BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted

In a saucepan, saute the onion, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the salsa, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken; stir to coat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve on buns.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was so delicious. We didn't eat it on hamburger buns, just plain, and it was so delicious. Everyone in my family ate more than one plate. Stephen, who claims to not like barbecue chicken very much, ate three plates AND took the leftovers to work the next day! Definitely a family-friendly recipe and cheap, for me, because I didn't need to buy a single ingredient. Highly, highly recommend this recipe! 

Garlic Bubble Ring

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
1 lb frozen bread dough, thawed
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9" Bundt cake pan. Pull off pieces of thawed bread dough; form into balls. Combine butter and egg in a small mixing bowl; mix in cheese, garlic powder, salt and parsley. Dip dough balls into mix and layer in the prepared pan. Cover; let rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Verdict:

Oh. My. Gosh. Biggest thumbs up EVER. I used Rhodes rolls instead of a frozen bread loaf. I loved this because it was already in the balls. All I had to do was let it thaw, dip each ball into the mixture, and then I used a circle cake pan instead of a cake pan. Cooking time for me was only about 20 minutes though.

When they came out of the oven they were dripping in butter and garlic, just the way we like them! As they sat out, the bottoms got a little crisper and they had this awesome butter/garlic caramelization on the bottoms. Tremendous. We ate the entire pan in no time. I would eat this for every meal if I could. Seriously. Highly recommend this recipe!

Spinach Tortellini Soup

From: Budget Bytes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
28 oz water
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
15-20 cranks fresh cracked pepper
1 12-oz package frozen cheese tortellini
1 10-oz box frozen spinach
2 tsp salt

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot along with the olive oil over medium-low heat until they are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). Add the can of tomato sauce, the can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes, and one can full of water to the pot. Add the basil, oregano, a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring up to a simmer (about 10 minutes). Add the frozen tortellini and frozen spinach (no need to thaw either one). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up the frozen spinach. Cook until heated through, the spinach has completely incorporated, and the tortellini is tender (about 10 minutes). Season to taste with salt.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! We love spinach tortellini soup, and this is such a simple, classic recipe. Couldn't be any better! I did use my canned tomatoes instead of store-bought, but only because I need to put them to use. I have nothing negative to say about this recipe. I topped it with crackers and parmesan cheese. Absolutely delicious!

Honey Baked Ham (Copycat recipe)

From: Mommy's Kitchen

Ingredients:
3 1/2- lbs ham (spiral cut smoked, fully cooked)
1/2 - cup pear or apple juice
1/2 - cup orange juice
1/2 - cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 - cup honey
hand held butane torch

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the ham, cut end down, in a large baking pan.  Mix the pear or apple juice with the orange juice in a bowl and mix.  Pour the juice mixture over the ham and bake for 15 minutes basting frequently with juices. Remove from oven.  Mix brown sugar and honey together in a small bowl.  Brush mixture over ham and bake for another hour or until internal temperature reads 140°F.  Using a butane torch carefully caramelize the glaze to the crust using small strokes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I am never buying deli ham again. Literally. I can't believe I have waited so long to cook a ham. I'm not sure why I was so afraid. About a month ago I caught a ham on sale for $0.99/lb and I scooped one up (it was just over 8 lbs). I figured I may as well take the plunge and try to cook it. Found this recipe and made this for dinner the night Stephen just returned from his last deployment. It doesn't get any easier than this. I threw away the glaze packet that came with the ham. I did everything just as this recipe specified (I used apple juice and orange juice) but my ham did take about 3 1/2 hours to cook. When it was done, we used the butane torch to caramelize the outside (see first picture) but all it did was harden the spot that we torched. I ended up matting on extra brown sugar with some juices and then torching it lightly. This added the "Honeybaked Ham" skin that we love so much! If you're scared of cooking a ham, like I was, I strongly encourage you to try this recipe. It was incredibly simple and made a ton of ham. I'll never be afraid again!

Cinnamon Banana Bread

From: Bargain Briana

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 bananas
• 1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons half and half
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine bananas, half and half (I used milk), egg, and oil in bowl until smooth. Stir in brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour. Cool completely.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I have a tried and true banana bread recipe that I never stray from, but you know I'm always open to trying new recipes. I like this one. Not too different from my other recipe but just as delicious. I highly recommend it if you like a basic banana bread recipe! 

Surprise Chocolate Cake

From: Cooking With Heinz Ketchup

Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Chocolate frosting

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add milk, ketchup, shortening, and vanilla. Beat at low speed until combined. Add eggs and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Spread batter evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until done (it took mine 25 minutes). Cool. Frost with your favorite frosting.

Chocolate frosting recipe:
From: Here

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp evaporated milk (I used regular milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

Verdict:
Well, it got a thumbs up from everyone who tasted it. My opinion is, I've made much better cakes. I felt like I could really taste the cinnamon for some reason. I'm not sure why that is. On the other hand, I loved the frosting. I love the not-overwhelming-sweetness of homemade frosting, and this didn't disappoint. So, in the end, I would make the frosting again, but I'll stick with some of my other tried and true chocolate cake recipes in the future.

Paula Deen's Chocolate Chip Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

From: Here

Ingredients:
Cake base layer:
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 

Filling layer:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 

Topping:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey.

Verdict:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anything that involves cake mix, lots of butter, and chocolate, is okay in my book. This was a great cake recipe. Not too sweet, so you can eat a lot at once. But definitely satisfying to your sweet tooth! I would love to throw in some butterscotch chips next time, or chocolate and peanut butter chips together. Yum! A great, versatile recipe that is super easy to make.