Recipes By Kim

Arendt's Hot Beef

2011-09-27T22:03:00.001-05:00

1 (4-5lb) roast (rolled rump or chuck)

2 large yellow onions or 4 small yellow onions quartered

1 (6oz) bottle of soy sauce

pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a large crock pot on high for 8-10 hours. When you come home from a long day of work you will want to lick the air it will smell soooooooooo good!

Mash with potato masher or Pampered Chef Mix ‘N Chop. Remove any fatty pieces.

Serve on buns and reminisce on Arendt's Meat Market's Hot Beef from back in the day. Num!

Turkey Casserole

2011-01-06T23:37:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of sweet peas (drained)
1 cup of chopped turkey (bite size pieces)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bag of large egg noodles
crushed pepper to taste

Start by boiling water on stove top. Add egg noddles and let cook until desired firmness.

In another skillet saute onion and pepper. Add turkey and mix. Heat thoroughly.

Put egg noodles into a large microwaveable casserole dish.

Add turkey mixture to noodles.

Stir mixture, noodles and cream of chicken soup together.

Add peas and mix gently.

Toss in the microwave on high for 30 minuets. Serve with wheat bread and butter... NUM!

Peppermint Bark

2010-12-16T18:43:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
Almond Bark or White Chocolate melting squares or 1 bag (12oz) White chips/morsels
12 broken candy canes

Unwrap candy canes and place into two plastic zip lock bags and mash.

Melt almond bark/white chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time. Once squares are completely melted add candy cane pieces and stir.

Spread mixture onto a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet and place into refrigerator for an hour.

Break into bite size pieces and store in air tight container.

Classic Green Bean Casserole

2010-12-16T18:30:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can Cream of Mushroom Soup

3/4 cup milk

1/8 tsp. black pepper

2 (9 oz. each) pkgs. frozen cut green beans, thawed* or 2 cans of Cut Green Beans drained

1 1/3 cups FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 -qt. baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.

Bake at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot.
Stir. Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden.

Simple Fruit Salad

2010-12-07T00:05:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 can mixed fruit (fruit cocktail) - drain
1 can pineapple - drain
1 can mandarin oranges
1 banana - sliced
1 cup walnut pieces
1/2 small container of Cool Whip

Easy peasy... drain all the fruits. Slice banana. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Num!

Note: This is best served as soon as it is made. This is not something I would not make before hand. After a day the juices left in the fruit will seep out and bananas will turn brown.

Cheesey Cornflake Potatoes

2010-11-24T14:13:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 Bag (2 lbs) Frozen Hashed Brown Potatoes (the cube kind)
1/2 cup butter - melted
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pint sour cream
8-10 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cornflakes, crushed
1/4 cup butter - melted

Combine potatoes with 1/2 cup melted butter, salt, pepper, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese in 13x9 ungreased pan.


Ummmm BUTTA...

Mix Cornflakes with 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle on top of potatoes mixture.

Bake, uncovered at 350 for 1 hour.

Crushed bacon is a nice added touch :)

Micaela's Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-10-20T22:59:00.001-05:00

So my friend Micaela of Striving Bean made these once for a treat day back when I was in corporate world. Ever since that day I have wanted these bars/cake again. I finally made them the other day... and made only one mistake, but, it was still delicious!

Ingredients
Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. NOTE: When sifting flour measure first, then sift. Not the other way around (which, yes, is what I did... duh!).

Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined.

Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

See how thin my "cake" is... well that's because of the sifting of the flour and then measuring!

This should be more like a cake than like a bar.

Crockpot Pot Roast

2010-10-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut in half
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 medium onions (about 3/4 pound), quartered
1 (16-ounce) package baby carrots
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water

Place roast, soy sauce, and garlic in a large ziplock plastic bag. Marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Boil beef broth in a small saucepan; add mushrooms. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms through a colander over a bowl, saving broth mixture.

Remove roast from bag, saving marinade. Sprinkle roast with pepper, gently pressing pepper into roast. Combine reserved marinade, mushroom broth mixture, and tomato paste; stir well, and set aside.

Place mushrooms, onion, carrot and potato in a 6-quart crockpot; toss gently.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add roast, browing well on all sides. Place roast over vegetables in crockpot.

Pour tomato paste mixture into skillet, scraping to loosen browned bits. Pour tomato paste mixture over roast and vegetables.

Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 8 hours or until roast is tender.

Place roast and vegetables on a serving platter; keep warm. Reserve liquid in crockpot; increase to high-heat setting.

Place flour in a small bowl. Gradually add water, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add flour mixture to liquid in crockpot. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently.

Serve gravy with roast and vegetables.

Mexican Chicken Soup, White Chicken Chili and Grandpa's Chili

2010-10-11T23:31:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone!

I'm Melba, Kim's sous chef this week! Since the cool weather is coming whether we like it or not, I've decided to get ready by making some soups to freeze. For me it's easier to do all the prep work once, and cook it all in one day. Call me crazy, but it works! I now have enough soup for 9 dinners for my family of 3, and 2 lunches for myself :)

If you're not into this all day soup-making-affair, just skip ahead to the recipes you want to make! I have them individually listed.

Prep work:

Chop/dice 4-5 stalks of celery
3 peeled carrots
4 onions
1 green pepper
cilantro (you'll need about 1/2 cup)

Cook chicken - I cooked 4 breasts. Put them in a large skillet with 2-3 cups of chicken broth, cook on medium for about 12 minutes (until no longer pink in the middle).

Cool them slightly, pull them out of the skillet, and shred it with a fork. (I used 2 cups for the Mexican chicken soup, and the rest went into the white chicken chili). Discard broth. You could also use a rotisserie chicken shredded.

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Mexican Chicken Soup (makes about 11 cups)

2 tbsp EVOO

1 medium onion chopped (1 cup)

1 stalk of celery chopped (1 cup)

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

6 cups chicken broth

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

1 15oz can corn

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can mexican style diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

juice of 1 lime (1 tsp from the plastic lime)

salt
pepper

Heat the oil in a stockpot. Add the onion, celery, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook about 5 mins until veggies soften.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.

Add the chilies, corn, tomatoes, beans, and oregano and cook another 5 minutes.

