Honey Butter

1 stick butter, softened
1 tablespoon honey

In a small bowl, mix butter and honey together until well blended.
If desired, cover and chill until firm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Simple Spanish Rice

1/4 cup chopped green pepper 
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, saute green pepper, tomato and onion in oil until tender. Add rice; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender.

Yield: 4 servings.

Super Easy French Dip Sandwiches

1 lb deli roast beef, sliced thin
1 cup water
2 teaspoons beef bullion granules (I use Wylers)
4-8 slices provolone cheese
4 (8") sub rolls

Heat water and bullion in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Roughly chop roast beef (this step is optional, I broke mine apart into approximately 3-4" pieces); add roast beef to the broth and bring to a boil; simmer 3 minutes. 

Divide the meat evenly among the 4 rolls; top each sandwich with 1 or 2 slices of provolone. If desired, bake the sandwiches in 350 degree preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese just begins to melt. Serve with small bowls of the warm broth for dipping.

Serves 4

NOTE: You can substitute 1 can beef consomme for the water and bullion if preferred. 

Chicken Salad

3 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons minced celery (I never have celery so I just use a little celery seed-about 1/8tsp)
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon brown sugar (measured loosely-don't pack it)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (more or less to taste-I used a smidgen)
salt & pepper to taste (I used a smidgen of each)

Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl; stir well. Can be served immediately or, for best flavor, refrigerate for several hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve on bread or sandwich rolls, or on bed of lettuce.

Original recipe from afamilyfeast.com

Beef and Broccoli

1 lb beef cubes
1 (10 1/4 oz.) can beef consomme
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 (14 oz.) package broccoli florets (or more if you like extra broccoli)
4 cups hot cooked brown rice

Place beef cubes in large skillet. Add consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic powder to beef. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer over low heat for an hour or until meat is tender. Add broccoli florets, raise heat and return to a low boil. Cook until broccoli is desired doneness. Stir cornstarch and 1/4 cup water until combined; add corn starch mixture to skillet and stir until sauce is thickened. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Adapted from this recipe.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 (15 oz) can sliced pineapple, drained
1 jar maraschino
cherries (stems removed)
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar (about 6-7 oz by weight)
1 stick salted butter (ONLY use salted sweet cream REAL butter!)
1 yellow cake mix (mix batter according to package directions)

Preheat oven to 350º or temperature indicated on cake mix package. place stick of butter in 13 x 9 pan, heat in oven until butter is melted. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter until the sugar is absorbed. Arrange pineapples in bottom of pan as desired. Add cherries placing one in the center of each pineapple and anywhere there is a gap between the pineapples. Pour cake batter carefully and evenly over pineapple & butter/brown sugar mixture.

Bake as directed on cake mix package. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting onto cake plate or tray. May be served warm or chilled. (We like it room temperature)

Meatball Sub Casserole

3/4 lb ground beef
1/3 cup bread crumbs 
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices*
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (28 oz) jar pasta sauce

Meatballs:
Combine first five ingredients; mix well. Form meat mixture into 1 1/2 in balls. Saute in skillet until cooked through.

Casserole: Arrange bread slices in a single layer in an ungreased baking pan; set aside. In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, italian seasoning, and 1/4 tsp pepper; spread over bread slices. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; set aside. Mix together meatballs and spaghetti sauce; spoon over cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

* You probably won't need the entire loaf. I had a few slices left over but I just used them for garlic bread.