Easy Veggie Casserole

This is a very easy to make casserole:

2 packages frozen chopped spinach
2 packages frozen chopped broccoli
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of French Fried Onion Rings

The recipe also calls for 1 can of water chestnuts. I don't use them.

Mix the soups and veggies together and pour into casserole dish. Top with onions. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Note: If you'd like a cheesy flavor, use one can of cheese soup in place of one of the other soups. You can also add chopped onions if you'd like more onion flavor.

Audrey :)

Aloha Friday #11

Each Friday, Kailani, over at http://www.islandlife808.com/ hosts a wonderful meme called Aloha Friday. It's the end of the week, a chance to relax and get ready for the weekend. To celebrate Aloha Friday, you ask a question and answer others' questions.

My question for this week:

What's your oven like in your house? Do you have 1 or 2? Is/are it/they big or small?

I have a really small oven and it is difficult to cook in.

Audrey :)

Wordless Wednesday All Week Long

When I saw food I knew at this outdoor market, I had to snap the photo.

Be sure to visit www.wordlesswednesday.com each day this week.

Audrey :)

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ok, you've all been asking for photos so twice this week I've taken photos for you.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 4-ounce can diced green Ortega chiles
1 cup sour cream
1 soup can of milk
diced cooked chicken
2 dozen tortillas
Monterey Jack or longhorn cheese, grated

Mix soup, chiles, sour cream, and milk together in a large skillet. Heat until it bubbles. Remove from heat and dip tortillas into mixtures one at a time. Place chicken onto tortillas and roll, then place into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with grated cheese, and serve with additional sour cream and guacamole, if desired.

Audrey :)

Chicken and Dumplings (crockpot)

Many of you asked me to post after we tried this recipe. The picture is not great. What you're seeing is the top, biscuit portion. The chicken is underneath. Here's how we made it:

2 chicken breasts (we used boneless skinless)
1 package onion soup (the recipe called for 3 tablespoons, we used the whole package)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (we used low fat)
2 cans of water

Place everything in the crockpot. We cooked on high for 3 1/2 hours. Then it was time to make the biscuits:

1 1/2 cups Bisquick (I didn't have Bisquick, but I had another brand and used it)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used a cheese mixture)
2/3 cup milk

Mix together and drop by spoonful into crockpot. Cook another 30 minutes on low. Serve.

We will leave the cheese out next time. We didn't really notice the taste of cheese, so why add the extra calories?

Thanks to Amy for the original recipe. We will definitely make this again, but without the cheese.

Audrey :)

Pineapple Casserole

I seem to be on a pineapple kick lately. There is just nothing like fresh pineapple on burgers, in salads and even baked into a casserole:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
4 cups fresh bread crumbs
3 eggs, beaten
1 can crushed pineapple, or fresh pineapple crushed (do not drain)

Mix the eggs and sugar together. Add milk, butter, bread crumbs and pineapple. Pour into greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Audrey :)

Cranberry Pineapple Mold

1 large package raspberry jell-o
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 large can, crushed pineapple
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Mix together everything but the sour cream and cream cheese. Pour into 9x9 dish.

Mix the cream cheese and sour cream together. Spread over the jell-o. Refrigerate.

Audrey :)

Cold Tuna Spread

1 can of tuna
1 package Italian salad mix
1/2 pint sour cream

Drain the tuna and then mix all ingredients together. Chill overnight to allow flavors to mix.

Audrey :)

Aloha Friday #10

Each Friday, Kahlani, over at http://www.islandlife808.com/ hosts a wonderful meme called Aloha Friday. It's the end of the week, a chance to relax and get ready for the weekend. To celebrate Aloha Friday, you ask a question and answer other questions.

My question for this week:

How often do you eat out?

I went out for pizza tonight. It was the first time I'd had pizza in quite a while.

Audrey :)

Cottage Cheese Raspberry Jello Salad

1 package raspberry jello
1 cup hot water
1 small can pineapple
1 pint cottage cheese
1 cup cool whip

Mix the jello and hot water. Stir until dissolved. Drain the pineapple, saving juice. Pour juice into measuring cup and add enough water to make 1 cup. Add to jello. Put into refrigerator until it begins to set. Mix the cottage cheese and pineapple together. Blend into jello. Mix in cool whip. Refrigerate until firm.

