Delicious Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

• 3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart half-and-half cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Fry 2-6 Slices of Bacon in a Large Skillet. Remove Bacon to drain off fat. Add onions, celery, potatoes and carrots to the skillet and coat with bacon grease. Then add clam juice(from cans). Add water to cover the vegies, and cook over medium heat until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
3. Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Recipe Bio: A cold, dreary December day in Penryn and we needed something warm us up. I found this recipe online at www.allrecipes.com. We ate this with a warm loaf of Sourdough bread, YUM!

MRS.GREEN'S CALIFORNIA RELIEF MAP CLAY recipe:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tarter

2 cups water

2 tablespoons oil

mix all ingredients. Cook on stove (Medium heat) stirring. Let cool and then knead out lumps. Cover and refrigerate.

* I made 3 batches to have 25- 3 inch balls of dough. Clay will take 1

to 2 days to dry after making project.

Recipe Bio:Joshua made this in his 4th grade class. He loved it and wanted to make it again!

Mexican Black Beans (Cafe Rio style)

2 cans Black beans Rinsed and drained(the original recipe called for 1 can, but I thought it was too runny, You decided!)

1 and 1/3 Cup Tomato Juice

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 tsp Ground Cumin

2Tbsp Olive Oil

1 and 1/2 tsp Salt

2 Tbsp fresh Chopped Cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook Garlic and Cumin in Olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add Beans, Tomato Juice, and Salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving, stir in Cilantro.

Recipe Bio: Mom made this for one of our dinner get togethers and it was a BIG hit. It will be a staple since we LOVE Black Beans in our family.

Chicken and Black Bean Tostizzas

It's a pizza… it's a tostada… it's a tostizza!

Prep Time: 15 Min

Total Time: 40 Min

Makes: 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 1 cup Progresso® black beans, drained (from 15- or 19-oz can)
• 1/2 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
• 2 tablespoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper strips (1 inch long)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat shredded cheese blend)
  

DIRECTIONS:

• 1) Heat oven to 350°F. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. On ungreased cookie sheets, press or roll each biscuit to form 5 1/2-inch round.
• 2) In medium bowl, mix chicken, beans, salsa and taco seasoning mix. Spread evenly over biscuits to within 1/4 inch of edges. Top evenly with onions, bell pepper and cheese.
• 3) Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking time. If desired, garnish with sour cream and guacamole.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Mini Pizza)

• Calories 340
• (Calories from Fat 150),

• Total Fat 17g
• (Saturated Fat 7g,
• Trans Fat 3 1/2g),
• Cholesterol 35mg;
• Sodium 970mg;
• Total Carbohydrate 32g
• (Dietary Fiber 2g,
• Sugars 6g),
• Protein 16g;

Recipe Bio: I got a smoking deal on Grands Biscuits and had some grilled Chicken breast to use up. This is what I found on the Pillsbury website and it was a hit at our house. We ate cantaloupe, Avocado, spinach, and chips and salsa with it.

Corn Chowder

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 55 min

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups canned vegetable stock (we used Chicken broth)
  
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced(we used 5 medium potatoes)
  
• 6 ears corn(we used 3 ears)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).

Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the parsley and give it another little drink of olive oil. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Recipe Bio: Jacob and I visited San Francisco for our 12 anniversary. We decided that it would be fun to have Sourdough breadbowls and Clam Chowder like we did when we visited SF in our dating era. We had a delicious dinner at Boudins on the Wharf and later decided to bring the yumminess home for our kids to try. We purchased 4 small bread bowls at a supermarket called Mollie Stone's in Sausalito the next day before we went home. We didn't have any clams to make clam chowder so we found this recipe online and it was great in the mini sourdough breadbowls. Yum!

"Lime Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2007

Prep Time:
10 min
Inactive Prep Time:
4 hr 0 min
Cook Time:
15 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

* 2/3 cup vegetable oil
* 3 limes, juiced
* 2 tablespoons vinegar
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 (16-ounce) can pineapple rings, drained, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions

Special Equipment: skewers

In a small bowl, whisk oil, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and crushed red pepper.

In a shallow dish or re-sealable plastic bag, combine bell pepper, onion, pineapple, chicken, and shrimp. Pour lime mixture over chicken mixture; cover dish or seal bag, and place in the refrigerator to for 4 to 6 hours to marinate.

Heat grill to 350 to 400 degrees F.

Using tongs, remove chicken, vegetable pieces, pineapple and shrimp from marinade, discarding the marinade. Onto the skewers, thread 1 piece of chicken; 1 piece of pepper, 1 piece of onion, and 1 piece of pineapple, alternating to fill the skewer. Do the same thing with the shrimp alternating shrimp, pepper, onion, and pineapple to fill the skewer.

Place chicken kabobs on the grill, cover with grill lid, and cook for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout, with no pink center, turning occasionally.

Place shrimp kabobs on the grill, cover with grill lid over and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, and are cooked throughout, turning once.

Remove skewers from grill and serve immediately."

Recipe Bio: Fathers Day 2010 we needed a good marinade for our Shrimp and Chicken Kabobs. We found this just before we cooked them but still used it and it was good. I think it would be better if you follow directions to marinade for several hours...MORE FLAVOR! Yummy and Healthy!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:
1lb Ground Turkey(or Ground Beef)
1 Egg
1 TBSP Cornstarch
1 tsp Salt
3 tsp Chopped Onion(I used red onion and it was good!)
Dash of Pepper

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands. It will be somewhat sticky. Form into balls .
Brown the meatballs in a small amount of oil.

When cooked through, remove from frying pan and set aside. Now for the sauce...

