STAPLES TO HAVE ON HAND:

Black pepper
Sea Salt
Garlic Salt
Season Salt
Garlic Salt
Thyme
Dill
Chicken bouillon
Beef bouillon
Pasta noodles
Rice
Canned Chicken
Canned Tuna
Canned fruit
Canned veggies
Box powder milk
Flour
Self rising flour
Sugar
Brown sugar
Powder sugar
Vanilla
Pam spray
Cream of mushroom
Cream of chicken
Vegetable oil or Canola oil

TIPS FOR KITCHEN

 Use two cutting boards – one for raw meats and one for fresh foods. Never use wood for raw meat.
 Buy meat in bulk packages – divide into dinner size portions and freeze in freezer bags with date on it.
 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – cut in half lengthwise. It will make for thinner portion sizes and will cook better, not to mention more pieces.
 Purchase large packages of chicken breast, legs, thighs and wings. Bag into dinner size portions with mixed pieces of chicken in each. Freeze.
 Plan your meals two weeks at a time before shopping. Several meals will use same ingredients. Make the most of it.
 Make double portions as much as possible and freeze one of them.
 Double your cookie recipes and use one batch for later. Put unbaked cookies on waxed paper-covered cookie sheets and freeze. After they are frozen, place in freezer bags. Then, you can pull out a few cookies at a time.

RECIPES

Easy Fruit Cobbler
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups fruit

Place fruit, canned cherries, peaches, apples, or blueberries, in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Mix other ingredients together and drop over fruit. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Top with Cool Whip or ice cream.

Dump Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1 large can peaches, cherries or apples
¼ cup melted butter

Place fruit in bottom of 9 x 13 pan, sprinkle dry cake mix over fruit. Drizzle butter over the top of dry cake mix. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Top with cool whip to serve.

Low Calorie / Low Fat Cake
1 cake mix
1 can diet soda
Cool Whip

Beat cake mix and soda together for 2 minutes. Spray an oblong cake pan with Pam. Pour batter into pan and bake acording to cake box directions. Frost with Cool Whip. (Yellow or white cake use diet Sprite, chocolate cake use diet Coke.)

Snicker Doodle Dessert
1 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed
1 small package of vanilla instant pudding
2 cups milk
2 Snicker candy bars, chopped
2 apples, chopped into small bites (any kind)

Mix together vanilla pudding, cool whip and milk, fold in apples and candy.  Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 stick butter Crisco
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2½ cups self rising flour
12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Blend first 5 ingredients until well blended. Add flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Form into 1″ round balls. Bake at 350° on ungreased  cookie sheet for 9-11 minutes. Immediately move cookies to racks to cool. Cookies are done when edges are brown. Don’t over cook.

Quick & Easy Cinnamon Rolls
1 can Grand Biscuits

Mix together:
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup flour
1 TBSP cinnamon

Cut 1/3 cup butter into flour mixture above by using a pastry cutter or two table knives. Mixture will be crumbly. Roll out each biscuit on flour surface until ¼“ thick. Spread some of the cinnamon mixture on to it. Roll up, cut in half by using dental floss. Place in a Pam sprayed pan. Continue to do each biscuit in the same way. Bake in 400° oven for 15 minutes.

ICING
Combine:
3 oz cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Milk

Mix 3 oz package of cream cheese and ¼ cup butter with blender. Add powder sugar, vanilla and a few drops of milk. Blend, will be a thick consistency. Spread over hot cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.

Meatloaf
2 lbs. ground beef
¼ onion chopped fine
2 TBSP chopped green bell peppers
1 small can tomato sauce
½ sleeve of crackers, crushed fine
1 TBSP season salt
½ tsp. garlic salt

Mix together and press into meatloaf pan. (I use 9 x 13 most of the time.) Bake at 375° for 1 hour. Top with 1 cup catsup and 3 TBSP brown sugar mixed together. Bake another 15 minutes.

