Apple Dumplings

This is a dessert to die for! This is perfect for an after dinner dessert to impress your friends!

1 can 10 buttery, flaky biscuits
1 can apple pie filling
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick margarine

Roll out biscuits a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Place spoonful of apple pie filling in center and bring four corners of biscuit up over the filling and pinch shut. Place biscuit in 9x13 baking dish with pinched side down. Prepare syrup- Mix sugar, water, cinnamon and margarine. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour syrup into the dish but not over biscuits. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When done, spoon some of the syrup over the top of the apple dumplings. Best when served warm with vanilla ice cream! Yum!

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

This is a favorite of my sisters! Hope you enjoy!

4 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup or 1 large family size can.
1 carton sour cream, 16 oz
1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp poppy seed
1 stick margarine, melted
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken with salt and pepper. When chicken is done, debone and cut into bite-size pieces. Mix soup, poppy seed and sour cream well. Pour mixture over chicken and mix. Pour crushed crackers on top of chicken mixture. Drizzle margarine over crackers. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a favorite dish of mine. It is very filling and "comfort food" at its finest! I like this dish because it is very versatile, I'm going to put the full recipe as I received it but I have made it before without the peas, pimento or bell peppers, so if you do not like these items then you can leave them out!

INGREDIENT LIST:
4 chicken breasts (I have found that you get a better flavor with the chicken if you buy the chicken on the bone)
1-2 bell peppers, chopped finely
1-2 onions, depending on your taste, chopped finely
1 large can English peas
1 small jar pimento
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (this dish has a kick to it but it you want to kick it up even more you can add the hotter variety of Ro-Tel)
1 package spaghetti noodles, 16 oz.
One large box Velveeta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil chicken with salt and pepper. After chicken is cooked debone and cut into bite size pieces.
2. At the same time the chicken is cooking, boil spaghetti noodles, onions and bell pepper until pasta is done.
3. When pasta is almost done, melt cheese in microwave. When cheese is melted, (it is okay if cheese is a little lumpy) add Ro-Tel (with the juice), pimento and English peas to the cheese. After pasta is done, drain all water and add cheese mixture to noodles. Mix well. Add chicken.
4. Pour into large casserole dish, mix well and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Another favorite from Allrecipes.com! I made this as stated and it was absolutely delicious!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Cordon-Bleu-II/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 6 slices ham
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

Another great recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com! Jammie can back me up on this one, it is FABULOUS! I marinated the chicken separately from the veggies, more so just so the flavor of the veggies didn't overpower the chicken while marinating. I used onion, and green and red pepper the first time that I made this dish. It would also be great with button mushrooms, grape tomatoes or pineapple added into the mix! It's a very versatile recipe when it comes to the veggies.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yummy-Honey-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
• skewers - Don't forget to soak them!!!
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

Absolutely delicious! An old friend got this out of a salsa recipe book and tweaked it a bit. He always told me that the easiest way to blacken the tomatoes was to use a torch. I picked up one from Wal-Mart for really cheap, but I'm sure you can blacken them any way that you'd like. Enjoy!

¼ Cup + 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion Chopped
2 Pounds Roma Tomatoes Blackened
4 Clove Garlic Roasted & Peeled
½ Cup Cilantro
4 Chipotle Chile In Adobo Sauce (more or less depending on how hot you want it)
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar

Preheat oven to 350, wrap garlic (skin on) in foil and put in the oven until the garlic is soft.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat until
lightly smoking, add the onion, and sauté until caramelized, about 10
minutes. Transfer the onion, half of the blackened tomatoes and garlic
to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Add
the cilantro and chipotle chilies, and pulse again to mix. Peel, and
seed remaining tomatoes. Cut into chunks. Place in food processor and
pulse a few times but not so much as to puree. You want some chunks of
tomato left. Add remaining EVOO, vinegar, salt and sugar.

Family Recipe Hamburgers

My brother is a huge griller. He loves to grill. I think he might even be a little obsessed with grilling. I love to grill as well and will grill whenever I get the chance. I used to simply use the frozen patties that you just slap on the grill...but my brother taught me a little secret recipe. Well, not the whole secret...he keeps a secret ingredient. But since I'm grilling burgers tonight I thought I'd share the recipe! It's simple..but everytime I grill for people they beg me for the recipe.

1.5 lbs of 92% lean (or higher) ground beef
1/2 cup of salsa (eyeball it...you don't want too much)
1 tbs of McCormick's steak or hamburger seasoning (either one works)

Mix ingredients in a bowl, get your hands dirty! Form into patties (size depends on you and your choice of buns). Grill over med-med high heat or fry in a skillet. Flip only once...I flip when the tops are turning brown. But then again, I'm not the master griller like my brother. I still burn my patties once in a while. You can always break one open to check doneness.

Make sure to have fresh tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and whatever else might be your favorite dressings! I also love to mix it up by putting out shredded lettuce and guacamole to dress the burgers or whatever I feel like. :)