Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Dip

I don't have exact amounts but here are some general quantities to go off of.

1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 chopped jalapenos
1 small can (4.25 ounces) green chilis

5ish tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix
Chili powder
Onion powder
Garlic salt/powder

Add lime juice and/or cilantro if you want.
I add lime juice but no cilantro (mom has turned me anti-cilantro).

Put all of this in a blender. Add different spices depending on what flavors you like.

Warning: This gets spicier each day! So don't make it too spicy at the beginning otherwise after a few days it will be too spicy to eat!!!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream

Add random diced/shredded vegetables if you want (peas, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc)

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes. 

Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. 

Taste Like Chewy Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is another recipe from Averie Cooks. They are good chocolate chip cookies that don't dry out! I did not chill the cookie dough like her recipe calls for and I made mine smaller (her batch made 20 cookies) and baked for less time. Downside, with the corn syrup, they taste a lot like Chips Ahoy cookies.

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
12 oz chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet but milk would be good too)

Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.

I think this made about 36 cookies.

Soft M&M Cookies

I was asked to make M&M cookies for a wedding reception and had never made any before. The recipe I found was a hit! I didn't love them warm but my kids loved the dough and I couldn't stop eating them for the next couple of days. They stayed soft and didn't dry out at all! Here is the link to the recipe from Averie Cooks. Here are my abridged instructions:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding (or 2 tsp cornstarch)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup M&Ms
OR
instead of that, I have added just milk chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips and PB chips.

Mix together, make into little balls and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. I have frozen some of the dough for a couple of weeks in a ziploc bag and they were just as delicious as the original batch. She says you can freeze them for up to 6 months.

Bake at 350 F for 10-11 minutes or until edges and top have set, even if they look slightly undercooked. Cool on baking sheet.

Cafe Rio Dressing

1 Buttermilk ranch dressing mix (make according to instructions with mayonnaise and milk)
4 Tbsp salsa verde
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of cilantro
lime juice to taste
(tabasco sauce to add heat if you want - I didn't add any)

Blend in blender and refrigerate until ready to use.

-Recipe courtesy of Dani Bramall's mom

It was pretty thick so I added a little extra milk to make it a consistency that was easier to drizzle.

Cafe Rio Copy Cat Sweet Pork

1 (3-5 lb) pork roast-boneless pork loin recommended
1 can Dr. Pepper (or Coke)

1 bottle of taco sauce (16 oz)
1 cup brown sugar, packed

Add soda to pork roast and cook on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours. Drain off liquids and add taco sauce and brown sugar. Adjust to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. Let continue cooking on low until you're ready to eat.

-Recipe courtesy of Dani Bramall's mom

Cilantro Lime Rice (Cafe Rio Copycat)

Per Cup of Long Grain Rice (I actually used Calrose rice and it still was delicious)
1 teaspoon butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest (the green part of the lime skin)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
Cook above in rice cooker.

While rice is cooking, combine:
  2 TBLS lime juice
  2 tsp. sugar
  3 TBLS fresh chopped cilantro

Add lime, sugar and cilantro to cooked rice.

-Recipe courtesy of Dani Bramall's mom

Memorial Day Spare Ribs

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Mix the following ingredients in a bowl:
8 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Weber - Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning

Rub on rack of spare ribs and wrap in foil. Ideally let it sit overnight, but still is delicious if done right before baking. Place the foil-wrapped ribs in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet to catch any drips of juice. Bake at 300 F for 2-3 hours or until the meat temperature is close to 160 F.

Place rack of ribs on grill for 10-20 minutes (until charred to your liking), basting the leftover juices in the foil back onto the ribs. While it's on the grill you can also put barbecue sauce on it if you want to. We didn't and it was still delicious!

Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

We had lots of leftover rotisserie chicken that we had to use and I found this recipe. I didn't really measure the spices, but ours could have used a little more kick. I put some salsa on top and that made it yummy! Here is the simplified version of the already simple recipe with a few tweaks.

Bring to a boil:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Add to the pot and stir until heated :
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

Spread out four flour tortillas and put filling down the middle. Top with shredded cheese (omit cheese if making it dairy-free).

Fold the ends, roll up like a burrito and heat for 2-3 minutes on a nonstick pan with a heavy pan on top to squish it. Flip and heat for another 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy!