Delicious recipes from the kitchens of the Butler sisters

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

My Mom made these tacos and I fell in love. So yummy!!! Had Quinn and Leesa over for dinner this week and I made them!

So easy!!!! Throw it all in the crock pot for 8 hours!






I took these pics off line cause we dug in and I forgot to take a pic :)




serves 6-8
Ingredients:
2 lbs flank steak
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
for spice rub—
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
for serving—
corn tortillas
avocado slices
cilantro
your favorite salsa
limes
Directions:
Mix together all spices in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over your flank steak—be generous here! Then, place your steak at the bottom of your crock pot.
Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.
After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour or serve as is.
To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
*I left out cilantro and also added lettece, tomato, and cheese

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Baked Spaghetti

This is a perfect fall meal. It makes a ton, but it's great as leftovers! You could also just halve the recipe and make it in an 8x8 pan. From Taste of Home
These are the alterations I do:
1-1/2-2 jars of meatless spaghetti sauce
low fat cottage cheese

Ingredients 

  • 1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 jar (24 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 cups (16 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
  • 4 cups (16 ounces) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

    Directions

  • Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture and toss to coat.
  • Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers.
  • Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 10 servings.

Chicken and White Bean Stew

This is one of the best White Chicken Chili recipes I have tasted. It's from Better Homes and Gardens and its for crock pot.

Ingredients
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbls. olive oil
2 jars bottled alfredo sauce
1 15 oz. can Great Northern White beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 4 oz. can diced green chile peppers, undrained
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese(optional)

Directions
1. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces(I do this while still partly frozen). Sprinkle chicken with cumin and black pepper. In a large skillet cook chicken, half at a time in hot oil over medium heat until browned. Place chicken in a 3-1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker. Stir in Alfredo sauce, beans, broth, onion, chile peppers, and garlic.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high heat setting for 2 to 2-2 1/2 hours. If desired, sprinkle each serving with cheese and/or parsley.

Coconut Cream Bars with White Chocolate Cookie Crust

These are to die for!!

Cookie Crust
1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup white chocolate chunks

Filling & Topping
2 packages coconut cream pie pudding mix (3.9 oz.)
3 cups milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup coconut

Cookie Crust
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir until mixed well. Fold in coconut and white chocolate chunks. Press evenly into a 13xo pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly golden brown on the edges. Let cool.

Filling and Topping
In a large mixing bowl, beat together pudding and milk. Let chill in refrigerator. In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir in powdered sugar. Pour chilled pudding on cookie crust, then top with whipped cream. Sprinkle coconut over the top. Chill until ready to serve.

Super Yummy Raspberry Cheesecake bars

Super Yummy Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
1st place in the LDS Living Dessert Bar Contest
By Vida Lake: San Angelo, Texas

1 pouch sugar cookie mix (17.5 oz)
1/2 cup firm butter
2 packages softened cream cheese (8 oz. each)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg 
1 can raspberry pie filling (21 oz.)

Pour dry sugar cookie mix in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Set aside 
1 1/2 cups of mixture to use later as topping. Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray and press the rest of mixture flat in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over baked crust. Spread raspberry pie filling evenly over the cream cheese mixture. Take remaining 1 1/2 cups of unbaked crumbs and sprinkle over the top.
Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until crumbs on top are a light, golden brown. Let it cool for 30 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. When firm, cut into bars.
Enjoy!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Butterscotch Nutella Bars

I love bar cookie recipes for fall. If you love Nutella as much as I do then try this recipe. It took 3rd place in the bar cookie recipe contest featured in the July/August LDS Living Magazine. It is very good! Stay tuned later this week for the 1st place bar cookie recipe!
By Sharon Leigh Painter: Aloha, Oregon

Crust:
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup softened butter
2 eggs

Filling:
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/3 cup butterscotch chips

Crust: Mix sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Add butter to the mixture with a pastry blender. When well mixed, add eggs. Stir with spoon and then mix with hands until well incorporated. Reserve 2 cups of this crumbly crust mixture for topping. Press the remainder in a sprayed 13x9 pan and bake 10-13 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly golden on edges

Filling: While the crust is still hot, spoon on Nutella. Sprinkle marshmallows on top, then sprinkle on the butterscotch chips. Dust that with the reserved crust dough. Bake 10-13 minutes until marshmallows and crust are lightly browned.


Beer-Braised Beef Short Ribs

I tried this recipe and it was so good! I served it with a fruit salad, mashed potatoes(we put the left over sauce on the potatoes as gravy), and rolls.
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/beer-braised-beef-short-ribs/


Make Ahead Casseroles


Sorry no photos for this one! I have been making some easy casseroles because I am so busy after school teaching piano and getting kids to their activities. It's been nice to make dinner ahead of time and then just heat it up in the oven when it's time to eat.

