Hawaiian Rice Salad

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This dish is perfect for lunch, or as side for any meal. I served it with the Ham and Swiss Sliders (recipe below). It is great for entertaining (showers, church functions, bbq's, etc.) and is easy to make large quantities of. I am so grateful to my mother-in-law, Erin, for sharing amazing recipes with me. She is such a phenomenal chef. This one comes from her.

{What you need}

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken

1 (13 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve liquid)

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

(use pineapple liquid with water to cook rice)

1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup red grapes, halved

1/2 cup cashew pieces (I used almonds)

--put these ingredients in a bowl; set aside--

--in separate bowl mix the following, then add to above--

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

1 cup mayonnaise (or plain yogurt)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated onion

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

dash of pepper

Chill for 2 hours. Yields 7 cups.

John really enjoyed this dish. So did I. We have a ton left over since there are only two of us, and I pick at it all day long.  It would be great with shrimp, too.

(Compliments of Erin Henrie)

Grammy's Apple Crisp

This will change your life. . .

{What you need}

little water (1/2 cup --less for juicy apples)

4 cups apples, sliced

3/4 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup butter

optional: a little nutmeg or ginger sprinkled on apples

Put apples in buttered baking dish and add water and lemon juice. Blend flour, butter, cinnamon, and sugar with pastry cutter. Pour over apples. Bake at 350 until apples are tender and crust is browned lightly.

Serve warm with ice cream.

(Compliments of Grammy Turley)

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

{What you need}

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 cups brown sugar

1 lb. real butter

3 eggs

2 tblsp. vanilla

(cream all of these ingredients together)

add:

1 1/2 tsp. soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

6 cups flour

Large pkg. chocolate chips

Form into golf ball sized balls and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes (Don't overbake!)

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{1/3 of the recipe}

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 stick butter

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

1/3 package chocolate chips

Banana Muffins

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Easiest banana bread recipe in the world. And, oh, so delicious. Another gem from Favorites.

{What you need}

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

(for a healthier variation, sub oil for 1/2 cup applesauce or crushed pineapple)

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs and mashed bananas and beat. Add flour, soda and salt. Pour into lined muffin tins and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes {or into small greased bread pans and bake for 25 minutes}.

This is so great to make when you ran out of time to eat all your bananas before they went off. It literally takes 3 minutes to assemble. John loves this recipe. You will too!

Oatmeal Cake

This might be my all-time favorite recipe ever. I got it from a dear mission friend, Johna Jarnagin. She got me through some hard times on the mission by feeding my face with delicious food. This was my favorite of all the delicious food that she fed my face with.

{What you need}

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup margarine

1 1/3 cups boiling water

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

Mix oatmeal, margarine, and boiling water; set aside. Mix sugars and eggs into mixture. Sift flour and spices. Put in a 9x13" pan. Bake for 30 min at 350.

{topping}

1 cup brown sugar

1 cube margarine

1/2 cup canned milk

--boil these ingredients together--

add:

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla

--pour hot mixture over baked cake--

Be warned that although this has oatmeal in it, it is not the most figure-friendly cake on the block. But it is sooo moist and rich. It really will change your life. Eat with a huge glass of cold milk.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Here's another winner from Favorites. It's great for entertaining. I used a bundt pan and it was beautiful.

{What you need}

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

{topping}

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and combine. In small bowl, mix nuts, cinnamon, and sugar for topping. Grease a tube pan or bundt pan and place half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle on half the topping. Add remaining batter. Sprinkle on remaining topping. Bake 40-50 minutes at 350.

Favorite Waffles

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So John and I have this tradition where we have a big yummy breakfast together Sunday mornings (well, we're trying to make it a tradition...I don't know if two Sundays in a row counts as a tradition yet...). Sometimes he makes it, and sometimes I make it. If I am in charge, he knows we are going to have . . . WAFFLES!! My favorite breakfast food!! Here is the recipe I use. It comes from the cookbook Favorites, by the Ivory family.

