Old Fashioned Onion Rings

These were really great! They just took me forever to make because I used two onions and made my own dry bread crumbs. I didn't even use bread crumbs for half of them and they still turned out great. Next time I won't bother with bread crumbs unless I buy them.

Servings: 3


1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk, or as needed
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
seasoned salt to taste
1 quart oil for frying, or as needed


Directions:
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

Zippy Beef Casserole

With this recipe I would use chopped onion instead of instant minced. I would also add chopped garlic and maybe some dried parsley flakes. I don't think 40 minutes will be necessary though. I usually cook casseroles like this for around 20-25 minutes. Comment if you can think of any other add ins or variations that might be good.

Servings: 6


1 pound ground beef
4 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 can (10.75 ounce size) cream of mushroom soup, condensed
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed potato chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook and stir meat until brown; drain off fat. Cook macaroni as directed on package; drain. In ungreased 2 qt. casserole, mix all ingredients, except potato chips.
Cover, bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with crushed potato chips and bake 5 minutes longer.

Pork and Beans Casserole

I ran across this recipe while I was looking for some dinners for cheap. I had wanted to make something like this at one time. I would add a few extra ingredients for taste. I would add some seasoned salt, chopped garlic and onions to the ground beef. I would also most likely put the biscuits on the bottom of a greased casserole dish. With cheese on top of meat and bean mixture. If anyone can think of anything else to add, please comment.

Servings: 6

1 pound ground beef
1 can (16 ounce size) pork and beans
1/2 cup barbecue sauce of your choice, to taste
1 can (12 ounce size) refrigerated biscuit dough (Grands, etc.)
3/4 cup cheddar cheese or cheddar/jack cheese

Directions:
Cook and drain ground beef; add pork and beans and barbecue sauce; cook until heated through. Put mixture in a 3-quart casserole dish wide enough to hold biscuits. Top with biscuits.
Bake at 350 degrees F until biscuits start to brown. Add cheese on top. Cook until all the cheese is melted, approximately 20 minutes total.

*

Simple Salisbury Steak

I have made this recipe a couple of times and it has turned out pretty good. I left out the browning sauce and fresh mushrooms though. 

Servings: 6

1 egg
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 (10.75 ounce) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 teaspoon browning sauce (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup soup and onion. Crumble the beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties. In a large nonstick skillet, brown the patties on both sides; drain.
In a bowl, combine the milk, browning sauce if desired, salt and remaining soup; stir in mushrooms. Pour over patties. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Plum-Glazed Country Ribs

This is the second country style rib recipe that I have been thinking about making. Sounded like an interesting and unique recipe to me. I would probably grill the ribs after brushing them with the sauce though.

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

4 pounds bone-in country style pork ribs

1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 (12 ounce) jar plum preserves
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions:
Place ribs in two ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes; drain. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Set aside 3/4 cup sauce for serving.
Brush ribs with some of the remaining sauce. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until ribs are tender, turning and basting frequently with remaining sauce. Serve with reserved sauce.

Grilled Country Ribs

I have been searching for a good country style ribs recipe. I found this one that sounds really good. I also found another one that I will post. 


Servings: 6


Ingredients:
4 pounds country style pork ribs
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard

Directions:

Place ribs in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Drain ribs. Grill, covered, over indirect low heat for 45 minutes, turning once. Baste with barbecue sauce. Grill 15 minutes longer or until meat is tender, turning and basting frequently.

Garlic Bread

1 loaf of french bread
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon garlic powder, garlic salt, or chopped garlic
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic powder or salt. Spread over one side of every slice of bread. Place bread slices on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle bread slices with the parsley flakes. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

**This is a great recipe for homemade garlic bread. I prefer to use garlic salt on my bread but you can use garlic powder or chopped garlic too.

Quick White Chili

This turned out to be really good. Easy and quick to make too. My kids liked it a lot! I used 2 cans of chicken, a can of rotel drained instead of salsa, bouillon cubes with water and added some chopped onions.

Servings: 4


Ingedients:
1 (12-oz) can chicken breast, drained
2 cans Great Northern beans, drained and well-rinsed
1 cup prepared salsa
2 (12 oz) cans chicken or vegetable broth
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder or chopped garlic
½ – 1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Place chicken, beans, salsa, broth and seasonings in pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in cheese.

Southern Quiche

I have been looking for good quiche recipe to make. This one sounds really good so I think I will try it out soon. There are many ways to make this recipe your own. You can use bacon instead of sausage. If you like spinach, you can add around 1/2 cup into the egg mixture. Or add green, red, and yellow peppers if you would like.


Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (12 ounce) package spicy ground pork sausage
4 eggs
1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
1/2 cup milk
1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 dash hot pepper sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch white sugar
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft. Add sausage, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, Ranch dressing and milk. Stir in shredded cheese. Season with hot sauce, salt, pepper and sugar.
Spread sausage mixture in the bottom of crust. Cover with egg mixture, and shake lightly to remove air, and to level contents.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until filling is puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, prick top with a knife, and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

ESP Cookies

I learned this recipe in junior high home ec class. I remembered it because it is so simple. They are surprisingly good.

1 Egg
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Peanut Butter
bag of hershey kisses

Combine the egg, sugar, and peanut butter. Place in one inch balls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 mins. Place a hershey kiss onto each cookie and bake for about 1-2 more minutes. Let cool completely til hardened to serve.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Servings: 12


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (1 pound) package frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
4 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn
12 ounces tortilla chips
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the pepper and onion stir fry mix, garlic, and cumin, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers. Pour in the broth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes.
Mix corn into the soup, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Serve in bowls over equal amounts of tortilla chips. Top with cheese and avocado.

