The Cooking Family

Ray’s Crab Soup

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Ray’s Crab Soup
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 

This is one of our family's long time favorite recipes.

Course: Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: American
Author: Ray
Ingredients
  • 2 boxes beef broth (32 oz. each)
  • 1/2 dozen crabs, cleaned
  • 32 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
  • 10.5 oz. can beef consomme
  • salt (to taste)
  • pepper (to taste)
  • seafood seasoning (to taste)
Instructions

  1. Fill a large pot with water. Combine all ingredients.

  2. Cook 30 – 45 minutes, until done.

  3. Can add noodles if desired.

  4. Soup can spoil if left out too long. Refrigerate after serving.

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Million Dollar Pie

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Million Dollar Pie
Prep Time
10 mins
 

This is a favorite at family functions and always disappears within 5 minutes. We sometimes call it Millionaire Pie as well. There's only 6 ingredients so it's very easy, as well as delicious.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: million dollar pie, pie recipe
Servings: 8 people
Author: Mildred
Ingredients
  • 1 pie shell
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 8 oz. cool whip
  • 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions

  1. Combine milk and lemon juice. Stir until thick.

  2. Add cool whip, pineapple and pecans and stir.

  3. Pour mixture into baked pie shell.

  4. Chill.

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Mexican Macaroni

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Mexican Macaroni
Prep Time
8 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: mexican macaroni, mexican recipe
Author: Christina
Ingredients
  • 2 boxes Velveeta shell macaroni and cheese
  • 2 packages taco seasoning
  • 16 oz. sour cream
  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 8 oz. shredded cheese
Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Make Velveeta macaroni and cheese according to package.

  3. Add your sour cream when mixing in the package's cheese sauce.

  4. While the macaroni and cheese is cooking, brown your ground beef.

  5. Add the taco seasoning to the ground beef and cook according to the package.

  6. In 9×13 cooking dish place one layer of macaroni (half) on the bottom, one layer of all your ground beef and then a second layer of the remaining macaroni.

  7. Cover the top completely with shredded cheese.

  8. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

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Minestrone Soup

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Minestrone Soup
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 25 mins
Reheating
20 mins
 
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade soup, soup recipe
Author: Randy
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb. Italian sweet sausage (frozen)
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 clove finely minced garlic
  • 2 small zucchini, sliced
  • 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
  • 1 lb. can tomatoes (undrained)
  • 2 10 oz. cans beef bouillion
  • 1 lb. can northern beans or navy beans
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions

  1. Slice the frozen sausage crosswise and brown with olive oil in dutch oven.

  2. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and basil. Cook for 5 minutes.

  3. Add zucchini, tomatoes with the liquid, bouillion,cabbage, salt, and pepper.

  4. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer covered for 1 hour.

  5. Add the beans, rice, and wine. Cook for 20 minutes, until rice is done.

  6. Let cool and then refrigerate.

  7. Reheat soup for 20 minutes. Soup should be thick. If not add more bouillion. Top with cheese and serve.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate fudge, fudge recipe, peanut butter fudge
Author: Juanita
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 2/3 cup milk, scalded
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 4 Tbsp. peanut butter
Instructions

  1. Melt chocolate in milk.

  2. Add sugar and corn syrup. Cook slowly, stirring until sugar dissolves.

  3. Bring to boiling. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

  4. Uncover and cook until soft ball forms, stirring frequently.

  5. Remove from heat. Add butter and cool until lukewarm without stirring.

  6. Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat vigourously until very thick and no longer glossy.

  7. Quickly spread into greased pan.

  8. Chopped nuts can be sprinkled on top if preferred. Makes 2 dozen pieces.

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Eggplant Parmesan

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Eggplant Parmesan
Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: eggplant parmesan, eggplant recipe
Author: Juanita
Ingredients
  • 1-2 eggplants
  • 2 Tbsp. milk (add more as needed)
  • 1 egg
  • cooking oil
  • 1/2 cup flour (add more as needed)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (add more if needed)
  • 1 package mozzarella cheese slices
  • 1 jar Progresso meat sauce
Instructions

  1. Cut off stem and bottom of eggplant. Peel off any tough or bruised skin (leave the rest of the skin intact).

  2. Wash eggplant in cold water.

  3. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut out any dark or brown spots in the eggplant meat.

  4. Scramble egg in one bowl. Place milk in another bowl and flour on another bowl.

  5. Dip your eggplant slices first in the milk, then the egg and dredge in flour.

  6. Fry in oil at 325 degrees. Drain excess oil.

  7. Make up to three layers of eggplant.

  8. Top each layer with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

  9. On top of the grated cheese place one slice of mozzarella on each stack.

  10. Add spaghetti sauce only on top layer.

  11. Cover dish and bake in 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted.

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Burritos

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Burritos
Prep Time
8 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: burrito recipe, burritos recipe, mexican burritos, mexican recipe
Author: Christina
Ingredients
  • 3 cups cheddar cheese
  • 1 onion
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 cans tomato sauce
  • 20 flour tortillas
  • lettuce
  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 French's taco sauce
  • 1 can Pace Picante sauce
  • 1 green pepper
  • 2-3 chopped green chili peppers
Instructions

