Saturday, July 31, 2010

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

Ingredients:
1 pkg stove top stuffing, chicken flavor
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 + 1/2 cups hot water
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the stuffing mix, melted butter, and water. Stir just till blended and set aside. In a greased 9x13 pan, place the chicken breast evenly across the bottom. In a small bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup and the sour cream. Spread the mixture over the chicken breasts. Top the dish with the stuffing mix. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes (until the chicken is done cooking).

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Chicken Chile Casserole

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
1 can chicken soup with rice
1 can chopped green chilies
1 large can stewed tomatoes, drained
1 lbs. chicken or hamburger, cooked and drained
tortilla chips
3 cups cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, saute the onion. Add the chicken soup, green chilies, and stewed tomatoes. Cook ingredients for a few minute and then add the meat. Stir till well blended. In a 9x13 pan, alternate layering the tortilla chips, the grated cheese, and the meat mixture. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 1 hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. margarine
3 cups milk
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
7 medium potatoes, cooked and sliced
2 Tbsp. onion, diced

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the margarine, milk, flour, salt, and pepper. Stir over medium heat until melted and smooth. Meanwhile prepare your cooked potatoes by slicing them into thin slices. Add the onions to the potatoes and mix together. Layer half of the potatoes in a greased 9x13 pan and top with half of the sauce. Repeat again with the other half of potatoes and sauce. Cover the pan with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. After the hour is up, remove the tinfoil and continue baking until the top is browned.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Sauerkraut

Ingredients:
1 jar or can sauerkraut
1/3 cup apple, diced into small pieces
1/3 cup onion, diced into small pieces
a few Tbsp. caraway seeds
sugar, to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet, combine the sauerkraut, apple, onion, and caraway seeds. Turn the heat to medium and sprinkle sugar on the top of the ingredients. While stirring frequently, cook the sauerkraut until it has a sweet and salty flavor (adding more sugar if necessary). Keep sauerkraut on medium heat for about 45 minutes (until tender, not mooshy or chewy) adding water to the sauerkraut if it starts to dry out.

Tip: Rinse the sauerkraut with water bore cooking for less of a vinegar taste.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: at least an hour
Recipe Origin: Steven Manning (Dad)

Navajo Potatoes

Ingredients:
6-8 medium potatoes, cooked and grated
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces sour cream
1 + 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
5 stalks green onions, diced
corn flakes, slightly crushed (for the topping)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, cream of chicken soup, butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, and green onions. Stir till well blended. Spread into a 9x13 pan and top with the corn flakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Cucumbers in Sour Cream Dressing

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber, rinsed, peeled, and sliced
1 + 1/2 cups sour cream
1 + 1/2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. chopped chives (the top of the green onion)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
Prepare your cucumber by washing, peeling, and slicing it into thin/medium slices. Combine all the other ingredients in a medium bowl and stir till smooth. Add the cucumber and stir again till the cucumber slices are evenly coated. Chill in the refrigerator and serve.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Cheesy Cauliflower

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/2 head of cauliflower (you can always add more later)
2 cups cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a medium pot, combine the butter, flour, salt, and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until warm and smooth. Meanwhile, in a separate medium pot, cook the cauliflower until its tender. Once the sauce is done, add the grated cheese and stir until its melted. (You can also add more cheese if you need too) Drain the cooked cauliflower and add it to the cheese sauce. Stir till cauliflower is well coated and serve warm.

Tip: You can use broccoli instead of cauliflower if you wish.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Monday, July 26, 2010

Taco Salad

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 an envelope dry onion soup mix
3/4 cup water
1 medium head of lettuce, chopped (about 4 cups)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1 - 6 ounce pkg corn chips
Thousand Island dressing

Directions:
In a large pan, cook and drain the ground beef. Add the onion soup mix and water and cook for about 10 minutes over med heat.
Meanwhile, chop the head of lettuce and place it in a large bowl. Add the tomato, onion, green pepper, black olives, and cheese. Finally add the ground beef and corn chips and stir till ingredients are mixed. Serve topped with Thousand Island Dressing.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Sweet Pork Salad

Ingredients:
Pork ingredients:
1 medium picnic pork roast
1 cup mild salsa
1 cup brown sugar

Salad ingredients:
flour tortillas
cheddar cheese, shredded
black beans, warmed
white or brown rice, cooked
lettuce
pico de gallo
guacamole
Fresco cheese crumbles
crispy tortilla strips
Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

Directions:
To make the pork, brown the pork roast and place it in a crock pot. Add the salsa and brown sugar and cook for 4-8 hours. To make the salad, warm a flour tortilla and top with cheddar cheese. Then top with pork, black beans, rice, lettuce, and the other ingredients. Top with the dressing.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: 45 minutes prep time plus a few hours for the roast to cook
Recipe Origin: Nancy and Tricia

Raspberry Apple Jello Salad

Ingredients:
1 large pkg raspberry jello
2 cups raspberries
1 pkg dream whip, prepared
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 apple, chunked into tiny pieces

Directions:
Prepare the jello according to the directions on the package. Add the raspberries to the jello and chill till the jello is fully set. In a small bowl, combine the dream whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Mix ingredients till slightly lumpy. Mix in the tiny apple chunks and stir again. 30 minutes before serving, top the jello with the cream cheese mixture.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 10 minutes prep time plus a few hours chill time
Recipe Origin: Mom

Potato Salad


Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes
3 hard boiled eggs
6 green onion stalks, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Peel and boil the potatoes until they are tender. Chop the potatoes and put them in a large bowl. Combine all the other ingredients with the potatoes and stir till well blended. Chill salad in the refrigerator until serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Wallace Manning (Grandpa)

Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups macaroni, cooked and drained
1 cup ham, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup pickle, diced
1/4 cup pickle liquid
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard

Directions:
Cook and drain the macaroni and run under cold water until it is cooled. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir till well blended. If salad is too dry, add more mayonnaise.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Lemon Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1 - 4 ounce pkg instant lemon pudding mix, prepared
1 large can of fruit cocktail
2 sliced bananas
strawberries, sliced
blueberries
raspberries
apples, sliced

Directions:
In a large bowl, prepare the pudding mix according to the directions on the box. Add any of the fruit that you want and mix the salad well. Serve immediately.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Holiday Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
2 bananas, chunked
2 Golden Delicious Apples, chunked
2 Gala Apples, chunked
1 pineapple, chunked
2 pears, chunked
2 oranges, chunked
2 cups grapes
2 - 6 ounce containers of raspberry yogurt
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
walnuts (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir till well blended. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Easy Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups of tricolor pasta, cooked and drained
1 bottle of zesty italian dressing

Topping choices:
black Olives
pepperoni slices
cubed cheese
broccoli chunks
carrot chunks
feta crumbles
chunked tomatoes
chunked green peppers
chunked cucumbers
cubed ham, turkey, or chicken
diced red onions

Directions:
Cook and drain pasta. Run pasta under cold water till cooled, drain it, and place it in a large bowl. Add any combination of the ingredients to the pasta. Stir until the dish is evenly blended. Pour the entire bottle of italian dressing over the pasta and stir again until everything is evenly coated.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
2-3 big Tbsp. miracle whipe
1/2 tsp. celery salt
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir till well blended. If salad is too dry, add more mayo. If salad is too tart, add more sugar. To make salad more zippy, add more vinegar,

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
18 ounces cooked chicken, diced
1 + 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3 stalks celery, diced
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
seasoned salt, to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir till well blended. Serve over croissants, rolls, or by itself.

Tips: For variety, add sliced black olives, green grapes, or diced tomatoes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Nancy Drury

Whole Wheat Pancakes


Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
dash of salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 + 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop batter onto a hot, greased griddle and brown both sides. Serve hot with maple syrup.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Waffles


Ingredients:
2 + 1/4 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 + 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
2 + 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
diced ham (optional)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir till well blended. Drop batter into a hot, greased waffle maker and bake till the waffle sensor indicates the waffles are done. Serve warm with maple syrup.

German Pancakes

Ingredients:
1/3 cup margarine
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
dash of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the margarine in a 9x13 pan and place the pan in the oven while it preheats to melt the margarine. In a medium bowl, combine all the other ingredients and stir till well blended. Take the pan out of the oven when the margarine is melted and pour the batter into the pan. Do not mix the batter. Bake the pancakes at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Make sure the pancakes have a lot of room to rise. Serve warm with lemon juice, maple syrup, and powdered sugar.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

French Pancakes


Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and powdered sugar. Mix till blended. Add the milk, eggs, water, and vanilla and stir lightly. Pour a small amount of batter on a hot, greased skillet. Brown both sides of the pancake. Top with powdered sugar before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Farmer's Brunch Casserole

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen hash browns
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ham, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
4 eggs, beaten
12 ounces evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan and arrange the frozen hash browns on the bottom. Top the hash browns with the shredded cheese, ham, and onion. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, pepper, and salt. Beat well with a spoon. Pour the mixture over the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips: You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate it over night (unbaked), Just increase the baking time to 60-65 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 30 minutes prep time and 1 hour for baking.
Recipe Origin: Tricia Richards

Crepes


Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 large eggs
1 + 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir till smooth. Let batter sit for a few minutes to let the air bubbles rise. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet or crepe pan with some melted butter. Drop 3-4 Tbsp. of batter onto the hot pan. Tilt the pan to spread the batter out evenly in a circle. Cook batter until small bubbles appear on the top of the crepe. Check that the crepe is lightly browned underneath by lifting the edge with a knife. Once it is browned, flip the crepe to the other side and brown lightly. Cool crepes and serve with fruit, sour cream, and powdered sugar.

Tips: Loosed the crepe from the pan before trying to flip it over for a better flip. Also, spread the pan with melted butter after each crepe has cooked to keep the next crepe from sticking to the pan. You can store cooked crepes for up to 3 days in a refrigerator or 1 month frozen.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, milk, egg, and melted butter. Mix together ingredients and pour the batter in a greased 8x8 pan. In a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the topping. Sprinkle the topping over the cake batter and bake the cake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean). Cool slightly before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Easy Ginger Ale Punch

Ingredients:
2 liters Ginger Ale, chilled
1 can frozen white grape juice, prepared
Ice

Directions:
Prepare the white grape juice according to the directions on the can. Pour both ingredients into a large punch bowl, add ice and serve cold.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 5 minutes
Recipe Origin: Waterford

Pink Punch

Ingredients:
2 liters of cherry 7up, chilled
46 ounces of pineapple juice, chilled

Directions:
In a large punch bowl combine the lemon lime pop with the pineapple juice. Serve cold.

Tips: You can add less pineapple juice if it is too strong.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 5 minutes
Recipe Origin: Waterford

Wedding Punch

Ingredients:
5 quarts water
3 ups sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon extract
1 Tbsp. citric acid
Ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together in a large thermos or 5 gallon bucket. Stir till well mixed. Serve cold.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Wassail (Apple Juice Recipe)

Ingredients:
4 cups apple cider or juice
1 cups orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large pot over med heat. Bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to low/med and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Sherbet Punch

Ingredients:
2 liters lemon lime pop
Sherbet, any flavor

Directions:
Pour the lemon lime pop into a large punch bowl. Add scoops of sherbet to the pop. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Serve cold.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Pineapple Orange Slush


Ingredients:
4 cups sugar
6 cups HOT water
6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
6 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate
46 ounces pineapple juice
lemon lime pop

Directions:
In a 5 quart ice cream container, combine the hot water and sugar. Stir till sugar is dissolved. Add the orange juice concentrate, lemonade concentrate, and pineapple juice. Carefully stir till well mixed. Freeze mixture (stirring every 45 minutes so it freezes evenly). Serve over lemon lime pop. Store covered and frozen.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes plus freezing time
Recipe Origin: Mormon Cookbook

Orange Julius


Ingredients:
6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 ice cubes

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend till the ice chunks are gone. Serve immediately.

