Frog Eye Salad

I've never been a huge fan of Frog Eye Salad before but my grandma asked me to make some for our early Thanksgiving get together this weekend so I found this recipe online and when I was done making it I was surprised at how much I liked it.  So I thought I would pass it on!  I got this from Cooks.com.  


1 c. uncooked Acini Di Pepe pasta 
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. pineapple juice (from canned pineapple shown below)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. lemon juice


Cook Acini Di Pepe: Bring 6 cups water to a rapid boil in 3 quart saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly add 1 cup Acini Di Pepe. Return to rapid boil, stirring to separate. Boil only 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 6 to 8 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water to chill. 


In small saucepan, mix sugar, flour, salt; stir in pineapple juice and egg.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thickened (or cook in microwave).  Add lemon juice, set aside and cool.  


Combine cooked, cooled mixture with cooled Acini Di Pepe.  Cover, place in refrigerator until chilled.
Add the following:
2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 oz) dairy whipped topping
1 c. miniature marshmallows


Stir lightly.  Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Serves 8-10

Taco Soup in Ones

Ingredients:

1-medium onion- chopped
1 lb ground beef
1-can beans (kidney or black or other dark bean)- rinsed and drained
1-can stewed tomatoes
1-can whole kernel corn
1-cup beef broth
1-bag taco seasoning
1-bag tortilla chips (we like the scoop kind)

In the pan you'll cook the whole soup in cook onion and beef together (this is how I make things faster and add some flavor to the meat).

Add beef broth and taco soup.

Add beans, stewed tomatoes, corn.

Cook till heated through (boiling-ish) and serve with tortilla chips.


Notes: I use beef granules, that way I can add just a smidge more than one tsp to give the soup a little added flavor.

All cans are your typical 14.5 oz size.



That's it.

It is a family favorite, my brother even likes it and he hates taco soup. It's because I use the beef broth instead of tomato paste *gag.*

Pasta Salad

This is perfect for summer and I am always asked for this simple recipe.

1 16 oz box tri-colored rotini pasta
1 large crown broccoli, chopped
2 thick slices Provalone cheese, cubed
2 thick slices hard salami, cubed
1 can large black olives, sliced
1 16 oz bottle Ken's Italian with Aged Romano salad dressing

Cook pasta till al dente. Rinse with cold water, drain, and pour into large serving bowl and add everything but the dressing. Chill till ready to serve(chill dressing separately). Take dressing bottle and do not shake. Pour off half the oil at the top of the bottle, then shake the rest and pour on pasta till well covered, about half a bottle. Add more dressing if necessary or on leftovers.

This is a very colorful dish and easy to pick stuff out or add stuff in.

Strawberry Salad

So this is not really a "recipe," but kind of, and it has the ingredient of the week in it, so here goes.

When I make a green salad to take to someone's house for dinner, I usually just throw in either a few different kinds of lettuce, or if I'm feeling lazy, I throw in my favorite bag salad then I add:
Cut up cucumber
Cut up tomato
Cilantro (diced)
Avocado (cut in small squares)
Strawberries (cut into 2 to 4 pieces)

You can add whatever else you like to the salad, but the cilantro and strawberries give the salad a unique flavor and everywhere I take it people love it.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

I distinctly remember the first time I ate broccoli without gagging. I was in college. Now, I love it and am quietly proud of my children when they eat it willingly. We love simple steamed broccoli and slightly cooked broccoli in a stir-fry but those don't really require "recipes". This is a soup that we love. Make it before the weather actually turns to a reliable Spring!

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth 2 1/2 cups fresh broccoli 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 cup milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional) 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Bring broth to a boil. Add broccoli and onion. Cook for five minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
2.	In a separate bowl, slowly add milk to flour, and mix until well blended.
3.	Stir flour mixture into broth mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until soup is thick and bubbly. Add cheese if desired; stir until melted. Add seasonings and serve.

Left Over Ham!?

Not really a ham person myself... but I use it occasionally in some pretty good recipes.

So here's two:

1) Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ham
Swiss Cheese slices
Chicken

Generally you would pound out the chicken and then roll the ham and Swiss into it (using toothpicks to hold it in place), but I find that tedious and I have no toothpicks, so I just cut the chicken lengthwise to thin it out and then stack it. Chicken, ham, Swiss, ham, chicken.

Place in oven safe dish and cook at 350-400 (covered) for about an hour... or until chicken is done all the way through.

(Sorry guys, that's how I do my recipes... I just wing it a lot of times)


2) One of my favorites! Potato Soup

3 medium red potatoes (I use russets a lot)
2 C water
1 small onion
3 TBS butter
3 TBS all purpose flour
Crushed red pepper
Ground black pepper
3 C milk
1/2 tsp sugar
1 C shredded cheddar
1 C cubed ham

Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes (and ham if you need to). Cook potatoes in the water until tender. Drain, reserving 1 Cup of the potato liquid (water may be added if needed). Set aside both potatoes and liquid.

