Gourmet Chicken Pizza

1 pre-baked crust 
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
3-4 green onions, sliced
2 T. parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup garlic caesar dressing

Spread dressing on crust. Top with chicken, tomatoes, and onions.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese over pizza first,
followed by mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 8-12 minutes.
(Could use ranch or alfredo sauce instead of caesar dressing.)

Pizza Crust

2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups flour
1 T. yeast
1/4 t. salt
1 cup warm water
2 T. oil

Mix half flour, yeast, salt. Add water and oil. Mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in as much remaining flour as you can. Turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Divide in half. This recipe makes two crusts. Roll out to fit pizza pan. If you want regular pizza top it right away and bake. If you want a thicker crust let it rise a bit before topping. If you want thinner and crispier crust, immediately bake crust only at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Then top and bake again.

Chicken Taquitos (or Flautas)

2+ cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 cup shredded cheese
12+ corn tortillas
¾ cup sour cream
1 T. taco seasoning mix
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1 T. parsley
salt, a few shakes
oil

Line a baking sheet or two with foil. Mix chicken with all but the tortillas and oil. Put oil in a small skillet. Soften the tortillas by frying them in hot oil for a few seconds. Not too long or they'll get crisp. Once the tortilla is soft put a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mix in each tortilla and roll it up. Line the rolled taquitos up on the baking sheet leaving a little space between each. Bake at 350° for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden, turning once.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 small onion, chopped
2 T. butter
1 cup carrots, cut up
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 chicken bouillon cubes

Saute the onion in butter. Add carrots, potatoes, and just enough water to nearly cover them. Simmer 15 minutes or until carrots & potatoes are nearly done. Drain all but a half cup or so of the water. Add remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly. Pour into large pie pan lined with crust and top with additional crust. Cut some slits in the top. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until the crust is golden. Let sit a few minutes before cutting to allow the sauce to thicken.

*I use the pie crust recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Snow Cocoa

Snow Cocoa
2 cups whipping cream
6 cups milk (I use 2%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 oz. white chocolate chips

Put in crockpot and heat on low for 2 hours. Stir well to blend.
Garnish with marshmallows if desired.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies 

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar 

1/2 cup milk 

6 T. cocoa powder 

2/3 cup chunky peanut butter 

3 cups oats 

1 t. vanilla 

 Melt margarine in a large pot. Add sugar, milk, and cocoa then bring to a boil. Boil for 3 full minutes, stirring frequently. Take off heat and add peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Mix well. Spoon "cookies" onto wax paper. Let set and enjoy!

Poppy Seed Bread

Poppy Seed Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

2 1/2 cups white sugar

3 eggs 

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup vegetable oil 

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds 

1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavored extract 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract 

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil 

 

Mix all of the above well. Put into two greased 9 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 for about an hour (until golden and tests done). Cool a few minutes in the pan then pour on the glaze (below).

 

Glaze

1/4 cup orange juice 

1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

3/4 cups powdered sugar

To make glaze: Mix liquids and then add enough confectioners' sugar to make glaze.

Light and Flaky Biscuits

Light and Flaky Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 T. baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk (+ 1 or 2 T. more)

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter. Add milk and stir with a fork until ball forms. Knead lightly into a ball but don't knead long. Pat out on a floured surface and cut with biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 until golden brown (about 10-12 minutes).

Note: Great with gravy or as an breakfast egg sandwich.

Abby's Crockpot Mac and Cheese

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

1 pkg. (16oz) elbow Mac 

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 

2 eggs, beaten (I have found these to be optional) 

1 can (12oz) evaporated milk 

1 can cheddar cheese soup, undiluted 

1 cup milk 

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni noodles, do not over cook. While the noodles are cooking toss the margarine in the crockpot to melt (or you could microwave it). When it's soft/melted add milk, soup, evap. milk, cheese, and eggs (if you're adding them). Add cooked noodles to cheese mixture and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. If you're around give it a stir a few times while cooking. *Optional: Reserve one cup of cheese and sprinkle it on top the last 15 minutes of cooking. *If you like really creamy mac and cheese (like KFC), omit the eggs and cook just until heated through.

*Do not use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk! Haha!

Olive Cheese Bread

Olive Cheese Bread (via Pioneer Woman)

1 jar green olives
1 can black olives
2 green onions
1 stick butter, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
¾ lb. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 loaf French bread, slice lengthwise

Roughly chop black and green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces.
Mix until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread.
Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to 2 days) or used as a spread with crackers.