Chicken Manicotti Casserole

I have been cooking chickens in few different ways for quite some times and I got tired of it and I wanted to try something new with the chicken. I thought of what I can do with the manicotti pasta so I decided to do some research on how they are being cooked.  I gathered few ingredients from several recipes and created my very own recipe from scratch. The first time I made it, I did it with raw chicken. The result was delicious! I was anxious about making it for the first time so I made it again with cooked chicken and the result stayed the same, delicous! However, I think that the cooked chicken is the best to prepare this dinner.

Recipe  Serves 4 people

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 lb chicken brast, cubed and cooked
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. mozzarella cheese
8 uncooked manicotti
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 24 oz pasta sauce, mixed with little water
1/8 c. milk
1/4 tsp parsley flake
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp italian seasoning

Mix cream cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, oregano, italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, milk, garlic salt, and basil. Fold in cooked chicken cubes.  In a 9x13 baking dish, pour the pasta sauce mixture enough to cover the bottom. Stuff the mixture into the uncooked manicotti and place it on a dish.  When all 8 manicotti are stuffed, pour the remaining pasta sauce over the shells, covering them completely.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degree for 1 hour or so until the shell is soft.  Then sprinkle on top of a casserole with mozzarella cheese and bake for additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts, uncovered.  Serves hot!

Taco Bake

I found this recipe online when I tried to think of something else to eat other than having a regular taco.  This recipe seemed very easy so I made it for the first time and found that I really LOVE it! It is so delicious!

Recipe        Serves 6 people

1 pkg (14 oz) macaroni and cheese deluxe dinner
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
3/4 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 c. thick n chunky salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare dinner as directed on package.  While the macaroni is cooking, brown meat and drain.  Add taco seasoning mix and water as directed on the package to the meat. Simmer  5 minutes. Stir sour cream into prepared macaroni cheese dinner.  Spoon half of the dinner mixture into 8x8 in square baking dish.  Top with layers of the meat mixture, 1 cup of cheese, and remaining dinner mixture.  Cover. Bake for 15 minutes.  Top with salsa and 1/2 cup  of cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serves hot.

The link to the website that I found is: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/taco-bake-63779.aspx

Please enjoy this dinner. It is very delicious!

Sweet Potato Casserole

I loved this recipe when I first tasted it. I am not a big fan of eating sweet potato except for this! It is very delicious and very very sweet. I got this recipe from my mother.

Recipe         Serves 8 people

1./2 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
2 eggs, well beatened
1 tsp. vanilla
40 oz sweet potato can, mashed
1/2 c. milk

Topping
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. mini marshmallow
1 c. pecan, chopped (optional)

Mix sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, and potato together.  Pour into a greased casserole dish.  For topping, mix brown sugar, flour and butter together. Spoon over casserole. Then sprinkle with marshmallow and then pecan.  Bake at 350 degree for 45 minutes.

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See how easy it is? It is also very delicious! It is very cheap to buy and make.  Most of the ingredients are what you already have in your kitchen. All you need is marshmallow and sweet potato (and pecan). It is perfect to bring this dish to a family gathering. I guarantee you that it will be gone.

Toffee Bars

I grew up watching my mom make it for Christmas holiday. It is very delicious! This recipe came from my grandmother. I hope you enjoy this dessert!

Recipe   Makes 2 dozens

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. flour, sifted
1 c. uncooked oats
1 jar of marshmallow creme

Chocolate Frosting
1 square of unsweeted chocolate, finely cut
1. c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. shortening
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Blend brown sugar and sugar. Add shortening, vanilla, salt, and eggs to beat.  Add flour, pour oat over flour and mix well.  Pour batter into  a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.  Frost the marshmallow cream over warm bars. When cooled, frost with chocolate.

To make chocolate frosting, in a saucepan, mix all ingredients listed above except for vanilla. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let it boil for 1 minute then remove from heat. Beat until lukewarm.  Add vanilla and beat until thick enough to spread. If icing get too thick, add 1 Tbsp of milk.

When you are not eating them, please put them in the fridge to keep it firm and fresh. That is how you make toffee bars. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

I grew up watching my mom make this cookie every year for Christmas holiday. This is a very delicious cookie and it is very quick and easy to make.

