Green Chicken Enchiladas

We love Mexican food at our house. I can't guarantee that the Mexican food I make is authentic, it's possible it's been Americanized, but we still love the stuff. These Green Chicken Enchiladas were loved by everyone. They were loved so much, in fact, that I didn't have a single complaint about them as leftovers. That's a near miracle! Not only are they super tasty, they are also easy to put together.

I served Green Chicken Enchiladas with the ever-so-tasty Mama's Rice.

3 to 4 (about 4 cups) chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 1/2 cups green enchilada sauce - I used Green Tomato Salsa Verde
4 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese (or your favorite)
12 to 15 (8 inch) corn tortillas
butter or oil

In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1 cup enchilada sauce, cilantro and 2 cups shredded cheese. Heat a flat bottomed skillet over medium heat. Lightly butter or oil both sides of the tortillas and cook, one at a time, for 30 to 45 seconds on each side, or until softened. Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup chicken filling down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Place in greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan seam side down. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top of enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, if desired.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Chili's Salsa

We love chips and salsa at our house. As soon and my sweet hubby pulls out the chips and salsa, everyone swarms to him like flies. I can't think of another thing that will get everyone's attention like chips and salsa.

2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained
1 small (4 oz) can diced or whole jalapenos (not pickled)--about 4-5 jalapenos (or less if you don't like a lot of spice)
1/4 c. yellow onion, cut into quarters (you can also use dried minced onion)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt (depending on how much you prefer)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lime juice

Combine all ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.

I also added some cilantro, just because I love the stuff.

Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I have a recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo that I just love, but there's nothing wrong with trying out a new recipe. Especially a recipe from Olive Garden. This Alfredo Sauce turned out nice and creamy and even heated up really well the next day (although a bit thicker). Although I prefer my Fettuccine Alfredo recipe, this one was fantastic!

1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup imported Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup imported Romano cheese, grated
6 egg yolks from fresh jumbo eggs
Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off heat. Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture. Slowly add egg yolk mixture back into remaining cream mixture. Place back on very low heat and continually stir until simmering. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase temperature of egg yolks, known as tempering). Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Recipe from Olive Garden.

A Baking Flop Makeover - Chocolate Dipped Yellow Cake Balls

I have a story for you. A story about these amazingly delicious Chocolate Dipped Yellow Cake Balls.

Have you ever had an absolute baking/cooking flop? Well, I almost hate to admit it, but I did just the other night. My little girl picked out a recipe for some beautiful looking cup cakes. Guaranteed to be perfectly moist and just plain delicious. The batter was delicious, but most of it still managed to make it into the cup cake pans. Into the oven the amazingly delicious batter went. And then our beautiful cupcakes came out like this....

I think you could park a car in there! I thought about just filling them with extra frosting. Frosting with a little side of cake. But they wouldn't come out of the tins very well. I didn't grease the top of the pan very well. How was I supposed to know they'd do that? As you can imagine, my little 5 year old was devastated that she wasn't going to get her beautiful cupcakes. There was only one thing to do. We made these.

Chocolate Covered Yellow Cake Balls. They aren't cupcakes, but they saved the day! And boy, are they delicious! My little 5 year old shared them with her friend and her little friend told her mom "Mommy! They have really yummy stuff inside!" And they really do!

1 yellow cake, baked and cooled
1 cup vanilla frosting
1 pound chocolate candy coating

Crumble cake into a large bowl. Add frosting and mix until well combined. Roll into walnut sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate 15 minutes to firm up. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Dip cake balls in chocolate and place on waxed paper to dry.

Linked on Sweets for a Saturday.

Olive Garden Bolognese Sauce

This Bolognese Sauce is fantastic! Not only was this my first attempt at making any type of Bolognese Sauce, but my first time eating it. I was expecting a saucier sauce, but it was fantastic just the way it was. I loved all the veggies in it, as well as the sausage and ground beef combo. The entire family really enjoyed it as well.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
6 oz Italian sausage, skinned
1 cup red wine
18 oz can crushed tomatoes, chopped (ground)
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (1/4 tsp dry)
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped (1/4 tsp dry)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan. Add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Add meat and cook 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Deglaze pan with wine; let reduce. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer for about 1 hour. Serve over fresh, hot pasta.

