Chicken Rice-a-Roni Salad

This recipe was contributed by Tori Cox via Sarah McKenna.  This is Tori's go-to recipe that she always serves at showers and playgroups.  I always take an embarrassing amount of it and leave hardly any for anyone else.  :)

Chicken Rice-a-Roni Salad

1 box chicken rice-a-roni

2 cups cubed chicken (or one 12.5 can of chicken, cubed/crumbled)

1 cup mayo (or to consistency and taste preference)

1 cup fresh diced tomatoes

1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced green pepper

Prepare rice-a-roni as per package directions.  Chill in fridge for a couple of hours.  Then add remaining ingredients, chill, and serve!

Magelby's Fresh Copycat Buttermilk Syrup

Have you ever been to Magelby's Fresh for bottomless french toast or pancakes?  You haven't?!?  I feel very sad for you.  Very sad indeed.  Magelby's Fresh breakfasts are the bomb, and the main reason is this:  THE SYRUP!!!  They have frothy, homemade buttermilk syrup.  I could drink it like soda.  Except that it may make me sick.  Oh, what the heck?!  It would be SO. WORTH. IT.

Have I built it up enough yet?  Good.  Because I have the recipe for you!  It is a copycat recipe, and it is AMAZING!!!  Best of all, not only is it amazing, but it is also crazy easy!  My friends always think that if they make yummy pancakes, waffles, or french toast and put normal syrup on it that it will be enough; no extra effort necessary.  They are so wrong!  Take the 5 extra minutes to make this and it will take "breakfast for dinner" from a last-minute family meal to a company-worthy event!  (For real, we make it for company all of the time with the America's Test Kitchen Buttermilk Pancakes.  Oh yum.....)


Here it comes . . . are you ready?!

Magelby's Fresh Copycat Buttermilk Syrup

Throw the following in a medium or large sauce pan (at least 2 quarts or it will foam over the edges and make your kitchen exceedingly sticky):

1 stick of real butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk (fresh is better than powdered so it's not clumpy . . . you can find it by the milk next to the  whipped cream boxes)

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Stir and bring to a boil.  (You MUST watch and stir it or the buttermilk will curdle!  Trust me . . . since it all comes together so quickly, I've curdled many a pan by walking away.)  As soon as it comes to a boil stir in:

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

It will froth up like crazy, so take it off of the heat and stir it so you don't end up with a wild mess on your hands.  YUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Chocolate Fudge Jr Mint Centered Cupcakes

I found these cupcakes on Picky Palate and made them for a baby shower recently.  They were an unbelievable hit!  They were crazy easy, and I think they're worth preserving here for myself and sharing with all of our followers.  (Not that they are too many of you yet, but still!  Those who do follow deserve to taste these amazing little taste treats!)  Head to her website, or see below, next time you need to impress in a hurry!

Chocolate Fudge Jr Mint Centered Cupcakes

1 box Pillsbury Devils Food Cake Mix
4 eggs
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup water
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 Cup sour cream
1 Cup chocolate chips
3 4 oz boxes Jr Mints (look for them on sale, I found them for $1.00)


Favorite Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting 
*Rachel thinks they'd be delicious with chocolate frosting too.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer, add the cake mix, eggs, oil, water, pudding mix, sour cream and chocolate chips.  Mix on medium for 2 minutes or until well combined and somewhat thick.  Scoop into 24 paper lined muffin cups.  Press 3 JR mints into the center of each cupcake center.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center.  Let cool completely and frost with your favorite vanilla or cream cheese frosting.


Makes 24 cupcakes.

Ranch Crock-Pot Chicken

This recipe was contributed by Marie Newman.  When I had it at their house I was convinced that it was another one of Marie's amazing, time consuming concoctions.  Looks like another McKenna family staple!  :)

Ranch Crock-Pot Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 cup ranch dressing
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook 4-5 hours in a crock-pot on low heat.  Serve over rice.

