Texas Caviar

4 large avocados
1 green bell pepper
1/2 {or less} red onion (to taste)
2 cans black eyed peas
1 can Rotel
Italian dressing

Cut up all the veggies and drain the juice from the peas. With the Rotel you'll want to drain most of the juice, but not all of it.

Dump everything in a large bowl, then squirt on the dressing. It will take about a cup of dressing, but just get your tortilla chips ready, and add the dressing until it's to your liking.

*This makes A TON of dip, so if you're not going to a big party, half it.

Fiesta Ravioli

I got THIS recipe from Sisters Cafe.


Picture courtesy of Sisters Cafe

This was {surprisingly} good. I was skeptical at first, because of the frozen ravioli, but trust me. And Mike loved it too!

1 pkg (25 oz) frozen beef ravioli
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce*
1 jar (8 oz) salsa
2 c, shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese
1 can (2 oz) sliced black olives, drained (optional)
Sour cream and lettuce for garnish

*We happened to have some leftover green enchilada sauce mixture, leftover from a mishap Mike had with THIS recipe, so that's what we used. I'm not a huge red sauce fan, so I think we'll always use the green sauce. It's awesome though!

Cook ravioli according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet combine enchilada sauce and salsa. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.
Drain ravioli, add to sauce and gently stir to coat.
Top with cheese (and olives, if desired).
Cover and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Bring to the table and enjoy with lettuce and sour cream.

Approx. 6 servings

Black Bean Chili

Picture courtesy of Pass The Beans Please

I was browsing through recipes on Sisters Cafe and saw this recipe in one of the comments. I tried it last week and it was awesome.

1/4 c. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, diced (use red & green)
1.5 T minced garlic
2 T paprika
1/2 t cayenne
1/3 t salt
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, very finely chopped*
1 T cumin seed
1 T dried leaf oregano
2 c. cooked black beans
1.5 c. canned chopped tomatoes in puree**

Heat oil in large saucepan.
Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and jalapeno peppers. Saute until onions are soft.
Add cumin, oregano, beans, and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook slowly for an hour.

* - I used 1/2 a jalapeno pepper, and it was PLENTY spicy.
** - The recipe on Pass The Beans Please said they used Rotel with green chilies, so I did that. One can of that to every two cans of black beans.

We ate this over tortilla chips and added cheese and sour cream to it. Mike was a crybaby and added ground beef to his - I guess the thought of having a meatless chili was just too much for him. You can also serve over rice.

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 egg beaten
2 green onions, diced
1/4 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth and veggies to a boil. Slowly add egg, stirring constantly. Add in onions. Serve and enjoy!

Lettuce Wraps (PF Chang's)

16- Iceberg lettuce leaves (1 head)
1 lb lean ground beef, or 4 boneless chicken breasts, diced
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (found in Asian food section)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 8oz can water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
4-5 green onions, chopped
2-3 tsp dark sesame oil
mushrooms (optional)

Brown meat in cooking oil, drain excess fat. Add onion, garlic, soy, hoisin, ginger, and vinegar. Stir until onions are softened (5 min). Stir in water chestnuts, green onions and sesame oil. Cook for another 5 min. Serve with lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

I made these for Mike's birthday dinner last night. I couldn't believe how good they tasted. I got it from HERE, on the website that I love so much.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded
2-3 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
1 bag mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 bag cheddar cheese, shredded
Flour tortillas

Sauce:

1/3 c Honey
1/4 c Lime juice
1 tbsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Garlic powder

1. Mix together all sauce ingredients and then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.
2. Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. I used two 9x13 pans, but may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas.
3. Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom.
4. Mix together equal parts of cheeses
5. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.
6. Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy!
7. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The recipe says to then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer to the top of oven, and then let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy. I didn't do that this time, but next time I will.
I served them with homemade guacamole & 7-layer dip. I also offered tomatoes / onions / salsa for those that wanted it.

