Chimichanga Heaven

A lifelong staple in our house, it really doesn't get much better than this! Grandma used to work at the Lion House in Salt Lake City, and she would make these for us every time we would visit her (I don't know if this recipe actually came from the Lion House or if it's just because she is an amazing cook and worked there that I associate it with the Lion House :). And to this day, these little babies are one of my fav meals ever. 

These chimicangas are super versatile. Of course you can freeze them. But you really can also make them any way you want! My favorite way is to use left over shredded beef or pork roast for the meat and home-canned pinto beans. Grandma cans huge batches of the beans and then just smashes them up! You can't smash up canned beans though, so if you can't can your own, you'll have to use refried beans.

1 lb hamburger (or left over shredded pork or beef roast)

2 can refried beans (or smashed up home canned pinto beans)

1 packet taco seasoning

8" tortillas

Sour cream

Green onions

Shredded cheese

Cilantro

Salsa

Anything else you like

Canola oil

Brown the hamburger. Add the refried beans to the pan and stir until creamy and heated through. Add the taco seasoning packet and mix well. Spoon the mixture into flour tortillas and fold burrito style. (At this point, you can layer the chimicangas carefully in a ziplock bag and freeze for later). In a pan, heat up 2" of oil on medium heat. Cook 2-3 chimichangas at a time. Flip over after a few minutes (or golden brown on each side) and then set on a plate layered with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings!

(I always double this recipe and make enough to freeze for another meal!)

Instant Oatmeal

Ahh... breakfast. The most important meal of the day. And what a better way to start it off than with hearty homemade instant oatmeal! My kids eat tons of this stuff, and we go through it quickly, so I needed a better way to make prep this so I wasn't busting out a bunch of ingredients every day or week. So my mom and I 32x'ed the recipes and figured out how to buy me a few months in between each prep session! 

What's nice about this is how versatile it is. You can use any flavors you want. You can make it stronger or more subtle. You can make as much or as little as you want. After you make, just store it in an airtight container (#10 cans are my preference). We use an electric kettle (about $13 at Walmart) so my kids can get their own breakfast without getting burned as well.

Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Oatmeal

For 32 servings

8 cups of quick oats

4 cups powdered quick oats

3 tsp salt

2 cups brown sugar

8 tsp cinnamon

For Apple Cinnamon:

Switch brown sugar for white sugar and add 4 cups chopped dried apples

Strawberry or Blueberry Oatmeal (We have also done Peach and Banana)

For 16 servings

4 cups of quick oats

2 cups powdered quick oats

1 ½ tsp salt

2 cups blueberries or strawberries

(Freeze dried or dehydrated)

1 cup non dairy creamer

1 cup white sugar

Mix everything together and put into airtight container. We don't measure out proportions. We just use 1/3 cup scoop and then the kids pour in the water to their preference!

Chicken Carbonara

Okay, this one is seriously to die for! It's totally ruined my kids on a red sauce spaghetti. This recipe is full of calories and flavor, and it is worth every. single. bite. No joke! And with pre-cooked/frozen chicken (or a Rotisserie chicken from the store), this meal only takes 15 minutes to whip up! 

1 pkg (14 oz) spaghetti

8 slices bacon, crumbled (or buy the pre-cooked packaged bacon in the store)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups cooked chicken

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups whipping cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti, drain. Add the onion, garlic and bacon. Add the whipping cream and stir everything. Then add the Parmesan cheese and stir frequently for about 5 minutes (or until thickened up). Serve with a salad and french bread.

Stay Soft Cookies

Thes cookies are so good (proof: Rachel just made these for a friend who severed most of his thumb. He tried them and told her he was going to cut off his other thumb just to get some more because they were the best he had ever had ;). They stay so soft! And I haven't had to alter this recipe at all for our high altitude. It's a good thing it makes a huge batch, because they disappear so quickly! (Recipe from Jessi).

1 c. brown sugar

2 c. sugar

2 c. Crisco

4 eggs

2 tsp soda

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp salt

5 c. flour

Mix sugars and crisco. Add eggs, soda, vanilla and salt and mix until creamed. Add the flour. Mix in choc chips. Bake 375 for 8-10 minutes. Also really good with p.b. chips!

Best Cupcake Ever!