Jessica Haslam's Corn Bread

This bread is so decadent that you don't even need to put butter on it!  It's always a hit at a party!!

Jessica Haslam's Corn Bread

1 pkg jiffy cornbread mix

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 can cream style corn

Preheat oven to 350. Place 9x9 or pie sized pan in oven with the stick of butter. When butter is melted remove pan and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix in the pan with fork. Don't over mix then return pan and cook for about 40 minutes more or until knife comes out clean in center. Serve with honey. Double for a 9x13 pan.

Pecos Pasta

This recipe was contributed by Chelsea Fisher, via Sarah McKenna.

Pecos Pasta  

4 cups multicolored pasta spirals, cooked, rinsed, and drained

½ cup sliced green onions

2 cups diced tomato

1 can chopped green chiles, drained

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

2 T chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 T lime juice

1 cup medium salsa (or more)

Salt to taste

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add enough salsa to moisten well.  Refrigerate. 

 (I've found that the salsa soaks in and it gets a little dry, so right before you serve it, add more salsa.)

Teriyaki Chicken Alfredo

This recipe was contributed by Janelle Dobson.  She says that this is her #1 company dinner that she pulls out when she wants to impress her guests, and it's still super easy!  Score!  It's heavy and rich, but oh-so-delicious.  Enjoy!  

Teriyaki Chicken Alfredo

 
2 large Chicken breasts
1/2 cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce  
1 packet Alfredo sauce 
1/8- 1/4 cup dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping cream
 
Cooked fettuccini
 
Directions:
Thinly slice chicken and onions.  Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper and saute chicken and onions in large skillet with a little olive oil.  When chicken is cooked through, dump the rest of the ingredients in the skillet, stir to mix.  Let bubble to thicken, serve over pasta.
 
Notes from the chef:


I sometimes add sliced zucchini and mushrooms or some other veggies that I saute with the chicken.  I know a friend that adds asparagus and loves it.  


I have substituted the whipping cream for my son's whole milk or half and half and it is okay, but not ideal.  I guess you could try using plain milk if you want to ease up on the calories, but you'll lose a lot of richness.  


Though I am usually the queen of substituting brand ingredients to save a buck, I wouldn't dream of doing it with this dish- this specific teriyaki sauce makes this dish- it is really strong and vibrant, but the good news is since you only use 1/2 a cup, a jar of it will go for many meals.  Be sure to shake the bottle really good to break up the minced garlic that floats up the top of the container.

This recipe was contributed by Chelsea Fisher.  Here's what she has to say about it:

Don't be afraid of the "clams" in the title! It's a very good, garlicky pasta dish. I got it from my neighbors who lived in Italy for several years when they were young whipper-snappers, and it's my husband's absolute favorite. I served it to my extended family, including some outspoken family members who are picky eaters. One of them wasn't crazy about the texture of the clams (not her exact words), but she loved the flavor and made it herself just using clam juice without the clams.

Linguine with Clam Sauce

1/2 cup butter (or margarine) 

½ cup butter (or margarine)

¼ cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 cans (6 ½ oz each) chopped clams

1 tsp. oregano leaves

1 tsp. dry basil leaves

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper

(or use 2 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning instead of the separate herbs)

one bunch fresh parsley, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups once you're done chopping)

1 lb. linguine

Boiling salted water

Following package directions, cook linguine in a large kettle of boiling, salted water until al dente; then drain.  

Meanwhile,

-Heat butter and oil in a 2-quart pan over low heat.  Add garlic and sautee about 4 minutes.  Don’t let butter scorch (which is why I use margarine-- it doesn't scorch).  

-Drain juice from 2 cans clams into butter mixture. Increase heat to medium, add oregano, basil, pepper, and parsley to pan and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.  

-Add drained clams and heat through. 

Toss linguine with clam sauce.  Makes 5 or 6 large servings.

