It's Been A Long Time!

Hey Friends!
So sorry we took such a long break between posts. We are going to start something new that will hopefully help us keep this blog updated more frequently! We will post one recipe a week!! It can be a recipe for anything.....a SuRpRiSe each week! This will help keep blog readers and us more interested...we hope! So here we go!

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo
8 oz. penne or bowtie pasta
1 16-oz. jar Alfredo Sauce
2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped (about 2 c. chopped chicken)
6 oz. (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped
1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
-Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, prepare heat Alfredo sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste. Transfer mixture to an 8x8" baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Mmmmmm!!! Doesn't this sound tasty?! We hope you enjoy this yummy meal!!
Everyone have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend! Eat lots of hot dogs or burgers, go play outside and spend time with friends/family!! :)

Meatloaf Please!

This recipe was sent in by Liddell Cothran! Enjoy this classic meatloaf recipe!

Liddell's Meatloaf
1 lb. ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb. pork sausage
1/3 cup ketchup
2 cups dry bread crumbs
2 t. prepared mustard
1 egg
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup milk
-Combine beef and sausage with bread crumbs, egg, onion, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well. I use my hands. Pack mixture into a 5 x 9 loaf pan. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, mustard and brown sugar. Spread over top. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour or so. I like to double my topping and put more on the last 20 minutes of cooking.

We hope you had a great weekend!
Cupcake Wishes and Cookie Dreams!:)

Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice Soup!

This soup will come in handy for the cold days ahead! Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice Soup
3 cups of cooked wild rice
1 whole large onion, diced
1 whole carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
Dashes of salt and pepper to taste
1 whole dried bay leaf
¼ cup of olive oil
1 cup flour
8 cups of chicken broth
1 tbsp of Dry Sherry(optional)
1 cup fat-free half and half
-In a large soup pot, heat oil to medium-high. Add onion, carrot, celery, and chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add bay leaf. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes, or until the veggies are softened. Sprinkle in flour, a little bit at a time, stirring and cooking until flour is blended in. (Don’t let it brown.) Slowly add chicken broth, stirring until the broth and roux are blended. Add the wild rice and adjust your seasonings. Heat thoroughly. Add the sherry and the half-and-half. Reheat gently, but do not boil. Remove bay leaf before serving.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!
Cupcake Wishes and Cookie Dreams! :)

Taco Crunch Casserole!

Good Morning Everyone! This week we are starting off with a Taco Crunch Casserole sent in by Jane Glover. Enjoy!

Taco Crunch Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped (I only used half of a big onion)
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1 can sweet corn
1 packet of taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
8 oz of salsa
fritos (crunched)
1 pack of mexican blended cheese
-Preheat oven to 350. Brown ground beef with chopped onions. After browned, add the water, taco seasoning, salsa, sweet corn and green bell pepper and mix together. Let it simmer until it thickens a bit (about 5 minutes). Use casserole dish (any size) and layer 1/2 meat mixture, then cheese, then fritos, then the other half of meat mixure, cheese and fritos again. Cook for 20 minutes.

We hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Cupcake Wishes and Cookie Dreams! :)

Serving Up a Main Dish!

Today's recipe is a yummy Italian dish with a twist! You are surely going to LoVe these Lasagna Rolls!

Lasagna Rolls
1 lb. ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup(8oz) of ricotta cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
-preheat oven to 350. brown meat in skillet, drain. Stir half of the jar of spaghetti sauce into skillet with meat. Set remaining sauce aside for later use. Mix egg, ricotta cheese and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Spread each noodle with 2 heaping tbsp full of ricotta mixture. Top evenly with ¼ cup meat mixture and 2 heaping tbsp mozzarella cheese. Roll up each noodle, starting at one of the short ends. Place in greased 8-inch square baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheeses; cover with foil. Bake 45min. or until hot and bubbly.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween weekend!
Cupcake Wishes and Cookie Dreams! :)

Breakfast is Better!

Today's dish is a breakfast casserole sent in by Katie Hardy. This recipe is great for breakfast, brunch or dinner!! Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole
2 1/2 cups seasoned croutons
1 pound spicy pork sausage
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained and chopped
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish
-Spread croutons on bottom of greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Crumble sausage into medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain off any drippings. Spread sausage over croutons. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well blended. Stir in soup, spinach, mushrooms, cheeses and mustard. Pour egg mixture over sausage and croutons. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve hot.

