Spanish Rice

Ingredients
2 T. oil
1/4 c. chopped onion (I use dried onion flakes)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. long grain rice (uncooked)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. chicken broth OR water & chicken bullion
1 can black or kidney beans (optional)
cooked chicken breast cut up (optional)
1 cup frozen corn (optional)

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is golden brown. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until rice is tender.
I serve this as a main dish with cheese, tortillas, sour cream, etc. It's one of Jared's favorites!!

Delicious and Easy Pizza Dough

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• t teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon basil or Italian seasoning
  
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Directions

1. Combine flour, salt, sugar, seasonings, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.
2. Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

* I bake the dough for 5-7 minutes before putting the toppings on so the crust isn't soggy.

Cheesecake

1 8 oz package cream cheese (not fat free)
1 package instant vanilla pudding (4 serving)
1 3/4 c. milk
1 Graham Cracker Crust

Put cream cheese and milk in blender until smooth, pour in vanilla pudding and stir. Pour into Graham cracker crust and refrigerate for several hours. Serve with your favorite topping.

Strawberry Basket Cake

Doesn't this just look delicious!! I've decided that decorating with fruit is a great way to go! The sides of the cake were done with a basket weave, I really like basket weaves, I think it's an easy, pretty way to go.

Mountain Cake

I made two cakes in one night, and this one definitely wasn't the better of the two, but I'm sure it tasted great :) I made trees all along the sides. This idea really could be cute if more time was used...

Lilac Cream Cake

I premade more than 100 drop flowers and then arranged them into bunches. The cake is frosted with cream cheese frosting. This is on the easier side of cake decorating since you don't have to make the frosting smooth.

Crockpot Cake

I made this for a church activity. The "chili" is chocolate pudding mixed with chocolate cake crumbs. The beans and cheese are frosting. I used ritz crackers and covered them in frosting for the handles and the on/off switch

Earth Day Cake

Yellow Relief Society Cake

12 inch, 8 inch cakes, yellow frosting- used butter flavor shortening which was yellow, so the frosting was yellow :)

Yellow Polka Dot Cake

8 inch round cake roses on top with white dots around... dots are great if you accidentally got crumbs in the frosting :)

Cafe Rio Deliciousness

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

Café Rio Rice
3 c water
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
3 c rice

Blend cilantro, green chiles and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.

Tomatillo Dressing

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 C. chopped Cilantro
2 cloves Garlic
3 Tomatillos (fresh or canned- found on ethnic foods aisle, roast in oven if using dressing that day)
1/3 cup Buttermilk
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Put all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. I think this dressing is better on the second day.

Enjoy some Provo goodness!!

Simple Baked Pasta

1 jar spaghetti sauce, flavor of your choice
1 jar water
1 lb pasta, your choice of type
shredded cheese
1/2 lb cooked ground beef

Put pasta into a 9x13 inch (or in our case, 7x11) baking dish. Pour sauce over the top. Fill jar with water and pour over the pasta. Put in meat and stir together. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Top with cheese, and return to oven to melt.

I found this recipe on some0ne else's blog, and I added the meat to the recipe. It is a GREAT quick recipe!

Aerobics

shuffle side to side (8 counts)
R. side kick (8 counts)
L. side kick (8 counts)

Repeat, Low, Medium, High

Cowboy (16)
skip forward (8)
cowboy (16)
hop back (8)

run it forward (8)
cheer jack (8)
run it forward (8)
side to side (with arms pull down) (8)

pony (8)
boogie woogie (8)
out cross out in (16)
run it back (8)

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Ingredients
1 12-ounce jar salsa verde
3 cups cooked chicken pieces (1 small deli-counter rotisserie chicken or leftovers)
1 15-ounce can black or kidney beans, drained
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
Tortilla chips (optional)
Preparation
Empty the salsa into a large saucepan. Cook 2 minutes over medium-high heat, then add the chicken, beans, broth, and cumin (if desired). Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of onions, a dollop of sour cream, and some tortilla chips (if desired). For a soupier dish, use 4 cups of broth.

Makes 4 servings

Honey Granola

6 c. old fashioned oats
1 1/2 c. nuts (sunflower seed, slivered almonds, cashews, basically whatever you like)
1 c. coconut
1/2-2/3 c. brown sugar
Mix in bowl

In 1 cup measuring cup
1/2 c. oil, melt 1/2 c. honey (microwave 30 seconds) add together
pour over mixture add 2 tsp vanilla, or almond extract and stir to coat evenly.


Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or cover with aluminum foil, spread evenly on one
bake 350 for 25 minutes take out and fold over, put in oven for 5 more minutes and stir again. Repeat until well browned, but before too dark. Add dried fruit.

Be sure to remove granola off the pan before it cools or the honey will stick to the pan.

This recipe is still pretty sweet for me, so I usually only do 1/4 c. honey (if you take out some honey add water to compensate for the moisture lost) and 1/3 c. brown sugar.

Enjoy!!

Tortilla Chicken Chili

I tried this recipe and thought it was really yummy and different with the chips added in... I think it would also be good without the chips.

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 package chili seasoning mix
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) kidney, black, white or pinto beans, undrained
1 can (11 ounces) Mexican-style corn or whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups broken tortilla chips (bite-size pieces)
Shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions
1. Heat lightly oiled large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Stir in Seasoning Mix, tomatoes, beans, corn, water and tortilla chips; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped cilantro, if desired.

Tip: If a thinner chili consistency is desired, stir in an additional 1/2 cup water.

I found this recipe off of the McCormick website

Elmo & Zoe Cake

Happy 2nd Birthday Madeline 2008

Aliza's Ladybug Cake

Aliza's 1st Birthday 2008

Red Forest Rock Climbing Cake

Jared's Birthday Cake 2008

Jared's Birthday 2008

Wedding Cake (8 inch top, 12 inch bottom)
Russ & Susan Purcell September 2007