Loaded Seafood Chowder

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. flour
1 diced onion

2 celery stalks, diced

1 bell pepper, diced
1 can minced clams

1 cup cooked, deveined shrimp (small salad shrimp is great, but you can cut up larger ones as well)

1 cup lump crab meat, rough chop for smaller pieces
3 potatoes, cooked and diced
4-5 c. milk (to desired thickness)

1-2 t. Old Bay seasoning (can be more or less to taste)
salt & pepper to taste
1 can corn (optional)

Melt butter. Sauté veggies in butter. Add flour and cook briefly. Add milk and stir until smooth. Add boiled and diced potatoes. Add seasonings a bit at a time so you can taste along the way.  Add seafood and juice from can of clams. Simmer and eat!  (I use a crock pot just so it stays warm as long as I want it to).  It could also be done in an Instant Pot by cooking veggies in saute mode, and then the slow cooker option to warm the rest of the ingredients through.

I adapted this recipe from my Mom's basic clam chowder.

Creamed Corn Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients

for the homemade cornbread mix
• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups corn meal
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ cup sugar

for the Creamed Corn Cornbread Muffins
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups homemade cornbread mix
• ½ stick (¼ cup) melted butter
• 1 (14.75 oz) can creamed corn or cream style corn

Instructions

for the homemade cornbread mix
1. Add all ingredients for cornbread mix to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart airtight container and secure the lid. You will need 2 cups of the cornbread mix to make the Creamed Corn Cornbread Muffins. Store the remaining cornbread mix for later use, see Notes.

for the Creamed Corn Cornbread Muffins
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Beat eggs in a medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Add 2 cups of cornbread mix, melted butter and creamed corn to mixing bowl and stir to combine.
4. Transfer mixture into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup evenly, about 2/3rd of the way full each.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes or until cooked through (a toothpick inserted in a muffin should come out clean).

Recipe from Joy Love Food.

Taco Chicken Queso Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes & peppers
• 8 oz Velveeta, cut into chunks for easier melting
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 cups cooked chicken (omit for veggie version)
• 4-6 cups milk, depending on desired thickness
• cilantro (for garnish)
• shredded Mexican-blend cheese (garnish)

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
2. Add the flour and mix to create a  roux.
3. Pour in the desired amount of milk (it will thicken slowly, so start thicker than desired as you can always add more milk later to thin it out).
4. Add the Velveeta chunks and stir until melted throughout.  This is where you'll want to add more milk if you'd like it to be thinner.
5. Add the Rotel, black beans, and corn.
6. Finally, add the cooked chicken. Stir and cook until the soup is hot and ingredients are incorporated. 
7. Remove from heat and top with cilantro and shredded cheese.

This one's mine!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 slices bacon, diced (omit for veggie version)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk, or more, as needed
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and green onions.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with green onion, cheese and bacon, if desired.

Recipe from DamnDelicious Blog

Chicken Zoodle Zoup

3 chicken breasts cooked and cut into chunks (I like to bake mine and season them with sage, poultry seasoning, salt, & pepper, but this isn't mandatory.  This can also be omitted for a complete veggie version.)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 large diced onion
5 sliced carrots
4 sliced celery stalks
2 c. frozen peas
2 cartons chicken stock (or veggie)
2 bay leaves
sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional, or could use dried)
spiralized zucchini (I like to use about a pound, but you can add or take away whatever you like)

If your chicken isn't seasoned, you'll want to add the following:
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. sage
salt & pepper to taste

**Note:  ALL veggies can have more or less depending on what you have available

Soften onions and garlic in some olive oil or a small amount of butter in a large stock pot.  Add carrots and celery, stirring occasionally.  Cook until veggies are tender.  Add seasonings (if your chicken isn't seasoned heavily, or if you prefer a stronger flavor) with the exception of the bay leaves.  Stir in stock and add the bay leaves.  Soup needs to simmer for about ten minutes before adding the zoodles.  When zoodles are tender, soup can be served immediately.

For CrockPot version, put it all in the crock pot and set on low for six hours or high for three hours.  Zoodles may not be as firm, but still delicious!

This recipe is mine.

Sticky Purple Meatballs

1 small bottle of  BBQ sauce or Chili Sauce
1 18 oz. jar Grape Jelly
1 pkg. Frozen Meatballs

Combine sauce and Grape Jelly. Place meatballs in CrockPot and pour mixture over the top. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, stirring periodically. Can be served on toothpicks as an appetizer, delicious with rice or baked potato as a main dish, or on rolls for a Meatball Sub/Slider.

For thicker sauce, use a ladle to remove most of the sauce from slowcooker and place in saucepan on medium-high heat to reduce for 10-15 minutes. Pour back over meatballs before serving.

This one’s mine!

