Grape Salad

2 lbs. red and/or green grapes

1 (8oz.) pkg. of cream cheese

1 (8oz.) container of sour cream

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

chopped walnuts/pecans {optional}

brown sugar {optional}

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, & sugar in a large bowl and beat together with mixer. Wash your grapes and remove from the stems.  Fold into the cream cheese mix until well coated.  Chill before eating.

(From http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/2011/04/salad-thats-not-on-your-diet.html)

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 T reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil 

1 C chopped onion
¾ C shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2/3 C sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese
Optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for garnish

Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion,  carrot, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.(If you’re adding red pepper flakes, add them now)  Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pan and simmer for 30  minutes.  Remove from heat. Place soup in a blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in blender lid to avoid spills. Process for a few minutes until smooth.  You could also add cream cheese directly to the pot and use an immersion blender to combine.  Add additional salt and pepper to taste and then divide soup among bowls.  Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and a fresh basil leaf if desired.

(From ourbestbites.com)

Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwiches

2 slices bread

2 slices mozzarella cheese (we used shredded cheese)

2 tablespoons pizza sauce

Pepperoni slices

2 teaspoons butter

Spread butter on one slice of bread.  Place butter side down in a pre-heated, non-stick skillet and spread one tablespoon of the pizza sauce on the bread.  Layer the slices of cheese on top of the pizza sauce and add pepperoni.  Spread the other tablespoon of pizza sauce on the bread, place on top the cheese and butter the top side of the bread.  Grill on each side until golden brown.

Breakfast Burritos

9 small potatoes, cut in small cubes
3 lbs sausage (they turned out pretty meaty so you could use a lot less)
40 eggs, beaten (I beat them in a blender with the milk and it saved a TON of time!)
Milk
Chopped green chilies, to taste
Seasoning salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Shredded cheese
Tortillas

Brown sausage.  In a separate pan, cook potatoes in a small amount of oil until softened and brown.  Pour eggs into 2 large pans greased with leftover grease from sausage.  Add chilies and seasoning.  Cook eggs until are halfway done, then add the potatoes and sausage.  Stir constantly until eggs are cook through.

On each tortilla place a large spoonful of egg mixture, then sprinkle cheese on top and roll up burrito.  Place burritos, seam side down, on a cookie sheet close to each other, but not touching.  Flash freeze on cookie sheet in freezer for 1-2 hours.  After burritos are frozen, wrap in saran wrap, then place burritos in a gallon bag.

To reheat, unwrap burrito and microwave for 2 minutes.

This made 36 really big burritos (too big for one meal for me).  They heat up really well and taste great!

Orange Sesame Chicken

Batter-
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes)
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce-
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil (I just used olive oil)
the juice of ½ orange
1 teaspoon orange zest
sprinkle of garlic powder
sesame seeds


Heat oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees. In large bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.  Dip chicken pieces  into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown).  In a bowl whisk together ketchup, honey, sugar, water, vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, orange juice, orange zest, and sesame seeds. Pour into a wok and cook until the sauce is thickened and bubbly. Mix in a bowl with the fried chicken pieces.  Serve over rice.


(From http://blogchef.net/how-to-cook-chinese-food/)

Busy Day Casserole

1/2 lb. ground beef
3 c. macaroni, cooked according to package
1 32 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz shredded pizza cheese blend
Parmesan cheese, grated
Pepperoni, diced
Black olives, chopped

Brown and drain ground beef.  Combine ground beef, cooked macaroni, and spaghetti sauce.  Place in casserole dish and top with cheeses, pepperoni, and black olives.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

(From Worldwide Ward Cookbook)

Carne Asada

• 3 pounds flank steak
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
•  
• Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended (we used the blender and it really helped it mix together well), then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.  Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Serve with taco toppings in taco shells or as burritos.

*Dustin actually grilled our meat before we cut it into strips (instead of frying it in a skillet) and it was really yummy that way.

(From allrecipes.com)