Sloppy Joes
1 lb. ground beef, cooked with 1 TBSP chopped onion, brown and drain. Add 3 TBSP catsup and 1 TBSP mustard, 1 can Chicken Gumbo soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

Chicken Taco Casserole
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
1 TBSP margarine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can chicken broth
salsa, to taste
corn tortillas
2 cups shredded, reduced fat Cheddar cheese

Boil and dice 4 chicken breasts. Set aside.  Sauté one large chopped onion in 1 TBSP margarine. Add one can cream of mushroom soup, one can cream of chicken soup, one can chicken broth, salsa (to taste). Heat through.

Layer:
Corn tortillas
Chicken
sauce
Cheddar cheese

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until hot and bubbly.

Crock Pot Steak
Flour and brown 1 -2 lbs. round steak, place in bottom of crock pot.
Add: 1 lrg. can stewed tomatoes with juice
1 -2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 small can of mushroom slices
1 c. cut carrots and celery
1 small onion chopped
1 can French style green beans with juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 -3 TBSP soy sauce

Cook on low for 10 – 12 hours or on high 4 -5 hours. Serve over rice.

Quiche
1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained
6 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 cup cheese, shredded
2 stalks of green onions chopped
Salt & Pepper
Ready-made pie crust

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Serve with sliced fruit.

Easy Drop Danish
Mix until crumbly:
2 cups Bisquick Mix
¼ cup margarine (soft)
2 TBSP sugar

Stir in 2/3 cup milk until dough forms.

Drop by rounded TBSP about 2” apart onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Make a shallow well in center of each & fill with 1 tsp. of your favorite jam. Bake 10-15 minutes at 450°. Drizzle glaze (below) over top while warm.

Glaze: 2/3 cup powder sugar, 1 TBSP warm water, and ¼ tsp vanilla.

Breakfast Family Recipe - Chocolate & Biscuits
1 package of biscuits, bake as directed. Butter lightly when done.
Sauce: ¼ cup Heresy’s Cocoa Powder, ¼ cup milk, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ tsp vanilla. Heat to bubbling, stirring constantly. Add 2 TBSP butter, stir until butter is melted. Pour sauce over biscuits, serve warm.

Pancakes & Waffles
2 cups self rising flour
3 TBSP sugar
1 ¾ cup milk
2 eggs
1 TBSP oil

Beat lightly until blended. Pour onto hot griddle or hot waffle iron.

Fun Alterations:
Add chocolate chips to batter after it is poured onto skillet or into waffle batter.
Add 1 cup mashed banana’s with ¼ cup chopped nuts.
Add 1 cup fresh blueberries or small can blueberries drained.
Or you can use pancake molds to make different shapes.

Spaghetti sauce
1 large can tomato sauce
1 20 oz can tomato paste
¼ cup Italian seasoning
1 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP Oregano
2 TBSP Parsley
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt

Mix ingredients together and heat thoroughly.  Cool.
Freeze in gallon size freezer bags. Use the spaghetti sauce for Lasagna, spaghetti, and homemade pizza. This will make over a gallon of sauce and it costs less than $4 per batch.

Pizza variations:  Great for kid parties!
 Use 1 can of biscuits and pull apart to make 20 servings. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover biscuits with spaghetti sauce mix. Place two pepperonis and shredded cheese on top of each. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.
 Use sub sandwich bread, cut in half length wise. Put sauce, meat (pepperoni, cooked ground beef or sausage, or other favorite meat) and shredded cheese on top. Bake 400° for 20 minutes.
 Cheese Ravioli - Buy cheese ravioli in freezer section of the store. Prepare as directed on package. Rinse. Pour some of the spaghetti sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven at 375° for 20 minutes.

Corn Chowder Soup
1 can whole kernel corn, with juice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can New England Clam Chowder soup
4 cups. milk
1 TBSP butter

Mix all together in large sauce pan until hot and bubbly. Cook on medium to low heat so it doesn’t scorch. Serve with grilled cheese or other sandwiches.

