Fiesta Spread

I made a few changes to a recipe I found and it turned out great. The apricot preserves make for an unusual addition, but give it a sweetness I really liked.

Fiesta Spread

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 C. salsa

1/4 C. apricot preserves

3/4 C. guacamole

Sliced black olives and chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Spread cream cheese over dinner-size plate. Mix salsa and apricot preserves together, and then spread over cream cheese. Place teaspoonfuls of guacamole over salsa layer. Garnish with the olives and cilantro. You can serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Homemade Spaghettio's

Yes, you read the title right. I can't believe I am even posting this, but I am chronicling my cooking highs and lows. And, this may very well be my lowest point. :) I found this recipe in a cookbook my mom bought me that had a chapter with recipes that had five ingredients or less. This was one of them, but it had a different name. When I read it, I couldn't help but think, Hey I bet that tastes like Spaghettio's. So, the next time I went to the store I bought the stuff to try it. My cooking curiosity trumped my cooking pride. I mean, what real cooking aficionado would even consider such a thing. Me?!? Yes, ME, I love to have fun in the kitchen, and this definitely constituted fun.

So here it is, and yes it does really taste like Spaghettio's. The only change here is the addition of sliced hot dogs, and the substitution of a wagon wheel pasta instead of the small rings. Use whatever shaped pasta you like.

• 8 oz. pasta rings or shape of your choice


• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed Cheddar Cheese soup, undiluted


• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed Tomato soup, undiluted


• 5 sliced hot dogs
  

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Return to pan and stir in both cans of soup and sliced hot dogs. Heat through and serve.

I doubled the batch when I made it. Good thing, since the kids called it "delicious". They'll devour the leftovers.

Loaded Alfredo Pizza

I have seen variations on this kind of pizza before, so I decided to try my hand at creating one using ingredients I knew we all liked. Everyone declared it a keeper, except for Joey, who I don't think even tried it. He was too busy stuffing his face with the sausage pizza I made that was, admittedly, delicious. I will make this again, but next time I will leave out the chicken. I personally wasn't crazy about the chicken in it.

• 1 large unbaked pizza crust of your choice


• 1/2-1 cup Alfredo sauce (some like more or less sauce, use your preference)


• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken


• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach


• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella


• 3/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon


• 1/2 cup seeded and chopped tomato

Prebake crust slightly to prevent soggy crust. I baked mine at 450* for about 5-7 minutes. Follow directions for the particular crust you use. Layer next 5 ingredients and bake following directions for crust used. I baked mine for about 10 minutes. When, removed from oven sprinkle chopped tomatoes over the top. Slice as desired.

One last note, the ingredient amounts listed are all approximate. Use more or less of each for your taste. I have found nearly any recipe is adjustable to fit your personal taste.

Chicken Zucchini Quiche

This came about while I was trying to think of a way to use up some leftover chicken and pie crust. Quiche! Maybe I should pay more attention to the amounts of the ingredients I use, so it would be easier to post a recipe. Well, that's not my style. Mine is a little more like....hmmm what do I have and what can I do with it. A bit of a sloppy style for a perfectionist. I am a strange perfectionist, that must be it. Ok, back to my quiche.

• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese blend
• 3/4 cup shredded zucchini
• 3 beaten eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 unbaked ready made pie crust

Place chicken, cheese and zucchini into pie crust. Beat eggs with milk adding salt and pepper to your liking. Pour over rest of ingredients in pie crust. It will be full, so place on cookie sheet to catch any run over. Bake in 375* oven uncovered for about 30 minutes or until done in center.

The family really liked this. I think if I make it again I will experiment with some seasonings though. But somehow I am always in a rush to get something on the table.

Pizza Burgers

I apologize for not having a picture of these, but I made these for an on the go meal at the baseball field. I made them, wrapped them up and we ran out the door, so no picture of the actual finished product. The good news is they were good and I'll make these again. They are different than what comes to mind when you think, pizza burger. Give them a try and tell me what you think. I got the original recipe from Simple & Delicious, but I made a few changes to it for the sake of time. I was in a big hurry! I will post it as I made it.

• 1 egg, lightly beaten


• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 1 tsp. minced onion


• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning


• salt and pepper to taste


• 1 lb. ground beef


• 4 slices Provolone cheese


• 4 toasted hamburger buns


• 1/2 cup pizza sauce

In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients. Shape into 4 patties and grill until done. Meanwhile, toast buns.

Top burgers with Provolone cheese, and spread pizza sauce on toasted buns. Assemble and enjoy.

Note: I doubled this recipe to make 6 burgers and then ended up with about a half a pound of hamburger mixture leftover. I think I'll make spaghetti and meatballs with it. :)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I set out to recreate a really yummy dish my sister ate at Rainforest Cafe when we were in Minneapolis. I know lettuce wraps are a very popular food item these days. I found quite a few recipes for it online. I came up with my own version using ingredients I thought the family would eat and it was a success. All except for the lettuce part. I couldn't find the right kind of lettuce and ended up with Romaine and it just wasn't good for this, well at least I didn't like it with this dish. Everyone at my table really liked the chicken mixture with the rice minus the lettuce part. I think I will definitelly make this again and just serve it with rice. Yummy! Or at least try to find a Bibb or Butter lettuce which I couldn't find today.

I find it hard to give an exact recipe for this, since I really was just playing with ingredients and not keeping track of amounts. I saute'd chopped chicken with carrots, green onion, garlic, ginger, golden raisins, and chopped peanuts. The sauce was more definite:

• 4 Tbs. Teriyaki Sauce
• 2 Tbs. Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbs. Honey

If you like a more vinegary taste add more of the rice vinegar. I know I cut back on the amount of vinegar just because I thought it was a bit too much, but maybe you'll like it that way.

And, FYI, my kids really did like it. Believe it or not!

Kolaches

After a long absence, I am officially back in the cooking groove, so I thought I better start posting again. This summer has been a mess of activities and busyness and I have had no time to try new recipes or even think about my cooking blog. But for the Fourth of July holiday, I had the pleasure of baking some kolaches for a family reunion on my husband's side of the family. Yeah!! What could be more exciting than a cooking challenge of this magnitude? Let me explain....

My mother-in-law's heritage is Czech and whenever they gather for a reunion, kolaches are a menu staple. I have attended many of these reunions over the years, and have admired the beautiful kolaches baked by skilled Czech bakers. Baked goods are not my forte', so these women and their baking were out of my league completely. Their reunions are held every other year, and each family takes a turn organizing the event. This one fell on our family to take the lead. One afternoon back in the spring as we sat around discussing ideas and putting plans in place, I took a deep breath and asked my mother-in-law if I could make the kolaches for the reunion. Would she agree to it? Would I be an acceptable substitute for the old school bakers who had done it for years? I mean, if the kolaches arent' right......well....let's not even go there. :) In the end, she agreed. Dave's aunt and I would each make 4 dozen. The pressure was on.....

I am happy to report my kolaches turned out great after much trial and error. They were certainly worth the effort. I am anxious to make them again for fun. I used a recipe from Allrecipes called Kolaches from the Bread Machine. Look it up if you're in need of a good kolache recipe. The only change I made was to add a streusel topping to them. It just made them look prettier.