Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1- 11 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 tsp. mince fresh jalapeno pepper (no seeds)
1 avocado, chopped
2 medium tomatos, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I left this out)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp. salt

Italian dressing (dry packet-made into dressing
Tortilla chips

Combine all ingredients except avocado and chips. Add Italian dressing to ingredients. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Drain excess dressing off and add avocado just before serving. YUM!!

Potato Rolls

I made this on Sunday while the Larsens and Mom and Dad were here. They were delicious (if I do say so myself. Try 'em out. Easy peasy.

2 eggs
1 T yeast
1/2 c shortening
1 c. mashed potatoes (I used my new food storage potato pearls)
1 c. scalded milk
1/2 c. sugar
flour - enough to make a stiff dough (I used about 2 3/4 c.)

Mix everything in your mixer/Bosch/KitchenAid. Cover with cloth and let rise once. Roll out on a floured board and cut in rounds. Brush with butter and fold over. Put in pans (sprayed with Pam) and let rise. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Yum-O!

All Bran Muffins

I was making muffins this morning and talking to Rachel. She asked, "Do you have a good Bran Muffin recipe." Well, yes I do. They are really yummy too. So I decided to share it with you. Great little snack or breakfast before a long run.

Makes 2 Dozen

Mix and set aside:
1 cup boiling H2O
1/2 Tbs and 1 tsp. Baking soda

Whip light and fluffy:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar (or splenda)

Soak:
2 cups All Bran (cereal) and 1 cup Bran Flakes (cereal)
or 3 cups Grandmas Granola (mix and match if you like) in
1/2 quart of Buttermilk (or 2 cups milk with 4 tsp. vinegar)

Slowly add 2 eggs to the shortening/sugar. Mix well

Add:
2 cups Wheat flour
1 cup White flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar (splenda) with 1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. Vanilla
1 tsp. Orange extract (really adds flavor)

Add in Soaked cereal
Slowly add the Soda/H2O

Mix well

Bake at 350 for 18 minutes in muffin tins

Chicken Tostada Salad

I found this the other day while meal planning and made it last night. Very yummy...lots of flavors going on!

5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
6 large flour tortillas
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (7 ounce) can corn, drained
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1 tomato, chopped
2 cups shredded lettuce
8 ounces hot pepper cheese (Monterrey Jack was yummy), shredded (about 2 cups)

In small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and the chili powder. Brush on both sides of each flour tortilla. Place directly on grill over medium-hot coals. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until tortillas are golden brown and crisp. If tortillas begin to bubble up, pierce surface to flatten. Remove tortillas from heat and cool completely.

In medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons oil and vinegar. Stir in salsa, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin and salt; reserve 3/4 cup for dressing.

Place chicken on grill over medium-hot coals. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes, turning and basting occasionally with salsa mixture, until chicken is no longer pink. Cut chicken into strips. In medium bowl, toss together beans, corn, onion, tomato and reserved dressing. To assemble, place crisped tortilla on plate. Top with shredded lettuce, 1 cup of bean mixture, 1 sliced chicken breast and shredded cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

**Note: I found the tostadas really hard to cut through and enjoy with the salad. I may not have allowed them to "crisp" enough. Also, you could try cutting them into strips instead.

Meat Cupcakes

Sounds gross huh? They actually are pretty good. Matt doesn't like meatloaf so he didn't try them, but Hailey and I enjoyed them. And they make great leftovers for a quick lunch for Hailey. The girl that posted it here, said her kids love them. Try it out...you might be surprised.

This recipe is originally from Kraft Foods. Here's the link to their recipe. It's a mix & match, so you can do various flavors. The barbecue one is our favorite.

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) stuffing mix
1 cup water
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 c. barbecue sauce
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375*. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and garlic powder until well blended. Press evenly into 12 medium muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Make an indentation in center of each with back of spoon. Spoon barbecue sauce evenly into indentations. Bake 30 minutes or until meatloaves are cooked through. Top evenly with cheese; continue baking 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Fa"Hotties"

I made these tonight and they were really good, not too different in taste than regular chicken fajitas, but way easier and the meat is shredded and I like that. Next time I will do the same thing but with beef. The best part is, you make it in the crockpot, so that right there is a winner in my book.

• 4-6 chicken breast boneless, skinless, frozen
• 3 peppers - sliced
• 1 med-large onion sliced
• 1 package Lawry's fajita seasoning
• 1-2 packages flour tortillas
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
• other favorite toppings
• crock pot

1. place frozen chicken and onion in crock pot
2. pour fajita seasoning packet over chicken (you might need two packets depending on the size and amount of your chicken)
3. add water as directed on packet
4. cook on Low for 6 hours
5. stir before adding the peppers to help the chicken shred
6. the last 1/2 hour add your sliced peppers
7. give it one more stir to mix it all together
8. place chicken on tortilla's
9. add your favorite toppings
10. eat and enjoy!

Turkey Marinade

Aunt Ellen made this recipe years ago when I went to visit and I have been looking for it for a while and suddenly it popped up on one of the recipe blogs I frequent, so I made it yesterday. It is so good and makes for some very tender turkey. Just make sure you marinate it for 24 hours or you will miss out.

I would only do half this recipe though. I used a turkey breast and cut it into slices then grilled it the next day. You could also do chicken breasts. Anyway yummy summer grillin'.
1 quart 7-up or gingeralle (I have used diet and didn't notice)
1 pint oil
1 pint soy sauce
1 Tbsp horseradish
1 tsp garlic powder
Marinate for 24 hours in a Ziploc. Yummy.