Add chicken, cilantro and lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

*note: if it seems to thick to your liking, add some more chicken broth.

****************************************************

White Chicken Chili (makes about 12 cups)

2-3 tbsp EVOO

1 small chopped onion (3/4 cup)

1 medium carrot finely diced (1 cup)

1 talk of celery chopped (1 cup)

1 1/2 cups chopped green chilies

1 clove of garlic minced

1/2 stick of butter

4 cans of Great Northern beans or Navy beans (I used a combination) - drained and rinsed

6 cups chicken broth

1 lb shredded cooked chicken

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a stock pot. Add the onion, celery, carrots, cumin, oregano and white pepper.

Cook until the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small sauce pan.

Add garlic and chilies and cook 5 minutes.

Add 1/3 - 1/2 of the beans to the stock pot, and mash them up using a potato masher.

Then add the rest of the beans, the chili-butter mixture, cilantro and the chicken. Stir really well, and let simmer for 10-15 mins until slightly thickened.

****************************************************

Grandpa's Chili (makes about 17 cups)

1lb of ground beef

1 sweet green pepper diced

1 onion, diced

1 stalk of celery chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 can of condensed tomato soup + 1 can of water

2 cans of mild chili beans (use spicier ones if you like!)

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 15oz can of diced tomatoes (chili seasoned)

2 tsp brown sugar

3 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp dried basil

1 cup dried elbow noodles

salt and pepper to taste

Brown the beef along with the onion, pepper, garlic and celery till beef is cooked and veggies are soft.

Drain fat.

Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato soup, and can of water, and stir till combined. Add chili beans (undrained) chili powder, basil and brown sugar.

Bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. (If it seems too thick add another can of water)

Add noodles and cook about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

*note - this is a very thick chili. If you like thinner chili, add more water or beef broth.

And there you have it! 3 hearty soups in just a few hours time. It's so easy to throw one in the fridge to thaw the night before, cook up a pan of corn bread, or dinner rolls and voilla!

Congrats!

2010-10-04T15:35:00.000-05:00

NKOTB News you won the giveaway! So excited for you! CSN Stores will be contacting you soon!

Thanks everyone for entering... hopefully I'll have more soon!

Last Full Day To Enter

2010-10-03T13:12:00.000-05:00

Make sure you leave a comment on the Giveaway Post to have a chance to win a $35 certificate for CSN Stores.

The contest ends on Monday, October 4th at 12 noon Central Time Zone. I will select the winner via random.org.

Facebook Users

2010-09-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

If you have a Facebook account (okay, okay really who doesn't have one of those now a days?) don't forget to scroll down on the page. On the bottom right there is a "follow this blog" button. You'll get notices on your Facebook Newsfeed when there are new posts on this blog!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway.

Giveaway

2010-09-29T23:44:00.006-05:00

Have you heard of CSN? Well, CSN is comprised of over 200 online stores, selling everything from dining room chairs to boots.

Well I'm happy to say that CSN contacted me and asked if I would like to do a $35 giveaway to my awesome readers. If I didn't have Pampered Chef cookware I'd be looking at getting myself one of these babies: Kinetic Color Cast 2.6 Quart Casserole Pan in Red

To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this post telling me what you will use the gift card for by checking out CSNstores.com. Be sure to include your email address so that I can contact you and let you know you've won.

This contest is open to residents of the USA and Canada. (Please note: extra International shipping fees MAY apply on Canadian orders.)

The contest ends on Monday, October 4th at 12 noon Central Time Zone. I will select the winner via random.org. I will post the winner towards the end of next week.

Sous-Chefs Wanted

2010-09-16T19:51:00.008-05:00

I'm looking for a few good sous-chefs for the blog.

What I'm looking for is the following:

someone who will make a recipe in their own home
this recipe is one with actual measurements (not a little bit of this and a palm full of that unless it's "salt to taste")
photographs of each step of the recipe, photo of the ingredients, and a photo of the final dish

Do you think you could be a sous-chef? If so, please contact me.

Chili

2010-09-03T20:06:00.005-05:00

Ingredients:
3 lbs Ground Beef
1 cup chopped white onion
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Beef Bouillon cubes
2 Large cans of Tomato Soup
2 cans of Kidney Beans (I used light and dark)
2 1/2 cups of cooked spaghetti (not the long noodles - the short ones like macaroni)
Sugar, Chili Powder and Pepper to taste

Toppings/Sides:
Cheddar cheese shredded
Saltine Crackers

Brown ground beef in stock pot. I like to add some Chili Powder at this point to "cook" it into the meat.

In a second pot, bring water to a boil and add macaroni. Chop onion and celery into small pieces. I have to remember to make my celery super duper small of I hear about it.

Add onion and celery to ground beef.

Add beans into ground beef, onion, and celery.

Once noodles have cooked, rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. (If you forget to do this they will turn to mush much sooner.) Add the tomato soup and 2 cans of water to the stockpot. Let chili come to a boil then serve.

Plain chili.

Chili with CHEESE.

This recipe was originally my Mom's. I've slowly but surely given it my own twist.

Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-08-18T22:28:00.011-05:00

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/3 cup sucralose-granulated sugar blend
1/3 cup sucralose-brown sugar blend
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups (8-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts(optional)
1 Super Cute Assistant

Heat oven to 375°F.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt.

Pouring flour in bowl.

Pouring baking soda and salt into flour.

Beat butter, granulated sugar blend, brown sugar blend and vanilla in large bowl until creamy.

Adding butter to new bowl.

Adding sugar and brown sugar to butter.

Adding vanilla to butter, sugar and brown sugar.

Make sure to take a quick taste of the batter!

Add eggs; beat well.
Gradually add flour mixture, beating well.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Don't forget to clean up... start by licking the beaters!

