Fruit Pizza

I used to help my mother make this dessert to add to the perfect Fourth of July BBQ. It's fresh, light, and goes perfect outside! YUMMM! You could also make the argument that it is perfectly healthy...with all that delicious fresh fruit!

Crust:
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Filling:
1 8-oz package cream cheese
2 TBSP evaporated milk
1 TBSP lemon juice

Glaze:
1/3 cup clear jelly
1-2 TBSP hot water

Cream the softened margarine, sugar, and eggs. Mix in other crust ingredients and spread onto a greased 13" pizza pan. Bake at 350' for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Cool, then top with cream cheese filling (if you don't like the cream cheese taste, you can use whipped cream) and your choice of fresh fruits (I like to use kiwi, strawberry, pineapple, and blueberries). For the glaze, heat jelly and thin with a little water. Drizzle just enough glaze over the pizza to keep fruit from browning. Keep refrigerated.

Chicken Chimichangas

These are super easy, especially if you already have the chicken prepped. And (atested to by my lack of grocery shopping) it uses everyday household ingredients you always have in your fridge. These little puppies are so crisp, fresh, and flavorful! I've been making them for years without jalapenos, but I've decided they really do add something. ¡Buen provecho!

2 1/2 cup chopped chicken
1 1/3 cup salsa (any variety)
1/3 cup green onion, minced
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
8 flour tortillas (again, home-cooked ones give the BEST taste)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Jalapenos, minced (however hot you want your 'changa determines amount)

Preheat oven to 475'. Combine chicken, salsa, onion, cumin, oregano, and salt in saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Brush 1 side of the tortillas with melted butter. Spoon about 1/3 of chicken mixture onto center of unbuttered side of tortilla. Top with 4 TBSP cheese and 1 tsp minced jalapenos. Fold and place seam-side down on a 13x9 in pan. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Top with avocado pieces, lettuce, sour cream/Ranch, and cheese.

Chicken with Mushroom Gravy (Crock Pot)

This is absolutely excellent over rice. It's a pretty easy recipe to make in the morning when there is nothing else to do, wait until you're ready to eat dinner, hurry and chuck some rice in the rice cooker, make the thickening agent, and toss it on the table!

6 chicken breast halves
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 3/4 tsp chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can (5oz) evaporated milk
5 tsp cornstarch
Optional: minced fresh parsley

Remove chicken skin, rinse, and pat dry. Mix salt, pepper, paprika and rub into the chicken using all the mixture (or sprinkle on each piece.) In a crock pot, put chicken on the bottom, then sprinkle bouillon cubes, mushrooms, onions, and pour broth on top. DO NOT STIR. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours or until the chicken is tender. In small saucepan, stir evaporated milk and cornstarch until smooth. Gradually stir in 2 cups cooking liquid. Stir over medium heat, and bring to a boil, boiling for 1-2 minutes or until thick. Pour evaporated milk over the chicken and garnish with parsley.

Raspberry Chicken Sandwiches

These taste gourmet. I was entirely sick of thinly sliced turkey breast and ham with cheddar cheese and boring mayo. This will make you rethink sandwiches. It's hearty, yet very fresh and summery.

1 cup chili sauce (in the Asian section)
3/4 cup raspberry jam (yummy with strawberry too)
2 TBSP red wine or cider vinegar
1 TBSP Dijon
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 TBSP + 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil (divided)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
24 slices of french bread
12 slices Munster cheese
Lettuce if desired

In a small saucepan, combine first 4 ingredients. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Set aside 1 cup for serving and remaining for basting. Flatten chicken to 1/4 inch thickness (a rolling pin works if you don't have a chicken smasher). Cut in 1/2 and place in a Ziploc bag to coat. Brush the rest of the oil over bread.

Grill chicken, uncovered over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until the juices run clear, basting frequently with raspberry sauce.

Grill bread (or fry), uncovered until slightly brown. Turn bread, top with cheese. Grill 1-2 minutes longer. Place chicken, lettuce, and raspberry sauce on bread. (Or you can use sauce for dipping, like a French dip, although thicker)

YIELD: 12 sandwiches

Cafe Rio Salad!

AT LAST!!! You now know the secret of the Cafe Rio Salad!!! I don't know ANYONE who doesn't like this huge and scrumptious salad. I decided to compile EVERYTHING and all the recipes you would need to make the entire compilation to avoid unnecessary and laborious searching.

Just so you know: This serves 10 people. So be ready to feed an army, or have numerous Tupperware at your disposal.

Pork
This pork is what makes the salad so good for me. It's really sugary, yet has a strange zing to it! And it works fabulously with the other ingredients of course.

