Super Moist Lemon Sour Cream Cake

I found this recipe on food.com but made a few changes...

Ingredients:

1/2 lb butter softened (2 sticks)

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

1/2 pint sour cream (8 oz)

3 cups all purpose flour

1 (3oz) box instant lemon pudding (I used Vanilla)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon extract (didn't use, I don't have any)

zest of two lemons

juice of 1 lemon (roughly 1/4 cup) (I used 3/4 cups (3 lemons) in place of not having the lemon pudding or the extract) 

Preheat oven to 325

Spray bundt pan with nonstick spray and set aside. (I just used two cake pans)

cream together softened butter and sugar

add eggs, one at a time and beat, then add sour cream

sift flour and soda together and add next along with instant pudding

last add vanilla, lemon extract, juice and zest. mix until well blended batter will be light and fluffy

pour into pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (I cooked ours about 50 mins checked after 45 then did 8 more mins.)

Then I made a glaze of 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla in saucepan on low until thin, drizzle over cooled cake. 

Enjoy!

Tuscan Spinach Dip

Okay, so I got this amazing Cookbook for Christmas called Top Secret Restaurant Recipe's #3 and it has some of the most amazing recipes from some of my favorite restaurants!!!

One of my newest favorites is The T.G.I Friday's Tuscan Spinach Dip of course with some modificiations.

Ingredients:
1 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I used about half a bag of fresh, chopped)
1 6 1/2 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp diced onion (I didn't use)
1 tbsp diced red bell pepper (I didn't use)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup shredded Romano Cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese (I just bought the mexican pizza blend and used about 3/4 cup for both cheeses)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
pinch ground black pepper

Garnish (If wanted, I didn't)
1/2 tomato, diced
1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced parsley

Directions:
1.   Steam spinach and artichoke hearts in a steamer basket over boiling water in a covered saucepan for 10 minutes. ( I don't have a steamer basket and since I used fresh spinach I just put the chopped up hearts and spinach in a saute pan and added butter and lemon juice ( a couple squirts) and sauted them until they were warm (about 5 min.))
2.  In another medium saucepan heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium/low heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until onions begin to turn translucent. (since I didn't use onions or peppers I just added the following to the pan with the spinach and artichoke hearts) Add spinach and artichoke hearts, plus cheeses, cream, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pan with the sauteed onion and peppers. Cook over medium/low heat, uncovered, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the cheeses are melted and the dip is hot. Stir occassionally.
3.  Spoon the dip into a heat proof serving bowl and garnish with diced tomato, shredded parmesan cheese, and minced parsley. Serve with chips or crackers on the side. (They were so good with Wheat Thins and Triscuits.)

Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

I have only had meatloaf a handful of times and I like it... enough. It's definitely not something I would eat everyday! But sometimes I have a craving for meatloaf. I think this recipe was pretty good... definitely one of the better meatloaf's I've had.

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites, but they got it from America's Test Kitchen.

Glaze
1/2 cup chili sauce (or substitute ketchup, but I liked chili sauce)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar (or white vinegar in a pinch)

Meat Loaf
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped medium
2 medium cloves garlic , minced
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or whole milk)
1 pound ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal (I used more pork instead of veal)
2/3 cup Saltine crackers , crushed (about 18), or quick oatmeal, or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
6 – 8 ounces bacon , thin sliced (8 to 12 slices, depending on loaf shape)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the glaze: Mix all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened and set aside.

2. For the meat loaf: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients. (I again skipped this step, but I added the garlic into the meatloaf with all the other ingredients below.)

3. Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl along with crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture sticks, add additional milk or yogurt, a couple tablespoons at a time until mix no longer sticks.)

4. Turn meat mixture onto work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on foil-lined (for easy cleanup) shallow baking pan. Brush with half the glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping slightly and tucking only bacon tip ends under loaf.

5. Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool 10-15 minutes. While meal loaf is cooling, re-heat remaining sauce and brush some over meat loaf if desired. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze passed separately.

Lamb Gyro with Tzatziki sauce

I absolutely LOVE greek food. So I decided I would try to recreate on of my favorites... gryo's!! It turned out amazingly. I used the recipe I found on FoodNetwork.com (but I always make some changes, especially because I HATE onions.)

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded (didn't use)
• 2 pounds ground lamb (I only used 1 lb. so I cut all the seasonings in half)
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
• 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows
• tomatoes, diced (topping)
• feta cheese (optional)

Directions

Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.

Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl. (I just skipped this step)
To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows: (This is the method I used)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.
(Here's how it looked after it was done.)

To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.
Preheat the grill to high.
Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
(This is my husbands with the onions, but I did mine without) Then we topped with the Tzatziki sauce.

(This is the recipe for the sauce. I LOVED this sauce)

Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (I bought a hothouse cucumber which doesn't have seeds)
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator. (I didn't have time to do this so my sauce was a little runny... but still delicious)
Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. (I just put it in a few paper towels and tried to squeeze as much juice as possible out) In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.


(This was how my sauce looked, it was more runny than it should be because I didn't use the tea towel)


The finished product (I forgot to put feta on it! Darnit!!)

Salmon Patties

So I have never been a huge fan of fish! I love shrimp, crab and lobster but I couldn't stand the "fishy" taste of fish. Well here is a recipe I love with Salmon.

(okay it's only canned salmon but there has to be some real stuff in there right?)
1 can (soup size or 2-3 tuna fish size) Pink Salmon
1/2 sleeve crushed up crackers (can be either ritz or saltines)
1 egg (if you add too much cracker and the don't stay together add an extra egg)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients into a bowl. Heat oil (shortening works best) in large skillet over med-high heat. Form into patties and fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve with salad or any other favorite.
Super easy and delicious.

Spaghetti Squash

So I have been home sick lately so what is the best thing to do? Call up grandma and get some of her yummy recipes.

When I was growing up we always went to grandma's for her delicious cooking and one of my favorites was spaghetti squash. It's super easy and pretty healthy too. And since it's fall it fits right in.

1 spaghetti squash (oblong and yellow) cut into 4 pieces
salt
pepper
butter or margarine

bring salt water to a boil (enough to submerge the squash)
boil for 20 minutes or until tender enough to put a fork through
drain water and cover with butter salt and pepper.  I've been told you can also use marinara instead because it is after all "spaghetti" squash. (but I've never tried it.) If you do let me know what you think.
*You need to cut off both of the stem ends. **Squash is VERY difficult to cut so you are going to need a heavy duty knife and you'll have to probably pound it into the squash to cut. my mom suggested to use a hammer but I didn't want to break my knife... so I made the hubby pound it!

Cilantro-lime rice (to go inside or w/the Cafe Rio Burrito

[ LIME-CILANTRO RICE ]
2 Tbsp. oil
4 c. long grain rice (6 c. water)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes (fresh)
2 tsp. crushed garlic
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.


Thanks Kelli!

Banana Bread

I love banana bread! I had never made it before, but after I made it and tried some I realized, I have been missing out on something truly amazing!

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened (heat in microwave about 30 seconds)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts, if desired (but banana bread is just not the same without nuts
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.

2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans. 

3. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Mine cooked a lot faster than these directions. I checked mine at 45-50 minutes and they were almost too done. So check them frequently!) Cool 10 minutes.

Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless chicken breasts pounded to 1/2 in.
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
seasoned bread crumbs (I use Italian)
2-3 tbsp. Olive oil
8 slices mozzarella cheese (If you can't find slices you can use shredded)
16 oz. spaghetti sauce
Shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in large skillet on Medium-high heat. 2. Whisk together egg and milk in small (but wide) bowl. 3. Dip chicken into mixture then into bread crumbs (in another wide bowl). Brown chicken on  both sides (roughly 3-4 minutes). Then place chicken in greased baking dish. Put 2 slices of cheese on each breast (or a handful). Pour jar of spaghetti sauce over them then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and chicken is cooked through.

This is a personal favorite for me. When I go out to Italian restaurants I usually get chicken parmesan and though this isn't exactly like that it's pretty good for a homemade version. Hope you enjoy!

Cashew Chicken

If you love chinese food (let's face it, who doesn't!) You will love this recipe!***  This was so easy (30 minutes) and was amazing!!

1 pound boneless, chicken breasts (cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce + 1/4 cup soy sauce (to add to mixture at the end)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch + 1 tsp cornstarch (to thicken at the end)
3 Tbsp. Oil (1 for chicken, 2 for cabbage mix)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms.
1 small cabbage (shredded, I just bought a head and chopped)
1 tsp. sugar
6 oz. package of cashews
1 can water chesnuts
rice or chow mein

In bowl mix together and let sit for 15 minutes
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Heat 1 Tbsp. Oil. Add chicken and cook. Add onion and mushrooms. Stirfry until soft. Remove. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil add cabbage and sugar. Stirfry 3-4 minutes and add chicken. Add cashews, waterchestnuts and heat a few minutes more. Mix 1 tsp. cornstarch and 1/4 cup soy sauce and add to mixture. Cover and steam for about 1 minute. Uncover and cook until sauce has thickened. Serve over rice or chow mein.