Nutritional Information per serving (2 cookies: Recipe makes 54 cookies):
Calories: 100, Total Fat: 4.5g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 150mg, Total Carbohydrates: 13g, Dietary Fiber: =0, Sugars: 6g, Protein: 1g, Vitamin A: 6%DV*, Vitamin C: 0%DV*, Calcium 0%DV*, Iron: 4%DV*
*DV = % Daily Values are calculated based on a 2000 calorie diet

Shrimp Po' Boy

2010-05-17T21:30:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
60-70 Peeled Shrimp (if you're smart you get the deveined and tail off kind... not me... LOL)
Zatarain's Fish Fri
Oil
Bread - usually a hard hoagie type of bread
Mayo
Tomato, sliced
Shredded Lettuce

First off... if you use the shrimp you have in your freezer and it happens to have the tails still on it, thaw them in some cool water and pull the tails off. If you are smart enough to have the non tailed kind in your freezer just thaw those bad boys out!

Slap a plate full of Fish Fri. Add a few shrimp.

Toss them around with your fingers till they are nicely coated. Shake off any extra.

Set shrimp aside until it's all battered because the next step goes pretty fast!

Get that oil nice and hot. Toss in enough shrimp for one nice bubbling layer.

Yeah baby... pull those bad boys out once they are nice and golden brown.

Pull that bread out, slice it. Add the mayo, tomato, lettuce and a big pile of shrimp.

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2010-05-10T18:33:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 large onion largely chopped
3lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts

Put chicken in bottom of crock pot. Add onion on top. Do not mix.

Pour BBQ sauce over chicken and onion.

Cook in crock pot on high for 5 hours. After 5 hours shred chicken with two forks.

Serve on buns... was great with fries.

Shish Kabobs

2010-04-26T19:21:00.006-05:00

Ingredients:
Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons oil
Kabobs:
10 large mushrooms
1 purple onion - cut into bite size chunks
1 whole pepper (yellow, orange, red, or green or combo) - cut into bite size chunks
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite size chunks
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained

Other items:
You could use shrimp, sirloin, pork, cherry tomatoes, canned potatoes, pea pods, Mandarin oranges and much much more!

In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. Place the mushrooms and chicken that is chopped into bite size pieces into the mixture, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour. If you don't have an hour make sure you do this step first and then cut all your veggies and fruits so that there is at least some time for it to soak in.

Preheat grill for high heat or 400 degrees.

Thread chicken onto skewers with a small space between each piece. On another skewer alternate with peppers and onions. On another skewer mushroom halves and another with pineapple chunks. You will see many recipes that say to alternate the pieces on the same skewer, I do not do this because all of the items cook at different speeds.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until chicken juices run clear and there are char marks on the vegetables.

French Toast

2010-04-18T09:26:00.005-05:00

Ingredients:
White Bread - 5 slices
3 eggs
Splash of milk
1 tsp vanilla
butter
Powdered Sugar
Syrup

Turn on your stove top with double burner griddle on two burners onto Medium High. Spread butter over pan to melt.

Crack three eggs in to a flat pan... preferably the oldest nastiest looking one you own... but hopefully not one with a hole in it like mine had!

Add a splash of milk to the eggs.

Add the tsp of Vanilla to milk and eggs.

Wisk wisk wisk.

Get a pile of white bread ready for dipping.

When double burner griddle is hot, put the first slice into the batter.

Then flip it.

Then add the slice to the pan. Be sure to not let a slice of bread "soak" in the batter while you are waiting on the first batch to cook... it will be one soggy mess and soak up all your egg batter.

Check the under side of the first slice you placed on the burner. When it starts to brown, flip it to the other side.

When both sides have a beautiful brown spotting like below, you can remove and add more slices to your pan until all of your egg batter is used up.

Take as many as you want... and cut into strips and bite size pieces. Add a little powdered sugar and a whole lotta syrup. :)

Clean your plate... you know those two little bits did not go to waste!

Southern Spaghetti Chicken

2010-04-05T12:37:00.006-05:00

Ingredients:
1 large can chicken broth
1-2 large cans of water
1 pack of thin spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of Rotel Original
1/3 block of Velveeta cheese
1 grocery store Rotisserie chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken broth and water in large stock pot. Add entire package of spaghetti to broth and water and cook till preferred tenderness. Once spaghetti is cooked, reserve 2 cups of broth/water then drain spaghetti.

Meanwhile, add cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and Rotel tomatoes together in a large bowl.

Cut block of Velveeta cheese into cubes and add to mixture.

Chop Rotisserie chicken into bite size pieces and add to mixture.
Add spaghetti to mixture and stir till evenly coated.

Place spaghetti mixture into a casserole dish with lid or dutch oven. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees with lid on.

Remove lid. Add reserved broth/water and stir. Bake an additional 15 minutes without lid.

NOTES : Can mix night before and put in Refrigerator cook the next day.
Serving Ideas : Good served with Salad and Garlic Bread

Lisa's Crab Salad

2010-03-26T15:07:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
4 Heaping Tablespoons of Real Mayo (Do not substitute!)
One Package of Imitation Crab
All to your taste buds of chopped onion - prefer green onion but use what you have on hand
All to your taste buds of Shredded Cheese

Separate crab into bit size chunks or flakes.

Add all other ingredients and mix. Put in fridge for at least a 1/2 hour to chill.

Eat it plain, eat it with crackers, or Doritos!

Bacon Chicken

2009-12-15T19:34:00.003-06:00

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I only had four... but whatever!)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook bacon in 12" skillet until crisp, about 4-6 minutes. Crumble bacon and set aside.

Pour bacon grease out of skillet, but don't wash or wipe it. Add butter and olive oil to skillet. Saute chicken breasts in this mixture over medium heat, until chicken is cooked and no longer pink in center.

Place chicken in ungreased 12x8" baking dish.

Cook onion and garlic in drippings remaining in skillet. Cook until onion is softened, then stir in salt, pepper, and cooked bacon.

Spoon over chicken breasts and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Both the hubby and I loved this dish! We will be making it again. It was VERY tasty and flavorful. I used Maple flavored bacon and that may have added a little bit more flavor. I maybe would like to try adding mushrooms or a white cheese like swiss or pepper jack.

Ella's White Sugar Cookies

2009-12-15T13:31:00.003-06:00

Ingredients:
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Egg
1 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt

Cream buttter. Add powdered sugar gradually. Cream well.

Add egg, almond extract and vanilla extract. Cream well. Sift flour and salt together and add to creamed mixture. Blend.

Roll to 1/8 inch thick on well floured canvas.

Cut with cookie cutters.

