Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

2 c flour

3/4 c baking

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 1/4 c butter

2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

1 (10 oz.) pkg peanut butter chips

In a bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, stir well. Gradually add in flour mixture, beating well.

Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling, so be sure to give them adequate space on the cookie sheet.

Banana Bread

1 cube butter

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 t salt

1 1/2 t baking powder

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs

3 overripe bananas, mashed with a fork

1 t vanilla

1/2 chopped pecans

1/2 c shredded dried coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

Mix dry ingredients together. In mixer, cream butter, eggs, and bananas. Stir this mixture into dry ingredients just enough to combine (It will be slightly lumpy.) Gently stir in nuts, coconut, and vanilla.

Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Do not overcook. Cook on rack for 15 min before removing from pan. I don't usually like banana bread, but I like this one.

Lime Chipotle Rice

This recipe is a variation of the rice that is serve at Chipotle restaurants.

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

Janelle's Black Bean Soup

1 onion, chopped

1 T cumin

3 cans black beans

3 c salsa

1 can chicken broth

In a blender, combine 2 cans black beans, chopped onion, and chicken broth. (Keep the juice from the beans if you want a thinner soup, otherwise just add the beans.) Put blended mixture into a large pot. Add salsa, cumin, and remaining can of beans. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Italian Chicken

6 chicken breasts

1 cube butter

1 pkg Italian dressing powder

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz cream cheese, softened

Put first three ingredients in a crock pot. Cook for 4 hrs on high (7 hrs on low). Once they are cooked, remove the chicken breasts and add the cream cheese and the soup. Whisk together to remove any lumps. Shred chicken, add back into the crock pot. Let it cook for about 30 more minutes. Serve over rice.

Bean and Rice Burritos

tortillas

beans

cilantro rice

cheese

diced tomatoes

optional extras: guacamole, salsa, tomatillo dip, corn

Deidra's Tomatillo Dip

1 c mayo

½ c buttermilk

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c cilantro

3 tomatillos

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.

Southwest Chicken Soup

3 chicken breasts

1 c salsa

1 c chicken broth

1 can black beans

1 can corn

¼ c taco seasoning

Combine all in crock pot and cook for 6-7 hours on low (about 4 hours on high). Shred the chicken when ready to serve. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and corn chips. You can add more chicken broth if you want a thinner soup.

Cheree's Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water

1 T yeast

1 t sugar

1 t salt

2 t olive oil

2 1/2 c flour

Mix water, sugar and yeast together. Let sit 5 minutes until frothy. Add 1 cup of flour. Mix well with a wire whisk. Add salt and oil. Stir well. Add remaining flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Knead a few minutes. Cover and set aside until ready to add toppings (at least 5 min.)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Use a rolling pin to make a 16" circle. Place on pizza stone. Make your pizza. Bake for 12-20 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly. I really like this recipe because you can have yummy homemade pizza in an hour.

Hot Fruit Salad

1/4 c butter, melted

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 cans (15 oz each) sliced peaches, drained

2 can (15 oz each) sliced pears, drained

1 jar (23 oz) chunky applesauce, or 2-3 apples, chopped

1/2 c dried apricots, chopped

1/2 c craisins or raisins (or both)

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for at least 2 hours. It may take a bit longer if you use apples instead of applesauce.

Pumpkin Bread

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

1 cup oil

2 eggs

2/3 c water

3 c sugar

3 1/2 c flour

2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

1/2 t cloves

1/4 t ground ginger

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended. Pour into three greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for about 50 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Poppy Seed Bread

3 c flour

2 1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 t salt

1 1/2 t baking powder

2 eggs

1 1/2 T poppy seeds

1 1/2 c milk

1 1/2 c oil

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 t butter flavoring

1/2 t almond extract

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into two lightly greased baking pans. Bake at 325 for one hour, or until fork inserted into the middle of a loaf comes out clean. Allow bread to cool completely before removing from pans.

Michelle's Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

1 Tb olive oil

1/2 c minced onion (dehydrated onion is fine)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

4 c water

1 can condensed tomato soup

28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 c salsa

1 10 oz can chicken chunks, drained

2 or 3 chicken bouillon cubes

2 14 oz can black beans, drained

2 14 oz cans of corn, drained

1/2 c sour cream

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

tortilla strips

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced onions and cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in water, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, salsa, shredded chicken, and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until bouillon cubes dissolve. Add black beans, corn, sour cream and cilantro. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve soup with tortilla strips.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is a variation of Mandarin Chicken Salad.

1 10 oz can chicken chunks, drained

1 cup slivered almonds

2 T sesame seeds

1 pkg chicken flavor Ramen noodles (noodles only, crushed)

4 green onions, sliced into small pieces

1/2 head cabbage, shredded

Dressing

1/4 c oil

2 T sugar

1 T sesame oil

3 T rice vinegar

1 t pepper

1 t salt

Mix dressing ingredients together and chill. It is best if dressing chills for at least two hours before serving.

Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

1 10 0z can chicken chunks, drained

1 15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup slivered almonds

1 pkg broccoli slaw or cole slaw

Dressing

1/4 c oil

2 T sugar

1 T sesame oil

3 T rice vinegar

1 t pepper

1 t salt

Mix dressing ingredients together and chill. It is best if dressing chills for at least two hours before serving.