Homemade Smores

5 chocolate chips or 1 hershey bar
2 graham crackers
1 big marshmallow or approx. 4 small marshmallows

Put the chocolate on one side of the graham cracker. Put the marshmallows on the other graham cracker. The chocolate covered graham cracker goes in the microwave for forty-five seconds (or until the chocolate is a little bit more than half way melted). Take the marshmallow covered graham cracker and put it in the microwave for about thirty seconds. Put the chocolate in the microwave once more for about twenty seconds. Squish both sides together and enjoy!

Makes 1 Smore

Happy Mother's Day!

Hey Mom,
Happy Mother's Day! I put this blog together because I thought it would be fun to trade recipes between all the Johnson girls. So I've been working on putting the whole "cooking bible" on here so we can access it anywhere there is internet access and a computer. :) You never know when you'll wish you had one of our delicious recipes! I can teach you how to post recipes on here and I hope all of the girls post on here. (Yes, that means you Steph, Nat, and Ashley!) Happy cooking!

Love,
Nin

Ham Fried Rice

4-5 c. cooked long grain white rice (not Minute rice)
4 eggs
6 green onions
1 c. diced, cooked ham
3 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar

In preheated frying pan place oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; add eggs. Break yolks and cook until firm, then cut into shreds. Add ham, rice, and green onions. Season with soy sauce and sugar (may adjust amounts to taste.) Stir and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, turning carefully not to break grains. Serves 6.

Pizza Crescent Bake

2 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (15 oz) pizza sauce
1 c. (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Unroll one tube of crescent dough; place in a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Press to seal perforations. In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle over dough. Top with pizza sauce and sprinkle with cheeses. Unroll remaining crescent dough and place over cheese; seal perforations. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Baked Italian Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. flour
1-1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Pound chicken breasts. Coat with flour, dip into eggs. Combine crumbs and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese; pat onto both sides of chicken. Brush oil onto a foil-lined 13x9 inch baking pan; place chicken in pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a saucepan; stir in flour until smooth. Whisk in milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add seasonings. Pour over chicken. Drizzle with tomato sauce; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Bake 15 minutes longer or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Swiss Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup, diluted with 1/2 can water
2 c. Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix (crumb style)
2 Tbsp. margarine

Place chicken breasts in baking dish and put 1 slice Swiss cheese on top of each. In small bowl mix soup and water. Pour over cheese. Melt butter and mix with stuffing. Put stuffing on top of soup. Bake at 325 for 1-1/2 hours. Cover with foil for soft stuffing, bake uncovered if you like it crunchy.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

1 can cream of chicken soup
1-1/3 c. water
3/4 c. uncooked white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1-1/2 lbs. chicken (4-6 breasts)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder and black pepper in a 2 qt. shallow baking dish. Top with chicken. Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper. Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is done. Uncover. Sprinkle cheese over chicken. Tip: Stir 2 cups of fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables into soup mixture before topping with chicken.

Garlic Lime Chicken

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
4 Tbsp. lime juice

In a bowl, mix together the 7 spices. Evenly sprinkle the mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown in each side, about 5 minutes on either side. Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has thickened slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Crispy Onion Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. French-fried onions
1/4 c. honey mustard

Coat chicken with honey mustard, then roll in crushed onions. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Pizza Dough

1 pkg. dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp.)
1 c. very warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. olive oil
2-2 1/2 c. flour

Measure and mix together all dry ingredients except for 1/4 c. flour. Stir in remaining liquid ingredients and beat 20 strokes. Let rest 2 minutes, then add more flour if necessary; knead 1 minute. Press onto lightly greased pizza pan, rolling edges to keep sauce in. Cover with sauce to the edge. Cover with cheese and desired toppings. Bake at 400-425 degrees for 12-18 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese bubbles in the middle.

Carriage House Rolls

2 Tbsp. dry yeast
2 c. warm water
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening (or butter or margarine)
2-1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. nonfat dry milk
5-6 c. flour
1 egg

In bowl, combine yeast and water and pinch of sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the rest of the sugar, butter, salt, dry milk, 2 c. flour, and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups of flour, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Add about 1 c. more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until well mixed. Put dough on board and knead until smooth and satiny. (Or knead with dough hook on an electric mixer.) Gather dough into a ball, scrape bowl clean and grease with shortening. Return dough to bowl, and grease surface lightly. Let rise away from drafts in a warm, not hot place, until about triple in bulk. Use last of the flour as needed for rolling and shaping dough. Don't use all the flour unless you need it. Let dough rest on board for 10 minutes so it will be easy to manage. Cut or mold into desired shapes. (Usually Mom divides the dough into 3 balls, rolls out each ball, and then cuts each circle into 12 triangles with a pizza cutter.) Place on greased baking sheet. Brush surface of rolls with melted butter. Let rise in a warm place until ready for oven (about 1-1/2 hours.) Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned to your satisfaction. Makes about 3 dozen. These rolls are very tasty with raspberry honey butter. (Use equal parts of honey, butter, and raspberry jam and beat together until very light.)

Cafe Rio Chicken

5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
3 cloves minced garlic

Mix all ingredients in crock pot, add chicken and coat with sauce. Cook on high 5-7 hours. Shred with fork, reserve some juice to pour over chicken.

Homemade Tortillas

5 cups flour
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2-2 cups hot water

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Put on floured board and knead. Pinch off pieces about 2" round and roll to 6-8". Cook in a dry heavy skillet or griddle. Cook on each side until the bubbles that form are brown. Push down large bubbles when turning for the last time.

Pico de Gallo

4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing dry mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tomatillos (they look like green tomatoes)
2 cloves garlic
3/4 c. fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.

Lime Cilantro Rice

1 lb. long-grain rice (2-1/4 cups, not Minute rice)
1 bunch cilantro
Juice of two limes
4 cloves garlic

Chop garlic and cilantro. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a skillet. Add rice and all chopped ingredients. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Put 4 cups water and lime juice in a rice cooker. Add rice mixture to the rice cooker and cooking according to the cooker's directions. If you don't have a rice cooker, combine rice, water, and lime juice in a 3-quart pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

6 lbs. pork roast (you can use 3-2lb. roasts)
6-8 oz. salsa
1 can coke (12 oz.)
2 cups brown sugar

Place pork in a crock pot and fill the bottom of the crock pot with water. Cook on low for 8 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork into thirds. Mix together sauce ingredients and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 1-2 hours on low. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.