Because Wendi Cooks Too!

Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-01-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

If you love mushrooms as much as I do you will love this recipe.

So easy.

So fast.

So good.

So healthy.

I am kidding about the healthy part, but did I mention sooo good?

Here is what you will need:

Three glorious ingredients:

Fresh mushrooms, sausage and cream cheese

First you need to brown your sausage in a skillet.

Then you need to wash your mushrooms.

Wash them good.

I won't begin to tell you what they are grown in.

Just take my word for it...

wash those suckers.

Remove the stems from the middle.

Let the mushroom caps and stems dry.

After your sausage is browned, place the block of cream cheese on top.

Let the cream cheese soften and melt on the hot sausage.

Stir the cream cheese and sausage mixture.

It should look something like this:

Leave the sausage and cream cheese alone for a bit.

Take the stems and chop them finely.

Mix the finely chopped stems in with the sausage and cream cheese.

Grab a mushroom cap.

Next, take a melon baller, scoop out a bit of this delicious mixture and place it on top of your mushroom caps.

Trust me when I insist that you use this utensil.

It will save you time and provide the perfect amount of goodness to top your mushrooms.

Repeat after me..."Always do what Wendi says. Always."

This information will serve you well in the future.

Now, just stuff those babies.

Having fun yet?

You will be in about 25 minutes.

Pop your cookie sheet full of sausage stuffed mushrooms into a 375 degree oven.

Wait until the tops are brown and bubbly before you take them out.

Welcome to mushroom heaven.

Enjoy your stay!

Stuffed Mushrooms

2 packages of fresh mushrooms
1 pound of sausage (hot or mild)
Cream Cheese

Wash mushrooms. Brown sausage. Drain. Lay Cream cheese on hot sausage. Stir. Dice up stems. Mix with cream cheese and sausage mixture. Spoon mixture onto mushroom caps.
Cook at 375 degrees for about 25 mins.

Peach Salsa

2009-11-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

A friend dropped off a few bags of peaches the other day.

Fresh peaches.

Delicious peaches.

Over 75 peaches.

What's a girl to do with so many peaches?

Make stuff.

And so I did.

I decided to share with you one of my favorite new found recipes.

It is beyond delish.

Your taste buds will thank you.

And beg for more.

What is this recipe you ask?

Peach Salsa.

Now before you go sticking your nose up and saying yuck...try it.

You will thank me.

Again.

And again.

You will need the following ingredients for your salsa.

2 cups of fresh peaches
1/4 cup of chopped red onion
1/4 cup of chopped red pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeded

Arrange all your ingredients in a bowl so it looks pretty enough to photograph.

Then you will add 2 teaspoons of lime juice and 1/4 tsp. of salt.

Stir.

Hello lover.

Cover and chill.

The only thing that would make this better would be fresh cilantro.

Which I intend to add later.

If I had any left.

You might as well double or triple this recipe.

You are going to kick yourself if you don't.

Not that I would know anything about that.

Happy eating.

Sausage Dip

2009-10-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

I like to call this my

"Are you ready for some Football Dip"

You can call it whatever you want, as long as you call me when you make it.

I love, love, love this dip.

I am pretty sure both of my thighs are comprised of it.

Oh yeah....you came here for a recipe.

Here it is.

You will need these three ingredients.

Sausage, cream cheese, and rotel.

That's it.

Brown your sausage in a skillet.

Drain.

Lay your block of cream cheese on the hot sausage.

Stir.

Mix.

Is your wrist tired?

Keep going.

It will be.

After your cream cheese and sausage are mixed together, pour your rotel over the mixture.

Stir.

This is one of the easiest and best tasting dips ever.

Serve it with chips.

I promise you won't have to worry about any left overs.

Chicken Spaghetti

2009-01-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

This dish is one of my kids favorites.

They ask for it often.

And I make it often.

Because I am their cooking slave.

And because it is easy.

Let's get started.

What you will need:

3 cups of dry Angel Hair Pasta (broken into 2 inch pieces)
4-6 chicken breasts (or 1 whole Chicken cut up)
2 cups of chicken broth reserved from the pot
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
3 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp. of Lawry's seasoning salt
Salt and pepper to taste

(optional: green pepper, onion, pimentos)

First, fill your pot with water and boil your chicken.

Boil it until done.

I tend to boil my chicken really done.

I am a little scared of salmonella.

Just a little.