Tips: Add fruit for variety.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Orange Ice

Ingredients:
1 cup water, boiling
1 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
3 cups orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
lemon-lime pop

Directions:
Boil the 1 cup of water and dissolve the sugar in the hot water. Add the remaining water, orange juice, and lemon juice. Stir till well blended. Pour mixture into a pan and freeze (stir mixture every so often while its freezing). Serve over lemon lime pop.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes prep time plus a few hours freezing time
Recipe Origin: Mom

Hot Wassail

Ingredients:
5 quarts water
3 cups sugar
3 sticks cinnamon
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups orange juice
thin apple or lemon or orange slices for garnishing

Directions:
In a large pot, combine all ingredients. Simmer over low/med heat for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. cayenne (1/2 tsp. if you like it spicy)
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup cilantro, diced
3 tomatillos, quarted

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the ranch mix, sour cream, mayonnaise, and cayenne. Stir till smooth. Set aside. In a blender combine the garlic, cilantro, and tomatillos and puree the ingredients. Add the blended mix to the ranch mix and stir till smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:
8 ounces spinach, chopped
3 cups light mayonnaise
5 cups sour cream
10 ounces water chestnuts, drained and diced
2.5 ounces Knorr Dry Veggie Soup & Dip Mix
1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir till well blended. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour and then serve with potato chips.

Note: Using miracle whip in place of mayonnaise will dramatically change the flavor of the dip.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Nancy Drury

Olive Garden House Dressing

Ingredients:
8 ounces Paul Newman's Vinegar & Oil Dressing
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a salad dressing mixer bottle. Shake ingredients well. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving with salad.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Honey Butter

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Beat all the ingredients in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes (until the mixture thickens). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Citrus Fruit Dip

Ingredients:
1 - 6 ounce carton plain low fat yogurt
1/3 cup light cool whip, thawed
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tsp. finely shredded lime, orange, and/or lemon zest
1 Tbsp. orange juice

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir till smooth. Serve with fruit. Serves about 8.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: Diabetic Living Cookbook

Dad's Calm Dip

Ingredients:
2 blocks Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
2 cans minced clams
Louisiana Hot Sauce, to taste

Directions:
Place your cream cheese in a medium bowl. Drain one of the cans of minced clams and add the clams to the cream cheese. Add the other can of clams to your cream cheese with the liquid. Stir with a fork till desired consistency. Add hot sauce (to taste) and stir. Serve with potato chips.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: Steven Manning (Dad)

Cowboy Salsa

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans corn, drained
2-3 tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 pkg italian dressing, prepared according to directions on the pkg

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, and red onion. Stir ingredients well. Pour the italian dressing over the ingredients and stir till everything is evenly coated. Chill in the refrigerator till serving. Eat with tortilla chips, or as a salad by itself.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Tricia Richards

Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:
4-5 squares dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:
in a medium pot, heat all the ingredients until everything is melted (stirring constantly). Bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove pot from heat and serve warm over ice cream. Make about 1 + 1/2 cups.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Chocolate Mint Syrup

Ingredients:
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup half & half or light cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbso. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

Directions:
In a small pot, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Heat over med and stir till melted. Once smooth, add the half & half (or light cream), sugar, and light corn syrup. Boil gently over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. After 8 minutes, remove pot from heat and add the peppermint extract. Stir till smooth and serve warm over cake and/or ice cream. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 quart cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 quart sour cream
1/2 quart ranch dressing
1.5 ounces REAL bacon bits
1 - 1 ounce pkg hidden valley ranch dip mix
1/4 bunch of green onions, diced

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a medium bowl and chill for 1 hour before serving with chips.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: Nancy Drury

Catalina Dressing:

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
dash of paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
1 cup vegetable oil
grated onion, to taste

Directions:
Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend well. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Directions: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
3 Tbsp. Karo syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt
1 + 1/4 cups evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, combine the butter, Karo syrup, brown sugar and salt. Over medium heat, stir ingredients constantly until they are melted and smooth. Slowly add in the evaporated milk and vanilla. Stir ingredients till smooth and well heated. Serve warm over cake or ice cream.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup butter

Directions:
In a small pot, heat all ingredients on med/high until they are boiling, stirring them continuously. Once boiling, reduce the heat to med and simmer for 3 minutes. Serve hot over ice cream. Store in a refrigerator and reheat in a microwave.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: Ice Cream Cookbook

Spice Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup nuts
1 + 1/4 cups fruit, blended (peaches, pears, apples, or fruit cocktail)

1 + 3/4 + 2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Note: If you use applesauce for your blended fruit, add 1/8 tsp. ginger and 1/8 tsp. allspice.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, nuts, and blended fruit. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and ground cloves and stir together till blended. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean). Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:cream for topping
2 pie shells
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 pound pumpkin puree (2 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 can evaporated milk
whip cream (for topping)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prep your pie shells so they are ready to be filled and baked. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients (except the whip cream) and stir till smooth. Pour the mixture into the pie shells and bake the pies at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes (until a knife comes out clean). Cool pies completely and serve with whip cream.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour plus cooling time
Recipe Origin: Mom

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Pats Oatmeal Cake


Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs

1 + 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Topping:
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp. evaporated milk
1 + 1/2 cups coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the boiling water, oats, and shortening. Stir until the shortening is melted. Add the sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and the eggs (once its cooled enough). Stir again until its smooth. Then add the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir till blended and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean). While the cake is baking, mix up all the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl. When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately top it with the topping. Carefully spread the topping out evenly on the cake. Put the cake under the broiler and leave the door open slightly on the oven. Watch the cake continuously until the top starts to turn golden brown. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 40 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom (who got it from Pat)

No-Bake Philly Cheesecake

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
8 ounces cool whip topping
1 - 9" graham cracker crust

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar till well blended. Gently fold in the cool whip. Pour mixture into the crust and refrigerate at least 3 hours (or overnight).

