Joudsas were my very favorite food growing up. On our birthday's my mom always let us pick what we wanted for dinner, and this is what I chose almost every single year. My mom started making these for my dad shortly after they were married. My dad served an LDS mission in Taiwan, and this is one of the things he liked to eat. Now, these are not super authentic Taiwanese food. they are very Americanized, but that doesn't mean they aren't delicious. They are very similar to pot stickers, but a whole lot less work.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Small Onion
1  Pkg. Won Ton Wrapper- They are found in the produce section of most grocery stores.

1. Dice the onion and green pepper. Mix it in with the meat. It works best to get your hands in there and really mix it up.

2. Place a small amount of the meat mixture in the center of the won ton wrapper. Dip your finger tips in a small amount of water and rub it on 2 adjacent sides of the wrapper ( this will help it stick as you fold it over and seal it shut.) Fold the wrapper closed and press the edges together. It's okay it they don't stay totally sealed or if they tear a little bit.

3. Place Joudsas in a steamer, and steam for about 14 minutes.

 Serve with rice and topped with soy sauce. This makes about 40-50 joudsas.

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I love pizza. For awhile I went through a weird pizza hating phase, but luckily that has passed, and pizza and I have gotten back together. Lately I have been trying out some new pizza variations. I attempted a BBQ chicken pizza, and it was so bad we had to throw it all away, so if you know of a good BBQ chicken pizza recipe let me know. Fortunately this Pepperoni Bread is absolutely delicious. This is another recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Maree. She made it for us once and I had to have the recipe.

This particular recipe calls for a bread maker. You can just mix the dough in a mixer and let it rise for about 60-90 minutes, but the bread maker makes it so much easier.

Ingredients:
1/3 C Oil
1 Egg
12 ounces warm, not hot, water
4 1/4 C Flour
1/2 C Milk
3 T Sugar
1 1/2 t Salt
3 tsp Yeast
Pepperoni
Cheese

Add the first three ingredients to the bread machine pan. Then add the dry ingredients. Set the bread machine at the dough cycle and push start. This cycle usually last 90 minutes to 2 hours.

This makes two loaves, so divide the dough in half. Roll the half portion into a large rectangle. Cover the middle third of the dough with pepperoni slices and cheese. Be generous. Fold one side of the dough over the pepperoni slices and cheese. Now repeat, placing a second layer of pepperoni and cheese on top. Fold the other side of the dough over the top and pinch the ends and edges closed. You can use a knife to cut the top of the loaf to make it look like french bread. Repeat the whole process with the second half of the dough.

Allow loaves to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Brush loaves with a whole beaten egg and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

This makes a lot. To give you an idea, I followed this recipe exactly, added a couple salads and fed 8 adults and 2 children.

Linking Up At:

Baked In The South

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This has become one of my favorite week night dinners. It is super yummy and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. I inherited this recipe from my sister, an amazing cook, but it originates from Alton Brown on the Food Network. I have to admit Alton is not my favorite Food Network guy, but this mac and cheese is delicious, so I have to give him credit. I've made a few changes to make it more my taste.

Please keep in mind that this recipe is not exactly a healthy meal. Definitely make sure you have some fruit and vegetables to go with it. Then you can feel okay about eating this delicious cheesiness.

Ingredients:
10 oz. Elbow Macaroni
3 T Butter
3 T Flour
1 T Mustard
3 C Milk
1/2 C Diced Onion
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 t Paprika
1 Egg
8 oz. Cheddar Cheese
1 t Kosher Salt

Topping:
2 T Butter
1 C Bread Crumbs

Directions:
1.Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking you've got a lot to do.
2. In a medium sized pot melt the butter. Whisk in flour and mustard . Stir and keep it moving for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the milk, bay leaf, onions, and paprika. Let it simmer about 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Remove the bay leaf. Temper in the egg. (This is to prevent the egg from cooking when it hits all of the hot liquid in your pot. Mix the egg up in a small bowl and add a little bit of the milk mixture at a time to help bring it up to temperature. Then you can add the egg mixture into the pot.)
5. Stir in the cheese and stir until it's melted and gooey.
6. Fold in the macaroni noodles, and pour everything into a 2 quart pan.
7. Time to make the bread crumbs. Melt the butter in a saute pan. Add in the bread crumbs and coat them with the butter. Stir them around until they start to brown slightly.
8. Pour the bread crumbs on top of the macaroni.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. This makes about 6-8 servings.

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This has become one of our favorite meals. We had to stop eating it while I was pregnant because, like everything else in the world, it gave me bad heartburn. But now it's back and it's so yummy. To make these we combined 2 recipes. First we cook the chicken using the recipe for Spicy Chicken Tacos. I feel so bad that I cannot remember where I originally got this recipe.  Then we use the Baked Chicken Taquitos recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. We have had both recipes on their own and they were good, but together they are amazing !
First off we have to cook the chicken.

Ingredients:
3 Cans (12 oz.) of shredded chicken juice and everything- The last time I made these I had 2 chicken breasts I needed to use up and it worked out fine, you just have to add some water or broth so it doesn't get all dried up.
2-3 T Chili Powder
1 T Cayenne Pepper
1 T Cumin

Cook on high for about 4-5 hours until water is gone. That's it. This should make enough for you to make some taquitos tonight and then freeze enough to make them again another night.

Next we taqutio!

Ingredients:
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 C Green Salsa
1 T Fresh Lime Juice (I never use fresh.)
1/2 t Cumin
1 t Chili Powder
1/2 t Onion Powder
1/4 t Garlic Powder
3 T Chopped Cilantro
1 Green Onion, sliced finely
2 C Shredded Chicken
1 C Cheese
Tortillas- We have started buying the raw tortillas that you have to cook up yourself. They are a little more, but well worth it. They are like a million times better than the already cooked tortillas. We get them at Wal-Mart.
Kosher Salt
Cooking Spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.



Heat up tortillas a couple at a time so they are pliable. Place 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture in the tortilla and roll up as tight as you can. Place them seem side down in a 9x13 pan. I squish mine in tight so they can help hold each other shut. When they are all put together spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. It really adds a nice flavor to them.




Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the ends turn a golden brown. We like to dip ours in ranch, but you can use salsa or guacamole. These are pretty spicy. If you aren't up for that cut your spices in half.

We like to eat taquitos with Mexican Rice.  I can usually eat on and a half taquitos for dinner, and my husband eats two, so we get to enjoy leftovers for awhile. I have fund the best way to heat them up is to cut them in half, microwave them so the insides are hot, and them broil them for about 90 seconds so the tortilla can crisp up again. That may sound like a lot of work, but I really hate soggy tortillas, so for me it's worth it, and it makes them taste fresh again. Now I'm wishing we hadn't already finished off all our leftovers. I could really go for a taquito right now at 10:00 in the morning.

 

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