Here’s an easy take on a classic combination.

Ingredients

• 1 14oz can of chicken broth
• 1 cup of Jasmine rice
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 lime, sliced

Preparation

1. Cook the Jasmine rice in chicken broth
2. While the rice is cooking, saute the onion and garlic.
3. Without draining the black beans, Add them to the onion and garlic mixture. Simmer on low.

Once everything is hot and ready, serve the beans over rice. Add lime to taste.

While we were flying back from San Diego last week, Beth found this recipe in a magazine. Since that time, we’ve already made this pizza twice, and we both agree it is the best homemade pizza we’ve had in a long time. Now I’m sharing all the cheesy, veggie goodness with the following visual recipe:

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This is one of our favorite easy and quick dishes. Think burrito meets pie, and that just about sums up this dish. It’s great right out of the oven, and the leftovers taste great warmed in the microwave.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 pkg. (1 1/4oz.) taco seasoning mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 8 burrito size tortillas
• 1 can (16 oz) refried beans
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown meet in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add seasoning mix and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place 2 of the tortillas on the bottom of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Cover with half each of the beans, meat and cheese. Repeat layers once, and top with the final two tortillas.

Bake 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Bonus: For a special touch on this recipe, after you’ve baked your pie for 30 minutes, remove from oven, add some cheese to the top, turn on the broiler and return to the oven. Be sure to watch it carefully! Once the cheese starts to bubble on top, remove.

I like to call these cookies Super Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies. This recipe combines the traditional toll house cookie recipe and vanilla instant pudding plus a little extra vanilla extract for one great chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 3.4oz box of Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla pudding and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by a rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The addition of vanilla instant pudding to this toll house cookie recipe adds a definite smooth yet swift vanilla kick to this traditional favorite.

This is a simple recipe for french toast. In addition, this recipe includes instructions on the proper technique for dipping your bread as this is a key step in making good french toast.

Ingredients (Serves 2 to 3)

• 6 pieces of bread (white and honey wheat work well)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp of vanilla
• 1/4 cup of milk
• Butter for greasing your skillet

Preparation

Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla together well.

Add a pat of butter to your skillet. Turn heat to just below medium (you don’t want your skillet to get too hot).

Once your skillet is ready, take a slice of bread and quickly dip one side in the liquid mixture. Then, flip over and dip the other side quickly as well. The key is that you don’t want to let your bread soak up much of the egg mixture; you just want to coat it.

Place your bread in the pan, and fry it until it turns golden on each side.

Serve with warm maple syrup. Enjoy!

This hashbrown casserole recipe is a nice addition to any cookbook.

Ingredients

• 1 2-pound bag Southern-style frozen hashbrown potatoes
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 can cream of celery soup (98% fat-free)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1/4 stick margarine, melted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Mix potatoes with remaining ingredients.

Spread in casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

This Mexican chicken casserole features a great “south of the border” taste. As listed, it serves 8, takes 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to bake.

Ingredients

• 4 boned chicken breasts (whole breast), boiled
• 1 can mushroom soup
• 1 can chicken soup
• 1 can chicken broth (from boiled chicken)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 medium to large bag of Doritoes

Preparation

1. Layer Doritoes on bottom of casserole dish with cubed chicken on top.
2. Heat all liquid ingredients in a saucepan.
3. Sprinkle cheese over layed ingredients.
4. Pour liquid over all.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

This is a very cheesy macaroni and cheese recipe for all of you cheese lovers out there!

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk

Preparation

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot add the cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture.

Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

Top with additional cheese if desired.

For last night’s dinner, Beth and I fixed one of our favorites, Wacky Chicken Salad. It’s easy to make, very tasty and great for leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 12oz package rainbow pasta
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced thin
• 1 8oz. cup honey mustard salad dressing
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups of chicken, cooked and cubed
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation

Mix all of ingredients together and enjoy!

Note: Beth and I prefer this recipe without the celery and the red onions, so adjust the ingredients to your liking.

Here’s another favorite from the recipes section of my old website:

Ingredients

• Non-stick cooking spray for misting the pan
• Flour for dusting the pan
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain butter-recipe fudge cake mix
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 7 tablespoons Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, sifted for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray, then dust with flour. (Be sure to dust out the excess flour and then set the pan aside.)

Place the following in a large mixing bowl:

• Cake mix
• Pudding mix
• sour cream
• melted butter
• oil
• eggs
• 4 tablespoons of Kahlúa
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Blend with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute.

After 1 minute, stop the mixer and scrap down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes. The batter should look thick and well combined. (Scrap down the sides if needed.)

Fold in the chocolate chips. Make sure the chips are well distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and smooth it out with a rubber spatula.

In the Oven

Bake the cake for about 55 to 60 minutes. You will know it is ready when it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and it is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack.

Final Steps

With a skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake. Spoon the remaining 3 tablespoons of Kahlúa over the cake, letting it seep down into the holes. Let the cake cool completely, 20 minutes more.

Finally, place the cake on a serving dish and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Enjoy!