Tips: Top the cheesecake with fresh fruit or pie filling before serving for variety.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes plus 3 hours chilling time
Recipe Origin: unknown

Miniature Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
18-24 vanilla wafers
2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. lemon juice
cherry pie filling
whip cream (for topping)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare, place 18-24 muffin papers in a muffin tin and put 1 vanilla wafer in each paper. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice with a mixer until ingredients are smooth. Spoon mixture over vanilla wafers and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool the cheesecakes completely and top them with a spoonful of cherry pie filling and whipped cream. Store in the refrigerator.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes prep time plus 40 minutes cooling time.

Easy Chicken and Veggies



Ingredients:
4 chicken breast
1/4 cup pesto
1/4 cup water
3 cups vegetables
mozzarella or parmesan cheese (for topping)

Directions:
Heat a large skillet with non-stick spray over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken to the pan, cover, and brown each side for 5 minutes each. Add the pesto, water, and vegetables and bring to a boil. Heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until your chicken is cooked thoroughly. Put chicken and veggies on a plate and sprinkle with mozzarella or parmesan cheese.

Tips: Steam your veggies for a few minutes before adding them to the chicken for a more tender vegetable.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: kraftfoods.com

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:
1 - 9" graham cracker pie crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup lime juice
1 - 1+1/2 tsp. lime zest
whip cream (for garnishing)
lime zest (for garnishing)

Directions:
Prepare a 9" graham cracker crust and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and the egg yolks. Whisk them together. Stir in the heavy whipping cream, lime juice, and the lime zest. Pour ingredients into the pie crust and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool pie and top with whip cream and lime zest.

Tips: You can also make this with a meringue topping too (see directions below). Simply follow the same pie directions as above, but have meringue topping ready when pie is done baking. Remove the pie from the oven and increase the temp to 350 degrees. Spoon meringue on top of the pie and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minute or until it is lightly browned.

Meringue Topping:
3-4 egg whites
6 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
dash of salt

Directions:
Beat the egg white till peaks are formed. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt and continue beating till whites no longer feel gritty.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 40 minutes
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Hershey Sundae Pie

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cool whip, thawed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 small tub of cool whip
chocolate shavings (for garnishing)
1 Oreo pie crust

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and beat will well blended. Fold in the 8 ounces of cool whip and vanilla extract. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the oreo pie crust.

In a medium bowl, prepare the chocolate pudding mix according to the directions on the box (minus 1/2 cup of milk). Spread over the cheese layer in the pie.

Top the pie with cool whip and chocolate shavings and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Nancy Drury

Creamy Lemon Pie

Ingredients:
1 + 3/4 cups cold milk
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 - 6 ounce can frozen lemonade, thawed
8 ounces cool whip, thawed
1 - 9" graham cracker crust
lemon slices (for garnishing)
whip cream (for garnishing)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the cold mix and pudding mixes. Beat with a wire whisk till smooth. Add the lemonade and beat with a whisk for 30 seconds more. (Mixture will be thick). Immediately fold in the cool whip until mixture is blended. Pour filling into the pie crust and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and whip cream just before serving.

Tips: for variety try different flavors of lemonade.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes prep time plus 4 hours chill time.
Recipe Origin: one of my cookbooks

Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 large box coconut cream pudding mix, prepared
1 large container of cool whip
2 cups coconut
1 graham cracker crust
vanilla wafer and maraschino cherries (for garnishing - optional)

Directions:
Prepare the pudding mix as directed on the box for pies. Add the coconut and stir till blended. Gently fold in 1/2 of the container of cool whip. Pour pudding mixture into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for 2 hours. Top with the remaining cool whip and refrigerate another hour. Garnish with vanilla wafers and maraschino cherries just before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes prep time plus 3 hours chill time
Recipe Origin: Nancy Drury

Chocolate Health Bar Cake

Ingredients:
1 chocolate cake mix, prepared according to the directions on the box
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1 jar caramel ice cream topping
1 large tub of cool whip, thawed
2-3 crushed heath bars

Directions:
Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to the directions on the box. After the cake is done, and while it is still warm, use a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake about 1.5" apart. Pour the sweet & condensed milk over the cake and then pour the caramel ice cream topping over the cake. Place the cake in the refrigerator and let it cool completely. Once cake is cool, ice it with the cool whip and sprinkle the health bar over the top. Store in the refrigerator.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 40 minutes prep time + 2 hours chilling time.
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 + 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling:
3 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. flour

Directions:
For crust, combine all ingredients in a small bowl an mix until well blended. Press crumbs onto the bottom and sides of a 9" spring-form pan. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat it with the sweetened condensed milk (gradually adding the milk). Add the eggs and vanilla and beat till smooth. Measure out 1/3 of the chocolate chips and sprinkle them with the flour. Fold the floured chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on the top.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Turn the oven off (leaving the cheesecake in the oven and the door closed). Leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Chill before removing the sides of the pan.