Sprinkle with sugar if you don't plan to frost. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-19 minutes.
Makes 5 dozen depending on the size of your cookie cutter.

Jessica K's Peanut Butter Balls

2009-12-15T13:03:00.005-06:00

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp butter softened
1 cup powder sugar
8 oz. Chocolate bark

Mix peanut butter and softened butter.

Add powder sugar slowly until combined.

Form into 1 in. balls. I tossed them into the freezer to make them harden a bit, maybe 5 - 10 minuets.

Microwave chocolate bark in microwave, stirring in intervals. (See package if you plan to melt on the stove in a double broiler).

Remove peanut butter balls from freezer and dip in chocolate to coat. Place on parchment papered cookie sheet and return to freezer to harden.

After 15 minuets, remove and put into an air tight container and leave them in the fridge until serving. Oh, okay... go ahead and sample JUST ONE :)

Mom's Banana Bread

2009-07-26T22:27:00.008-05:00

Ingredients for two loaves
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons butter
4 bananas
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vinegar

Yep... we forgot about our bananas. But, to us that only means a batch of delicious banana bread!

Mix eggs, sugar, butter and bananas. I slice the butter into tiny pieces so that it is dispersed throughout the bread. I also mash the bananas before creaming with eggs, sugar and butter.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt to banana mixture. Add milk. Mix with hand mixer. See the little bits of butter. Yum.

If you would like to add nuts I suggest walnuts, chopped. Add them at this point and stir.

Pour into greased loaf pan. Add a layer of nuts on the top if you have a plain version and a nut version so you can tell them apart.

NOTE: I have a mini loaf pan which takes the same amount of batter as two regular loaf pans.

Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fruit Pizza

2009-03-03T16:00:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups assorted fresh fruit such as strawberries, bananas, kiwi, blueberries, etc (any fruit really)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cookie dough on round baking stone, spread out in circle and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

For topping, combine cream cheese and sugar and spread over cookie dough, then start placing on the fruit.
FYI It works better if you start from the outside edge and work your way inward, unlike what I did working from the center to the outside edge because then I had to overlap them from the wrong side...

Tomato Basil Squares

2009-03-03T15:52:00.003-06:00

Ingredients:
1 (10 oz.) pkg. pizza crust
2 C. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 oz. (1/4 C.) Parmesan cheese, grated
2 T. fresh basil leaves, snipped, OR
2 tsp. dried basil leaves
2/3 C. mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using lightly floured pizza roller, roll out pizza crust on rectangle baking stone to within 1 in of edge of stone. Sprinkle crust with one cup of the mozzarella cheese; set aside.

Grate Parmesan cheese. Using kitchen shears, snip basil.

In 1-quart bowl, combine the remaining mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil and mayonnaise; mix well. Press garlic over cheese mixture. Mix well.

Thinly slice tomatoes; arrange in single layer over mozzarella cheese on crust.

Place mozzarella cheese mixture over tomatoes spread to cover evenly. Bake 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly. Cut with pizza cutter. Serve with miniature serving spatula.

New Orleans Crab Dip

2009-03-03T15:49:00.006-06:00

Ingredients:
4oz fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 package (8oz) imitation crab meat, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 1/2 tbsp Cajun Herb Seasoning Mix

In a bowl, microwave cream cheese on high for 30 seconds until softened; whisk in mayonnaise.

Chop crab meat. Chop celery & pepper.

Add crab meat, celery, bell pepper, garlic & seasoning mix to cream cheese mixture; mix well.

Spoon crab mixture into chilled bowl.

Serve with Canapé Bread Slices.

Yield: 12 servings

Touch Down Taco Dip

2009-03-03T15:47:00.006-06:00

Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
small piece of onion
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup black olives
2 garlic cloves
1 pkg. (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 small tomato
tortilla or corn chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Spread refried beans into bottom of deep dish baker.

Combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning in bowl. Press garlic; add to cream cheese mixture.

Core tomato and chop. Chop onion and olives. Sprinkle tomato, olives and onion over cream cheese mixture.
Top with cheddar cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes or until hot. Serve with sour cream and chips.

Microwave variation: Microwave on High for 3 minutes; turn. Cook on High an additional 2-3 minutes or until mixture is bubbly around edges.

Cheesy Spinach Pinwheels

2009-03-03T15:46:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:
1 can (8 ounces) Pillsbury(R) Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1/3 cup gourmet spreadable cheese with garlic and herbs*
4 slices (1 ounce each) thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 cup packed spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 375°F. Separate dough into four rectangles on
smooth side of Large Grooved Cutting Board. Press seams to seal.

Using Small Spreader, spread each rectangle with about 11/2
tablespoons cheese to within 1/4 inch of edges. Top with 1 slice ham
and spinach leaves.

Starting at short side, roll up each rectangle; pinch edges to
seal. Cut each roll crosswise into six slices using Serrated Bread Knife for
a total of 24 slices. Place slices, cut side down, on Large Round Stone.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to Stackable
Cooling Rack. Serve warm using Mini-Serving Spatula.

Yield: 24 pinwheels

Nutrients per serving: (1 pinwheel): Calories 60, Total Fat 3.5 g,
Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Carbohydrate 4 g, Protein 2 g,
Sodium 160 mg, Fiber 0 g

* Cook's Tip: If desired, 1/3 cup regular cream cheese spread, 1 garlic
clove pressed with the Garlic Press and 1/2 teaspoon Pantry Italian
Seasoning Mix can be substituted for the flavored gourmet spreadable
cheese.

Bean Salsa

2009-03-03T15:43:00.002-06:00

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo chick peas - drained and rinsed
1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
1/2 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 white onion
Italian Salad Dressing

Chop onion and peppers and place into large mixing bowl.

Drain and rinse both black beans and garbanzo beans

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Add Italian Dressing to coat mixture - maybe 4 Tbsp. Serve with Tostitios.

Puppy Chow

2008-12-15T14:54:00.006-06:00

Ingredients:
9 cups Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex or combination
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir.

Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

Let settle for an hour. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Peanut Clusters

2008-12-15T14:47:00.002-06:00

Really tough recipe here... but you may or may not know it...

