Festive Fudge

I copied this recipe from my Family Fun magazine, but it turned out super cute so I had to share.

Ingredients

• 3 cups semisweet- or milk-chocolate chips
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Assorted sprinkles, sugars, and candy decorations

Instructions

1. Place the chocolate chips in a 2-quart bowl and microwave for 1 minute, then stir them with a wooden spoon. If the chips are not completely melted, microwave them again for 30 seconds, then stir until they're smooth.

2. Stir in the condensed milk, salt, and vanilla extract.

3. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, extending it about 2 inches beyond each side. (This makes it easy to remove the fudge later.) Lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.

5. Chill the candy until firm, about 30 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

6. Lift the foil from the pan and place it on a flat work area. Use 1-inch cookie cutters to cut out the fudge, then lightly press decorations onto each piece. Makes about 50 pieces. (Note: mine recipe didn't make 50 pieces, but I didn't use very small cookie cutters)
   

Sorry, Another Sugar Cookie Recipe

Sorry I'm doing another Sugar Cookie recipe, but I'd planned on submitting this for a few days and I made cookies with the girls last night so I would have some pictures to post. They are just too cute! =) Growing up we always made sugar cookies out of the dough you buy at the store and the few times since then I've tried making dough from scratch, I've always thought the end product tasted too floury. I got this recipe from a friend and I really like it. It has a great almond taste!

1 C. Butter (softened)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla
1 t. Almond
4 C. Flour
1/4 t. Salt
1 t. Baking Powder
4 t. Milk

Cream the shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and flavorings. Mix together dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, roll and cut out. Cook at 375 degrees on a greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting

1/4 C. butter (softened)
2 C. Powder Sugar
1 t. Almond flavoring
Milk

Cream butter and sugar together. Add Almond, mix in. Add milk just a little at a time until the desired consistency. Frost your cookies, then decorate.

The decorating part was what my girls enjoyed the most!

She would have kept going with the sprinkles if we hadn't stopped her.

Sugar Cookies

What are the holidays without Sugar Cookies! This is the best sugar cookie recipe I have come across. We love it!

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add sour cream. Add vanilla. Add soda, salt, baking powder, and flour. Mix to a stiff dough. If too sticky, you can chill before rolling. Roll out 1/4 inch think and cut in desired shapes.
Bake on greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and frost with butter cream frosting.

Vanilla Butter Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
about 2-3 Tbsp milk

Special K Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cups peanut butter

1 cup karo syrup

5 ½ cups Special K cereal

1 cup (6 oz.) butterscotch chips

1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips

Bring sugar and syrup to boil, JUST until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter until well mixed. Add cereal and stir until well coated. Pat out on large cookie sheet or a smaller one if you want thick squares. Melt chips and spread over top of cookies. Set in refrigerator a short time to harden frosting. Cut into 1 ½ inch squares.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I found this soup recipe on Doug's cousin's blog. I decided to give it a try, and LOVE it. In fact I am having a bowl right now for lunch while I type this!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 chicken breast halves

1 box Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix (Near East brand is best, but Uncle Ben's is easier to find.)

1 quart chicken stock or broth

1 quart milk or evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

salt and pepper

• Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 of the poultry seasoning and salt. Cook it in a tiny bit of olive oil over medium heat. Cover to avoid drying out.
• At the same time, cook the rice according to the directions on the box.
• In a large pot, melt butter. Add chopped carrots and celery and pepper to taste, and saute for about 10 minutes until tender. Add flour, cornstarch and the rest of the poultry seasoning, and whisk together quickly.
• Add stock and milk, whisking quickly as you pour. Cook over medium-low heat stirring often.
• When the chicken and rice are finished, cut chicken into bite-size pieces and add both to the soup.

Holiday Recipes

I think it would be fun to share favorite holiday recipes! Either favorite side dishes or goodies to deliver to people. :)

SUGAR-FREE CRANBERRY SALAD

1 can cranberry sauce (jelly type, chunky style)
1 med. can crushed pineapple with juice (no sugar)
2 (3 oz.) pkg. sugar-free lemon Jello
2 c. boiling water
1 c. diced apple, peeled
1 c. diced celery
1 c. chopped pecans

Mix Jello with hot water and stir until dissolved. Add other ingredients and blend to mix evenly. Place in refrigerator to set up. Serve on lettuce leaf. (FYI - I've never served on a lettuce leaf :)...just out of a bowl.)

