Sloppy Joes (for a crowd)

Every year for many many years Emerson Ward had a picnic at the park for a summer party. The menu was the same every year. The ward provided the sloppy joes and buns and home made root beer. Every thing else was pot luck. I really don't remember too many activities. I think everybody just talked while the kids played at the park. At first it was at Fairmont Park, but in later years, they held it at Sugarhouse Park. When Allan was in the Bishopric we helped make the sloppy joes. Evelyn Pruess gave us the recipe. When I make sloppy joes for my family I make them the same way only in much smaller quantity.

Sloppy Joes
(Emerson Ward for a crowd)

10 lbs. ground beef
3 cans chicken gumbo soup
3 onions (chopped)
1½ bottles ketchup

Brown hamburger, rinse off grease. Add onions, soup and ketchup. Simmer on low heat for an hour or so.

For my family I use:
2-3 lbs ground beef
1/2 - 1 onion
1 can chicken gumbo soup
enough ketchup to make it sloppy (about 1 cup).

Waikiki Meatballs

I made this for dinner quite often when my kids were growing up. It seems that with a large family, it's hard to find something that everybody likes. This was one that seamed to satisfy everyone. Before I got married, Emma gave me a recipe file box filled with some of her favorite recipes. This was one that she included from Mary.

Waikiki Meatballs

1½ lbs. ground beef
⅔ c. cracker crumbs
⅓ c. minced onion
1 egg
¼ t. ginger
¼ c. milk
1½ t. salt
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 can pineapple tidbits (drain, reserve juice)
1/3 c. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1/3 c. chopped green pepper
1/3 c. sliced onion

Mix meat, crumbs, chopped onion, egg, salt ginger and milk. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoons into meatballs. Spray frying pan with PAM. Brown and cook meatballs. Remove and keep warm. Pour excess fat from pan.

Mix cornstarch and sugar. Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into skillet. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute Add meatballs, pineapple tidbits and green peppers and slice onions. Heat through. Serve over rice.

Caramel Corn Pops

Before Josh got married he really hated these, in spite of the fact that they are delicious. They reminded him of packing peanuts (Styrofoam). But we continued to make them year after year. Last year when he was here with his family, for Christmas, we made them again. Everybody loved them (especially Sarah, Elijah and Sam). He tried them again and he too was hooked. I guess we all learn a multitude of good things from our spouses and children.
There is not a single thing in these that is good for you. I guess that's why they taste so good and are so hard to resist. They are like eating caramel covered air. Like eating caramel popcorn without the hulls getting stuck in your teeth. They are made form the imitation popcorn. I think it is made from corn starch. The stuff isn't that great until you cover it with buttery caramel. But then be prepared to eat it non stop til it's gone.
Elijah and Sam are here visiting us for a few days, so I think I'll make some tonight.
Elijah calls it Caramel Popcorn Foam

Caramel Corn Pop

1 lb. Butter
¼cup water
2 cups sugar
1 heaping Tablespoon dark Karo Syrup
1 20 oz. Pkg. “Barrel O’Fun” Corn pops Snacks

Mix first four ingredients in heavy pan. Cook on high to boiling. Then start timing. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, Mixture will smoke slightly and pull away from sides of pan. It should be a light caramel color. DO NOT OVER COOK!
Place corn pops in a large pan, pour mixture in and stir. Spread in a single layer on waxed paper to cool.

Cran-Crazy Cookies

Somehow I always feel a smidge less guilty when I eat these cookies rather than other cookies. It's easy to pretend that these are actually good for you because they are made from whole wheat flour. I got the recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens website. I actually really like these cookies and they are great for using food storage.

Cran-Crazy Cookies

Ingredients:
¾ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon or orange peel
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups chopped toasted pecans*
1 ½ cups dried cranberries (Craisins)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, lemon peel, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour. Stir in pecans and cranberries.
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool on cookie sheet on wire racks for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

*To toast nuts, spread them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 5 to 10 minutes our until nuts are slightly golden brown. Stirring once or twice. Cool completely. Chop nuts and set aside.

Raisin Filled Cookies

I love these cookies. Probably because they remind me of my childhood. These are one of the few cookies I remember my mom making when I was small. I rarely make them because they are a little labor intensive and Allan doesn't like them very much and I don't think my kids loved them either. But regardless of what they all think, these cookies are really good. Just ask any of my sisters.
This is an old fashioned cookie. Use basic sugar cookie dough for the cookie part.

