Dinner Exchange

A few of my friends and I started a recipe exchange dinner. The 5 recipes I just added to the blog are from that dinner. It was a great dinner and all of the recipes were easy and really really good. Our dinner exchange nights are going to happen every month so I will be sharing the recipes with you all. Yum!!! Let's eat!!

Parmesan Fondue

Parmesan Fondue

1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 loaf french bread cubed

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker; keep warm. Serve with bread cubes, crackers, vegetables or pretzels.

Jell-O Salad

I heard once Utah was the Jell-O capital of the world. How can we not have a post on the recipe blog that contains Jell-O?

Jell-O Salad

1 large jell-o package (any flavor)
1 large vanilla pudding (cook kind)
2 small boxes of tapioca pudding
1 tub cool whip
5 small cans of mandarin oranges or whatever fruit you choose to match your jell-o.

Boil six cups of water and mix in all ingredients except for cool whip and fruit. Boil for two minutes and keep stirring.

Refrigerate overnight or for at least four hours. Mix in cool whip and fruit and serve.

Garbage Salad

I laughed and was even a little confused by the name of this salad but it is good, really good. I was pleasantly surprised.

Garbage Salad
1/2 can Garbanzo beans
1/2 can Kidney beans
Lettuce
Frito tortilla chips
Catalina dressing

Put beans on top of lettuce. Top with fritos and dressing. Serve.

Orange Glazed Chicken w Rosemary

Another easy recipe. Prep time is 30 minutes.

2 teaspoons canola or olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves crumbled
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 naval orange, peeled, thinly sliced

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until browned on both sides. Add orange juice and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to chicken in skillet; sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium. Cook 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Place chicken on serving platter. Add remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth and mustard to skillet; increase heat to high. Heat to boiling. Boil 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is glaze consistency. Stir in orange slices; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, just until heated. Spoon glaze over chicken on platter. If desired garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.

Lemon Creme Pie

This pie is so easy and so so good to the tongue!! By that I mean it's yummy!

1 graham cracker crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk (cold, stick it in the fridge overnight)
1 8oz. tub of cool whip
Juice from 3 large lemons
1 tbs. lemon rinds

Whip for 3 minutes on high. Poor mixture into crust. Refrigerate. Can be served with raspberries or strawberries.

Broccoli Soup

This is a really easy creamy broccoli soup. It tastes amazingly well.


Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. broccoli, cut into florets
1 carrot, sliced
4 small potatoes, cut into chunks
1 cup onion
5 cups chicken broth (or 4 cups broth and 1 cup water)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp dry mustard
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add onions, potatoes, carrots and mustard, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the broccoli and the broth, and simmer for about 20 minutes. By this time, the vegetables should be cooked. Working in batches if necessary, blend the mixture (in a blender) until smooth. Add the lemon juice, season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with sour cream or parmesean cheese if you like, and serve.

Link to original recipe at Two Fat Als.

White Bean Chili

We have had a lot of soups at our house this winter. We really liked this White Bean Chili recipe.


White Bean Chili

• 1 lb large white beans, soaked overnight in water, drained
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium onions, chopped (divided)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken
• 3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, chopped (optional)

1 Combine beans, chicken broth, garlic and half the onions in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 3 hours or more. Add additional water (or watered-down broth), if necessary.

2 In a skillet, sauté remaining onions in oil until tender. Add chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add chicken and continue to simmer 1 hour. Check seasoning, add jalapeño or serrano to level of desired hotness.

3 Serve topped with grated cheese. Garnish with cilantro, chopped fresh tomato, salsa, chopped scallions, and/or guacamole. Serve with fresh warmed flour tortillas or tortilla chips.

Link to original recipe at Simply Recipes

Cheesy Bread

We haven't really had much garlic bread, but when we found this recipe, it was really good. Not very good for you, but it tastes really good.


Cheesy Bread

• 8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
  
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (substitute garlic powder if you want)
  
• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup, 4 ounces), softened to the point of being slightly melted (you can use less butter if desired)
  

• 1 loaf of French bread

1 In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. In a separate small bowl blend the butter and garlic until smooth. Add the butter mixture to the cheese mixture.

2 Preheat broiler. Slice loaf of bread in half horizontally, lay crust side down. Spread cheese mixture over the bread. Place under the broiler until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

3 Remove from broiler and let sit for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Slice the bread with a bread knife. Serve.

Link to original recipe at Simply Recipes

Black Bean Salad

This is a recipe that Scott found. It is actually really pretty good. We hope you enjoy it too.

Black Bean Salad

2 cans black beans, drained, about 30 ounces
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/4 cup diced pineapple
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
4 tablespoons vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Link to original recipe at the Food Network.