Michelles's Fruit Salsa

 

This is a fun recipe I got from Bunco and it's become a staple every New Year's party and Super Bowl party, it's one my family always request.

2 apples ( I like ones that have a lot of flavor, golden delicious or fuji)

1 c. strawberries ( I buy the frozen sweetened ones in the 12 oz carton)

(If you don't use the sweetened strawberries, for the sweet part you can substitute :

*1/4 c. orange juice

*1 to 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 

1 orange peeled and sectioned  can also use about 3 cuties

1 - 2 bananas

*use whatever fruit you like and how much you want of each, this is just an estimate of what I use

--I chop all this up small and serve chilled on cinnamon tortilla chips

For the tortilla chips:

Dip the top of a flour tortilla in water and lightly sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on top, shake off excess cut into about 1 1/2 to 2 inch strips with pizza cutter or knife.  Place on pan ( I use a pizza stone and it doesn't stick to it) I also do about 4 to 5 flour tortilla's .

Bake 375 F. for 7 minutes, make sure they don't over cook! 

White Lasagna Soup (from the Recipe Rebel)

I was looking for a white lasagna soup recipe because my daughter can't have tomato based food.  This one had so many 5* ratings that I had to try it!  It was a hit with everyone I fed it to.  My friend who comes every week for lunch, said that I would have a hard time topping this one - not only was it delicious, it was quite fast and easy, at least compared to most of my soups.  I just made it a second time because we went through it pretty fast!

This recipe makes 4 servings.

2 Tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3  cloves garlic, minced( I love garlic so I added 4)

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. red chili flakes ( I omitted this)

3 c. chicken broth ( I used 4 c. because the pasta absorbs the liquid)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts,  1 lb. (I used chicken tenders, its easier to shred

1/4 c. sundried tomatoes, chopped ( I think I like the ones in oil the best, just drain the oil and chop the tomatoes)

2 c. short pasta or break up lasagna noodles, I used fettucine noodles

2 Tbsp. cornstarch ( I did 3)

1 c.  (1/2 and 1/2) I actually used cream

1 c. fresh spinach (I did omit this since it's another thing my daughter can't eat)

**fresh Parmesan cheese for garnish  ( the recipe calls for mozzarella and Ricotta, I only used the Parmesan and it was wonderful!)

1. Melt butter in large dutch oven or soup pot, over medium heat.

2.  Add onion and cook, stirring until just starting to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3.  Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chili flakes - Cook 1 minutes

4.  Stir in broth.  Add uncooked chicken and sun dried tomatoes

5.  Increase heat to medium/high and bring to a simmer.  Cover and reduce heat to medium/low and cook for 12 - 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through - 165 F.

6.  In large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions.

7.  Remove chicken from soup and shred with 2 forks ( I just broke it into pieces)

8.  In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 and 1/2 and cornstarch - stir into soup and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened.

9.  Stir in chicken, pasta and spinach into the pot and heat through.

10.  Taste and adjust seasonings - I like to add garlic salt

**Serve with cheese 

Swedish Meatballs

 

This recipe I found on the internet by Art and the Kitchen- my husband really liked this one and loved that it was from scratched.  I served it with mashed potatoes, another good recipe!

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 c. panko bread crumbs

1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced ( I used 2 )

1 Tbsp. fresh Oregano or 1 tsp. dry oregano

1 egg

1 Tbsp. olive oil

5 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 c. beef broth (warmed up)

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

*** 

1. In small bowl combine panko bread crumbs and milk.  Let sit for 10 min. until bread crumbs have soaked up milk.

2. In large skillet heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil with 1 Tbsp. butter, medium heat

3. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 min. , add garlic and oregano and sauté for another 1 -2 min.

4. In large bowl, combine ground beef, the sauteed onion, garlic and oregano.

5. Mix in salt, pepper and egg combine until egg is mixed in.

6. Add bread crumbs to meat mixture and combine well.

7. Use a Tbsp. or scoop to make equal sized meatballs  Makes about 20

8. Reheat skillet used to sauté onion mixture, adding a bit more olive oil and butter if needed.

9. On medium heat, brown meatballs on all sides, carefully turning so they don't break apart.

10. Don't overcrowd skillet with meatballs, work in batches.

11. Transfer meatballs to baking sheet and keep warm in oven while making sauce.

12. Add 4 Tbsp. butter to skillet, when melted whisk in flour, cook until golden brown.

13. Slowly stir in heated beef broth, cook at temperature that keeps sauce at slow bubble.

14. Add in cream, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard, simmer until sauce thickens a bit.

15. Add meatballs into sauce, cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 min.

16. Serve with egg or broad noodles or mashed potatoes. 

Chocolate Frosted Brownies

 

( a neighbor lady brought these over a few years back , I ate the whole plate!  Well, I did freeze a few and ate one at a time, but when they were gone,  I couldn't stop thinking about them!  I had to have the recipe, and when I got the chance, she sent over the recipe with a fresh supply of brownies!  I am a brownie-a-holic I will confess.  I do hope to try this frosting on a homemade brownie as I think the frosting really makes it!)