Raisin Cookie Filling

Boil: 1 cup raisin in 3 cup water until plump (about 15 minutes)

In a bowl mix: 2 heaping Tablespoons corn starch with a little more that ½ cup sugar.
Add: enough water to make a paste ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Add paste to boiled raisins and cook until sauce is clear.

Place a tablespoon of raisin mixture in center of round sugar cookie dough. Place another circle on top and seal edges. Bake according to sugar cookie recipe.

Lion House Sugar Cookies

This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. It has just the right amount of sweetness and the cookies can be soft or crisp depending on how thin you roll them and how long you bake them. I like soft sugar cookies so I usually roll them about 1/4 inch thick and bake them just until they loose the glossy shine of the dough (just until they start to turn golden on the bottom). I usually frost them with cream cheese frosting. They are great for Valentines Day, Halloween, Easter or whenever you're in the mood.


Lion House Sugar Cookies
1⅓ cup margarine
6½-7 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
5 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. Vanilla
¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 400º. Cream margarine and sugar. Mix in eggs, vanilla and milk. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Roll 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut in desired shapes. Bake 7-8 minutes on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Remove from pans. Let cool and decorate with frosting and sprinkles, etc.

Fourth of July Jello

Mary first made this salad for my family in 1976. It was called Bicentennial Salad back then. It is a really pretty Jello Salad, and it tastes really good too. You can substitute green Jello for the Blue Jello and make it for Christmas (don't put the blueberries in). When Mary made it there was no such thing as blue Jello so she used red Jello for the blue layer. The blueberries make it go a dark blue color.

Fourth of July Jello
Or Christmas Jello*

1 3 oz. pkg. raspberry Jello
frozen raspberries or 2 pkg. fresh raspberries
1 3 oz . box berry blue Jello
frozen blueberries or 2 pkg. fresh blueberries
1 envelope plain knox gelatin
1 cup half & half or cream
1 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup chopped pecans

Layer 1:
Make raspberry Jello according to package directions. Add raspberries and pour into a 9x13 pan. Chill till mostly set.

Layer 2:
Dissolve plain gelatin in ½ cup cold water.
Heat half & half and sugar without boiling
Mix into gelatin mixture.
Add vanilla, cream cheese and nuts.
Mix until smooth
Gently pour over first layer and chill till mostly set.

Layer 3:
Make berry blue Jello according to package directions. Add blueberries and gently pour over layer two. Chill until completely set.


*for Christmas Jello, substitute Lime Jello for the berry blue Jello and eliminate the blueberries

Chicken Divan

I think it was Margaret who introduced this recipe to my family. She brought Chicken Divan to a family party. My mom loved it and we had it quite often when I was a teenager. My mom would sometimes try to mix things up with it and alter the recipe. She would add rice or use different vegetables. But nothing was quite as good as the original. Just make sure you use real mayonnaise, not salad dressing. (Allan likes it moist and goopy).

Chicken Divan

4 chicken breasts
1 package frozen broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup each of bread crumbs and melt butter
lemon juice to taste

Simmer chicken breasts 2-3 hours. Take skin and bones off. Cook broccoli. Spray pan with PAM.. Line casserole dish with broccoli then chicken. Combine soup, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Pour sauce over all. Top with cheese and crisp bread crumbs that have been sauteed in butter. Bake 45minutes at 350°.

Snickerdoodles

I think snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. They are just simple cookies that are just simply delicious. I think they are a must with homemade ice cream. I rarely make ice cream without making snickerdoodles to go with it. MMMMMM!

Snickerdoodles

1 cup soft shortening (part butter)
1½ cup sugar
2¾ cups flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon soda
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400º. Mix shortening, sugar and eggs thoroughly. Measure flour by sifting. Blend all dry ingredients; stir in. Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll in mixture of 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen 2" cookies

Spring Mill Corn Bread

When Rosalie was just a baby we went to Indiana to visit my sister Claralyn and her family. They were living there while her husband taught at Indiana University. We took my mom and dad. It was a great trip. While we were there, we went to an old State Park that had a working pioneer stone mill. We bought a bag of the stone ground corn meal and took it home and made corn bread from the recipe on the package. It was delicious. But part of the reason it was so good was because of the course corn meal. I couldn't find it anywhere else. Sometimes, after my sister moved back to Utah, I would ask her or her kids to pick some up for me when they went back to visit in Indiana. A few years ago, I discovered Red Mill products in the grocery store. They have a whole line of flours and things. They have a corn meal that is very similar to the corn meal we got in Indiana.
When Rosalie moved to Portland, we discovered that the Red Mill factory is not far from her house. We have gone there a few times. It is a fun place to explore. They have all the things they sell in normal stores plus a whole lot more. Now I can make my favorite corn bread anytime I want. (You can make this corn bread with regular corn meal too, but I like the course ground a lot better).