Two more notes:

- The store sells chopped clams and minced clams (we like Snow brand the best). Both types work just fine, but the difference is that chopped clams are bigger pieces, and minced clams are smaller and less chewy. I prefer the minced, but both are lovely.

- It works best to let the pasta sit 5-10 minutes before you serve it. This way, the sauce soaks in a bit and doesn't just run to the bottom of the dish.

Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup

We have a lot of chicken tortilla soup recipes on this blog!  It seems that everyone loves chicken tortilla soup recipes, and everyone loves the one their mama made the most!  :)  (I know I do, although in my case it's my dad that makes it!)

This one was contributed by a reader, Ida Zeiler, and she says that it's a little bit different than the others that we've posted because it tastes like the more autehntic chicken tortilla soups that they serve in her home state of Texas.  Sounds yummy!

One great thing about this recipe is that it is a crock pot recipe, so Ida says she likes to toss the ingredients in the crock pot before she heads to church and then let them simmer up.  I bet it smells great when she gets home!   

Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 garlic cloves, minced
4 14.5oz cans of stewed tomatoes [optional to chop those]
1 Tbsp cumon
2 4oz cans chopped green chilies
3 chicken breasts, cubed [uncooked]
5-6 cups chicken broth
3 vegetable or chicken bullion cubes
garlic powder, salt and pepper - to taste

1 - Put all your ingredients in crock pot
2- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours

**Serve with cheese, sour cream, fresh avocado, and tortilla chips [crushed] on the top!  Yum!

Serves 6-8 people [and still have some leftovers]

Easy German Pancake

This recipe was contributed by Rachel.

This recipe can be whipped up in 5 minutes and baked in 20!  We sometimes have it for breakfast on a lazy Saturday morning or for dinner on a night when we don't want to cook anything.

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 t salt
2 T butter**
    **Sarah's recipe is exactly the same EXCEPT they use a full stick of butter.  It is less healthy but MUCH more moist and buttery.  Yum!

As you are preheating the oven to 400, place butter in the bottom of a 9x13 glass casserole dish and place in the oven to melt.  Tilt the glass dish to coat the bottom with the melted butter.

Blend remaining ingredients.

Pour into buttered baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve with powdered sugar, whipped cream, fruit, syrup...whatever you would like!

**When my husband and I make this recipe for just the two of us, we half it and use a smaller glass dish.

Meatball Soup

This recipe was contributed by Tia Hammer Stokes via Sarah McKenna.  Here's what Tia has to say about it:


This is extra nice to come inside to after you've been out in the snow. It was created by my mother-in-law, Pearl Stokes. Our house LOVES it! Even my picky toddlers love the noodles.

Meatball Soup

2 small package frozen meatballs (cut in half)
Note: if you like more or less meatballs, just adjust to taste.
1 jar Ragu PIZZA sauce
1 large can chicken broth. **If you have bullion handy instead of a can, I use about 8 cups of water and 8 cubes of bullion.
1/2 package of bow tie noodles (we use the whole package) **these noodles will soak up a good deal of your broth so add broth/bullion as you like.

Here comes the easy part. Put it all in a big pot and let it simmer until everything is tender. Done! Yes! Even the UNCOOKED pasta! It will cook in the soup itself and soak up all the yumminess. 

Note: I let my meatballs thaw so they are easier to cut. My mother in law serves this in bowls over fresh spinach (this keeps it from getting slimy), but no one but me in my house likes spinach so I don't. It's great on it's own!

Creamy Caesar Chicken Salad

This recipe was contributed by a reader, Ida Zeiler.  I can't WAIT to try it!  It looks so delicious!  I may or may not be drooling as I type this . . .

