Sweet Onion Casserole

I'm telling you right now that you will only like this recipe if you really love onions.

And you will especially like this recipe if you like onion rings. 1 cube butter

5 sweet onions, thinly sliced into rings

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

*Melt butter in skillet. Saute onions until tender. Pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan and half the crackers. Repeat cheese and cracker layer. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Rolo Cookies

Definitely my favorite cookie of the day. Oh man I had to restrain myself and leave the kitchen so I would stop eating them. A must try.


1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour

48 pieces Rolo candy
additional sugar (standing sugar works too, I just wasn't in the mood to run to my local craft store to get it)

Combine and mix all ingredients except for Rolo's and additional sugar. Wrap dough around the Rolo's and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 min. Enjoy!

Penne Pasta and Veggies

When it comes to dinner at our house, it almost always consists of meat as the main dish with veggies, salad or fruit as the side. I decided I wanted to start making at least one vegetarian meal a week. I proposed this plan to my husband and he consented. So, last week I made pasta with veggies for dinner one night. And you know what the first thing my hubby said, "No meat? I need a warning on the nights we are not going to have meat so I can eat more of it at lunch." It make take a few weeks for him to get used to this! Please, it's ONE night. Anyways, this vegetarian meal was very easy, very light and very tasty!

1 bag penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced (I buy the minced garlic in the jar - so easy)
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow zucchini squash, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 bunch or bag of broccoli
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Add broccoli to pasta 2 minutes before pasta is done. Drain water but leave pasta and broccoli in pot to keep warm. Meanwhile, in saucepan, pour 2 or 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil - Enough to cover bottom of pan. Add onions and garlic. Heat until slightly brown. Add all veggies (except broccoli of course). Heat on medium for 5 minutes until veggies are cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add veggies to pasta pot and stir. Mix in parmesan cheese. Stir until melted. Can add more cheese if desired. Serve. Warning - this makes a lot!!

And the winner is...

Heidi from Queen Creek, AZ!! Congrats Heidi! We will have Jen bring you your new set of bowls since you live in the same neighborhood.

BBQ Chicken Salad

I love, love bbq chicken salads. Whenever I go to a restaurant that has it on their menu, that's what I order. My favorites are at Cheesecake Factory and CPK. So, I decided to make one for dinner the other night. It did not disappoint! Even the hubby liked it. It is a perfect summertime meal!

2 boneless chicken breasts
BBQ sauce
ranch dressing
romaine lettuce
1 cucumber
1 can black beans
2 tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
red onion, sliced
cilantro
monterey jack cheese
tortilla strips

Dice chicken and put in saucepan. Add a couple of tablespoons of bbq sauce. Toss to coat and cook chicken until done. Chop lettuce and add preferred toppings. Top with ranch dressing and little bit of bbq sauce.

Baked Ziti

I got this recipe from Brett's mom. It is really rich and extremely tasty. I love the red and white sauces together in one dish. Emery and her friend, Hannah, gave it a thumbs up.
Red sauce:
Cook 2 lbs. sausage in large skillet, then add:
1 onion, chopped
1 28oz. can tomato puree
1 16oz. can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. oregano
1 Tbs. parsley
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. thyme
2 Tbs. sugar
6-7 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
*Cook 2 boxes of Ziti pasta, drain and set aside.
White sauce:
1 cube butter
2 8oz. packages cream cheese
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 pint whipping cream
2 tsp. minced garlic
*Simmer in sauce pan until smooth and creamy.
*In a large pan, layer:
Ziti noodles
White sauce
Red sauce
Cover with grated mozzarella
*Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

**Two more days to enter the giveaway for the change-your-life-cute bowls!!**

Betty's Birthday!!

Happy one year to Becoming Betty!!

What better way to celebrate than to get a new look and have our very first giveaway?!

These are our very favorite bowls from Anthropologie.

If you don't have any of these...you need some.

If you already have some...you need more.

If you already have too many...wait...that's not possible.

**Leave us a comment before Friday April 24th at midnight, and we will select one lucky winner who will receive these six to-die-for bowls.

It doesn't matter where you live, we will ship them if needed.

Thanks for letting us into your kitchens!!

Janae's Enchiladas

I know we already have a few recipes on here for chicken enchiladas, but my sister-in-law made these for us and we loved them. So here's one more chicken enchilada recipe to try.

cooked, shredded chicken

corn tortillas

1 can cream of chicken

1 pint sour cream

1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes w/green chilies

salt, pepper, garlic salt

cheddar cheese

monterrey jack cheese

*Combine soup, sour cream, tomatoes with chilies, and seasonings to make a sauce. Put a layer of sauce on bottom of a 9X13 pan. Dip tortillas in sauce, then fill with some chicken and cheddar cheese. Roll and place seam-side down in pan. Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350. Uncover and top with monterrey jack and bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Mini Cheesecake

I realize this recipe is a little late but you can save or for next year or just do the mini cheesecake without making the basket. These were a hit at Easter for there looks and their taste.

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
12-18 Nilla Wafers* (I made 18 cupcakes when I made this)
coconut, tinted green
jelly beans and other Easter candy for decorating
12-18 pieces short-string licorice (4 in each)
mini chocolate chips**

*I made my own crust and pressed into the bottom of each muffin cup.
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
**This isn't part of the recipe but I added it because I was craving Rachel's Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with hand mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs just until blended.
Place wafer on bottom of each paper lined med muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over wafers.
Bake 20 min or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Top with coconut and candy (or a fruit topping) just before serving.

Cafe Rio Pork

Here is one of the many recipes for the famous Cafe Rio Pork. I love this one because it's SO, SO easy and it makes a lot so you can freeze the leftovers for later. We like to use the pork to make tacos. This sweet pork is tender, savory and a definite crowd pleaser.

