The Mama and Papa's Chili.

So easy...really. The worst part is chopping the onions. :)

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef, the leanest you can find.
1 Large can tomato juice
1 Small can tomato sauce
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Large onion (chopped)
½ cup vinegar (white)
2 cans Bush's chili beans
2 cans light kidney beans
2 cans tomatoes (diced)
1 pack taco seasoning mix
1 can diced green chilies if you're feeling extra spicy.

Brown ground beef and onion drain fat.
Combine all of the remaining ingredients.
Let simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.

Thats it. We love this with sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. Delish and also great to freeze for later.

Cheese Ravioli with Tomato Cream Sauce

This recipe with serves 12 with pretty hefty servings. This is my mom's recipe and it is delish and did I mention super-duper easy!!

Ingredients:

· 3 jars alfredo sauce
· 2 cans tomatoes with olive oil and garlic already included (or with italian seasoning)
· Parsley
· Shredded Parmesan or Assiagio cheese
· 2 bags ravioli (small square kind of ravioli)

1. Combine the sauce and the tomatoes. Simmer on low heat until heated through. Be careful it sticks and scorches easily.

2. Follow the directions for cooking the frozen ravioli. It only takes a few minutes to cook after you drop it into the boiling water. The ravioli will float to the top when it is ready.

3. After you get the ravioli out of the pot, you need to add some sauce very soon. It will get sticky...really fast. Just add some sauce to wet it down and keep it from sticking together.

4. When you are ready to make the pans of the ravioli, start with sauce on the bottom, then some ravioli, (You may have to separate the ravioli with your hands if it has stuck together.) then some cheese and a little parsley, then more sauce, then more ravioli, then more cheese and parsley… 3 layers of ravioli is perfect.

5. Top it off with parsley and cheese.

6. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, then uncover to brown the top (about 5 minutes)

7. When scooping out onto the plates, garnish with the cheese and the parsley again.

8. EAT!!! :)

Chicken and Veggie Tortellini

Ingredients:
4 zucchini, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
2 chicken breasts
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 pkg frozen, cheese tortellini
1 pkg (7oz) pesto (can omit if you are allergic to pine nuts like yours truly), just add creamy italian dressing
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Top with grated parm cheese

1. Preheat grill to 300-350. Sprinkle chicken and zucchini with italian seasoning. Grill chicken and zucchini.
2. Cook tortellini according to package instructions
3. Coarsely chop chicken and zucchini. Toss with tomatoes. tortellini, pesto (or dressing). Serve immediately.

Chili Style Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ya'll know that I just love my carbs. I am a pasta and bread girl. Any way to re-do spaghetti is a winner in my book. This is a re-vamped Southern Living recipe. Need I say more?

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp grated onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
12oz cooked spaghetti
1 Tbsp Chili powder
2 tsp olive oil
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can beef broth
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 4oz can chopped green chiles
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

Cheddar cheese, sour cream and such to top.

1. Combine first 4 ingredients until blended. Shape 1 1/2 inch meatballs. On a lightly greased broiler pan, arrange meatballs. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
2. Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
3. Cook chili powder and olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes and the next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then add beans and cook for 3 more minutes.
4.Serve over spaghetti with meatballs. use whatever topping you like. Enjoy. :)

Cajun Burgers

Love these bold flavored burgers. They have just enough kick for our family. If you didn't know- julia loves spicy food...so needless to say she loves these burgers. :)

Ingredients:

3/4 lb ground chuck
1/4 lb pork sausage
3/4 cup frozen onion and pepper mix (tricolor peppers--Kroger carries this)
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine everything and pat into 4 burgers. Grill and enjoy!!

Chicken and Sausage Creole

I love the one dish wonder thing--we eat this a lot and it is so YUMMY! :)

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 14 oz chicken broth
1/2 lb sausage links cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 med onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
2 bay leaves

1. Cook rice according to package instructions, but substitute the water for chicken broth.
2. Saute sausage and the next 4 ingredients in a lightly greased large pot over med heat for 5 minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in the remaining broth, chicken and the next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat . Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.
3. Remove the bay leaf and serve the mixture over rice. :)

Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients:
1 envelope of italian dressing mix
1 pkg wide egg noodles
2 tbsp butter, softened
3 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup parm cheese
2 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Remove 1 tbsp italian dressing mix from the envelope, and save the rest.
2. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and return to pan.
3. Stir in butter and toss to coat. Stir in chicken and the next 3 ingredients and 1 tbsp dressing mix. Cook mixture on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dijon Pork "Choppers"

So Julia calls them pork choppers...too much cuteness.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp steak seasoning
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup butter. melted
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 pork loin, fat trimmed (about 4 lbs)

1. Combine 1st 4 ingredients and rub mixture evenly over the roast. Place the roast in a foil lined broiler pan.

2. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes after removing fro the oven. Slice and serve.

