Resurrection Rolls

I heard about these at community Bible Study this week and thought they sounded SO easy and SO awesome! Make these with children and tell them the story of the resurrection of Jesus! I DO happen to know that these smell DELICIOUS while cooking....the adults of CBS didnt get to sample the rolls, we were just tortured by the smell of them baking while we met in our small groups! :)

DISCLAIMER: The directions were given to the group of ladies orally and I didnt get specific amounts, temperatures and times....so these are just GUESSES until I make them myself.

INGREDIENTS:
Large Marshmallows
Vegetable Oil
Cinnamon Sugar
Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough

1. NOT SURE what temperature to preheat oven to.....my GUESS would be whatever the package on the crescent rolls says.
2. Hold up the marshmallow and tell the children that the white marshmallow represents Jesus who was pure and sinless.
3. Explain that when he died on the cross his followers anointed him in oil to prepare him to be buried. Have the children dip the marshmallow in a small amount of the vegetable oil.
4. Then tell the children that that his followers also used spices to prepare his body to be buried. Have the children roll or sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar all over the marshmallow.
5. Then explain that Jesus followers buried his body in a tomb. Have the children wrap the marshmallow and seal it up in a piece of crescent roll dough.
6. Place each uncooked resurrection roll inside a compartment of a muffin tin. If a muffin tin is not available, they told us a regular pan would work almost as well.
7. Bake dough (again....not sure how long....my GUESS would be as long as the package suggests.) Talk to the children about how long transpired from Good Friday until Easter Sunday.
8. When the rolls are completed and cooled allow the children to bite into the rolls and they will find that the marshmallow (Jesus) isnt there....there is only an empty hole in the roll (because the marshmallow melted away) just as the tomb was empty because HE IS ALIVE!
I cant wait to try this with my children someday!

black bean chili

tweaked from Healthy meals for less
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pount cooked extra lean ground beef
2/3 cup dry black beans soaked overnight and drained
8 ounce can tomato sauce
15 ounce can diced tomatoes (if mild flavor is desired, or 2 cups salsa if spicy flavor is desired)
3-5 coved garlis crushed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder (or closer to 1 tbsp if spicier chili is desired)
1/2 onion diced
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 tsp lime juice (I just used 1/2 a lime)
3 T chopped cilantro (I used an entire bunch, we LOVE cilantro)

1. Combine all of the ingredients in the slowcooker.
2. Stir, cover and cook on high for 2 hours then on low for 8 hours.

According to the author any type of dried bean can be used, such as pinto beans. She also suggests servign with corn bread so that together they make a "complete protein"
*The first time I made this I (mostly) followed the recipe as the author wrote it....we felt it was a bit bland, but still tasty....so next time I will make one or more of the "spicy" changes to give it a bit more heat.

tortilla soup

tweaked from Healthy Meals for Less

INGREDIENTS
1 lb chicken breasts cubed
1/2 cup finely diced onion
4-6 cloves garlic pressed
8 cups chicken broth (or 8 cups water with 8 low sodium chicken bullion cubes)
1 can rotel (if spicy soup is desired or for milder flavor use 1 can petite diced tomatoes)
3/4 tsp dry oregano
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp chili powder
1 can corn (or equivalent amt of frozen corn)
1 can black beans (or equivalent amt of soaked black beans)
tortilla chips
garnishes-shredded cheese, sliced avocado, sour cream etc.
1. In a large (4 qt pan combine all of the ingredients (except chips).
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
3. Serve with a handful of tortilla chips on top of chips and any desired garnishes.

balsamic asparagus

I know I have already posted a recipe for balsamic grilled asparagus, but last night the grill wasnt fired up (we have charcoal and it takes more prep...) so I tried a different approach....
from recipezaar.

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch fresh asparagus (stalks all about the same size)
1 tbsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp (or more) balsamic vinegar
parmesan cheese (optional)
dash hot pepper flakes (optional)

1. prepare asparagus by washing and snapping off the tough ends
2. heat oil in frying pan
3. Add asparagus to the pan and keep it moving around for 3-5 minutes (or longer if softer veggies are desired) until it changes color. Add balsamic vinegar, freshly ground black pepper (and hot pepper flakes if desired)
4. Remove from heat and cover for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
5. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving if desired.

Easy No-Boil Pasta Bake

from recipezaar
SO easy AND versatile
I listed this under VEGETARIAN and GROUND BEEF because it IS so versatile. I also LOVE the fact that this has the potential to be a ONE dish meal!!! Less dishes to clean
INGREDIENTS
1 pound uncooked pasta (rotini, ziti, bowties, penne, rigatoni, etc)
1 26 ounce jar pasta sauce
water
3 chopped zuchinni (or any chopped veggie that sounds good to you or 1 pound ground beef, or frozen meatballs....italian sausage would be good too)-optional
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
1. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole. Pour in pasta sauce and combine with 1 jar of water.
2. Add pasta and any additional optional ingredients.
3. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Uncover and stir. Then top with mozarella cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes.

Jam Chicken

From Healthy Meals for Less
I thought the ingredients sounded similar to another recipe "Cranberry Chicken" but the flavor is very very different.
INGREDIENTS
2T jam*-I used Strawberry preserves
3T low sodium soy sauce
2T water
1T grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp powdered ginger +1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp lemon juice)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (I used 3...wish I had used 4...but may have needed more sauce, especially if I planned to marinate)

1. Combine the jam, soy sauce, water and ginger in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Add the chicken and toss so that it is covered with sauce.
3. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

*According to the author, almost any flavor jam (NOT Jelly) would taste good....she suggests apricot jam....I used strawberry preserves and was very pleased.

**At the authors suggestion I let the chicken marinate in the sauce for 2-3 hours before cooking for extra flavor. I was very pleased with the flavor.

***SLOW COOKER OPTION (I didnt try this, but hope to try it sometime)-Place all ingredients in the pot and cook on low for 4 hours.

chicken and rice casserole

as close to my Ma Fisher's recipe as I have been able to get...with a few tweaks:
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 cups minute rice
2 1/2 cups HOT water
3/4 cup milk (or just measure 1/2 a soup can of milk)
seasonings (Italian blend works nice, or a packet of onion soup mix or just salt and pepper)

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees
1) mix rice, 1 can soup, HOT water and seasonings in a greased 9x13 casserole.
2)lay chicken on top of rice mixture
3) in a separate bowl combine milk and 1 can of soup. Pour over chicken and rice in casserole dish.
4)cook for approx. 45 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees and rice is tender.
Enjoy with vegetable side dishes (green beans, steamed veggies, salad, etc)

Hard Boiled Eggs

Seems like I can never get these right...and get confused each time because it seems like EVERYONE has a different way of boiling eggs.....so we boiled some today to color for Easter Eggs....here is the recipe that we used....and it worked! (I know because we ended up having to eat one of them for lunch that was cracked during cooking.

Hard Boiled Eggs