Orange Rolls

I really enjoyed the recipes that were posted last month. We tried the Chicken Parm. last week and loved it, and I can't wait to try Shannon's recipe. I am a little disappointed that it was your idea MOM and you didn't even add a recipe. So anyway I think whoever picks first can decide what kind of recipe we should post for December.

We had these on Thanksgiving and Shannon wanted the recipe, but I forgot to give it to her, so I thought I would just post it here. It is another one of Doug's family favorites.

Refrigerator Orange Rolls
Dissolve 1 package of yeast in 1/4 c warm water.

Combine:
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup hot water
let cool

Combine:
1 eaten egg with 1/2 cup cold water

after cool add egg mixture and yeast. Add 3 cups flour. Beat well and cover. (This dough is very sticky) Refrigerate overnight. 2 1/2 hours before serving roll out dough into large rectangle. Spread with orange filling. Roll up and cut into 24 slices. Place slices in well greased muffin pans. Cover with dish towel and let rise. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

ORANGE FILLING:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 grated orange peal + juice

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a super easy recipe and very yummy!

4 Chicken Breasts
4 slices of deli ham
4 slices of Swiss Cheese
1 C. Seasoned Stuffing, crushed (you can also use seasoned bread crumbs, but I think stuffing is the best!)
Salt & Pepper
8-12 Toothpicks
1lb. asparagus (optional)
1 packet Hollandaise Sauce (optional)
Wax paper (optional)


Place wax paper over the top of your chicken. Use a meat mallet to pound out your chicken. If you don't have a mallet, you could also use the bottom of a cup or a rolling pin. The wax paper is optional, it just prevents the chicken from sticking to your pounding apparatus.
Season your chicken with the Salt and Pepper on both sides. Place your ham and cheese on one side of the chicken. Put the asparagus in the middle. Starting with the small end of the chicken, roll it tightly up. Use the toothpicks to keep it closed.
Place your crushed stuffing onto a plate and roll the chicken around in it so that it's completely coated. Place your chicken in a greased pan and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Top with Hollandaise sauce, if wanted. I've tried making Hollandaise sauce from scratch, but I like it out of the packets so much more! Not to mention, it's way easier!
Makes 4 Servings.

Chicken Parmesan - at least thats what I think it is :-)

This was one we posted on our blog, we've had it a couple times now and love it. Bon-appetite

Chicken Parm. on a bed of noodles (Serves 4)

First Bread 4 boneless chicken breasts using Italian seasoned bread crumps (just mix italian seasoning in with the bread crumbs) and egg whites (2) and fry them in a little extra virgin olive oil until browned and cooked through.

Sauce (start by lightly toasting the garlic in the olive oil (2 or 3 tsp of fresh chopped garlic)) Then,

- Add 2 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

-1 large yellow onion

- Salt and pepper to tase

-1/2 cup of olive oil

- a covering of oregano, 3 fingers of sage and thyme, and parsley

-a little bit of hot pepper seeds

- 1/3 jar of your favorite brand of mushroom spaghetti sauce (you can make it without this part but I like to thicken the sauce a little)

cook all of this until everything is nice and blended put a lid on it to keep it hot and moist.

while cooking the sauce start the noodles and turn the oven on to bake at 400 degrees.

also try to keep the chicken warm.

when the sauce is ready pore it over the breaded chicken in a glass cooking pan and sprinkle a cup of mozzarella cheese on top and put it in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes until you can see the cheese melt and the sauce start to boil. quickly remove and serve on top of a bed of noodles plated individually. The glass pan in the picture is larger than usual and there is more chicken for this size double the sauce recipe (9’’x 13’’).

It is imperative to time this all together so everything is hot, if you don’t it will still taste great but I recommend timing it just perfect. If you think the recipe could use some tweaking go for it, like I said we kind of winged it so let us know if there are any improvements we could make.

ORANGE CHICKEN

So my mom had this idea to have an assigned category every month and have everyone post a recipe during the month. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or exciting, it could even be something you cook every week. I would love some new recipes to try as I often feel that I am cooking the same things over and over again. So if everyone is interested then I thought this month we could make it easy and have everyone post a chicken recipe.

My recipe is one that Doug's family cooks a lot and so we have had it often since we have been married. They call it "Orange Chicken" but I think that is more because of the color then the flavor.

Orange Chicken

3 lbs chicken breasts (I usually just use enough for our family to eat and I cut it into smaller pieces)

garlic salt

black pepper

beaten eggs

flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 1/2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with garlic salt and pepper. Let stand for 1 hour or more. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Dip chicken in beaten egg then flour. Brown in hot oil. Place in baking dish. Cover with the following sauce: Mix sugar, vinegar, chicken broth, ketchup, and soy sauce in sauce pan and heat. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Turn chicken over once or twice while cooking.

