Favorite Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

2 Boneless skinless Chicken Breast halves

8 oz. (2 Cups) Penne Pasta

Juice of one Lemon

3 Tablespoons of Honey

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Can Chipotles in Adobo Sauce

1/2 Yellow Pepper diced

1/2 Red Pepper diced

1 Clove of garlic minced finely

1/2 cup White onion finely diced

2 Cups of Heavy Cream (18%) or any type of cream you like

3/4 Cup Frozen Peas

1 cup of Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

30 Minutes before cooking:

In a small dish mix together lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of honey. Add a pinch of salt and paper and blend well. Place the chicken breasts in a ziplock or small dish and pour the marinade over. I usually let this sit for 30 minutes but you can do up to 24 hours if you prefer.

STEPS

Cut up chicken into diagonal bite size pieces. Some people do this after cooking – I find it cooks faster and is easier to slice beforehand.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and put your chicken along with the marinade in. Turn the heat to medium and like it cook. Don’t turn it until it is golden brown on the first side so you can make sure to carmelize it (adds awesome flavor).

After about 7 or 8 minutes turn it over and repeat on the other side. Once your chicken is cooked (15 minutes) and golden brown on both sides remove it to a dish and cover with tinfoil to keep warm. Don’t wash the pan yet!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt! The more salt the better. Once boiling add penne and cook as direction, usually 10 minutes or so. You can do the next steps while it cooks, obviously!

Using the same pan you cooked your chicken in, turn the heat to medium and add 2 Tablespoon of olive oil.

Scrape all of the golden chicken honey juices from the bottom of the pan around into the oil as it heats up and add your chopped onion and garlic. Saute until the onions and garlic are soft – about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining Tablespoon of honey. Add your chopped red and yellow pepper and frozen peas into the mix and saute for another 2 minutes.

At this point open your can of Chipotles and remove the whole chipotles and put aside. Here’s where preference comes in . I added 3 tablespoons of the sauce – add less for mild, add more for delicious to the pan! You can always add afterwards.

If pasta is ready, drain. DONT rinse because you want the starch there to absorb more sauce but make sure to stir so they don’t stick together.

Now add all of your cream to your fry pan slowly mixing it well. Sprinkle in your grated Parmesan cheese and cook for another 5 minutes to reduce the sauce a little bit and thicken it. At this point taste your sauce. If you want it more spicy add more chipotle sauce or more cream to make it not as spicy.

Mix your pasta and the sauce together in whichever pan you prefer or will fit. Add in the chicken and mix all together. Turn the heat onto medium low and mix your pasta and sauce well and get it hot.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 pound can tomatoes, chopped

1 pound can dark red kidney beans, drained

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder (I use 1 tsp regular chili powder and 1 tsp red chili powder cause it’s spicier)

1 bay leaf

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, cook meat, onion and green pepper until meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender; drain fat.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Once finished, remove the bay leaf. And enjoy!

I top mine with shredded cheese because it melts and gets gooey and yummy. I also add macaroni on occasion for Chili mac

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

1-2 large onions, chopped (this all depends on preference. I use 1 because I’m not an onion fan)

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 pound un-cooked bacon, diced

1 can lima beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can butter beans, drained

1 can pork and beans.

If you don’t like one of the type of beans you can substitute with a can of pork and beans and add the rest.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2. Combine brown sugar, vinegar, dry mustard, bacon and onions; simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add beans to the mixture and bake for 60 minutes.

Note: Now the last time I made this I did so in a crock pot on low setting. If you prefer to go that route it tastes just as good you just may need to leave it longer.

INGREDIENTS

1 box of saltine crackers

1 cup canola oil

1 envelope of Ranch dressing (not the dip)

1 heaping tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes (add more for extra spicyness)

DIRECTIONS

Lay the crackers on their edge (not flat) in a one gallon storage bag and set aside.

In a small bowl mix the oil, ranch dressing and red pepper flakes with a wisk until well blended.

Pour the mixture into the bag and over the crackers and seal closed with little air inside.

Turn the bag end of end multiple times until the crackers are coated with mixture. (I like to move it back and forth also to make sure the mixture gets on the edges more as well)

Let crackers sit overnight.

INGREDIENTS:

28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes including juice

1 small white onion peeled and roughly chopped

1 or 2 jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin or to taste

1 tsp kosher salt or to taste

1/4 to 1 tsp granulated sugar optional, and to taste

1 or 2 handfuls cilantro this is probably 1 or 2 cups worth

3 Tbsp lime juice fresh is best

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse a few times to break up larger pieces, then process until texture is mostly smooth (or as smooth or chunky as you'd like).

Taste the salsa and based on personal preference, adjust salt/sugar levels as necessary.

Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for a couple of hours for best flavor.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound uncooked extra-lean ground chicken breast

1 TBSP fresh oregano

1/4 tsp garlic powder

7 TBSP crumbled Feta cheese (I found this was the amount in a smaller container at grocery)

4 items(s) reduced calorie hamburger buns

1 cup chopped lettuc, romaine, cut into strips

2/3 cup roasted red peppers (packed in water) sliced. (You can find this near pickles and peppers in jars at grocery)

5 small olives, black, sliced.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat grill or broiler

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, oregano, garlic powder and feta; divide mixture into four balls and then press them gently into patties.

Grill or broil patties until internal temperature of burgers reaches 165°F, about 7 to 8 minutes per side.

Serve each burger on a bun with 1/4 of lettuce, 1/4 of peppers and 1/4 of olives. Yields 1 burger per serving.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 pound shells pasta (Or your choice really of shape)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (I used brocoli this time cause I had some on hand)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 10-13 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.

In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet.

Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid and mix well.

Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender.

Add pasta to skillet and mix together. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

This tastes even better the next day once the hot sausage flavor has seeped into the juices!

INGREDIENTS

4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups Creamy Peanut butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

2-3 tablespoons milk

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon Shortening

Pacman cookie cutters (optional, obviously)

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter on a large bowl. Add in the milk and mix until it becomes a nice dough that’s easy to moosh together.

Roll dough out onto a wax paper surface and using cookie cutters, cut out shapes. Once all dough is used, place in the freezer for about an hour to harden.

Once dough has been frozen, place the chocolate chips and shortening in a glass bowl. Microwave for 1 minute to start and stir. Continue to microwave for 30 second intervals until chips are melted. DO NOT overheat as the chocolate will start to dry up and form chunks.

Place the peanut butter shape on a skewer and cover/smear with melted chocolate using a knife, similar to icing an entire cookie. (I found the chocolate was too think to dip in and keep the cut shape, so using a knife and spreading it on will create a smooth surface on all sides and not break apart the shape in the process.) Put on wax paper to set.

Once they set trim off an excess from sitting on the wax paper using a pairing knife.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger (I used minced jar ginger)

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (You can use minced garlic for substitue)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, or breasts, or a combination of all three.

DIRECTIONS

Place everything except the chicken in a 13-by-9-inch broiler-proof baking dish and whisk to combine.

Lay the chicken in a single layer in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover, refrigerate, and marinate at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours, turning the chicken at least once during the marinating time.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes (This will keep the glass dish from cracking once it goes into the oven). Meanwhile, heat the oven to 475°F.

Turn all the chicken pieces skin-side up in the dish (if you’re using drumsticks, just turn to recoat them in the marinade and turn halfway through cooking time). Bake until the chicken is starting to turn a dark brown color, about 40 minutes.

Set the oven to broil and broil until the chicken skin is crisped, about 3 to 5 minutes more.