Tomatillo Ranch~ Helga Laing

Tomatillo Ranch (cafe' rio style)

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (or 3 Tbsp dry mix)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 to ½ cup buttermilk (I like it a little thicker so I tend to lean towards 1/3 cup)
3-4 tomatillos
1 cup fresh cilantro lightly chopped
½ tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic

Take the papery layer off the tomatillos, wash, and chop. Chop the garlic. Wash and cut the cilantro into 1-2" segments. Put all ingredients in the blender and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate. Best made the day before. Keeps covered for several days. Makes 2 cups.
Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Chicken Fajitas with Tomatillo Ranch- Helga Laing

I'm not putting exact measurements because this is all really according to your own personal taste and how much you are needing to make. Play with it, taste it, play with it some more & have fun! It's delicious and super easy!

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken breasts cut into strips (pork and steak are really yummy too!)
Onions cut into wedges
Green, red or yellow peppers cut fajita style (or all three :))
Lemon or lime
Garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
Chili Powder (optional)
Green Chilis diced (optional)

Additional toppings
Black beans
Spanish brown rice (homemade is best!)
Sour Cream
Pico de gallo
Tomatillo Ranch
Cilantro
Cheese

Directions
In a little bit of olive oil cook the chicken. While it is still raw season with minced garlic cloves, salt & pepper (you can also add chili powder for a little kick if you'd like and green chilis).

Once the chicken is cooked add onions & peppers and a little more seasoning if you'd like. This is also when I squirt on some lemon or lime juice.

Allow that to cook and carmalize (it adds a delicious flavor!).

I like to cook my corn tortillas in a frying pan and add a little bit of cheese! Delicious! Then assemble.
Just incase your curious I usually

put Sour Cream on first, add Rice and beans, fajita mixture, Pico de gallo, tomaillo ranch and last but not least cilantro!

      enjoy!

Oreo Truffles - Allison Cooper

1 package (18 oz.) Oreo cookies,
        crushed into small pieces
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
White or Chocolate melts for dipping

1.Mix crushed Oreos and cream cheese until well-combined. Either use a food processor or mixer. 2.Roll into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate until firm, 3-4 hours (or stick in the freezer for about an hour).
3.Using 2 forks (or a spoon, but forks always work better for me), dip Oreo balls into chocolate coating and place onto waxed paper to harden.
4.Chill and serve cold or room temperature.
Makes about 30 truffles.

this is allison's recipe - but I thought it needed to be included
- hope I remembered everything Allison ;)- natalie

Italian Sausage Soup - Natalie Anderson

Ingredients
1.5 lb. package Italian sausage
(I use Johnsonville mild/ remove casing)
2 yellow onions
2 cloves garlic
2 28oz can petite diced tomatoes
2-3 beef bouillon cubes or use beef base, or you can use 2 cans beef broth (make a strong broth)
28 oz water (use the tomato can)
Parsley (you can use dried)
1 package of egg noodles or the hearty homemade style noodles

1.Chop all the sausage links into 1 inch pieces, or shape into round bite sized meatballs
Chop onions and mince the garlic
2.Brown the sausage in a Dutch oven (or a large pot)
After it has browned on all sides, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until onions are golden.
3.Now add the tomatoes, and bouillon mix. Bring to a simmer over low heat
Add chopped parsley, or a few shakes of dried
Simmer lightly for 1 hour and fifteen minutes- monitor your liquids. You still need enough to cook the noodles. Add more if needed.
4.Add in the desired amount of noodles.
Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until thenoodles are tender
Ladle into bowls and top with fresh grated Parmesan (or powder if that's all you got)
Serve with a nice big salad and crusty French bread. Yum!

Shredded Chicken - Natalie Anderson

This is the easiest way to be prepared for quick meals. Pre-cook your chicken! We eat chicken more than any other meat, so for us this is a no brainer and makes my live soooo much easier.

It couldn't be simpler..
1. Buy a bunch of bonless skinless chicken on a killer sale. (we go through it fast so I do like 20 lbs)
2. Thaw and prep chicken (cut off excess fat etc.)
3. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
4. In a large roasting pan place your chicken, salt and pepper the breasts.
Now you get to decide - do you want plain chicken, herbed, or tomato?
I usually make all three (in different pans - of course)

For Herbed/Plain
use chicken stock or broth and cover chicken so it comes up halfway on the pile. Add any additional seasonings - for herbed I use a garlic and herb mix, or poultry seasoning. - for plain I use nothing more

For Tomato
use canned tomato's (crushed) and a little water. Still fill to the halfway mark. - no additional seasonings required. For a more potent sauce add tomato paste.

5. Now cover with tin foil and cook for several hours (like 3ish) just until the chicken falls apart with a fork.
6. Remove and shred with 2 forks. Once cooled you can scoop into freezer bags. Be sure to mark with kind of chicken it is AND when you prepared it.

I use the tomato chicken for italian dishes as well as mexican dishes. The herbed is great in soups, sandwiches & salads etc. It goes great on pizza, in pasta and more - the possibilities are endless. You can CAN chicken for a longer shelf life but I just like the flavor of this better. Another way to cook it, is to get some crock pots and cook it that way. Either way works great - the oven way just gets it all done faster.

You can do this with lots of different meats
(hamburger is nice to have on hand for meat sauces and sloppy joes)

Here's a breakdown on how long cooked meat lasts
                            |Refrigerator|Freezer|
Steaks and Roasts|3 or 4 days|6 to 12 months|
Ground Beef         |1 or 2 days|3 to 4 months|
Cooked Beef        |3 or 4 days|2 to 3 months|
Chicken (Pieces)   |1 or 2 days|1 year|
Chicken (Whole)   |1 or 2 days|6 months|
Cooked Chicken   |3 or 4 days|4 to 6 months|
Pork Chops/Roasts|3 to 5 days |4 to 6 months|
Cooked Pork        |3 to 4 days|1 to 2 months|
Sausage                 |1 or 2 days|1 to 2 months|
Sausage (Cooked) |3 to 5 days|1 to 2 months

note the picture above is not mine - but that is exactly how the plain looks when you're done... so there you go.

BAGEL PIZZA - Becca Darrington

This came from Levi's Mom.  It is fast, easy, and yummy!

Bagels (I like to get the really thin bagels from costco, but any kind works)
Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

* we like to top it with pepperoni, green peppers, olives, jalepenos and sprinkle with oregano and crushed red pepper.  But just like any pizza, you can have it the way you like it!
Also, Levi LOVES Ranch so he likes to use that instead of pizza sauce and I can say, it is really good!

Preheat oven to 375 and cook for 8 to 10 min... or to desired crispiness!

CHICKEN RICE'ILADAS - Becca Darrington 
(actually the credit should go to Levi it was his Idea)


Levi and I tried this one night because we didn't have tortillas and we really liked it!

1 can of Chicken (we used it out of a can cause it was easy, but you can do the chicken however you like)
1 cup of Rice
1 can Enchilada sauce (green or red is good)
Cheddar Cheese ( as much as you like)
Sour Cream
* opt black beans, olives, jalepenos.


Cook rice then place in a casserole dish, add chicken, and black beans, olives and jalepenos if desired, pour enchilada sauce on top, and sprinkle with cheese!  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 15 mins or until cheese is melted! ( disclaimer: because there is only two of us in our home, we usually just microwave it until it is all hot and the cheese is melted, but I figured that feeding a family you would need a more efficient way to cook it, so the time and temp is made up...haha  If anyone finds that it works better at a different time/temp please let me know!
Add Sour cream and enjoy!  Super easy and really good!