Chicken Salad

This is probably my all time favorite summer salad. It is just so yummy! And it's pretty easy to throw together. Try it, I know you will love it!

Chicken Salad

16 oz spiral pasta
1-2 chicken breasts cooked, cubed and completely cooled (I cheat here... I always use the canned chicken from costco. 1 can works great and it really tastes just fine)
bunch of red grapes
2-3 stalks green onion
1-2 green apples
2-3 stalks celery
1 can pineapple, drained
1 cup lighthouse coleslaw dressing (use only this brand... it's in the produce section)
1 cup mayo

Cook pasta and put in fridge to cool completely. Chop everything up and put in large bowl. Dump in cooled pasta. Add coleslaw dressing and mayo. Stir all together and chill in fridge for several hours before serving.

Red Potato Salad

This potato salad is so quick and easy to put together and it is so perfect for those summer BBQ's. And it has bacon in it... how can you not love that!

2 lbs Red Potatoes washed with skins on
2 cups mayo
6 eggs, hard boiled
2 stalks celery, sliced small
2-3 stalks green onions chopped
1 package of bacon, cooked and cooled
salt and pepper to taste

Pierce potatoes and put them in a boiling pot of water. Boil until done (done but still firm so about 15-20 minutes... keep checking them). Once done, place in refrigerator until completely cooled. Hard boil eggs and place in refrigerator until completely cooled. Cook bacon, dice into small pieces and put in fridge until completely cool. Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, green onion and celery. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for several hours before serving. I will usually make it the night before or early in the morning if eating it that night.

Yummy Bars

I got this recipe from a girl I work with. She brought these into work and they were so addicting. They are super easy to make so you have to try them!

Yummy bars

1 cup karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups rice crispies cereal
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup buttersctoch chips

In saucepan, heat and dissolve karo syrup and sugar. (Do not over cook as your bars will be hard... once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat!)
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in peanut butter
Add rice crispies
Spread into 9x13 pan
Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in microwave for 2 minutes or until melted
Spread over top of bars
Cool until chocolate is hard and enjoy!

One Hour Homemade Bread Recipe

That's right! One hour!! This is my go to bread recipe. I use it all the time! My mom gave it to me and it really is amazing. I just don't have time to spend 4 hours in the kitchen making bread and it really is the best tasting bread I have ever made. So I am sharing it all with you. Try it, you will love it!!


One Hour Homemade Bread Recipe

(this recipe makes 4 full loaves so you can always half it)

5 cups white unbleached flour
5 cups wheat flour (If you are grinding your wheat to flour, this will tack on a little extra time. It usually takes me about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish when I grind my wheat)
1/2 cup gluten
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
3 rounded Tablespoons of Saf - instant yeast (DO NOT use any other brand of yeast. SAF is incredible and once you use it, you will never look back. You can buy it online or at Macey's grocery store)
1/3 cup oil
4 cups hot tap water
3 eggs (optional but adds flavor - I always add them)

Mix dry ingredients together. Add oil, water and eggs. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water. If dough is too moist, add more flour. (I test it by just touching the dough... if you are getting a ton of dough stuck to your fingers it is too moist. If when you touch it and the dough is not sticky at all, it is too dry. Your dough should be tacky.) Knead with dough hook for five minutes. (Do not add water or flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Spray counter and panes with Pam. Shape loaves and put in bread pans. Cover with dish towel and let rise for 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

**Side note - - You need a really good mixer to make bread, aka kitchenaid or bosch. When I start mixing the ingredients, I use a normal kitchenaid beater to just incorporate the ingredients and then I switch to a bread hook to mix and knead.

Taco Soup

Good ol' Taco Soup from good ol' Paula Dean! The best part about this recipe... it all comes out of food storage. So if the world ends, you can always eat Taco Soup! Oh and a heads up, this makes alot! You want to have a big crockpot to do this or you will need to half the recipe.

Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef (we use ground turkey and it tastes great)
2 cups diced onions (I use the dehydrated onions from the LDS cannery)
2 (15 1/2 oz) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2 oz) can kidney beans
1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes
2 (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
2 (4 1/2 oz) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6 oz) can black olives, drained and sliced
1 (1 1/4 oz) package taco soup seasoning mix
1 (1 oz) package ranch salad dressing mix

Brown meat and nions in a large skillet, drain fat. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, and green onions.

Blueberry Jello Salad

I can't even tell you where I got this one from but I made it last Christmas and everyone loved it. It is definitely a keeper and is super easy to make!

Blueberry Jello Salad
1 large package raspberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 can blueberry pie filling

Topping
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix raspberry jello and 2 cups boiling water and stir until dissolved
Add pineapple including the juice and the blueberry pie filling
Refrigerate for 4 hours
Mix all topping ingredients together and spread over set jello
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until served

Apple Pie

Another recipe from my sister KristyAnn... I have made this for every winter holiday for the last few years and everyone loves it. It is very carmelly (is that a word?) and divine!

Apple Pie

For pie

Pastry for single-crust pie
1/2 cup sugar
3 tab flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups thinly sliced and peeled apples (We like tart apples so we always use Granny Smith)

For topping

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup butter

Final topping

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping (let's be honest, I always do more than this!)

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt
add apple slices and gently toss to coat
pour into pie crust
crumb topping - stir brown sugar, flour, and oats
cut in butter
sprinkle over pie
cover edges of pie crust with foil
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes
Remove foil and bake 25-30 min
Remove and sprinkle pecans and drizzle caramel