Pesto Italian Sliders

SANDWICHES 

1 pkg King's Hawaiian Rolls (or other dinner rolls, halved)

8 oz. Pesto

1 sliced tomato

1 pkg Herb-Seasoned Turkey Lunch Meat

1 Handful of Mini Pepepronis

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

TOPPING

4 Tbsp Butter, melted

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Handful of Parmesan Cheese (can be grated or shredded)

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place the bottoms of the rolls in the pan (if using King's Hawaiian, you don't have to separate the rolls, just slice them all carefully down the middle). Spread half of the pesto on the inside of the bottoms of the rolsl and the other half on the inside of the tops. Next, layer the slices of tomato, then the lunch meat. Sprinkle the pepperonis over the turkey slices. Cover the meat with shredded cheese and place the tops on the rolls. Mix topping and pour or brush  evenly over the sliders. Bake @ 350* for 15-20 minutes to warm the meat through and melt the mozzarella.

I created this one!

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (or 3 cans of Costco canned chicken)

1 lb. cooked bacon/crumbled sausage (a mix is lovely)

1 large onion, chopped (1/2 red, 1/2 sweet yellow, if possible though)

Diced sweet peppers (I tend to do a bag, but measure with your heart)

2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced (or garlic powder)

1 tablespoon oil

4 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern (white) Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth

2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

Fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, crema, for garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken until no longer pink, then add onion, fresh peppers, and garlic. Add cooked bacon/sausage, beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Option: In a medium round slow cooker, place 1 pound chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) without cubing them. Add the chopped veggies, cooked bacon/sausage, garlic, beans, green chiles and all of the spices. Do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet! Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (if using frozen chicken you’ll cook on the longer end of that spectrum, fresh chicken will cook in less time). Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces. Stir back into the slow cooker. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream  until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the soup cook until heated through. Serve.

Recipe adapted from my MIL, Marie.

Bacon Feta Salad

1 pkg. Spring Greens (or your favorite greens mixture)
1 carrot, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 seedless cucumber, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
handful of cherry/small heirloom tomatoes (you could dice a large tomato as well)
1/4 c. Craisins (dried cranberries)
chopped pecans/walnuts
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese (I use the basil tomato feta)
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (omit for veggie version)
croutons

Toss it all together and serve fresh!  I like to use a blueberry pomegranate or balsamic dressing, but just about any type of dressing would be delicious.

I came of with this one on my own!

Chicken in a Buscuit

1 8 oz. pkg. plain cream cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/8 t. pepper
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced into small cubes
a small handful of chopped mushrooms
2 cans of crescent rolls

Cream the first four ingredients together.  Fold in the chopped chicken and the mushrooms.  Make a pocket using two of the crescent roll pieces and fill with the chicken mixture.  Seal the edges and place on a baking sheet (I used parchment paper to save on clean-up and easy removal).  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.  Serve with thinned cream of chicken/cream of mushroom soup over top.


Recipe from me, but I'm sure everyone has their own variation of this!

Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana

Ingredients

• 1  lb Italian sausage
• 3 large russet baking potatoes, cut into chunks (I used baby reds because it's what I had)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 pouch Oscar Meyer real bacon pieces (or a few pieces of cooked, chopped bacon)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups kale, chopped (or spinach works too)
• 2 quarts water
• 4 tsp chicken granules 
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Cook sausage.
2. Drain sausages on paper towels. Saute onions and garlic. Place potatoes, chicken granules, and water in pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
3. Add sausage and bacon pieces.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Turn to low heat.
7. Add kale (or spinach) and cream.
8. Heat through and serve.

Recipe from Darrin's cousin, Amber

Cranberry Salsa

1 Can (28-32oz) stewed tomatoes, drain excess liquid 

1 Can jellied cranberry sauce 

5 Sticks celery 

1/2 bag shredded carrots (or you can shred a few carrots on your own) 

1 Large Anaheim Pepper 

1 Jalapeno Pepper (or more if you want it hot) 

2 12 oz. bags fresh cranberries 

1 Red onion 

1/2 bunch cilantro 

3 Tbsp. brown sugar 

4 Tbsp. white vinegar 

 Pulse tomatoes, cranberry sauce, and fresh cranberries  in a blender or food processor. Finely chop celery, carrots, peppers, cranberries, onion, and cilantro and add to the cranberry mixture. Dissolve the brown sugar in the vinegar and pour over the salsa. Stir well, and chill. **The celery and carrots are easily left out if you like, and you can sub in a bell pepper for the Anaheim or chili if you're not great with heat.

To make it even more festive, you can buy the spinach tortillas and either cut them into triangles or use a tree cookie cutter (or any other cookie cutter for that matter) and then bake or fry the pieces into chips. There are also guacamole chips that are green which you can just buy at the store. Either way, this stuff is so good, I promise.

Recipe adapted from my very favorite roommate ever, Jen Johnson.

