Butter Rollout Cookies

Source: My mom

Serves: 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. Blend all ingredients together except the flour.
3. Add flour 1 cup at a time, until it is the correct consistency (usually about 3 3/4 cups... depends on the wateriness of the eggs).
4. Chill for several hours or freeze. This isn't necessary, but it makes it easier to roll out. Dough can freeze (when wrapped well in wax paper) for at least a couple months.
5. Roll out on a lightly floured area and cut using cookie cutters. Or drop onto a cookie sheet using a tablespoon.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Source: My Aunt Janice

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Unsalted Margarine
• 2 tablespoons Flour
  
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Thyme
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth (or more)
  
• 2 cups Chicken, cooked, cubed
• Cooked Vegetables (I like to use frozen mixed vegetables)
• Pie Crust (click for recipe)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Prepare pastry and arrange it in a pie pan.
3. Melt the butter with the flour, salt, pepper and thyme.
4. Cook over low heat, stirring until mix is smooth and bubbly. 
5. Remove from heat and stir in chicken and broth.
6. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly - for approximately 1 minute.
7. Stir in vegetables.
8. Pour into pastry, and cover with a crust top.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until crust is brown.

Pasta Carbonara

Source: Emeril Lagasse

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb. Bacon (we didn't have any, so I used pepperoni)
• 1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic (I omitted)
  
• Ground Black Pepper
  
• 1/2 lb. spaghetti
  
• 2 Carrots, shredded
  
• 2 Eggs
  
• 1/4 cup Parmigiana Cheese
• 1/2 cup Peas
  

Directions: 

1. Cook spaghetti in lightly salted boiling water.  Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.
   
3. Leave approx. 1 tbsp. of oil in the skillet and add garlic.  Season with pepper.
4. Saute for 30 seconds.
5. Add the bacon (or pepperoni) and pasta. I also added peas, to add a vegetable to the meal.
   
6. Saute for 1 minute.
7. Season the scrambled eggs with salt (I omitted because I try not to add any sodium to my diet).
8. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, whisking quickly until they thicken, but do not scramble.  The eggs will simply coat the pasta and meat.
   
9. Add the cheese and more salt and pepper if desired.
   

Our Reviews:

Shelley: Good. Quick to make. Easy because all of the ingredients are staples, so it's something that would be good to make in a pinch.


Ryan: Not overly filling, maybe would be better with the bacon, or something hardier.

Chicken, Egg Noodles and Gravy

Source: Me

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/3 bag of Egg Noodles
  
• 2 Chicken Tenderloins
• Beef Gravy
  

Directions: 

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks.  Brown chicken.  Add a couple spoonfuls of gravy to skillet.
   
2. Arrange cooked noodles on a dish, with chicken on top. Serve with warm gravy on top.
   

Our Reviews:

Shelley: The quickest dinner I have ever made! The combination of the beef and chicken flavors was actually really good.


Ryan: A good way to use up the leftover gravy!

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 - 3 lbs. bottom round roast
  
• 2 cups water
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
  
• 1/2 tsp. cracked pepper
  
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup water
  

Directions: 

1. Cut roast into 6-8 pieces and place in slow cooker.  Add water and bouillon cubes.  Sprinkle with pepper.
2. Cover.  Cook on High for 2 hours.  Reduce heat to Low and cook for 4-5 hours, or until meat is tender.
   
3. Dissolve flour and salt in cold water.  Remove roast from cooker and keep warm.  Stir flour paste into hot broth in cooker until smooth.  Cover and cook on High for 5 minutes.  Serve gravy with sliced roast beef.
   

Our Reviews:

Tip: Less tender, less expensive cuts of meat are better suited for slow cooking than expensive cuts of meat.


Shelley: Very delicious! Tasted really good with the gravy. Served with butternut squash and a baked potato.


Ryan: A tiny tiny bit dry, but the gravy really helped.  Perhaps next time cut the time down to 4 hours (I did 4 1/2 hours this time).

Butternut Squash

Source: Ryan's mom

Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash
  
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tbsp. Fleishman's Unsalted Margarine
  

Directions: 

1. Peel and cube butternut squash.  Boil until soft.
   
2. In a bowl combine cooked squash cubes and other ingredients.
   
3. Using a hand mixer, blend all ingredients together until no chunks remain.
   

Our Reviews:

Shelley: Yum yum yum.. I could eat it all day, every day!

Ryan: Mmmmmm... Much better when mashed using a mixer instead of a potato masher, which leaves the squash stringy and clumpy.

