Spaghetti sauce.

What you need;
- 3-4 cans of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
- 4 cloves of garlic minced (or 3 tsp pre minced in a jar)
- 3- 5 Tbsp dried basil
- 1- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp sugar (optional; be sure to read the notes I have left after the picture)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or similar Italian cheeses (Romano, Mozzarella)

What to do;
- In a 5 qt. pot, over medium heat, add your minced garlic. Heat for a minute or two (making sure not to burn it)
- Add the crushed tomatoes, black pepper, basil (and sugar). Stir often and bring to a low boil
- After you've reached a low boil, reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2- 3 hours (leave your pot uncovered for the first half of your simmer time, then cover the second half)
- Stir the cheese in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes

Notes**
- My mom doesn't like the sweeter sauce so I leave out the sugar and only add it to certain dishes, but if you know your whole 'feeding' crowd likes/ will like sweeter sauce, give the full Tbsp a whirl
- I split my sauce between 3- 4 dishes (as it is the equivalent to 4- 5 jars of sauce). I freeze all but the one dish serving's worth of sauce, so I don't add the meat (hamburger, turkey, chicken) or veggies (peppers (green, yellow, red), mushrooms, onions.

Ceviche.

What you need;
- 1 large (I use white) onion, diced
- 6- 7 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 bundles of cilantro
- A nice heaping handful of cumin
- Garlic (pre diced in a jar)
- The juice of 4 good sized limes (our store didn't have many good limes, so we subbed for 2 lemons and 2 limes)
- 1- 2 bags of frozen shrimp (try to find the ones with the tails already removed so it's less work for you), thawed and cleaned

What to do;
- After you have diced your onion, tomatoes, and cilantro; put them in a large bowl and stir around to make sure you have an equal amount of colors

- Add your garlic (it is mostly by taste, but start out with a couple spoonfuls). Then add your cumin (my great aunt taught me this recipe, and according to her measurements 'if you think you have enough cumin, you don't... add more!')
- Add your shrimp to the bowl
- Slice your limes in half, squeeze the lime halves (the juice 'cooks' the shrimp)
- Stir, cover, and allow it to chill in your fridge

How to bake your chips;
- (1 tortilla makes 8 chips) Place your triangles on a greased cookie sheet, lightly spray each with a spray oil (we have butter flavor on hand in our cupboard at all times), sprinkle garlic salt/ plain salt over each triangle
- Bake in a 350 degree, preheated oven, for 6- 7 minutes (oven temps and times may vary. Our old oven was set at 325 degrees and we cooked them for 5 minutes, so test it out. You know your oven)

- Take out and stir your salsa, enjoy!

Strawberry Margarita Shooters.

What you need;
- 1 cup water
- 25-30 clean strawberries
- 8oz tequila (most jello shooters call for 8oz, but I actually use a chill 4oz alcohol and 4oz water mix)
- 1 box strawberry jello

What to do;
- Cut the tops off of your strawberries. Use either a melon baller or a paring knife to hollow out the center. Cut the bottom, squaring it to stand upright on a flat surface.
- Boil 1 cup of water. Once it comes to a boil, take it off the heat and whisk your boxed jello mix until dissolved
- Pour in your 8oz of chill tequila/ or 4oz tequila and 4oz water mix (TIP: when I know I am going to be making jello shots, I stick the alcohol (vodka, tequila) in the freezer the night before so I don't have to use ice to make it freezing cold)
- Carefully pour your boozy jello into your strawberry cups
- Let sit until the jello forms, enjoy!

Fried 'Oreo Crusted' Ice Cream.

What you need;
- 1 pint of vanilla ice cream (enough for 4 servings)
- Oreo cookies (filling removed, wafer crushed)
- 2 egg whites

What to do;
- Line a muffin tin with aluminum foil, scoop out and ball your 4 ice cream servings into the holes, then cover and place the tin in the freezer for an hour
- Get your oreo crumbs and egg whites (beat until foamy) ready while you are waiting for your refrozen scoops. Place each in a shallow dish
- Dunk your firm ice cream balls into your egg whites, then roll them in the cookie crumbs. Refreeze for 2 1/2- 3 hours. Repeat this step if necessary
- Heat oil to 375 in a deep fryer or a heavy saucepan
- Using your basket or slotted, metal spatula, dip and hold your crusted ice cream balls into the hot oil for 15 seconds. Quickly move each one onto paper towels to drain the excess oil
- Serve immediately with chocolate sauce drizzled overtop

Lime Margarita Shooters.

What you need;
- 1 cup water
- 6 small limes/ 4 large limes
- 8oz tequila (most jello shooters call for 8oz, but I actually use a chill 4oz alcohol and 4oz water mix)
- 1 box lime jello

(EDIT)- After making these, and trying them, the next time I make them I would sub the water for a sweetened lime juice.

What to do;
- Cut your limes in half. Hollow them out by juicing them, flipping them inside-out, then finally pulling the lime from the peel

- Boil 1 cup of water. Once it comes to a boil, take it off the heat and whisk your boxed jello mix until dissolved
- Pour in your 8oz of chill tequila/ or 4oz tequila and 4oz water mix (TIP: when I know I am going to be making jello shots, I stick the alcohol (vodka, tequila) in the freezer the night before so I don't have to use ice to make it freezing cold)
- Carefully pour your boozy jello into your lime cups (like the picture shows above, I found it easiest to put the hollowed out lime peels into a muffin tin so they don't tip over and spill out the liquid)
- Let sit until the jello forms, enjoy!

Strawberry and Mango Salsa With Cinnamon Sugar Chips.

What you need;
- 2lb pack of strawberries
- 3 large mangos
- Mint
- Tortilla shells
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture

What to do;
- Dice the strawberries, mangos, and chop the mint
- Put the diced fuit and mint into a chilled bowl. Place the bowl in your fridge
- While you are waiting for your 'salsa' to chill and the juices to form, take out your tortilla shells
- Cut them into 8 equal triangles (we had 5 people eating, so I used the whole pack of 12. Depending on how many people you are feeding, you may need to use more or less, but go off of the 8 'chips' per shell to determine)
- Place your triangles on a greased cookie sheet, lightly spray each with a spray oil (we have butter flavor on hand in our cupboard at all times), sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture over each triangle

- Bake in a 350 degree, preheated oven, for 6- 7 minutes (oven temps and times may vary. Our old oven was set at 325 degrees and we cooked them for 5 minutes, so test it out. You know your oven)
- Take out and stir your salsa, enjoy!

Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread.

What you need;
- Cornbread mix (stuff to make the batter, ex; eggs, milk, etc.)
- 1 can of corn
- 2 cans of diced jalapeno
- A few good handfuls of shredded cheese (I like the Mexican 4 Cheese, or the Pepper Jack)

What to do;
- Make your batter as it says on your box or packet (preheat your oven to the time it says on your box or packet), then add and stir in the corn and jalapeno

- Pour your batter in a well greased pan, add your cheese to top it, and bake
- Enjoy!