Ingredients:
Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts
Chocolate Almond Bark

Depending on how much you want to make... Melt almond bark in microwave safe bowl (I did five squares here).

Eyeball the peanuts - or just dump in the whole jar (I would not do this with the jar in the photos, but the regular jar would be perfect.) Stir. If all the peanuts are completely covered, add more for a more peanutty experience. I basically add peanuts until there isn't enough Chocolate to cover them.
Take a medium scoop and drop clusters onto wax paper. Let them sit and harden for an hour. Store in an air tight container.

Chicken Salad

2008-12-04T22:01:00.007-06:00

Now mind you, I've never made or tasted Chicken Salad. I didn't know what to expect. But since I've started to eat a little mayo here and there I thought I'd give it a shot. To me... it was great... but it made too much for just me and Jerome so I shared a bit with coworkers!

Ingredients:
1 whole cut up fryer, cooked either boiled, baked or I suppose fried (or just use one of those precooked chickens from the grocery store like I did!)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Salt
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
Pepper
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2-3 stalks of Celery
3 Green Onions
2-3 cups Grapes

Slice grapes in half... unless you have unusually large grapes like I did and that case I just sliced them.
Chop your celery. Note to self, Jerome complained about the size of mine - apparently I have to make it invisible for him.

Don't forget to chop the onions too...

I let the precooked chicken cool before handling it a bit - basically while I was gathering ingredients, rinsing the fruits and veggies, even when I was prepping the "sauce". Then I cut the chicken up into bite size pieces. I placed the chicken, grapes, onions, and celery in a bowl and gave it a quick toss.

In a separate bowl I mixed the mayonnaise, sour cream, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper together. You need to get it to the right taste... so you may need to add more sour cream if it's to sweet for you or more brown sugar if it's not sweet enough. All in your taste buds... or in my case... my husband's taste buds.

Once the "sauce" has the right taste to you and your family pour it on top of the chicken, veggie and fruit mixture and mix until everything is nice and coated.

You can eat this straight out of the bowl like crab or potato salad or do what we did the first night and make it the main course by toasting two pieces of wheat bread, add a few pieces of bacon and call it a night. YUM!

Salmon Cakes

2008-12-04T21:47:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:
1 can (6 oz) pink salmon (boneless, skinless, in water)
2 tbs cornmeal
2 egg whites
1 tbs EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)

Heat EVOO in a small frying pan.

Drain canned salmon. In a small bowl mix salmon, egg whites, and cornmeal together.

Split salmon mixture and make patties. Place patties in hot pan.

Cook on both sides until golden brown.

Green Bean Casserole

2008-12-04T20:30:00.006-06:00

Ingredients:
1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cans sliced green beans
3 cups chicken broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onion rings
Pinch House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup grated Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large skillet.

Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter.

Boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, onion rings, and House Seasoning, to taste, to the onion mixture. Stir well.

Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.

Woops... forgot to take a picture after the cheese melted in the oven. Forgive me!

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

I found this funny...

2008-11-17T11:06:00.002-06:00

I don't know what they were thinking with that picture and having a link to good gravy... yes, I realize it's suppose to be a picture of the banana bread... but the fact that gravy is the next link and that glaze could very well look like gravy!!!

To get these recipes head over here.

Chicken and Broccoli Ring - PamperedChef

2008-11-14T11:55:00.004-06:00

12 oz. cooked chicken, chopped (2 cups - about 3 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast halves, I used two from my grocery stores deli to save time)
1 C. broccoli, chopped
1/2 C. red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
4 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1/2 C. mayonnaise
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
slivered almonds

This is from the All the Best Pampered Chef recipe book... with some tweaks...

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Chop chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper and place into mixing bowl. Add garlic, cheese, and mayonnaise into bowl. Mix well.

Unroll the 2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls; separate into16 triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle on Large Round Stone with wide ends 4 inches from edge of baking stone. (Points will extend off the edge of the baking stone, I put a large can good under my stone to elevate it.) Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 5-inch opening.

Using Large Scoop, scoop filling evenly over center of dough in a continuous circle.

Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring. (Filling will show.)
Brush egg white over dough.

Sprinkle with almonds. Baked 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.

New Recipe?

2008-11-06T14:46:00.005-06:00

Yep... it's time to turn the oven back on... expect to see some new recipes posted here soon. The days are getting colder here in Minnesota so let's start cooking.

Thanksgiving is exactly three weeks away... what are you making? And exactly seven weeks from now is Christmas... any plans?

I'd love to know what you are making... what are you favorite holiday meals and snacks. I'm open to trying new things this year... but my guess is that my old standbys will be there... of course a Turkey, some cornflake potatoes, cranberry sauce from a can, and who knows what else for Thanksgiving.

Don't forget when you start your Christmas baking to tune it in right here for your holiday music!

Taco Taco Taco Dip

2008-07-23T15:28:00.003-05:00

Yes, you have to say Taco three times!

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese 1 8oz bar
Milk 2 Tbsp or so (I just splash a dash!)
Taco Seasoning 1/2 package
Lettuce
Cheddar Cheese
Tomatoes
Black Olives
Nacho Cheese Doritos or Tostitos

In large mixing bowl put softened cream cheese with a splash of milk and taco seasoning. Mix with hand mixer till it is spreadable.

Once everything is mixed, spread this mixture onto a plate.

This is the base... layer shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, and sliced black olives. Devour in minuets with nacho cheese Doritos (my favorite) or Tostitos.

Polonese Dinner

2008-06-27T18:06:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
2 cups. rice
chow mien noodles
chopped turkey or chicken
cubed tomatoes
chopped onions
chopped celery
1 can of pineapple chunks
shredded cheddar cheese
turkey gravy
sliced almonds
shredded coconut

Cook turkey or chicken as preferred. This is a great use of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. But since Thanksgiving is only one day a year I've found that chicken breast taste pretty much the same in this recipe. Chopped cooked turkey or chicken into bite size pieces.

Cook rice in microwave - I usually do double the amount of servings for the amount of the people that are eating.

Open can of pineapple chunks and place in freezer to chill. Save the juice in the can to add a little moisture if you don't like gravy. Cubed tomatoes, chop onions, chop celery and shred cheese.