Chicken Pizza Balls

Source: Based on a recipe from Lauren's Kitchen 

Ingredients:

• Chicken (For two of us I used two chicken tenderloins) 
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Italian or Pizza Seasoning (Garlic, Basil, Oregano and Parsley)
  
• Pizza Dough (I used one bag of store-bought dough)
• Pizza Sauce
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°.  Grease a pie pan.
2. Cook chicken, breaking the pieces into small chunks.
3. Flatten a piece of dough to approximately a 2" diameter circle.
4. For the dairy-free version, add a small dollop of pizza sauce (too much makes the balls too messy). For the non-dairy-free version, add a small dollop of shredded mozzarella cheese.
   
5. Add a couple pieces of chicken on top of the sauce/cheese.
   
6. Curl up the edges of dough, stretching it enough to form a ball. Roll it slightly in your hands to help it keep the ball shape. Push all of the edges together on the bottom.
   
7. Place in pie pan, with seam on the bottom.
   
8. Drizzle olive oil and Italian Seasoning over the top.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400°. (I baked mine for 20 minutes)
   
10. Serve with pizza sauce.

Our Reviews:

Makes a great appetizer! According to Lauren's Kitchen, they can be pre-made and refrigerated or frozen, though I haven't tried this.


Shelley: The dairy-free balls were a little messy to make because of the sauce. Next time I will make these balls larger and with less sauce. The balls with cheese were very easy to assemble. 

Ryan: Delicious. Filling. Would make a good appetizer. Not overly cheesy, but this isn't a bad thing. Maybe try with sausage.

Mashed Cauliflower

Source: Me

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower
• Fleishman's Unsalted Margarine
  
• Silk Vanilla Soy Milk
  

Directions: 

1. Cut cauliflower into small florets.  Boil until desired texture.
   
2. Drain water.
   
3. Add approximately 1 tbsp. of margarine. I don't like butter on vegetables so I don't add very much.
   
4. Add approximately 1/4 c. soy milk. Amount depends on amount of cauliflower. You don't want it to be too soupy.
   
5. Mash with a potato masher, or put in food processor.
   

Review:

A great healthy substitute for mashed potatoes!

Brunch Special - Breakfast Casserole

Source: My Mom

Ingredients:

• 6 Slices of Bread
  
• 5 Eggs 
• 2 cups Milk
  
• 10 oz. Cheddar Cheese 
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper
  
• Bacon
• Breakfast Sausage
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°. Grease 13x9 pan.
   
2. Toast bread.  Cut into cube and place on bottom of dish.
   
3. Sprinkle cheese on top of bread cubes. 
4. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper.  Pour over cheese. (For dairy-free, just eliminate the cheese)
   
5. Fry approximately 8 slices of bacon.  Crumble over top of cheese. 
6. Fry approximately 1/2 lb. of sausage.  Sprinkle over top of bacon.
   
7. Bake for 35 minutes. 

Our Reviews:

Brunch was success! Everyone loved it, and we even had enough leftover for another breakfast for the two of us.


Can be made a day ahead of time. Prepare and bake as instructed, then simply reheat in the oven until it bubbles.



Me: The dairy-free version was a little dry. Since it was only 1 serving, I only added 1 egg. I think that it needed one more.


Him: Delicious! Best breakfast idea ever!

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Source: Me

Ingredients:

• Italian or French Bread
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil
• Olive Oil
• Petite Diced Tomatoes
  

Directions: 

1. Slice bread to desired thickness. I sliced mine approximately 1/2" thick.
2. Brush olive oil on bread.
   
3. In a bowl mix tomatoes,  salt, pepper and basil.
   
4. Spoon tomato mixture onto bread.
   
5. Cook in an oven (I used a convection toaster oven) for approximately 15 minutes, or until slightly browned.
   
6. Serve as an appetizer, or side dish with pasta.
   

Review:

Delicious! Easy to make, and a welcome change from garlic bread or buttered bread with dinner.

Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole

Source: GroupRecipes.com

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/3 bag of Egg Noodles
• 4 tbsp. Unsalted Margarine (I use Fleischmann's)
  
• 2 Chicken Tenderloins/1 Chicken Breast
  
• 2 Carrots, shredded
  
• Assorted vegetables (beans, peas, etc.)
• 4 tbsp. Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup (approx.) Bread Crumbs (I use 4C Salt Free Seasoned Bread Crumbs. They have to be the Salt Free ones, as the regular 4C Bread Crumbs have cheese).
  