**This recipe takes two bags of Ghirardelli  double chocolate brownie mix - the one with the chocolate chips in it,  ( the big box at Costco has the bags inside, so I would use two of the bags, or you can 1/2 the frosting and use one box that makes an 8x8 pan

Make up the brownie mix, making sure not to overbake!  

Frosting:

for a 9x13 pan ( 9x9 or 8x8 pan in parenthesis) :

** Melt 1/2 c. butter, add ( 1/4 c. butter)

     5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa (2 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa)

     5 Tbsp. milk ( 2 1/2 Tbsp. milk)  bring to a boil.  Remove from stove and add:

     5 c. powdered sugar (2 1/2 c. powdered sugar)

     1 tsp. vanilla  (1/2 tsp. vanilla) 

** Frost and let set up, this is so yummy and fudgy!  

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

 

( this is a dish I made for my Bunco group on March 2007, I thought I would try it again on April 2025, wow a lot of years ago! The chicken is tender and the sauce is very flavorful, we really enjoyed this!)

Makes 4 servings:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb.), I filet my chicken breast to about 1/4 ",  just don't use thick ones.

4 slices of baked deli ham

salt and pepper

1 c. grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese ( I used Swiss, and it was good, next time I'll try the Gruyere)

oil for frying chicken in

16 Ritz crackers, or any butter cracker, crushed coarse

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. dry white wine

1 Tbsp. minced fresh Tarragon or 1 1/2 tsp. dried

1.  Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heave oven to 475 degrees.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown chicken, about 3 minutes each side.  Transfer chicken to 13 x 9 inch baking dish, smooth side up

2.   For the sauce:  Add cream, wine,  2 tsp. yellow mustard, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste to skillet and bring to simmer.  Remove pan from heat.

3.  Meanwhile, spread 1 tsp. mustard over each breast, lay 1 slice of ham on top,  and mound each with 1/4 c. cheese.  Sprinkle cracker crumbs over cheese, pressing to adhere.  Pour sauce around chicken without disturbing crumbs.  Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 15 minutes.  Serve.  

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

(I'm not sure where I got this recipe from, so I can't give credit where credit is due. I enjoy a good roasted potato side dish, and this doesn't disappoint!)

 4 medium size potatoes ( can use Yukon gold or russet) peeled and cubed

Parboil potatoes -  boil  for 10 minutes in  large sauce pan of water that has salt added,  then rinse in cold water, drain. Put in bowl. 

Mix about 1/2 - 3/4 c.  mayonnaise**,  1 - 2 tsp. Dijon mustard,  your choice of seasoning salt to taste, 1 tsp. rosemary, 2 tsp. garlic powder(I'm always generous with this),  1/4 tsp. pepper- can add any seasoning you like, I like to play with the recipe to see which ones I like best. 

*for the mayonnaise, you could use olive oil

Spread this mixture in with the potatoes, then: 

Spread potatoes on parchment paper make sure potatoes aren't overlapping

Broil for 10 minutes or until crispy. 

Enjoy!

Our Favorite Ham Glaze

 

(This recipe came from our piano teacher, Pat Ockey - it is a big hit we gave up the honey baked ham we used to buy - we will never go back!  This makes the ham very flavorful  sweet and juicy.)

We buy a Costco ham 8-9 lbs.

(it has a sugar packet with it)

Put whole cloves between the spiral cuts and on top ( I try to be somewhat liberally with it)

Put Ham in roasting pan

Preheat oven to 300 F.

For the Sauce: 

 

Dump 1 c. brown sugar in a large saucepan

Add : sugar packet (from ham) 

1/2 to 3/4 c. pure Maple syrup (can double or triple this amount-I usually don't)

1 Tbsp. Dijon Horseradish mustard

(Note: this last time we had about a 9lb ham and I 1 1/2 times the sauce, there seemed to be a lot of it and I didn't use all of it) 

Blend, and heat until warm.  Brush  warm sauce liberally on ham about 1/3 to 2/3  of the sauce on I try to put some between the layers being careful with the cloves in it.  

Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or until warmed through) - usually take about 1 1/2 hours.  Take out of oven and brush more sauce drizzled over top, make sure this time its generous.  

**Enjoy!