Creamy Mushroom Chicken

This is a great recipe!! The kids eat this one good. You can use the leftover mushroom top from the Turkey Burger or use a regular 8 oz pkgs. I found this recipe on the back of the chicken bag once and have altered it some (my hobbie). My version is better than the bags.

4 chicken breasts (1 lb). If they are monster breasts -like size DD- I cut them in half so they cook better.
1/2 lb mushrooms (or the leftover Portobello mushroom top from the Turkey Burger recipe below)
6 TBSP butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 3/4 cups chicken broth ( I use 1 3/4 cup water and 2 tsp chicken boullioun granules)
2 TBSP half n half
Spinkle of nutmeg

Brown chicken in 3 TBSP butter in a large skillet. Remove. Add mushrooms and rest of butter to drippings. Cook until tender. Remove. Stir in flour to the melted butter and drippings (this is a roux). It will be a thick paste. Add broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Wisk until it blends together and becomes a thickened sauce. Add half n half. Return Chicken and mushrooms to the pan. Spinkle with a little nutmeg. Cover and cook on low for 20-30 minutes. Meat should be 165 degrees. Stir a few times to make sure it isn't sticking. Serve sauce over rice or mashed potatoes.

Frozen Strawberry Pie

Who doesn't like fresh strawberries in the summer? Who doesn't love a frozen treat in the heat of the summer?

This is a fun easy pie that we like in the summer. You could probably use frozen strawberries instead, but we usually use fresh ones. This recipe makes two pies- you can make one for yourselves and take one to the neighbor.

1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups fresh strawberries chopped and mashed a little
1 12 oz carton of cool whip
2 chocolate crumb crusts

Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and strawberries. Fold in cool whip. Put in crusts and freeze 2-4 hours. Remove from freezer 20 minutes from serving so you can cut it.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies... An all time fav!

I found this recipe in a magazine and I really like it because it always turns out well (I seem to alway screw up cookies) and it only make a small batch (I can get about 2 dozen and a few ). That way the fam can eat them all in a few days before they get dried out and stale. And... because I have little will power when it comes to homemade chocolate chip cookies. As Kayla would say, I have a sweet tooth!

1/2 cup butter flavor shortening
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk- whichever you like)

Mix shortening and sugar until creamy. Add molasses , egg and vanilla- mix.
Add dry ingredients except oatmeal and mix- then add oatmeal- mix- add chips- mix. You know the rest of cooking making so I won't bore you with those directions. Cook at 350 for 8-10 min depending on your oven. Mine work best at 9 min. Remover from oven and let cook on pan for 5 min.

Turkey Burger Extrodinaire!!

I'm not a burger person. But I'll have to say I am for this recipe. It's made with ground turkey so it's much leaner and the flavor it superb!! Even my kids LOVE this one (with the exception of Alyssa- I think it's a texture thing with ground meat). Kayla will eat a whole burger- bun and all!! They fight over the leftovers the next day. Top it with light mayo, mustard, tomato and spinach instead of lettuce and this will be the HEALTHIEST burger you ever had. I toast the bun in the toaster a second to give it a little crunch. One more note before I get on to the recipe- I know you're on pins and needles waiting- I've tried the super lean (~93%) and the next leanest (~85%) to see if either make a difference in moistness and flavor. They both tasted the same and turned out equally good so you're probably better off to go with the leanest ground turkey you can buy.

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 portobello mushroom top (I buy the ones that are sliced (2 tops in a pkg and sliced lengthwise))- You just use one, but I have a great recipe that I will post that you can use the leftover mushroom top.
1/2 red pepper chopped fine
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic- minced
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
3 TBSP tomato paste
3 TBSP Italian parsley, chopped fine (in the fresh veggie section by the regular parsley and cilantro- use fresh and not dried parsley- you can definately tast a difference)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix all ingredients together and shape into burgers. I can usually get 5 or 6 burgers. I sized them according to whose eating them (i.e.- I make Savannah a much smaller one than Dad). Remember though- burgers really shrink up when cooked. Place on a cooking sheet and place under broiler- 4 in. from heat. (I haven't yet tried on the grill- I'm always afraid I'll loose some of the burger through the slats) Turn. Cook until meat thermometer is 165. If you don't have a meat thermometer- WHAT KIND OF COOK ARE YOU!! J/K. Really, if you don't have one you really need one. This burger can seem pink from the tomato paste and red pepper. It may seem pink even though it's done and you don't want to keep cooking thinking it isn't done and end up serving a hockey puck for dinner. For the last few seconds- place a slice of cheese on top- we like the round provolone cheese that comes sliced already. Place on your toasted bun with your favorite fixings (mayo, mustard, spinach & tomato are our favs for this burger). ENJOY a great summer cookout with this recipe!!

Easy To Freeze Recipe:
You can double this recipe and freeze the 2nd half. It thaws easy and you have a super quick dinner!

Buttermilk French Toast

This recipe came from a friend in my previous ward. I don't know what her exact recipe was but I knew kind of what was in it so we improvised. It's hard to mess up french toast so just experiment yourselves.

French Toast Recipe
1 pint Buttermilk
6 eggs
2 TSP vanilla
Day old French Bread
Cinnamon

Mix buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Slice french bread and soak in egg mixture. Put in skillet and sprinkle cinnamon on it. Turn and cook other side. Serve with homemade syrup or strawberries and cream. Yummy!!!

Homemade Syrup recipe:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp Mapeline falvoring (an extract)
1 tsp vanilla

Cook until it boils and the sugar is disolved.

Just a note: This recipe is my mom's. I never grew up on "Store bought" syrup. We always made our own. It's so much better than the slimmy bottled stuff. I store the leftovers in a jam jar in the fridge and warm it up in the microwave whenever we need it.