Recipe from Olive Garden.

Chocolate Chip Pizzookie

Oh, wow! Know what's better than chocolate chip cookies? How about a giant chocolate chip cookie that only dirties the pan it's cooked in? The dough is made in the same pan it's cooked in! Oh, yeah.

This Chocolate Chip Pizzookie is deadly. A total diet killer! My new years resolution this year was no sweets. Yeah, that lasted for less than a 24 hours. I think I'm getting weaker and weaker with age. I went with out chocolate for an entire year once! The best diet ever, right? Not quite. It didn't take me long to figure out that there were plenty of other treats out there that didn't contain chocolate. Shocking, I know, but there are!

½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate (chips, chunks, etc)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in an 8 or 10 inch oven proof skillet set over medium-low heat. Stir in sugars and vanilla and remove from heat. Let rest until pan is warm, but no longer very hot, about 5 minutes. Crack an egg onto the butter and sugar mixture, and use a fork to whisk it into the mixture. Place flour, baking soda, and salt on top, and very carefully stir into the mixture until smooth and well-mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown on the top and around the edges, but still soft in the center. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

Linked on Get Your Brag On and Sweets for a Saturday.

Fantastic Flour Tortillas

I have made flour tortillas a few times, but never found the "it" recipe until I came across this one. These Fantastic Flour Tortillas come out tender and oh-so-yummy! The entire family loved them. They even heat up nicely the next day. Think breakfast burritos. Oh, what a happy thought!

2 3/4 cups flour, plus extra for work surface
5 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup very warm water

Add the flour and shortening (or lard) to a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter (or your fingers) to completely work the fat into the flour. Combine the salt and water in a measuring cup and pour about 3/4 of the water over the flour/shortening mixture. Use a fork to stir to stir together until all of the dry ingredients are moistened, adding the rest of the water (and even a little more), if needed. Knead dough for a minute or two - until smooth. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Put them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes. Set a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Working with one piece of dough at a time, set on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 7-inch circle. Add only enough flour so you can work with the dough - it will be quite thin by the time it reaches 7 inches in diameter. Place rolled dough in to the skillet (one at a time) and cook for 30-45 seconds on the first side, then flip and cook 30-45 seconds on the other side. The tortilla should be golden brown and might have a few dark spots, but you don't want to overcook it or it will be crisp rather than pliable. Transfer to a plate and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, and continue stacking them under the towel. Serve warm, or let cool then wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature for a few days, or pop in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels.

Recipe from Tracey's Culinary Adventures.

Linked on Get Your Brag On.

Vanilla Breakfast Pudding Sauce

I love pancakes. My love for pancakes is no secret around this house, or anywhere for that matter. My favorite way to eat them is buttered and sprinkled with powdered sugar, then topped with fresh fruit. I do like syrup just fine, but I usually like things a little lighter in the morning. When I found this sauce, it was a must try! I mean, who wouldn't adore pudding (sauce) for breakfast? And with pancakes, no doubt. The sauce was a fun change from the standard syrup the kids have on their pancakes. While they all enjoyed it, they seem to prefer the sugar high that comes from the syrup. :)

I made my Perfect Pancakes to top with Vanilla Pudding Sauce and then with Blueberry Breakfast Sauce.

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg thoroughly, and gradually stir in. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to a boil. Don't try to rush the boiling or you may end up with scrambled eggs. Not good! Boil for at least 1 minute, still stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

Recipe from Creations by Kara.

Perfect Pecan Pie

I don't know about you, but for the longest time I was intimidated by pecan pie. For some reason I had it stuck in my head that it was not an easy pie to make. I have to admit, I was mistaken. :) Perfect Pecan Pie is just as easy as any other pie you bake. I like to think it is even on the "easy" end of the spectrum.

