Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup real butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together

Add:
3 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I usually just add the whole bag)
1 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup coconut (optional)

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes

Salmon

I have been playing around with ways to make salmon. As S has requested we eat salmon twice a week, here are a few of my findings.

Option one:

2 salmon steaks

Put about 2 cups water, 1 tbsp white vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook fish until salmon flakes with fork. About 8-10 minutes. ( I also add a little lemon juice)

Option two:

1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Mix all of the above and pour over salmon. Bake at 350 for juices til juices run clear. (I usually do 2 salmon fillets ( I buy the costco frozen pre-cut stuff) and it usually takes about 13 minutes when thawed)

Dipping Sauce:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 Tbsp parsley
1 Tbsp bon apetite
1 Tbsp dill weed
2 Tbsp chopped onion

chill before serving.

Creamy Cheesy Chicken!!

This is similer to Macie's Alfredo Crock Pot chicken but I have 2 different ways of doing it.

1. Cook 4 chicken breasts with good seasons italian dressing packet and 1/4 cup water. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. (See second option before cooking fully)

First option: When chicken is cooked, shred chicken and mix in 1 package cream cheese. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Second option: When chicken has cooked for about an hour in the crock pot, cut chicken in half lengthwise and mix 1 package of cream cheese (will probably need to put in the microwave to soften) and 1 can cream of chicken soup together. Pour over chicken. Let cook remaining hours until chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice. ( I also half the chicken in this recipe but I don't half the cream of chicken or the cream cheese...we like extra sauce)

S loves both of these and they are quick and yummy!

Parmesan Mushroom Asparagus

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. Also, if you only use 1 lb asparagus, there won't be leftovers.

Parmesan Mushroom Asparagus
Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 10 minutes

2 cups water
2 pounds asparagus spears
2 tablespoons butter
1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms
1 ½ teaspoon chopped fresh or ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat water to boil in 12-inch skillet. Add asparagus. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp tender. Drain, set aside.*
Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently until mushrooms are light brown.
Stir asparagus, basil, salt and pepper into mushrooms until vegetables are coated with seasonings and asparagus is heated through. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

*I usually put the asparagus in the serving dish, add about an inch of water to the bottom and steam them in the microwave for 4 minutes.

Chocolate Cupcakes

I've been searching for the perfect basic chocolate cupcake recipe, and I think I found it! Here's the recipe thanks to Chockylit:

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes
14 regular cupcakes / 375 degree oven
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temp
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoons vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
4. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine
6. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
7. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Rachel's Spinach Salad Dressing

I got this recipe from Rachel Williams and it is my all-time favorite dressing.

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1 c. of vegetable or canola oil
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tbsp. grated onion (KJ doesn't like onions so I usually skip this)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 lb. cottage cheese (I have found that the more cottage cheese you put in the thicker the dressing is, so you may just want to slowly add some in until you get your desired consistency.)

Salad ideas:

spinach
purple onion
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded swiss cheese
stawberries
mandarin oranges
crumbled bacon
grilled chicken

Veggie Pasta

1 package of noodles (about 16 oz.)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 yellow squash, sliced and quartered
1-2 tomatoes, cut
frozen peas
frozen corn
1 tbsp. basil
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
grated parmesan cheese

Cook and drain noodles. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook carrots, onion, zucchini and squash in oil, stirring frequently until veggies are crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients, except cheese. Cook until hot. Serve veggies over noodles. Top with cheese.

Optional: Add grilled chicken to pasta

*This is one of my favorite recipes. It's easy to make the perfect portions and it's healthy. You can change the ingredients to make it the way you want it. Any vegetable works well with it. And it's great for the times when you have random veggies that you need to get rid of

Veggie Dip

This is yummy and healthier than most dips!

1 8oz. package of cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat kind)
1 medium carrot, grated or finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 green onion (scallion), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Stir ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.

*This recipe is great with crackers or as spread for cucumber (or other) sandwiches

Crockpot Lasagna

If you love lasgna and Crockpots then you'll like this recipe.

1/2 - 1 lb. hamburger
1 bottle of spaghetti sauce, any kind
16 oz. pkg. cottage cheese
2-4 cups of mozzarella cheese
1 egg
lasgna noodles

Brown hamburger. In a bowl, mix hamburger and spaghetti sauce together. In another bowl, mix cottage cheese and egg together. Pour some sauce in the bottom of the crockpot. Put a single layer of noodles on top of the sauce. Pour some cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles and then sprinkle some cheese on top. Continue layering sauce, noodles, cottage cheese mixture and cheese until all of the ingredients are used up. Cook on low for 4-8 hours.

Easy (and I mean EASY!) Crockpot Chicken

I am the self-proclaimed Crockpot Queen! :) This is what I make on days when KJ and I will both be gone all day or days that I don't feel like cooking. And KJ loves it so it's a win win situation!

4-6 frozen chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
about 1/2 a packet of onion soup

Put ingredients into the crockpot. Cook all day. Shred the chicken with a fork and pour over rice.

Crock Pot Fettucini Alfredo

I have made this several times since we got married and we love it. It's yummy and SUPER easy!

4-6 small chicken breasts (doesn't need to be thawed)
1-2 can(s) cream of chicken soup (depending on how much you want to make)
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cubed
1 packet of italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup of milk

Put chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle italian seasoning over chicken then drizzle butter over. Mix other ingredients together and pour onto chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over pasta.