Delicious Recipes!
















Kate's Double Award Winning Chicken Chili


Yum yum yum yum yum!!

This Chicken Chili is so good, it might as well be chocolate. Seriously, this is a recipe you don't want to ignore. Put it on your menu and scribble the ingredients on your grocery lists.

1 Large Garlic Clove
1 T oil
2 12-oz cans of great northern beans
1 4 oz. can of diced green chilis
1 16-oz jar mild to medium salsa
1-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 C chicken broth
1 t cumin
1 T chili powder
2 C grated cheddar cheese
sour cream to top and corn chips to munch on the side
Cut chicken into bite sized cubes, then cook in fry pan till just done.
Puree salsa. (A hand blender works great!)
In large saucepan, add all ingredients except cheese and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring often.
10-15 min. before serving, add the cheese, again stirring often. (If you add the cheese too soon, it will burn.)
Sorry, but there is no photo of the finished product! We were so excited to eat that I didn't get a chance to snap a photo before it was...
GONE!!!!!!



Orgasm Cookies

The name "Brown Sugar Shortbread" just doesn't do these cookies justice. It really doesn't.



So from here on out (in my mind, at least) they'll be known as "Orgasm Cookies". 

They. Are. That. Good. They not only melt in your mouth, but the flavor literally curls your toes.

The impossibly fast and easy recipe is from Mrs. Field's Cookie Book.

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour

6 oz. chocolate chips
1 tbsp. butter
4 oz. finely chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar, then add vanilla and sugar. Once dough forms, roll into 1 inch balls, then roll each ball into a 2 inch log and place on cookie sheet. Depress middle of each log with the length of your forefinger. Bake at 325 for 17-19 minutes or until light golden.

Remove to cooking rack. Melt chocolate chips and butter together. Either dip the tips of the cookies in the chocolate or spread the chocolate on the cookies with a knife, then cover with pecans. Refrigerate to set chocolate.

I'm sure you have the ingredients on hand, so go make them. Right now. 

Trust me. 

You want them.


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Taco Puffs 

1 roll refrigerated biscuits
1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare the beef according to the taco seasoning's directions.

Coat a cupcake tin with cooking spray, then push one biscuit into each section. Make a well in each biscuit by pressing down the center. Fill the well with taco meat, then top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

If you want to add the cute decoration on top, keep out one biscuit and use a cookie cutter to obtain a shape. Just pop that shape on top of the cheese and bake away!



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Heaven on a Bone -or- Can't Get Enough of 'Em Ribs





1 rack pork spare ribs (baby backs work, too)


1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. mirin or rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup hoisin sauce

Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Start cooking your ribs via your favorite method. I love tobarbecue mine, but it does take about 45 minutes. (I always forget that and then am frustrated when they take forever to cook.)
Brush the sauce on when you first lay the ribs on the hot grate, then again when you flip them over after about 20 minutes.

You could easily just bake them instead, but then you don't get those darkened sauce crispy parts. And you want those. Trust me. You do.


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Monster Chicken


4 chicken breasts
4 - 6 slices muenster cheese
1/3 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray baking dish with Pam. Place chicken in the pan, then cover the chicken with muenster cheese. Pour wine over the chicken.

Bake for 20 min. or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

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The Best Roasted Cauliflower EVER!

Even if you hate it; even if you detest it; even if you loathe and abhor cauliflower... You're going to love it after this...

You must, must, must try this recipe!

One head cauliflower
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut cauliflower in florets, then cut each floret in
half so each one has a flat side. Rinse thoroughly.
Spread one layer deepon a lined baking sheet. Drizzle
with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast for 20 min.

They will come out savory and browned and crunchy and amazing! I guarantee it will become one of your family's favorite, "I want more!",
"When will you make it again?", "I love cauliflower!" recipes!


***9/6/10: Here's an additional suggestion thanks to Connie H.! Once your cauliflower is golden brown, toss it with a bit of cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. YumO!

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Tuscan Rigatoni and White Beans

2 cups uncooked rigatoni pasta
1 16 oz. package of sausage
1 15-16 oz. can of cannellini beans
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian dressing

Cook and drain the pasta. While it's cooking, slice
the sausage into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in a 12-in
skillet over med. high heat for 2-3 minutes. Gently
stir in pasta and remaining ingredients, except cheese.
Cook 3-5 minutes longer or until hot. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with cheese.

So easy! So yummy! And, best of all for my family,
easy to tailor to my family's finicky and allergic tastes.

The original recipe also called for 1 cup chopped onion to be cooked with the sausage and 1/3 cup drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.



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Rachel Ray Garlic Steak

I saw RR make this on one of her shows and we had it for dinner the next night. Four words, people. Four words...
Out of this world!!!
Technically, this is supposed to be a 30 min. meal. Haha. Not quite.
Thus, I've simplified it for those of us who don't have behind the scenes preppers/cleaners.
(And no, children don't count! LOL)

Rib eyes (how ever much you want to make)
1 stick of butter (or more, if you make the meal for more than 4 people)
1 clove of garlic (ditto about a larger meal)
1 loaf French bread, cut on the diagonal, about 1" thick

Grill the steaks. I do about 6 min. on one side and 3-4 on the other, depending on thickness, of course. While those are cooking themselves into heavenly delight, melt the butter in a saucepan. Dice the garlic and add it to the melted butter. Once you pull the steaks off the grill, let them rest for the time it takes you to toast the bread. I have a toaster oven, so I can toast four long pieces simultaneously. If you have a standard toaster, broil the bread. (But preheat the broiler when you preheat the grill so it'll be ready for toasting when you are.) Place the toasted bread on each person's plate. Top with the steak and spoon over the garlic butter. You'll want to kiss the ground Rachel Ray walks on after you try this one.

(And I have to tell you a funny story related to this recipe... I made this for Christmas a few years ago along with RR's suggested side dish of Kale au Gratin. You have to broil the kale for just a couple minutes, but when I opened the over to pull the kale out, the bread crumb topping was on fire! I rushed into the living room where Scott, the girls and
my parents were. "The kale's on fire! The kale's on fire!" Yes, my arms were waving dramatically in the air. LOL! In the end, the kale, minus the bread crumbs, was just fine. Nonetheless, it's become a family joke. "The kale's on fire! The kale's on fire!")