Olive Cheese Bread

Olive Cheese Bread
1 regular can whole black (ripe) olives
1 6-oz jar pimiento-stuffed olives
2 green onions
¾ pound Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup real mayonnaise
1 stick butter, softened
1 loaf French bread
Roughly chop black and green olives. Slice green onions and give them a rough chop. Combine
green onions and olives with the softened butter, ½ cup mayonnaise, and grated Monterey jack
cheese. Mix thoroughly. Slice French bread in half lengthwise, then spread mixture evenly over
the halves.
Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until thoroughly melted and starting to turn light brown
and bubbly. Cut into diagonal slices and serve with salad, with soup, with spaghetti, or as a
yummy appetizer.
Make-ahead tips: You can make the cheese mixture up to two days ahead of time and store in the
fridge. Or, you can spread the mixture on the bread and freeze the bread, unbaked, for several
months.
Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Caramel Popcorn

This isn't as good as my original Caramel Popcorn, but its pretty darn good for how easy it is.

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 large marshmallows

1 bag of microwave popcorn

Pop the bag of popcorn & remove the seeds.
Melt butter, brown sugar & marshmallows in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Melt for 30 more seconds. Once completely melted pour on top of popcorn & Voila!!

Caramel Bars

2 sticks of butter (melted)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 Cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 bottle of Caramel syrup (i just use the small bottle of smuckers caramel topping)

Chocolate chips

Mix the butter, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, baking soda & salt

Stir it all together. I like to use my hands. Makes me feel all earthy and homemaker-ish. The dough should clump together, but still crumble well.

Now press only HALF of the dough into a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 325 for 17 minutes.

Remove it from the oven and dump an entire bottle of caramel syrup on top.

Next, generously sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the caramel. Then top that with the remaining dough. You don't need to press the dough this time, just crumble all over the top.

Now pop this baby back into your 325 degree oven and bake for another 17 minutes. Once you remove the pan from the oven, let it cool completely. They really need to sit for a while to allow that caramel gooey-ness time to firm up a bit. You can put them in the freezer to speed up this process if you're too impatient to wait.

Garlic Roasted Vegetables

1 lb bag of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, thinly sliced and separated

1 lb bag celery washed and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 bell peppers of choice, I used a red and yellow, seeded and julienned or cut into strips

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt

¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt

¼ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place all vegetables onto a large baking sheet with edges. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic salt, salt and pepper or vegetables and gently rub ingredients together so vegetables are well coated. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

5 lb bag of russet potatoes, washed, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
¼ Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide cubed potatoes onto a large baking sheet with edges. Drizzle potatoes evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic salt, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese over potatoes. With hands, gently rub ingredients together so potatoes are well coated. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender and golden brown. Take a nibble then season accordingly if it needs a little more salt.

Firehouse BBQ Grilled Chicken

6 thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ Cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

¾ Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

4 Tablespoons melted butter

2 Tablespoons Worstershire sauce

1. Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and marinate for at least an hour. Preheat stovetop grill pan (this is what I used) or outdoor grill over medium heat. Grill chicken for 5-6 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

3 Cups thinly sliced Green Leaf Lettuce

¼ Cup corn

¼ Cup black beans

8 grape tomatoes,

halved1 cooked grilled chicken breast

¼ Cup favorite BBQ Sauce (I use KC Masterpeice)

¼ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ Cup prepared ranch dressing

1 heaping Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro leaves

1. Place lettuce into a salad bowl. Layer with corn, black beans and tomatoes. Dice cooked chicken breast and mix with BBQ sauce. Top over salad and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
2. Place ranch dressing and cilantro leaves into a small bowl to combine. Drizzle over salad and serve.

**This recipe is for 1 large serving, double accordingly**

Penthouse Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts, cut into chunks or strips

Sauce:
1 can tomato soup
2 cups water
Dashes of salt, pepper, garlic
2 Tbsp vinegar
pinch of thyme
2 sliced bell peppers
1 sliced onion

Cook chicken in a bit of olive oil. In a large ziploc bag, mix 1 cup flour, salt and pepper, garlic powder. Add cooked chicken and shake until everything is covered. Return chicken to pan and brown. In a medium bowl, mix soup, water, vinegar and spices. Pour over chicken, put the lid on and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add peppers and onions and simmer for 15 more until peppers are tender. Serve over rice.