All ingredients are served at room temperature except for rice and gravy.

Layer ingredients in order on your plate and devour! Rice, noodles, turkey/chicken, tomatoes, onions, celery, pineapple, cheese, gravy almonds, and coconut. Don't forget the pineapple juice if you like.

I don't like gravy on this... but everyone else I know does... thus why I found the pineapple juice trick.

Pam's Grape Salad

2008-06-10T21:22:00.006-05:00

Ingredients:
4 lbs. of mix red and green grapes
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 oz. pecans (whole)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients, except the grapes and pecans, in a large bowl with hand mixer. Mix until smooth and no longer lumpy.
In hand break whole pecans into small pieces. I like the whole ones broken instead of the pre-chopped pecans which seem to be too small. Add pecans to mixture.

Add grapes and stir until coated evenly.

Refrigerate until you serve.

Lisa's Potato Salad

2008-05-20T10:00:00.017-05:00

Ingredients:
5-6 potatoes
same # of eggs as potatoes
small white onion
Miracle Whip
yellow mustard
sugar
Wash and peel potatoes.

Cut into pieces. Attempt to keep them around the same size for even cooking. Add to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Check for doneness by stabbing with a fork. And if all else fails taste a piece!

Chop onion and set aside.

"Sauce". In a separate bowl place six heaping spoonfuls of Miracle Whip or about 3/4 cup. Add mustard - I just squirt about the size of a 50 cent piece into the bowl. Also add 2 Tbsp. sugar. Mix well.

Once it's mixed it should be about the same color as a stick of margarine.

Once potatoes are done to your liking, cut into bite size pieces and add to large bowl (not same as sauce). Add chopped onion.

Remove water from potato pot and add warm water - not hot. Add eggs, bring to a boil with cover on. If you forget to add the eggs before the boil they may pop - still usable just a bad sound! You may also want to make one or two more eggs just in case on of the whites splits and to test to make sure the yolk is hard.

Once the water has started to boil remove pot from heat. Leave cover on for 15 minuets. After 15 minuets rinse eggs under cold water so that you do not get a gray/green exterior of the yolk.

Peel each egg and slice in 1/2 the long way of the egg.

I used my egg slicer plus to slice the halved eggs.

After I've sliced the eggs then I cut them again the long way down the center for smaller pieces.

Add sliced eggs to potato and onion bowl.

Add sauce and stir gently.

Yum!

Rhubarb Cake

2008-05-20T10:00:00.016-05:00

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg; beaten
3/4 cup milk
6 cups rhubarb
3 oz strawberry or cherry jello
6 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

Mix shortening, flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, beaten egg, and milk. Put into greased 9x13 pan (or rectangular baker).

This was rhubarb that I froze from last season. After doing this recipe, I noticed that I should have cut the rhubarb into smaller pieces before freezing. Once it had defrosted it wasn't solid enough to cut into smaller pieces.

This is fresh rhubarb from the garden. Note the size of the pieces.

Place rhubarb over batter.

Sprinkle jello over rhubarb.

Mix butter, sugar and flour in separate bowl until crumbly. If I had a pastry blender I would have used it... instead I dug in with my hands.

Sprinkle over jello. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

I prefer mine right out of the oven, but if you let it cool you can cut into nice bars.

French Dip Sandwiches

2008-04-22T11:09:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury® French loaf tube
1 cup French onion soup (18.5-oz can)
6 oz thinly sliced deli roast beef, cut into thirds

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Bake mini-loaf as directed on bag; cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat soup to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beef; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot.

3. Split mini-loaf horizontally. With slotted spoon, place beef and onions on bottom half of mini-loaf. Cover with top half of loaf. Cut in half. Serve sandwiches with remaining warm soup for dipping.
See the recipe here.

MY NOTES: Dummy me used CORNED BEEF... it gave it a different taste... I'm positive it would be right on if it wasn't "CORNED"

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

2008-04-22T10:20:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat.
Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Yields 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 321(31% from fat); FAT 11g (sat 3g,mono 4.1g,poly 2.5g); PROTEIN 28g; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; CALCIUM 21mg; SODIUM 676mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 27.9g

See the recipe here.

MY NOTES: I liked this - but it was way too much for the two of us... especially since JT didn't like it.

Guacamole

2008-03-26T09:31:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups of Pico de Gallo
3-4 avocados

Slice avocados in half. Remove the pit - but don't toss it!

Scoop out "meat" of the avocados onto a plate. Mash with a fork or potato masher.

Add pico de gallo to mashed avocados.

Stir. Wa-la!Place the pits in the guacamole to keep it from browning quickly.

Pico de Gallo

2008-03-26T09:17:00.008-05:00

Ingredients:
5 plum (Roma) tomatoes (firm, not soft)
1/2 large or 1 small onion
3-5 jalapeno peppers
garlic
cilantro
lime juice
salt

Depending on the size of the veggies you may need to increase something or use less of another...

Slice jalapeno the long way about 4 or 5 times. Then chop into fine pieces. Place into a large mixing bowl.
Slice Roma tomatoes in half the long way.

Then slice the halves into smaller long sections.

Then chop the tomato the short way to dice the tomatoes.

Add tomatoes to the jalapenos.

Give them a quick stir.

Chop 1/2 an onion. I used a purple onion for a bit more flavor. Whatever you have on hand will do.
Add the onion to the tomato mixture and toss. Chop cilantro - tons of it, I used 1/2 of the grouping that I got at the store. Chop off the stems and just use the leaves. Add cilantro, garlic and 1/2 squeezed lime juice to tomato mixture and stir.

Add salt to taste. If you are a fan of Chipotle's "fresh tomato mixture" keep adding salt... eventually it will taste just like it!

Yum-o! Now go to my guacamole recipe and have a fiesta.

Chocolate Covered Oreo Balls

2008-03-26T09:03:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
1 package Oreo cookies, crushed
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 package white almond bark
1 package chocolate almond bark

Using a blender or hand held mixer, mix Oreos and cream cheese together. I used a hand held mixer but watch out for flying oreos!

Roll into walnut size balls or use a medium or small scoop. Chill for an hour in freezer.

