soup mixture.

Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes until heated through. Add grated Cheddar chees and return to oven for 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
5 cups 1/2-inch cubes toasted French bread
1/2 cup chopped blanched almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 tart apple, chopped
1 cup shredded or diced Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Cooking Instructions:

Heat brown sugar, water, margarine, cinnamon, and orange peel to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes.

Layer half the bread cubes, nuts, raisins, apple and cheese in ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole; repeat. Pour hot syrup over top.

Bake uncovered in 350° oven until syrup is absorbed, 30-40 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
5 cups 1/2-inch cubes toasted French bread
1/2 cup chopped blanched almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 tart apple, chopped
1 cup shredded or diced Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Cooking Instructions:

Heat brown sugar, water, margarine, cinnamon, and orange peel to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes.

Layer half the bread cubes, nuts, raisins, apple and cheese in ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole; repeat. Pour hot syrup over top. Bake uncovered in 350° oven until syrup is absorbed, 30-40 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 medium skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Cooking Instructions:

In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add chicken breasts and cook 7 to 10 minutes until juices run clear when pierced with tip of knife, turning once. Transfer chicken to warm platter.

Stir peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and 2/3 cup water into drippings in skillet; stir until smooth and heated through. Pour sauce over chicken on platter.

Additional Comments:

I just had to try this recipe because it was so different. I used red wine vinegar (didn’t have the white). If you like spicy Chinese dishes, I would suggest doubling the red pepper–we couldn’t taste it in the sauce. Very very easy recipe to make!

Ingredients:

3 lb lean ground beef, cooked and crumbled
2 [16 oz] cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 [15 oz] cans tomato sauce
8 oz tomato juice
1 [18 oz] can B&M beans, original flavor
2-3 small green peppers, chopped
1 pkg fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 [15 oz] can Green Giant niblets corn
2 sweet onions, chopped
4 tsp. chili pepper
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. pepper

Cooking Instructions:

In large crockpot or dutch oven, mix all ingredients. If cooked on stove, stir occasionally and cook for 1 1/2 hours. In crockpot, cook on low 4-6 hours.

Additional Comments:

Makes a very large batch which I freeze. I’ve used it as a topping for cheese enchiladas, as a dip, for taco salad, and of course as chili itself.

Ingredients:

1 can whole corn
1 can creamed corn
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 oz) box corn muffin mix

Preparation:

Grease 2 quart casserole dish. Pour ingredients into casserole dish and stir to mix. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

How simple is that!?

Ingredients:

4 oz crumbled blue cheese (1 cup)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup plain yogurt
1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
Seasoning salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Mix ingredients.

Serving Suggestions:

I’ve tried making this with lite mayonnaise and have been unsuccessful (turns to soup after a day or so). If you want to give it a shot, I recommend cutting back on the vegetable oil.

Ingredients:

5 large Vidalia onions
2 sticks of margarine
1 stack of Ritz crackers, crushed
Kraft grated Parmesan cheese
milk, as required

Cooking Instructions:

Peel onions, slice into thin rings and saute in margarine for 15-20 minutes or until clear.

Place half of the onions into casserole. Top with half the crushed crackers and sprinkle generously with Parmesan. Repeat layers ending with cheese. Sprinkle remaining margarine from pan over top. Bake uncovered at 325° for 30 minutes. Add milk if dry after baking (not uncommon in high altitudes).

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb pork sausage
1-4 lb 2 oz jar Prego
2 lbs Ricotta, drained
2 large eggs
3/4 cup Kraft grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 lbs lasagna noodles
2 tbsp olive oil
16 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced

Cooking Instructions:

Reserve 2 cups of Prego sauce and set aside. Brown together beef and pork. Drain. Mix remaining Prego sauce with meat. Set aside.

Mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, and kraft parmesan. Set aside.

Cook lasagna noodles with olive oil in boiling water for 8 minutes (al dente). Drain and immediate spray with cold water until noodles have cooled and stopped cooking.

Arrange in layers (see below). Cover loosely with foil and bake 65 minutes at 375°.

Remove from oven and let stand 30 minutes to 3 hours before cutting. To rewarm cover and cook at 325° for 15-45 minutes depending on how long it has been standing.

Layers:

–3/4 cup meat sauce
–Noodles lengthwise to cover bottom and overhang short ends of dish 2 inches
–2 cups meat sauce
–1/2 cup fresh parmesan
–Noodles crosswise to cover bottom and overhang long ends of dish 2 inches
–Ricotta mixture
–Noodles lengthwise to cover
–Mozzarella
–1 cup meat sauce
–1 cup fresh parmesan
–Noodles lengthwise to cover
–2 cups meat sauce
–1/2 cup fresh parmesan
–Turn over ends of lasagna; cover with remaining meat sauce, reserved Prego sauce, and remaining fresh parmesan

Additional Comments:

I adapted the layer process from a recipe I saw on the Today show. I really like overlapping the noodles. Care must be taken, however, to cover the overlaps with sauce so they do not dry out. Also, I make a variety of substitutions to this recipe depending on my mood and what I have on hand. Cottage cheese works for the Ricotta. Italian sausage (I like the sweet) works for pork sausage as does turkey sausage. And you can certainly use your own special sauce.