Once the chicken is cooked, take each piece out of the pot with tongs and place them in your colander.

Do not drain the water from the pot!

Repeat: Do not drain the water from the pot.

Instead set aside 2 cups of the broth in a measuring cup.

I will let you know when you will need it.

Put the pot of brothy water back on the burner to cook your pasta in.

Break up your pasta into 2 inch pieces.

Stack them neatly and methodically in a measuring cup and be sure you have exactly 3 cups.

Okay the neat and methodical is how I do it, but you can just throw it in there if it makes you happy.

Cook your pasta.

If you are using angel hair, it usually takes about four minutes.

Do not overcook.

While your pasta is cooking, go ahead and chop up your chicken.

You should have about 2 cups of cooked chicken.

When your pasta is done, mix it with the remaining ingredients.

Namely the chicken, the soups, the seasoning salt, and the salt and pepper.

Oh and Hello! The cheese. Just two cups though. Save the third cup for later.

Stir the mixture up and begin adding the reserved chicken broth gradually.

I told you I would tell you when you would need it.

You want the mixture to be moist and creamy, but not soupy.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 9x13 casserole dish.

Top with the last cup of cheese.

Place this dish of delish in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Skillet Surprise

2009-01-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

I am going to share with you yet another recipe from my childhood.

I think this dish is when I discovered my love of vegetables.

Vegetables covered in cheese, but veggies none the less.

Let's get started shall we?

Here is what you will need:

1 lb of Hamburger meat

1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
6-8 potatoes
4 cups shredded cabbage
Small bag of carrots or 3 medium carrots
1 can of mushrooms
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of Shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. of salt

dash of pepper

1 Cup of water

First, brown your hamburger meat.

Try not to start chopping up the veggies and forget about the meat like me.

Ignore those bits of slightly overdone hamburger would ya?

Drain your hamburger of all unnecessary grease.

We are going to add lots of unnecessary cheese later.

We need to conserve calories at this point.

While your hamburger meat is draining, you can begin chopping.

Let's start with the potatoes.

Peel them and slice them like so.

Next, slice your cabbage and carrots.

You can open up your can of mushrooms, drain, and dump those on the cutting board too.

You may dice any of those that are too large for your taste.

I just prefer to pick out the big ones and eat them.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love mushrooms?

I do.

Now that you have all your vegetables chopped and looking pretty on your cutting board, you are ready to start assembling the surprise.

Sprinkle a layer of hamburger meat in the bottom of your pot.

Pour about 1 cup of water over that.

Now add your sliced potatoes.

It should resemble this.

Now begin layering.

Add a layer of cabbage.

A layer of mushrooms.

A layer of carrots.

A layer of life savers.

Okay I just threw that in to make sure you were paying attention.

Everyone awake?

Good.

Just keep layering.

Hamburger, potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots.

Until you run out of ingredients.

Sprinkle the last bit of hamburger on the top.

Pour the Cream of Mushroom Soup over all of it.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook covered on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Cook for five more minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Now take the lid off and enjoy your surprise!!!

Christmas Pretzels

2009-01-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

I love making these little delectables during the holidays.

They are so cute and so very tasty.

It is a perfect marriage of sweet and salty.

How do I make these you ask?

It is really easy, but don't tell anyone. M'kay?

What you will need:

*A bag of waffle pretzels
*White chocolate almond bark
*Holiday MnM's

First you melt the white chocolate almond bark.

Just be sure not to overcook the chocolate.

Overcooked chocolate will not work for this.

Be sure it is nice and creamy smooth.

While your chocolate is melting, begin placing your pretzels on a cookie sheet.

Be sure they are in perfect lines and they are spaced evenly.

Okay that is only if you are me...sorry.

Next, you are going to drop a small amount of chocolate on each pretzel.

Like this.

Finally grab your bowl of MnM's and gingerly place one MnM on each chocolate topped pretzel.

Like this.

It is best to work with about ten at the time so the chocolate does not harden before you can slap an MnM on it.

Let cool.

I dare you to eat just one.

Let me know if you do!

CHICKEN CASSEROLE

2008-05-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite chicken casserole recipe. It came from a Southern Living cookbook. (Nuff said) I am not a huge fan of celery or water chestnuts, but trust me when I tell you that they add just the right amount of crunch to the incredible texture in this dish. Make this for your family tonight. They will thank you for it. Mine did.