Melt approximately 3/4 package of white almond bark. Stick a toothpick in an Oreo ball and dip it in the melted white almond bark. Allow to harden on wax paper. Takes about 15 min. (I did this the other way around because I had more chocolate on hand vs. white almond bark.)

While waiting, melt about 1/4 package of chocolate almond bark. When Oreo balls are no longer sticky to the touch, decorate with drizzles of chocolate and white almond bark.

Deviled Eggs

2008-03-25T13:53:00.010-05:00

Ingredients:
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
1/4 cup Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
sugar to taste
Paprika for garnish

Add eggs to a pot of warm water, bring to a boil with cover on. If you forget to add the eggs before the boil they may pop - still usable just a bad sound! You may also want to make one or two more eggs just in case on of the whites splits and to test to make sure the yolk is hard.

Once the water has started to boil remove pot from heat. Leave cover on for 15 minuets. After 15 minuets rinse eggs under cold water so that you do not get a gray/green exterior of the yolk.

Peel each egg and remove the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork.

Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Fill the empty egg whites with the mixture. Using The Pampered Chef Easy Accent® Decorator makes the presentation of the eggs so much better!

Sprinkle lightly with paprika.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving or use The Pampered Chef Chillzanne® Rectangle Server to serve... works wonders with it's freezable tray!

Original Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-03-12T16:02:00.005-05:00

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Preheat oven to 375° F.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In larger bowl, preferably one with a mixing stand, beat until creamy: butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by using Pampered Chef large scoop onto stoneware - I used both my large round stone and also my large bar pan.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks to cool completely.

Note: The cookies on the right are flipped, showing the bottom of the cookies. Gosh I love Stoneware. I get the same results with every cookie, not a single one burnt!

Pan Cookie Variation: Grease 15 x 10-inch large barpan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Slice and Bake Cookie Variation:
Prepare dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

For High Altitude Baking (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

My notes: Best thing about this is that the recipe is on the back of every package of Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chips - the recipe is in the store!

Fudgy Brownie Trifle

2008-03-12T15:57:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:
1 package (1lb 2.3oz) Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules or crystals
2 eggs
1 box (4-serving size) chocolate fudge instant pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups cold milk
1 bag (8 oz) toffee bits
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water, coffee granules and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan, I used my medium bar pan from Pampered Chef.

Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Cut brownies into 1-inch squares. Place half of the squares in bottom of trifel bowl. Make pudding mix as directed on box for pudding, using milk. Pour half of the pudding over brownies in bowl. Top with half each of the toffee bits and whipped topping. Repeat with remaining brownies, pudding, toffee bits and whipped topping.

Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Nutrition Information
1 Serving: Calories 300 (Calories from Fat 140); Total Fat 15g (Saturated Fat 6g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 230mg; Total Carbohydrate 38g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 28g); Protein 3g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Do-Ahead Tip
This chocolate pleaser can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. You also can bake the brownies and freeze them tightly covered up to 2 months.

Special Touch
This fabulous crowd-pleasing dessert is extra-special when garnished with chocolate curls or chocolate leaves.

I even made Jerome a mini trifle.

View the original recipe from Betty Crocker here.

Lemon Bundt Cake with Glaze

2008-02-20T09:55:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage (I used Sprite)
Zest from one lemon
Juice from the zested lemon
Splash of lemon extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray bundt pan with Pam Baking Spray (this is different than the usual one you would use, this has flour in it).

In a large bowl, mix cake mix, pudding mix, and oil. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the lemon-lime soda, add lemon zest and lemon extract. Mix.

Pour batter into bundt pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool if you can... or eat a piece right away like Jerome and I did.

For glaze combine the juice from lemon and powdered sugar. If the consistency is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add lemon juice (bottled or from another lemon, or even Sprite).

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-02-20T09:21:00.005-06:00

Ingredients:
3 good handfuls of wide egg noodles
water to boil egg noodles in

chicken broth and water - the more chicken broth the less water needed (this is your soup stock - make as much as you want...if you have more water than chicken broth add some chicken bouillon cubes.)
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3/4 bag of baby carrots, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 whole rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, cubed

Boil water for egg noodles in large stock pot. Wait until water gets to a hard boil, add egg noodles. While noodles are boiling chop other ingredients. Once noodles are just about done to your liking, drain noodles and rinse in cool water and set aside.

In same stock pot add chicken broth, water (bouillon cubes if mostly water), celery, onion, carrots and peas. Let this mixture come to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minuets. Check carrots to see if they are to the hardness that you like. Continue simmering if they are not to your liking.

Once carrots are to your liking, add chicken and noodles into soup mixture. Let this come to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve up with saltine crackers or in our case a specialty bread.

Valentine's Day Dinner - T Bone Steaks

2008-02-15T10:45:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:
T Bone Steak
Worcestershire sauce - depends on how strong you like it
Garlic Salt - few dashes on each side of the T Bone
Salt and Pepper - few dashes on each side of the T Bone
1 Tbsp. Italian Salad Dressing

Jerome was in charge of cooking the steaks on the grill. He tossed them into a bowl with the Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, salt and pepper and Italian salad dressing.

He gave them a good coating on both sides and let them sit until about 15 minuets before we were going to sit down to eat. If there was room in the fridge they would have gone in there but he used too large of a bowl.

He fired up the grill and once it was warm in our below zero weather he tossed the steaks on the grill. After two minutes, he flipped the steak over to brown the other side for two more minutes. Once both sides have browned, he turned the heat down to let them finish cooking.

Generally it should take 7-8 minutes to cook to medium rare... and if you know me... mine is always well done.

After they are cooked to your perfect coloring, bring them inside and let them rest for 5 minuets or while you finish up with your salad. This will let all the juices stay inside of the meat. If you cut it right away then all those wonderful juices just ooze out of your steak...

Don't forget to top with your mushrooms and add some A1 if you need it!

Valentine's Day Dinner - Sauted Mushrooms

2008-02-15T10:24:00.005-06:00

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 4oz. can of sliced mushrooms
1/2 can of Beef broth
1 Tbsp. Heavy Cream or substitute with 1 Tbsp. Milk and 1/2 additional Tbsp. Butter

Melt two Tbsp of butter in pan and allow the butter to foam. Place mushrooms in the butter and saute on medium heat until mushrooms give off moisture.