Sauce:
1 Can Pineapple Tidbits and the juice
3TBSP Cornstarch
6 TBSP Cold Water
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
3 TBSP Vinegar
1/2 C Sugar

In a small bowl, combine cold water and cornstarch, mix well so that when added to other ingredients it will not be lumpy.
In the frying pan, mix remaining ingredients and the cornstarch mixture together until it thickens. Once sauce is thick, add the Meatballs back into sauce and heat through. Serve over Rice and enjoy!

Recipe Bio: I was able to get 2.5lbs of Free Jennie O ground turkey. I didn't know what to do with it to make it tasty for the whole family so I went searching for a good recipe. This one is originally for ground beef but I thought "Hey, that should work for Turkey too!" And it did. The whole family enjoyed it. We had it over brown rice and stirred in steamed broccoli. I also doubled the batch and froze half for a meal in the near future. If my kids had it their way, that would be tomorrow~

BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 head red leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn
• 1 head green leaf lettuce, rinsed and torn
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions or crushed Tortilla chips
  
• 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the grill for high heat.
2. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and cook 6 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool, and slice.
3. In a large bowl, mix the red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, tomato, cilantro, corn, and black beans. Top with the grilled chicken slices and French fried onions.
4. In a small bowl, mix the Ranch dressing and barbecue sauce. Serve on the side as a dipping sauce, or toss with the salad to coat.

Recipe Bio: We had Chilis BBQ Chicken salad and thought we could make something similar at home. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and it was delicious!

Asian Chicken Roll Ups

2	tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
2	tablespoons teriyaki baste and glaze (from 12-oz bottle)
1	tablespoon packed brown sugar
1	tablespoon hot water
1	teaspoon sesame or canola oil
4	Old El Paso® flour tortillas for burritos (8 inch; from 11-oz package)
8	slices (1 oz each) deli cooked chicken breast
1 1/2	cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 1/2	cups shredded carrots
1/2	cup chopped fresh cilantro

1.

In small bowl, beat peanut butter, teriyaki baste and glaze, brown sugar, water and oil with wire whisk until smooth.

2.

Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter mixture over each tortilla. Top each with 2 slices chicken, about 1/3 cup lettuce, about 1/3 cup carrots and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Roll up tortillas.

Nutrition Information: 1 Serving: Calories 330 (Calories from Fat 110); Total Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 1g); Cholesterol 50mg; Sodium 850mg; Total Carbohydrate 32g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 9g); Protein 23g

Recipe Bio: Found on the internet at Bettycrocker.com Good!

Homemade Fajita Seasoning

Mix together:
1 1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Thyme
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/8 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Pepper

Use in place of store bought Fajita Seasoning

Recipe Bio: Jacob wanted to make a really yummy meal for me on Valentines day 2010. He decided to make homemade tortillas and make Faijitas. He found this recipe on the internet but we don't know which site it was from. The meal turned out delicious and I don't think we will ever go back to the store bought seasoning!

BBQ Beef

3-4lb Beef Roast(Chuck Roast works best because it will shred easiest)
1 Bottle BBQ sauce(I like Sweet Baby Rays)
1/2 small bottle Russian Dressing
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

Cook for 4-6 hours on low.


Mix the BBQ sauce, dressing and sugar together in separate bowl. Shred the beef and pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the roast, stir to mix it in. Let cook for another 1-2 hours. Serve on buns or rolls. Delicious!

note: I have found some roasts fall apart easily and others are very hard to shred. I haven't figured out which ones are best so if anyone has a tip for me on that, I would love to hear it!

Recipe Bio: We went to visit Jacobs cousins in Utah and had this for dinner. I liked it so much, I had to ask for the recipe!

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 Bottle of BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays, Honey BBQ)

Put chicken in the crockpot. My crockpot cooks pretty hot so I can wait until 2pm or 3pm to put it in and use the "High for 4 hours" setting. You'll have to play around with your crockpot to get the timing right. About half way through cooking, pour your desired amount of BBQ sauce over the chicken. Around an hour before dinner, use 2 forks to shred the chicken so that it can sit and cook the BBQ sauce into it for a while. At dinner time, serve on rolls or buns, any kind your family likes. We like the Francisco brand rolls. Serve with a potato side dish and veggies for a yummy meal!

Recipe Bio: It's simple, I don't know how I learned to make this but it's good and easy. See my BBQ Beef recipe also, it's a little different and Oh so good!

The BEST Lemon Bars I have ever tasted!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups flour + 2 Tablespoons flour (save for use in crust)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar + 2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar (save for dusting)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest

Directions

step 1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

step 2) With an electric mixer beat together the butter, 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of confectioners' sugar until completely blended.

step 3) To form your crust, press the mixture into the bottom of your 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan, evenly covering the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes until light golden brown.

step 4) In a bowl combine eggs, 2 Tablespoons of flour, granulated sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk together.

step 5) Pour the mixture over crust and bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes, until set. (You will know it's ready to remove from the oven when the filling no longer jiggles.)

step 6) Place lemon bars on a wire rack and let them cool to room temperature.

step 7) Using a wire strainer, sprinkle the tops of the cooled lemon bars with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of confectioners' sugar.

step 8) Cut the bars into 24 pieces and enjoy.

Recipe Bio: I came across this recipe on the internet. Had a hankering for Lemon Bars and that was the end of it. I have never had better Lemon bars in my life. The crust is divine and the lemony filling was just right. I didn't use lemon zest in it since the lemons I had on hand were quite ripe and sweeter than I would have wanted it. Also, I don't really like zest in stuff, so there ya go! You have to try these!!!

Click HERE in case you want to find the other delightful recipes they had listed there.