Directions: Medium
Time to Make: about 2 + 1/2 hours
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:
4 squares semi-sweet Bakers chocolate
2 pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
8 ounces cool whip, thawed
Oreo or chocolate pie crust

Directions:
Melt the Bakers chocolate in the microwave and stir till smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and stir till creamy. Gently fold in the cool whip and then pour mixture into the pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes prep plus at least 3 hours chilling time
Recipe Origin: Tricia Richards

Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients:
Pie Crust: (Makes a top and bottom)
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup + 1 Tbsp. shortening
1/3 cup ice water
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
6 Jonathon Apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cug sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 Tbsp. heavy cream
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:
For the crust, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and shortening in a medium bowl. Mix with a pasty tool till well blended. In a small bowl combine the ice water, vinegar, and the egg. Mix till smooth and add to the flour mixture. Mix everything until blended and chill in the refrigerator. Once chilled, cut the dough into halves and roll each half out on a lightly floured surface into a circle. Place one of the circles into a pie crust and form the edges however you want. Prick all the sides and bottom with a fork. Set aside the other circle until the pie is filled.

For the filling, sprinkle the sliced apples the lemon juice in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine together the brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the apples and stir till all apples are evenly coated. Add to the apples the vanilla extract and the heavy cream. Pour the apples into a large pan with the melted butter and cook about 8 minutes to soften the apples. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pour the apples into the pie crust and top with the top crust. Seal the edges of the pie crust and cut slits into the top for steam vents.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook 45 minutes longer. Let stand at least 1 hour before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Tips: You can use a dutch topping for this pie. Recipe found here.

Difficulty: Hard
Time to Make: about 2 + 1/2 hours
Recipe Origin: allrecipes.com

Boston Cream Pie Minis

Ingredients:
24 chocolate or yellow cupcakes

Filling:
1 cup milk, cold
1 - 4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup cool whip

Icing:
1 cup cool whip
4 squares Baker's chocolate

Directions:
For the filling, beat together the milk and vanilla pudding mix. Let it stand 5 minutes and then fold in the cool whip. Fill each cupcake with about 1 Tbsp of the filling. For the icing, microwave together the cool whip and Baker's chocolate till the chocolate is almost melted. Stir till smooth. Frost each cupcake with the chocolate icing and refrigerate cupcakes for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes (including cupcake prep time)
Recipe Origin: Tricia Richards

Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 large package of banana cream pudding mix
Milk
1 small container of cool whip, thawed
2 large bananas, sliced
1 - 9" graham cracker crust
maraschino cherries (optional)

Directions:
Prepare the banana cream pudding mix according to the pie directions on the box. Fold 1/2 of the cool whip into the pudding. Add the 2 sliced bananas to the pudding mix and fold gently. Pour the pudding into the graham cracker crust and top with the remaining cool whip. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Top with maraschino cherries just before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes prep time plus 4 hours chill time
Recipe Origin: Nancy Drury

Banana Cake

Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup butter, melted
3 bananas, mashed
2 Tbsp. sour cream

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup nuts
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Icing to frost cake with.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and eggs. Add the melted butter, mashed bananas, and sour cream. Stir till well blended. Add the remaining ingredients and stir again till blended. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool completely and frost with icing.

Tips: This cake is good with sour cream icing, peanut butter icing, or just plain vanilla icing.

Directions: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour + cooling and frosting time
Recipe Origin: Mom

Dutch Apple Pie

Ingredients:
1 Pie Crust
2 cans of apple pie filling (to use fresh fruit, see below)
Vanilla Ice Cream

Dutch Topping: (makes enough for 1 pie, double if you are making 2 pies)
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 tsp. cinnamon
6 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a pie crust according to the baked pie directions found here. Pour 2 cans of apple pie filling into the unbaked pie shells. Mix together the ingredients for the dutch topping mix until well blended and top the pies with the topping. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Fresh Fruit Ingredients: (this is enough for 1 pie)
4-6 Granny or Braeburn apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. apple pie spice

Directions:
Toss your apples with the other ingredients and pour fruit into the pie shells. Continue with directions above.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 2 hours
Recipe Origin: Mom

Friday, July 16, 2010

Waffle Iron Cookies


Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
6 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
in a large bowl, cream together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Heat a waffle iron. Drop dough by spoonful into the hot waffle iron. Bake for about 1 minute. Cool slightly and frost with chocolate icing.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 45 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 + 1/2 cups sugar

2 + 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt

Cinnamon/sugar coating:
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together wet ingredients (above). Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once dough is chilled, roll it into balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place the balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Raisin Filled Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 + 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Raisin Filling:
1 cup raisins
3/8 cup sugar
3/8 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Put the ingredients for the raisin filling into a blender and blend till smooth. Empty the blender into a small saucepan and cook till thickened. On a cookie sheet, sandwich the raisin filling in between two spoonfuls of cookie dough. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 90 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Quacker's Best Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 + 1/4 cups butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 + 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups quick oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together wet ingredients (above). Then add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop dough by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on the pan and then remove and cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: allrecepies.com

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
14.5 ounce can of pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 - 12 ounce pkg. chocolate chips
4 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together everything but the flour and baking powder. Add the flour and baking powder and mix till well blended. Drop dough by spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 2 hours
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Peanut Kissed Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 + 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
48 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine shortening, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with a mixer till fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla extract and stir till blended. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir again till well blended. Shape dough into 1" balls and roll in sugar. Put ball on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and immediately press a hershey kiss into the center of the cookie. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
3/4 cup peanut butter

2 + 1/2 cups flour
1 + 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the wet ingredients (above) and then add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Form dough into balls. Place balls on a cookie sheet and flatten with a fork (making a criss-cross pattern). Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Monster Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs

2 tsp. baking soda
1 + 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 + 1/2 cups quick oats
1 - 12 ounce package chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream together the wet ingredients (above). Then add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Chill dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the dough is chilled, shape the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten the balls with a cup. Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Mincemeat Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 + 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup mincemeat
1/2 cup nuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the wet ingredients (above). Then add the remaining ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop dough by spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Jubilee Jumbles


Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 + 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup coconut

White Icing

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl cream together the shortening, brown sugar, sugar, and eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop the dough by spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Cool completely and frost cookies with white icing. Makes about 4 dozen.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Leona Johnson (Grandma)

Honey Balls

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp. honey
1 cup nuts or coconut
1 tsp. vanilla
Powdered Sugar (for rolling the cookies after they are baked)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir till well blended. Roll dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and while they are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 45 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Homemade Oreos

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup margarine, softened

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
milk (enough to make a thicker icing)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Drop by small spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes. Cool completely and sandwich two cookies with the icing in the middle.

