English Toffee

1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
6 oz. milk chocolate chips

Place pecans on the bottom of a 8x8x2 inch pan. Mix butter, sugar and water in a heavy skillet. Turn stove to high heat. Continually stir mixture. Mixture should appear fluffy. Mixture will begin to leave the sides of the pan. The candy is done when the mixture begins to turn amber color with a smoking appearance. Immediately pour over the pecans. After a couple minutes pour chocolate chips over top of the candy. Wait a few more minutes for the chocolate to melt and smooth with a knife. Allow candy to cool then break into pieces.

Classic Roasted Turkey

1 (12 pound) whole turkey
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cups warm water
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets. Place turkey in a disposable foil roasting pan. Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin and breast meat. In a medium bowl, combine the water with the bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley. Pour over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning salt over the turkey. Cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees. For the last 45 minutes or so, remove the foil so the turkey will brown nicely.

Favorite Taco Soup

1 -1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
16 oz tomato sauce
2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
2 16 oz cans of whole kernel corn, undrained
2 16 oz cans of kidney beans, undrained
1 package of taco seasoning

grated cheddar cheese
sour cream
corn chips

Brown the ground beef, onion and pepper in a large pot. Drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomtaoes, corn, kidney beans, and taco seasoning. Simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, and chips.

Yield: 16 servings

We eat this soup a lot in the winter. It's so yummy and so easy to make. Seriously anyone can make this soup. The hardest part is opening all the cans!

TIP: It makes a lot so we usually freeze some in individual serving sizes that are easy to pull out of the freezer later.

Japanese Chicken

This recipe comes from my days at BYU. As a dietetic student I worked in the Pendulum Court in the Erying Science Center where we served lunch. This was always one of my favorite chicken dishes that we made.

2 eggs
1 cup flour
6 Tbsp sesame seeds
8 chicken breast
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups vinegar
1/3 cup water
4 cups granulated sugar (yes, it has a lot of sugar)

Preheat oven to 350°. Whip eggs in one bowl. In another bowl combine flour and sesame seeds.
Dip chicken breast in the egg mixture. Then roll evenly and heavily in the flour mixture and place in greased 9x13 inch pan. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, water, and sugar. Pour sauce over the chicken breast and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

Chopped Salad

I have posted this recipe on my personal blog before, but we had it for dinner tonight and I thought I'd put in on here.

Romaine and Iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
Red cabbage, finely chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Chicken breast, cooked and chopped
Small macaroni, cooked (Ditalini or small elbow macaroni works fine)
Gorgonzola or Blue cheese, crumbled
Creamy Italian dressing

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

1 envelope (7 g) unflavored gelatin

½ cup hot water

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temp

1 can (13.4 oz) Nestle Dulce de Leche (you will find this with the Latin foods at the store)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, whipped until soft peaks form (I used regular whipping cream)

1 prepared 10 inch (9 oz.) graham cracker crust

DIRECTIONS:

Mix gelatin and hot water in small bowl until dissolved.

Beat cream cheese and dulce de leche in large bowl until creamy.

Stir gelatin mixture and vanilla into the cream cheese mixture.

Fold in whipped cream.

Pour into crust.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Serves 10.

TIP: When the cream cheese is at room temperature it is easier to make a smooth and creamy mixture, so don't forget that important step!

This is SOOO delicious. The cheesecake isn't too dense or too airy, it's just the perfect texture. It's so easy to make too, you really should try it!

Brazilian Lemonade

This is quite the tasty treat. It is very similar, if not identical, to that which you would pay $3 per glass for at Tucanos, and you can make it at home and have it as much as you want!!!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 3 cups water
• ice

DIRECTIONS

1. Juice limes. Place lime juice in a blender with the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and water. You can also use concentrated lime juice. Be sure to use the appropriate amount of juice. I prefer fresh limes.
   
2. Blend in an electric blender until smooth. Serve over ice.
   

Easy as can be, right? Enjoy.