White Bean and Spinach Soup

2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 clove of garlic minced
1 shallot finely minced
4 cups of chicken broth
1 14.5 can of diced tomatoes
1 14.5 can of white beans
2 cups of pasta (mini shells is what I like)
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
3 cups of spinach
1 dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste


*cook oil, shallots and garlic in a large sauce pan.
*Add broth tomatoes beans and rosemary seasonings and bring to a boil
*Add pasta cook until tender about 12 min
*Add spinach and serve

Strwberries and Cream Pudding Cookies

1 Cup butter
2 Tablespoons of strwberry jello
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 3.5 oz box of white chocolate pudding
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag white chocolate chips


*mix wet and dry ingredence seperatly then conbine. Bake at 350 for 9-11 min.  Enjoy!!

Hash Brown Casserole

I remember the first dinner we had over at Jalene's house she served this as a side dish.  Now I look forward to this casserole every holiday dinner!

1 32 oz. pkg. frozen southern style hash browns (thawed)
1/2 cup butter
1can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. carton of sour cream
1/2 onion chopped (can use dry minced onion instead)
12 oz. shredded cheese
2 cups corn flake crumbs

Spread potatoes evenly in a 13 x 9 pan.  In a saucepan melt the butter, then add the soup, sour cream, onion, and cheese.  Mix well.  Pour over the potatoes.  Top with corn flake crumbs.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbling in the center.  Serves 12.

Salsa Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts
Taco seasoning, as much or as little as you like
2 cups salsa
1 can cream of chicken soup

Add all to crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.

Add 8 oz cream cheese
Cook on low 1 hour. Stir and serve over rice.

Pesto-Alfredo Tortellini

This is my easier then ordering pizza meal!!

Ingredients
1 package cheese tortellini (cooked according to package)
1 small jar pesto sauce
1 jar alfredo sauce

Mix all three ingredients together in large sauce pan or crockpot and heat.  That's it, easier then looking for the number to pizza hut.

Quick tips:
I like to buy this meal in bulk, which is close to the same price as the small portion you buy at a grocery store, 3 meals for the price of one.  Costco carries the tortellini and a big jar of basil pesto.  Between those, I spilt it 3 ways.  One of the portion I will cook up that week, and the other two I freeze.  When I'm ready to cook up the frozen portion, I toss them in the crockpot (still frozen) and add the jar of alfredo.  It cooks up perfectly.
I've also been able to purchase jars of alfredo at costco too (4 jars in a package).

Celery Mushroom Soup over Quinoa

You can substitute raw spinach for the greens and you can also use dried food storage mushrooms in place of the fresh ones. I like to make homemade pizza when I make this soup or some cheese bread the kids love it!!

This recipe feeds 4 adults

1 Tbls of olive oil
2 celery stalks sliced thin
1/2 diced onion
1.5 cups of shitake mushrooms (I use more and have not noticed the kind of mushroom matters)
Uncooked greens (collard greens, kale, or spinach)
4 cups of chicken stalk
pinch of red pepper flakes
prepared Quinoa

add oil, onions and celery to pot cook until fragrant

Add mushrooms, greens, red pepper flakes and chicken stalk, bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer until greens and mushrooms are tender. (about 20 min.)

put perpared Quinoa in a bowl and ladle the soup over Quinoa.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Malibu Chicken

When I was growing up, it was super rear for us to go out to eat, even more rear for us to be patrons at a sit-down restaurant.  As a kid the most fancy restaurant we went to was Sizzler.  My favorite dish was the Malibu Chicken...That is other then mom's salad bar.  I always loved stealing bites from mom's salad bar plate.  I even tried ordering a salad bar once and assembling it the way she did, but I promise it didn't taste nearly as good as mom's!  Just one of those things, right! 

Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pound 'em thin)
6 slices of cooked ham
6 slices of swiss cheese
*(sometimes I have to double the items for the breading on the chicken, just depends on how big you chicken pieces are)
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Stir egg and 1 tablespoon water together with a fork.  Combine flour, salt, and pepper; coat each chicken piece.  I set up an assembly line, a large pyrex dish with the flour-coated chicken, next - a shallow dish with the egg mixture, next a shallow dish with the breadcrumbs.  Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Now work you way down the assembly line: take a piece of floured-chicken, and dip in egg mixture (coating both sides), then move it into the bread crumbs (coating both sides), and place in your hot skillet.  Brown both sides.  Place browned chicken onto a cookie sheet, top each piece with a slice of ham and slice of cheese.  Bake a 350 degrees, until the cheese melts.

For the dipping sauce combine mustard and mayonnaise.