Audrey :)

Italian Baked Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 ounces whipped cream cheese with chives
1 cup wine
1 cup minute rice
1/2 envelope Italian dressing, dry
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Set aside 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian dressing. In a large skillet pour in the remainder of the salad dressing and the melted butter. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove to casserole dish.

Mix together the wine, soup and cream cheese. Spread over chicken.

Cook the rice using the 1/2 teaspoon of Italian salad dressing mix. Bake the chicken at 325 degress for 1 hour, basting once during cooking.

Serve the chicken over the rice.

Audrey :)

Quotable Sunday

Toni at A Daily Dose of Toni hosts Quotable Sunday each Sunday. Being that I just ate my own breakfast, I thought I'd share some breakfast quotes with you today:

Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast
Lewis Carrol

I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.
W.C. Fields

Once a woman has forgiven a man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast
Marlene Dietrich

Jogging is for people who aren't intelligent enough to watch Breakfast TV
Victoria Wood

I have to admit, I read tons of quotes and this was the best of the bunch. Next week I'll try for another topic that has different authors and different quotes

Audrey :)

Small Talk Six

Want to join in? Go here to learn how and to view the weekly list Small Talk Six topics for 2009.

Today’s topic is “6 flavors or types of ice cream that you love or hate” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . .

I don't often eat ice cream, I almost always eat frozen yogurt instead, so here are my 6 favorites. The first 3 are yogurts, the next 3 are ice creams

1. Chocolate

2. Vanilla

3. Chocolate/vanilla swirl. Eating yogurt I often get the combo.

4. Rocky Road

5. Chocolate Brownie

6. Gold Medal Ribbon from Baskin Robbins

Are any of these your favorites too?

Audrey :)

Aloha Friday #9

Each Friday, Kahlani, over at http://www.islandlife808.com/ hosts a wonderful meme called Aloha Friday. It's the end of the week, a chance to relax and get ready for the weekend. To celebrate Aloha Friday, you ask a question and answer other questions.

My question for today:

How often do you use your slow cooker? I am loving using mine and we try to come up with one dinner per week from the slow cooker.

Audrey :)

Slow Cooking Thursday

Join us for Slow Cooking Thursday.

I am always on the lookout for new recipes and I love my crockpot. I have not yet tried the below recipe, but it's so similar to a casserole I make in the oven that I'm certain this will come out great.

Crock Pot Potato Casserole

6 cups frozen hash browns, partially thawed

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 tsp. salt

2 (10 1/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup potato chips or Corn Flakes, crushed

Combine all ingredients except sour cream. Pour into lightly greased crock pot; cover. Cook 5 to 7 hours. During last hour of cooking, stir in sour cream. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips.

Audrey :)

Chilled Avocado Soup

3 ripe avocados
1 cup light cream
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
white pepper to taste

If you prefer the soup less salty, use onion powder instead of onion salt

Peel and slice the avocados. In a blender, blend the avocados with the soup broth. Add in seasonings just to blend. Pour into airtight container and refrigerate over night. Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

Audrey :)

Corn and Broccoli Casserole

10 ounce package of frozen broccoli
16 ounce can cream style corn
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon minced onion
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together all ingredients except butter and cracker crumbs and pour into casserole dish. Mix together the crumbs and butter and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Audrey :)

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

1/4 pound butter
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
graham cracker crumbs

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs until fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add in the sour cream and sifted ingredients to the butter and sugar, alternately. Mix in the vanilla and chocolate chips. Coat cake pan with graham cracker crumbs. Pour batter into pan. Combine the brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon. Press mixture into surface of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Audrey :)

Quotable Sunday

Toni at A Daily Dose of Toni hosts Quotable Sunday each Sunday. Today I wanted to share some cooking quotes with you:

Fish, to taste right, must swim three times -- in water, in butter and in wine.

