Chicken Carbonara

This is my neighbors recipe. We have eaten it several times in their home and they've brought it to us a couple times after surgery. (They're great neighbors & know it is my hubbies favorite.) It is delicious!

1/2 lb. thickly sliced bacon
1 small onion
1 lb linguini
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 grilled Chicken breasts

Grill two chicken breasts and slice thinly. Dice bacon and cook until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Saute onion for 5 minutes in 2 tablespoons bacon drippings. Cook linguini according to aladente package directions. While pasta is cooking , beet eggs well in a small bowl. Drain pasta and toss with beaten eggs, onions, bacon, salt, pepper, parsley and parmesan. Top with grilled chicken.

Amish Friendship Bread

This is a fun little recipe you can share with friends. A neighbor brought me some of the baked bread and my kids have been begging me ever since to make more. I love that you change it up each time you make it with a difference flavor of pudding. The chocolate is yummy!

Starter Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 cups white sugar, divided
• 3 cups milk

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely.
   

*Do not use any type of metal bowls or spoons for mixing. Do not refrigerate. If air gets in bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to raise, bubble and ferment.

Day 1. Do nothing! This is the day you receive batter. Make sure the bag is dated!

Day 2. Mush the bag

Day 3. Mush the bag

Day 4, Mush the bag

Day 5. Mush the bag

Day 6. Add to bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Mush the bag

Day 7. Mush the bag

Day 8. Mush the bag

Day 9. Mush the bag

Day 10. Mix and divide starter.

Pour entire contents of bag into non-metal bowl adding: 1 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, and 1 ½ cups milk. Mix. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cups each into 4 separate gallon Ziploc bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of this recipe.

Preheat oven to 325. To the remaining batter in the bowl add: 3 eggs, 1 cup oil (or ½ cup oil and ½ cup applesauce), ½ cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp vanilla, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 2 cups flour, and 1 large box INSTANT pudding mix.

Grease 2 large loaf pans. Mix in a small bowl ½ cup brown sugar and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon. Dust greased loaf pans with half of this mixture. Pour batter evenly into the 2 greased pans and sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over the batter. Bake 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from the pan, about 10 minutes. Turn out onto serving dish. Serve warm or cold or devour with your bare hands!!!

Option: Add 1 cup chopped raisins or nuts. Use whatever pudding flavor you would like to try. You can add chocolate chips.

Note: When you divide the starter, write the date on each bag. This helps keep better track of which day you’re on. If you keep a starter bag for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days. This bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the Amish know how to create a “starter” so if you give them all away, you’ll have to wait until someone gives you a starter back

Breakfast Casserole

Over conference weekend we had the in laws up to our place for brunch. We tried a new breakfast casserole which I do believe is now my new favorite. It got all golden brown, was fluffy and simply delicious.

1 lb country sausage
3 c. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
12 large eggs
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp salt

Grease 9x13 inch pan. Cook sausage. Spread hash browns in bottom of the pan, t hen top with salt, sausage and cheese. (You can prepare to this point and keep in the refrigerator until ready to to cook.) Before cooking, combine eggs and milk and pour over the other ingredients. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Homeade Mac and Cheese

This was my first attempt ever at making Mac and Cheese that was not out of a box. My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. Now every time it's mac and cheese for lunch again they ask if I am making "the good stuff'." Thanks Kristie for the recipe.

1 (16 oz) pkg. elbow-roni pasta
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 c. shredded cheddar
2 c. mozzarella
1/4 c. bread crumbs

Boil pasta and drain. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Add seasonings to flour mixture then slowly add milk while whisking to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil, sauce will thicken. Combine cheeses and set aside one cup of cheese mixture. In a large bowl combine pasta, sauce and cheese mixture together just until combined. Transfer to 9x13 pan. Top with remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

I made these for dinner a few weeks ago for dinner and my family was fighting over the leftovers the next day. This is another new one from my ward cookbook. Thanks Kristy.

1 lb cooked chicken shredded
8 oz cream cheese
4.5 oz green chilies
12 flour tortillas
20 oz green enchilada sauce
1 c. shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Mix cooked chicken, cream cheese and green chilies in saucepan, heat over medium until blended. Pour some enchilada sauce into shallow dish and dip tortillas in sauce then fill with chicken picture. Place in 9x13 pan, pour enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

These were in our new ward cookbook and a hit with the kids. Thanks Leslie.

2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together, drop by 2 tablespoon size on cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes

2 Tbsp. Melted butter
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Mix these together and spread over the top of cooked biscuits.

Bacon Corn Chowder

This is another of my neighbor's recipe that everyone at work has been begging him for. It is divine!

I pkg bacon, crumbled

6 med. red potatoes, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large carrot

1 med. onion

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and diced

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans of corn

1 stalk broccoli flowerets

2 cups Velveeta

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cup milk

After cooking bacon, save a couple of tsp of grease to add potatoes, onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until tender (20 minutes). When tender add the broccoli, corn, chicken, soup and milk. Stir until smooth and warm, then add sour cream and cheese. Stir on low heat until cheese is melted.

White Bean Chili

This is my neighbor Jordan's recipe and it is to die for. I have enjoyed it many times and finally got the recipe from him.

3 cans of navy beans

3 cans of white kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 small package of frozen corn

1 diced green and/or red pepper. Dice them up real small.

1 small onion diced up real small

1 tsp garlic salt

1-2 Tbsp cumin (to taste)

black pepper (to taste)

4 to 5 chicken breasts cubed (can precook chicken to speed up the process but you don't have to)

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Death By Chocolate Trifle

This dessert is not for the weak of heart. The young women in our area put together a ward cookbook to earn money for girls camp. This is one recipe I knew I HAD to try. Just read through the ingredients. It's YUMMO! Thanks for sharing Laurie.

1 pkg brownie mix baked as directed(I prefer ghiradelli triple chocolate)
2 pkgs Nestle chocolate mouse (milk chocolate or Irish cream)
8 Skor or Heath bars, broken into pieces
1 large tub Cool Whip

Cut brownies into bite sized chunks. Layer into trifle bowl: brownies, mousse, cool whip, candy bars. Repeat layers, ending with candy bars.

Hearty Chili

Our ward had a chili cook off for our Chirstmas Party. I tried a new recipe and had several compliments from friends. My hubby and oldest son told me I could never use my old recipe again, this was now IT. So I whipped it up again last night for dinner and they agreed it's fabulous.

1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red or green pepper
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (30 oz) can dark red kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can chili
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cloves garlic minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup ketchup

Brown beef in large pan. Add onion and peppers and cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients over low heat for at least 1 hour (you can put in a crock-pot at this point to simmer all day on low) Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream, serve with tortilla chips.