Catalina Frito Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 (9.25 ounce) bag Fritos Corn Chips
  • 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 green bell peppers, finely diced
  • 5-6 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped (or whatever tomatoes you have and like)
  • ¼-1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1 can black olives, drained, sliced
  • 1 can corn sliced
  • 6-8 ounces of Catalina dressing (Enough to coat everything without being soupy.)
  • Add whatever ingredients you like. If you don’t like kidney beans don’t add and you don’t need to add another can of beans. When we started making this out recipe only said kidney beans. We like the other beans instead now.

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine the drained beans, diced bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, and Catalina dressing. Start with 6 ounces and see if you need to add more dressing. Stir well.
  2. Cover the bowl with a tight lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Right before serving, pour in the bag of Fritos. Stir and serve.
  4. Enjoy! Seves 16-20

Hello Dolly/Magic Cookie Bars (Sydney renamed them Old Lady Bars – HAHAHA)

Melt 1 stick of margarine (1/2 cup) om 9X13 pan.

Over this sprinkle 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs.

Next Layer:

  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips (or we like to use peanut butter chips)
  • 1 cup flaked coconut
  • 1 large can sweetened condensed milk (Be sure this covers the coconut)
  • 1 cup chopped nuts

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, till the top is starting to turn golden brown.

Chicken and Dumplings

Soup base

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 cups chicken stock (Dad did 2 cups with chicken bouillon and 2 cups with chicken base)
  • 1 chicken breast (or thighs if you prefer)
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups carrots (however much you want)
  • Frozen peas (however much you want)

Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the peas in an instant pot (set to slow cooker). Cook for about 3 hours.

After 3 hours open and shred the chicken.

Add some peas.

Dumplings (dad doubled the dumplings)

In a bowl mix:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2TBS vegetable oil

Don’t over mix or it will get tough.

Open instant pot and turn it onto simmer.

Add the dough one spoon at a time.

Turn the instant pot back on slow cook and cover. Let cook for 15 minutes.

Parmesan Chicken – Stephanie

In crockpot add:

  • 4 chicken breasts (of course I never use the amount of meat called for)
  • Entire bottle of Parmesan Garlic Wing sauce (see picture at bottom)
  • Fill bottle with milk, shake it, and dump over chicken
  • 8 oz. cream cheese – chopped in a few pieces
  • 1/2 ish bag of shredded parmesan cheese

Cook on high for 4 hours

Shred chicken and return to crockpot

1 box penne pasta – cooked separately and drained

Add pasta to crockpot. Stir and serve.

One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage

INGREDIENTS 

  • 16 ounces Italian sausage
  • 1/2 small onion chopped finely
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices (we used crushed tomatoes)
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream (we used milk and it worked great)
  • 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Handful fresh basil torn (we used dried basil and parsley, about 1 TBS each)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Sauté the sausage and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the sausage and onions are lightly browned.
  • Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the chicken broth and let it cook for about a minute.
  • Stir in the diced tomatoes, cream, and gnocchi. Once the sauce starts to bubble again, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. 
  • Uncover the pan, give it a good stir, and let it cook for another few minutes, or until the gnocchi has cooked through and is nice and soft and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  • Stir in the parmesan cheese, basil, and salt & pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. 

We cooked the gnocchi separately and put both pots on the table.

Homemade Potato Gnocchi and Sausage Tomato Sauce

  • 1 pound potatoes (clean but not skinned / not new potatoes) (we didn’t plan ahead so we pealed and cut the potatoes to boil them and it worked fine)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium egg (room temperature)

INSTRUCTIONS 

GNOCCHI

  • In a large pot boil potatoes until tender, remove from the pot and let cool  remove the skin. Then pass through a potato ricer.
  • Mix together the flour and salt, place on a flat surface, make a well in the middle and add the potatoes and egg, mix together with your fingers to form a soft dough, it should not stick to your fingers. On a lightly floured surface, cut small amounts of dough to form ropes and cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) pieces, then slide each piece on a fork and squeeze a little (but not too hard). Sprinkle with a little bit of flour and toss, so they don’t stick together. Let the gnocchi rest for 20 minutes before cooking.

COOKING GNOCCHI

  • In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the gnocchi, gnocchi are ready when they float to the top.  Drain and add to the cooked sauce, add a little pasta water, cook for 30 seconds, gently tossing. Serve immediately topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

NOTES

For room temperature remove from the fridge about 60 minutes before using.

