The Perfect Brownies

This recipe is from Julie Hales and it is REALLY good, fast, easy and great when you need to feed a lot of people. THE PERFECT BROWNIES 3/4 c. Margarine 3 c. sugar 1/2 c. cocoa 6 eggs 2 3/4 c. flour 1 tsp. salt Mix it all together and pour on a greased jelly roll pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. They are much better under done than over done. FROSTING 1/2 c. margarine 3 Tbsp. cocoa 3-4 Tbsp. milk place the 3 ingredients in a bowl and put in the microwave until the butter is melted. Then add: 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar Mix with blender until it is smooth and then pour over the brownies when they are hot.

Tortellini with Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

We love anything with cheese and pasta at our house, especially Brooke, so Brooke picked this recipe for her dinner night.

TORTELLINI WITH PESTO & SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

2 packages (9 ounces each) refrigerated Three Cheese Tortellini
1/2 cup Refrigerated Pesto with Basil
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 bunch basil, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain; toss with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and cheese. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Onion and Herb Focaccia Bread

Truth be told, I haven't tried this recipe yet but it comes from an AWESOME source, Julie Hales, whom I totally trust. So, I love this type of bread and I will try it sometime soon.

ONION AND HERB FOCACCIA

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 package(1 scant Tbsp) quick rise active dry yeast
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 tsp. rosemary or basil

Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1 cup of the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix well. Heat water and vegetable oil in a small saucepan until very warm (120-130 degrees). Add warm liquid to the flour mixture, along with the egg. Beat at low speed until moistened, then beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir in by hand an additional 1 3/4 cups of the flour. Continue stirring until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead in the remaining 3/4 cup flour. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Invert bowl over the top of the dough and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Place dough on prepared baking sheet and roll or press into a 12-inch circle.

Spray a length of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and cover dough loosely; gently place a cloth dish towel over the wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 30 minutes. Remove cover from dough. With your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in dough 1 inch apart. Drizzle olive oil over top of dough. Separate onion slices into rings and arrange on loaf; sprinkle evenly with rosemary or basil. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on wire rack. Makes 16 servings.

NOTE: Focaccia is extremely versatile and can be flavored with many different herbs, onions, and cheeses, so experiment with your favorites. Julie's favorite is to add Fetta cheese, Basil and Tomatoes, then cook it. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

To freeze, wrap cooled loaf in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving): 136 calories

Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is actually a great recipe to use some of your whole wheat that you might have in storage. It is SO EASY, and you don't have to have a wheat grinder to make it.

Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup milk or (1/3 c. powdered milk and 1 cup water)
1 cup uncooked dry whole wheat kernels
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. honey or sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Put milk in blender and turn it on to highest speed. Slowly pour in wheat. It will sound like popcorn popping. Blend until it stops making a popping sound (4-5 minutes). With blender on low, add all the rest of the ingredients except baking powder. After mixing well, add the baking powder. Run for 5-10 seconds. Have a hot griddle ready because batter will be rising.

For our family we always double this recipe. We also love adding blueberries or chocolate chips (chocolate makes everything better).

Sweet and Sour Chicken

We LOVE this recipe! We haven't found another recipe quite as good as this one. It a little bit of work but well worth it.

SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN

1-2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken

Beat 2 eggs set aside.

Dip the chicken in the eggs then dip into Corn starch. This can be really messy, I've found it works really well to shake the chicken in a paper bag filled with corn starch. It is Much Easier!

Fry the coated chicken in oil until light brown (very light)

Lay chicken in a single layer 9 x 13 glass pan. Then make the sweet and sour sauce below to pour over the top of the chicken.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. Ketchup
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
1/4 c. water

Simmer until bouillon dissolves. Pour over chicken and then turn chicken to cover both sides. This never seems to be enough sauce for us, so we always Double it.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Sometimes I add some pineapple to the sauce mix. Brinli, Brooke and I love it that way but it is not the boys favorite.

We love it over rice.

Tortilla Soup

TORTILLA SOUP

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 med-sized green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can (14.5 oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp lime juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 of a firm, ripe avocado, cut into chunks
1 cup crumbled baked tortilla chips (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add green pepper, onion and jalapeno to saucepan and cook, stirring often, for 7 minutes. Stir chili powder into pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

Pour broth and 1 cup water into saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium; simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, beans, lime juice and salt; cook for 5 minutes or until warmed through.

Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into bowls; divide avocado chunks among bowls. Serve with chips on top, if desired.

Game Day Mix

I am constantly looking for good, fun things for the kids in their snacks. On the back of the Cheez-it's I found this recipe. It is great

GAME DAY MIX

5 cups. cheez-It cheddar Jack crackers
5 cups Crispix cereal
1 cup small pretzels
1 cup roasted almonds (optional)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. EACH; celery salt, garlic salt, onion salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cereal, cheez-It, pretzels and almonds. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour seasoning mixture over cereal and cracker mixture. Gently stir until evenly coated. Pour mixture onto 11 x 13 baking pan.

Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

I just put it in snack size bags and put it in a basket so the kids can have it ready for their lunches or for an after school snack.