Real Italian Calzones

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com.
"This is real calzone, because there is no tomato sauce INSIDE of it! We eat it at least once a week. Have a bowl of tomato or spaghetti sauce on the table for people to top their calzone with, if desired."

INGREDIENTS:
1 package active dry yeast
1cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 egg beaten

DIRECTIONS:
1. To make dough: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes or until almost doubled.
2. To make filling: While dough is rising, combine the ricotta cheese, Cheddar cheese (we used mozzarella), pepperoni, mushrooms and basil leaves in a large bowl. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
4. When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Cheesy Broccoli & Potato Soup

This is a very easy soup to make, and it is very yummy. I got it out of Parents Magazine.

2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 onion
1 medium potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups broccoli chopped
3 cups low-salt vegetable stock (GF)
1 cup reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. In a large stockpot, heat oil and saute the onion for 5 to 7 minutes over low to medium heat. Add potatoes, broccoli, and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are tender when pierced with a for.
2. Remove the mixture from stove top; allow to cool a bit. Pour the mixture and cheese into a blender; puree. (Or use a handheld blender to do it right in the stockpot.) Serves 4.

I had to use chicken stock because my grocery store did not have vegetable stock. But I don't think you can tell the difference.

The Best Beef Jerky

The recipe that we use for the beef jerky is actually for Korean Short Ribs (Khalbi). For the jerky don’t add any oil.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cup soy sauce

¾ cup sugar

3 Tbsp. oil

4 cloves crushed garlic

½ finger crushed ginger

¼ cup chopped green onions

Mix together and soak meat for 1-2 hours turning meat often (we usually soak jerky at least overnight, the longer the better). For ribs broil or grill meat. For Jerky place on a dehydrator until done.

Lots of different kinds of meat can be used for jerky; the best are lean meat with little or no fat. London broil, brisket, etc.

Chicken Katsu Recipe

From Recipezaar.com:

This is a simple recipe of a dish that is widely popular at local restaurants in Hawaii. The key component of this dish is the sauce, which could be bought at an Oriental Foods store as tonkatsu (pork cutlet) sauce. But I have included a recipe for it here. I searched over years to find a recipe for the sauce, then finally modified one to match what can be found in Hawaii. I think its perfect now, so I hope you like it. The sauce is best if made a few hours in advance and refrigerated. If you can't get the panko flakes, you can just use flour or some other breading, but it won't be as crispy.

40 min 20 min prep

SERVES 3 -4

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Japanese-style bread crumbs (panko flakes)
• garlic salt
• oil (for frying)

sauce

• 3 tablespoons applesauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon cooking sherry
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1. For the Sauce:.
2. Add sauce ingredients to a bowl one by one, mixing in between.
3. For the Chicken:.
4. Place flour, eggs, and panko in separate bowls.
5. Lightly salt chicken then dip in eggs, then in flour, then in eggs, then in panko.
6. Deep fry or pan fry at medium heat until lightly brown.
7. Serve with sauce and hot rice.

© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

Chicken Enchiladas

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
2/4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can enchilada sauce green or red (we like green) (I like the bigger can)
3 - 4 cups cheese grated
1 can green chilies
4 oz. cream cheese (I usually add more)
olives (optional)

Mix cream of chicken soup, chicken, 1/2 can enchilada sauce, half of the cheese, 1/2 of the green chilies, cream cheese cubed, and olives. Pour half of the remaining enchilada sauce on bottom of 9 x 9 pan. Fill tortilla shells with filling, roll closed sealing ends. Roll in sauce on bottom of pan and arrange in pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top, cover with remaining cheese, green chilies and olives.

Cook covered in microwave (vented) for 8 min. on high and let sit in microwave for two minutes or cook in oven on 350 for 30 - 40 minutes.

