Sorrry about the delay....

but, I'm really embarrased to put up my menu for the week. It's very lame! Anyway, here it goes:

Monday - Fish sticks for the kids and Mexican Fish for me...will put recipe at bottom.
Tuesday - Tuna Helper Creamy Parmesan...I know you are all going YUCK, but this is the best tuna and my kids devour it! They don't even know they are eating tuna. You will have to try it!
Wednesday - "HAPPY HALLOWEEN" - fast and quick hot dogs with chili and cheese with Fritos on the side for frito pies.
Thursday - Slow Cooker beef stew ( http://www.mccormick.com/recipedetail.cfm?id=11601 ) I love all these McCormick slow cooker packets!!

**Don't know what's in store for the weekend yet! I'll let ya'll know as soon as I come up with some stuff!

Mexican Baked Fish (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-Baked-Fish/Detail.aspx )...I made this for Bunko and everyone loved it!!

Happy Halloween :o)

This time of year brings a ton of requests from my kids (and my friend's kids too) for...

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1/3 c. water
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 c. flour
1 c. pumpkin

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Then add spices, soda, flour and pumpkin. Grease mini-muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. This will make 4 dozen mini-muffins. They can be made ahead of time and frozen in Ziplock bags.

What's your favorite... Mac & Cheese?

Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese

(from my Pattie LaBelle's cookbook)

1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 lb. elbow macaroni
8 Tbs. butter + 1 Tbs.
1/2 cup (2 oz) Muenster cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (8 oz) Velveeta, cut up
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 qt. casserole. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the oil, then the macaroni, and cook until just tender. You can use this time to shred all your cheeses. Drain your noodles well and return to the cooking pot. Melt the 8 Tbs. of butter and stir into the macaroni. In a large bowl, mix your cheeses. To the macaroni, add the half-and-half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed velveeta, and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and dot with the remaining 1 Tbs. of butter. Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4-6

* I use this recipe only for special occasions! Pattie says that on really special occasions, she will sometimes add an extra stick of butter to take this recipe "over the moon". She says that if you do this, substitute milk for the half-and-half.



On an everyday basis... I make mine like my mother-in-law's and do it on the stovetop with cubed velveeta and milk. If I don't have time for Patti LaBelle's recipe and I want a baked version - I always use this one...

Aunt Kay's Mac-n-Cheese

1/2 lb. velveeta, grated
1/2 lb. cheddar, grated
2 cups macaroni noodles
1 cn. evaporated milk (I use about 3/4 of the can)
salt and pepper

Cook noodles until done, but still a little firm. Drain, place noodles in a buttered casserole dish. Salt and pepper, then spread the grated velveeta on first, topping with the cheddar. Pour a can of evaporated milk over the top, evenly. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

Made this last week, and it is soo good! It's from Allrecipes.com, a fav site of ours! Perfect for breakfast, snack, whatever. It does make 2 loaves, so make one for yourself and share the rest!!


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a mixing bowl, dream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until bread tests done.

Chicken Enchilada Recipe from earlier post this week...

My family's favorite Chicken Enchildadas from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book:

8 6-inch tortillas (I use corn tortillas)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp ground coriander (I never put this in mine, because I always forget to get it at the store)
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp margarine or butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 8-oz. carton dairy sour cream
2 cups chicken broth
1 4 oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz.) (I use more because we like a lot of cheese!!!!)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
sliced pitted ripe black olives
chopped tomatoes
sliced green onions

Wrap tortillas in foil. Heat in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or till softened.
For sauce, in a sauce pan cook onion, garlic, coriander, and pepper in margarine or butter till onion is tender. Stir flour into sour cream; add to onion mixture. Stir in broth and chili peppers all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.
For filling, stir 1/2 cup of the sauce into chicken. Place about 1/4 cup filling atop each tortilla; roll up. Arrange rolls, seam side down, in a lightly greased 12 x 7 1/2 x 2-inch baking dish. Top with remaining sauce. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven about 35 minutes or till heated through.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more till cheese melts. If desired, sprinkle with olives, tomatoes, and green onions. Let stand 10 minutes.