Polish Proverb

What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband? About 30 pounds.
Cindy Garner

Recipe: A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing with ingredients you forgot to buy, using utensils you don't own, to make a dish even the dog won't eat.
Anonymous

and finally, my favorite:

Cooking Rule... If at first you don't succeed, order pizza.
Anonymous

Audrey :)

Cottage Cheese and Olive Spread

This is a wonderful spread for crackers or cocktail bread:

Cottage Cheese and Olive Spread

1 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped olives
1 tablespoon minced onion

Mix everything together and chill overnight.

Audrey :)

Aloha Friday #8

Each Friday, Kahlani, over at http://www.islandlife808.com/ hosts a wonderful meme called Aloha Friday. It's the end of the week, a chance to relax and get ready for the weekend. To celebrate Aloha Friday, you ask a question and answer other questions.

My question for this week:

How long do you keep leftovers?

I will only keep them 2-3 days. I've taken the California food handling certification courses and I just can't store them any longer. What about you?

Audrey :)

Fruit Dip

1 box instant vanilla pudding
3 cups plain yogurt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

Mix together the pudding and yogurt. Add in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Chill several hours.

This is wonderful with pineapple.

Audrey :)

Chicken Tetrazzini

4 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
8 ounces of spaghetti, cooked and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ounces of mushrooms, canned or fresh
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Audrey :)

Kitchen Tiips

Instead of a recipe, I wanted to share a few kitchen tips instead:

When cutting deviled egss, dip the knife in water first

Lettuce and celery will crisp up if you place them in a pan of cold water and add a few sliced potatoes

To avoid tears when peeling onions, peel them under cold water and then refrigerate before chopping

If you have soggy crackers or cereal, put them on a cookie sheet and heat for a few minutes in the oven

To soften butter quickly, grate it and allow to sit for a few minutes

Use an ice cream scoop to fill cupcake papers so they don't spill

These are just a few kitchen tips. Do you have others?

Audrey :)

Vanilla - Peppermint Dessert

1/2 pound vanilla wafers, crushed
1 1 /2 pints whipping cream, whipped
1 1/2 cups minuature marshmallows
1 cup chopped nuts
5 peppermint sticks, crushed (if you don't have the peppermint sticks, use the equivilant in the peppermint hard candies)

Spread the crushed vanilla wafers in the bottom of an 8x12 pan. Mix together the cream, nuts, marshmallows and crushed peppermint. Pour mixture on top of the crust. Sprinkles additional crushed candies and cookies on top. Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.

Audrey :)

Aloha Friday #7

Each Friday, Kahlani, over at www.islandlife808.com hosts a wonderful meme called Aloha Friday. It's the end of the week, a chance to relax and get ready for the weekend. To celebrate Aloha Friday, you ask a question and answer other questions.

My question for this week:

What's your favorite salad dressing, type and brand?

Mine is Uncle Dans Ranch Dressing.

Audrey :)

Dips

When summer comes, many people turn to barbeques for meals. I find that with barbeques people enjoy dips. I'd like to share some really simple dip recipes with you:

Sour Cream and Caviar Dip

2 cups sour cream
6 ounce jar of red caviar
1 tablespoon grated onion

Mix and refrigerate to chill. Serve with chips

Mexican Dip

2 - 15 ounce cans of prepared bean dip
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 - 4 ounce can diced chiles
1 cup salsa
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Avocado-Onion Dip

1 envelope dry onion soup mix
8 ounces sour cream
2 ripe avocados, mashed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix everything together and refrigerate to allow flavors to mix. Serve with chips or crackers.

Brown the ground beef and drain. In a casserole dish, layer the bean dip, beef, chiles, and salsa. Top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cucumber Dip

2 medium cucumbers
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
hot sauce to taste

Peel cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Then grate cucumbers.

Beat together the cream cheese, salad dressing, garlic powder and hot sauce. Once creamy, add the cucumbers and mix well.

Chill and serve with crackers or cocktail bread.

Each of these can be prepared very quickly and make a nice addition to any barbeque.

Audrey :)