Take a recipe, give a recipe

[mamabot]

We have some good cooks on the site, so why don't we start a recipe swap! I have a couple that I can never give away, but most are fair game. Any recipe will do, even if it is your favorite take-out or frozen meal. Maybe I will even hunt down the description of my favorite way to do Chicken Cordon Bleu someday.

Nachos

Ingredients of your choice:

Tortilla chips
Shredded Cheese
Refried Beans
Meat (we alternate between ground turkey with taco seasonings, salsa chicken, steak or carne asada)

Directions:

Place a layer of tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with the cheese. Top each chip with refried beans. Lightly sprinkle with cheese. Spread the meat over the nachos. Lightly sprinkle with cheese.

Toppings:

Freshly sliced avocado
Sour Cream
Salsa

[tabacco]

Copied from the version I posted on another site...

Okay, here goes with the Mac and Cheese. Be forewarned, this isn't a written-down recipe, it's just something I know off the top of my head, so the amounts are given in a fairly indefinite manner. It may take some expeimentation, but this should give you the general idea of how to go about it.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1 bag of elbow or shell macaroni (I think it's a 1 lb. bag, but maybe not)
1 stick butter (Sorry )
? Tablespoons Flour
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Lots of milk (I always use skim milk with no problems, but if you want it richer you can use 2% or whatever)
1 block of the sharpest cheddar cheese you can find, grated (Tillamook brand is awesoome)
1 smallish wedge of Roquefort cheese, about 1/3 cup when crumbled (it's a mold cheese, looks a little like blue cheese, but don't substitute!)
Bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Cook the macaroni in lightly salted water until it's very al dente. Probably about 5 minutes. It'll cook the rest of the way in the oven. Drain and rinse the pasta, and dump it into a lightly greased 9x13 pyrex pan. Set it aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in as much flour as it takes to make a thick paste. Add the mustard. Cook it gently, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble and smell good.

At this point, add a cup or two of milk and keep stirring to mix in the butter/flour paste. When it starts to thicken, add another cup or two of milk. The idea here is to generate enough sauce to cover the macaroni in the pan, so keep this up until you have what looks like a good amount.

Add in the grated cheddar and the roquefort. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted completely and is mixed with the milk sauce. don't worry about the bits of mold from the roquefort floating at the top, they disappear when mixed with the pasta. Taste the sauce and add salt or pepper if you think it's needed. Pour the sauce over the macaroni and if the macaroni is really stuck together and clumpy you may wantr to poke it a bit with a spoon to break it up a bit and alow the cheese sauce to flow better.

Sprinkl breadcrumbs over the top to form a good solid layer. This forms a nice crunchy top and also helps prevent overflows to some extent. Lightly oil a piece of aluminum foil and cover the pan with it (oiled side down, obviously). Bake for about 30 minutes, or however long it takes for the cheese sauce to start bubbbling in the pan. At this point, remove the foil and bake it for another few minutes to make sure the breadcrumb topping gets nice and browned.

I highly recommend lettting it cool for a minute or two before serving.

Enjoy

[desertdweller]

I like the idea of this thread. I got the following off a forum on The Food Network's website. While I like to cook from scratch as much as possible there are some nights when you just want something fast. Having this posted inside my pantry door makes it convenient to avoid take out or fast food for dinner.

RECIPE MASTER

Choose ONE item from EACH of the Categories:

PASTA & RICE (1 cup raw)

Macaroni
Spaghetti
Rice
Any other type of pasta

SAUCE (1 can of soup plus 1 1/2 cups of milk or water)

Cream of Potato Soup
Cream of Chicken Soup
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Cream of Celery Soup
Tomato Soup
French Onion Soup
Cream of Broccoli Soup

MEAT, POULTRY, FISH OR BEANS (1 - 1 1/2 Lbs. COOKED)

Bite sized pieces or chopped Beef, Turkey, or Chicken
Ham cubes
Chicken
Turkey
Tuna
Salmon
Beans
Sausage
Frankfurters

VEGETABLES (1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked, raw or canned)

Carrots
Peas
Corn
Green Beans
Broccoli
Spinach
Mixed Vegetables
Green Pepper

DAIRY (optional)
1 - 2 cups of cheese or a combination of:
Mozzarella
Cheddar
Jack
Swiss
Provolone
Muenster

1. Choose one food from each of the four food groups above (dairy is optional). Stir in a skillet or a bowl for a casserole.

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Other suggestions to add more flavor are: garlic, chopped onion, basil, oregano, green onions, etc.

