Vi's Punch

1 46 ozs. can orange pineapple juice
1 6 ozs. can frozen orange juice, thawed
1 6 ozs. can frozen lemonade, thawed
1 2 liter bottle 7 up, chilled

Make sure the 7 up is chilled!!! Mix together and serve.

*** Can add Southern Comfort, Vodka, or White Rum

Kielbasa Casserole

I got this recipe from my mom and it is a nice casserole with excellent flavor.

1 lb. kielbasa, cut into 1/2" slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 pkg. au gratin potatoes
2 1/2 cups hot water
4 medium carrots cut into matchsticks
1 pkg. (10 ozs) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 cup shredded cheese

Drizzle a large pan with a little oil and cook sausage and onion until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, sauce mix, and water. Heat until boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in carrots; cover and simmer until carrots are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli and cheese; cook and cover until cheese is melted about 5-10 minutes.

Serves 4-5

Nana Pickles

My kids LIVE for these, and they really couldn't be easier. Give them a try, I guarantee you won't be disappointed:)

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
2 cups water
1 small onion, diced or cut into rings
1 quart of dill pickles (we usually get the baby dills)

Boil the sugar, vinegar and water for 1 minute. Let cool. Drain the quart of pickles. Cut the ends off of each pickle - I think this helps the flavor to penetrate. Put them back into the jar, layering onions often. Pour the liquid over the pickles, stick them in the fridge and let them sit for at least 24 hours.

It may seem like a pain for pickles, but these are worth it.

Green Chili Rice Casserole

This is sooooo good - we like to have it with burgers, it just is a good side, to anything really. As always, if you try it drop me a comment and let me know what you thought!

4 cups cooked rice
2 cans (4 ozs. each) chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 cups (16 ozs.) sour cream

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Summer Chicken Salad

As always, I would love to hear what you thought after trying one of these recipes, so please drop me a line. Or, if you have a recipe that you want to have featured on my blog (with credit given to you and your blog) please contact me!

2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup chopped pecans

In a bowl, combine the chicken, celery, grapes and raisins. Add mayo, salt, and pepper; mix wel. Stir in the pecans.

Perfect on croissants!

Serves 2-3

Amish Friendship Bread

I am on day 7 of this and forgot how much I love this plain simple bread. I just wish I had someone nearby to give the starter to. But, if you like a simple bread that you can enhance any way you want, this is the bread for you. Here goes:

Starter:

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk

Day 1 - pour starter into a plastic container and cover loosely (after combining)
Days 2-4 - stir
Day 5 - add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk and stir. Cover again
Days 6-8 - stir
Day 9 - Pour 1 cup out and divide into 3 parts. Give 2 to friends with a copy of the recipe. This is day 1

Recipe:

3 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts or raising, optional
Starter batter

To starter batter, add remaining ingredients. Pour into well greased and sugared loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Check after 45 minutes.

YOU CAN VARY THIS RECIPE HOWEVER YOU WANT. CHOCOLATE CHIPS, LEAVE OUT THE CINNAMON AND MAKE A HEARTY BREAD WITH CHEESE AND GARLIC, THE OPTIONS ARE LIMITLESS!

Corn Crisped Chicken and Potato Dinner

Here is another family favorite. I use whatever veggies I have on hand.

1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
2/3 cup corn flake crumbs
4 chicken breast halves
4 medium russet potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion cut into 8 wedges
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 15x10 pan.

In a shallow bowl, combine buttermilk, salt and ground red pepper; mix well. Place corn flake crumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture; coat with crumbs. Place crumb coated chicken breasts in corners of sprayed pan.

In large bowl, combine potatoes, bell pepper and onion. Sprinkle with cheese, garlic powder and paprika; toss to coat evenly. Place in center of baking pan. Drizzle margarine over chicken and vegetables.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is fork tender, stirring the veggies once halfway through baking.

Creamy Tomato, Meatballs and rice bake

We had this last night and the only thing I can suggest is cooking it slightly longer. For some reason the rice in mine didn't want to cook...not sure why. But, the flavors were very good together.

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup uncooked converted long-grain rice
1 cup half and half
1 (10 3/4 ozs) can condensed tomato soup with roasted garlic and herbs
1 (14.5 ozs) can diced tomatoes with roasted garlic, undrained
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square glass baking dish. In medium bowl, combine ground beef, onion, salt and pepper; mix well. Shape mixture into 12 meatballs; place in sprayed dish.

In medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except parsley; mix well. Pour over meatballs. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until rice is tender. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.

Tropic-Kool Delight Cake

This is a favorite year round, but is especially good when it is warm out.

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 large can mandarin oranges (with the juice)
2/3 cup oil

Mix together. Grease and lightly sugar a 13x9 pan. Add cake mix and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1 small container of Cool Whip
1 can crushed pineapple
1 box vanilla instant pudding

Mix all of these together (you can substitute different flavored pudding for variation - my family likes pistachio)

Garnish with fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, etc.)

Please let me know if you try this and what you think!

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf with Baked Potatoes and Baby Carrots

This is truly one of my family favorites! We usually have this at least once a month and I do make a large meatloaf to make sure we have leftovers for the next day. Hope you enjoy, and would love to hear some comments if you decide to try it.

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

3 lbs. ground beef

4 cups binder (I use equal parts quick oats and cornmeal but use whatever you like)

4 eggs

2 packages Lipton Onion Soup mix

1 small onion, diced

4 ozs shredded cheese (I like to use sharp cheddar, but again, use whatever you like)

1 small bottle bbq sauce, of your choice

3 lbs. baby red potatoes

1 small bag baby carrots

Combine the ground beef, binder, eggs, soup mix and onion until well mixed. Separate the mixture in half and form one half into an oval in the bottom of a roasting pan. Sprinkle the top of the oval with the shredded cheese and cover with the remaining meat mixture, sealing the edges to contain the cheese. Pour bbq sauce over the top of the meatloaf, just to cover.

Wash and cube the baby red potatoes and sprinkle around the meatloaf. All you need to do with the carrots is sprinkle them over the potatoes.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. Let the meatloaf stand for about 10 minutes so that when you cut it it doesn't separate. The bbq sauce gives the potatoes and carrots a nice glaze. Serve with a salad and dinner rolls.

(I apologize for the picture, but I was in a hurry to feed the girls...hopefully you get the general idea)

Menu Plan Monday

It has been a little while since I have participated in this, but with the move and all it has been really hectic and we have kind of been using leftovers and grabbing what we can find. But, back to the grind and making menus...honestly, I really love to do this. So, without further ado - here it is:

Monday - Leftover BBQ Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf, baked potatoes and carrots, rolls, and Tropic Cool Delight cake (recipes for this to be posted later today)

Tuesday- Corn crisped chicken and potato dinner

Wednesday - Creamy tomato, meatballs and rice bake

Thursday - Hawaiian sausage and rice bake

Friday - Overnight cheesy chicken casserole

Saturday and Sunday - my family rents a cottage which is now about an hour and a half away, so we will be spending the night...no menu planning for me!

Please be sure to check back because I will post all new recipes this week (sometimes recipes are repeated of course, in which case I will provide a link to them in the menu). Thanks for stopping!

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a family favorite - we had it this week and my hubby told me this is something that he could eat once a week! It also freezes really well, so when I do make it I make sure to double or triple the batch. It is such a unique twist on traditional spaghetti, if you make it please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks again for stopping by and Happy Friday!

4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 Tbs dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1 package (12 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, optional

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Add the spaghetti and olives if desired.

Transfer to two greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second casserole at 325° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer.

To use the frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake as directed. Yield: 2 casseroles (5 servings each). Servings: 10