Key Lime Pie

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp water
1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 tsp grated lime peel
1 graham cracker pie crust

Whipped topping:
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Key lime slices (optional)

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs and yolk with wire whisk until combined. Gradually add milk to yolks, beating until combined. Add lime juice, water, food coloring, and lime peel. Whisk until well mixed. Pour into crust. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees or until almost set in center. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Chill small mixing bowl and beaters of electric mixer. In chilled bowl beat cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spoon whipped cream around edges of pie. Garnish with lime slices if desired.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Not too tart (which is what I was afraid of) and the whipped topping just adds something special to it! A perfect little pie for dessert, whether with your own family or a group setting. Highly recommend this - I will be making it again!

Italian Vegetable Soup

From: Back-to-School Lunches cookbook

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 bag frozen Italian vegetables or mixed vegetables
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed dried oregano
1 cup uncooked wagon wheel pasta
1 cup cooked diced chicken, optional

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in frozen vegetables, tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken broth, salt, pepper and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook at a low boil 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. If desired, stir in chicken with pasta.

Easily frozen: Just put it in a freezer container. Thaw overnight and you can pack it for lunch or eat it at home.

 
Verdict:
Thumbs up! Such a classic, feel-good, comfort meal! This was definitely a recipe meant for kids but it was delicious. I like this because it's easy to adapt. I'll definitely be making this again and I highly recommend it.

Country Ham Bone Soup

From: Here

Ingredients:

1 baked country ham bone
3 quarts water
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen whole kernel corn
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen lima beans
1 (16 oz.) can black eyed peas, undrained
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, undrained
2 c. cooked elbow macaroni
Salt & pepper to taste

Place ham bone in large soup kettle. Add water; simmer 30 minutes. Remove bone and remove meat from bone. Chop meat and return to broth. Add carrot, celery and onion; simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining vegetables; simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add macaroni; season with salt and pepper. Heat to serving temperature.

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Verdict:

Thumbs up! I needed a way to use my ham bone after I made a ham, and we're not huge bean eaters, so I found this soup recipe and thought it sounded like a winner. Filling, delicious, and easy to make! Next time I make a ham I'll definitely be making this soup the next day again! I highly recommend this soup!

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!