Ham and Cheese Casserole- this serves 8 so I cut it in half.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine - 1 stick
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 cups ham - chopped
  • 5 cups potatoes - thinly sliced
  • 3 cups cheese - cheddar, shredded
  • 1 onion - chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper - chopped

Preparation:

Mix flour, pepper, and salt (omit salt if you think ham and cheese are salty enough, I do). Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour mixture. Cook over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Return to heat and cook until thick.
In a very large bowl, mix remaining ingredients with sauce. Bake in covered casserole dish(es). Bake in 350 F. oven for 90 minutes. Remove cover after first 30 minutes.
Let cool 15 minutes before serving. It's even better as leftovers.
To reduce clean-up, I suppose the sauce could be started in a stockpot, and then everything combined in that before putting it in casserole dishes. 

Tortilla Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup soft cream cheese
  • 4 6-inch corn tortillas
  • 3/4 pound ground beef or pork
  • 8 ounces can stewed tomatoes
  • 4 ounces can diced green chile peppers
  • 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, mild
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, Mexican style

Preparation:

Spread about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese onto each tortilla; fold tortillas in half. Set aside.
In a 1 1/2 quart microwaveable casserole dish, crumble the ground beef or pork. Microwave, covered, on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes, until no pink remains, stirring once. Drain off fat.
Stir in undrained tomatoes, undrained chilis, enchilada sauce, and cumin. Cook, covered, on high for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through. Spoon about three quarters of the meat mixture into a 2-quart microwave safe baking dish. Arrange folded tortillas on top of the meat mixture. Spoon remaining meat and tomato mixture over the tortillas.
Cover with wax paper and cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Serves 4.





Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

This is really delicious and not very hard to make. It's a nice comforting fall meal. It's great served with sourdough bread and green salad.
Ingredients:
8 oz. angel hair pasta
8 oz. velveeta cheese
8 oz. stewed tomatoes, diced and include juice(or Rotel if you prefer it spicy)
1 small can mild diced peppers
1 can cream of chicken soup
3-4 chicken breasts
pinch of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Boil thawed chicken breasts until no longer pink in center. Remove from broth and shred and set aside. Add pasta to broth and boil until tender. Drain. Mix all ingredients but pasta until blended. Add pasta to mixture. Place in an 8x8 baking dish and cook in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and stir and serve hot. Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Come On Ladies!

Hey Ladies, we need to get this blog going again. I know you all eat-so post it:)

I love tacos, but get frustrated when I'm trying to eat a crunchy tortilla taco and it breaks into pieces after one bite. This casserole is basically a crunchy beef and bean taco all spread out in a casserole dish! It's such a quick and easy meal!

Beef and Bean Taco Casserole
 
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can (16 ounce) refried beans
1 jar (16 ounce) salsa

1 package (1 ounce) taco seasoning
mix
2 1/2 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
4 medium green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup) left out for Chad of course:)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
1 cup shredded lettuce


Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning mix. Reduce heat to medium. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

In ungreased 2-quart casserole, place 2 cups of the broken tortilla chips. Top evenly with beef mixture. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, 1 cup of the tomato, the cheese, and olives.

Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. Top baked casserole with lettuce, remaining 1/2 cup tomato, and remaining 1/2 cup tortilla chips.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Few Meals I've made lately...

Hawaiin Haystacks

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons of dry Ranch Dressing seasoning packet
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
Steamed rice, enough for your family
Toppings
Chow Mein Crispy Noodles
sliced green onions
black olives
pineapple
cranberries
almonds
tomatoes
shredded cheese
1. Place butter into a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to melt. Slowly whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth and thick, for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Increase heat to high whisking until thick, about 2 minutes. Add sour cream, Ranch seasoning, garlic salt, and cooked chicken breast. Stir and season accordingly. You may prefer additional, salt, pepper and garlic salt. I transferred this to my crock pot and kept it on low all day until dinner. You can either serve it immediately or crock pot it until you are ready.
2. Place rice on serving plates and top with chicken gravy. Have toppings at the table and top with whatever you like! Have fun!
Serves 4
As you can see I left out a few toppings:)

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound fresh asparagus spears
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar
1 pound penne pasta
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ of the pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
While the asparagus roasts, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done, 11-13 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and vinegar mixture. Toss to combine well. Add in the asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese for serving.
Serves 4-6


Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

10 soft taco shells (I used corn)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan
  2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan, seam side down.
  3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute on medium heat. Add broth (or stock) and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. (Only takes a couple of minutes)
  4. Stir in sour cream and chiles until combined. Do not bring to boil.
  5. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
  6. Bake for 25 minutes.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 (8-ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter, add the garlic and cook until the garlic is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the onion powder, then whisk in the flour and milk, then cook until slightly thickened. Add three cups of the cheddar cheese and stir until melted in the mixture. Toss the cheese mixture with the cooked pasta, salt and pepper to taste. Stir the remaining grated cheese into the pasta. Spoon into a large baking dish.