Recipe   Makes: about 3 dozens

1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg, unbeatened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 bag of kiss candies

Mix together, flour, baking soda, and salt then set it aside. Cream together the shortening, peanutbutter, sugar, and brown sugar well. Add the egg and vanilla.  Blend in the flour mixture. Beat well. Shape the dough in ball, roll in sugar and place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove the sheet from oven and place kiss candy on top firmly pressed. Return cookies to oven for another 2 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

When I wanted to make pizza, I made them and then realized that I do not have any pizza sauce so I freaked out and then looked into my recipe box because I remembered writing the recipe for a pizza sauce from my mom's recipe box and found it. This is a lifesaver recipe for whenever I do not have a pizza sauce.  It does not require a lot of ingredient or have complicated instruction.

Recipe   Makes: 2 pizzas

1 8oz tomato sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Blend together to make pizza sauce.

If you want a thicker pizza sauce, add a little bit of tomato paste.

If I do not have a pizza sauce or the ingredients to make a pizza sauce, I use the pasta sauce as a pizza sauce and it is amazing and a bit sweeter. Keep in mind that you do have options on how to have pizza sauce and save money!

Homemade Pizza Dough

This is my mom's recipe and it has always been in the family.  I grew up watching my mom make the homemade pizza and it is so delicious to eat.  Here is a recipe on making a pizza dough.

Recipe     Makes 2 pizza (thin) or 1 pizza (thick)

1 pkg. active yeast
1 c. hot water
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. warm water
3 1/2 c. flour

Add the yeast to 1/4 cup of warm water to activate the yeast. Add the rest of the ingredients together and knead until smooth and does not stick to your hands.  Make sure you knead well for an optimized taste result.  Make your own toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

See how easy it is!? It require very simple ingredients to make a pizza dough.  I personally like to use melted butter with garlic powder, garlic salt, and parsley flakes and brush them on the edge of the pizza dough for a better taste. I then make my own topping and then sprinkle some of garlic salt & powder and parsley flake on top of my toppings right before baking it. It brings out more Italian flavor in a pizza.  Enjoy!

Zuppa Tuscana Soup

When I first went to Olive Garden, my husband recommended that I try the Zuppa Tuscana soup because he thought it was delicious. I tried the soup and was ADDICTED to it! I was like "I got to have that recipe!" I went through a lot of research online trying to find the perfect soup that imitate just like Olive Garden's soup. I derived some ingredients from several recipes online for this soup and it turned out fantastic!

Recipe  serves: 8 people

1 lb. hot italian sausage (or use regular and use crushed pepper seasoning to adjust the spiciness)
3 med. to lg. potatoes, unpeeled & cubed
1 sm. onion, diced
32 oz chicken broth
1 1/4 c. half & half
3 strips of thick bacon, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 c. kale, vein removed, sliced in ribbon
2 1/2 c. water

1. Brown sausage, chopped bacon, and onion in a skillet.  Drained and set aside. (Please DO NOT drain in your sink because it will contribute to clogging your plumbing system.)

2. Add cubed potatoes, chicken broth, garlic, and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are tender.

3. Add the meat mixture, kale, and half & half  into the pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until kale is tender.

The soup is served hot.

This soup is so delicious and very easy to make! It actually tastes quite identical to the Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana soup. However, this soup is a little bit chunky and I like it.  When you look at these ingredients, you find that it is a little bit expensive.  No worry there! You can replace the half & half with regular milk, kale with frozen/fresh spinach, and a can of minced garlic.  The result will still taste good and similar. I personally like to add crushed red pepper to the soup to make it a bit spicier if I cannot find the hot italian sausage type. Enjoy this recipe!!!

Kahula

BEWARE! NOT FOR PEOPLE LESS THAN 21!

I have always loved to drink white russian. It is one of my favorite drinks. This recipe is quite identical to the kahula brand.  I found this recipe from my mother who got it from her mother. It totally saved me some money making this.

Recipe.  Makes around 2 1/2 bottles.

2 c. Boiling water
1/4 c. Instant coffee
3 c. Sugar
3 1/2 tbsp. Pure vanilla
1 qt. Bottle of 100 proof vodka

Put sugar and coffee in a pan, add boiling water. Stir to dissolve, add vanilla and vodka. Pour in  emptied kahula bottles or any other large bottles. Put in a cool dark place such as refrigerator.

Pie Crust

When I want to make pie, I didn't have the recipe for the crust so I went to the store and bought the pie crust. The crust turned out okay but it has a lot of chemicals in it that are not necessary. I received the pie crust recipe from my mom which came from her mom and so forth.  It contain natural ingredients, not including chemical ingredients found on the pie crust product.

