Quick Shrimp Scampi

             Photo by Diana Rudolf

Quick Shrimp Scampi

 ½ stick (1/4 cup) of margarine
1 cup of fat-free Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
Juice of 2 lemons or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
Cracked pepper to taste
2 pounds of uncooked shrimp, cleaned

Melt butter in a 9 x 13 pan lined with foil.  Stir in the dressing, lemon juice, garlic powder and pepper.
Add the shrimp, stirring to coat with the sauce.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until the shrimp is done.  Stir occasionally.  Do not over cook.  Serve with steamed rice.  Try to get fresh shrimp.  If using frozen, thaw completely, drain well and pat dry before cooking.

Diana's Tuna Ranch Casserole

Tuna Ranch Casserole

8 ounces of cooked and drained Pennini Rigati
1 large plus 1 small can of tuna in water, well drained
1 1/2 cups of favorite ranch dressing
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp onion powder

Topping:
1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
4 Tbls of melted butter
Paprika
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the cooked Rigati in a 2 quart casserole.
Stir in the tuna, ranch dressing, milk, seasoned salt and onion powder.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Stir in the melted butter and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Quick and Easy Light Popcorn Balls

Quick and Easy Light Popcorn Balls

3  Three ounce bags of light microwave popcorn (make sure you get one with no diacetyl added).
1/4  cup of butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1  (16) ounce bag of mini marshmallows
Cooking Spray

Pop the popcorn in the microwave according to instructions on bag.  Let cool.  Shake the bag so all the unpopped kernels go to the bottom of the bag.  Place in your largest bowl or you can do what I do and clean out your kitchen sink with garbage disposal and dry thoroughly with a clean dry towel.  Place stopper in drain.  This makes clean up easier.  Gently pour the popped popcorn into the bowl or sink being careful not to let any unpopped kernels get through.

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Stir in the marshmallows.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 7 minutes or until the marshmallows have completely melted.  Stir frequently.  Remove from heat when creamy and add the vanilla and desired food color. 

Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and stir to coat the popcorn well.  Lightly spray your hands with the cooking spray and take a handful of the popcorn mixture and press into a small ball.  Place on a clean surface and repeat above with remaining popcorn mixture.  Wrap each popcorn ball in a small section of plastic wrap. 

Enjoy!

For the holidays, I use a small amount of food color to match.  Orange for Halloween, red or green for Christmas, etc.
You can also add candy corn for Halloween or cinnamon red hearts for Valentine's Day.  They're fun to make and the kids love them.

Watermelon Salsa

Watermelon Salsa

2 cups of watermelon, diced
15 1/2 ounce can of crushed pineapple
1 cup of diced red onion
3 tbls cilantro, chopped fine
1 tbls jalapeno pepper, diced fine
1/4 cup of lemon juice
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Combine above ingredients into a large bowl.   Let set in the refrigerator for one hour.  Serve with favorite chips. 

Best and Easiest Chili Ever

                                                    Photo Courtesy of The Print Shop Deluxe


Best and Easy Chilli Ever

2 cans of 15 ounce each Hormel Chunky Chili with Beans
1/2 pound of ground beef
2 Tbs of dark beer (finish the rest with your serving of chili)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp of any instant coffee dissolved in 1/2 cup of boiling water
1/2 tsp cocoa
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1 cup of water
Dash of chili powder to taste

Brown the ground beef, drain.  In a large pot add the beef to the Hormel chili. Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Heat to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.  Add a little water if needed.  For extra color you can add diced yellow, green and red bell pepper.  Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and finely chopped onion, if desired.

Mom's Glazed Drumsticks (Oven and Air Fryer Methods)

Glazed Drumsticks

2 packages of chicken drumsticks, about 10 to 12 in each package
1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ginger
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup of water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place drumsticks in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake, turning once, for 30 minutes.  Mix the remaining ingredients into a
saucepan.  Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils.  About 3 minutes.
Brush part of the sauce over the drumsticks.  Continue baking the chicken, turning and
brushing several times with the sauce until the chicken is done and richly glazed.  If you
like more glaze on your chicken, double the sauce recipe.   Enjoy!

Here’s the Air Fryer version.  

2 packages of chicken drumsticks, about 10 to 12 in each package.  Or you can use chicken wings.  Thawed. 

1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp ginger

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup of water

Combine all of the ingredients, except for the cornstarch.  Marinate the chicken all afternoon in a zip lock bag, refrigerated.  

Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.  Place drumsticks in a single layer on a baking sheet, grill style shelf or tray. 

Pour the marinade into a bowl and add the cornstarch.  Bake 1 to 2 minutes on high in microwave or until sauce has thickened.  Baste each drumstick or wing with some sauce.  Cook 5 minutes and then turn.  Baste the other sides.  Cook 5 minutes more.  Turn and baste every 5 minutes until the 30 minutes is done.  Continue basting and turning to desired doneness. You may need to go 35 minutes for crispier skin.  Serve with 1/2 cup of ranch dressing whisked with 1/2 to 1 Tbs of wasabi powder.