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped deli roasted chicken

(I used 6 chicken breasts instead which was about 4 cups)

2 cups of finely chopped celery

1 4oz. can of water chestnuts (drained and finely chopped)

1/2 Cup of slivered almonds

1 Cup of grated cheddar cheese

1/2 Cup light sour cream

1/2 Cup light mayo

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 1/2 Cup French fried onion rings

Mix together the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together well with spoon.

(Do NOT mix in the Kitchen aid. It will mess up the consistency of this recipe.)

Spoon into lightly greased 13x9 baking dish.

Bake @ 350 degrees for about 40 mins.

Sprinkle with onion rings and bake 5 more minutes or until bubbly around edges.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

HOT MEXICAN DIP

2008-05-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 package Taco Seasoning Mix

1 can of Fat-free Refried Beans

1 80z. container of Sour Cream

1 jar of Salsa

1 cup of shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese

Mix together taco seasoning mix and refried beans.

Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 dish.

Next, add a layer of sour cream.

Pour a layer of Salsa.

Top with cheese.

I like to remember it as layers of red and white.

Beans, Sour cream, Salsa, and Cheese.

Yes, it is that easy. Yes, it is that good.

Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips.

HAMBURGER SURPRISE!!!

2008-05-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

My mother made this yummy casserole when I was growing up.

I reminds me of my childhood.

Now I make it for my kids.

Here is what you will need for this comforting surprise:

1 1/2 pounds Hamburger meat

1 16oz. can of Tomato Sauce

2 cups of Macaroni noodles (uncooked)

1 cup of Cottage Cheese (low fat, small curd)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

6oz. Cream cheese (softened)

1 cup Cheddar Cheese

What?

I never told you it was low fat.

I just said it was yummy!

Brown and drain the hamburger meat.

Boil your noodles.

Drain.

Layer half the noodles on the bottom of 9x13 casserole dish.

Mix together the cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese.

Pour this mixture over hot noodles.

Spread.

Layer the second half of noodles on top.

Mix the hamburger meat and tomato sauce together.

Pour this meat and sauce mixture over the noodles.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. (or until hot and bubbly)

Enjoy!

Ham, Bacon and Mushroom Quiche

2008-05-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 (9-inch) pie shells

6 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 cups shredded Swiss Cheese

1 (8oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained (I dice them very tiny so my children will not detect their presence)

2 cups Coarsely shredded Ham

8 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups Evaporated milk

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard

dash ground Nutmeg

dash white pepper

Defrost pie shells. Prick bottom and sides with a fork. Bake @ 425 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Let cool.

Combine cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and ham.

Toss gently.

Spoon half of mixture into each pastry shell.

Combine eggs with remaining ingredients.

Beat well.

Pour half of egg mixture into each pastry shell.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until set.

Yield: two 9-inch quiches.

Note: Unbaked quiche may be covered with aluminum foil and frozen. To serve, thaw overnight in refrigerator; bake @ 350 for 40-50 minutes.

Mexican Chicken

2008-05-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

This has to be the easiest dinner ever.

It is also delicious.

Easy and delicious are always a good combination.

Ingredients:

1 can of sweet corn

1 can of black beans

1 jar of salsa

3 chicken breasts(frozen)

Mexican cheese

Sour cream (optional)

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of your crock pot.

Pour the corn, beans, and half of the salsa on top.

Cook all day...or part of the day. (it is up to you)

When the water is mostly cooked out, start stirring the chicken with a fork.

It will fall apart.

It will look like shredded chicken.

It is.

Stir everything together.

Pour the contents of the crock pot onto a dish.

Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

I like to serve it with Tortilla chips.

My family also likes to roll it up in tortilla shells.

I usually double this recipe.

The pictures shown are of a doubled recipe.

Remember: Easy and Delicious!

Strawberry Pie

2008-05-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite pie. I look forward to "Strawberry Season" every year just so I can sink my teeth into this. It is so yummy! This recipe makes 2 pies. Which is always a good thing. One for me and one for everyone else!

Ingredients:

3 cups of boiling water

1 package (3oz) strawberry jell-o

2 Cups sugar

5-6 tablespoons Cornstarch

2 pie crusts (cooked)

3 cups of strawberries (washed and chopped)

How to:

Cook pie shells according to directions.

Cool.

Mix jello- sugar and cornstarch.

Add boiling water.