1/2 Pork roast
1/2 bottle of honey BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 liter (16.5 oz) of Coke

Place all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on low all night. In the morning take the roast out leaving the juice in the crock pot, shred the roast, and then place the shredded roast back in the crock pot and leave it on low to suck in the sugary juices.

Chicken
I hardly ever do the chicken, because I love the Coke-marinated pork so much more! But, if you prefer:

3 1/2 lbs chicken breast- boneless/skinless
1/2 16-oz bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Lime Rice
In a saucepan, saute:
1 TBSP butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large pot, bring the following to a boil:
3 1/3 cup water
4 tsp chicken bullion
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 small cans diced green chilies
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.


Pico de Gallo2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/8 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Tomatillo Sauce
Ever since I heard of the goodness of this green sauce, I ached to try it. Finally when my taste buds discovered the goodness, I had to have it with EVERYTHING. This goes well with the Cafe Rio Salads (duh) or a homemade tortilla fried in a frying pan with cheddar cheese on it, dipped in veggies, or smoothered on plain ole' tortilla chips. I even put it on burritos if I have a little left over in the fridge. Heck, it's good on anything Mexicanesqe!!! I LOVE this stuff!!!

1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 tomatillos, peel
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp lime juice
3 jalapenos, seeds removed

Blend ingredients together in a blender. You can add additional mayo if dressing is too thin. Chances are, your blender isn't good enough to get ALL the jalapenos and tomatillos chopped, so there will be chunks at the bottom. Personally, I think those taste delectable, but, sigh, if you don't like them, you can always drain them out.

And here is the order you serve everything:

1. Tortilla
2. Shredded cheese
3. Chicken/Pork
4. Black or Pinto beans
5. Lime rice
6. Red and green leaf lettuce, shredded
7. Pico de Gallo
8. Guacamole
9. Fresh cilantro
10. Parmesan cheese
11. Fresh lime slice
12. Tomatillo dressing

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

This recipe is SO healthy. I wanted a fresh-tasting but healthy meal for Mother's Day, and my mother definitely approved. The mint and orange zest is what makes it extremely fresh-tasting. This salad makes a great main course because it is so hearty, yet you can still eat a lot of it somehow.

3 slices crusty bread

1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts

3/4 tsp grated orange zest

1 cup orange juice

2 TBSP honey

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 lb plum tomatoes, cut into wedges

2 TBSP chopped fresh mint

3 cups torn green-leaf lettuce leaves

Preheat oven to 400'. Place the bread on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Immediately rub warm bread with cut sides of garlic. Cut bread into small cubes for croutons. Set aside. (Surprisingly enough, the croutons didn't have any butter in them, yet tasted so garlic-buttery!)

In large pot of boiling water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again.

In large skillet, combine chicken, orange zest, and orange juice. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a cutting board. Add honey to the sauce, bring to a boil, and cook, uncovered, until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Cut chicken into thin diagonal slices.

In large bowl, combine cooled sauce, vinegar, mustard, oil, and salt. Add green beans, tomatoes, mint, and chicken slices and toss to combine. Place lettuce in a large serving bowl and spoon chicken salad on top. Sprinkle with croutons and serve.

YIELD: 4 servings

7 (or More) Layer Dip

Let's just say I like my veggie toppings. If you don't have all the ingredients, just make some up! Use whatever is in your cupboard. Here are just some ideas of what you can put in/on your dip (in the order I put them on, starting from the bottom).

1 can vegetarian refried beans
2/3 cup sour cream
1 lb ground beef
1 can mushrooms (cook with beef)
1 avocado
1 can olives
1/3 cup jalapenos
1 Roma tomato
2 green onions- chopped
1/4 cup cheese
1 pkg Sun Chips to dip! (or if you are traditional, tortilla chips)

I start with slathering stuff on the bottom (refried beans always on bottom, then sour cream, then meat) And then you can dump whatever you please in whatever order you want, because it's all loose and random. Make it pretty!

Chicken Pot Pie

This has been a birthday tradition since....well...I could eat solid food. This is my favorite dish of all time. Bar none. The combination of the gravy and the crust, with the sweet vegetables, and moist meat just makes this.....delectable and wonderful on a cold winter night. It's perfect for after Thanksgiving when you have a butt-load of turkey you have no idea what to do with.

