Grape Salad

 Another recipe I picked up at a church potluck.  This grape recipe is always sure to please!

You may even have multiple people begging you for the recipe!

Grape Salad

2 lb green grapes
2 lb red grapes
8 oz sour cream
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup crushed pecans

Wash, stem and dry the grapes.  In a bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla until blended.  Make sure your cream cheese is soft or this mixture will be clumpy.  Stir grapes into the mixture and pour into 9x13 inch pan.  Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the grapes.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.  Enjoy.
 

Fruit Spread and the Mountain Man

Wednesday night = breakfast night at our house.  We've been doing this for awhile now and I'm always in search of new recipes that the whole family will enjoy.  This week I broke down and made my husband's absolute favorite campfire meal-Mountain Man breakfast.  It's not hard to make-just time consuming.  Consider that your warning.  And for my Little Bit Ruby I made pancakes with the most amazing fruit spread!  I could eat it plain with a big ole honkin' spoon.  Who needs the pancake? 

Fruit Spread:

8 oz cream cheese softened

1-2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 heaping spoonfuls strawberry jam

1 cup fresh strawberries cut up into smaller pieces

3/4 cup banana also cut up

1 cup frozen blueberries

With your electric mixer combine Cream cheese, vanilla and sugar.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Chill till ready to serve.  You can spread this on pancakes or waffles, serve as a fruit filled fruit dip, or great dip for cinnamon sugar chips.  The possibilities are endless.  Or you could be like me and just eat it plain with a spoon!  Num, num, num!!!

 Now onto the Mountain Man Breakfast that my cowboy of a husband loves so much.  This recipe is out of Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101 From Backyard to Backwoods cookbook by Lodge.  This can either be made in a 12" dutch over over the campfire or in a large skillet on the stove top. 

2 lbs sausage

2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes

8 eggs beaten

2 cups grated cheese

In a large 12 inch dutch oven over a full bed of hot coals, fry and crumble sausage.  Remove cooked sausage and drain on paper towels.  Using the sausage drippings in the pan, brown potatoes, and spread them evenly in bottom of camp oven.  Place cooked sausage over the potatoes.  Pour eggs over sausage layer.  Sprinkle top with cheese.  Cook with 8 coals underneath and 16 on top for 20-25 minutes, until eggs are cooked.

Note:  I find that this meal works best if I cook my sausage then set aside.  The hash browns seem to take quite a while to cook.  Once they are done I layer the other ingredients and cook until eggs are done. I must say, though it does take time to make-it is well worth it!  Very filling!



Patriotic Wreath

Simple to make with foam craft wreath, yarn, buttons and bows.

Avocado Parmesan Chicken

This recipe is inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest from ellenaguan.blogspot.com

When preparing for the first time I immediately made quite a few changes to suit my taste.  Here is my version.

Ingredients to feed family of 6 with leftovers:

12-14 boneless chicken breast tenders.  If you are using the bigger chicken breast you will only need 6-8 and you will need to use a meat pounder to thin them down. 

1 package Ritz crackers crumbled

3/4-1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs beaten

2 avocados

onion salt

Marinara Sauce

Cheese(can be Mozzarella, Cheddar, or combo of both)

 Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese in medium bowl.  Dip Chicken in egg followed by cracker mixer  then place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Place in oven cooking for 17 minutes.

 Meanwhile slice avocados and sprinkle with onion salt.

 Remove chicken from oven.  Spoon Marinara sauce over the chicken breasts followed by avocado slices.  Finally top off with cheese.  Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

I served mine with a side of rice along with a Romain salad topped with fresh green onions and strawberries. 

Note:  I am a busy mom of 4 and sometimes I don't have time to do all these steps.  I have made this dish using the Panko breaded chicken tenders that I purchased from the freezer section at Costco.  Just make sure you adjust your oven temp and cooking times according to the package. This is a great option if you find yourself in a bind for time but still want more of a gourmet dinner for your family!



Baked Chimis

Imagine that, another Mexican dish!  These are our absolute favorite!!  The great part about this recipe is that it makes a big batch(2- 9x13pans) so one pan can go in the freezer.  Or what I normally do is give one as a meal for someone in need.   