These were a hit - TRY THEM!!! ;)

German Pancakes

I make these yummy pancakes every once in a while. Kids always get a kick out of them because they puff up. I've seen a couple different versions, but this is the one I like the best.

1 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Flour
2 Eggs
Dash Salt
Dash Cinnammon

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in 9 inch pan.
2. Beat ingredients with wire wisk.
3. Pour into 9 inch pan. Put back into oven.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes.
5. Serve w/ powdered sugar, lemon juice, and syrup/

French Toast Cupcakes & Maple Frosting

1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 Tbs. Cinnamon
1 small box instant vanilla pudding

Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tins with paper liners. Mix cake mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth & fluffly (about 2 minutes). Spoon into cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Maple Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp.
1 cube butter, room temp
1 Tbs. Maple Flavoring/Extract
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Cream all together for about 3 minutes. Frost cupcakes. Be brave and top with crumbled bacon...!

Dump Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 can of crushed pineapple
1 stick of cold butter
walnuts

Grease 9x13 pan. Pour crushed pineapple in with the juices. Spread into even layer.
Pour cherry pie filling on top of the pineapple, disperse evenly.
Next pour dry cake mix over the fruit mixture. Again spread evenly.
Next cut butter into thin slices and put on top of cake evenly. ( fyi- I had to use a few slices more than 1 stick to cover areas)

Sprinkle nuts on top of it all.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, and serve warm with icecream1

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Am I the only one who posts on here still? I bet all y'all have clean houses too. Pfft.

This recipe came from my friend Karen, who got it from AllRecipes.com. These cookies are AMAZING, I'm tellin' ya!



Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Ranch Potato Salad

I got this from one of my BabyCenter friends, Leslie.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered (it's about 10ish)
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in 1/2
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped chives or green onions
6 slices of bacon
1/2 cup ranch dressing

Cook potatoes until tender (about 10-12 mins), mix everything together. Can do it warm (right away) or cool. It was a hit when I made it and super super easy!

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

I got this from a friend who got it from Kraft's website -

We made this the other night and it is DANG good. Promise.

What You Need!

1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained 2 oz.
(1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It!

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.

COOK and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in Neufchatel.

DRAIN pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish.

BAKE 20 min.; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

**Confession (I'm so embarrassed to admit this!) - Because I didn't know what Neufchatel is, and I didn't bother to Google it, we used cheddar cheese instead. But it was still awesome. Next time we'll try the Neufchatel though! ;)

Coconut Macaroons

Dustin loves Macaroons and has been asking me to make them for a while. I've never made them before so I was a little nervous. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I added 1/2 cup of flour and didn't use any almond extract, instead increased the vanilla extract to 3 teaspoons. They turned out pretty good. Dustin loved them, but I felt like they needed something more, maybe like milk chocolate drizzled on top? But since he likes them just the way they are I probably won't try it.

1 14 oz) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 egg white, whipped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 (14 oz) package flaked coconut
1/2 cup flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with foil; grease and flour foil. Set aside. (I just used my baking mats and I didn't have any trouble)

2. In a large bowl, whisk egg white until soft peaks, add sweetened condensed milk, extracts, and coconut; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets; slightly flatten each mound with a spoon.

3. Bake 15-17 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Immediately remove from baking sheets (macaroons will stick if allowed to cool) on wire racks. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Servings: 48

Salsa Chicken

This is Kandis' recipe:

Put your chicken breasts in a crock pot - I usually put about 4-6. Pour over top a jar of salsa (a small or medium size jar will do....not a Costco size he he) and then sprinkle a pack of taco seasoning over the chicken and salsa.

Let cook all day.

Then about 1/2 hour before serving put about a cup to a cup and a half of sour cream in the crock pot with chicken and sauce and it will melt. Before serving stir everything really good so the sour cream mixes.

Serve over white rice.

I promise it is so good... I have given this recipe to so many and EVERYONE loves it!

Enjoy!