Cook on medium heat until thickened.(about 15 mins)

Cool.

Add berries.

Pour into two baked pie shells.

Freeze for 1 hour

Enjoy!

Susie's Zucchini Bread

2008-04-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

When you see a recipe that has "Susie" in front of the title, you are in the right place. Susie would be my mom. She is a fabulous cook. Most of my recipes are hers. You will find a lot of "Susie" here. Most of her recipes do not require a great deal of ingredients or time. They are tried and true. I hope you enjoy them. She hopes you do too.

Ingredients:

3 C. AP Flour

2 C. Sugar

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Salt

2 tsp.Vanilla

2 Eggs

1 C. Vegetable Oil

2C. Shredded Zucchini

* optional:

1 C. nuts

1 C. raisins

Mix the sugar, powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and oil.

Beat in the eggs.

Add the flour gradually.

It will look like this. (your children will think it is play dough. Don't let them play with it!)

Next, grate and add the zucchini.

It will add just the right amount of moisture to the mix.

The consistency should look like this .

Next, grease 2 loaf pans or one of these.

Pour the mixture into the greased pan.

Bake @ 350 degrees for about 60 minutes. (45 minutes if you are baking four)

Enjoy.

Wendi's La La Lasagna

2008-03-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

Not long after I was married, I bought a Stouffers Lasagna. I popped it in the oven for dinner. It was easy. It was not great. I knew there must be better. Over the years I have made many lasagnas. I have added and changed the ingredients. I never composed a recipe. I also never made another Stouffers. (sorry Mr. Stouffer) This is the recipe I used for dinner tonight and may I say, it was de-de-de-licious!!!

Meat sauce:

2 lbs. Hamburger ( cooked and drained)
1 clove of garlic ( or 1/2 tsp. minced garlic)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Basil
2 Bay Leaves

Other Ingredients:

1 container of Ricotta cheese ( or small curd cottage cheese)
2 lbs. of Mozzarella Cheese
Lasagna Noodles ( NOT cooked)
1/2 C. water

Brown hamburger. Add garlic to the meat while browning. Salt to taste.
Drain.

Put hamburger back into pot.
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.

Add Oregano, Basil, and bay leaves.

Let simmer. ( for at least 30 mins.)

Get a 9x13 casserole dish. Spray with cooking spray.
Remove bay leaves from sauce. ( they give a wonderful flavor to the sauce, but are not good to eat)

Put a small layer of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish.

Put a layer of lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce.

Spoon the ricotta cheese over the noodles.

Pour a layer of mozzarella cheese over the ricotta.

Continue layering.

Meat sauce, noodles, cheeses.
You will be able to get four layers in a 9x 13.
The topping will be the small amount of meat sauce left in the pot.

Drizzle that over the last layer of cheese.

Take 1/2 cup of water and pour evenly around the outside edge of the lasagna.* This is a suggestion from Paula Deen. I do everything Paula says. It works. Your lasagna will be so moist. I promise you will thank me.

Cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Take the lasagna out and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

This will give you time to put the bread in the oven and put the finishing touches on your salad.

Enjoy! I promise your taste buds will thank you!!!

The Best Carrot Cake EVER!!!

2008-03-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

( I am not sure who in my family cleaned the plate with their finger...nice!)

This recipe came from my brother. He was the first to discover this delicious, my-mouth-is-screaming-thank-you, cake. He made it first. He said I could share. So, I shall.

Cake:

2 C. sugar

¾ C. Buttermilk

¾ C. Vegetable Oil

3 Eggs

2 t. Vanilla

2 C. All Purpose Flour

2 t. Baking Soda

½ t. Salt

2 t. Ground Cinnamon

2 C. Grated Carrots

1 C. Chopped Nuts (I use Pecans)

1 8 oz. Can crushed Pineapple (drained)

1 C. Coconut

Mix flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon, set aside.

Mix sugar, vegetable oil, and butter milk. Beat eggs.

Add flour mix and eggs to the sugar mix, alternately and mix.

Stir in carrots, nuts, pineapple and coconut. Mix in vanilla.

Bake at 350°for 35 to 40 minutes until sides pull from the pan.

Prepare Glaze right before the cake is done baking.

Glaze:

1 C. Sugar

½ C. Buttermilk

½ C. Butter (1 stick)

1 T. Light corn syrup

½ t. Baking soda

1 t. Vanilla

Place first 5 ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes until very light brown. Take off heat and add vanilla. Pour over cake while still in cake pan. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove cake from pan and allow to cool.