The perfect potato is an old potato, in other words no new potatoes. New potatoes contain more water which absorbs too much flour. Go for Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes.

As far as flour goes, I always use all purpose, in Italy it’s called Manitoba but some people prefer 00 or a lower protein flour. A lower protein flour will make them softer and more tender, although you may need a little less flour to make the dough.

Potato gnocchi can be left uncooked for no more than a couple of hours (covered). Cooking may be a little longer because they will have dried out a bit in the air.

Any leftover cooked gnocchi should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. They will last up to three days in the fridge.

The Gnocchi can also be frozen, place the uncooked gnocchi on a cookie tray in the freezer, leave for approximately 20 minutes then place them in an airtight freezer bag. They will keep for about 1 month. No need to thaw, just cook from frozen.

One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage

NGREDIENTS 

  • 16 ounces Italian sausage
  • 1/2 small onion chopped finely
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices (we used crushed tomatoes)
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream (we used milk and it worked great)
  • 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Handful fresh basil torn (we used dried basil and dried parsley about 1 TBS each)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Sauté the sausage and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the sausage and onions are lightly browned.
  • Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the wine and let it cook for about a minute.
  • Stir in the diced tomatoes, cream, and gnocchi. Once the sauce starts to bubble again, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. 
  • Uncover the pan, give it a good stir, and let it cook for another few minutes, or until the gnocchi has cooked through and is nice and soft and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  • Stir in the parmesan cheese, basil, and salt & pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. 

We didn’t cook the gnocchi in the sauce.

Sandra’s Creamy Crockpot Potato Soup (Alex’s Aunt)

  • 1 32 oz. bag of frozen diced hash brown potatoes (We used about 6 medium fresh potatoes and it was the same recipe and directions and it worked great.)
  • 1 package of bacon
  • 1 32 oz. box chicken broth
  • 1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 8 oz. package cream cheese (must be full fat)
  • dried chives for garnish
  • bacon crumbles for garnish

Fix more than enough bacon for breakfast. Crumble the leftovers for this recipe.

Put the following ingredients in crockpot: hash browns, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, chopped onion and handful of bacon crumbles. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

During the last hour of cooking cube the cream cheese and add to the crockpot. Mix well.

When serving add dried chives and bacon crumbles as a garnish.

Green Onion Cheeseball

  • 2 8 oz blocks of cream cheese – softened
  • 1 bunch of green onions
  • 1/2 tsp Bon Appetit or Celery Salt (little less celery salt)
  • Sliced almonds (optional)

Mix all together. Form into ball and roll in almonds if desired. Serve with crackers.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (Christmas)

Ingredients:
⁃ 1 1/4 cups flour
⁃ 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
⁃ 1 tsp baking powder
⁃ 1/4 tsp salt
⁃ 1/2 cup light brown sugar
⁃ 1/2 cup white sugar
⁃ 10 tbs butter, softened
⁃ 1 tsp vanilla
⁃ 1 egg
⁃ Candy Cane Hershey kisses


Instructions
⁃ Whisk together 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt
⁃ In a stand mixer cream together 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 10 tbs butter
⁃ Once combined add in 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract
⁃ Slowly beat in flour mixture
⁃ Roll dough into 1 inch balls then roll in white sugar
⁃ Bake at 350 for 6-7 minutes (we would cook 8-9 minutes then add the Hershey Kiss and cook another minute)
⁃ Immediately press candy cane Hershey kisses into center

We found we liked flattening the Hershey kisses.

James’ Christmas Breakfast Casserole (Must be done the Night before) From Katlyn Tyler

  • 2 lbs. Meat  (Pork Sausage or Bacon (crumbled))
  • 3 cups Milk
  • 1 tsp. Salt (for sausage and Meatless)
  • 1 tsp Pepper (for bacon and Meatless)
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 9 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 sm. bag Tater Tots

Grease 9 x 13 baking pan.
Cook meat over medium heat till done, drain well on paper towels.
Place meat at bottom of pan.
Sprinkle cheese over meat.
Beat eggs – add milk, mustard and seasoning, pour over the top of meat.
Place Tater Tots in single rows to fill top of pan
Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Must refrigerate for at least 8 hours)
Bake at 350 for 1 to 1.5 hours.  Serves 10-12.

Katlyn made it for Relief Society without meat and it was delicious.