Melt butter in large saucepan (the one you'll use to make the soup) over medium heat. Add onion, cook, stirring frequently until onion is translucent and tender, but not brown. Add flour to saucepan, season with pepper's. Cook 3-4 minutes. Gradually add potatoes, reserved liquid, milk, and sugar to onions. Stir well.

Add cheese and ham.

Simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Makes 12 servings.

Tricks and notes:
*I add more cheese and ham and you don't need salt if you've got good ham.
*If you turn the heat up during the simmer part and stir constantly it takes less time, but if you want to do other things go with the lower heat... you don't want to burn your milk.
*Serve with rolls, they are perfect with this.
*Missionaries love this meal.
*A little bit goes a LONG way (it is potatoes) and it still tastes great the next day.

Weekly Ingredient: Pasta

Tomato Soup:

(All ingredients are to size of family... it's a very easy recipe)

Salad Macaroni Noodles (the elbow less ones)

Tomato Juice

Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Cook noodles to your liking. Add in tomato juice and heat through. Season with cheese and salt and pepper.

Voila!

There's really a trick to this. It never tastes as good if you try to add other things to it. My mother-in-law raised 13 children on this recipe and she swears they wouldn't touch it if she tried anything new. My husband still loves it... and he's 31.

-cannwin

Apple Poppyseed Salad

Here's my most favorite salad.... I hope I haven't already posted this. It includes bacon, which happens to be my favorite part!

a mixture of Romaine and Iceberg lettuce

half an apple, finely chopped

grated swiss cheese

crumbled bacon

a handful of green peas

and sometimes I add craisins and grated carrot (if I feel like it)

Now the best part.... Brianna's Poppyseed dressing (or Target's Archer Farms works too). You can dump a little on there (don't over do it, it'll get soggy), or let each person do their own.

Chicken Salad

It's a no-brainer, but we like to have a fresh salad topped with warm grilled or sauteed chicken. We eat this even though it's winter(technically). The best way I have to get my kids to eat salad is to put all the fixings in different bowls, like cheese, croutons, shredded carrots, lettuce, chicken, tomatoes. Then let them assemble their salads and choice of dressing. It takes just minutes to prepare and is good for you and a change from all those heavy meals. Serve with soup and bread if it's not filling enough(like for my husband, salad is just something he has to eat before the main dish is served).

Harvest Chowder

Okay, I know this is super late, sorry! Here's my evaporated milk recipe:

Harvest Chowder

1 med. onion diced

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

1 can evaporated milk

1 c. water

1 t. basil

2 cans shoepeg corn (I used frozen super sweet corn from Costco, Shoepeg is really good small, white kernal corn)

4-5 cups grated zuchini (I used 1 zuchini, and added 1 grated carrot too)

1/8 t. pepper

3/4 t. salt

1 can chicken broth

1 TB parsley flakes

2 diced tomatoes (I used one can petite diced tomatoes)

Saute onion, carrot, and zuchini in butter. Add flour and evap. milk to make a white sauce. Let is thicken and bubble, then add water, spices, corn, and chicken broth. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add fresh diced tomatoes just before serving, or if you use canned, I add it when I add the corn.

Enjoy! It is a great time for soups, and this is super yummy, and has lots of veggies. I think it would be good with chicken too.

Chicken and Wild Rice Salad with Strawberries

Okay, when you look at this recipe, you are going to think it sounds really gross. I thought that too. Then I tried it and I LOVE it. I ate this at a RS training meeting and everyone loved it so much they had to send out the recipe. They served it with a croissant, and it was delicious. It is a great summer salad or baby/wedding shower salad. I hope you enjoy it!

Chicken Strawberry
Wild Rice Salad
This serves about 6-8 people

2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 cup halved strawberries
¾ cup cooked wild rice
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup blanched (not cooked) broccoli (small) flowerets
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup crumbled bacon
1 tablespoon white onion, very thinly sliced (I don't add this, there are onions in the dressing and I'm not a huge onion fan, so this is a little overwhelming to me)

Dressing
Using a blender, blend the following together:
1 bunch of chopped green onions
½ cup sugar
¾ cup canola or vegetable oil
(do not use olive oil, it is too strong a flavor)
1 tablespoon prepared honey mustard
¼ cup white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon orange zest (sometimes i don't have this so I just leave it out)
1 tablespoon lime juice

Once blended, add in:
1 heaping tablespoon poppy seeds
Pour prepared dressing over top just before serving. Pour to
moisten, do not drench.

French Onion Soup

I have never ordered French Onion soup at a restaurant, it just sounded like it would be weird. But Rob really likes it so I made it one day. It was a huge hit! We both loved it. So, here you go!