Icing:
1 Stick Butter

8 oz. Cream Cheese

1 Box Powder Sugar

1 t. Vanilla.

Mix ingredients together until smooth.

(Hint for frosting. It is easier if you freeze the layers separately and then frost while frozen.) ENJOY.

Chicken Tostados

2008-03-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast

8 oz. salsa

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. mixed Mexican cheese

1 package tortilla shells

1 can cream of chicken soup

6 oz. salsa

How to:

Cook chicken. Cut into bite sized pieces.

Mix with salsa, sour cream, and cream cheese.

Fill each of the 10 shells.

This is what it looks like to have OCD tendencies.

Each tortilla must have the same amount.

If you are not me, then you may slap the filling in the tortilla, roll it up and put it in the dish.

If you are me, this step will take way too much time, but you will be happy knowing each tortilla has the same amount of filling.

Roll and arrange in a 9x13 glass dish.

Mix 6 oz. of salsa with 1 can Cream of Chicken soup

Pour over shells. Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for @ 45 min.

My family loves this dish and requests it often. I usually cook 5-6 chicken breasts. I just like more chicken with my soup and salsa. I am like that. Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

2008-03-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

This is such a delicious chili.

One that was made for a cold winter night snuggled up by a fire.

But you can certainly eat it in the summer.

It is good any time.

Here is what you will need:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken (or you can use 2-10oz. cans of chicken)
1 Tbsp. oil
1 med.onion
3 tsp.garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. oregano
2 cans chicken broth
1 can rotel
4 cans northern beans rinsed
1 container or 2 cups sour cream
1 cup whipping cream

In a large pot or skillet brown chicken in oil with onions and garlic powder.

I cut the onion in very large slices just to flavor and then remove at the very end.

It is how I get onion flavoring in my food without the kids knowing.

It is our little secret.

Add all other ingredients except sour cream and whipping cream.

That means the spices,the broth, the rotel, and the beans.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream.

This recipe makes quite a bit but freezes well too.

Or you can always 1/2 the recipe.

I serve this with a variety of crackers and Frito scoops.

Enjoy!

Karyn's Potato Casserole

2008-03-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

1 large bag of Hashbrowns
1 can Cream of Chicken
1 C. sour cream
3/4 stick butter (melted)
1 C. shredded cheese

Melt butter. Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and butter together. Add thawed hashbrowns. Add 1/2 c. cheese. Mix well.
Cook @ 350 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add 1/2 c. cheese to top the last 5 mins. Enjoy!

Margaret's Taco Dip

2008-03-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

2 cans Bean dip ( Frito lay)
1 c. Sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix (NOT Taco Bell)
2 cups Shredded Cheese (mexican)

Spread Bean dip in dish. Mix Sour cream, mayo, and seasoning mix. Spread on top of bean dip. Cover with cheese.

*optional: you may add tomatoes, peppers, and onions, etc.

Oriental Salad

2008-03-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

1 medium cabbage, finely chopped ( I use packaged)
4 green onions, chopped
1 C. vegetable oil
4 TBspns. sugar
6 TBsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 pkgs. Chicken flavored ramen noodles, uncooked
4TBsps. toasted sesame seeds
4 TBsps. toasted almond slivers

Combine first 3 ingredients in bowl. Combine next four ingredients and seasoning packets from ramen noodles. Stir well. Add cabbage mixture. Crush ramen noodles and sprinkle over top of salad, tossing well. Top with almonds and sesame seeds before serving. Serves 8.

* For a one dish meal add 4 cups of cooked, diced chicken.

* For best results... pour oil over cabbage and put in refrigerator over night.

Beth's Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

2008-03-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

This little number has been toted to many showers and parties. I have never come home with any. I could eat it by the spoonfuls. Really. Last Christmas I even made up a bunch, froze them, and gave them as Christmas gifts with a cute little bowl and spreader. I promise this is as easy as it is good!

1 8 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 c. Butter (1 stick)
3/4 c. Powdered sugar
2 TBS. Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c.mini chocolate chips
3/4 c. pecans (finely chopped)

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Add sugars and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips.

Refrigerate @ 2 hours. Roll in Ball. Refrigerate 1 hour. Roll in nuts.
Serve with Graham Crackers.