Mango Upside Down Cake

3-4 mangoes, peeled and cut into strips
1 stick butter
3/4 C. brown sugar (packed)

1.  In small saucepan melt together butter and brown sugar on medium heat.  Add mangoes and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove mangoes with slotted spoon and set aside.  Allow butter and sugar to continue to simmer for about 3 minutes or until it becomes a syrup.  Remove from heat and set aside.

1 stick butter, softened
3/4 C. white sugar (you can reduce the amount to 1/2 C. if you'd like)
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 2/3 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 C. milk

-Preheat oven to 350

2.  In medium bowl beat together butter and sugar until mixed, it will be lumpy.  Add in eggs and vanilla and mix in until blended.
3.  Add 1 cup of the flour, 1 tsp of the baking powder, the salt and half of the milk and beat until blended.  Add in remaining flour, baking powder and milk and mix until blended.
4.  Line a round 8" cake pan with non-stick spray and parchment paper which you will also spray with non-stick spray.  Layer mango slices on the bottom of the cake pan and carefully, and slowly, cover with cake batter.
5.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is a light golden color and an inserted knife comes out clean.  Let cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.  Heat up the syrup on medium heat until warm and pour over cake.  Serve cake warm or cool; enjoy!

p.s.  You don't want to beat the batter too much because when you do you force the air out of it causing your cake to be more dense; the recipe for this cake should result in a light, fluffy cake.  Also, if you don't have parchment paper that is just fine, just grease your cake pan quite a bit more than usual.  Another tip when trying to remove cakes from their pans is to take a knife and run it around the side edge and then bang the pan a few times on the table, this helps to loosen the bottom of the cake and will help it come out better if you aren't using parchment paper. 

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

4 chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely diced
1 serrano pepper, seeded & diced
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 C. sour cream
1 C. shredded cheese
1/2 C. water
4 large tortillas or 8 small tortillas
1/2 can olives, drained & sliced
19oz can green enchilada sauce

-Preheat oven to 375
1.  Season chicken with salt & pepper and cook thoroughly.  Remove from pan and shred. 
2.  Add oil, garlic, onion, serrano pepper and tomato to pan and cook on medium heat until onion is translucent.  Add shredded chicken, sour cream, 1/2 C. cheese and water to pan and simmer 15 minutes.
3.  Divide mixture evenly among tortillas.  Pour 1/3 of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" pan, add enchiladas and cover with remaining sauce.  Top with remaining cheese and olives.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes covered then remove foil and bake another 5 minutes uncovered.  Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

8-10 chicken breast tenders, chopped
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp. ginger powder
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 egg
Salt & pepper
Vegetable oil (for frying)

1.  Combine chicken with rice wine vinegar, honey and ginger in large bowl.  Toss to coat well and marinate covered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2.  Add a little water to the cornstarch to make a paste and then beat in the egg and add to chicken.  Toss well.
3.  Heat oil in large pan on medium heat until small bubbles begin to appear at the bottom.  Fry chicken in oil  until golden.  Remove and drain on paper towels.

*While frying chicken cook sauce:

Lemon Sauce:
1 C. chicken broth
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. lemon zest

1.  Add all  ingredients to medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often.  Let boil 2 minutes then remove from heat and toss half of the sauce with the fried chicken and serve the remaining sauce on the side.  Serve and enjoy!

p.s.  We just ate this with rice but it would be great with stir fry veggies or even pasta!

All-Ages Pasta Salad

2 boxes spiral pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
1 broccoli crown, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
1 can olives, drained & sliced
1 pkg. mini pepperoni's
4-6 string cheese sticks, sliced
2 green onions, diced
2 bottles Caesar Parmesan or Creamy Italian dressing

1.  Toss all ingredients, except dressing, together in large bowl.  Add 1 bottle of dressing and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours or overnight.  Slowly add remaining dressing just before serving.

p.s.  When adding the remaining dressing be sure to add it slowly and taste the salad as you go because you may not need to use the entire bottle.  Also, this recipe is for large gatherings; for smaller get-togethers I would cut the recipe in half.

