Paula Deen's Garlicy Basil Shrimp Skewers

These are AMAZING...

Ingredients:
1/3 cup veggie oil
1/3 cup OJ
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 pounds peeled and deveined fresh shrimp
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:
In a large ziplock bag, combine first 7 ingredients, add shrimp, seal bag, refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but 4 hours max. Soak 16-20 (10 inch) wooden skewers in water to cover for 30 minutes; drain. Preheat grill to high heat (500). Remove shripm from marinade, discard marinade, thread shrimp on skewers. Brush shrimp with melted butter and grill for 1-2 minutes per side or until shrimp are pink and firm. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Dried butter beans.

I was suppose to take pictures but totally forgot. I will take some next time I cook them.
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Ingredients
1 bag of dried baby limas
Water
1 roll of Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions
- I normally put my butter beans in the crock pot in the morning. Just pour your butter beans in the crock pot and fill the crock pot with enough water to cover the beans. You will have to watch them though because the beans will suck up a large amount of water.
- Turn your crock pot on high, cover, and let cook. Again, be sure to check your water level often. Add water if necessary.
- Add your seasonings once the beans become soft.
- An hour before you are ready to eat, cook your hot sausage. Just fry it in the fry pan like you would ground hamburger. Sausage cooks fast and burns easily so be careful. Just cook it slow.
- Drain the sausage because it will be super greasy.
- Throw the cooked sausage into the crock-pot with the beans.
- I normally turn them on low at this point.
- *Note: I like for my butter beans to be the consistency of a runny mashed potato. I don't want them too watery but I don't like them very thick either. Use your own judgement and add water if necessary.
- Serve with Texas Pete, ketchup, and crackers.

Enjoy!

Catalina Chicken.

We had nothing to cook for dinner.

We had chicken.

We had salad dressing.

I googled Catalina Chicken. Found lots of recipes. Threw a few together and made my own.

Here you go.

1. Season boneless, skinless chicken breasts with garlic salt and cracked black pepper.

2. Place 2 Tbsp. of oil into pan. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side.

3. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish.


4. In a separate bowl mix together 1/2 cup Catalina dressing and 1/2 packet of French Onion Soup mix.


5. Pour Catalina mixture over top of chicken breasts.


6. Cook on 350 until chicken is cooked through. {It only took my three chicken breasts about 15-20 minutes.}

I forgot to take a picture of the actual finished product. Here is a partial view. We had chicken, mac & cheese {staple at our house}, asparagus, and crescent rolls. You can see everything here except the asparagus. Caroline and Ryan fought over it and ate every last one. Weirdos.

Honey Baked Chicken

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup honey
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp prepared mustard

Directions
Season chicken. (I just use a little garlic salt and lots of cracked pepper)

Place the chicken in a greased or foil-lined baking dish. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine butter, honey, salt and mustard. Cooke and stir over low heat until well blended and heated through.

Once your chicken has cooked for 30 minutes, take it out of oven. Pour honey mixture over the chicken.

Bake the chicken again, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 170 degrees.

Baste (or spoon mixture over mixture) before serving.

Meredith's Chick Roll-Ups.

I took Meredith's recipe and added a few things to it. It is delicious!

Ingredients

- 4 chicken breasts
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cans crescent rolls
- Melted butter
- Bread crumbs

Directions
Season chicken. Cook on the frying pan until done.

Cut chicken into small pieces.

Mix cream cheese, chicken soup, chicken and cheddar cheese in bowl. Mix well.

Place a big scoop of chicken mixture on open crescent roll. Close each roll and make sure there are no big holes in the rolls.

Roll the crescent roll in melted butter and then roll in bread crumbs.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake on 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crescent rolls are golden brown.

You can also throw together some gravy by using another can of cream of chicken soup. Add milk until the gravy is as thin as you want. Add salt and pepper. This is great on top of the roll-ups.

Easy Pepper Steak

Ingredients

- 1 pack of McCormick Brown Gravy Mix
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2-2 lbs sliced steak
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 1 green pepper (sliced)

Directions
Combine brown gravy mix, water, and soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat Tbsp oil in large skillet. Saute onion and peppers until soft.

Add meat. Saute meat 8-10 minutes or until brown.

Stir in brown gravy mixture, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Quick Chicken

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
Real bacon bits
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400.

Place chicken in a glass casserole dish.

Slather Dijon mustard evenly over chicken.

Pour Teriyaki sauce evenly over mustard slathered chicken breasts.

Sprinkle bacon bits over chicken then add cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes.
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So easy and so good!

Olive Garden Spaghetti Sauce

This is the best spaghetti sauce recipe we have found so far. It is super easy and so delicious!