  1. Mix the tomato sauce and the taco sauce in saucepan.

  2. Cook on the stove top on low (setting 2 on the knob).

  3. Chop your green pepper and add to saucepan. Stir. Cook on medium (setting 4-5 on knob).

  4. Chop your onion and add to ground beef.

  5. In a skillet brown your ground beef and drain. Pour contents of the saucepan into the skillet and stir.

  6. Chop up chili peppers and add to skillet. Stir and then turn down to a simmer.

  7. Clean lettuce and tomatoes.

  8. Remove meat mixture from heat.

  9. Add meat mixture, tomato, lettuce and shredded cheese to tortilla. Fold into burritos.

  10. Serve with Pace Picante sauce.

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Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

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Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate banana smoothie, chocolate peanut butter smoothie, smoothie recipe
Servings: 3 people
Author: Walter
Ingredients
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp. chocolate protein powder (If you don't want to use protein powder, increase the Nesquick to 8 Tbsp.)
  • 4 Tbsp. Nesquick
Instructions

  1. Pour your milk first into the blender. Add peanut butter and chocolate sauce. Drop in the bananas on at a time after starting the blender on the smoothie setting.

  2. Add peanut butter, Nesquik and protein powder.

  3. Drop in the bananas on at a time after starting the blender on the smoothie setting. We usually when freezing our bananas break them in halves.

  4. Blend on smoothie setting until smooth.

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Smothered Barbecue Chicken

Smothered Barbecue Chicken
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Smothered Barbecue Chicken
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 

I've done this recipe before with frozen mesquite chicken breasts, however I haven't been able to find them recently so I developed this recipe using fresh chicken breasts and liked the result even better. This pairs well with our cinnamon apples, check out our recipe for these on our website. We made it for company last night and they loved it. We hope you like it too.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barbecue chicken, chicken recipe, smothered chicken
Author: Tracy
Ingredients
  • 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 pack McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite Marinade (1.06 oz)
  • 4-6 pieces bacon (one for each chicken breast)
  • 6 oz. barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 small bag shredded cheddar cheese
  • butter (to saute onions)
  • olive oil (to sear chicken)
Instructions

  1. Cut excess fat off of your chicken.

  2. Make your mesquite marinade according to package instructions. Marinade for 10-15 minutes.

  3. Remove your chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Sear your chicken on all sides.

  4. Place chicken in baking dish and cook for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

  5. Slice your onion and place to the side about 10-15 minutes before your chicken is ready to come out of the oven.

  6. Cook your bacon after slicing the onion. Blot excess grease off the bacon. Place to the side.

  7. Remove the chicken from the oven.

  8. Spread one thin layer of barbecue sauce over the top of each chicken breast.

  9. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the barbecue sauce.

  10. Break each bacon strip into 2-3 pieces and cover the cheese.

  11. Add another layer of barbecue sauce, this one a little thicker than the first.

  12. Add another layer of shredded cheese.

  13. Return dish to oven and cook for another 5 minutes.

  14. While your chicken is cooking saute your onions in butter.

  15. Pull your chicken out of the oven. Serve with sauteed onions over the top.

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Juanita’s Lasagna

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Juanita’s Lasagna
Prep Time
3 hrs 15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
 

This is another family favorite. This recipe is the best lasagna I've ever tasted. I can still remember going into Grandma's house and smelling this lasagna cooking in the oven. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: homemade lasagna, lasagna
Author: Juanita
Ingredients
  • 2 28 oz. cans of tomatoes with juice
  • 2 28 oz. cans of tomato paste
  • 1 large chopped onion
  • 6 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground fennel
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 24 oz. cottage cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 8 oz. can grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 pkg. swiss cheese
  • 1 pkg. lasagna noodles
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Sauce

  1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and set aside.

  2. Cook ground beef in a large pan or dutch oven, drain and return to pan.

  3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic and remaining seasonings to the ground beef.

  4. Stir well, cover and simmer 3 hours.

  5. Remove bay leaves when finished.

Cheese Mixture

  1. While sauce simmers lightly beat the egg, combine and mix with cottage cheese and parmesan cheese.

  2. Chill until ready to use.

Lasagna

  1. Cook the lasagna noodles per package instructions and drain.

  2. Spray or oil a 13 x 9 casserole pan.

  3. Put enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan.

  4. Add a layer of lasagna noodles over sauce.

  5. Remove cheese mixture from the refrigerator and stir. Then spread cheese mixture on top of noodles.

  6. Repeat layers making 2 or 3 layers, finishing with a layer of sauce.

  7. Cover with Swiss cheese slices. Swiss cheese can be replaced with Mozzarella, Italian cheese blend or your cheese of choice. Juanita always used Swiss.

  8. Cover with aluminum foil. I insert several toothpicks into the lasagna before covering with foil to insure it doesn’t stick to the cheese.

  9. Cook 45 minutes to an hour, or until lasagna is bubbly around the edges. Remove the foil for the last few minutes to lightly brown the cheese.

  10. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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