Tips: These cookies are best when stored overnight. They can be frozen for extended storage. For variety, try other flavors of cake mix.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Gingerbread (Mom's Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 cup molasses
1 cup shortening
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
6 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
In a small pot combine the molasses and shortening and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients (adding the molasses and shortening at the end). Stir well and chill in the refrigerator until its cool. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once chilled, roll out the dough between to pieces of wax paper. Cut into shapes. Place shapes on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely and decorate.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: a couple of hours
Recipe Origin: Mom

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1/4 cup light molasses

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together all the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Roll dough into balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place the balls on a cookie sheet and flatten them with the bottom of a cup. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Fudge Cream Cookies


Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine or butter
1 + 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup coca
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the cookie ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop by spoonful[ onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool completely. While cookies are baking, put the ingredients for the filling in a medium bowl and beat them with a mixer until they are thick. When cookies are cool, put a spoonful of filling on the bottom of one and sandwich with the bottom of another. Store in an airtight container.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Dutch Refrigerator Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

2 + 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup nuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Shape dough into logs and cover with plastic. Chill logs in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After chilling, remove the plastic from the logs and cut into medium slices. Place slices on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 2 hours
Recipe Origin: Mom

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
4 squares Baker's chocolate
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
sugar (for rolling balls in)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a microwavable bowl combine the Baker's chocolate and butter. Heat ingredients in a microwave until melted. (Stir every 30 seconds until smooth). In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir all ingredients together and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Once chilled, roll dough into small balls and roll the balls into sugar. Place ball on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: kraftfoods.com

Coconut Jam Cookies


Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 + 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 + 1/2 cups oatmeal
flaked coconut
fruit jam for filling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients (except the jam and coconut) and stir until well blended. Form dough into ball and roll balls in flaked coconut. Place the balls on a cookies sheet and make a dimple in the center of them with your thumb. Fill the dimple with any fruit flavored jam. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Makes about 30.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 1 hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Chocolate Drop Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup cocoa
1 + 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and beat batter with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. After dough is chilled, drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes. Cool completely and frost with chocolate frosting.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 2 hours
Recipe Origin: Mom

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Chocolate Crinkles



Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 + 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together all the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Roll dough into small balls and roll the balls into powdered sugar. Place balls on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup margarine or butter
1 + 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla

1 + 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 + 1/2 cups quick oats
1 - 12 ounce pkg chocolate chips
1 cup coarsly chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together all the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop dough by spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for 1 minute.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Julie Hawks

Chocolate Chip Corn Flake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs

2 + 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
chocolate chips
3 cups corn flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop dough by spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Ron's Recipe)


Ingredients:
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

3 + 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop dough by spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Darlene Gardner

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grandpa's Recipe)

Ingredients:
2 cups shortening
1 + 1/2 cups sugar
1 + 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp. hot water
2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 + 1/2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. nutmeg
6 tsp. cinnamon
1 bag chocolate chips
6 cups oatmeal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl cream together all the wet ingredients. Then add in all the dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Drop cookie dough by spoonful on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes
Recipe Origin: Wallace Manning (Grandpa)

Butterscotch Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 + 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups corn flakes, slightly crushed
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together wet ingredients. Once smooth, stir in dry ingredients. Drop cookie dough by spoonful on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: Mom

Wilton White Icing

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 tsp. butter or vanilla flavor (clear color)
2 Tbsp. milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. meringue powder (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat with a mixer the shortening, butter (or vanilla), and milk. Once ingredients are smooth, gradually beat in powdered sugar and meringue powder. Continue beating till icing is smooth and fluffy.

Makes about 3 cups

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: wilton.com

Sour Cream Icing

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, cook the sour cream and sugar until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla till smooth.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 + 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 - 1/3 cup milk

Directions:
In a medium bowl, beat together the peanut butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and milk and beat until smooth and spreadable. Add more milk if necessary.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: Unknown

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 - 16 ounce package powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese and butter. Stir till smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well with a mixer.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: Betty Crocker

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat till fluffy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: Annette Gardner

Rice Crispy Treats


Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
40 large marshmallows
6 cups rice crispy cereal

Directions:
Butter a 9x13 pan well and set aside. In a large pot, stir the butter and marshmallows over medium heat until the marshmallows are melted. Once melted, add the rice crispy cereal and stir. Pour the mixture into the buttered pan and use a buttered fork to spread out the mixture evenly. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Pie Crust (Mom's Recipe)

NON-BAKE PIES: (makes 2 pie crusts)

Ingredients:
1 heaping cup of flour
1/2 cup margarine
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir with fork till well blended. Pat into 2 pie shells and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool completely.