{What you need}

1 3/4 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

(I accidentally used 3 tablespoons and would you believe they were still delish!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix ingredients well and bake in hot waffle iron. Top with desired toppings, we like blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream, and boysenberry syrup. Oh, and we have a heart-shaped waffle iron for extra cuteness

(and they seem to taste better when they are shaped like hearts).

Baked Creamy Taquitos

My mission mom is adorable!! Sister Chapman sent me this recipe and sounded so excited and tickled about my cooking endeavors. I am so touched that she would take the time to contribute to my efforts with this blog! Plus she is an INCREDIBLE cook and I am honored to feature some of her recipes. She is not a first-time contributer, and hopefully, on behalf of my husband and myself and any of you who make her featured recipes, she's not a last-timer, either!

{What you need}

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese

1/4 C green salsa

1T fresh lime juice

1/2 t cumin

1 t chili powder (you can leave

this out if you don't want it too spicy)

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t granulated garlic

3 T chopped cilantro

2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken (or beef, or pork)

1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn or flour tortillas

kosher salt (I just used regular salt)

cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time.

Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the

ends start to get golden brown.

Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole for dipping. I also served them with lime tortilla chips and bean dip. John and I loved this recipe so much. Mucho delicioso!!

Recipe by OurBestBites.com

(Compliments of Sister Chapman)

Easy and Delicious Chicken and Rice

This was a regular on the mission. It's so easy to throw together and it is sooo delicious. And you can make heaps at a time. I like it with homemade rolls and a spinach salad or something. This comes from my mission mom's mission cookbook that she made and distributed among all the missionaries:

{What you need}

4 chicken breasts

1 can Cambell's condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Cambell's condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Cup rice

1 1/2 cups milk

dry onion soup mix

Mix rice, soups, and milk together and pour in a baking pan. Place chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle desired amount of dry onion soup mix on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 300 for two hours. Yup, that's really all you have to do. SO EASY!! SO GOOD!!

(Compliments of Sister Chapman)

Banoffee Pie

What do you get when you mix a banana with some toffee? BANOFFEE!! This is a delicious, rich dessert that I discovered on my mission in Ireland. It's super easy to make, so don't get intimidated by the directions. You will fall in love with it. And it's great for entertaining!

{What you need}

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups crumbled graham crackers

1/4 cup butter

2-3 bananas (more if desired)

2-3 T powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla

1 cup whipping cream

(for fun you can add crumbled Heath bars,

crumbled snickers, etc. if desired)

To make the crust, crumble the crackers very fine.

Put in a pie pan (or glass casserole dish). Mix in

and spread and press into pie form. Refrigerate.

{For toffee}

Bring to a boil the unopened can of condensed milk in a pot of water

fully covering the can an inch above the top of the can. When the

water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2

hours. Turn the can over after half the cooking time. Let the can

cool a little before opening it. Pour toffee into the crust and

refrigerate until cool.

When ready to serve, slice bananas on top and

cover with fresh whipped cream that has 1/2 teasppoon vanilla and

2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar. (I usually add the crumbled candy bars

on top of the cream but under is great too for an added surprise!)

Enjoy!

(Compliments of Sister Chapman)

Ham and Swiss Sliders with Poppy Seed Sauce

This has become one of my all time favorite recipes. It is so delicious, so easy, and you can make huge amounts at a time. These sliders are just beautiful and are great for family parties, showers, church functions, etc. You can assemble them the day before and keep them covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. You can even substitute some of the ingredients for light alternatives if you're watching what you eat. This recipe can also easily be halved. Enjoy!!

{What you need}

24 good white rolls

24 pieces good honey ham

24 small slices swiss cheese

1/3 mayo

1/3 cup miracle whip

{poppy seed sauce}

1 1/2 TBSP poppy seeds

1 1/2 TBSP yellow mustard

1 stick butter, melted

1 TBSP minced onion

1/2 tsp. worschestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayo & miracle whip. Spread into both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham & a slice of swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls & place into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes, or until butter sets slightly.

Cover with foil & bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover & cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.

(Compliments of Grammy Turley)