McCormick Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

This is our fave for BBQ Sandwiches....you really need to try this one. And, it's soooo easy!!

http://www.mccormick.com/productdetail.cfm?ID=11718

Kathy's menu - week 2

Monday - brats (us) & hot dogs (kids)
Tuesday - Steak fingers, green beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls
Wednesday - Southwestern Chicken Enchiladas, black bean salsa, and chips
Thursday - pizza fundraiser night - teacher delivery!
Friday - Pork chops, asparagus, potatoes & onions - all on the grill
Saturday - Pork fried rice (with left over pork) and egg rolls

For Fifi, our #1 fan!!!

She has requested more crock pot recipes! Here are a few favorites from our house...

Beef and Beer Stew

2 1/2 lbs. lean beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut in 1-inch slices
2 ribs celery, cut in 1/2-inch slices
2 medium potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 cup beer
1 cup beef broth, or use all beer
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
2 Tbs. tomato paste
3 Tbs. melted butter
1/3 cup flour

Place all ingredients, except butter and flour in crock pot; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Mix melted butter with flour; add to the stew. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Turn to high and cook until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

* This is an OMGosh meal!!! This goes great with cheese bread!


Italian Beef
This is so good that it will make you do the Jameka "mmmmmmm"!!! ;) lol...
This really goes great with twice baked potato casserole.

4 - 4 1/2 Brisket, Rump, or Pot Roast
2 pkg. Zesty Italian Dressing mix
1 pkg. Peppercorn Sauce Mix
1 can beer
1 1/2 cup Red wine - Cabernet
3 Tbs. Beef Base

Trim all visible fat from meat. Place the meat in your crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until meat is done. When meat is done, shred using two forks.

We eat this as a roast w/ mashed potatoes using the sauce as gravy. We then eat it over hamburger buns as sandwiches for lunch the next day, or in tortillas for breakfast during the week!

Here is what I use but if you can't get the brands - it will still be wonderful!!!
* Beer is JW Dundee's Honey Brown
* Wine is Peter Valla Cabernet Sauvignon
* Zesty Italian is Good Seasoning's dry mix - 1 big one or 2 small
* Peppercorn is Lowry's or McCormick's seasoning pkg. and it's a picture of green peppercorns on the front of the pkg!

** you can always have your butcher trim your meat for you!!! ;)
** no1here thinks that this dish can be a bit salty at times depending on the size of your meat - so he has cut the the Zesty Italian down to 1 small pkg. It's up to you really. You can always throw in a potato at the end if it's too salty.

Shredded Beef for Tacos

I love this meal because you can put the meat in frozen!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Shredded-Beef-for-Tacos/Detail.aspx

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Pepper-Steak/Detail.aspx

Chicken soft taco in the Crockpot

This is a wonderful easy meal in the crockpot, which my family loves...bascially a chicken soft taco....

4 skinless/bonless chicken breasts
1 jar picante sauce (I use a flavored one with cilantro, but you could add fresh cilantro if you wanted)
1 package of chicken taco seasonings
tortillas (corn/flour..your option)

Place thawed chicken breasts in crockpot and cover with a little over half of a jar of picante sauce. Cook on high about 4 hours (or until chicken will shred with a fork). Shred the chicken in the crockpot and add the package of chicken taco seasonings (I don't add the entire pack, makes it too salty). Stir to blend flavors. Serve on tortillas. YUMMY!!!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!! Sorry about no specific amounts of this and that, this is one that you just have to throw to together...sometimes those taste the best!!

Kid Favorite...

Well, tonight is burgers on the grill and no one makes a better burger than my mother-in-law!!! Whenever we go home to visit, it is our tradition to always have burgers Sunday at lunch before we all leave. She only uses one ingredient too - Worchestershire! She just pours it over the meat and pats out the patties. OMGosh, they are the best!!!

** It took me 17 years, but I finally figured out why my MIL's burgers are the best in the world - #1 it's the loving hands that make them, but #2 it's the meat that she buys from Granzin's Meat Market!!! Now everytime we go home, we buy several pounds to take back with us!!!

Anyway, another kid pleaser that's a favorite in our house is Burger Bites... Make your patties the way you normally would, but much smaller. When they come off the grill serve them on Hawaiian Rolls!!! My kids LOVE these!!! Such a unique combination. My kids especially love it when I serve the Bites in the cute little restaurant baskets. Don't forget the fries on the side! :)

Kathy's menu this week...

For the week of October 22nd...