In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter. I always like to add a bunch of freshly ground pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt to this mixture. Spread over the pasta. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.


Baked cheese balls

Keri introduced me to this yummy snack...

Cut your sticks into balls, dip in milk, and toss in the breading (I use Panko Japanese-Style Bread Crumbs)
Bake 8 minutes or less....in the oven at 425 degrees

I dip in marinara sauce!







Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 Box Spiral Pasta
1 pound lean ground turkey (I used ground beef)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup pepperoni
1/2 can of olives
16 ounces pizza sauce or pasta sauce (I use Hunts tomato sauce)
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground turkey with the onion, garlic and green bell pepper. Drain excess fat.  Stir in olives and pepperoni. Pour Pasta sauce and 1/2 cup water over  mix. Serve over cooked pasta. Top with shredded Mozzarella.
Serve with a side salad or french bread.
If you don't like the taste of ground turkey you can substitute it for a pound of lean ground beef (that's what I did). You can also add Canadian bacon instead of pepperoni.



Skinny Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, seasoned with salt & pepper then cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups cooked broccoli
8oz rotini
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
salt & pepper
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining. Set aside.
2. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in flour then whisk to incorporate and cook for 1 additional minute.
3. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, then milk. Whisk in Greek yogurt, salt and pepper, then turn the heat down to low and let the mixture simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off then stir in parmesan cheese, then chicken. Pour over cooked pasta then add broccoli and stir well. Add a little reserved pasta cooking water if sauce is too thick. Serve.


Well there you go! What we've been eating here at our house:)
More to come!


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Individual Chicken Pot Pie

I just put this together to try out my mini casserole dishes,so nothing is measured to a tee. Just do what you think best suits you and your family. Servings: 3 1/4 of a 10 oz bag of frozen mixed veg. 1/2 can of cream of chicken soup 1 spoonfull of sour cream 2 c. cooked cubed chicken breasts Salt Pepper Thyme 1 box of biscuit mix. In a pan cook your frozen vegatables. In a seperate bowl add your cooked chicken, cream of chicken, and sour cream. Add your cooked veg. when they are ready.Add salt,pepper, and thyme for what is best to your taste. Prepare biscuit mix according to package. In a 10 oz size ramiken or casserole dish put the chicken, veg. mixture. add 1 biscuit on top just enough to cover the top of the bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. or until biscuit is cooked all the way. Top with cheese is desired.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Smore Cups

We made these for FHE this week sooo yummy! They're almost too cute to eat:)
7 whole graham crackers (1 cup finely crushed)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
4 bars (1.55 oz each) milk chocolate candy, divided
12 large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Place 1 tablespoon of crumb mixture in each cup of a mini muffin pan. Press crumbs to form shallow cups. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Meanwhile, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.

Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using shears dipped in cold water. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly softened. Remove pans from oven to cooling rack; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. Cool completely. Break remaining candy bars and place in small microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand until set.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Orange Creamsicle Fruit Dip Recipe

I bought a big container of strawberries at Sam's so made this dip...it is so creamy and good!
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1 (7-8 oz) jar of marshmallow creme
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (I was able to get 1/4 cup out of a medium-sized orange)
2 tsp orange zest (I used the same orange that I used for the juice)
1/4 tsp vanilla Fresh fruit for dipping (strawberries, bananas, grapes, melon, cantaloupe, pineapple, etc)

Directions: Beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme together. Add juice, vanilla, and orange peel. Mix together and chill until serving.

Chicken Fried Chicken

Chad loved this. The only gravy he'll eat is country gravy:)
4 skinned and boned chicken breasts
1 tsp salt 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
oil

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Set aside. Combine cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, remaining salt and pepper. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups milk and eggs. Dredge chicken in cracker crumb mixture; dip in milk mixture, and dredge in cracker mixture again. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a 12-inch skillet (do not use a nonstick skillet). Over medium high heat (more on the high side) fry chicken, in batches, 10 minutes, adding oil as needed. Turn and fry 4 to 5 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack in a cookie sheet. Keep chicken warm in a 225° oven.

Country Gravy
1/3 - cup flour
2 - 3 tablespoons pan drippings
3 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Carefully drain the hot drippings, reserving cooked bits and 2 -3 tablespoons of the drippings in skillet. Add 1/3 cup flour to the skillet with the drippings. Cook over medium high heat. Using a whisk mix the flour into the drippings until it starts to brown and become a paste. Slowly add the milk whisking constantly and blending the liquid with the flour mixture until combined. Let the gravy come to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until the gravy thickens up.