Seafoam Salad

When we were younger our mom would make Seafoam Salad at least twice a week. It would be one of our side dishes to many meals. Our family loved eating this salad until one day we all got tired of eating it. It was probably because our mom made it so often. It has been many years since anybody in our family has made it but we have many memories associated to this salad.

1 pkg. big Jello (any flavor you want)
1 quart pears
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 tub cool whip
2 cups water

Make the jello according to the package. Blend pears in the blender. Mix cream cheese, cool whip, pears, and jello together in large bowl. Put in refrigerator until set.

Taco Soup

We started using this recipe about five years ago when our mom got it from a neighbor. Since then it has become a regular meal in our family. We do not eat very much soup in our family but this is a well liked dish for every member in our family except our dad. Our dad does not like Mexican food of any kind. Whenever we eat Mexican food he will make pasta for himself.

1 pd. lean ground beef
1 chopped onion
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
1-28 oz. can tomatoes
2-16 oz. can kidney beans (undrained)
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1 cup water

Toppings:
Fritos
Grated Cheese
Sour Cream

Brown hamburger in medium size pan; drain. Add onion and cook until onion is transparent. Add remaining ingredients excluding toppings. Simmer at least 20 minutes (could do in crock pot all day). Serve with dollop of sour cream, sprinkle cheese and top with Fritos.

Kabobs

To celebrate and recognize each child's birthday, we would get to choose our favorite dinner and our mom would make it for us. Melissa would always choose this meal or scones for her birthday meal. We are not positive where this recipe came from but it is prepared at least once a year for our family dinner.

Top Sirloin cubed
2 large sweet onions
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
18-20 large mushrooms
1/3 cup oil
2 zucchini
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves
3 T grated onions
2 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T red wine vinegar
1 T black pepper
skewers

In large bowl combine lemon juice, bay leaves, garlic, grated onions, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, and black pepper together. Add top sirloin and coat it thoroughly. Put cover on bowl and let sit overnight turning the sirloin every 5 hours when possible. Soak the skewers in water before assembling the kabobs. Put the vegetables and meat on to the skewers in any order you would like. Grill the kabobs for about 10 minutes on each side. Serve over rice.

Chicken Chalupas

This recipe is one of the most frequent meals we would eat growing up. Our mom would prepare this meal at least once a month for dinner. Because it takes a little bit longer to prepare our mom would not always want to make it. When this would happen we would volunteer to make the meal so we could eat it for dinner. It is one of our family's favorite recipes.

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 small can green chilies
1 pint sour cream
3 or 4 green onions
½ tsp. Oregano
½ tsp. Chili powder
½ tsp. Paprika
½ tsp. Red pepper
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese (or less)
1 dozen tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or less)

Combine soup, chilies, olives, sour cream, green onions, and spices. Add jack cheese. Remove 2 cups of mixture and add diced chicken.
Place chicken mixture into tortillas, not too full, roll up. Place in a 9 x 13 pan. Spoon remaining soup mixture over top and cover with shredded cheddar cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Sticky Buns

Before every Sunday morning session of General Conference our family would eat sticky buns along with eggs, hash browns, and juice. We also eat sticky buns every Christmas morning. We have had many experiences where the rolls bake for over an hour, look and smell done, and when we go to eat them they are still doughy inside. It has taken several tries to get the recipe right but now it turns out ALMOST every time.

1 (3.5 oz.) pkg butterscotch pudding
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup walnuts

Mix pack of butterscotch pudding with cinnamon and brown sugar in small bowl. Cover bottom of bundt pan with walnuts. Add frozen rolls evenly throughout pan (typically use 14-18 rolls per pan). Cover rolls with the pudding mixture and then melt butter and pour on top. Let pan sit overnight in the refrigerator. The next morning let the rolls sit for 30 minutes before cooking. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Immediately put rolls upside down so they will not stick to pan. Serve warm.

Aunt Janice's Squash Casserole

Our Aunt Janice has used this recipe for years. When we were younger Aunt Janice would come to our Thanksgiving dinner and would bring this squash casserole. At the time we did not want to try it because it smelled and looked funny to us. Now that we are older Aunt Janice does not make it for Thanksgiving anymore, but does make it for Christmas. This is still not our favorite dish to eat but we have many memories associated to this dish.

2 medium zucchini
2 medium summer squash
1 cup carrots
1 box of chicken stove top
3/4 pkg. sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup

Boil 3-4 cups of zucchini and summer squash with one cup carrots. Make a box of chicken stove top. Layer the squash, 3/4 package sour cream, can of cream of chicken soup, and mixed chicken stove top.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Nana's Stuffed Artichokes (Sicilian Style)

When Nana was alive she would make these stuffed artichokes often. Our dad told us this was one of her favorite recipes and loved making them. In contrast, our Aunt Janice does not like making artichokes anymore. One time she put an artichoke down the disposal and it clogged her kitchen drain. She had to call a plumber and has not made artichokes since.

Bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Chopped garlic
Olive Oil
Artichokes

Cut the ends off of the artichokes and let soften in water for one hour. Mix bread crumbs, cheese and parsley together. Bang artichokes to open them and stuff each petal with mixture, including small pieces of garlic. Stand in shallow pan (cover bottom with water), pour olive oil over artichokes, cook in medium oven, basting often until tender--approx. one hour.