Monday - Soup & Sandwiches - sickies at home :(
Tuesday - Chicken Tequila Fettuccini
Wednesday - Burgers on the grill
Thursday - Fajitas, beans, mexican rice
Friday - Nacho night w/ left over fajita meat
Saturday - Steak fingers, green beans, mashed potatoes
Sunday - Carnitas and black bean salsa


Chicken Tequila Fettuccini is definitely a family favorite in this house!!!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tequila-Fettuccini/Detail.aspx

Carnitas is an awesome dish that no1here is a master of. I'll let him post it! So, stay tuned...

Tara's menu for the week

This is my (kinda boring) menu for the week:

M - Potato and Leek soup w/ grilled cheese
T - Meatloaf with mashed pot and veggie?? ---I use Hunt's Family Favorite Tomatoe Sauce for Meatloaf.....it's the bomb!
W - Chicken nuggets (Shake N Bake Parmesean Crusted -- YUM!) with Mac and Cheese and veggie??
Th - Lasagna (frozen...sorry no recipe) with salad
S- Chicken Enchiladas (will post the recipe later) with rice and beans
S - Roast with potatoes and carrots

Making this tonight...

This is from a neighbor friend of mine....one of our faves. Good with tortillas and spanish rice.

Carne Guizado

1-2 lbs stew meat
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) beef broth (bouillon)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 cup water
2 small chiles serranos (optional...I never put this in mine)

Brown meat in oil until brown on all sides. Pour off grease and rinse meat. Add tomato paste, beef broth, salt , pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, water and chili peppers (optional). Bring to boil and then turn very low, cover and simmer about one and one-half hours, or untl meat is tender.
Dissolve about one teaspoon cornstarch in small amount of cold water and slowly pour into stew, which is simmering, until proper thickness of gravy is obtained.

Cold weather on it's way...

Potato and Leek Soup - The best ever!!!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_23980,00.html

Baked Potato Soup
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Potato-Soup-I/Detail.aspx


Poblano Chicken Chowder (from Beth Schmidt, an old Bunko friend)

1 heaping cup of chopped carrots,
1 heaping cup of chopped celery
1 heaping cup of chopped Onions
4-5 Poblano peppers chopped
3-4 cloves garlic - minced
1 Tbsp Thyme
1 Tbsp Cumin
1/2-1 Tbsp White Pepper
1 1/2 qt Chicken broth
1 1/2 qt of Half & Half or Whipping Cream (I use of little of each)
2-3 grilled or broiled chicken breasts (cubed)
bunch of Cilantro chopped
Roux - 2/3 c flour & 2/3 melted butter

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pot and saute veggies and herbs (not the white pepper) 8-10 min

Add broth and white pepper to veggies and cook 10-12 min over med/high heat

While soup is cooking make roux. Put butter in pan over medium heat, when fully melted and starting to bubble slowly wish in Flour and stir 4-5 min but do not brown, turn heat off

Whisk in Roux and cook 5 or so more min

Add Chicken and cream

This should be a thick soup, so you may need to make and whisk in some more roux

This is better to make earlier in the day you are serving it. So that the flavors have a chance to meld. Serve with the chopped Cilantro and Tortilla strips. Some like a dash of hot sauce with it.

A little about us...

Hi! I just wanted to introduce us... We are three friends (best buds) that love to cook and try new recipes. I wanted to start this blog mainly for selfish reasons. ;) lol... We three are always loosing recipes and are calling each other and begging the other to email it to us. Well, no more!!! Now, all our favorite recipes will all be in one place. We three girls always call each other and ask what's on the menu for the next week before we go to the grocery store. We've even been asked by other friends what to cook - well, here it is!!! Now we don't have to email them our recipes anymore. Too much work!! ;) lol...

My husband, no1here, also loves to cook. I'm a recipe follower and he's the type that creates recipes!!! We are a great team. He will submit his favorites on occasion but wants to remain behind the scenes. I've told the girls in our image up top, that he's the guy that's half cut off on the left. :)

I'm an at-home-mom to four kids. They are sometimes picky eaters but we have a 1 bite rule that has really helped over the years. They are eating and loving dishes now that I didn't ever think they would.

The recipes we post on here are recipes that we've tried and loved! If you have any favorites - please send them our way and we'll give 'em a try.

Until next time...

Happy cooking,
Kathy <3

P.S. I'll let the other two girls tell you about themselves!