Onion Soup Mix

 2/3 cup dried, minced onion
3 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Mix all ingredients in a jar, then give the jar a good shake. I’d recommend shaking the jar to mix the ingredients well before each use.
Use 4 tablespoons in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix. Store this in a dry, cool place.

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning:

1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon sea salt
Put ingredients into a jar and shake.

Zucchini Bake

4 medium-sized yellow or green summer squash, or a mixture of colors, sliced lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch slices (about 8 cups sliced squash)
1 T olive oil (or less, depending on the pan)
1 T minced garlic
2 T fresh thyme leaves or 1 T dried thyme (or less if you're not that fond of thyme)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 cup crumbled feta (not tightly packed)
2 T grated parmesan cheese
1 T lemon juice
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Wash and dry squash, then cut off stem and blossom end and discard. Cut squash lengthwise in half, then slice into half-moon slices about 1/4 inch thick. (I used a mandoline with the 7mm blade, but you can use a knife.)

Heat olive oil in large non-stick frying pan, add garlic and thyme leaves and saute about 45 seconds (just long enough to season the oil, don't let the garlic brown.) Add squash slices and saute about 4 minutes, turning a few times. Squash should be barely starting to soften.

While squash cooks, break eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup and beat until egg yolks and whites are combined. Stir in sour cream, feta, parmesan, and lemon juice.

Spray a 2 quart gratin dish or glass casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. Layer half the squash in the dish, then season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. (Remember the feta is salty, so it won't need a lot of salt.) Pour over half the egg-feta mixture and use the back of a spoon or a rubber scraper to spread it over the squash. Repeat with another layer of squash and the rest of the feta-egg mixture.

Bake at 375F/190C for 40-45 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling, slightly set, and top if lightly browned. Serve hot.

Orangesicle Trifle

2 large cans mandarin oranges
1 small pkg. orange gelatin powder
1 pint orange sherbet
1 cup whipping cream, whipped (no sugar or vanilla, just whipped.)
1 angel food cake, cubed
whipped topping

Drain 1 cup liquid from mandarin oranges. Bring to a boil in the microwave. Add gelatin, and stir to dissolve. Cool until just warm. Add orange sherbet, and mix until melted. Gently fold in whipped cream. It is okay if there are uneven streaks, just don’t smash those fluffy whipped cream bubbles. Put half the cake cubes in the trifle dish (or other dish that is not as fancy), cramming them together so they will stay in a tight layer. Pour half the orange mixture over the top, cover with a thin layer of whipped topping, and top with half the oranges. On top of the oranges, put the remaining of the cake cubes in, pour over the remaining orange mixture, cover with the remaining oranges, and cover with whipped topping. Refrigerate.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 green onions, diced
1/2 each of red, green, yellow, & orange bell peppers (or 2 whole bell peppers of your choice), diced
3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened (not melted)
2 cans diced tomatoes with chiles (don’t drain) (Rotel or store brand, either works)
1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup of picante sauce
38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente

Instructions

Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente (still have a little bite to them) If you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff, plus they will have additional cooking time, once they are stuffed. Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.
Cook, drain and dice enough chicken breast to make 4 cups. I always have homemade chicken stock and pre-cooked diced chicken bagged in my freezer. You could use canned chicken broth if you prefer.
To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well. (If you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave.)
Spread 3/4 c. picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan. (I used 13x18x2, but I’m guessing that two 9×13′s would also work.) Reserve the final 1/4 cup, for later.
Using a spoon, or your fingers, fill each of your cooked and cooled pasta shells, setting them into the picante covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pan.
When the pan is full, drizzle the shells with the remaining 1/4 cup of picante and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Potato Soup

2 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 regular package uncooked bacon, finely diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 bunch celery, diced
8 cups milk
4 cups water
4 chicken bullion cubes (use a cup of the hot potato water to dissolve, then use the cup of hot water in place of one of the above cups of water)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup salted butter
3/4 cup flour
1/4 bunch freshly chopped parsley
1 cup whipping cream
***For garnish:***
Shredded cheese
fried bacon bits
chopped green onions

Directions:
In large pot, boil potatoes in water 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon fat and place on paper towel over plate to drain more. Add onion and celery to bacon pan over medium-high heat until celery is tender, about 5 minutes. To the large potato pan, add milk, water, bullion, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture is very hot, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Do not let mixture boil. In small, heavy saucepan melt butter. Add flour and mix well. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture bubbles, stirring 2 to 3 minutes to make a roux. While constantly stirring soup, add roux slowly until soup is thick and creamy, about 4 minutes. Stir in parsley, reserved potatoes, and cream. Garnish with cheese, bacon bits, onions or all three. Serve hot!

Another Brownie Recipe

1 cup of Butter
1/2 cup of Cocoa
2 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 cups of Sugar
4 Eggs
4 teaspoons of Vanilla
1 cup of Chopped Nuts (optional)
Melt the Butter in the microwave and put into my mixing bowl, then add cocoa and mix together until smooth.

Add flour, and sugar. Beat together and then add eggs, vanilla, and nuts. Mix until combined. Do not over stir.

Pour into greased, floured 9x13 baking pan*.

* An additional part of this recipe said that if you want to double the recipe, use a large baking sheet.

Additional Note * This batter will not be runny like a cake mix. You might have to spread it out over your pan with a rubber spatula.

Bake 20-25 minutes @350 F or until done.


Wait only about 10 minutes to frost brownies.
Frost them while they are warm (not hot).

The Chocolate Icing Recipe:
To make while the brownies bake
1/4 cup of softened Butter
1/4 cup of canned Milk (regular milk is fine)
1/4 cup of Cocoa
3 cups of Powdered Sugar
Dash of Salt
Mix all together and frost as desired