Favorite Taco Salad

Favorite Taco Salad

I got this recipe from a church member at a potluck dinner.  It makes a lot of salad and is great for any gathering.  Enjoy!

1 pound of ground beef
1 package of taco seasoning (not hot)
1  14 ounce can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One large head of iceberg lettuce or 2 small, washed and dried well
(A salad spinner works great here)
5 Roma tomatoes , chopped fine
1 cup of finely chopped red onion
3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1  16 ounce bottle of Thousand Island Dressing
1 large bag of Nacho Cheese Flavor Doritos, crushed.  It's easy to just
open the bag and lay it flat on the counter and crush with your palms.

Brown the ground beef in a large frying pan.  Add the taco seasoning with 3/4 cup of water, stir well, add the kidney beans and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let totally cool to room temperature.  Meat mixture should not be warm at all.

Tear the lettuce into a very large bowl.  Add the tomatoes and onion.
Stir in the completely cooled meat mixture.  Next, stir in all of the Thousand Island dressing and mix well.  Add the cheese and Doritos; mixing well. 
Serve with favorite salsa or all on its own.

Holiday Cranberry Salad

Holiday Cranberry Salad

This salad is wonderful for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  My family loves it.  Enjoy!

2 pkgs of small raspberry jello
1 ¼ cup of boiling water
1 16 oz. can of whole cranberry sauce
2/3 cup of port wine
1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)

Topping:
8 oz. pkg of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of Cool Whip
1 cup of powdered sugar

Dissolve the jello in hot water.  Add the cranberry sauce and pineapple and let set for ½ hour. 
Add the wine, stirring well.  Chill for 4 hours.  For the topping, mix the cream cheese, cool whip
and powdered sugar with a beater until smooth. If needed, add a little more Cool Whip or milk. Spread over the jello salad and serve. 

Miracle Whip Ham Casserole

 A big favorite at our house.  If you like Miracle Whip, you'll love this one.  Enjoy!




Miracle Whip Ham Casserole

1 cup of Miracle Whip (You may want to add more Miracle Whip if desired.  You want your pasta to be creamy.)
2 cups of frozen or fresh broccoli, thawed or cooked, drain
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups of cooked diced ham or chicken
2 cups of cooked corkscrew noodles, drained
1/2 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups of seasoned croutons

In a 9 x 13 pan, combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup of cheese and 1/2 cup

of croutons.  Stir well.  Top with remaining cheese and croutons.  Bake at 350

degrees for 30 minutes. 

BBQ Cheeseburger Meatloaf

This is really good.  Hope you enjoy it!


BBQ Cheeseburger Meatloaf

1 pound of 98% lean ground beef or turkey
Cooking Spray
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup of soft bread crumbs
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 Tbls Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 slices of sharp cheddar cheese or American cheese
2/3 cup of favorite BBQ Sauce
1 Tbls ketchup
1 Tbls brown sugar
1 Tbls vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the beef through the onion in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Place half of

the beef mixture into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Place the cheese

side by side over the beef mixture.  Add the remaining mixture over the top of

the cheese slices. 

In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the top of the

meatloaf.  Bake for 45 minutes or until done. 

Easy Runzas

2 Loaves of Rhodes Frozen Bread Loaves
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup of diced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of cabbage, diced fine
2 cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 cookie sheet pans

1.  Place the frozen bread loaves on a large platter.  Cover with a clean towel.  Set in a warm place to rise.  Takes about 3 to 4 hours depending on the temperature in the room. 

2.  After the bread has risen, brown the ground beef with the onion, salt and pepper over medium heat.  Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir well.  Add the cabbage, stirring for one minute.  

3.  Pinch off about a Hacky Sack ball size of dough and roll onto a floured board.  Roll into a flat circle.  Pick up and gently stretch the circle of dough.  Place about 2 tablespoon size amount of beef mixture in the center of the circle of dough.  Top with 1 tablespoon of cheese.  Fold over and pinch shut.  Move the ends of the runza toward the center seam.  Lay flat on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Press down gently. 

4.  Continue step 3 until runzas are completed.  Prick the tops of each runza.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and run some butter over the tops of each.   Enjoy! 

Fourth of July Luau

 Welcome to the Party!!

 Ice Tea with Raspberry Syrup

4th of July Cupcakes with Dollar Tree Plates and Flowers

Serving Counter

 Window Cling from Dollar Tree

 The Dollar Tree has great decor and party items for your luau!

Watermelon Salsa

2 cups of watermelon, diced
15 1/2 ounce can of crushed pineapple
1 cup of diced red onion
3 Tbs cilantro, chopped fine
1 Tbs jalapeno pepper, diced fine
1/4 cup of lemon juice
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

For Holidays, cut watermelon into a bowl for serving your salsa.  Serve with tortilla chips.  

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