Directions: 

1. Cook noodles in lightly salted boiling water.  Drain and set aside.
2. Dice chicken into chunks, then fully cook.
   
3. Melt butter in a large skillet.
4. Add grated carrots and vegetable(s).
5. Cook until tender, and until the vegetables have soaked up most of the butter.
6. Stir in flour, salt and pepper.
7. Add chicken broth and stir until bubbly and thick.
8. Add chicken and noodles, and stir until they are coated.
9. Spoon into a baking dish.
10. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.
11. Bake at 400° for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top has browned slightly and the casserole is bubbly.
    

Our Reviews:

Shelley: So good, and relatively easy to make. I'm glad I finally found a noodle casserole without cream of something soup in it!


Ryan: Really good and really filling.

Chocolate Cake Balls

Source: Beantown Baker

Ingredients: 

• 1 Box of Cake Mix (I used Chocolate Duncan Hines) **Most Duncan Hines cake mixes are dairy free**
• 1 Container of Frosting (I used Chocolate Duncan Hines) **Most Duncan Hines frosting is dairy free**
•  28 oz. Baker's Chocolate Baking Squares
• Vegetable Oil
  

Directions: 

1. Prepare cake according to directions on box, including baking the cake.
2. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, dump it in a power mixer bowl, along with the entire container of frosting.
3. Mix the cake and frosting until they are completely blended.
4. Form small balls (I used a melon baller), and place on wax paper in the freezer.
5. Melt Baker's chocolate.
6. Dip cake balls in chocolate and refrigerate until serving.
   

Review:

They were amazing! Perfect amount of chocolate! My only complaint was that they took a long time to make (just forming the balls took forever!), and I was a little messy with the melted chocolate. My husband thought they tasted similar to fudge.  He suggested adding peanut butter next time. I also think they'd be really good with different cake flavors such as lemon or strawberry.

Adding some vegetable oil to the chocolate as it is melting thins the chocolate, making it easier (and neater) to dip the cake balls in. The finished product has a slightly thinner chocolate coating, but they aren't messy, use less baker's chocolate, and are quicker!

Chicken and Summer Squash Skillet

Source: Suite 101

Ingredients: (amounts depend on amount of chicken... I just eyeballed the amounts myself)

• Chicken breasts or tenderloins
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika
• Olive Oil
• Chicken Broth
• Zucchini (I omitted)
• Yellow Summer Squash
•  Basil

Directions: 

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet until medium hot.
3. Cook chicken in oil until brown on both sides.
4. Reduce heat to low, add chicken broth, cover and let simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
5. While chicken is simmering, cut squash into small cubes (about 1/2").
6. Add squash to chicken pan.  Sprinkle with basil, then cover for approximately 5 minutes (or until squash is cooked to desired texture).
   

Review:

Chicken and summer squash are two of my favorite foods, so needless to say, this meal went over really well. I usually steam summer squash, but my steamer is no longer useable, so I needed to find a new way to prepare squash. I found this recipe, and it was so fast and easy.

Ambrosia Salad

Source: My Aunt Claire

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz. Vanilla Yogurt (I used Dannon Light n' Fit) **Due to the process in which yogurt is made, it is okay for people allergic to milk protein to eat yogurt**
• 1 Can of Pineapple Chunks
• 1 Can of Mandarin Oranges
• 1 Banana, cut up
• 1 1/2 cups of Grapes (I used green grapes)
• 1 cup Mini Marshmallows
  
• 1/2 cup of Shredded Coconut
  

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients, except yogurt, in a large bowl.
   
2. Fold in yogurt.
   
3. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
   

Review:

Very simple to prepare. It is great for parties (I made it for a cook out), but also works well as a healthy snack.

Korean Bulgogi

Source: Me

Ingredients: 

• Beef (I use whatever is on sale)
• Bulgogi Marinade (I prefer liquid marinade as opposed to a spice rub. My favorite is the kind with sesame seeds and pear juice. It's amazing!)
• Rice Noodles
• Broccoli
  

Directions: 

1. Marinate the meat overnight in the refrigerator.
   
2. Cook meat in a frying pan (I use a large skillet pan, so that there is room for everything at the end).
   
3. While meat is cooking, boil rice noodles in water. Drain when cooked.
   
4. Once meat is cooked, add a little bit more marinade to the pan, and chopped broccoli (frozen or fresh).
   
5. Once broccoli is cooked, add rice noodles and some more marinade to frying pan.
6. Cook until rice noodles are slightly brown, and serve.
   

Review:

My husband was a little anxious the first time I made this... it was his first time trying Korean food. All it took was one bite and he was hooked! The noodles don't look that appetizing, but once they are cooked in the marinade they soak up a ton of flavor.