Baked Enchilada Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can milk -regular milk, use empty soup can once
1 chopped onion
1 lb hamburger meat
1 small can green chile
1 can enchilada sauce
8 oz shredded cheese
6-8 corn tortillas

1. Brown meat with onions, add soups, milk, chile, enchilada sauce.
2. Stir well.
3. Spread a small amount of this mixture in the bottom of a well greased 9x13x2 inch pan.
4. Top with torn tortillas.
5. Spread more mixture over torn tortillas.
6. Spread more mixture.
7. Sprinkle with cheese.
8. Bake approx. 20 minutes until cheese is melted in a 350 degree F oven.

Notes:
-In the place of enchilada sauce you can use salsa.
-In the place of beef you can use chicken, just cook the chicken first.
-It took longer than 20 minutes to bake them, I just added 5 minutes at a time until the middle was bubbling.

KILLER Brownies

Makes one 9 x 13 inch pan

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 ounce melted UNsweetened chocolate

1. Mix all ingredients except chocolate.
2. Divide batter in half and add chocolate to one half.
3. Spread white batter in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan, then spread chocolate batter over white batter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 min (approx.).
5. Cool and frost.

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 TABLEspoons cream (I used 2% milk)
2 TABLEspoons soft butter
1 ounce melted UNsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

Notes:
Please read all instructions and my notes carefully before you begin. It's not a complicated recipe, but you do need to be careful.
-Add 1 cup of butter first so you can cream it together with the sugar. I did opposite and ended up having butter chunks that I had to work hard to cream together with everything else.
-The unsweetened chocolate I usually use is Hershey's and it's already melted. I haven't been able to find it lately, so this time I used a different kind that I had to melt. Be sure to follow the directions on the package.
-The white batter will be a bit difficult to spread if you choose to grease your pan. Just work at it for a while, and you'll get it.
-I baked for wayyy longer than 25 minutes, because it was a little jiggly. I added about 3 minutes at a time, and checked after every few minutes. You don't need to use the toothpick trick for this, but you may.
-Be sure to add the whole amount of powdered sugar for the frosting. It makes the frosting "fluffy". Don't make the frosting until the brownies are just about cooled.

-I personally don't like to use frosting, but I did this time for other people. You are supposed to frost only the chocolate part, but I felt it was too much frosting for one area, so I frosted the whole thing (refer to picture).

By the way, sorry the pictures are in order backwards!!

I Made a Main Course Meal!

I know, it's shocking, right? I mean the most I can do is brown ground beef!!

Well Kevin is always complaining that I don't make dinner for him when he gets home from work, and I'm always like "I don't know how to cook!" So I thought I'd start practicing.

So this was my first time ever making anything but browning ground beef. So I was extremely nervous. I've always seen Kevin cooking it, so I kinda knew what to do.

I don't have a picture, because the chicken didn't look very appetizing (it looked more like a naked mole rat with marinade)

Ingredients:
3-4 large frozen chicken breasts (depending on how many people you're serving)
Any marinade of your choice (I used Mexican Lime -or something like that. I also wanted to do Lousianna Red Pepper, but thought that might be a little too hot for little Taylor)

Defrost chicken breasts by placing them in a large ziploc bag, and submerging them into a sink-full of hot water.
As soon as they are defrosted, pour marinade of choice into bag, and toss into refrigerator, until ready to cook. The stuff I use is "30 minute marinade", but I leave it on for a few hours before cooking.
When ready to cook, place on broiling pan. Save the leftover marinade in the bag!!
I use a broiling pan, and put the oven on "broil"
That means it cooks from the top instead of the bottom, and the folks in Europe call it "grill", because that's basically what you're doing.
Put the broiling pan on the bottom shelf, and cook for 7-10 minutes.
Halfway through cooking, take them out and drizzle on leftover marinade.
Put them back in for remaining minutes. Then, take them out and flip them over. Drizzle the rest of the marinade on them.
Leave in for 7-10 minutes.
Internal temperature should be at 165 degrees F. My thermometer sucks, so I wait until it's 140 degrees F or more. The chicken should continue to cook once out of the over for a few minutes.