For a skillet supper: Bring to a boil. Reduce to lower setting, cover pan and simmer 30 minutes until pasta or rice is tender. Stir often to keep from sticking.

Stir in cheese the last 5 minutes.

For a Casserole: Bake at 350 degrees for one hour covered.

Add a sprinkle of cheese to the top for the last 10 minutes. Some other topping are crushed corn flakes, potato or corn chips or bread crumbs.

[tabacco]

Hey, I like that! I need to get myself a good casserole pan.

[mamabot]

Great recipe idea! I have seen the same thing on Southern Living too. Somewhere in my collection of recipes I have the print out version.

[TinkPink]

Stuffed Artichokes

Okay, this is super easy and the times I have served it at a dinner party, people are super impressed! I rarely cook with recipes, so forgive the unorganized manner of this one!

Cook an artichoke the way you normally would. Cut about the first 1/2 inch or so off the top off artichoke, then cut off the stem so it sits flat. Then trim off the tips of all the leaves and rinse well. I place it in a pan with about 3 inches of lightly boiling water and put some spices in the water such as, lemon pepper, salt, marjoram. I then squeeze about a half a lemon over the artichokes and grate some lemon peel into the water using ONLY the yellow of the rind- when you get to the white part it gets bitter. It usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, it is done when the leaves pull out easily.

After it is cooked, you dig out the center of the choke. I just use prongs and I reach in and grab all the thin, soft leaves in the center, they should lift out very easily. Once the leaves are out, you can see the choke. Take a spoon and scrape it out, very gently leaving the heart. Then you have a lovely little bowl to fill with the stuffing of your choice.

I usually use stuffing- I just buy stove top and then saute a bunch of celery, onion, mushroom, garlic, whatever I have.

You could also use cous cous or pasta salad for something a bit lighter.

It is SUPER yummy and people always think it is a really dificult thing to do and it is REALLY not and looks beautiful on the plate.

Sometimes I make a meal just out of this by adding meat to the stuffing to make it a bit heavier and I serve that for dinner for my hubby and I. Last night I made a lighter stuffing and served it with my Pizza Meatloaf.

Anyway, I hope some of you try it!!!

[baileykat]

Steak Sandwhiches - (which we're having tonight!)


Get 2 pounds of any thinly sliced steak - I usually get the 'breakfast steaks'

Grind it in your food processor til it's like ground beef

Chop half an onion and half a green bell pepper and add to meat mixture.

Add garlic salt and black pepper to taste.

Brown all of this in a pan and when it's all brown, add slices of American cheese. (yep the Kraft kind in plastic works well...or I've used Velveeta for extra cheesiness!)

When cheese is melted, serve on toasted rolls or hamburger buns!


Simple, easy, kid friendly!

[tabacco]

When I get home from work tonight I'll postmy tiramisu recipe if anyone's interested.

[buzz lightbeer]

[tabacco]

I made this recipe the other day, and it was reallygood and amazingly easy. It's stolen from http://www.cookingforengineers.com (laugh if you want, it's a good site ):

Absurdly Easy Chocolate Fudge (makes 16 2-in. squares)

Combine in double boiler:

3 cups chocolate chips (or 50/50 chocolate/peanut butterr chips)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
4 Tbs butter

Melt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Lay two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper across an 8x8 pan, leaving enough extra to hang over the sides. Pour the mixture into the pan, spread evenly, and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Use the overhanging plastic wrap/paper to unmold the fudge from the pan, and cut into squares.

[dramaqueen]

These are some of the BEST cookies you will ever eat!

Chocolate Pudding Cookies

2 1/4 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 C. Butter or Shortning
1/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 4 serving size package instant vanilla or chocolate pudding (I use chocolate)
2 eggs
chocolate chips (white for chocolate pudding, semi-sweet for vanilla)
1 C. chopped nuts (if desired, I omit these)

Mix flour and baking soda- set aside. Combine butter, sugars, vanilla and pudding mix. Beat until smooth. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture, chips and nuts. Batter will be stiff. Drop batter (sometimes I use a little melon scoop) about two inches on an ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes (do NOT overbake! Cookies will cool and be super soft and chewy if the cookies are smooth and slightly underdone when you pull them out of the oven)

Mu husband LOVES these

[dramaqueen]

Ok, here is MY favorite recipe for brownies (my favorite food)

Triple Dessert Brownies

1 1/4 C. Flour
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. Butter (do not substitute)
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C. cocoa
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
Choose either- 1 8oz milk chocolate bar in chunks, 8 oz chocolate chips, or 1 4 serving box of instant chocolate pudding mix (makes brownies super moist)
3/4 C chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 inch baking pan with foil and spray with Pam. Combine 1 cup flour and the sugar, then cut in butter until crumbly. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes (make sure this cookie crust is completely set and slightly browned)

In another bowl, beat condensed milk, cocoa, egg, remaining 1/4 cup flour, vanilla, and baking powder. Mix in the chocolate of your choice, and nuts if desired. Spread mixture over prepared crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until set (toothpick test is a good way to check this) Cool and use foil to lift out of pan.

These are yummy without being too sweet and the cookie crust is light and crisp.

[Cuzco-topia]

Here's super easy Chicken Parmesan:

2 chicken breast/steak/fillet
1 egg
Bread crumbs
Pasta sauce (your choice)
Lots of Mozzerella and Parmesean

Coat dry chicken in egg, then pat in bread crumbs until well coated. Place in lightly oiled pan, cover with foil, and Bake in 350* preheated oven for 25-30 min (or until chicken is cooked through). Meanwhile heat up pasta sauce in pan on stove, add garlic and onions, etc to taste. When chicken is done, throw most of the cheese on the chicken and let melt in oven for a couple of minutes. Then pour sauce on plate, place chicken and sprinkle with some more cheese.

Can serve 2-4 (depending on appetite )

[mamabot]

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Here is the recipe. It is relatively easy and most people are very impressed that you can cook something so "complex". (This is from an email I sent my brother a couple of years ago.)

Ingredients:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Thinly sliced will help cut down on pounding time)
Danola Premium Ham (rectangular in shape, found near Buddig products)
Swiss Cheese (Pick you favorite kind, should be flavorful)
Grey Poupon
Flour
3-4 Eggs
Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs
1.5 sticks of butter
White Wine of your choice
Round toothpicks (2 per breast, maybe)

Equipment:
Large Skillet
2 Plates
3 bowls
1 small bowl for Grey Poupon
Meat Mallet/Tenderizer
Heavy Duty Ziploc Bag

You will need one slice of ham and one slice of cheese per chicken breast.
I would do 1.5 chicken breasts per person. I serve rice pilaf (Near East has a yummy one) and either spinach, broccoli or cauliflower to round out the meal.

Lay out all necessary ingredients and equipment prior to handling the chicken. Especially make sure that you have the right amount of ham & cheese. You want to avoid contaminating the leftover ham/cheese with chicken germs. (Learned this lesson the hard way!)

Place one chicken breast at a time in the Ziploc bag and pound thin. Take care to ensure uniform thinness. When pounding, make sure you are working the rough side of the breast. When finished pounding each breast, lay on plate #1 rough side up.

Assembly:
Spread a good amount of Grey Poupon on the rough side of a chicken breast. Place a folded piece of ham (you can always cut the long piece in half if you like) on the chicken. Then place a slice of cheese on the chicken. Fold the creation in half. Secure the opposite end of the fold with a toothpick. Set aside until all pieces have been assembled.

Side Dish Note: If you are going to cook a side dish, this is a good time to start it. Near East Rice Pilaf takes anywhere from 23 to 32 minutes to cook, so by the time you assemble & cook the chicken breasts, it should be ready.

Breading:
Fill one bowl with Flour (salt & pepper to taste), Bread Crumbs, and crack the eggs into the last bowl & beat until yellow. The bowls should go in the following order: 1. Flour, 2. Eggs, 3. Bread Crumbs. At the end of this line, place Plate #2. Dip the first breast into the flour mixture & Coat both sides. Shake off extra flour. Next, dip into egg mixture. Coat both sides thoroughly and let excess egg drip off. Lastly, dip chicken into bread crumbs. Coat both sides, ensuring that every nook & cranny is coated. Place on Plate #2. Repeat until all chicken breasts are coated.

Cooking:
Heat skillet on Medium/High Heat. Once pan is hot, add butter (you will need a half a stick per round of sauteing). Once the butter has melted and is sizzling, add chicken breasts to the skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side. You will know they are done when the cheese starts to ooze out the sides.
Repeat until all chicken breasts are cooked.

Vegetable Note: Start your vegetable after you have turned the last set of chicken breasts for the last time.

Sauce:
Once all chicken breasts have been cooked, turn the heat to High and add another half stick of butter. While the butter is melting, scrape the pan to get all the juicy bits off the sides of the skillet. Once all the butter has melted, add about 1.5 or 2 cups of white wine to the pan. Let the suace reduce for a minute or two.

Eat & enjoy!