6 c thinly sliced onions (I know this is alot, but they are cooked and get so soft that you don't have to chew them or anything, they're so yummy!)

1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 c vegetable oil
6 c beef broth
8 slices French bread (3/4 in thick), toasted
1/2 c shredded Parmesan or Swiss cheese

In a big sauce pan cook the onions, sugar and pepper in oil over med-low heat for 20 minutes or until the onions are carmelized, stirring frequently.

Add the broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Ladle the soup in ovenproof bowls. Top each with a slice of French bread; sprinkle with cheese. Broil 4-6 inches from heat until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

*I don't have ovenproof bowls for soup, so I just took the slices of bread, put them on a cookie sheet and put cheese on them. Then broiled them for 2-3 minutes and then put that on the soup when they were done, it was delicious!!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

One of the greatest things about colder weather is having a nice bowl of hot soup. Yummy. I really love to make this super easy soup and then put it in bread bowls. It is AMAZING!

1 c chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 c water
1 tsp chicken base
3 TBSP margarine
1/4 c chopped onion
3 TBSP flour
1 c milk
1 c heavy whipping cream

Combine water and chicken base in saucepan. Add broccoli. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender (about 5 min). Meanwhile, melt butter in a frying pan. Add onions and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft. Add flour and stir well. Cook over low heat about 3 minutes until the roux is well formed and light tan. (just in case some don't know, this is going to help make your soup a little thicker)

Remove from heat and add milk and cream, stirring constantly. Return to heat and cook until think, stirring well. Add the milk mixture to the cooked broccoli-broth mixture and heat through.

Makes: 4 cups

Really, this is so yummy when you put it in a bread bowl! Enjoy!!

Also... I made an awesome discovery. When Kara put on the yummy Cafe Rio recipes I got really excited. I noticed that she didn't have the pork recipe, which is my favorite. So I went a-looking. I came across this great blog. This woman has some great recipes on her blog! You should really check it out. And I made the Pork salad yesterday. It was pretty involved, but the end result was to die for! I haven't been to Cafe Rio in a long, long time so this was such an exciting thing for me. I've had it for every meal since then. It made tons! Rob loved it too! (of course, Rob loves everything)

Oh, and p.s. the tomatillo dressing Kara put on here, amazing. I even poured it on my pasta noodles we ate tonight, it was so good!!

Vegetable Soup with Vermicelli (Martha style)

I found this on Martha's website and I think that it is the same one my mom made last December...I pretty much ate the whole potful of soup by myself. It's that good. Call me crazy but I like that there is no meat in it (I'm not counting the chicken broth.) Sometimes I feel like every meal we have has meat in it and it is refreshing to have a veggie meal with a side of bread.

(Serves 10...unless I'm invited and then...well, it serves 1.)
Ingredients:
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large red peppers, cut into 1-by-1/4-inch strips
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups diced potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
8 cups rich chicken broth
2 pounds green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into quarters and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 pound vermicelli
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions:
In a heavy 6-quart casserole, saute the onions in the oil until soft. Add the garlic, red peppers, and carrots. Cook 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock and simmer until potatoes are almost tender.
Add the green beans and zucchini and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the vermicelli and continue cooking until the vermicelli is al dente. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley. Serve piping hot.

Scorpion Chili (don't let the name deceive you)

This is one of my favorite things to make...mostly because when we eat it we fill a bowl with a few spoonfuls of cooked white rice, add the chili, and top it with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions. I used to have the tradition of making this for the first snowfall of the year (which should be just around the corner for you Minnesotans) but unfortunately Jax hasn't seen snow in, well, forever. I'll probably make it on 1st day of December or something this year. :(

Talk about SPICE! That's one thing I love about this recipe...plop your stock pot on the stove top and just add everything.

1 1/2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 1/4 lb. cubed beef (bite size--I use stew beef)
1 1/4 lb. ground beef
3/4 Tbsp. salt
3 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder or to taste
2 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. finely chopped jalapeno peppers (I actually leave this out most times because I don't have it on hand)
2 (28 oz.) cans plum tomatoes (I actually prefer to use 4 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes)
8 oz. tomato puree
3 oz. tomato paste
1 qt. beef stock
2 1/2 lb. cooked pinto beans, drained

Saute onion and bell pepper in oil until onion just wilts. Add garlic and continue to cook 3 minutes. Add meat; cook until it loses its red color. Add all remaining ingredients, EXCEPT beans. Simmer over low heat 2 to 3 hours (this is important...it's the only way to get the whole neighborhood to smell like chili! oh, and it does a wonder of good for the spices.) Add drained beans and cook 1/2 hour more.