So that was my first time cooking chicken, and everyone loved it. It was a little dry because since I thought our thermometer actually worked, I put it in for a little longer. Just don't let it get brown or black around the edges.

Cornbread from Quaker

I did A LOT of cooking on Thursday, I mean more than I would do in just one week!
I baked cookies, and a couple of hours later, I made dinner.

This recipe for cornbread is not my own, I got it from the Quaker yellow cornmeal box.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup skim milk (I used whole milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites, or 1 egg beaten

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grease an 8 or 9-inch pan (or glass dish).
3. Combine dry ingredients.
4. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake at 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Serve warm.

Serves 9.

Notes:
Make sure you just mix until moistened. My uncle once made cornbread from this recipe, and I think he mixed it too much because when it cooked, it sank in the middle.
I baked at 23 minutes, and it turned out to be too much. It was a little too dry, and the edges turned brown.
You may put corn in it. I don't, but Kevin apparantly had that when he was younger. I say ew.

You may also make corn muffins with this recipe, baking 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies...with PECANS

I've never made such good cookies until this batch. I followed my sister-in-law's advice about underbaking your cookies to make sure they are warm and gooey, not crisp and dry.

This is my mom's recipe, and basically she makes the best cookies EVER. Ask my cousins, they love them!

Ingredients:
11 TABLEspoons margarine (I used 12)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 brown sugar
Cream these together first
Add:
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

Mix together, then add:
1 3/4 cups flour (I usually add a 4th at a time, to make sure the mixing isn't too hard)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used mint, but you can add any flavor just make sure it's semi-sweet)
A small bag of pecans (or any nut you want) chopped (to chop them, I put them in a zip lock bag, and smashed them with a rolling pin)

I've heard that white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts are really good.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-12 minutes.
Makes 32 cookies

I made 18 cookies, just because I made my cookies a little bigger. I wanted them to fit on 2 pans. Therefore, I baked each pan for 14-15 minutes. Make sure they don't get brown. Once you take them out of the oven, they will look swollen, but as they cool, they will go down.

Just remember that oven time may vary. I live in a high altitude, and I have a gas oven. I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but I just thought I'd put that out there.

Enjoy!

P.S. sorry for the crappy picture.

Frog Eye Salad

I know, the name sounds so weird and gross. But trust me, it's good! Lots of you have been asking me for this recipe so here it is:

Serves 25

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 TABLEspoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup pineapple juice
2 eggs, beaten
1 TABLEspoon lemon juice
3 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
1 TABLEspoon cooking oil
1 package (16 oz) Acini De Pepe
1 cup marshmallows
1 big can chunked (or in rings) pineapple
1 big can mandarin oranges
Basically you can substitute with whatever canned fruit you want
Optional:
flaked coconut - I've never had it, but it sounds good

1. Combine sugar, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Gradually stir in pineapple juice and eggs.
3. Cook over moderate heat, stirring until thickened.
4. Add lemon juice; cool mixture to room temperature.
5. Bring water, 2 teaspoons of salt, and oil to boil. Add Acini De Pepe.
6. Cook at a rolling boil until done (5-8 minutes).
7. Drain, rinse, drain again and cool down to room temperature.
8. Combine egg mixture and Acini De Pepe; mix lightly.
9. Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly, but thoroughly.
10. Refrigerate until chilled in an airtight container. May be kept refrigerated for up to a week.

Acini De Pepe - hard to describe, but you'll find it in the pasta section. They look like little pebbles. I couldn't find it at Walmart but I did at Smith's or Alberton's.

I capitalized the table in TABLEspoon just so you wouldn't mix up teaspoon and TABLEspoon, because I know I do often. I always double check.

It has a really odd texture, but an awesome flavor.