Ingredients
1 lb hamburger (or 1/2 lb. hamburger and 1/2 lb. ground Italian sausage)
1 14oz can stewed tomatoes
1 6 oz can V8 juice
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 envelope onion soup mix
1/4 cup grape jelly
Mushrooms
Onion, chopped
Green pepper, chopped

Directions

Saute hamburger, onions, green pepper and mushrooms.

Add remaining ingredients and let simmer.

Mindy's Chicken Enchilada

Ingredients

2.5 lbs boneless chicken breasts
2 cans red enchilada sauce
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
8 oz sour cream
2 cups cheese (or more, if you want)
1 cup canned or frozen corn
2 pkgs burrito size flour tortillas (16 total)

Directions

Boil chicken, then simmer until it easily shreds. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine enchilada sauce and salsa. I use my blender to puree (no chunks). I don't like chunks.

When chicken in done, shred in a large bowl. Add one cup of sauce mixture, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese, and corn. Add about half the taco seasoning. Mix and taste, adding more taco seasoning until you like it.

Fill and roll tortillas with chicken filling. Depending on how much filling you put in each enchilada, you may or may not use all the tortillas. Place enchiladas in a baking dish. Pour the remainder of the sauce mixture on the enchiladas. Top with the rest of the cheese. Cover with foil and back at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.

Turkey and Spinach Manicotti

Ingredients

- 8 uncooked manicotti pasta shells
- 1/2 lb lean (at least 90%) ground turkey
- 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 box (10 oz) cut spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
- 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce (any flavor) or marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray bottom and sides of 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta shells as directed on box, omitting salt. Rinse with cool water; drain well.

3. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until turkey is no longer pink. Remove from heat. Stir in ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning and spinach.

4. Spoon turkey mixture into shells; arrange in baking dish. Spoon marinara sauce over shells. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Mom's Vegetarian Chili

I call this Mom's Vegetarian Chili... with meat.

My Mom is a vegetarian. We, the Lafone's, are not.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 pound hamburger
3 cans stewed tomatoes
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. red pepper
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 cans red kidney beans, drained
NOTE: You may add other spices

Directions

1. Saute onion, green pepper and minced garlic in butter until soft. Add ALL spices while you saute.

2. Brown your hamburger. Season with salt, lots of black pepper, and lots of garlic powder. Mom's rule is, "When you think it is enough, add more."

3. Add cooked meat and seasoned veggies together. Stir.

4. Add caned tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring well.

5. Add kidney beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir well.

6. Add 2 cups of cheese while stirring. Simmer until cheese melts.

Serve with crackers.

Delicious!!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Title: Cajun Chicken Pasta

From Red Lobster- recipe found online

Ingredients

-2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
-2 tsp cajun seasoning
-2 tbsp butter
-1 green pepper, chopped
-1 red pepper, chopped
-mushrooms, chopped
-1 green onion, chopped
-1 to 2 cups heavy cream
-1/4 tsp dried basil
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
-1/8 tsp garlic powder
-1/8 tsp pepper
-4 oz linguine, cooked

1. Coat chicken with cajun seasoning.

2. Saute chicken in butter.

3. Add peppers, mushrooms and onion. Reduce heat.

4. Add cream and seasonings.

5. Heat through.

6. Add cooked linguine and toss.

Chicken Tetrazzini

From April 2006 Southern Living

Servings: 12

Ingredients

-1 (16oz) package vermicelli
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-4 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
-1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
-1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup
-1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of celery soup
-1 (8 oz) sour cream
-1 (6 oz) jar sliced mushrooms (drained)
-1/2 (2oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper
-2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese

~*I cooked my chicken on a skillet in butter. I just seasoned my chicken with spices first. I don't like boiled or baked chicken. Cook your chicken however you like.*~

1. Cook vermicelli according to package; drain. Return to pot and toss with chicken broth. I kept adding chicken broth because the pasta started drying out as it sat.

2. Stir together chicken and next 8 ingredients; add vermicelli and toss well.

3. Spoon mixture into 2 lightly greased 11-x7-inch backing dishes.

4. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.

5. Bake, covered at 350 for 30 minutes.

6. Uncover and back 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Janell's Taco Salad

Ingredients
1 lb. hamburger
1 head (or bag) of lettuce
1 green pepper
1 tomato
Taco cheese
1 small bottle Catalina dressing (cold)
1 bag Doritos (crunched up)

Directions
Brown hamburger and drain. Cool completely.

Chop lettuce (or open the bag and pour it out)

Dice the green pepper and tomato (and any other veggies you may want in your salad).

Put hamburger, lettuce, pepper, tomato, and cheese in a large bowl.

Just before serving stir in crunched up Doritos and Catalina dressing.
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So good on a hot summer night!