Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 -5 chicken breasts, chopped
1 10 oz package frozen broccoli or asparagus is good too
10 - 15 thick slices cooked ham (sandwich meat - I use the ham you buy at Costco)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup Minute Rice
Mozzarella Cheese

Cook your chicken in a fry pan and season however you wish. Add ham and heat through. Add soup and water. Bring to a boil. Add broccoli and cook 5 - 7 minutes. Add rice and cook another 5 minutes. Just long enough for the rice to absorb the liquid and soften. Add mozzarella cheese. I hate saying how much cheese to add cause I add cheese until I think it's cheesy enough. (which could be a lot according to some people! :D ) Heat through and enjoy!

Homemade Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream (A BIG WINNER!!)

6 eggs (room temperature)
4 cups sugar
2 - 2 1/2 Tbls PURE vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 qt heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 qts half and half
5 squares BAKERS semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 pkg UNCHOPPED UNSALTED almonds (for those of you who are lazy, like me, 1 6oz package sliced almonds)

This almonds thing is quite time consuming but OH so worth it. Take your unsliced almonds and with a knife, slice each almond in half. Spread out on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Don't overcook them. They will continue to roast even after pulling them out of the oven so make sure you don't leave them in the oven for too long. Very lightly salt them. After they have cooled, chop up a few of them to release some of the almond oil.

LAZY WAY: Pour already sliced almonds onto a greased cookie sheet and follow the same directons.

Mix together room temperature eggs (they need to be room temperature or it will make the melted chocolate harden and turn it into chips), sugar, vanilla and salt. In a microwaveable bowl, SLOWLY melt the 5 squares of chocolate in the microwave. It will burn easily so watch it! Pour melted chocolate into mixture and mix through. (DO NOT ADD CREAMS TO MIXTURE BEFORE MIXING WITH THE CHOCOLATE OR THE COLD CREAM WILL MAKE YOUR CHOCOLATE HARDEN AND TURN IT INTO CHIPS - unless you want chocolate chip ice cream)

After mixing the chocolate into mixture, add heavy whipping cream and half and half. Pour into 6 qt. ice cream freezer. Stir in almonds. Add whole milk to fill line or 2 -3 inches below the top of freezer.

Follow instructions of ice cream freezer for mixing and freezing the ice cream.
ENJOY AND TRY NOT TO EAT THE WHOLE THING IN ONE NIGHT!!! ;)

Homemade Fresh Peach Ice Cream

1 lg package instant vanilla pudding
Mix with 3 cups milk

8 - 10 peaches, peeled, mash with a potato masher. DO NOT use a blender! You want the peaches to be in small bits not all liquified.

Add 2 qts heavy whipping cream
and 1 qt half and half
3 Tbls vanilla extract

Taste test after all this is together - add sugar to desired sweetness, if needed.

Pour into 6 qt ice cream freezer.

Pour in whole milk until 2 - 3 inches from the top of freezer.
Follow instructions of your ice cream freezer for mixing the ice cream.

ENJOY!! Best when made with peaches that are in season!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (Chicken Divan)

4 lg chicken breasts, chopped
1 10 oz pkg frozen broccoli
1 cup mayonaise
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3-5 Tbls lemon juice (depending on how "lemony" you like)
Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a fry pan, cook chopped chicken. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. (Whatever you like to season your chicken with basically) When chicken is cooked through, pour in package of frozen broccoli and cook for approx 10 minutes. Just enough so the broccoli isn't frozen anymore.

While that is cooking, in a mixing bowl, mix together soup, mayonaise and lemon juice. Add cooked chicken and broccoli and mix all together. Pour into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle Italian Style bread crumbs over the top, just enough to cover. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees UNCOVERED for 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Sissy's Sweet Sourdough Bread

K this bread can be a pain in the butt to take care of but you reap what you sow!! And this bread is DANG GOOD!! There will be no regrets with the finished product, I promise! Read through all the instructions before making. It will seem overwhelming but I promise it will be worth it!!