Spring Mill Corn Bread

¾ cup course corn meal
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
½ cup sugar
1 egg
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients. Add milk, eggs and shortening. Bake in a greased 9x9 pan for 20 minutes at 425º.

Pavlovas

Brad also came home from his mission around this time of year. Brad's and Josh's missions overlapped for 1 year. Brad brought home the recipe for Pavlovas from Australia. Pavlovas are a crusty meringue type cookie/cake thing (depending on how big you make it).
It is very light. It is really good this time of year when there are a plethora of berries available.

Pavlovas

Ingredients: makes 36 small pavlovas
6 egg whites
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sugar
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2tsp. white vinegar
Assorted berries or other fruit
Whipped Cream
Preheat oven to 250. Beat egg whites until stiff and glossy. Combine sugar, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. Gradually beat into the egg whites. Beat until stiff. Add vinegar and fold gently. Spoon meringue onto parchment lined cookie sheet in small circles. Make a depression in the center. Bake for about 1/2 hour. They should start to look dried out. Turn oven off, open the door, and let sit for about 15 more minutes. Spoon sweetened whipped cream in the depressed centers, top with sliced fruit.

Pulla

Today is the 32 year anniversary of when Allan came home from his mission. Which reminded me that Josh came home at about the same time of the year. Which reminded me of all the recipes that Josh brought home with him from Finland. None of them are very good (Rutabaga Casserole, Mammy) But he did introduce us to Pulla. Pulla is a Finnish Bread. Pulla is delicious! I think they usually braid it, but we make it into rolls. It is flavored with Cardamom. I had never used cardamom until Josh brought it home with him. Now it is one of my favorite spices.

Pulla

INGREDIENTS
2 cups milk
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 eggs, beaten
9 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, 4 eggs, and enough flour to make a batter (approximately 2 cups). Beat until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add about 3 cups of the flour and beat well; the dough should be smooth and glossy in appearance. Add the melted butter or margarine, and stir well. Beat again until the dough looks glossy. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is stiff.
Turn out of bowl onto a floured surface, cover with an inverted mixing bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough until smooth and satiny. Place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover with a clean dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled.
Turn out again on to a floured surface, and divide into 3 parts. Divide each third into 3 again. Roll each piece into a 12 to 16 inch strip. Braid 3 strips into a loaf. You should get 3 large braided loaves. Lift the braids onto greased baking sheets. Let rise for 20 minutes.
Brush each loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Check occasionally because the bottom burns easily.

Grandma Strong's Dinner Rolls

Allan's mom has always made the best rolls. They are alway light and fluffy and very tastey! I asked her for her recipe shortly after we got married. Occasionally I get them just as light as hers. But she still is and always will be the pro! I really like these rolls. I always eat too many of them. Allan thinks they are as good as dessert when you have them with homemade strawberry jam. Yum!!

Rolls

2 cups hot water (120º)
1 T. Sugar
2 T. yeast

½ cup sugar
½ cup oil
2 eggs
2 t. salt
6-7 cups flour

Mix water 1 T sugar and yeast. Let sit till softened. Mix sugar, oil eggs and salt. Add 1 cup flour. Mix in yeast mixture. Add 5 cups of flour. Knead for a few minutes. Gradually add last cup of flour till you have a soft dough. Let rise. Punch down. Form into rolls. Dip in melted margarine. Bake at 400º for about 10-15 minutes.

Bratten's Clam Chowder

Bratten's was a restaurant on 4th South in Salt Lake when I was a kid. It was the only good seafood restaurant in town. It was here long before The Red Lobster or Market Street Grill. I don't know why they went out of business. Several of the people I went to High School worked there. I think I only ever went there once. I'm not sure if this is actually the recipe they used. But it tastes just the same and it is delicious.