Complete with horses and grass for them to eat (if your daughter is as obsessed as mine is!), it's the cupcake inside that is to die for! Seriously, these are incredible! The recipe actually came in the mail from Smith's along with a few coupons for ingredients (who woulda thought, right? But I do owe the actual thanks to Brandis for giving me the recipe :). I seriously won't make any other kind of cupcake now! You can also use it to make cakes with. It's even better if you freeze the cake (a handy little tip my pro cake decorator friend Angie taught me: First, fill the pan a little fuller than normal so it'll bake higher than the top of the pan. When the cake comes out of the oven, let cool for about 10 minutes and then cut off the top even with the top of the pan. Then invert it onto whatever the cake will be displayed on ((i.e. cardboard wrapped in freezer paper, etc)). Wrap tightly with Saran Wrap and put into freezer while still hot. Let freeze overnight. The next day decorate it a few hours before you plan on serving it. Not only is it way easier to decorate, you wouldn't believe how moist it is too!)

1 box cake mix (I have used all kinds)

1cup sour cream

1/3 cup veg oil

½ cup milk

2 eggs

Mix and bake according to box instructions!

One note of advise. These cupcakes grow more and also take longer to cook. Therefore, fill your cup a little less full and cook just a little longer!

(I double the batch for a 9x9 pan in order to have the cake cook high enough over the pan to cut the top off. It makes enough to also make around 8-12 extra cupcakes too!)

Breakfast Pizza

I have a slight obsession with breakfast for dinner, but after having breakfast burritos almost weekly, my hubby decided we had to find another way to present it. He suggested pizza, and I figured, "why not?" Now this is one of our ultimate favs! Unfortunately there just really isn't a way to take a great pic of this pizza, but it is so good! When my brother in law first went to college and came over (starving of course), he took one look at it and decided to forgo (despite his hunger). My hubby got him to take a bite and well, next thing we knew, 1/2 the pan was gone! As he said, "It looks disgusting, but it tastes amazing!" Serve with fruit and muffins!

Dough:

1 tsp yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp pepper

3 cups flour (more if needed)

1/3 cup powdered milk.

Dissolve yeast in the 1 cup of warm water. Then add salt, oil, sugar, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir and add 2 cups of flour and 1/3 cup powdered milk, gradually adding another cup of flour as needed for a good stiff dough. Knead until smooth. Let rise about an hour. Roll out thin. Bake 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Toppings:

2 cups of prepared Country Gravy (or homemade cream gravy)

1 lb cooked and crumbled bacon

12 eggs, scrambled

16 oz. hash browns, cooked

2-3 cups shredded cheese.

Spread the gravy on the dough (after you have rolled the dough out onto the pan of course! ;). Then spread hash browns and eggs (I find it works so much better if you cook the hash browns first and then while they are still in the pan, pour the beaten eggs over the hash browns and stir frequently. Then they are already combined!). Sprinkled the bacon on top and cover with cheese. So good!

Sante Fe Summer Salad

And yet another meal to die for from Jen!! (what meal of Jen's isn't to die for? :) This one is definitely in the top 3. We eat it for sure once a month and it's no surprise at all when we have it twice in a month. It's THAT good! Whenever I get chicken breasts on sale, Mr. Amazing cooks it up to perfection (usually with Cavendar's seasoning) and then we dice and freeze it in 2 cup portions.    With that it takes only a few minutes to prepare this meal!

1 head iceburg lettuce, chopped

1 can black beans, drained/rinsed

1 can sweet corn, drained

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup red onion (optional)

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Cheese (your choice on flavor and amount)

Chicken, cooked, cubed (usually 2 cups is enough)

Mix all together and eat immediately. Serve with crushed tortilla chips and dressing.

Dressing: 1 part Ranch to 1 part BBQ sauce. (So like 1/2 cup ranch, 1/2 cup bbq, etc). Mix J

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am pretty much in love with Mel at melskitchencafe.com! She has some amazing recipes that our family loves! I never buy cookbooks because of 1 reason: we usually only like a few recipes in the whole book. Alas, some food blogs are the same way... but not Mel's! She is a standard go-to for our family! Rachel actually made these cookies right after she turned 10... aren't they gorgeous!? And they taste just as good!

From melskitchencafe.com 

1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter

1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ tablespoons milk

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips (or a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the butter and peanut butter and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add the brown and white sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix just briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) and mix until the flour is completely mixed in and the mixture is well combined. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto the baking sheets. It will firm up as it sits.