BAKED PIES: (makes 2 pie crusts)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
water (enough to moisten crust)

Directions:
Mix together the flour, shortening and salt with a fork till well blended. Slowly add cold water to the mixture, using your hand to moisten and form the crust into a ball. (You dont want the dough to be sticky). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. After chilling, unwrap the dough and divide it into 2 balls. Roll out the balls and line the pie shells with the dough. Prick the sides and bottom of the pie shells with a fork and fill the shells for baking.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 15 mintues
Recipe Origin: Mom

Oreo Dessert

Ingredients:
12 Oreo cookies, crushed (for the crust)
4 cups mini white marshmallows
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup chocolate bar with almonds, chopped
1/2 pint whipping cream
8 oreos, crushed (for garnishing)

Directions
Spread the crushed oreos on the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Whip the whipping cream until fluffy and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt together the marshmallows and the milk. When the marshmallows are melted, add the chocolate bar. Stir till smooth. Fold in the whipped cream and spread mixture onto the crushed oreos. Garnish with remaining crushed oreos. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes plus an hour for chilling.
Recipe Origin: unknown

Mint Dazzlers

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar

Middle Layer:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 + 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

Top Layer:
1 package dream whip, prepared
1/4 tsp. mint flavoring
1 package small colored marshmallows

Directions:
Mix together the ingredients for the crust . Press crust into a buttered 9x13 pan and freeze. While crust freezes, beat together the ingredients for the middle layer until they are light and fluffy. Spread the middle layer over the crust and freeze. After middle layer is frozen, prepare the dream whip with the mint flavoring and whip until fluffy. Fold in the marshmallows and spread over the middle layer. Freeze dessert completely before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes plus freezing time
Recipe Origin: Mom

Magic Mousse

Ingredients:
1 - 6 ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix
3 cups milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 cups cool whip, thawed

Directions:
Mix the pudding mix and the milk according to the directions on the box. Let the pudding stand in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup powdered sugar then fold in the cool whip. Place into dessert dishes and chill until serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 25 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mormon Cookbook

Lemon Squares


Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Filling:
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. lemon juice

powdered sugar for garnishing

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ingredients for the crust and press them into a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While crust bakes, mix up the ingredients for the filling. Pour the ingredients on the hot crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake bars at 350 degrees for an additional 25 minutes. Cool bars completely and dust with powdered sugar.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 55 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Lemon Bars with Almonds

Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 + 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Lemon Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
lemon juice (enough to make the icing thin)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Mix together the 1 +1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and the 1/2 cup butter (or margarine) in a medium bowl. Press ingredients into a buttered pan and bake at 275 degrees for 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, mix together the remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. When crust is done baking, spread the mixture over the crust carefully. Change the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking the bars for about 20 minutes (until the top is golden brown). Spread lemon icing over the bars while they are still warm and cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 40 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Easy Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 cup cool whip, thawed
1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
1/4 cup milk (optional)
8 Oreo cookies
12 Ice Cream Sandwiches
1 large tub cool whip
crushed oreos (for garnishing)

Directions:
In a medium bowl pour the fudge topping and 1 cup cool whip and stir with a wire whisk till well blended. Add the pudding mix and whisk again till well blended. If it is too thick to stir, add the 1/4 cup milk and blend again. (Keep adding milk until its a good spreadable consistency).

Chop the 8 oreo cookies into small pieces and add to the pudding mix. Stir till blended.

Line a cooke sheet with tin foil (being generous with the foil because you will need it to cover the cake while freezing. Lay 4 ice cream sandwiches flat across. Top with 1/2 of the pudding mix. Lay 4 more sandwiches on top of that and spread with the remaining pudding mix. Top that with the remaining 4 ice cream sandwiches. Frost the top and sides of the cake with cool whip. Bring up the foil around the sides and top of the cake and double fold the foil edges to loosely seal the cake. (Dont worry about messing up your frosting job because it turns out fine after its been frozen). Freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Just before serving, garnish cake with oreo crumbs.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes prep time plus 4 hours freezing time.
Recipe Origin: kraftfoods.com

Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients:
20 graham cracker squares
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the graham crackers into a ziploc bag and seal the bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the crackers into crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the sugar and butter until well blended. Press with a fork into a 9" pie tin. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes,

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Easy Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 can fruit pie filling
1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix
1 can 7-up (or other lemon lime pop)
Vanilla Ice cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pie filling in a 9x13 baking pan. Top filling with the dry cake mix (unprepared) spreading the mix evenly over the filling. Pour the can of 7-up over the cake mix. Do not mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour (until the top is golden brown). Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 70 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

English Trifle

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix, prepared
2 pints fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 large bananas
1/4 cup orange juice
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 - 3.5 ounce package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whip cream
maraschino cherries
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box (baking it into 2 round cake pans). Cool completely and cut into 1 " cubes.

Wash and slice the strawberries and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Set aside.

Slice the bananas and toss them with orange juice. Set aside

Wash the blueberries and set aside.

Blend the vanilla pudding mix with the milk until smooth.

Layer 1/2 of all the ingredients in a trifle bowl in this order: cake, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, pudding. Repeat layers once more.

Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form and spread over the trifle. Garnish with maraschino cherries and slivered almonds. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serves about 14 people.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Eclairs

Ingredients:
Cream Puffs
1 - 5 ounce box of instant vanilla pudding, prepared
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:
Prepare cream puffs according to this recipe.

For filling, prepare the vanilla pudding according to the directions on the box. In a separate bowl, beat 1 cup heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until it is fluffy. Gently fold in the whip cream with the pudding. Put pudding mixture into a pastry bag and fill the cooled cream puffs with the pudding.

For the icing, heat 1 cup of heavy cream till hot (hot enough to melt chocolate). Pour cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit until the chocolate is soft. Mix the chocolate and cream until it is smooth. Add the melted butter to the mixture for more shine.

