Melanies Artichoke Dip

16 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mayo
1/2 can artichokes

salt and pepper
1 ts or dash of worcestershire
4-5 dashes of tabasco

Pour into small rectangle cake pan
The johnny cake pan would be perfect.

Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Nikki's classic Italian Spaghetti Bolognese

Linguini or spaghetti

1 onion
1 stalk celery
3 carrots diced
minced garlic

saute vegetables in OO til onion is translucent.

fry up 1# each of lean ground round and lean sausage.

Add 1 32 oz an of petite chopped tomatoes, undrained. Add a little tomato sauce if desired.

Add the veggies to this mixture and abt 1/2 cup red wine.

Sprinkle abt 1 T sugar and  about a 1 T to 1/4 cup of crushed basil leaves.

Simmer for an hour till all flavors blend. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over pasta (no cheese)

Vegetable Stir fry on the Side

To a wok add, vegetable oil or coconut oil (healthiest), a little sambal, some wet minced garlic and ketjap. This is the basis for every stir fry I do.

Add any fresh standard stir fry vegetables: red, yellow, green peppers, onions, green onions, broccoli, pea pods, julienned carrots, whatever.

Then add a little water or broth, cover and steam till vegetables are crisp tender. Add a few chopped raw peanuts and some chopped fresh pineapple.

Now add some precooked brown rice, heat through and season to taste with salt and pepper, sambal and ketjap.

NOTE:  I use long cooking brown rice  (tastes best) that I have pre-frozen in meal size amounts. Adding chicken, shrimp or pork would make this a complete meal

Tijuana Tacos or carne asada tacos

 There are American tacos (shredded cheese, lettuce and ground beef) :(
or
there are authenitic Mexican tacos wheich we got used to living in San Diego and travelling to Mexico so much.

So here's the real deal:

Soft corn tortillas (if possible, buy these in a hispanic market and not a grocery store)

thinly sliced grilled beef (I use London broil cut)

pico de gallo (finely chopped red onion, cilantro and diced plum tomato - firm,  jalapeno pepper , salt and pepper, and a touch of lime juice

guacamole (smashed avocado, a little garlic salt, and some fresh salsa)

chopped cilantro

Slice the beef and grill hot and fast
have other ingredients ready
grill the tortillas quickly also and then assemble the tacos.

goes great with Spanish rice and black bean salsa

Chicken Soft Tacos

4 frozen boneless chicken breasts
1 jar (26 oz) salsa
1 cup sour cream
flour tortillas

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Pour salsa over the top. Cover and cook on hi 6-8 hrs. or on low for 10-12 hrs. Shred the chicken  by pulling apart with 2 forks. During the last hour of cooking, stir in sour cream. Makes 6-8 servings

Sunday Crock Pot chicken

boneless chicken breasts or cut up, bone in breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 C sour cream or 8 oz cream cheese




Place chicken in crock pot and add remaining ingredients except sour cream or cheese.
Cover and cook on hi for 4 hrs or low  for 6-8 hrs. One hour before serving, stir in the sour cream.

Serve with "smashed potatoes" and a green vegetable

Crock Pot Burritos

1 # cooked and drained ground beef (gravel)
2 16 oz cans of refried beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
                                      1/2 C water
                                       flour torillas

Combine all ingredients except tortills in greased slow cooker. Cover and heat on low 6-10 hrs Spread hot bean mixture on tortillas and fill with favorite burrito toppings. fold and enjoy.

Mom's Cinnamon Rolls

I think this is the kids' favorite thing that I make.
I would make a lot at one time, in pie pans and everyone wanted the middle! We had these every Christmas morning.

In a large bowl combine:

2/3 C powdered milk
1 C sugar
2 squares margarine
2 C boiling water

Soften 3 T yeast in 1 C warm water and let sit a couple of minutes

Add yeast to 6 beaten eggs, than add to milk mixture

Add 1 T salt

Sift enough flour into milk mixture to make a soft dough. Beat thoroughly. Turn out onto floured board and knead barely enough so that it can be handled. (very soft)

Place in a greased (oil) bowl. Grease the top of the dough.
Cover and let rise tll double (about 30 min)

divide the dough into 2 parts. Let one part sit while you roll the other

Roll onto counter into a rectangle shape ; about 1/2 in thick (no more)
brush on butter, then sprinkle on brown or white sugar, then cinnamon.
Roll up and cut into 1 inch rolls

I always used oiled round pie tins because when I've used a cookie sheet or cake pan, the inside ones are undercooked. Each tin fits about 7 rolls. The rolls should barely touch each other so that ther is enough room to rise. Put in a warm place to rise.

350 20-25 min ....Drizzle with thin frosting after they come out.

Frosting: cream some butter, add a couple drops of vanilla, and a good amount of pd sugar. Add milk to desired consistency.

Sugar Cookies

My mother's recipe

1/2 C butter

1 C sugar

1 egg or 2 egg yolks

1 T cream or milk

1/2 ts vanilla

1/2 ts salt

1 ts baking pd

1 1/2 C flour

For richer cookies, increase butter to 1 C and add 1 egg yolk

Beat sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla,

then add the rest, spoon out dough onto cookie sheet

Flatten a little with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Add more flour for rolled cookies

Makes 50 - 60 small cookies

375 - 8 min

Snickerdoodles

1/2 C shortening

1/2 C margarine

2 3/4 C flour

2 eggs

2 ts cr of tartar

1 ts soda

1/4 ts salt

1 1/2 C sugar

Roll into balls. roll in 2 T with 2 ts cinnamon. Place 2 in apart

400 for 8 min. till lightly browned makes 6 doz