Cheaters Cheese Ball

I needed some kind of protein snack and didn't have much to work with. I had about 1/4 - 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese. I took about 1/2 or more of a package of cream cheese and smooshed them quickly together. Then added just a bit of garlic powder. This is better than any cheese ball I've ever put together. Mmmm!

Chicken and Noodles w/Mashed Potatoes

This is definitely a country comfort food. Very simple yet amazingly good. I don't have exact measurements for the most part. Sorry:( It's very easy to make though. I am also not going to include how to make mashed potatoes as I figure most people already know how. The thing I learned from my husbands family is don't skimp on the butter when making them. That's where they get a lot of flavor.

Ok here goes.

In a large pot add 3-4 stalks chopped celery and one large chopped onion. Put in 3-4lbs boneless skinless chicken breast - I used frozen and it still came out just fine. Add plenty of water so that when your chicken is cooked through you still have room to add noodles.

Cook chicken through then take out and shred/chop. Add back to the pot and add in freshly ground pepper and chicken bullion/broth powder/soup base to taste. Bring to a boil and add in noodles. Boil till desired tenderness for noodles.

Make a quick thickening of about 2 tablespoons flour and 1/3 cup water (or a bit more). I like my thickening very thick. Pour slowly into pot of simmer noodles, stirring constantly. This will thicken up almost immediately.

Serve chicken and noodles over top of mashed potatoes. Salt each individual serving with sea salt to taste.

Potato and Cabbage Soup

This soup is just lovely! I was amazed at the flavor that came from this. Don't skip any of the ingredients as it's perfect the way it is.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cups cabbage, shredded
3 potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
6 cups chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion, celery, cabbage, salt, and pepper.
3. Partly cover and cook for 10 minutes over a low heat.
4. Add potatoes, chicken stock, and dill.
5. Bring to a boil while stirring periodically.
6. Boil, partly covered, for 20 minutes.
7. Mix the flour with the sour cream in a bowl.
8. Add 1/2 cup of the hot soup stock to bowl, mix well, and pour into soup.
9. Mix well and serve.

Just like BD's Mongolian BBQ

That's what my daughter said anyway. lol! I cooked up one piece of chicken in very small pieces in a skillet with olive oil. While that was cooking I fried up two eggs. When the chicken was cooked through I added in some leftover noodles, some frozen stir fry veggies, soy sauce and about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic. Cooked that for a bit then added in the egg. The kids loved this! I love what you can do with leftovers.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cake

This is a lovely little snack cake recipe. It's not too sweet, but has just enough sweetness to curb any sweet tooth. This is great without any frosting at all. This is also a borrowed pix but boy is it pretty. You can find it here.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup white sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened
2 large eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
3/4 cup walnuts

Directions:
1. Pour boiling water over oatmeal and let stand 10 minutes.

2. Stir in sugars and margarine until margarine melts.

3. Add eggs and mix well.

4. Stir in flour, salt, cocoa, soda, and salt. Add 1/2 package chocolate chips to batter and pour into greased 9x13-inch pan.

5.Sprinkle the rest of the chips and nuts on top.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Sausage Stir Fry

Ok I used some turkey sausage patties that were frozen and just heated them in the microwave. Sausage stir fry, to me is a little odd. However, my children loved this so I will be making it again.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound or less sausage or turkey sausage, cooked
2-3 cups cooked, cold rice
1-2 cups cooked veggies - we used peas, green beans, carrots and onion and microwaved.
4 scrambled eggs
soy sauce

Directions:
If everything is cooked ahead of time it's easy to throw together. Once everything is cooked separately, do the following.

1. Heat up your skillet on medium/high and use either olive oil or butter in the bottom of the pan. Just enough to keep things from sticking.

2. Add drained veggies, sausage, eggs, and rice. Stir around.

3. Add in desired amount of soy sauce.

4. Cook just till everything is heated through.

Enjoy!

Shepherds Pie

I'm hoping to soon try many different variations. It just depends on what is in the house at the time. Here's my first one. I have had to borrow the pix till I get one of my own:) Here's a link to many shepherd's pie variations.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes
1/4 block of cream cheese cubed
2 tablespoons beef soup base - adjust amount to your liking
4 tablespoons water
salt
pepper
milk
water
flour

Directions:
1. Brown ground beef and onions. Make sure to season well with pepper.
2. While meat is browning, place carrots and a bit of water in a bowl and microwave for 4-5 minutes till desired tenderness.
3. Drain meat if needed and add in 2 cups water, and soup base. Bring to a simmer and then thicken with a medium thick water and flour mixture. Add in cooked, drained carrots and keep warm.
4. Boil 1 1/4 cups water and 4 tablespoons butter. Take off heat.
5. Add in potatoes, cream cheese and enough milk till you get your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Pour meat mixture into greased casserole dish.
7. Spread potatoes on top.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Like I mentioned above, there are so many variations. I would have liked to have used fresh mashed potatoes but time did not permit tonight. Look for more variations to come. Next time I hope to have frozen peas I can add in.