Bratten’s Clam Chowder

1 qt. half and half
1 small onion (diced)
2 cups diced potatoes
¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cans minced clams
1cup diced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
¾ cups butter
1½ teaspoon salt

Precook potatoes, celery and carrots. Drain (and save juice) from the clams. Add to vegetables. Add enough water to cover. Simmer until tender. Melt butter and add flour. Blend. Add cream and cook until smooth and thickened. Add salt, sugar and vegetables. Add clam juice. Heat but do not boil.
Pour in bowls and sprinkle with Salad Supreme and parsley or chives

Lemon Ice Cream

This is another recipe that has become a Martin Classic. It has just the right combination of tart and sweet. It is very refreshing on a hot summer day. Sometimes, when my kids were little, we made this ice cream in the winter and used snow from our yard to freeze it.
A lady named Bertha Stromberg in Emerson Ward made it once for a Relief Society Luncheon. She was very insistent that people give her credit for the recipe. So I'm giving her credit, even though she has probably been dead for years. Here's to you Bertha. Thanks for the recipe. We've enjoyed it for many, many years.

Lemon Ice Cream

2 qts whole milk
4 cups sugar
1 cup FRESH squeezed lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
1 ½ tsp lemon extract

Combine all ingredients and freeze in an ice cream freezer.

Rollo Cookies

A few years ago, several people in my neighborhood decided it would be fun to have a candy making class. Each week one of us would teach the rest of us how to make a different kind of candy. Bonnie Call decided that these cookies were close enough to candy (after all, they have Rollos in them). They are really good and the caramel in the middle is a pleasant surprise to the unexpecting.

Rollo Cookies

2 ½ cups flour 1 T sugar
2 eggs 4 oz white chocolate
¾ cups cocoa
1 cup chopped pecans 48 Rollo candies
1 t. soda
½ cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (no substitutes)
2 t. vanilla


Mix butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa, soda and ½ cup pecans. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough around a Rollo. Dip in sugar and remaining nuts. Bake at 375º for 7 -10 minutes or until cookie is cracked. Let sit on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This salad can be served for a main course or a side salad. It has a little bit of everything and is really yummy.




Spinach Salad

2 bunches of spinach (torn into bite size pieces) or spring green salad mix
1 head of lettuce (torn into bite size pieces)
1 purple onion (sliced)
3/4 lb. fresh mushrooms (sliced)
3/4 lb. Swiss cheese (grated)
1 C drained cottage cheese
1/2 C crumbled bacon
sugared almonds (see recipe below)
mandarin oranges
crasins
sliced strawberries
chopped mangoes
croutons

Toss all ingredients together (except onions). Use sliced onions as a garnish. Top with following dressing.


Poppy Seed Dressing

3/4 tsp poppy seeds
3/4 C oil
3/4 tsp grated onion
1/3 tsp mustard
1/2 C white vinegar
1/3 C sugar
3/4 tsp salt

Buzz in blender. Pour on salad right before serving

Sugared Almonds

1/2 cup sliced Almonds
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 t. cinnamon (optional)

mix all ingredients in a pot. Cook while stirring constantly until the sugar crystallizes on the almonds. Dump on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and separate the nuts from each other.

Macaroni and Tomatoes

The other day I was emailing my sisters about the foods my mom used to cook. I think my older sisters remember her being a better cook than I do. I think that by the time I came along she had grown weary of cooking and just cooked the basics and simple dishes. I think at this point in my life, I'm becoming more and more like her. Anyway, one of the things that I remember her cooking is Macaroni and Tomatoes. We had it often for lunch or dinner. It was one of the things that I remembered with my sisters. I had not had it since I was a child and decided I would try it again. I just made enough for myself because I didn't think anyone else would like it. While I was making it, Michael came in and asked if he could try some. I gave him some. He ate it all and when he finished I asked how he liked it. He said, "It was delicious, Grandma". He was right, to my surprise, it was.

Macaroni & Tomatoes

Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 lb. Macaroni. Cook until tender. Drain. Add 1 can of stewed tomatoes. Add a pat of butter to each serving.

Picnic Cake

I think my sister, Margaret, was the discoverer of this recipe. But since she introduced it to us it has become a Martin classic. Everybody loves it. No picnic is complete without it. But it's good anytime!

Picnic Cake

combine the following:
1 cup raisins (or 1 cup chopped dates)
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon soda
Cream:
¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir in:
1 ¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Add raisin mixture. Place in greased, floured pan. Top with ½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup nuts.

Bake at 350º for 40 minutes.

Banana Bread

Julie Thompson gave me this recipe. It is delicious and moist. It's the best I've tasted. Julie told me that whenever she found buttermilk on sale she would stock up on 1 cup containers and put them in her freezer so she would have them on hand whenever she had an over abundance of ripe bananas. I'm never that organized so I just substitute sour milk and nobody complains.