Not only is this Perfect Pecan Pie fairly easy to make, it is insanely delicious as well! The only complaint I have ever gotten from this pie is that it has nuts in it. That came from my nutty, but not nut lover, sister-in-law. :)

The first time I made Perfect Pecan Pie it disappeared so quickly I had to make it 3 times that week! I will blame all those missing "slivers" on my husband. He may or may not have been home when they disappeared, but I still claim it was all his fault.

1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (9 inch) pie crust (I use my Perfect Pie Crust - perfect for Perfect Pecan Pie!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts. Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until done.

Recipe from All Recipes.

Linked on Sweets for a Saturday #53.

Cake Batter Truffles

WOW!! These Cake Batter Truffles are fantastic! The addition of cake mix to the coating is pure genius! Sometimes I am amazed at the things people come up with.

I took a plate of Cake Batter Truffles to a get together and everyone that tried them LOVED them. People were raving about them! I even had one lady tell me she thought she would end up with a tummy ache from eating so many. Delicious!

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup yellow cake mix
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2-4 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons sprinkles

Truffle Coating:
16 ounces (8 squares) white almond bark (or white candy melts)
1/4 cup yellow cake mix
sprinkles

Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a nice workable dough consistency (I only needed 2). Mix in sprinkles. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to firm up.

While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished.

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

Slightly adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Linked on Get Your Brag On #18, Country Mamma Cooks, The Answer is Chocolate, Tatertots & Jello, Anything Goes Linky #33, Sweets for a Saturday #53, Show Your Stuff and Foodie Friday.



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Green Onions - Did You Know???

I have been buying green onions for years and, until just recently, didn't know this (thank you Pampered Chef party lady)! As long as you don't cut the white part, you can regrow them! Just put them in a jar with some water in the window sill and watch them grow, grow, grow!

Can you believe they grew that much in just 5 days!?!?

The white lines down there are where I cut them to. I probably left about 2 inches of them.

I may never have to buy green onions again! At least, not for a while.

Yummy Ham and Potato Soup

I already have an amazing Cheesy Potato Soup recipe. Oh boy! It is fantastic! But that recipe calls for bacon and I had some ham to use up. I am sure I could have substituted the ham for the bacon just fine, but I love it with bacon, so I found a recipe that calls for ham.

This new Ham and Potato Soup is every bit fantastic as my Cheesy Potato Soup. I didn't think anything could compare to my other potato soup recipe. I guess potato soup recipes, at least these 2, are like kids. They are very different, but I love them just the same! The whole family loved it too.

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Recipe from All Recipes.

Fun with the Kids - A Surprise Picnic!

My kids (especially the littler ones) LOVE picnics! It was almost time for my 5 year old to get home from kindergarten, which also meant it was almost lunch time. I don't know about you, but I am terrible at planning out the meals around here. I usually remember I need to fix a meal when I am hungry and already ready to eat. Yesterday was no different. As I opened the fridge I saw the beautiful bags of deli sliced meats and cheese, a light bulb went on. Not that I get those "light bulb" moments often, because I don't. But when I do, I usually have to go along for ride and see where it takes me.

When I was a kid, we had Lunchables. Not just the kind they have now, but really yummy ones as well. At least......from what I can remember. They had real cheese in them, not the processed stuff shaped like a square. And the meat looked like meat, not bologna (which, by the way, I claim is NOT meat!). Oh, and the crackers! They had flavor! And they even had a tasty sauce to put on the little cracker sandwiches. They were even nice enough to tuck in a little Andes mint. Oh how I loved those things! When I would get money, I would buy those Lunchables. Not toys or candy or anything else, but Lunchables.

Looking at the beautifully sliced deli meat (Thanks Maceys! You did a wonderful job. And the kids are still playing with their lovely balloons you so kindly gave them. They have fallen, but are not forgotten or unloved. :)), I decided to make some homemade Lunchables for my little ones. As a got out the meats, cheese, and crackers, I thought a picnic would be lovely. A SURPRISE picnic for my 5 year old! Not the kind where you actually go outside - it's really REALLY cold out there right now - but one in the comfort of my very own front room. Normally food is banned from anywhere in the house except the kitchen or dinning room, but I figured I could put a blanket down and it would save me a mess on the carpet. Besides, a real picnic uses a blanket.