Big-Batch Vegetable Soup

Here's my recipe for this week. I found this about 4 years ago on Martha Stewart and it really has been a favorite because it is so basic and you can change it up, so it tastes different each time. The best part about it is that it makes quite a bit, so I put it in small containers and..... yep, you guessed it! I freeze them, so we get like 4 meals out of only one pot of soup. I like to add noodles to it too!

2 T. olive oil
2 c. chopped onions (I just sprinkle a little dehydrated onion in there)
1 c. thinly sliced celery
2 t. italian seasoning
3 cans (14.5 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 T. tomato paste
8 c. mixed fresh or frozen veggies, such as: carrots, corn, green beans, peas, potatoes, or zuchini. (Our favorite are just the basics, carrots, potatoes, and we grate some zuchini in there too - but if I do potatoes, I don't do noodles, it is one or the other. We also like to add meat, usually ground beef or ground sausage - cooked before we add them of course)

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot, add onions, celery, and italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until onions are translucent, 5-8 minutes.

2. Add broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and 3 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes.

3. Add veggies, and return to simmer. Cook uncovered until veggies are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool before storing. Enjoy! It makes your house smell really good too, and with breadsticks for dipping, it is a wonderful fall dinner!

Raspberry Jello

Okay, ever since Chalece posted her recipe for Orange Jello Salad, I've been wanting to try it! Especially because I have this recipe that is so similar and we LOVE it. Will eats this by the bowl full! Oh, and it is SO easy.


3 oz. cook and serve tapioca pudding

3 oz. cook and serve vanilla pudding

3 oz. raspberry jello


Boil 3 1/2 cups of water. Add tapioca, vanilla pudding and jello. Stir until boiling. Stir and cool 4 minutes. Refridgerate overnight to set up.


The next day:

Add 8 oz. cool whip and 1 pkg. frozen raspberries.


It is super delicious!

Frog Eye Salad

This big salad is perfect for parties where you are serving a meal. Kids love it and it is easy to make ahead. It makes a ton, 25 servings!

1 16-ounce box Acini De Pepe pasta (little pasta balls)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 ¾ cup pineapple juice
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
½ tsp salt

1. Cook pasta in boiling water till done.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. Mix together juice (use the juice drained from the two cans of pineapple being used, add water if needed), sugar, cornstarch, eggs, and salt in a medium saucepan.
4. Cook until thick over medium heat.
5. Cool slightly, then pour over pasta in a large serving bowl. Stir together and then cover and chill overnight(or hours later when cooled completely).
6. The next day, add:

1 16 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 qt. Cool Whip
1 16 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 pkg mini marshmallows
2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained

7. Stir together gently and serve cold.

Makes a very large bowl to serve about 25 people

Grandma's Orange Salad

I don't know if this is the right name for it, but my grandma used to always make this wonderful orange salad at every family function, so that's what we call it! Anyway, this is super yummy. And it's easy to make as a side dish for any dinner!

Orange Salad

2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 lg can crushed pineapple
4 pkg tapioca pudding
2 small pkg orange jello
1 container cool whip

Drain out the 3 cans of fruit into a measuring cup (put the rest of the fruit in the fridge). You'll want to get as much juice out as possible. Get enough of the juice, and cold water to be 4 cups. Put it into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add 2 more cups cold water. Then add in the tapioca pudding and orange jello. Let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick.

Pour the mixture into a med/large sized bowl and place in the refrigerator. Let it stay there long enough to set up (at least 2 hours). Once it's set up take it out of the fridge. Add in the oranges and pineapple, and then the cool whip. Mix it all together. You can either refrigerate it, or serve it right away.

Enjoy!!

Oriental Chicken Salad

This is a really tasty and filling salad. I leave out the onions and oranges, but that's just us. I love the red wine vinegar dressing. Tangy and sweet. Everything can be made during naptime, too!

Ingredients:
1 large pkg. Coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
1 head romaine lettuce
3 green onions, chopped
2 pkg. Ramen noodles, broken into small pieces
1 pkg. Slivered almonds
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
½ - 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
½ cup plus 2 Tbsps vegetable or olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
garlic powder
pepper
3 Tbsp butter or margarine

1. Cut chicken up into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large plastic bag with 2 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, dash garlic powder, and a dash of pepper. Mix in bag and marinate 30-45 minutes in the fridge.
2. Cook chicken over medium heat in a skillet, stirring till cooked through. Remove from pan and place in large bowl.
3. Wipe skillet with a paper towel to remove chicken drippings and add 2 Tbsp butter, a dash of garlic powder and the Ramen noodles. Brown lightly. Then place noodles in the bowl with the chicken.
4. Using the same skillet and the remaining butter, toast the almonds till light brown. Place in bowl also.
5. Make dressing by whisking together ½ cup oil, the red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, sugar and a dash of pepper.
6. Add chopped romaine to coleslaw mix and add oranges in a large bowl. Top with chicken/noodles/almond mixture and serve with dressing.

Serves 4-6