1 1/2 bags tortillas either medium or large shells

2 cans refried beans

shredded cheese(any kind will do)

2 packages Spanish rice

1 large can red enchilada sauce

1-15oz can tomato sauce

1-10 3/4 oz cream of mushroom soup

2 lbs meat(this can be shredded chicken, pork, or ground beef)

Cook Spanish rice and set aside.  Combine soups and sauces in large bowl and whisk together.  Cook your meat of choice.  Pour 1/3 of sauce over meat and stir.  Now you are ready to start filling tortilla shells.  This is how I layer mine:

Refried beans

Meat

Rice

Cheese

Then fold your shells...



 Place in greased pan.  Pour sauce over the top of the chimis followed by cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  If you want a crispy chimi do not cover with foil for last 30 minutes of baking.

Serve with sides of guacamole, sour cream, salsa and tortilla chips.  And don't forget your margarita!!!

Enjoy!

Butterscotch Cake- A Guest Post

Do you enjoy church pot lucks?  I do-probably too much!  Great food, future recipes to try out at home if the cook is willing to share, and great fellowship-what could be better! 

My friend Missy has brought this wonderful cake to church twice now and both times I asked her for the recipe, then stooped to begging over email telling her this must be shared with the world-it just must!!!  Before I share Missy's cake recipe I want to tell everyone that this amazing woman is a super hero-truly she is!  A mother of five, she should wear a cape while grocery shopping and a tiara while vacuuming.  And she cracks me up!  Before I go on and on and preach a sermon titled Mama V. wife, mother, world conqueror I'll share her email containing the recipe for this fabulous cake.  As always Enjoy!

  By the way Evan, thanks for making me take pictures of that last piece of cake.  I am on a diet and I absolutely had to eat that piece after taking it out of the pan and taking pictures of it!!!  ;)  Anyway, here is the recipe:

Butterscotch Cake
I really hate to admit how embarrassingly easy this recipe is;  however, doesn't it always seem like the best things really are just that simple?  Enjoy!

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 can Thank You Butterscotch Pudding
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup Butterscotch Chips

Just a side note before you begin, my recipe calls for a can of Thank You Butterscotch pudding, which I haven't been able to find anywhere!  I ended up substituting 6 single serving cups of Hunt's Butterscotch pudding.  (They come in 4 packs, so you'll have to let your kids fight over who gets the two leftovers!) Beat together cake mix, eggs, and pudding.  Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan.  Sprinkle on sugar and then the walnuts.  Bake according to directions on cake mix.  (I usually end up baking mine at 350 degrees for approx. 25-30 minutes - until a toothpick comes out clean.)  In the last five minutes of baking, take the cake out and sprinkle the butterscotch chips on top.  Put back in the oven and continue baking for the remaining 5 minutes. 

There are as many variations to this recipe as your imagination will allow!  It is truly one of the most moist cakes I have ever made, while still being light and not too dense.  If you're a chocoholic, you could do a chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding with chocolate chips.  You could try a lemon cake mix with lemon pudding perhaps, maybe a yellowcake mix with pistchio pudding and chopped pistachios on top - I think you get the idea...be creative!

Quesadilla Bar

Mexican food is a favorite in the Westra House!  This last weekend we decided to have a build your own quesadilla bar so everyone could make theirs just how they like it.  Kurt's of course contained every spice he could find in our cupboards paired with a HUGE ice tea to help with the burn on the way down.  YIKES!!!!  Here are some of our favorite combos:

Traditional Quesadilla:

refried beans

shredded chicken

cheddar cheese

olives

tomatoes

onions

Pizza Quesadilla:

thin layer of tomato sauce

sprinkle of Italian seasoning

sprinkle of oregano

sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

mozzarella cheese

Canadian bacon

pepperoni

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla:

thin layer of BBQ sauce(I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

grilled chicken cut into thin strips

Pineapple tidbits or grilled pineapple rings

cheddar cheese

sweet onion-grilled optional

optional green pepper

Kurt's 5 alarm Quesadilla:

everything in traditional quesadilla

jalapenos

hot sauce from hell

red pepper flakes

All served with sides or sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Great for a quick and easy lunch or fun family dinner!

ENJOY!