**This is a vegetarian dish and can be changed to your own liking. You can certainly add canned chicken and use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, if you would like. 

Tuna Turnovers

Servings: 10

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sliced ripe olives
1/8 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups crushed potato chips

In a small bowl, combine tuna, cheese, mayonnaise, olives and lemon-pepper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each biscuit into a 5-in. circle. Spoon 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of tuna mixture onto one side of each circle. Fold dough over filling; press edges with a fork to seal.
Place egg and potato chips in separate shallow bowls. Dip turnovers in egg, then coat with chips. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Make a 2-1/2-in. slit in top of each turnover. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-21 minutes or until golden brown.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I finally made these and they were really good. Everyone in my family loved them. 

Servings: 8


2/3 cups water
1/3 cup uncooked white rice
8 cabbage leaves
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 
Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until softened; drain.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 cup cooked rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup. Mix thoroughly.

Divide the beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves. Roll and secure them with toothpicks or string.

In a large skillet over medium heat, place the cabbage rolls and pour the remaining tomato soup over the top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with the liquid often.

King Ranch Chicken

My friend emailed me this recipe to share on here. It sounds really good. I will have to try it out!

Ingredients:
4-5 chicken breasts, cooked, and either chunked or shredded.
1 can of either cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or cream of celery soup ( I use cream of celery, I don't like the mushoom taste, and the chicken gives it too much of the same taste)
1 can of enchilada sauce ( I use mild cuz the kids)
1 regular size bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos
1 bag of shredded mozzerella cheese. ( I use a medium size bag, or you can get 2 small bags)

Directions:
Cook the chicken, I usually grill it on a little grill, makes it a little bit healthier. Then you need to shred it or cut it into chunks.
Mix together the enchilada sauce and the cream soup in a bowl. Then mix the chicken in with it as well.
Take a 11x13 cassarole dish. spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In the doritos bag, crush the chips up, just a little, you don't want them to be crumbs.
Start of with a layer of chips on the bottom of the pan, then do the chicken and sauce mixture. Then a layer of cheese. There should be enough for 3 layers. You can add more or less cheese depending on how cheesey you like it. The very top layer should be cheese. Cover with foil and back at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, check on it, the last 5 minutes bake with foil off.

Caramelized Chicken Wings

Servings: 6

1 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
12 large chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, or to taste (optional)

In an electric skillet or a large skillet over medium heat, mix together the water, sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, wine vinegar, and garlic until smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Place the wings into the sauce, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the wings are tender and the sauce has thickened, about 30 more minutes, spooning sauce over wings occasionally. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

**These were really good. Everyone enjoyed them. I recommend giving the recipe a try.

Burrito Pie

Servings: 16

2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (2 oz) can black olives, sliced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chili peppers
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with
green chile peppers
1 (16 oz) jar taco sauce
2 (16 oz) cans refried beans
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
9 ounces shredded Colby cheese


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the olives, green chile peppers, tomatoes with green chile peppers, taco sauce and refried beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas followed by more meat mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.
4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

I have been making this recipe for a few years now. I originally made it for my parents since my dad's favorite cake is german chocolate and my mom likes cheesecake. Now every time I make this recipe, I make an extra one for my parents. I made my own shortened version of the original recipe to make it easier. It is really good and easy to make.

Ingredients:

Oreo or chocolate flavored ready made pie crust

3 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 pkg. Baker's German's sweet chocolate, melted
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 can coconut pecan frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add chocolate and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over ready made crust. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Let cool and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Spread frosting over cheesecake just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Spinach and Cheese Casserole

I got this recipe from a parenting magazine about five years ago. I make it every Thanksgiving and we love it. This is a recipe that you can prep and bake the day before.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 75 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Cooking Spray
4 eggs
2/3 cup flour
Two 10-oz packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
24-oz container low-fat cottage cheese
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt, to taste

1. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with flour until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to blend. Spoon into prepared dish, cover, and refrigerate.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 75 minutes.

Tip: To prep and bake the day before, shorten oven time by 10 minutes. Cool, wrap, and refrigerate. Reheat in the microwave, checking at 10-minute intervals, until heated through.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Serves: 6

3 cups chicken broth

1 (32 oz.) large package frozen chopped broccoli

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic 

1/2 cup butter or margarine

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 pound process American cheese (Velveeta), cubed

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add frozen broccoli, cover and bring to a second boil, lower heat and simmer 7 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of the broth. In another large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Whisk in flour until blended. Stir in milk and add cheese. Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli and reserved chick broth.

** I made this recipe last night instead of the potato and broccoli soup that I was originally going to make. I found the recipe online and changed it a little. This came out really good. There was more than enough for my family. I slowed cooked a whole chicken and used the broth from chicken. Instead of the butter, I cooked the onions in chicken fat and added a couple tablespoons margarine in with the milk and cheese. I will definitely make this broccoli soup again. I think I might try adding bacon next time and cook the onions in the bacon grease. 

Tex-Mex Alfredo

Serves: 8
Cooking Time: 15 min


Ingredients
1 pound uncooked fettuccine noodles
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
2/3 cup picante sauce
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish


Instructions
In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until tender. Drain and set aside in a large bowl; cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine butter, picante sauce, and Parmesan cheese; cook over low heat, stirring, until butter melts. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and salt. Pour picante sauce mixture over warm fettuccine noodles, and toss. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve.


***I got this from MrFood.com. This would make a good side dish. You could make it into a main dish by adding your choice of meat. I think the addition of browned ground beef or turkey with a taco seasoning packet added to it would be a good dinner. If you want to go even farther with this dish, you could add black olives, onions, and red or green peppers.