Chili made easy
2 large cans of Ranch Style beans
1 small can tomato sauce
1½ lbs. ground beef
¼ cup diced onion
1 package of Chili mix

Brown ground beef with onion and drain. Put all ingredients in large pot. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour.

Baked Chicken
Place chicken pieces on sprayed cookie sheet. Season with Season Salt, black pepper, garlic salt and a little crushed thyme leaves. Spray chicken with Pam. Flip chicken over and season other side and spray that side. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.

Rice & Beef Hot Dish
1 lb ground beef browned with onion, drained
1 cup celery
½ cup rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups water
2 TBSP soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350° for 1½ hours, stirring after first 30 minutes.

Cream of Potato Soup
½ cup chopped onion
2 TBSP butter
6 to 8 potatoes
Milk
Salt & Pepper
¼ tsp Thyme
½ cup Sour cream
½ cup Shredded Cheese
Bacon bits

In large pot, brown onion in butter until tender and clear.  Add potatoes and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add in seasonings. Just before serving, add sour cream and cheese. Top each bowl with  Bacon bits.  Serve in bread bowls, if desired, which can be found in the bakery section of any store.

Broccoli Salad
4 cups broccoli chopped
4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
¼ cup onion
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup slivered almonds
½ cup raisins

Combine all ingredients.

Dressing: 4 TBSP sugar, 6 TBSP vinegar, 1½ cups mayonnaise, 1 tsp lemon juice, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and ½ tsp sesame seeds.

Chicken Salad
4 chicken breasts, boiled and diced
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
½ red bell pepper, chopped fine
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp dill
2 cups mayonnaise

Mix all together. Use as sandwich spread or as a side salad on a bed of lettuce.

Chicken Pot Pies
6 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
½ cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 can chicken broth
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. thyme
1 cup frozen mixed veggies, thawed (peas, carrots, corn, green beans, etc.)
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 boxes ready pie crust

Melt butter in large sauce pan, add flour. Mix well. Mix in chicken broth, add salt, pepper, bouillon and thyme. Cook until thickened. Add chicken and vegetables. Heat through. Line two pie pans with a pie crust. Pour half of the chicken mixture into each pan. Top with remaining pie crust. Bake at 400° for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Lemon Teriyaki Glazed Chicken
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
3 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP water
4 garlic cloves, minced
¾ tsp. ginger
8 chicken thighs

In skillet, combine all ingredients, except chicken. Cook over medium heat for 3 – 4 minutes. Add chicken. Simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Serve over rice with snow peas and carrots. Spoon additional sauce over chicken.

Crock of Steak
1 -2 lbs. round steak, floured and browned
Place in bottom of crock pot.

Mix together and add:
1 lg can stewed tomatoes with juice
1 -2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 small can of mushroom slices
1 c. cut carrots and celery
1 small onion chopped
1 can French style green beans, with juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 -3 TBSP soy sauce

Cook on low for 10 – 12 hours or on high 4 -5 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

Salads

Fruit salad
1 apple
1 orange
2 cups watermelon cubes
1 cup cantaloupe
1 cup strawberries
½ cup blueberries
2 bananas
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
TOPPING:
1 cup any flavor yogurt
2 cups Cool Whip

Chop all fruit into bit sizes. Place in large bowl. Toss to mix. Mix Cool Whip and yogurt together and toss into fruit. Chill until ready to eat.

Oriental Chicken Salad
1 head of cabbage, chopped fine
1 (10 oz) can chicken, drained
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
2 bags Top Roman noodles
1 cup Sunflower seeds
½ cup Slivered Almonds

Add all together in large bowl.

Dressing: 2 seasoning packs from soup, 4 TBSP sugar, ¾ cup vegetable oil, 6 TBSP vinegar.

Mix together and pour over salad. Chill.