Chicken and White Bean Chili

From Tammy Hokanson:

3 cups diced or shredded garlic roasted chicken
2 tsp oil
6 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped onion
3 (15 oz) can great northern beans
3 (14 1/2) oz can chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh jalapeno
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp cold water

Mash 1 can beans with 2 cloves garlic. Heat oil and saute onion and remainder of the garlic. Add chicken and all of the beans (2 can plus the mashed beans). Add chicken broth, jalapeno, cumin, and lime juice. Heat over medium heat for 25 minutes. In separate container stir together corn starch and water. Add to the chili. Top with cilantro. Other toppings could include sour cream, cheese, corn chips, additional lime juice and/or additional cilantro.

Peanut Butter Crunchies

By: Randi Holmes
~Quick, easy, yummy, healthy treats that adults and kids love~

1/2 Cup Almond Butter
1/8 Cup Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Agave
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
(mix well)

Add: 1 1/2 Cups of Old Fashioned Oats
(stir until oats are covered)

Scoop out small spoon size cookies and place in fridge or freezer to harden, although
you can eat them at room temp too. Whatever you prefer.
*Makes about 15 cookies*

Creamy Enchilada Soup

Straight from the kitchen of Melanie Zimmerman:


1  big can of shredded chicken (you can buy them at Costco)
1 can corn with juice
2-3 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 container sour cream (16 oz.)
Add enough milk to thin to desired consistency.
1 can diced green chilies
(puree a bell pepper to add a veggie)  it is really good! (optional)
8-12 corn tortillas cut up in strips.
Mix all ingredients together.  Place crock pot and cook on high until warm.  Or you can cook it on the stove and warm it until it is hot enough to eat. 

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

Michelle Durham says "This is my favorite pancake recipe from one of my favorite recipe websites of all time.  Seriously everything is tried and true on here.  I like that you can make up the mix ahead of time to make pancakes from for the weeks ahead.  My step daughter loves these pancakes.  Your kids will too.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

from melskitchencafe.com

*Note (added 3/2011): I've updated this recipe several times to reflect that I generally use 100% whole wheat flour (five cups total, instead of using 2 cups of all-purpose flour). I prefer white wheat flour, although red wheat could be used and will lend an even heartier taste to the mix. Also, I made it the other day and before I added the oats to the mix, I threw them in my blender (yep, blender) and pulverized them to a powder. We loved the result! Loved it. Although the texture with the unblended oats is fantastic in it's own right, blending the oats lends a smooth texture to the mix and finished pancakes. I'll be doing it that way from now on!

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). If desired, grind the oats in a blender or food processor before adding to the other dry ingredients for a smoother mix. With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I've never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it's worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 4-5 4-inch pancakes.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb. hamburger

3/4 c. chopped onion

3/4 c. shredded carrots

3/4 c. diced celery

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. parsley

4 T. butter, divided

3 c. chicken broth

4 c. peeled, diced potatoes

1/4 c. flour

8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 1/2 c. milk

salt & pepper

1/4 c. sour cream

Brown beef, drain, set aside. In 3 qt. saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 t. butter until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour, cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly (mine never bubbles, but that's what the recipe says...). Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt & pepper, cook and stir until cheese melts. remove from heat, blend in sour cream. Makes 8 servings.

Tortellini Soup

1 lb. Italian Sausage (I usually use a tube of frozen pork sausage, can also sub. hamburger)
1 c. chopped onion
5 c. beef broth
4 Med chopped tomatoes or 1 can diced (use the cans with green chiles for more kick. yum!)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic - diced
1/2 c. water
1 c. sliced carrots
8 oz. can of tomato sauce


1 c. sliced zucchini OR 1 cup green beans (canned beans when fresh veggies not in season)
2 c. frozen cheese tortellini
1/2 c. chopped green pepper

Bring the first 9 ingredients to a boil and cook 30 minutes. Add green veggies and tortellini and simmer another 35 minutes very low. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Baked Potato Soup

In my family this is the meal all the girls get together and have when the guys go to Priesthood session.

Baked Potato Soup
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
Cook together until flour starts to brown.
4 large baked potatoes, diced and skinned
12 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 green onions
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
7 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
 Mix all ingredients together and simmer until cheese is melted and all is hot.

When I make this soup I start by browning my flour in the butter and then I take my blender out and make 7 cups of powdered milk. While the blender is still going I dump the clumping flour into the blender because I HATE clumps and otherwise I seem to spend forever trying to stir the clumps out. I empty my blender into the pot and throw everything else in and call it good.

 A little hint... this meal is best finished with a hot brownie and ice-cream on top!!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

This recipe comes from the kitchen of Shellee Draper. Her son is in my cub scout den. One week we were talking about our favorite foods and this boy said "My moms Tomato Basil Soup". Now let me tell you... if a 10 year old boy puts his moms soup over pizza you know it is going to be good. Shellee says:


When we have it at home, I make ham and cheese sandwiches and we dip them in as we eat it.  Just so you know!  

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

2 cups onions chopped

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 dried basil

3/4 c butter divided

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cans (1 pound 15 ounches each) Italian tomatoes

4 Tablespoons tomato paste

4 c chicken broth

1-4 c flour

1 c heavy cream

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute onion, thyme, basil in 1/2 c butter and olive oil until onion wilts.  Add tomatoes and paste, simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix 5 Tablespoons broth to flour until smooth.  Stir flour mixture into soup.  Add remaining broth and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  Put soup through blender, food processor or hand blender.  Soup can be prepared ahead of time up to this point.  just before serving, add sugar, cream and 1/4 c butter, salt and pepper to taste.  

SO, I basically follow the recipe on this, but here are a couple of hints:  Since you do have to blend the soup at the end, I chop up my onions very carelessly.  :)  When you do blend, do it in small batches.  Don't fill up your blender more than half way, unless you enjoy a red ceiling.  Sometimes I will let it cool a bit before I blend it.  Just be careful doing that.  The only other thing is that sometimes if I'm feeling like NOT dying an early death, I will half the butter and use half and half.  Most of the time I make it full throttle though!  It's so yummy!  Enjoy!