Corn Salad with Queso Fresco

from the kitchen of Kristin Sokol from Our Best Bites adapted from Better homes & Gardens Mexican
A Link to Our Best Bites with pictures

4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
8 ounces queso fresco or cotija cheese
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (and seeded if desired)
1/2 recipe (about 6 ounces) Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional: For an easy one-dish meal, add leftover rotisserie chicken

Instructions:
Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large stock pot. When the water boils, add the corn and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse and then add to a large bowl. Toss together the corn, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno pepper, and crumbled cheese. Toss with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve. Right before serving, gently toss in the avocado and season with salt and pepper. Serves 10-12.

Lemon-Orzo Salad with Veggies and Chicken

1 C uncooked orzo pasta
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp honey
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 C cooked shredded or diced boneless, skinless chicken
1 C diced cucumber
1 C diced red bell pepper

1-2 C diced, grilled chicken seasoned with lemon pepper

1-2 chopped Roma Tomato
1/3 C sliced green onions
2 tsp dried dill
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta feels cool to the touch. Drain and place in a large salad bowl.

While orzo cooks, combine lemon rind, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, honey, and black pepper. Whisk to combine.

Add chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, green onions, and dill to pasta. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Divide onto 4 plates and sprinkle with feta.

Serve with grilled pita bread sprinkled with lemon pepper.

Lime Mousse Pie

Kristin Sokol

1/4 c. limejuice

1 packet unflavored gelatin

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

1 lime, zested

1/2 c. milk

6 squares white baker’s chocolate

16 oz Cool Whip

2 Graham cracker crusts

Place limejuice in bowl and sprinkle over the top of gelatin. Mix until dissolved and set aside. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and zest from lime. Mix with a hand mixer until creamy. Set aside. Bring milk to a simmer in saucepan, and then remove from heat. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth. Chocolate mixture needs to remain hot until ready to mix with cream cheese mixture. Add gelatin mixture to milk. Mix well, keeping hot. Slowly beat the white chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture. Fold Cool Whip into white chocolate/cream cheese mixture. Pour filling into pre-made graham cracker crusts. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold.

Éclair Pie

Kristin Sokol

1box Graham Crackers

1container Cool Whip

1big box instant vanilla pudding

1 can chocolate frosting or your favorite chocolate topping

Make vanilla pudding according to directions. When pudding is set, mix with container of Cool whip. Layer graham crackers on bottom of large casserole dish. Pour half pudding mixture over grahams. Add another layer of grahams add remaining pudding mixture. Add final layer of grahams and frost or drizzle chocolate generously over top. Allow to set in the fridge at least 5 hours before serving to soften grahams. Cut and serve chilled. (I like it nearly frozen best.)

Jell-O Poke Cake

Kristin Sokol

1 white or yellow cake mix
1 little box red Jell-O (or your favorite flavor)

I container cool whip

I little box instant vanilla pudding
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. cold water

Prepare cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 min. Cool in pan 15 min. Poke holes in cake with a large meat fork. Don’t be afraid to mangle the cake a little, don’t mangle it to death. Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Add cold water and pour slowly all over cake. Chill 3-4 hours. Prepare pudding according to directions. When pudding is set mix with cool whip. Top pudding mixture. Serve, everyone will be glad you did.

Snickerdoodles

Kristin Sokol

Mix together:

1 c. shortening

1½ c. sugar

2 eggs

Stir in:

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2¾ c. flour

Roll into walnut size balls. Roll balls in Cinnamon/ Sugar mix. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in preheated 325-degree oven for about 12 minutes. They’re done even if they still look a bit wet…that just leaves them moist when you eat them.

No Bakes-- Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Karen Sokol

We made these almost every Bear Cub Scout meeting when the boys were little. The boys ate them by the spoonful before they even set up. Bob still prefers them hot. I learned to make them at BYU my freshman year 1971.

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1/2 c. cocoa

1/2 c. milk

3 c. quick cooking rolled oats

1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional (Kristin’s no bakes have 1/2 c. peanut butter)

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil quickly. Reduce heat to medium and boil 3 to 4 minutes, or until a little dipped into cold water forms a soft ball (234 degrees.) Remove from heat, stir in rolled oats, nuts if you want them, and vanilla. Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper. (Kristin prefers to eat them frozen.)

Butterscotch Delights

Kristin Sokol

Cream:

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. shortening

2 eggs

Mix in:

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 T. milk

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Then mix in:

2 c. flour until dough is smooth.

Add: 2 c. uncooked oats, mix well

Drop small spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes. Cookies are done even if they look a bit wet. If you let them brown up too much they will be overdone. Cookies will drop when out of the oven.

Garlic Knots

Kristin Sokol

2½ c. flour

1 T. sugar

1 T. yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. warm water

2 T. oil

Mix two cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add water and oil; mix well. Cover bowl, let sponge 10 minutes. Add remaining flour. Knead five minutes. Let sponge for 5 minutes.

Break into balls slightly smaller than a golf balls. Roll into small snakes and tie in a knot. Dunk into melted garlic butter and bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese after they bake. Serve with marinara.

College Easy Pizza Dough

Kristin Sokol

2½ c. flour

1T. sugar

1 T. yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. warm water

2 T. oil

Mix two cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add water and oil; mix well. Cover bowl; let sponge 10 minutes. Add remaining flour. Knead five minutes. Let sponge for 5 minutes.