Cheesy Chicken with Artichokes

1 14 oz can chicken broth

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I usually use 2-3)

1 9 oz package frozen artichoke hearts ( I haven't been able to find these so I just buy the cans. Buy the quarters not the hearts)

nonstick cooking spray

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms ( I use the whole package)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp bottled minced garlic (1 clove fresh)

4 tsp cornstarch

3/4 c. evaporated milk

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground white pepper (regular pepper works fine)

2 tbsp dry white wine or chicken broth

1/3 c. finely shredded or grated parmesan cheese

Pour the can of broth into a large skillet; bring to boiling on high, add chicken. Reduce heat. Cover and cook about 15 minutes or just until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup broth. ( I just reserve it all... I love sauce!) Cover chicken and keep warm (I put in microwave.) 

Meanwhile, cook artichoke hearts according to package directions. Drain and keep warm. (Since I use the canned I just put in a pan with a little butter and lemon juice and boil until warm.)

For the sauce, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel; lightly coat skillet with cooking spray. Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cook just until onion is tender. Stir in cornstarch (make sure to add slowly and stir well it will get clumpy... I usually use a whisk.) Add reserved broth, evaporated milk, salt, and white pepper; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in the 2 tablespoons wine or broth.

Place a chicken breast half on each dinner plate. Arrange artichokes around chicken breast. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

This is truly a favorite at my house!! I at least make it 2 times a month.

No bake Cookies

So I absolutely love cookies!! And this is a pretty easy and semi-healthy recipe!

2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter (one stick)
2 c. Oats (may need a little extra)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. peanut butter (optional)
1/2 c. coconut (optional)
1/4 c. nuts (optional)

In large pot mix cocoa, salt and sugar. Turn onto medium-heat add evaporated milk stirring (whisking works well) constantly. Bring to rolling boil while stirring frequently. Boil 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (peanut butter, coconut, or nuts if desired) then add oats. Mix well, if too runny add extra oats. You don't want it to be too thick otherwise they won't set. Lay out wax paper (you can use foil but it doesn't work as well) and scoop tbsp. size portions. (Makes about 14 cookies).

You can make the basic oat and cocoa cookie or mix it up and make peanut butter or more traditional with the coconut. It's fun that you can make a variety of different cookies with just one recipe and a few additions.

Cabbage Rolls

So this is the easiest recipe in the world. And it will make your kids eat cabbage and a full serving of vegetables (with V8.) My son is 10 months old and he loved sharing with me.

1 head of cabbage
1 lb hamburger
1/4 c. rice (not instant)
3 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle of V8 ( I think it's 32 oz.)
(You could put in whatever other vegetables you would like, but not necessary)

Mix hamburger, eggs and rice and season with salt and pepper. Cut the end off the cabbage and gently pull off each leaf. Put a spoonful of mixture inside leaf of cabbage and roll folded side down in pot. After all of them are stuffed and in the pot cover completely with V8 and cook for 2 1/2 hours on low-medium heat covered. (On my stove I set it to 4.) Once cabbage is soft and hamburger is cooked through it's ready to eat.  *You probably need to season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!! Easy and tasty!

Lemon Baked Chicken

I also forgot to take a picture of this meal... sorry!

1 chicken cut up and skinned ( I just used 3 to 4 breasts)
2 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients (except chicken). Pour over chicken; cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, basting occasionally. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer to brown chicken. (It took mine a little longer to cook through about 1 hour total.)

Ham Stuffed Manicotti with Cheese Sauce

Just to warn you I didn't take a picture.. I had family visiting and just forgot. Also the recipe calls for onion and green pepper but I didn't use them.

4 oz. Manicotti shells (8 shells per box) * I used 2 boxes and would have liked to have more.
1/4 c. chopped onion                               2 tbs. cooking oil
3 c. ground cooked ham (8 oz.)                 3 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
1 -6 oz. can chopped mushrooms ( I used fresh)
1/4 c. chopped green pepper                   3 tbs. butter
3 tbs. flour                                               2 c. milk
4 oz. shredded swiss cheese (1 c.) * I bought slices and cut them up

Cook manicotti noodles in water 15-20 min. until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water (do later so they don't get cold and stick together.) Saute onion in oil until tender. Add ham and mushrooms until cooked through then cool. Stir in parmesan, set aside. In saucepan cook green pepper in butter until tender; blend in flour, add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Stir in swiss cheese until melted. Mix 1/4 c. cheese sauce in ham and mushroom mixture. Fill each shell with about 1/3 c. ham filling. Arrange in greased baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with paprika. *Make a double sauce recipe if you like extra! Bake covered 350 degrees 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and warm throughout.