Taco Soup

2 cooked chicken breasts, diced OR 1/2 lb. cooked ground beef (omit for veggie version)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/2 c. salsa

14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained (or two cobs, with the corn cut off)

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

2 Anaheim chili peppers, chopped

1/2 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

salt, pepper, & hot sauce to taste

Dump all the ingredients in a crock pot and simmer as long as you can stand it. :) Then, garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

I made this recipe up myself, but there are lots which are very similar.

Pesto Pinwheels

thinly sliced flank steak **the package I purchased had three, so I used them all**

15 (roughly) basil leaves

1 small bunch of chives

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

pepper

Lay out flank steak on a smooth surface. Sprinkle with pepper and line with 1/3 of the small bunch of chives. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese and lay five basil leaves over the top to cover the pepper, chives, and cheese. Roll the steak as tightly as possible. Slice into 1" pinwheels and thread onto a metal skewer. Heat through to desired doneness and serve immediately.

Recipe from myself!

Shredded Beef Taquitos

Meat Rub:

1 t. garlic salt

2 t. chili powder

2 t. cumin

2 t. paprika

1 t. pepper

OR 1 pkg. taco seasoning (an easy substitute if you don't wanna do your own)

3-4 lb. beef roast

EVOO

1 (14.5 oz) can beef broth

1 c. shredded cheese

1 (12 oz) bottle green taco/enchilada sauce

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis

36 small corn tortillas

Combine seasonings for meat rub in a large container OR dump in the taco seasoning packet. Coat the roast on all sides with seasoning and place in a hot skillet with EVOO. Brown all edges for a few minutes and place roast in crock pot. Add beef broth and cook on low for 8 hours (or to your crock pot's specifications--if you tend to need more liquid, you can add some water). Drain excess liquid after cooking is done and shred roast. Mix meat with shredded cheese while warm so it melts. Stir in the green sauce and green chilis.

**You can complete the previous step a day ahead if needed and leave it in the fridge**

To make taquitos: Heat 5-6 tortillas in microwave between wet paper towels until you can roll them without cracking (it took me a full minute). Place 2 T.(ish) in each tortilla and roll. Place the seam side down on a greased cookie sheet and bake @ 425 for 20 minutes. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or gauc. This recipe will make ALL 36 taquitos, but they are easily placed in Ziplocs, frozen, and re-baked later.

Recipe is from my own head!

Garlic Lime Kabobs

Marinade:

1/2 c. EVOO

2 t. ginger oil (you could also grate in some ginger root or use a small amount of ground ginger)

1 T. garlic, minced

1 t. chili powder

1 t. onion powder

juice of three limes

salt and pepper to taste

Other ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, cubed

2 bell peppers cut into large, bite-sized shapes

1/2 large red onion, cut into large, bite-sized shapes

Combine marinade ingredients and whisk until combined. Add cubed chicken and chill for at least two hours; the longer, the better. Pre-heat grill or grill pan. Assemble skewers alternating chicken, pepper, and onion. Reduce head to a medium-low and place skewers on grill. Flip 180 degrees once so meat cooks evenly on both sides. Serve with rice as a main dish, or as a BBQ appetizer. This recipe makes eight skewers (if you load them up the way I did in the photo). Obviously, more veggies can be added (zucchini, cherry tomatoes, squash, etc.) and chicken can be removed for a veggie dish.

I came up with this one!

Cold Salad Stuffed Peppers

2 cans tuna/chicken, drained
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 c. grapes, halved
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
1/3 c. Mayo
salt & pepper to taste
2 bell peppers, seeded & halved

Combine meat, celery, grapes, cheese, and Mayo in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly into the halved peppers.

Recipe from Incredibly Easy Weeknight Meals.

7-Layer Dip

1 can refried beans
16 oz. sour cream mixed with 1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
Shredded cheese

8 oz. guacamole
sliced olives
diced tomatoes
chopped green onions

Put layers in an 8x8 dish. Serve with chips.

Recipe from Aunt Susan Waldvogel.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

12 oz. bottle artichoke hearts
1/2 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayo
2 green onions, chopped
16 oz. cream cheese
1 clove garic, diced
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Mix and warm in microwave until cheeses melt together, stirring occasionally. Serve with loaves of bread cut into slices or crackers. Double the batch because you'll want more!!!

Recipe from Brad Gale

Cheese Ball

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 5 oz. jar Old English cheese
1 5 oz. jar Roka Blu cheese

**This is a seasonal item and can only be found between Thanksgiving and New Year's, so stock up!!! You may also substitute a jar of another cheese spread, double up on the Old English, or use 5 oz. of sour cream mixed with a little bleu cheese dressing or crumbles.
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. chives (parsley if you prefer to lessen the onion flavor)

Soften cheeses and mix everything together. Serve with crackers.

Recipe adapted from the Bangerter Family.