Superbowl Chilli-Cheese Dip

Kristin Sokol

1 small brick Velveeta cubed

1 can chili

1 brick cream cheese cubed

1 c. Milk

Put all ingredients together in crock-pot except the milk. Heat. Thin with milk before serving if desired. If you like it thick, then don’t bother with the milk.

Razzleberry Jell-O Salad

Kristin Sokol

1 box cook and serve lemon pudding

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1 large box sugar free raspberry Jell-O

1-2 c. fresh or frozen berries (whatever you like, I prefer raspberries)

One thawed container cool whip

Make lemon pudding according to directions. Make Jell-O using only hot water instructions. Add a cup or so of ice to dissolved Jell-O mixture. Stir until ice is melted. Mix Jell-O and pudding together, pour into large casserole pan. Drop fruit into Jell-O. Set at least 4 hours. Once the Jell-O is set frost with thawed cool whip.

Rainbow Jell-O

Kristin Sokol

2 little boxes Jell-O (for each layer)

1/3 c. Sour Cream (for each opaque layer)

6 T. ice water (for each translucent layer)

Begin by making one small box Jell-O and use only hot water directions. Once Jell-O is dissolved, mix in sour cream until mixture is smooth and creamy (submersion hand blender on low speed works best to mix in sour cream). Pour into pan. Wait 1-2 hours and begin your next layer.

Use same flavor Jell-O and use only hot water directions. Once Jell-O is dissolved, add six T. ice water. Pour on top of first layer.

Repeat this process until you have your desired amount of layers. (My record is 17. Seriously)

Rainbow Jell-O looks beautiful made in a Bundt pan. To get more layers separate Jell-O mixtures between two Bundt pans. To loosen, dip pan in to a basin of lukewarm water for 10-20 seconds. Check to see the Jell-O has loosened, then, with the help of one other person, center a platter on top of Bundt pan and quickly flip over pan and allow Jell-O to drop onto platter.

Baked Beans

Kristin Sokol

1 big can and one little can Hunt’s pork and beans

1/2 lb. bacon

1/2 chopped onion

1 green pepper chopped

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. Heinz Ketchup

1 little can crushed pineapple mostly drained

2 tsp. Worcestershire

Cook bacon, onion and green pepper together. Add rest of ingredients in a crock-pot for several hours or bake if that is easier for you.

20 minute Manicotti

Kristin Sokol

1-8 oz pack uncooked manicotti sleeves

1-15 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (to top with)

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1-2 tsp. minced garlic

3 c. Prego spaghetti sauce (I prefer traditional or meat flavored)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Lay flat on foil to cool. Heat oven to 350. In large bowl stir together cheeses, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Spoon cheese mixture in to a freezer zip-lock bag or pastry bag and snip off corner. Spread thin layer of sauce on bottom of 9X13 pan. Fill pasta tubes and lay in pan. Pour remaining sauce over pasta. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes or until hot or bubbly. Remove foil sprinkle cheese over the top. Return to oven to broil on high for around 2 minutes. Watch closely, this is where you can burn your house down or at least ruin your meal if you don’t watch closely. When cheese is golden and bubbly remove from oven. Tip: turn off your broiler at this point.

Sloppy Joes

Kristin Sokol

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 can Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo Soup

1/4 c. Ketchup

1/8 c. Mustard

Brown the meat, chopping finely. Drain oil. Add soup, ketchup and mustard. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Serve with potato chips.

Pepper Steak and Rice

Kristin Sokol

1-2 lbs. beef sirloin

2 T. cornstarch, for dusting meat

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 T. ginger

1-2 red bell peppers, sliced

1-2 yellow bell peppers, sliced

2 small cans tomato sauce

2 T. brown sugar

1/2 c. soy sauce

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 c. rice

Sear meat in large skillet until brown on both sides, and then slice on cutting board into 1-inch thick strips. Place the sliced steak into the crock-pot bowl, then dust the meat with cornstarch and mix the meat around until there is no more visible cornstarch. Add the remaining ingredients except for rice to the crock-pot, then place a lid on top and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Serve on top of cooked rice.

Bob Wardle's Sunday Roast

Kristin Sokol

One nice sized roast

1 pack Lipton beefy onion soup dry mix

1 can cream of mushroom soup

5-10 potatoes (depending on how big and how many you are serving)

5-10 carrots

Big handful sliced mushrooms

Onion (omit if you hate)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 c. water

Sear and season meat with salt and pepper in a large pot or skillet until all edges are brown. Remove and place meat in crock-pot. Sprinkle Lipton Soup packet over meat. Quarter potatoes (peel if you don’t like skins), peel and quarter carrots, chop onion into big pieces (so those who don’t like them can easily pick the out). Pour cream of mushroom soup, and water over top. Place lid and cook on high while you are at church. Eat for dinner.

Salsa Chicken

Kristin Sokol

1-2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken (usually use tenders)

1/2-1 whole jar of salsa

Place chicken in crock-pot. Dump Salsa over chicken. Cook for several hours on high. Serve with fresh cooked tortillas, and perhaps black beans.

Chicken Fajitas

Kristin Sokol

1 lb boneless skinless chicken

1 green pepper sliced

1 red pepper sliced

1/2 to 1/4 Onion (omit if you hate)

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 large tomato diced (don’t finely dice) big pieces are good

Cook chicken in large skillet. After it is cooked, break it up with a straight edge wooden spoon until it is in smallish pieces. Add sliced vegetables except tomatoes cover and let simmer until veggies are somewhat soft. Add diced tomatoes right at the end. Mushy tomatoes are not good.

Serve on freshly cooked tortillas with lime-corn salsa.