Syrup

2 cups Sugar
8oz Evaporated Milk
1 Tbsp Butter

Boil sugar and milk, stirring constantly until all sugar is dissolved. Cook over high heat until the mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat and add butter. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir.


Enjoy!


Don't leave unattended. It comes to a boil fairly quickly.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

I am a fan of Costa Vida and Cafe Rio’s Lime Cilantro dressing and after Googling recipes I did a little mixing and matching and came up with this recipe.

• 1 pk Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
• 1 cup mayo
• 1 Tbsp vinegar and milk to equal 1/2 cup
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup Salsa Verde
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• juice of 1 lime or equal to 2 Tbsp

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

Make it several hours before serving so it can be chilled. I like overnight so the flavors can meld together.

Zippy Ziti

• 8 oz pkg of ziti, uncooked
• 4 C. frozen broccoli cuts
• 3 clove garlic, minced
• 2 C. alfredo sauce
• 14 1/2 oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 2 C. mozzarella cheese
• 4 Tbsp. Italian style bread crumbs
• 2 tsp. butter, melted

Prepare ziti according to package directions; add broccoli during last minute of cooking time. Drain; add garlic, alfredo sauce, tomatoes and cheese, mixing well. Spoon into a casserole dish; set aside. Toss bread crumbs with butter; sprinkle over ziti. Bake at 350 degrees about 20-30 minutes, until top is golden. Makes 4-6 servings.

Chinese Noodle Salad

I am sure this is a familiar recipe to most people.

• 1 lg head napa cabbage, chopped

• 5 green onion, chopped (use only the tops)

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked

• 1 pkg ramen noodles, broken into small pieces, don’t use the seasoning packs

• 1 sm pkg slivered almonds

• 1/2 cup sesame seeds, lightly roasted

Mix everything but the noodles together.

Dressing:

• 1 cup oil

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup vinegar

Blend.

Add to cabbage mixture and refrigerate. Add noodles just before serving.

I like to chop the chicken breast for this salad instead of just shredding it. For some reason I just like the smaller pieces of chicken.

This time I added roasted soy nuts. They added a really nice crunch and flavor.

Also I used just half of the dressing which was really nice. You could taste more of the other ingredients and not just dressing. Plus I just didn’t want to add that much sugar to the salad. Not that I am anti-sugar, but I think I could stand to cut a little sugar out of my diet and be just fine…or maybe even more fine. You know what I mean?!?

And I totally spaced adding the raman noodles before eating…and didn’t really miss them.

Crockpot Cacciatore Chicken

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves
• 32 oz jar spaghetti sauce
• 4 oz can sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Put chicken in Crockpot. Pour on sauce, mushrooms and broth. Sprinkle with seasoning.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve over egg noodles.

When I put my chicken in I always season it with salt, pepper and garlic.

Apple Pancakes

• 2 C. Bisquick
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/3 C. Milk
• 1 C. grated apple
• 1 egg

Syrup

• 1 C. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 C. apple cider
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 C. butter

add all at one time bring to a boil...until butter is melted.

Serve with Sour Cream.

I double both the pancake batter and the syrup for my family.

Pizza Dough

• 1 C warm water
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Mix together until yeast blooms.

Add:

• 1 tsp salt
• ½ C olive oil
• 3 C flour

Mix in Kitchen-aid with bread hook, about 2 minutes.

Let raise 20 minutes.

Pull and roll onto pizza shape. Add favorite pizza toppings. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.