Rice Salad

I got this recipe from my friend, Debra, who got it from her mother-in-law. At the bottom of the recipe, it says that it can be served hot or cold. When I tried this salad, it was cold and it was delish!! Enjoy!

2 cups long grain rice
4 cups water
5-6 chicken bouillon cubes
2 (6oz) jars marinated artichoke hearts, chopped reserving liquid from one jar
3/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
8 green onions, chopped
16 (or more) large green olives, sliced
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder (optional)

Bring water to a boil and add the bouillon cubes; let them dissolve. Add rice to water, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to rice; mix well. Can serve hot or cold.

German Pancake w/ Vanilla Butter Sauce

I love it when I come across recipe blogs that have good, normal, easy looking recipes on them. I came across this blog yesterday and found some great recipes. Below are two of them:

German Pancake:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter

Beat eggs at medium speed until thick and lemon colored. Add milk, flour and salt. Mix well.
Heat butter in a 9x13 pan until melted. Pour batter over melted butter in pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot with syrup or sauce recipe below.


Vanilla Butter Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla (I added more than the original recipe...which called for 1 tsp.... since I love the taste of vanilla)

Add all ingredients to a sauce pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Freeze leftovers.

Greek Pasta Salad

This is a recipe that I adapted from this recipe. I added a few things (to make it 'greek'), took away a few things and came up with this! Enjoy!

1 (16 oz) pkg. penne pasta
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. dried dill weed
1 tbsp. lemon pepper
2 cucumbers, peeled and cubed
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 (3.8 oz) can sliced olives, drained
1 (4 oz) pkg. feta cheese, crumbled

Boil pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, dill weed, and lemon pepper in a separate bowl; mix well. Add mayo mixture to pasta along with remaining ingredients and combine completely. Chill before serving.

Twice Baked Potatoes

12+ potatoes
salt
cooking oil

3 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup margarine
2-3 tbsp. milk*

1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
paprika

After washing potatoes, pour some oil and salt on a plate. Roll each potato in the oil/salt mixture, and also using your hands, rub each potato until it is covered. Poke holes in potatoes with fork a couple times. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes (for smaller potatoes), or 55 minutes for larger potatoes.

Once potatoes are cooked, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Slice each potato in half lengthwise, and scoop hot potatoes into a mixing bowl; set empty skins aside in a couple 9x13 pans. Add to mixing bowl, 2 cups shredded cheese, sour cream, margarine and milk. Beat on high until potato mixture is well blended and smooth. (*You may want to add more milk, a little at a time, if mixture isn't smooth enough.) Now add garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper to potato mixture; beat well.

Scoop, or pipe, potato mixture back into skins. Sprinkle remaining cheese over tops of stuffed potatoes. Sprinkle paprika lightly over tops as well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until heated through. You can broil for to brown tops for 2 minutes, if desired.

Tater Tot Beef Hot Dish

I got this recipe from my friend, Kristen. It varies slightly from her version! Enjoy!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 can vegetarian vegetable soup**
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 can milk
1 pkg. tater tots
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown ground beef and onion. Place in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix two soups and milk together. Pour over ground beef. Layer tater tots over soup/milk mixture. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle cheese evenly over tater tots and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

**(if you use the kind of veggie soup that you don't add water to it, you'll need to drain it just a bit, or the soup mixture will be too liquid-y. If you use the soup that needs water added, just add as is -- no water!)

Karma's Cherry Cheesecake

This is a recipe my family got years and years ago from my childhood piano teacher, Karma Smith.



1 whole prepared Angel Food cake
2 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powder sugar
1 8 oz. tub cool whip
milk
2 cans cherry pie filling

In a 9x13 pan, break angel food cake into bite size pieces. In a separate bowl, mix together cream cheese and powder sugar. Mix in a splash or two of milk. Then add cool whip to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Add a little more milk to make sure mixture is spreadable. Pour over top of cake pieces. Spread evenly. Pour cherry pie filling over top of cream cheese mixture. Spread evenly. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Sunday Roast & Gravy

1 roast (whichever cut/size of beef you prefer)
2 cans cream of mushroom
1/2 cup beef broth
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together soup, broth, & dry soup mix. Place roast in crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour soup mixture over roast. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low. Remove roast and cut up. Leave gravy in crockpot to keep warm & serve with mashed potatoes.