Lemony Herb Pasta

Ingredients:
1 container ricotta cheese
5 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parm cheese
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb penne pasta
1 lb asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta, lemon juice, parm cheese, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper.Set aside.

2.Add penne to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Add asparagus to the pot for the final 3 minutes of cooking time. Set aside 1 cup "pasta water", then drain the pasta mixture, putting the pasta and asparagus into a serving bowl.

3. Add ricotta mixture and bacon to the bowl and stir well and add the "pasta water" 1/4 cup at a time. Serve immediately.

This is a high fat but high flavor dish ----worth every single gram of fat!!

Chicken Burritos

I originally made this recipe for my dad's birthday bash a few years ago and it has been a hit in our circle of friends ever since. Not only is it relatively easy but it is great frozen or left over. I usually make 6 pans at a time and stock the freezer.

Ingredients:
2 pkgs shredded mexican blend cheese
3-4 chicken breasts
2 cans of rotel
1 onion, diced very small
1/2 cup sourcream
1 block cream cheese (do not use low fat)
1 can cream of chicken soup
taco seasoning
a dash of cayenne
16 burrito size flour torillas


This recipe yields 2 9x13 pyrex dishes with 16 burritos. Boil chicken and shred. Return to pan. saute onion with taco seasoning for about 4 minutes in a medium pan in olive oil. Add chicken and cook for another 2 minutes. Then add 1 can of rotel. let simmer for a few minutes then set aside. In a seperate medium size pot add cream of chicken soup, sour cream and cream cheese with the other can of rotel. Over medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is almost smooth and the cream cheese is melted. Set aside. Add 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each tortilla with shredded cheese on top. Roll and place in pyrex seam side down. Top the burritos with the sauce and add cheese to the top. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes.

*This recipe is excellent frozen as well.

Salmon Burgers

Oh my goodness, these are kickin' good! We love fish...all fish, any fish, any day, any meal. :) LOVE IT! These are so summery and just plain super! I found a variation of this recipe in Family Circle and re-vamped it to our liking.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs salmon fillet
2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 tbsp dill
1 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Remove skin from the salmon fillet, then coarsely chop the salmon.
2. put salmon in a food processor with scallions, dill, lemon zest, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Pulse until the salmon is the consistency of ground beef, not too long at all.
3. Form patties an d coat with non-stick spray. Grill about 5 minutes and flip for another minutes. Serve with tartar sauce and lettuce.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Have you noticed the trend of high sodium recipes? Sorry about that. Rarely do people get the green light to go hog wild with sodium from the doctor, but I am one of those extremely lucky people. :)No really, I have extremely low blood pressure so I am told to get quite a bit of sodium and I have to say I think I like that!

This recipe is from a MOPS cookbook that I purchased a few years ago. Simple, delicious and its a crockpotter! :)

ingredients:
2 lbs chicken
1/2 cup butter
1 envelope italian dressing mix
1 can cream of chix soup
1 block cream cheese

1. Turn crockpot on high and melt butter. When melted add the season mix.
2. Cut chicken in to 1 inch strips, add to crockpot and stir.
3. Cook on high for 2 hours. Remove and cool. Add creamy sauce from the crock pot.

****This can be served immediately or frozen.

Pork BBQ (My momma's recipe)

Years ago we had "incident" with a crockpot roast when Tom and I were first dating. So that Christmas Tom bought my mom a "Slow Cookers For Dummies" cookbook. As hysterical as this was and still is, we have gotten so many wonderful recipes out of it. Just for the record the recipe my mom followed was a flop, she is a AMAZING cook! :) Anyway, this recipe is from that cookbook. We have made this BBQ for at least 1000 people (seriously) since then. So cheers to mom for the tough roast over a decade ago! :) I'd say it was a blessing, right?

So per Kristina's request, here is the super easy BBQ recipe.

ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 lb boston butt, fat trimmed
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups BBQ sauce ( we use Cattlemans from Sam's Club)
1/2 cup water


1. Lightly spray a 4-6 quart slow cooker with oil of your choice.

2. Heat olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium/high heat. Add pork and brown evening on all sides. Place in the crockpot.

3. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for 7-8 minutes. Add BBQ sauce and water, then simmer. Pour over meat.

4. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove meat from the crockpot and shred with a fork.


*This is also wonderful frozen. We make a full batch and divide in gallon size ziplocks. This BBQ goes a long way and you could probably feed 40 people. :)