Recipe   makes 2 shells

1 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 c. Shortening
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
Water (amount varies)

Mix all of the dry ingredients. Fill a cup of water and gradually pour water into the mixture and beat until it is stiff. Sprinkle some flour on your table to prevent sticking on your table.  Roll the dough into a ball and place it on top of the floured table. Sprinkle some flour in the dough and on the roller pin. Roll the dough until it is flat. Place it on a pie pan, cut out excess dough and repeat the process for a second shell.  Bake at 375 to 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until light brown.

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If you plan to make a pie, for example apple pie, you must follow that apple pie instructions, not the pie crust instruction. This recipe is a basic foundation of all pies recipes. The cooking times and degrees varies for each type of pie. It is best to follow their instructions for best taste.

Peanut Butter Pie

One day when I was visiting my grandma in another state, she brought out a peanut butter pie after a hearty meal.  It looked very delicious and it tasted so delicious. I immediately asked for her recipe. She shared this recipe with me and I really appreciate the share.  I made it a couple of time immediately after the visit to my grandma. It is so delicious! This recipe came from my grandma.

Recipe     serves: 12

Peanut Butter Pie
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. milk
1 (8 oz) cool whip

9" Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 c. crushed graham cracker
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted

Step 1: If you want to make the crust, just combine all three ingredients together and pack it solid on a 9" pie dish. Please note that for each box of graham crackers, it contains about 2 2/3 cup each. If you want to use the store bought graham cracker pie crust, skip this step to Step 2.

Step 2: Combine cream cheese, sugar, and milk. Add peanut butter and mix until creamy. Fold in cool whip and pour into graham cracker crust. Can be chilled then served or served immediately. It can be frozen until ready to serve.

See how easy it is to make? It is so easy and very delectable! There are many ways you can do with this pie. You can actually switch the graham crust to oreo crust. You can actually add any types of topping on top of the peanut butter pie such as caramel, chocolate, nuts, chips, etc. Enjoy!

Monkey Bread

Hmm....I really do not remember the first time I tasted this delicious monkey bread for breakfast.  It was a long time ago for me to remember.  Thanks to my mom's dearest friend for sharing this recipe, I am now sharing this with you. This recipe is perfect for a big family breakfast. It is also quick and easy to make. Beware! The kids will go crazy for it and will eat the whole thing! It also is GREAT to have kids to help make monkey bread.

Recipe         serves: around 8 to 10 

4 cans of biscuits
3/4 c. melted butter
3 Tbsp. water (optional for thinner syrup)
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. sugar and 3 Tbsp cinnamon in a gallon bag

nuts are optional

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Place in plastic bag with the sugar/cinnamon mixture and shake until coated.  Place half of the coated biscuits (2 cans) into the greased bundt pan.  Boil the butter, water, and sugar. Pour half of the syrup over the biscuits.  Place the rest of the coated biscuit on top of the syrup. Then pour the rest of the syrup over the second half of the biscuits.  If you want, you can sprinkle the remainder sugar/cinnamon mixture from the bag to the top of the biscuits.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from pan immediately to a serving dish. Serve hot!

This is a very sweet breakfast so be wary on how much sugar you consume.  This is a perfect way to serve some carbs with sweetness to it. It didn't take too much of the ingredient to make this fantastic monkey bread.  The biscuits can be found at Aldi's for LESS than a buck each.  I preferred not to add water because I do not want a bit running syrup.  You can add nuts to it. I preferred not on mine. Enjoy this recipe!!

Cabbage Jambalaya

Hello everyone!  This recipe is found online.  Let me tell you a story about how I thought of something and found this recipe. This recipe is very good that I want to share with you guys. I have been frying the smoked sausage for quite some time because I couldn't think of any other ways I could cook something with the smoked sausage. I went online to do some random search and found the one that seemed very interesting. I tried to make it and it turned out great!

Recipe        serves: 6

1 pound ground beef
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced in 1/4 in
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 14.5oz stewed tomato can
1 c. uncooked rice
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 medium cabbage, chopped
2 c. water
garlic salt to taste

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, combine ground beef, smoked sausage, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until beef is evenly browned.  Stir in cabbage, tomatoes, water, & rice.  Season with garlic salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until rice is done. Serve hot!

This recipe is very easy to make.  If you are concerned about having too much meat, you can always cut down the beef into half pound. I tend to do that.  You do not have to chop a whole onion. Just use your judgment on how much is needed and how much is enough in this recipe. This recipe can be found on Allrecipes.com. This link will show the recipe for this specific recipe.  It also can help calculate the ingredients based on serving size you want.  It also provide nutritional information at the bottom of the page.  This is not a healthy meal because it is high in salt. I recommend making this once in a while. This is not a healthy meal for occasional cooking.