We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Please remember to send recipes to two.hungryhippos@yahoo.com (We need some more appetizer and side dish ideas!)
Cupcake Wishes and Cookie Dreams! :)

Monday's Main Dish!

Morning! Below is a classic New Orleans dish that is sure to knock your socks off! It was sent in by Erin Haines and is a family recipe straight from The Big Easy!

Classic Nawlins style Red Beans and Rice by Diane Trest (Erin's mom)
My mom tells me the story that Red Beans and Rice were cooked all day on Mondays while the laundry was drying on the line or something like that, back in the day in New Orleans. So its tradition to eat Red Beans on Mondays.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. kidney beans (Mom swears by Camellia, but sometimes they are hard to find)
1 ham bone (We get ours at Honey Baked Ham for like $7)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red pepper (or 1 teaspoon-ish of dried)
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons of Tony's Chachere's Creole Seasoning (you can find this in the spice aisle)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
2 Tablespoons of Parsley
1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 turns of the knob of McCormick Garlic Pepper Seasoning
dash of Tabasco
1 lb. of Turkey Kelbasa Sausage
Directions:
Day 1 -The night before take the beans and soak overnight in cold water. Make sure the bowl is a lot larger so the beans can expand during the night.
Day 2 - Drain the soaked beans in a colander. Take a handful at a time and pick out the gravel and dirt particles. Rinse the beans and put them along with ALL (except the sausage) other ingredients into a heavy 8-10 quart pot. Add enough water to cover the beans and spices. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then lower and let simmer on low heat for 2.5-3.5 hours (or until the beans are tender and a thick natural gravy has formed). During cooking, stir frequently (3-4 times each hour) and scape the sides and across the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching.
As the beans soften, mash some against the side of the pot or between two spoons. The result will be a thick creamy sauce. If the mixture appears to dry or be too thick, add 1 cup of water.
*Approximately 2 hours into cooking time remove the ham bone. If you leave it too long it will break apart and ham bits will be floating in your red beans. Its mainly there just to add flavor.
* About half an hour before the beans are finished add the sliced sausage (we usually cut our into little half moons to get more sausage) and reseason with 1 Tablespoon of Tony's and 1/2 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder.
Remove the Bay Leaves (good luck finding them!) and Serve over rice and enjoy!!

We hope everyone had a great weekend!
Cupcake Wishes and Cookie Dreams! :)

Straight up goodness!

Happy Rainy Monday Morning! Below is a recipe that can only be described as 'straight up goodness'! Chicken-good, biscuits-good, alfredo sauce-GOOOOOOOOD! Enjoy!

Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Casserole
1 tbsp butter
2 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms
½ cup chopped onion
1(16oz) jar of Alfredo sauce
¼ cup of milk
2 cups of chopped cooked chicken
2 cups of green giant select frozen broccoli florets, thawed
¼ tsp dried basil leaves
1 (7.5oz)can of Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits
1tbs of butter, melted
1 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese
-heat oven at 375 and spray 8inch dish with pam. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Cook mushrooms and onion in butter, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in Alfredo sauce, milk, chicken, broccoli and basil. Cook until mixture is thoroughly heated and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon into baking dish. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half crosswise. Arrange around edge of baking dish, overlapping slightly. Drizzle biscuits with melted butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Don't forget to check out the labels section for specific theme recipes and send in recipes or pictures to two.hungryhippos@yahoo.com! We hope you had a great weekend!! Happy Fall Y'all!
Cupcake Wishes and Cookie Dreams! :)

We're back on the wagon......it's Monday!

Monday's are going to be casserole/main dish days! So here we go! This recipe was sent in by none other than Barbara Quinney, Becca's mom! It is a yummy dish that can be made for breakfast, brunch or dinner! Here it is...enjoy!

Sausage-Cheddar Quiche
1-9 inch pie shell
1-lb. ground pork sausage
1 1/2 c. (6oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
4 lg.eggs, beaten
1 c. milk
paprika
Bake pie crust at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Brown sausage and drain. Cool. Combine sausage, cheese and next 5 ingredients. Spoon into pie crust. Beat eggs and milk until blended. Pour over sausage mixture; sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake 324 degrees for 50 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (Can substitute beef for sausage)

We hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend and that you have cupcake wishes and cookie dreams!
P.S. Don't forget to take pictures of your wonderful creations!!