Whipped Raspberry Jello

I can't wait for you to try this wonderful sweet Jello recipe!  My friend Denise Lilly brought a bowl full of this yummy pinkness to our Christmas Eve dinner and it was the winning dish that we all went back for seconds, thirds and some of us, fourths!  I won't name names, but their initials are Kent and Nancy!
It will be hard to decide if you want to serve this as a salad or a desert. (You might want to do both, why not, life is short!)
Denise told me that this was a holiday meal tradition for her family and it wouldn't be Thanksgiving or Christmas with out it.  I think it will be a great addition for a Valentine dinner too!  Thank you Lilly's for letting us be your friends, we love you!

1 (6oz.) package Raspberry Jello
1 1/2 Cups boiling water

4 Cups frozen Raspberries

2 Cups thawed (in the fridge) Cool Whip 

Place Jello in a large bowl, add boiling water, stir until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes.  Add frozen fruit to Jello and stir until mixture starts to thicken.  Fold Cool Whip into Jello mixture.  Pour into serving bowl or into individual serving cups.  Refrigerate until firm.

You could also decorate with more Cool Whip or whipped cream and some fresh raspberries.  It is also good with strawberry Jello and strawberries.

Place Jello in a large mixing bowl

Add boiling water and mix until completely dissolved. One to two minutes.

Add frozen Raspberries to jello and stir until thickened.

Fold in Cool Whip

You can leave it in this bowl or place in individual serving cups and refrigerate until serving time.  Garnish with more cool whip or whipping cream and more berries if you would like!

© Nancy Rappleye 2017

Kalamata Pot Roast

Several years ago I picked up one of those pamphlet cookbooks from the checkout stand at the grocery store and found a recipe for a roast that I thought would make a great Mother's day meal.  When our two oldest boys asked me what they could make me for dinner I suggested this roast.  

I wondered what it was going to be like after turning two teen-aged boys loose in the kitchen, but after the first 15 minutes, the house started to smell wonderful and I found myself looking forward to a delicious meal...I was not disappointed!  This roast with a couple of amazing tweaks by the boys was full of flavor and so tender there was no need to cut it with a knife!  

A year or so after that Mother's Day, my husband Kent and our friend Randy Macari, entered a cooking contest and prepared this roast in a Dutch oven (often called a camp oven,) using charcoal briquettes.  They executed it perfectly and won the two thousand dollar award! 

You can make this in a slow cooker, in a cast iron pot, or in grandma's good old Dutch oven.  I have enamel cast iron pots that go in the oven that bake evenly and seal in the moisture.  Either way is great!

3-4 pound boneless beef chuck roast
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/2 Cup Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

1/2 Cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 Cup beef broth

1 jar (10 oz.) small whole onions or 1/2 cup fresh or frozen

Brown roast on all sides. Place in a slow cooker or cast iron pot.  Sprinkle seasonings on top of roast in order listed, carefully pour beef broth on top of the roast (mostly around) so as not to wash off all the seasonings. Cover and cook 6-8 hours in the slow cooker or 

at 300 degrees in the oven for 4 hours.

I heated the oil in the pot that I wanted to cook my roast in and browned it on all sides

Add brown sugar and spread out evenly on roast

Add Oregano, Basil, Italian Seasonings, Salt and Pepper

Add Garlic, Sun dried tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

Carefully pour the beef broth over the top of roast and add onions  

Cover the pot and bake at 300 degrees for 4 hours or until very tender.

Now take that thing out of the oven, plate it up and dive in!  You can strain the juices and make a yummy gravy or just pour the juice over the roast!  Enjoy this sweet and savory roast and I can promise there won't be too many left overs if any after feeding your family!

© Nancy Rappleye 2017

Mayo Chicken

  I'm back to posting some food after a long break from my blog. It may take a bit for me to figure the lighting out in this new kitchen where I live now but though the lighting might be off, one thing is for sure, the food tastes great!  I think you'll like this quick and easy chicken dish that is even great as cold leftovers on a green salad the next day.
A good friend shared this recipe with me about 5 and a half years ago and it has been one of my go to recipes.  I have even topped it with gluten free bread crumbs and our 6 year old (at that time) grandson couldn't get enough.  Its really important that you use a good quality mayonnaise like Hellmann's or Kraft.  You can use what ever your favorite grated Parmesan is or what you have on hand.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2  Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Italian Bread crumbs
Pound chicken breasts out so they are an even thickness.  If they are extra thick to start with, cut them in half length wise and then pound the thicker end out to make even.  Place on a foil lined baking sheet and set aside.  Mix mayonnaise and Grated Parmesan together until well blended.  Divide between each piece of chicken spreading it out over the top of each one.  Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over the top of the mayo mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown and juices run clear.

  Pound chicken breasts out so they are an even thickness. I like to put the
 chicken in a zip lock bag to keep the mess at a minimum.

  If they are extra thick to start with, cut them in half length wise and                                                                        then pound the thicker end out to make even.

                                         
  Place on a foil lined baking sheet and set aside.

                           
 Mix mayonnaise and Grated Parmesan together until well blended.

  Divide between each piece of chicken spreading it out over the top of each one.

Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over the top of the mayo mixture

  bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown and juices run clear. 

                                                                   © Nancy Rappleye 2017