This was delicious I definitely recommend it, however, it was very time consuming!

Chicken Scallopini

1/4 c. flour                                         1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt                           1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 tsp. paprika                                  Lemon Slices (optional)
1/4 c. margarine
3 Tbsp. water
Chicken breast or cut up chicken (deboned may be used)

Remove skins from chicken. Mix flour, garlic and paprika. Coat chicken with flour mixture; brown in margarine. (Just brown both sides don't worry about cooking through yet.) Remove chicken from pan. Stir water, lemon juice and bouillon into pan, loosening brown particles on bottom. Add lemon slices and heat 1 minute. Put chicken back into pan and pour broth over chicken cook on low heat until cooked through and no longer pink. (roughly 15 minutes but mine took longer.)

Rouladen (German Beef Rolls)

1 lb. boneless round steak (ask butcher)
1 onion, diced (didn't use)
1/4 c. flour
5 to 6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 c. water
Mustard
Parsley
1 tsp. bouillon ( I just used one cube)

Cut round steak in half, horizontally, and pound until very, very thin. Spread each strip with mustard, parsley, onion, and bacon. Roll up and tie with string (I didn't have string so I just used toothpicks, but I couldn't get them out very easily.) Combine flour, salt and pepper. Roll beef rolls in flour mixture. Brown in hot oil (medium high). Add water and bouillon; simmer until tender. Make gravy out of drippings and serve over beef rolls.

To make gravy I just added 1/4 c. flour to drippings and salt and pepper to taste.

Make sure you cook long enough to make them tender. Mine were pretty tough.

Stuffed French Toast

1/2 cup cream cheese (about 5 ounces)
2 tablespoons strawberry or apricot spreadable fruit
8 1-inch slices french bread (or texas toast)
2 egg whites
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice (or you could just use cinnamon)
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup strawberry or apricot spreadable fruit (I just bought the pie filling fruit)

1. In small bowl combine cream cheese and 2 tablespoons spreadable fruit. Using a serrated knife, form a pocket in each bread slice by making a horizontal cut halfway between the top and bottom of the crust edge, slicing not quite all the way through. Fill each pocket with about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture.

2. In a small bowl beat together egg whites, egg, milk, vanilla and apple pie spice. Lightly coat an unheated nonstick griddle with cooking spray. Heat griddle over medium heat.

3. Dip stuffed bread slices into egg mixture, turning to coat both sides. Place bread slices on hot griddle cooking about 3 minutes or until golden brown on both sides, turning once.

4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat the 1/2 cup spreadable fruit until melted, stirring frequently. Serve over french toast.

This was simple and tasty!!! And I topped it with powdered sugar.

Pasta with Ham-Mushroom Sauce

2 cups sliced fresh shiitake or button mushrooms
1 small red or green sweet pepper, cut into thin strips (I didn't use this)
1 medium onion, chopped (again I didn't use this)
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (1 clove)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces cooked ham, cut into thin bite-size strips
1 9 ounce package refrigerated fettuccine ( I just bought fetuccine noodles and made them regularly)
Finely shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

1. For sauce, in a large skillet cook mushrooms, sweet pepper, onion, and garlic in hot butter until tender. In a medium bowl combine evaporated milk, basil, cornstarch, and black pepper. Stir into vegetable mixture in skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in ham. Remove from heat. (I made sure to heat enough for ham to be heated through)

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Serve sauce over pasta. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

* I take all the pictures so you know what the meal really looks like and sometimes I don't think they look that great... But trust me it's delicious! I wouldn't post the recipe if I didn't think so!!

Poulet D' Artichoke

2 can artichoke hearts, drained
2 2/3 cups diced chicken breasts (about 4 chicken breasts; boiled)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise (when I made this it tasted really potent of mayo so I would use 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry
1 1/4 cup grated cheese (enough to cover)
1 1/4 cups bread crumbs, tossed with 2 tablespoons melted butter

Arrange artichoke hearts and chicken in 9 x 13 inch pan. Combine other ingredients, except the bread crumbs and cheese. Pour over chicken. Sprinkle cheese on top and then bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 8.