The Best Brownies

MK gave me this recipe years ago when we first met. She made them for us and we loved them. Every time I make them, I think of our friendship and how special it is to me. I made them today for my family and our home smelled like a bakery. They are so easy and much tastier than a box of brownie mix.

3/4 C melted butter
1 1/2 C sugar
3/4 C flour
1/2 C cocoa
3 eggs

Mix and pour into a greased round pan or square pan. This recipe is not big enough for a 9x13 pan but it is just right for a 9" round or square dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm and expect unbridled gratitude and infinite praise.

Breakfast Casserole - Muffin Style!

i had these when i was in atlanta with my sister and they are SOOOOOO good! i am going to try to make them this weekend for my bible study saturday morning. they look so easy and did i mention they are DELICIOUS???!!!!

1 lb sausage - cooked and drained
1 package 10 count flaky biscuits
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 eggs - beaten

spray muffin pan with Pam (cooking spray). separate each biscuit into 2 pieces so that you have a top piece and a bottom piece. place 1 half in bottom of muffin tin. combine sausage, cheese, and eggs. put one spoonful on top of each biscuit. bake at 400 for 10 to 15 minutes. makes 20 muffins. (freeze well.)

Taco Soup

If you can work a can opener, you can make this family favorite. So easy and tasty.

2 # hamburger; browned and seasoned with S/P
1 onion; brown w/ hamburger

1 can Pinto beans
1 can Red beans
1 can Black beans
--drain beans really well and add to meat.

2 14oz cans Rotel
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 Hidden Valley Ranch packets
4 cups water
2 Taco seasoning packets (I add Ranch and Taco packets to the water and stir well)

Eat when soup is warm and flavors have blended. Serve with Fritos, cheese and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

I've declared Thursday as "Crock Pot Day" in our home. A friend gave me this recipe & I tried it last night. It was great!

1 boneless 1/2 pork loin (2 1/2 - 3 pounds)
1 can cream of celery soup
potatoes
salt & pepper to taste.


Peel and slice the potatoes, put in crock pot with pork. Salt & pepper. Combine soup & 1 can water, pour over. Cook on low 8 - 10 hours.

Italian Chicken with Peppers

Even easier than the last one!

Italian Chicken with Peppers

4 Chicken Breasts (can be frozen)
1 bottle Italian Dressing
Pepper Medley (red, green, yellow) (fresh or frozen)
Onion (fresh or frozen)

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours
Serve over rice (brown is good)

Italian Crockpot Chicken

One of my favorites. Easy and GOOD!

Italian Crockpot Chicken

2Tbs Olive Oil
4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless) (can be frozen)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
½ yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
1Tbs Oregano
1Tbs Basil
1Tbs Marjoram
dash salt and pepper

Cook on low for 4-5 hours
Serve over bowtie pasta or pasta of choice

Easy & Yummy....Enjoy!

Chicken Tetrazini

3 – 5 chicken breasts (depends on the size)
1 pkg angel hair pasta
1 block of velvetta cheese – middle size
1 can rotel
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth – from the boiled chicken

Cook chicken in a large pot with lots of water. Once completely cooked, remove chicken and cook pasta in the same pot and water. In a large bowl, combine the cheese – cut into small pieces, rotel, cream of mushroom, chicken (also cut into small pieces). Once the pasta is cooked, scoop out one cup of chicken broth before draining the pasta. Add the cup of broth to the mixture. Drain the pasta and add to the mixture.

Place in 9x13 pan. Cook at 325 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes.
This makes a lot – feeds 15. Can be split and put into two pans. Freezes well.

Crisp and Creamy Baked Chicken

Finally! I've been meaning to post this for a week! I made this for dinner one night, and everyone really liked it! Also, I have a new favorite product, Birdseye Frozen Vegetable Steamers. It's a bag of frozen veggies (broccoli, broccoli and cauliflower, corn, mixed veggies...) that you take straight from the freezer to the microwave. 5 minutes, and you have perfectly steamed veggies! No dirty dish, no guess work! We tried the broccoli and cauliflower, and my kids actually ate it! It tasted really fresh and was perfectly cooked. One bag fed us for 2 nights. One other thing I like about it was there were no preservatives, and no salt added. OK, on to the recipe!

Crisp and Creamy Baked Chicken
(from Kraft food and family, spring 2007)

4 small boneless chicken breast halves, about 1 lb.
6 Tbsp. (1/2 of 1 pouch) Shake n Bake Extra Crispy for Chicken Mix
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
2/3 cup (1/2 of 10 3/4 oz. can) condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese

(for a picture, click here)

Prep time: 10 minutes --- Total time: 35 minutes
Preheat oven to 400. Coat the chicken with coating mix as directed on package; place in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Discard any remaining coating mix. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook rice. Beat soup and milk with a wire whisk until well blended. Pour evenly over chicken, sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve with the rice. Makes 4 servings.

Crock Pot Meals

I don't know about you, but once school starts I am in the mood for some easy crock pot cooking. This week I made a roast. I marinated it during the night in one of those Grill Mates seasoning packets. It was the southwest flavor. I am telling you, it was DELICIOUS! We devoured it. I loved the flavor and the smell while it was cooking made me weak in the knees. Try it, gals. You will never be the same.

What are your crock pot ideas for the fall?

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

Here is an easy favorite from our house.

1 Ready made pizza crust-We like the kind from the refrigerator section that is really thick. It comes in a package of two.

1 boiled chicken breast-shredded
1 A few strips of bacon fried crispy-cut into small pieces
1 bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce-we like Gates Original sauce
Shredded Colby jack cheese

Place the crust on a pizza pan or cookie sheet and brush it with olive oil. Cover with barbeque sauce. Top with chicken and bacon and then cheese.

Cook according to crust directions. This is so yummy-very gourmet and so easy

Another Melissa

Gals,

I would like to welcome another Melissa, who is near and dear to my heart, to our foodie blog. My sister, Melissa, from the great state of Texas will be joining us soon.

She is a radio-carrying, high heel-wearing, kid-loving, teacher-supporting, rule-following assistant principal of an elementary school. She does not have lots of time to cook, but when she does, it is a masterpiece. You should see her cakes. She can decorate with the best of them.

Ace of Cakes, WATCH OUT!

So glad you are joining us, Melis...love you so much!