Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by Recipes From The Heart Of Your Home. Don't forget to check out the Christian resources we have linked to on the left of the page. I am a Christian wife and mother, doing my best to take care of my family and be a good steward of the wonderful blessings God has given us. I enjoy cooking for my family and doing it unto God for His glory. I love to cook from scratch when it's affordable and not too time-consuming and I especially love to bake. Lots of family and friends ask for my recipes so I've decided to put them on a blog so they can get them or anyone else who wants them. I think you can make good quality, good tasting food at a fraction of the ready-made price and it doesn't have to break your budget. Please let me know how these recipes turn out. They're our family's favorites. I'll be updating this blog as often as I can. Enjoy and God bless!

Melissa

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Stuffed Green Peppers



I've never like stuffed green peppers and when I tried the original version of this recipe, I found it to really lack in flavor and sauce. So, I doctored it up and this is the new recipe. It is really tasty! Next time I make this, I might try just making the filling and not using peppers for a cheaper and quicker alternative.

Stuffed Green Peppers

6 green peppers
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (Can use a different flavor, but these taste really good.)
1 cup rice, cooked (make extra to serve with peppers)
2 tsp. House Seasoning (could use salt, pepper and garlic powder instead)

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

Slice tops off green peppers; take out seeds and membranes. Place peppers in enough boiling water to cover them in a pot and cook for 5 minutes. Cook onion in skillet on medium with some oil until browned. Add hamburger and cook until done. Drain off grease. Mix in remaining ingredients up to house seasoning and fill peppers until full. Put stuffed peppers in casserole dish.



Pour tomato sauce on top.



Cover and cook in 350 deg. F. oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook another 15 minutes. Serve over extra rice and pour remaining sauce on top.

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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Raspberry Cheesecake Squares



This recipe was originally for plain cheesecake squares in an 8 X 8 pan, but I wanted to jazz it up and make a bigger batch, so I doubled it and added raspberry preserves to make this recipe. These are very moist and not too rich and oh so yummy! I just recently doubled this already large batch and stocked them in the freezer for a quick dessert.

Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

10 1/2 tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbs. milk
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup seeded raspberry preserves (You could easily use another flavor for a twist or you can omit altogether for plain cheesecake squares.)

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line a 13 X 9 in. dish with two criss-crossed rectangles of parchment paper (I just used one because it was big enough. DON'T use wax paper, it really sticks!), leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides.

2) With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Add flour, and mix until just combined; set aside 2 cups for topping. Press remaining dough into bottom and 1/4 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.



3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Add egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla; mix to combine.

4) Microwave preserves until it's liquidy (about 30 seconds or so) and spread on top of baked crust. Pour and spread filling on top of preserves and crust; crumble reserved dough on top. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before cuttting into squares.





5) The squares can be refrigerated, covered in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Freezes well.

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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken Drumettes



I made this recipe with chicken leg quarters because it's cheaper and I didn't have any drummettes. This has a sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce that has a lot leftover for dipping and using later. Cheap and easy recipe.

Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken Drummettes

2 cups ketchup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbs. worcestershire sauce
2 tbs. apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
6 pounds chicken drummettes, patted dry (I used 5 chicken leg quarters because it's cheaper.)

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, worcestershire, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1 cup sauce for tossing raw chicken; use rest for baked chicken. (To store sauce, refrigerate, up to 2 weeks.)

2) Preheat oven to 450 deg. F., with racks in upper and lower thirds; line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.

3) Divide drummettes between baking sheets, and toss with reserved 1 cup sauce.

4) Bake chicken until opaque throughout, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets and tossing chicken halfway through. Toss baked drummettes with 1/2 cup sauce, and serve with remaining sauce on the side. (It took approximately 55 minutes to cook the leg quarters, but just cook until they're done.)



This is the picture I took of the leg quarters I made.

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Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup



I never liked split pea soup as a kid and it always seemed watery and tasteless to me. Even ones at restaurants didn't taste much better to me. I found this recipe online a while back and I now love split pea soup and so does my whole family, especially my kids which is surprising because it looks like there's vegetables in it. This is very easy to make and has a lot of flavor.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

1 (16 oz.)pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
1 meaty hambone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham (I use ham hocks.)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf (I don't bother with it anymore.)
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tbs. seasoned salt (I used Lawry's.)
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
6 cups hot water

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; pour in water. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off bone. Stir periodically so it doesn't scorch on bottom. Remove bones and bay leaf. Mash peas to thicken more, if desired. (You can add more water to make it desired consistency, if it's too thick.) Freezes well.



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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Chicken Broccoli Divan



This recipe is so easy and delicious for the little effort involved. I like to double this recipe and will possibly triple it in the future because it goes so fast that there never seems to be leftovers.

Chicken Broccoli Divan

4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs (using italian crumbs adds a nice flavor)
1 tbsp. butter, melted

Mix broccoli, chicken, soup, and milk in a bowl and put in a 9 in. pie plate or 2 qt. shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Mix bread crumbs with butter and sprinkle on top. Bake at 450 deg. F. for 20 min. or until hot. Serves 4.

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Sunday, September 21, 2008

Brownie Pudding Cake - (Molten Chocolate Lava Cake)



I just made this recipe (a double batch) last night when a friend from church came over for dinner. It was a big hit. I love how it's not too rich or chocolatey, but has a bittersweet taste. It's even more bittersweet if you add the instant coffee. I think the ones in the restaurants are very pricey and are overkill on the chocolate, but this is just right and doesn't break the budget at all. When you're making this recipe, you have a few different layers, but when it cooks, it separates into a brownie/cake top with a pool of chocolate at the bottom. Wow your guests with this one!

Brownie Pudding Cake

2 tsp. instant coffee powder (optional)
2 tbs. plus 1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (you could also try Hershey's Dark cocoa)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
4 tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. In cup, dissolve coffee powder in 2 tbs. boiling water, if using.

2) In bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. In 2 cup measuring cup, combine milk, melted butter, vanilla, and coffee, if using. With wooden spoon, stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just blended. Pour into ungreased 8 in. square baking dish.

3) In small bowl, thoroughly combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa; sprinkle evenly over batter. Carefully pour remaining 1 3/4 cup boiling water evenly over mixture in baking dish; do not stir.

4) Bake 30 minutes (batter will separate into cake and pudding layers). Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. Makes 8 servings.



If you double the recipe, make in a 13 X 9 in. baking dish and cook approximately the same amount of time.

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