Dip the eclairs into the frosting and hold to let the excess drip off the sides. Refrigerate the eclairs until frosting sets and serve.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Congo Bars

Ingredients:
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 + 3/4 cups flour
2 + 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 - 12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup flaked coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Press mix into a greased large 13" baking sheet (with a lip). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool completely before cutting.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 40 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Chocolate Trifle

Ingredients:
1 brownie mix, prepared
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup water
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces cool whip, thawed (for chocolate pudding)
12 ounce container of cool whip, thawed
chocolate shavings

Directions:
Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the box. Cool completely and cut into 1" squares. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine instant pudding, water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix till smooth. Fold in 8 ounces thawed cool whip.

In a trifle bowl, layer 1/2 of the brownies, 1/2 of the pudding, and 1/2 of the 12 ounces of cool whip. Repeat the layers and garnish with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate for 8 hours before serving. Serves about 12.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 45 minutes prep time plus 8 hours chilling time.
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Chips Ahoy Cheesecake Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 -4 ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
Dipping Chocolate
Chips Ahoy Cookies (about 20)

Directions:
Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl. Once smooth, add the cool whip and stir again. Scoop about 2 Tbsp. of the mixture onto a chips ahoy cookie and top it was a second cookie. Melt your dipping chocolate and stir till smooth. Dip half of the sandwiched cookie in the melted chocolate. Drip of the excess chocolate and put the cookie on some wax paper in an airtight container. Freeze cookies for about 3 hours, then serve.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes prep time plus 3 hours freezing time.
Recipe Origin: Tricia Richards

Brownies (Mom's Recipe)

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Spread evenly in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Monday, July 12, 2010

Brownie Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 + 3/4 cup hot water
Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine together the flour, sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Mix well and then add milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients and stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pan.

Combine the brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, and hot water. Pour over the batter and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes prep time plus 45 minutes baking time.
Recipe Origin: Grandma Johnson

Better Than Sex

Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cup Graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
2 packages instant chocolate pudding, prepared
milk for the chocolate pudding
1 tub Cool Whip
Chocolate Bar (for chocolate shavings)

Directions:
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Mix together cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 2 Tbsp milk. Spread over the graham cracker crust.

Prepare your chocolate pudding according to the pie directions on the box and spread evenly over the crust and cream cheese mixture.

Top the pudding with cool whip. Top the cool whip with chocolate shavings.

Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes prep time plus 2+ hours chill time.
Recipe Origin: Unknown

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
4 large apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
3/4 cup quick oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced apples in a buttered 8x8 pan. In a medium bowl, combine other ingredients and stir till well blended. Top fruit with the crisp mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes plus 35 minutes baking time
Recipe Origin: Mom

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
3 + 1/2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking soda
1 + 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients and stir till well blended. Pour batter into 2 greased bread pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool slightly in pan. Run a knife around the edges and remove bread from the pans. Cool completely and store in ziploc bag.

Makes 2 loaves.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 20 minutes plus 1 hour baking time.
Recipe Origin: Unknown

Homemade Pizza

Pizza Crust Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1 cup water, lukewarm
2 to 2 + 1/2 cups flour
1 + 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 + 1/2 Tbsp. shortening

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:
1 can tomato sauce
3 drops hot sauce or Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
Soy Sauce (optional)

Directions for Pizza Sauce:
In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients. Heat slowly till warm and spread on pizza dough.

Directions for Pizza Crust:
Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and shortening and stir with a fork till well blended. Stir in the yeast and water mixture until dough is soft and sticky. Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out each ball on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Cover dough with pizza sauce and toppings and bake at 350 for

Possible Pizza Toppings:
pineapple, crushed or chunked
olives, sliced
sausage or hamburger, cooked
pepperoni
green peppers, diced
onions, diced
red peppers, diced
mushrooms, sliced
canadian bacon

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Cream Puffs

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 2.5 quart saucepan heat the water and butter (or margarine) until its a rolling boil. Once boiling, stir in flour. Reduce heat and stir mixture vigorously until it forms a ball. Cool mixture slightly and beat in eggs.

Drop mixture onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (until they are puffed and golden). Cool puffs away from drafts for about 30 minutes. Store in airtight containers or ziploc bags.

Tips: If you break all your eggs into a small bowl you can gradually add small spoonfuls of the hot dough to the eggs and mix them to gradually heat the eggs. This will prevent you from cooking the eggs when you add them to the rest of the dough.

Difficulty: Medium
Time to Make: about 45 minutes
Recipe Origin: Betty Crocker

Bisquick Mix

Ingredients:
10 cups flour
1/3 cup baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
2 cups shortening

Directions:
Mix together all dry ingredients. Once blended, cut the shortening into the mix. Store up to 6 weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.

To make pancakes, add:
1 + 1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups bisquick mix

To make biscuits, add:
1/2 cup milk
2 cups bisquick mix

To make muffins, add:
1 cup milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups bisquick mix

Difficulty: Easy
Time to make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

TV Rolls

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 squares melted chocolate or 2 ounces cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. butter
25 colored mini marshmallows
2 cups flaked coconut

Directions:
Mix together everything but the coconut in a large bowl. Form mixture into a rolled log on wax paper and roll the log in coconut to coat the outside. Wrap the log in wax paper and tinfoil and chill in refrigerator. The logs will also freeze well. To serve, cut logs in 1/2 inch slices.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes plus a few hour chilling time
Recipe Origin: Mom

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup peanut butter
powdered sugar (at least a few cups)
1 - 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
Stir the butter and peanut butter together in a large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar to the mix and stir till well mixed. Add enough powdered sugar so that the mixture can be rolled into balls without sticking to your hands. Once desired consistency is reached, add the chocolate chips. Roll mixture into balls and store covered.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Oatmeal Fudge

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large pot combine the sugar, milk, butter, cocoa, and salt. Bring ingredient to a boil, stirring often. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and add the quick oats, nuts, coconut, and vanilla extract. Stir till well mixed and drop mixture by spoonful onto wax paper or large plates. Let cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom