Tuna Rice Puff

Ingredients

* 2/3 cup uncooked white rice
* 1 1/3 cups water
*
* 2 egg whites
* 1/3 cup butter
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 2 egg yolks
* 1 (12 ounce) can tuna, undrained
* 2 tablespoons grated onion
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Beat egg whites until foamy in a large glass or metal mixing bowl. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites should form a sharp peak that holds its shape; set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper; stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk the milk into the flour mixture, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until broken, then whisk in the milk mixture a few tablespoons at a time until you have whisked in 1/3 of the milk mixture. Scrape the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk, and whisk until smooth. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove the milk sauce from the heat, and stir in the rice, tuna, onion, and lemon juice. Gently fold in the egg whites until evenly blended, then pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole has puffed slightly, is golden brown, and has set in the center, about 40 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 305 | Total Fat: 13.6g | Cholesterol: 117mg

Dirty Rice

Ingredients

* 1 pound ground beef
* 1 yellow onion, chopped
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 cups water
* 1 cup uncooked white rice

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef, onion, green and red peppers, beef bullion, salt, seasoned salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the water and rice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole I

Ingredients

* 1 (3 pound) chicken, boiled and deboned
* 1 (14.5 ounce) package tortilla chips
* 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 onion, chopped
* 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C.)
2. Layer the chips in a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
3. Combine the tomatoes, chicken soup, mushroom soup and onion. Pour half of mixture over chips. Layer the chicken pieces, half of the cheese and the remaining soup mixture.
4. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.

Rhubarb DumDUm

Ingredients

* 2 cups chopped rhubarb
* 1 pinch ground cinnamon, or more to taste
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a deep pie dish.
2. Place rhubarb into the bottom of the prepared pie dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Mash the butter and sugar together in a bowl until the mixture is creamy and well blended; beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth. In a separate bowl, stir the flour and baking powder together; gently stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Spread the resulting batter over the rhubarb in the pie dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is lightly browned and the rhubarb is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Monkey Bread Made Easy

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 2 (7.5 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray 8 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and white sugar until evenly blended. Remove the biscuits from the packages, and cut into quarters. Drop a few biscuit pieces at a time into the sugar mixture, and coat thoroughly. Distribute the coated biscuit pieces among the prepared muffin tins (4 to 5 pieces per cup).
3. Place butter and brown sugar in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl, and microwave a few seconds until the butter has melted. Stir the butter and brown sugar together to blend, and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the butter mixture over each cup.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops of the muffins are crispy and brown, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Footnotes

*
Cook's Note
*
I place my muffin pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips.

Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup

Ingredients

* 1 pound cubed beef stew meat
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 2 cups water
* 2 tablespoons margarine
* 2 large carrots, diced
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 6 cups water
* 3 cubes beef bouillon cube
* 1/4 cup pearl barley
* 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Brown small cubes of stew meat in vegetable oil over medium heat until juices become a rich brown color. Add 2 cups water, and simmer meat while preparing the vegetables.
2. In a large soup pot, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Saute carrots, onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms.
3. Add meat, 6 cups water, bouillon cubes, and barley to vegetable mixture. Cook until barley is soft. Adjust liquid and seasoning as desired. Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream. Serve immediately.

Top 5 Valentine's Day Desserts

1) White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients
* 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
* 3 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 cups white chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
* 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 412 | Total Fat: 28.3g | Cholesterol: 101mg

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2) Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients
* 16 ounces milk chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons shortening
* 1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves
Directions
1. Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.
2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.
3. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 115 | Total Fat: 7.3g | Cholesterol: 6mg

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3) The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
* 2 cups white sugar
* 4 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 109 | Total Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 26mg

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4) Cream Puffs

Ingredients
* 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1 cup milk
* _______
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 4 eggs
Directions
1. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
5. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 190 | Total Fat: 13.3g | Cholesterol: 82mg

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5) Easy Decadent Truffles

Ingredients
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
* 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions
1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls.
Footnotes
Roll truffles in ground walnuts (or any ground nuts), cocoa, coconut, confectioners' sugar, candy sprinkles, etc.
To flavor truffles with liqueurs or other flavorings, omit vanilla. Divide truffle mixture into thirds. Add 1 tablespoon liqueur (almond, coffee, orange) to each mixture; mix well.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 78 | Total Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 4mg