[dsnylndmom]

Whenever I go to a potluck I bring either salsa, pasta salad or potato salad, so I figure I'll post my pasta salad. Thing is I don't measure so it's not too easy to post a recipe! :o


INGREDIENTS
package your favorite tortellini
package rainbow rotini pasta
small stick salami, chopped into cubes
small mozzerella cheese, chopped into cubes
Red Onion
Artichoke Hearts
Black Olives
Provolone cheese
Parm. Cheese
your favorite italian dressing

Cook both pasta as per directions on package, drain and let cool a bit.
Add all ingredients except parm cheese toss and refridgerate.

When serving top with parm cheese




*this also works good with Costco's triangle shaped spinach and cheese ravi's!Disguy

[dramaqueen]

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is an easy recipe that can be made to your taste and can feed a lot of people, depending on what you add.

1 can Nacho Cheese soup
1 can spicy tomato or veggie soup
1 chicken breast for each person
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 chopped onion
chopped red peppers
salsa
shredded cheddar or jack cheese
half and half.

prepare the chicken by chopping into chunks and sautee in a little butter. Add onions and red peppers after chicken has cooked for a few minutes. Cook chicken sompletely and set aside

In a pot or crock pot, combine two cans of soup and dillute to desired thickness with half and half. Add corn, beans, chicken mixture and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. This can be super spicy by adding chili peppers or jalepeno peppers. Another thing you could add would be ro-tel tomatoes or rice. I add anything I have around the house that might be good and do lots of taste testing- this is a very flexible recipe.

Serve with salsa and cheese on top and with homemade tortillas.

[dsnylndmom]

I never ever buy jarred salsa, I usually make a big thing of salsa up and eat in all week long, on EVERYTHING It's the easier ever and you can control the spicyness and it's sooo good. Again I never measure :o

INGREDIENTS
Hot house tomato's, I usually use about 8
Large bunch Cilantro
1-2 bunches of Green Onions
1 large Red Onion
Jalapeno, Serrano or Habenaro peppers(I like to use 2-3 jalapenos & sometimes half a habernaro)
1 to 2 Limes

Wash and Blend! LOL! We variate between a diced up more of a pico de gallo version or a blended version. If you add the lime, seal it really good and refridgerate it, it will last up to a week in the fridge(never lasts that long around here! I eat it too quick)

[dsnylndmom]

Okay one more........the easiest rice EVER! I make a huge batch one night and use it for the next night too! Tacos, enchiladas, chili rellano, mexican lasgana, chicken, fajitas, it goes with all of 'em!

Two Cups White Rice
Two Cans Chicken Broth
Four Cans Tomato Sauce
Garlic cloves to taste
1 small white onion

heat olive oil in a large skillet, when the skillet it hot pour in the rice until just turning colors, add garlic and onion. When the rice starts to brown add the tomato sauce and broth, cover and simmer on med-low for 20 minutes, stirring throughout.

That's it! It sounds simple and bland but it's soooooo good.

[Cuzco-topia]

dsnylndmom...I'll bounce off of your salsa recipe

Pinapple and Mango Salsa (measure to taste)

If you can get fresh pinapple and mango..all the better. If not, canned works and is quicker too)
Tomatoes
Cilantro
Garlic
Green chiles, your choice
Lime

Mix all ingredients till you get just the right sweet and spice flavor you like!

[baileykat]

Oh Tina...I'm so glad you posted the salsa recipe...I'm forever looking for a good salsa recipe. You'd think living in Tucson, you'd be able to get killer salsa here...

But everything is bleck! My kids can eat it! No heat..no spice! Barfy!

Here's my receipe for Cheaters Enchiladas. I make these when I don't want to take the time to make "real" enchiladas...and they really do taste great!

2 cans chili with or without beans
1 can red enchilada sauce
monterey jack cheese or cheddar or colby, shredded
onion, diced
corn tortillas

Warm tortillas briefly in hot oil..just til they are pliable.

Spread a spoonful of chili, add a smidge of onion and a sprinkle of cheese onto each tortilla. Fold over and lay in a pan. No need to roll up like an enchilada. Just fold them over, kinda like a taco shape. Repeat repeat repeat repeat til you run out of chili!

Cover with enchilada sauce...sprinkle a few onions on top and more cheese.

Bake at 350 till cheese is bubbly and chili is heated thru...takes like 15 minutes bake time maybe!

The kids love these! I get the mild chili and they eat them up!

I like this recipe because you can just about always have the ingredients on hand.

And they really don't taste like you put canned chili in a tortilla...they really do taste like enchiladas...