Banana Bread

3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 t. salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (1 cup milk + 1 t. Lemon juice)
1 t. vanilla
1 cup shortening or margarine
4 cups flour
2 t. soda
2 ½ cups mashed bananas

Mix in order given. Pour batter in greased bread pans sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Bake 40 minutes at 350º. Let sit in pans for ten minutes before removing from the the pans. Makes 3 regular sized loaves.

Brazillian Limeade

We first had this at Rodizio Grill. It is Allan's favorite drink. It is a little labor intensive (harder than Koolaid). But it is well worth the effort!

Brazilian Limeade

2 limes
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
ice
½ can 7-up (optional)

Wash limes thoroughly. Cut off the ends and slice into eight wedges. Place limes in a blender with water.
*Blend in blender, pulsing 5 times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove rinds. Squeeze as much juice and water as you can. Return juice and water to blender.* Add milk, sugar and ice. Blend until smooth.
Stir in 7-up.
Serve immediately.


*I whiz the limes in the blender for a minute before I add the water. Then I whiz it again. Then I pour the limey water through a strainer (with sort of large holes, I use a Tupperware one) into a pitcher. Then I rinse the blender and I pour the limey water through a fine sieve back into the blender. Then rinse out the pitcher.

Gourmet Cream Cheese

One morning at Youth Conference we served Bagels and a variety of Gourmet Cream Cheeses for breakfast. We discovered that people prefer either plain or sweet bagels and plain or sweet cream cheese over herb, garlic or cheese flavored of either one (Bagels or Cream Cheese). The herb, garlic and cheese flavored are probably better for lunch. We served five different flavors of cream cheese, Maple Pecan, Fresh Strawberry, Honey Cinnamon, Caramel Apple, and Orange Cranberry Pecan. The Fresh Strawberry was the first to be gone (but I think that was mostly because it was a very pretty color of pink that looked delicious) but the Honey Cinnamon was my favorite. Gourmet Cream Cheese is rather expensive at the bagel shops and it is very easy to make. You can get creative and make what ever flavors sound good to you. It's also better because it's fresher!

Maple Pecan Cream Cheese

1 8oz brick Cream Cheese (softened)
3 T. real maple syrup (or to taste)
1/4-1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add syrup and chopped pecans. Mix well. Store in refrigerator.


Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese

1 8 oz brick Cream Cheese (softened)
2-3 T. powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Beat cream cheese until smooth, mix in powdered sugar. Gently stir in strawberries. Store in refrigerator.


Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese

1 8oz brick Cream Cheese (softened)
2-3 T. honey (runny but not hot)
1/2 - 1 t. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese until smooth, mix in other ingredients. Store in refrigerator.


Caramel Apple Cream Cheese

1 8 oz brick Cream Cheese (softened)
3 T Mrs. Richardson Caramel Topping (divided)
1/2 apple chopped

Beat cream cheese until smooth, mix in 1 1/2 T. caramel topping until it is well mixed. Fold in apple and the rest of the caramel topping leaving streaks of caramel running through the cream cheese.


Orange Cranberry Pecan Cream Cheese

1 8 oz. brick cream cheese
1 1/2 T. orange juice concentrate
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. sugar
2 T chopped craisins
2 T chopped pecans
zest from 1 orange

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in other ingredients. Store in refrigerator

Sweet Chicken Tacos

Every time I serve these tacos, someone asks me for the recipe. They really are delicious!
A few weeks ago, Allan & I were in charge of the food for our Youth Conference. We made these for dinner one night. We were serving dinner to about 300 people. I timesed the recipe by 20 (110 pounds of chicken)! It was a hit!

Sweet Chicken Tacos

4 – 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can green enchilada sauce
2 cans Mexican style tomato sauce
1 can chopped chili peppers
1 onion, chopped
1 chopped green or red pepper
1 ½ cup brown sugar
Sliced mushrooms (optional)

Put chicken in crock pot with a little water. Cook for about 1 to 2 hours until chicken falls apart. Shred chicken. Add enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, onion, pepper and chili peppers and brown sugar. Continue cooking on low for about 6 hours (or on high for about 4 hours).

If it is too runny, cook a little longer with the lid off.

Serve with
Corn or flour tortillas
rice (recipe below)
black beans
grated cheese
lettuce
tomatoes
avocado or guacamole
sour cream
fresh cilantro
salsa
fresh squeezed lime juice

Rice

2 cup brown or white rice
4 cups chicken broth or water
½ onion chopped
¼ cup butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic

Combine rice, butter, onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat until onions are transparent. Add the water and allow rice to come to a boil. Simmer on low until all liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes for white rice, 40 minutes for brown rice).