Summer Pasta

Sauce Ingredients:
4 Cups chopped Ripe Tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can of Olives chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 Tb of Dried Basil
2 Tb of Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tb of Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Angel Hair Pasta
4 Chicken breasts cooked & cubed

Mix all sauce ingredients together. Boil Angel Hair Pasta 4 to 4 1/2 minutes. Drain pasta, rinse with very hot water & drain again. Mix with Sauce & cooked chicken. Enjoy.

Grasshopper Brownies

2 boxes brownie mix

Mint Frosting: 4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup soft butter
2 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
4 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Topping:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter

1) To make the Brownies follow the recipe for "cake-like" brownies. Or if their isn't one, add 3 more eggs. Pour into a large, greased cookie sheet, bake and let cool completely
2) To make the mint frosting, combine powdered sugar, butter, water, peppermint extract and food coloring. Mix. Spread over cooled brownies and refrigerate until hard on top.
3) To make chocolate topping microwave chocolate chips and butter for 2 minutes. Stir until all chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Add 1-2 tsp. peppermint extract. As soon as this mixture thickens and is no longer hot, spread over mint topping on brownies. Put back into the refrigerator until hard.
4) Enjoy! This batch feeds a lot by the way.

Homemade Oreos

Mix together:
1 box Devils Food cake mix
3/4 cups shortening
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Roll into ping-pong size or smaller balls. Cook at 350 for 10 minutes.

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Layered Green Salad

This one takes awhile to make but the combination of all of the flavors makes it well worth the effort!

In a large bowl (clear glass is prettiest!) add the following layers:

3/4 of the bowl filled with lettuce
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. diced green pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 bunch of radishes, sliced
6 large mushrooms, sliced
2 c. frozen baby peas, slightly boiled and drained

Dressing:
2 c. mayonaise
4 tbsp. sugar

Spread dressing on top, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 8 hours.
Top with grated cheese, bacon bits and sliced tomatoes just before serving.

BBQ Beef on a Bun

2-1/2 - 3 lbs. roast beef
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Place roast in a large crock pot*. Sprinkle onion soup mix, green pepper, celery, and pepper over roast. Cover with lid and cook for at least 8 hours. Do not add any liquid to this. After the roast has cooked for 8 hours, combine the following and pour over roast beef.

7-1/2 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

Stir. Beef should be tender enough to break into chunks. Bake in slow cooker one more hour. Serve beef mixture on fresh buns and with salad.

*can also be baked in a roasting pan in the oven at 225 - 300F for 8 hours.

Old-fashioned Potato Salad

This is a recipe I got from a Barefoot Contessa cookbook, love her recipes!

3 lbs. small red potatoes
kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk or milk
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup medium-diced celery
1/2 cup small-diced red onion

Place the potatoes and 2 tbsp. salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15 - 20 minutes, until tender but firm.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon and whole-grain mustards, dill, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl and pour enough dressing over them to moisten. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing). Add the celery and red onion, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

This is a yummy easy salad, perfect for summer.

6 cups (when cooked) Rotini Pasta
Water
1 tsp. Kosher Salt

Bring water and salt to a boil, add pasta and cook until done. Set aside.

2 - 3 chicken breasts
BBQ sauce

BBQ chicken breasts using BBQ sauce and cook until done (you could also grill them on a George Forman grill or something like that, or even bake or fry them if preferred). Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Mix together:
1/2 - 1 cup Ranch Dressing (I use 1 cup)
3/4 cup BBQ Sauce

Pour dressing mixture over the following:
1 large cucumber (chopped)
1 red onion (diced)
Any other vegetables you have on hand or want to use such as fresh mushrooms, carrots, green or red peppers, brocolli, etc.
bacon bits (optional)

Fold in cooked pasta and chicken and mix gently until combined. Cover and let sit a few hours in the refrigerator to let the flavors blend.