by Daryl Hoole

(Note: Please see special request of readers at the end of the column.)

It’s July and there’s a problem, at least in the Northern hemisphere: It’s too hot to cook, but the family is hungry and looking around for dinner. Here’s a solution: Three recipes for quick-to-fix meals that are definite family pleasers plus two recipes for easy desserts that get high praises whenever they’re served.

Chicken Mango

Layer in crock pot:

3-4 frozen chicken breasts
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans, drained
1 container 48 oz. Mango Salsa (with peaches) from Costco

Cook on low 6-7 hours. Remove chicken, shred it with a fork, return it to crock pot and cook 30 additional minutes.

Serve with shredded cheese wrapped in flour tortillas.  Add a green salad on the side. 

Yield: 10-12 servings

 

Chicken Salad Wraps

chicken, steamed and diced (for convenience, the canned chicken—Kirkland brand—from Costco works well)
cucumber, diced
avocado, diced
green onions, chopped
mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Serve as filling for wraps or croissants

 

Super Sandwich for a Crowd

2 unsliced loaves of Italian bread
1  8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Sprinkle in Chipotle sauce, according to taste
1 lb. thinly sliced ham
1 lb. thinly sliced roast beef
1 lb. thinly sliced turkey
12-14 dill pickles, thinly-sliced lengthwise

Cut bread in half lengthwise. Carefully hollow out top and bottom of loaves, leaving ½ inch shell. (I just carefully pinch out some of the excess.) Combine cheese, onions, mayonnaise, and sauces. Spread over cut sides of bread. Layer ham, roast beef, and turkey on bottom and top. Place pickles only on bottom half. Gently press together.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into 1 ½ inch slices to serve.

 

Special K Bars

1 cup sugar                  
1 cup light Karo syrup  

Combine sugar and syrup and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add:

1 cup peanut butter (we prefer “chunky” style)

Combine with 6 heaping cups Special K Cereal

Press into 9x11” pan.

For topping, melt together

6 oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips             
6 oz. pkg. butterscotch chips    

Spread on top  

Cool and cut into squares for serving.

 

Oreo Pie

Combine:

½ gallon ice cream, softened (any flavor; our preference is “Mint Chocolate Chip”

8 oz. carton Kool Whip, softened

Crush 1 lb.2 oz. package Oreos as follows:

Crush one row (rib) of the Oreos and combine with ice cream, Kool Whip mixture (I place a row in a self-sealing bag and crush.

Crush another row (rib) of the Oreos and cover bottom of 9x13” pan

Add the ice cream, Kool Whip, and crushed Oreo mixture

Top with last row (rib) of the crushed Oreos

Seal tightly with plastic wrap and freeze 4-6 hours before serving. Cut into squares and serve frozen. 

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Special request of readers: I’m looking for some personal stories or examples related to home management and family living that illustrate the validity of the following:  In connection with a sacrament talk on repentance, the speaker said, “We often view repentance as a slow process. It isn’t. Change is spontaneous. It is not changing that takes so much time.”

Please send your experiences or observations to me at ask@theartofhomemaking.com.