My sweet little 3 year old got so excited to help set up the picnic. She insisted on carrying the food to the blanket and setting it up for us. We had just finished getting everything ready when my 5 year old got home. She was so excited about her lunch!

My little princesses at their picnic!

Our meat and cheese plate and the cracker and olive plate.  No picnic is complete without olives for "monster fingers"!

Our drinks and peeled baby oranges.  We love the Cutie brand.  They don't have seeds in them and my 3 year old can peel them herself!

My 3 year old's creation

YUM!!  (My 5 year old said it looked like she had fangs with the meat hanging out of the sides of her mouth.  She looks very lady like, I know....)

My 5 year old's creation.

Yummy!

Another one of her creations.  She loved it and had me try it.  Did I love it?  Not so much.

All the homemade lucnhables are is sliced meat and cheese (I use the deli sliced and cut them into quarters) and crackers (we like the buttery crackers like Ritz, Club and Townhouse).  Easy as can be and a whole lotta fun!

The Liebster Award - My First Award!

Sue over at cake balls, cookies and more was kind enough to pass The Liebster Award on to me! The really cool part about the award is that it comes from fellow bloggers. Wowza! I feel loved!

The Liebster Award (Liebster means favorite or dearest in German) recognizes up and coming blogs with under 200 followers. The blogger awarded gets to share the award with 5 more bloggers of their choice and link back to the blogger who awarded them. I am so excited to be able to pass on the love!

And the love goes to.......
(in no particular order)

Health Conscious Mammas where Erin and Jolene put a healthy spin on things.

Cupcake Crazy Gem with a whole lotta sweets!

Everyday Insanity (TOTALLY sounds like my life! :)) where Candise and Cindy have a great variety of yummies!

Adorkable Recipes (LOVE that name!) where Melanie has a bunch of healthy and frugal recipes.

A Sweet .n. Simple Life where Kelsey shares crafts and food.

Congratulations! You are all awesome!

S'more Bars

S'mores in a bar. Who'd have thought? My 10 year old daughter insisted that we needed a treat and found these very tasty S'more Bars. She mixed them all up and then had me assemble them for her. She was even kind enough to let me clean up her mess. For some reason, I think she ended up with the better deal....

These S'more Bars came out oh-so-tasty! I loved the graham crackers in the crust and the marshmallow cream instead of marshmallows - so they didn't get all torn up while cutting. They were an absolute hit with the family!

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Lovin' From the Oven and Country Mama Cooks.

Linked on Sweets for a Saturday #52.

Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Growing up I thought that whole wheat bread was dry. That is definitely not the case with this Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat Bread. It is not dry at all and is very good. My family is not really a fan of store bought wheat bread, but all loved this bread. My sweet hubby said "It tastes really good!" And my 10 year old (the picky one!) ate 2 pieces before I sent her off to bed. I ate it plain, with butter, with butter and jam, and with Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter. Any way I ate it, it was delish!

3 tablespoons yeast (I like instant)
4 cups really warm water
1/2-3/4 cup honey
10-11 1/2 cups whole grain wheat flour
3 teaspoons salt
1/4-1 cup anything else you would like: oats, ground flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. (I use 1/4 cup ground flax seeds just because I have them)

Combine yeast, water, and honey, and gently mix. Let rest for 5 minutes until yeast foams. Add salt, your add in (if desired) and half the flour. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until you get a soft dough. Kneed for 5 minutes, then cover and let rise until double. Punch down and form into loaves - 3 smaller or 2 larger (I made 3 loaves in my 9 x 5 inch pans). Put into greased loaf pans and cover and let rise again until double. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove and and let finish cooling on a cooling rack. I like to butter the top of my loaves while they are still warm. YUM!

Recipe from Find it, Love it, Share it.

Linked on Country Mama Cooks.