1 pork loin or pork roast
1 20 oz. bottle of Coke
2 cups brown sugar
1 bottle mild salsa

Put in crockpot and cook on low all day. Shred meat and serve.

Ribbon, Rainbow or Easter Jello

I made this a few times when my kids were really little and I saw the recipe posted on "Hold the Onions" so I made it for our Easter dinner. My grand-kids said it tastes like a popsicle. Make sure you are going to be home or a while, or plan to do a few things in between each layer. Each layer has to set for 20 min. and there are 12!! Also, make sure your refrigerator shelf is level or you'll have funny layers.


3 oz grape jello
3 oz berry blue jello
3 oz lime jello
3 oz lemon jello
3 oz orange jello
3 oz red jello (cherry, raspberry)
2 cups sour cream
Boil 1 cup water. Pour into a bowl and add 1 box of jello (starting with the grape). Mix until jello is dissolved. In another bowl place 1/3 cupsour cream. Add 1/2 cup of the jello water to the sour cream. Stir until combined. Pour sour cream mixture into 9x13 pan. Place in fridge for 20 minutes or until firm. Add 3 T cold water to the remaining 1/2 cup of jello water. Pour over sour cream mixture in the 9x13 pan. Continue with all the other jello ending with red. Serve with whipped cream on the side or on top.

Marie Callendar's Cornbread

I am kind of in love with cornbread. I'm always on the look out for the best cornbread mix or recipe. I was searching the web for Marie Callendar's cornbread recipe and found this one. It's not really a recipe but rather 2 mixes put together to make cornbread. Supposedly this is the one they use. It was SO easy and I loved the finished product. Might just be my new favorite!

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 box Jiffy Golden cake mix

Make each mix according to directions on box in separate bowls. Then, combine mixes and pour into greased 9x13. I used a smaller pan because I like thick pieces. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (I found Jiffy mixes at Walmart).

Asian Cabbage Salad

This could possibly be one of my favorite salads. I love it. So much that I ate 3/4 of it last night for dinner because my husband didn't like it. I told him his taste buds needs more culture. I also love it because you get to snack on dry ramen noodles while you make it. Just like I used to when I was a kid. Sick huh. This salad is big enough for dinner, perfect for a shower, and simply delicious!

2 cups cooked chicken, diced
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 package chicken-flavored ramen noodles
4 green onions, sliced
2 Tbs. sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Put cabbage (can use pre-shredded cabbage too or regular lettuce if you don't fancy cabbage) and chicken in large bowl. Break up ramen noodles into small pieces and sprinkle on top. Add onions, sesame seeds and almonds.

Dressing:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 flavoring packet from ramen noodles

In small bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Can be made ahead and refrigerated for several hours.

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla w/Tropical Salsa

I was browsing through the recipes on Foodnetwork.com and came across this recipe from Wolfgang Puck. I've never tried any of his recipes, but this one sounded good. I was right. The quesadilla was savory and the salsa was sweet. Perfect combination!

Quesadilla

1 breast chicken
1/2 red onion
cheddar cheese
1 can of black beans
BBQ sauce
wheat tortillas

Cut chicken breast into small pieces. Dice red onion. Place chicken and onion in small skillet over medium heat. Heat until chicken is cooked through and onions are translucent. Stir in 2 Tbls. BBQ sauce. Put small amount of butter in large skillet over medium heat. Place one tortilla in pan. Top with cheese, chicken and onions, couple scoops of black beans, BBQ sauce and a little more cheese. Place second tortilla on top. Heat until cheese begins to melt then flip. Heat other side until cheese is completely melted.

Tropical Salsa

2 mangos
1/2 fresh pineapple
1/4 red onion
1/2 red, sweet bell pepper
cilantro
lime

Dice mangos, pineapple, onion and bell pepper. Put in bowl. Chop up some cilantro. Add to salsa. Cut lime and squeeze juices over top. Stir and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

This is a Hershey's recipe I got in the mail a few years ago. So easy and so heavenly if you like chocolate and cheesecake together. Chances are that you do. You can see that these got left in the oven a tad too long, but luckily the middle still tasted good.

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 graham cracker crusts

*Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add chocolate chips. Pour into two crust. Bake 10 minutes at 450. Without opening oven door, reduce temp to 250 and bake 25-30 more minutes, or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack and then refrigerate until chilled.

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

For Activity Day, we made homemade ice cream in a bag. It was a hit! The girls loved making it, shaking it and eating it. It was very easy and so fun! Perfect for a summer activity with the kids.

(not my picture)

1 gallon size ziploc bag
1 pint size ziploc bag
ice
rock salt
1/2 cup half and half
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Fill gallon-size bag half full of ice and 6 Tbs. rock salt. Put half and half, sugar and vanilla in small bag. Seal and place in large bag. Seal large bag. Shake it up for about 10 minutes until mixture becomes ice cream. Enjoy! You may want to double the ice cream. This recipe only makes about a 1/2 cup.

Warm Pudding and Ice Cream

This really isn't a recipe but more of an idea. Growing up, my mom loved to make us pudding. It seems like she always made it on Sunday nights. A few weeks ago, she made cook and serve chocolate pudding to pour over ice cream. Man oh man, was it good! I guess I forgot how dreamy this concoction is. I think it's better than hot fudge. But that's just me. It's a great idea for a quick, easy and delicious dessert!

1 pkg. cook and serve chocolate pudding
vanilla ice cream

Simply follow the directions on the package and pour over vanilla ice cream. Buy the large package. You'll be happy you did.