**TO MAKE YOUR SOURDOUGH START**

In a medium to large glass jar or a large empty peanut butter jar (at least 48 oz) combine these ingredients:

3 Tbls. instant potato flakes

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup very warm water (110 degrees)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)

ALWAYS dissolve sugar in water when making your start or when feeding your start. Then dissolve yeast, then add potato flakes.

Let this start sit on your counter for 48 hours (stirring once every day with a WOODEN SPOON) **do NOT use a metal spoon or it will kill your start** Make sure you do not seal the lid while it sits on your counter whether in a glass jar or peanut butter jar...keep lid loose so you won't kill the start. At the end of 48 hours, feed your start:

**TO FEED YOUR START**

Mix well in separate container:

1 cup very warm water (110 degrees)

3/4 cup sugar (dissolve in warm water before adding potato flakes and before adding to start)

3 Tbls instant potato flakes

Add to start and stir with wooden spoon. Let it sit out 8-12 hours. Stir with wooden spoon. Refridgerate. You may seal the lid when you refrigerate it. Refrigerate start when not using.

FEED START EVERY 3-5 DAYS

Yields 3 loaves

Once you have begun your start and it has sat in your fridge for 3-5 days, pull it out and feed it. Let it stand 8-12 hours at room temperature (remember to keep your lid loose). Do not disturb jar. Use one cup.

**TO MAKE YOUR DOUGH**

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups very warm water (110 degrees)

1 cup start

5-6 cups BREAD flour (make sure it says bread flour, not all purpose)

Mix all ingredients in bread mixer until dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl and is not sticky to the touch. (Be careful not to make it too dry, however) Turn out into large bowl and let it raise 8-12 hours (overnight) Punch down and divide into three sections. Knead out air bubbles, shape and put into 8 x 4 greased loaf pans. Let raise 4 -5 hours. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. The top of the bread will be a nice light golden brown.

**TIPS and HINTS FROM SISSY**

I have fed my start as often as every day for 2 - 3 days without harming it if I need to make more than one batch. I have not fed it for as long as 2 weeks without harming it, either. I wouldn't go much (if any) longer than that, however. My ovens tend to be too hot if I bake bread at 350 degrees so I lower my temperature to about 335 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. When you mix the sugar, potato flakes, and warm water to feed the start, mix in a separate container until the sugar dissolves and then stir it into the start. You will know your start is active if you can see the potato flakes "dance" from the bottom of the jar to the top. Within about 10 - 20 minutes of feeding the start, the layer of potato on the bottom will float to the top. When I have finished mixing the dough and put it in to the bowl to raise, I put a damp dish towel over the top of the bowl and then a dry dish towel over that to prevent the top of the dough from drying out. I have fed my start in the morning and mixed dough in the evening and let it raise all night. Then I shape into loaves and bake them in the early afternoon. I have also fed my start in the evening and let it sit out all night and mixed dough in the morning, let it raise, and then bake them late in the evening. I prefer the first method because otherwise I am up until midnight.

Great Aunt Millie's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white granulated sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 Tbls water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups oatmeal
1 12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
*OPTIONAL* 1 cup walnuts or pecans chopped

Cream shortening, sugars, beat in eggs. Add water and vanilla. Add dry ingredients gradually, beating in each time. Add oats gradually, as well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if used. Drop onto greased cookie sheet by tablespoonful.

Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
Makes 3 dozen cookies

Cousin's Chili

2 lbs ground beef browned and drained
3 cans red kidney beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes (with oregano and basil - optional)
1 large yellow onion - diced
1 heaping tsp chili powder

Brown your ground beef with diced onion. Season with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you care to add. (I added dashes of onion powder, oregano, basil and garlic powder)

In a large soup pot, add all ingredients, including cooked ground beef. Heat through and simmer for 20 minutes.

Optional: You can also do this recipe in a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.