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can chicken or turkey broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cut up cooked turkey or chicken
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas and carrots
4 large potatoes cooked and cut
1 cup corn
Celery Seed Pastry (below)

Preheat oven to 425'. Heat the butter over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. It should be pretty thick by now. Stir in chicken and frozen vegetables, potatoes, and corn. Set aside. Prepare celery seed pastry: (You just can't just use regular crust for a chicken pot pie)

Celery Seed Pastry
2/3 cup plus 2 TBSP shortening
2 cups flour
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
4-5 TBSP water

Cut shortening into flour, celery seed and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 TBSP at a time, tossing with a fork until flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. (1-2 TBSP water added if necessary...AKA if you live in Utah).

Gather 2/3 pastry into a ball and roll to about a 13-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Roll up carefully onto rolling pin, and unroll over pie dish, pressing in the sides. Pour chicken filling into the pastry-lined pan. Roll remaining dough into circle, place over filling. Roll edges under and pinch together edges of crust. Cut slits in the center to allow steam to escape. Cook, uncovered until crust is brown, usually 30-35 minutes.

Dinner in a Bag

Don't ask me why this is "in a bag..." I think the recipe used to be put in the microwave or something to steam... But I have no idea how to do that. SO! This is what you get! This is a really easy casserole-noodleish dish.

1 lb ground beef
2 cans stewed tomatoes (don't get Italian stewed)
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

In a very large skillet, brown beef and drain. Add tomatoes and seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in macaroni; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer until macaroni is tender and sauce is thickened.

Spicy Italian Salad

I made this for a special Italian Mothers Day one year, and my mom is now obsessed. She always asks for it. And for good reason. My favorite part of it is the marinated artichokes! This salad is a hearty meal because of all the goodies in it. Also- you feel like you should be sitting with a bunch of old ladies eating triangle cucumber sandwiches or something when you eat this. :) If you want it more meaty and less vegetarian- feel free to add some browned chicken in the marinade.

1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup tarragon vinegar
1 TBSP white sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (dry=1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
5 cups romaine lettuce- rinsed, dried, and chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 carrot, grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup black olives
1/4 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cucumber, sliced
2 TBSP grated Romano cheese
Ground black pepper to taste

In a medium container with a lid, mix the first 6 ingredients. Cover and shake until well blended. Place artichoke hearts into the mixture, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.

In a large bowl, toss together everything else. Season with pepper. Pour in artichoke and marinaded mixture, then toss to coat.

Taco Soup

I believe this is the easiest recipe I have. I mean, what is easier than opening a bunch of cans? Preparation time: 3 minutes. Wow. Plus- it's SO good. And it keeps really well as a leftover. If you have other random cans of stuff you need to get rid of (corn, green beans, icky red kidney beans) you can dump them in and it will taste even better!

1 can (16 oz) pinto beans
1 can (16 oz) black beans
1 can (16 oz) hominy
1 can (16 oz) garbanzo beans
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
2 cans tomatoes (pints)- may puree if preferred
1 can (4 oz) green chilies- diced
1/2 lb hamburger
1 small onion chopped

Brown hamburger and onion together. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook for 1 hour on high and turn down to low. Serve topped with grated cheese and Fritos!

Cheesecake

It's classic, classy, and cheesy! I'll tell you the truth. I used to hate cheesecake. But that was because I live in Utah and all we have are box cheesecakes at the store. BLECH! So I went to Philadelphia, had a REAL cheesecake, and fell in love. I attempted a homemade cheesecake with a glimmer of hope that it would taste like the REAL stuff, and this pretty much fit the bill! (not saying it's exact, but it's better than Utah's!) Feel free to add anything you want for garnishing. I added a fresh strawberry glaze and some chocolate sauce!

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 pkgs cream cheese, softened (Philly is the best!)
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP flour
1 TBSP vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 carton fresh strawberries, divided

Heat oven to 325'. (if using a silver 9 inch springform pan) or to 300' if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan. Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until just blended. Pour over crust. Bake 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run a knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Cut up 1/2 the carton of strawberries, and mash with a fork, adding 1 TBSP sugar and 1 tsp water to create a glaze. Garnish cake with other 1/2 carton cut up strawberries, the glaze, and a bit of chocolate syrup before serving.

General Tsao's Chicken

If you like spicy Asian curry, this dish is for you! It's a great variation from the same-old same-old... You can even add vegetables if you want (snow peas, carrots, green beans, and bell peppers are great for stir fry!) Note: It doesn't keep very well in the fridge because the gravy coagulates.

3/4 cup chicken broth
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp peanut oil (can substitute vegetable oil/canola oil if you don't have any)
2 medium green onions, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb chicken breast cut into 2" pieces
2 cups cooked rice

Whisk together broth, corn starch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skilled over medium/high heat. Add onions, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and cook until browned all over (usually about 5 minutes). Add sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through (about 3 minutes). Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

YIELD: 4 servings