When ready to bake, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto baking sheets leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between the cookies to allow for spreading as they bake. Bake for 10-11 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes after baking before removing them to a cooling rack. This will help them set up and be firm enough to transfer without having them overbake in the oven. The cookies may look slightly underbaked but they will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to eat them warm as they taste much better cooled.

To freeze as dough: Just scoop up the cookies onto a cookie sheet like normal and stick in freezer for 15 minutes. Then put in ziplock bag and bake whenever you have a craving! And of course you can freeze the cookies after they are cooked for a quick tasty treat!

Fajita Marinade

I'm so glad I've been able to try so many marinades, good and bad, in order to bring you the best! This one is seriously top notch! You could totally freeze this, too! Our favorite is to use this recipe for quesedillas and fajitas! It's also great for taquitos and Jen's salad! (Another allrecipes.com favorite!)

¼ cup lime juice

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

½ tsp liquid smoke

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp pepper

Mix everything, add chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

Slow Cooker Baked Potato's

I'm an Idaho girl (and now Wyoming girl and wannabe cowboy) and therefore, meat and potatoes for every meal was not just a figure of speech. It was rare NOT to have some form of potato every evening at dinner. And so even though I've broadened my horizons a little bit, I'm still a potato girl at heart (preferably french fries haha ;). And these baked potatoes are so good! (I got this from recipe from crockpot365.blogspot.com).

Potatoes (Russet or Red)
Tinfoil

Scrub and dry potatoes. Poke holes in potatoes with a fork and then wrap in tinfoil. Put in slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours (depending on size of potato) or on high for 5-6 hours. Warning: the potatoes do turn yellow for whatever reason! But oh they are moist!

Serve as a side or do what I usually do and make it into a potato bar: open up potato and add butter, sour cream or ranch, seasoned cooked hamburger (We prefer Cavender's Greek Seasoning. You can buy it at Walmart, and it is soooo yummy on meat!! ), bacon crumbles, sunflower seeds, green onions, and cheese with a salad on the side!

Chuckwagon Stew

You wanna feel like a cowboy, eat Chuckwagon Stew. This is by far Hannah's fav (served with buttermilk cornbread, mmmmm). The key is to use polish sausage. Although not my favorite, my family cleans the slow cooker bowl with this one! (Recipe from allrecipes.com).

1 ½ lbs cubed meat

½ lb sausage

1 onion

2-3 tbsp minced garlic

3 potatoes, chopped

28 oz can of bbq baked beans

BBQ sauce

Brown meat, onion, sausage and garlic in pan. Meanwhile, place diced potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot. Spread meat mixture over top. Spoon baked beans evenly over the top. Add extra bbq sauce to your liking. Cook on low in crock pot for 5-6 hours.

Freezer Variations: If you wanted to have this as a prepped freezer meal, I would only suggest having the meat, onion, sausage (cooked if using breakfast sausage and sliced if using polish sausage) and garlic ready in a freezer bag. Uncooked potatoes do not freeze well (they turn brown) and well, baked beans are easy as they are already in the can! It also freezes up great as an after cooked meal! Freeze portion sizes in ziplock containers for an instant meal!

Challah Bread

Ahhhh. Challah bread! Katrina gave me this recipe years and years ago, and it has been our go to bread ever since! Sometimes I'll make rolls instead and sprinkle with the same seasonings! This is the perfect bread to go with salads and soups! (Or if you are my kids, just a dang good snack!)

1 cup warm water

2 tbsp yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 tbsp salt

2 1/4 cup warm water

9 cups flour

Mix 1 cup warm water, yeast and sugar. Let yeast bubble for 5-10 minutes. Add oil, salt, 2 1/4 cup warm water, 4 1/2 cups flour, mix then add the rest of the flour as needed until the dough is not sticky but soft & supple. Let rise for 1/2 hour, bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

To make into Challah Bread:

Separate dough into 3 pieces (so one whole batch makes 3 Challah loaves, 3 large bread loaves, or try some cinnamon rolls!). Roll dough into a long snake and braid. Brush melted butter on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, garlic powder, and Salad Supreme seasoning. Let raise a little, then bake. (I find at my high altitude of 6200 ft that they cook better at 350 and take longer than 20 min!)