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter

Do you like easy, like, SUPER easy? How about yummy, like, SUPER yummy? Well, have I got a treat for you! Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter! It is both super easy and super yummy.

Have you ever been in the dog house? Not to worry, this will get you out! If my sweet hubby somehow ended up in the dog house and made me some Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter, it would be his ticket out. And if he threw in some hot rolls like White Crescent Rolls, Oatmeal Dinner Rolls, White Rolls or even some Sweet Corn Bread, I think he would end up with a "get out of jail free" card.

1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and beat until light and fluffy (it took me about 2 minutes. I think......)

Recipe from Fly Through Our Window.

Linked on Show Me What Ya Got #57, Sweets for a Saturday #52 and Country Mama Cooks.

Orange Spiced Cider

Have you ever been to heaven? Well, I haven't either, but I can only imagine that the smell of this amazingly delicious Orange Spiced Cider is in heaven. It is heavenly! Oh, and the taste? Yep, they must have Orange Spiced Cider in heaven! It makes the house smell so homey and just plain old good!

Orange Spiced Cider is easy to put together, too. My 10 year old made it all by herself! I think the hardest part was waiting for it to simmer for the 30 minutes. Although, I will admit there was a bit of sampling during that 30 minutes.

Orange Spiced Cider got a huge thumbs up from the entire family and it practically disappeared right before our eyes! Even my sweet hubby had seconds who doesn't even like apple cider. Yes, it's that good!

1 (64-oz.) bottle apple juice or cider
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 orange, cut into wedges
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Dash ground nutmeg

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from My Recipes.

Blueberry Breakfast Sauce

Want a yummy topping for your pancakes, waffles or french toast other than syrup? This Blueberry Breakfast Sauce may be just what you're looking for. It's sweet, fruity, and lighter than syrup. The kids liked the Blueberry Breakfast Sauce, but prefer syrup. I loved the sauce, but I think I will add a teaspoon or so of lemon zest next time. Lemon and blueberries just seem to go together. For me anyway....

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a 2-qt. saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water. Add blueberries; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cold over French toast, pancakes or waffles.

Recipe from All Recipes.

Linked on Sweet for a Saturday #51.

Yam Souffle

Oh wow! I have had super tasty sweet potato casseroles, but this Yam Souffle tops them all! Technically, Yam Souffle is a dessert, but up the same isle as the sweet potato casseroles.

I was in the mood for a sweet potato casserole and have a few different recipes, all of which are fantastic. I was having a hard time deciding on "the one" for the mood so I asked my sweet hubby. His response? The more sugar in it, the better! No wonder he is so sweet. Since this one has the most sugar, it had to be the one for him. We both really enjoyed his choice. It can be eaten warm or cold, either way is fantastic.

3 yams
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk

Topping:
¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
1 cup pecans

Mash yams with cinnamon and pour into a 9x11 inch pan. Combine butter, vanilla, eggs, sugar, and evaporated milk. Pour over yams and fold in just slightly. Mix together topping ingredients. Sprinkle over yams and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Recipe from my friend Jenny.

Linked on Sweet for a Saturday #51.

Hot Cocoa Mix

We love Hot Cocoa at our house year round (even in the summer!), but now that it's cold, Hot Cocoa is even better. This mix makes some really tasty Hot Cocoa! It turns out nice and creamy and chocolatey. The entire family loved it.

5 cups powdered milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
1 cup powdered creamer

If the powdered milk is not a fine powder, put it in a blender or food processor and process it until fine. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Mix 1/3 cup cocoa mix and 3/4 cup hot water.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Sweet for a Saturday #51.

Hamburger Stew

Hamburger Stew is super easy and the kids love it! It is one of my 10 year olds favorite soups, she asks for it almost weekly. I always keep all the ingredients on hand so I can make Hamburger Stew when I am running short on time.

1 pound ground beef
2 (10.5 oz) cans vegetable soup
2 (15 oz) cans mixed vegetables
1 (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 (15 oz) can diced potatoes

Brown ground beef in a large pot. Drain vegetables and potatoes and add to beef along with soup and broth. Heat until warm.