Okonomiyaki

Here's the YouTube Video of how it's done:



Official Ingredients (If you have a Japanese Store nearby):
(serves 2 people)

- Batter -
100g Soft Wheat Flour (3 1/2 oz)
140ml Dashi Soup (5 oz)
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tpsp Grated Yamaimo (Japanese Mountain Yam)
A Little Bit of Salt

200g Cabbage & Welsh Onion (7 oz)
50g Boiled Octopus (1 3/4 oz)
8 Deep-Water Shrimps
Sakuraebi (Dried Pink Baby Shrimps)
Tenkasu (Bits of Deep-Fried Tempura Batter)
Beni Syoga (Pickled Ginger)
2 Eggs
100g Slice Pork (3 1/2 oz)

- Toppings -
Okonomiyaki Sauce
Long Green Onion
Mayonnaise
Dried Bonito Frakes
Aonori (Green Laver)


Kurt's Modified Ingredients (not as tasty, but probably more palatable and definitely easier to find ingredients for):
Serves 2

- Batter -
100g Soft Wheat Flour (3 1/2 oz)
5 oz water
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
A Little Bit of Salt
Chopped 1/2 lb of Chicken, Beef, Seafood or Pork
200g Cabbage & onion (7 oz)
sprinkle in some Panko
2 Eggs
5-6 Slices raw bacon

- Toppings -
Okonomiyaki Sauce
Chopped Green Onion
Mayonnaise

Double Tomato Bruschetta

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed or about 2T dried
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
2. In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
3. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
4. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with parmesan cheese.
5. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

From Weight Watchers Pure Comfort cookbook

Hands-On-Prep – 15 min

Cook – 40 min

Serves – 4

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

¾ pound ground skinless turkey

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14 ½ oz) can diced tomatoes

1 T chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

½ cup shredded fat-free sharp cheddar cheese

¼ cup fat-free sour cream

¼ cup sliced scallions

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve with the cheese, sour cream, and scallions.

**The cookbook said it gets better the long it sits (up to 2 days in fridge)

Nancy Keyser's (Grandma's) Lemon Bars

2 c flour
1 c butter
1/2 c powdered sugar

Mix and pat gently into 9x13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mix:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
5 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

Pour over crust and sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top. Bake at 350 deg for 20-25 minutes.

Samoan BBQ Chicken

1 part low-sodium soy sauce (we prefer Kikkoman)
2-3 part water
brown sugar to taste
large pulverized onions (we use a food processor or chopper)
fresh garlic buds (crushed)
fresh ginger root (peeled and crushed/ground)
frozen, boneless chicken thighs (Sysco has boxes of flash-frozen thighs for cheap if you're cooking for a big crew)
Calrose white, short-grained rice
shredded cabbage

Mix the soy sauce and water first. For a 3 lb bag of thighs, we mix up about 1/3 of a 26 cup bowl with the water/soy sauce mix first in a large tupperware bowl. I've never measured the exact amounts but it doesn't really matter - it should be to taste. Add the brown sugar and stir until it's slightly sweet. We add about a fistfull or so for a large bowl. Add the onions, garlic and ginger root. Again, it's to taste, but we like the mixture to be fairly full of these to add additional flavor.

Once you're satisfied with the flavor of the sauce, dump the frozen chicken in and let it sit overnight (or about 6 hours if you're prepping on a schedule) in your fridge. The longer you let it soak, the better. If you're only doing it for a few hours, you may not need to refridgerate it. We often do this in a cooler (for mutual activities) and don't refridgerate it at all - just remember to close the lid!

Once it's done marinating, BBQ it (all our Samoan and Tongan friends only use charcoal - gas doesn't give it the right flavor). We pull each piece out dripping wet and baste the others that are on the grill already as you put the new one on. Repeat for all pieces. Flip them often - you're not looking for blackened or dry, just bouncy, juicy meat. If you cook it too long, it'll be too dry. When they're done, toss them in a pan/bowl with a bed of shredded, slightly boiled cabbage on the bottom. Put a lid on to keep them hot and steam the cabbage a bit. It'll absorb the juices too and tastes amazing with the meat and rice.

We use this a lot for our "youf" (Samoan for 'Youth') in our ward. It can easily be made in a large cooler or multiple coolers for any occasion and tastes great with Calrose white rice, and macaroni salad in the true island way. Makes an awesome beach bbq bonfire dinner.

Talofa!

For the Cafe Rio lovers....

**I stole this from a friend and am making it for the first time this Sunday for Kelsie's blessing. She said the recipe is REALLY good. Enjoy! Here is the link to the original post with more details: http://favfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html

SWEET PORK

2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

OR, if you prefer chicken:

CAFE RIO CHICKEN

1 (8 ounce) bottle Kraft zesty Italian dressing
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 lbs chicken breasts

Directions

1. Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours on low.
2. Shred meat.
3. Cook 1 additional hour.
4. Enjoy!
   

CILANTRO-LIME RICE

1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


BLACK BEANS

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")


CILANTRO RANCH

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!