Creamy Caesar Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta [a short noodle is best like penne or bowtie]
creamy caesar salad dressing
2-3 chicken breasts [grilled and sliced into strips] [Foreman grill works great for this]
lettuce
tomatoes
olives
mushrooms
Parmesan cheese [for topping]

1 - Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain water and put pasta back in pot or in a serving bowl.  Drizzle pasta with the Caesar dressing and toss to coat.
2- While pasta is cooking, grill chicken, then slice it into strips or cut into cubes
3- Prep salad items [lettuce, tomato, etc]
4- On individual plates - put a bed of lettuce, top with desired items.  Then add a couple spoonfuls of pasta, some chicken and finish with a sprinkle of cheese.  Can also add a drizzle of the creamy Caesar dressing.

** The cool crisp of the salad mixed with the warmth of the creamy pasta and chicken is amazing!

Serves 4-6.

BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

This is one of those fabulous "recipes" that isn't really a recipe.  It is a big hit in our house!  Cutting up the pineapple is a bit of the pain, but one pineapple makes A LOT of these, so we just eat it several days in a row.  Yummy leftovers!

Ingredients
Flour tortillas--I highly recommend buying the uncooked kind from costco.  Makes a big difference.
Cheese--I like using pepper jack for a little zip.  Mixing in some cheddar is good too.
Fresh pineapple
Chicken--When I am feeling really lazy, I buy the foster farms pre-cooked, grilled chicken strips in the refrigerated section.
BBQ sauce--My favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's Original, but anything will work.

Spread a little BBQ sauce on a tortilla (cook it first if you are following my advice--YUM).  Cover with cheese.  Sprinkle small chunks of chicken and pineapple on top of the cheese.  Top with another tortilla.  Grill it up!  Cut it into wedges and enjoy!

Note: I have made it without the chicken before too, and it is still really yummy.  That is why I included a vegetarian label.

Oreo Truffles

This recipe was contributed by Tia Hammer Stokes, via Sarah McKenna.  I've had these at parties before.  Yum!  

Oreo Truffles

1 package of Oreos (double stuffed if you want)
1 package of softened cream cheese
Chocolate (white, dark, whatever you prefer) or almond bark for melting
Cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper

1.  Beat the Oreos to a pulp however necessary. Pastry cutter, mallet, potato masher, rolling pin etc. No chunks.
2.  Mix Oreos with cream cheese (we used a Kitchen Aid).
3.  Roll into balls (like 1 inch or so), insert a toothpick in the top of each one and chill in fridge for close to an hour or freezer for half an hour on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.
4.  Melt the chocolate or bark according to directions. Dip the balls using the tooth pick as a handle. 
5.  At this point you can get fancy and stand the truffles toothpick side down in a block of foam to prevent a flat side (it still tastes the same if you don't) or just put them back on the cookie sheet (parchment paper). Let them harden/cool (this part is hard because you really want to eat them.).

Holiday Party Note:

You can get really creative and dip them again half way in red colored chocolate or plain milk chocolate or green melted chocolate in a ziploc with a hole in the corner to make drizzled stripes.....blah blah blah, but I don't think I could wait that long to consume them.

Coffee Cake and the Big Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of our first GIVEAWAY!

And the winner is . . . . . Sara Lee!

Please email your full name and address to forcedtocook@gmail.com ASAP so I can get this fun little package to you in the mail before I leave for the holidays!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

And NOW for the up-until-now Super Duper Secret COFFEE CAKE RECIPE!  Yum!  ENJOY!

COFFEE CAKE!

Cake: 
2 cups flour 
½ cup sugar 
½ cup brown sugar 
1 tsp. baking soda 
½ tsp. baking powder 
½ tsp. salt 
1 tsp. cinnamon 
1 cup buttermilk 
2/3 cup shortening 
2 eggs 

Topping: 
½ cup brown sugar 
½ tsp. cinnamon 
½ tsp. nutmeg 

Glaze: 
1 cup powdered sugar 
6-8 tsp. milk 
½ tsp. vanilla 

Cream batter thoroughly with a mixer. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch rectangular cake pan. Mix topping in a small bowl with a fork. Sprinkle evenly over cake batter. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or bake immediately uncovered). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Pour glaze over the top of the cake immediately.