Apple Stuffing

Hello everyone! I just created a new recipe from scratch with the help of my mom yesterday! Before my parents came over to visit, I was planning to cook a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with my fiance and parents.  I was debating on whether to use the store bought stuffing or homemade. So, I had a conversation with my mom in the morning before they came over to discuss the delicious recipe that my Grandma Hoffman made long time ago. My mom mentioned some ingredients that she remembered. I went online to do some research to find the similar recipes. It turns out that there were similarities but not close enough. I've decided to follow my instinct and make the stuffing with the key ingredients found through the internet and my grandma's recipe.  My mom came over and we made it together and stuffed half of it in the turkey while the other half is in the casserole dish. It turned out to be very delicious! I am going to share this recipe with you guys.

Recipes      serves: 6-8

1 loaf of bread
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced celery
2 eggs, whisked
1 (14 oz) low sodium chicken broth can
1 to 1/2 tsp ground sage (add until taste right)
2 granny apples, peeled, cored, and diced

Break apart the breads into small pieces. Mix the bread with the onions, celery, and apples.  Pour over whisked eggs onto the bread mixtures. Add ground sage. Gradually pour the chicken broth as you stir the stuffing until they are moist. You can either bake it or stuff it in a turkey. For bake. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 325 degrees for glass dish. (If not glass dish, bake at 350 degrees).  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. For stuffed turkey. Stuff the stuffing in the turkey and follow the turkey instruction. Serve hot!

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This recipe is so easy and cheap! I do not add salt because the broth itself contains a lot of salt so it is good to minimize the salty flavor in this stuffing AND for your health's sake. Enjoy this delicious stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner with your family!

Quick 'n' Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

One day my fiance was very sick and he asked me to make him a homemade chicken noodle soup. I told him OK then I got to thinking as to how I can make the homemade chicken noodle soup because I never made it before. I knew the process of making the homemade chicken noodle is to cook a whole chicken and it's too expensive. I did some researches by gathering the essential ingredients and understanding how to make it.  The soup was made and cooked very quickly in about 30 minutes using inexpensive ingredients. The soup turned out to be a success and very delicious that my fiance said that it was the best chicken noodle soup in the world and had 3 heaping mounds of serving for dinner and was completely stuffed! He also felt better after eating the soup. I am going to share this recipe with you to help you cook very delicious soup quick and cheap! It also is the best remedy to reduce the sickness.

Recipe             serves: about 6

2 - 9.75 canned chicken

6 cups of water

5 bullion chicken cube (broth)

4 small to medium potato cubed (with or without skin)

3 stalks of celery sliced

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/4 cup of minced onions

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp basil

1 tsp parsley flake

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

8 oz of wide egg noodles

Add water, potato, carrots, onion, and chicken broth to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes just before the potatoes are soft. Add in chicken, celery, black pepper, basil, parsley, thyme, and oregano. Stir. Then add in the noodle. Do not reduce heat. Continue to boil until noodle is done. Serve hot!

I tried to make this soup as healthy as possible. I do not add salt to this soup because the chicken broth contains salt. I do not recommend the canned chicken from Aldi store. They do not smell right and taste a bit strange. I used the great value brand from Walmart which smelled better and taste great. This dinner is quick and easy, not to mention CHEAP! Enjoy!

My First Blog

Hello everyone!  Let me introduce myself and my purpose with this blog. I am an hard of hearing woman with ASL as my primary language. I was born that way. I grew up in a public school until I transferred to a deaf school and graduated there. I went to Indiana University for a year and left to attend Ivy Tech and graduated with AS in business administration. I transferred to Ball states University to obtain a BS in accounting. As of right now, I am thinking about going back to Ivy Tech to get another AS, this time in accounting. I am working at a non profit organization where we help a lot of people in need of assistance in East Central of Indiana. My speciality is in budget department. I love my job very much even though they don't pay well. I am engaged to my wonder fiance and we are getting married next month. I am so excited!

My purpose with this blog is to share my recipes, techniques, tips, and the stories behind them with you. There are so many thing that influence me to be this successful cooker. I am no chef but I am an excellent cooker. I want to share my experience with you and teach you to become a successful cooker. My way in the kitchen will definitely help you improve your budget when it come to grocery shopping. At least, I hope so! My fiance and I only spend about $150 to $200 a month on groceries. Suprised!? I will share this story on how to be a smart shopper in the future post. I really hope you enjoy my blog and find it to be very useful for you too!