Perfect-for-Me Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 C. white sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. hot water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 C. chocolate chips

-Preheat oven to 350
1.  Cream butter and sugars together with hand mixer on low setting until blended but still a little lumpy.
2.  Add egg and vanilla, mix until blended.
3.  Dissolve baking soda with hot water in small bowl and blend into batter.
4.  Stir in flour and chips with a spoon until just blended.
5.  Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake 10-13 minutes until edges are golden.  Let sit on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before removing them to wire racks to cool.  Serve!
-Makes 20-24 cookies

Hummus

3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4-1/2 C. plain yogurt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1-2 tsp. olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 can chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
Ground paprika

1.  Combine all ingredients, except paprika, in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Add additional yogurt and/or olive oil if needed.
2.  Pour hummus into a serving bowl, sprinkle with paprika and serve immediately or let chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

p.s.  Hummus is delicious when eaten with pita bread, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and/or tomatoes.  You can also spread it on sandwiches or wraps instead of the usual condiments for a delightfully different taste!

p.s.s.  I've been searching for a hummus recipe for quite some time!  This recipe was originally in a magazine and after getting it from a family member I just made a few little adjustments and am quite happy with it.  :)

Campfire Banana Boats

1 banana per person
Mini Marshmallows
Butterscotch chips
Chocolate chips
Heavy duty foil

1.  Cut each banana down the middle but not through the bottom peel.  Stuff each banana with mini marshmallows, butterscotch and chocolate chips.  Wrap each banana with foil and set on campfire coals for about 10 minutes.  Unwrap carefully and enjoy!

p.s.  You can do this in the oven also.  Follow the same steps and cook at 350 for 10-20 minutes or until the chips are melted.  You can also opt to not wrap them in foil and just place them in a baking dish.

p.s.s.  We had these a few times growing up as FHE treats but they make a great, and easy, dessert for just about any occasion (especially camping)!

Baked Beans

2 lbs. dry pinto beans
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1-2 C. ketchup
2 Tbsp.-1/4 C. brown sugar
2 Tbsp.-1/4 C. mustard
1-2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 serrano pepper, diced  (keep the seeds if you want more spice)
1 onion, finely diced
Salt
A few cups of water

1.  Rinse beans and place in a large bowl and cover with water.  Let soak overnight then drain and rinse them before placing them in a crock pot.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot and cook on low heat for up to 10 hours or on high heat for up to 6 hours.  Check them every 1-2 hours and adjust seasonings to your liking.  Serves quite a few; I made this for a bbq that had about 40 people in attendance.

p.s.  A few tips:  Soak beans for at least 10-12 hours.  Don't add salt to the pot until the beans are nearly done and if your beans are taking a long time to get tender you can add about 1 tsp of baking soda to help the process speed up a bit.  Also, you can add as much water as you like while they are cooking if you prefer saucy beans.

p.s.s.  Using canned beans (6 cans, drained and rinsed) is a little bit easier and takes less time (about 4 hours on high in the crock pot).  Start with the smallest measurement of ingredients and adjust to your liking during the cooking process.

Italian Baked Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 375.
2.  Toss all ingredients in a large bag until well mixed and coated.  Pour into greased 8x8" baking dish and cover with foil.
3.  Bake for 20 minutes, stir and then bake for another 15-20 minutes until tender.  Serves 4 as a side and 2 as a more focal point of an entree.

p.s.  I did add some grated Parmesan to half of the dish and broiled it for a minute or two until the cheese was melted and my hubby really liked it.  :)

Butternut Squash & Spinach Over Rice

1 C. wild rice
2 C. water
1 Tbsp. butter
Salt & pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil

1.  Heat water to boiling, add remaining, cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 45-55 minutes until water is absorbed.

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (scoop out seeds also)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp coconut or olive oil
Salt & pepper
Dried thyme
1-2 C. baby spinach leaves
1/2 C. water or broth

1.  While rice is cooking heat oil in large skillet on medium heat.  Saute garlic, onion and squash until onion is translucent and squash is beginning to brown (about 7-10 minutes).  Add water (or broth) and seasonings, cover and reduce heat to medium/low and simmer until squash is tender (about 15-20 minutes).
2.  Add spinach and stir well.  Cover and let simmer another 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.  Serve over wild rice. 

-Serves about 4