Once most of the moisture has boiled off, add 7oz. of beef broth to the pan and allow the broth to reduce.
When the broth has reduced to the point where it coats the back of a spoon, add cream or substitution. While stirring, let the cream reduce the sauce until it coats a spoon again.

Remove from heat and serve.

Valentine's Day Dinner - Crab Legs

2008-02-15T10:14:00.003-06:00

Ingredients:
Water
Crab Legs
Dash of Kosher Salt

Dipping: Melted Butter

Crab legs are so easy to make... In a large stock pot ad a bit of water - an inch or so. Add a dash of salt and let it come to a boil. Once the water has been boiling hard (lots and lots and lots of bubbles and steam) toss in your frozen crab legs.

While you have your crab legs boiling in the pot, take two tablespoons of butter and microwave it to melt in a microwave safe dish. After 4-5 minuets your crab legs are going to start smelling... ohhh the aroma! That's when you know they are done. Pull them out of the pot and get to cracking and dippin.

OPTIONAL: if you have a fresh lemon, squeeze a little of the juice in with your melted butter for an even better taste.

Valentine's Day Dinner - Baked Potato

2008-02-15T10:03:00.003-06:00

Ingredients:
Baked Potato
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

Toppings: Butter, Shredded Cheese, Crumbled Bacon, Sour Cream

Have you ever had a baked potato at a restaurant and wondered how they made them? Here's how... thanks to the internet!

Clean potato, scrubbing exterior clean of dirt. Pour olive oil into palm of hand and rub on potato. Sprinkle salt around exterior, it will stick because of the oil. Bake at 400 degrees in oven for one hour.

Cut potato the long length leaving the ends in tack. Make a smaller slit the short length in the middle and push ends toward the center. This will open your potato nice and wide to accommodate all your toppings.

Valentine's Day Dinner - Dinner Salad

2008-02-15T09:59:00.004-06:00

Ingredients:
Lettuce
Carrots
Tomato
Green Pepper
Red Onion
2 strips of cooked bacon
Colby Cheese

Chop all ingredients into bite size pieces. Layer. Delish!

OPTIONAL: Croutons and/or sunflower seeds would have been nice, but we didn't have either on hand.

Cute idea

2008-02-14T10:04:00.006-06:00

I was in Cub just before the Super Bowl and saw this sammie just sitting there. So... I pulled out my camera phone and snapped a pick of it so I would be sure to remember it for next time.

Crockpot - Hawaiian Chicken

2008-02-08T08:33:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
5-6 or 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
1 can pineapple slices, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
3 Tblsp cornstarch
3 Tblsp brown sugar, packed
1 envelope stir-fry chicken seasoning blend
1/4 cup chicken broth

Combine all ingredients, except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir well. Add the chicken and stir well to coat. Cover and cook on preferred setting: Low - 6 to 8 hours; High - 3 hours.

My suggestions: I added a little soy sauce to mine and Jerome just added salt and pepper to his. It didn't have a ton of flavor to it until adding them. I would make it again - less liquid though... especially pineapple and oranges.

Simple & Creamy Tortellini Alfredo

2008-02-05T19:35:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

2 pkg. (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cloves of garlic

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
1 package shrimp - remove tails

1 cup frozen peas

3/4 cup KRAFT Finely Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend or Parmesan and Mozzarella
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes

6 slices Bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Pour broth and water into large saucepan (I used our wok); stir. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add tortellini. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Add garlic and simmer 8 to 9 min. or until tortellini is tender. (Do not drain.) Meanwhile cook bacon in microwave.

Add cream cheese, shrimp and peas; stir. Heat 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring occasionally.

Stir in shredded cheese, tomatoes and bacon.

See the original recipe from the Kraft magazine here.

The sauce was kinda soupy. Not sure if I would have cooked it longer if it would have thickened. It was still very good... especially with garlic bread.

Hot Beef Sandwiches

2008-01-24T18:21:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:
cheap round roast no need to thaw
one pack of Lipton Beefy Onion dry soup mix
2-4 beef bullion cubes (depending on the size of your roast and how beefy of a flavor you like)
1 to 1-1/2 inches of water
salt and pepper to taste

Toss your cheap round beef roast in your crock pot. Sprinkle the soup mix over the roast and add the bullion cubes. Add water till there is about 1 -1/2 inches of the roast standing in water. Cover crock pot.

If you turn your crock pot on low before you head out to work you'll come home to a very tasty aroma. When you get home open the crock pot and break up the roast - it should be very easy to break apart with a spoon.

Turn the crock pot on high for a half hour or so if the roast seems a little pink still. If not... slap it in a bun and take a bite!

Chicken Flautas with Jalapeno Sauce

2008-01-22T19:22:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red pepper
2 cloves of garlic
2 chicken breasts
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. Southwestern Seasoning from Pampered Chef
shredded cheddar cheese
oil for frying
flour tortillas
picante sauce

Ingredients for 2nd recipe:
jalapeno jelly

Place your chicken breasts in a frying pan on medium high. Flip as needed. When it looks like the chicken is done, cut to make sure that the inside is all the way cooked. If it is, remove the chicken breast from the heat and chop into bite size pieces.

Add chicken back to pan and add onion, peppers, garlic, corn, salt, seasoning, and broth. Heat uncovered, about 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. In large skillet, heat 1/2 inch oil to 350 degrees.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture across one end of tortilla. Add a layer of cheese. Fold left and right side in and roll tortilla together like an envelope. Pin the tortilla closed with a toothpick or two.

Fry rolled tortillas in hot oil for about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve with picante sauce or/and sour cream. You can also add fresh tomatoes and lettuce if you want. I served with Yellow Zatarain's Rice.

2nd recipe... Jalapeno sauce. Take a few Tablespoons of jalapeno jelly (found right next to grape and strawberry jelly in the store) and put into a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minuet in microwave... drizzle on flautas.

YUM. This will become a favorite in our home.

Pizza Burgers

2008-01-17T19:05:00.000-06:00

With all the good new recipes we've made this week I guess it was bound to happen. A dud. Tonight I had a craving for those old cafeteria pizza burgers. You know back in middle school when they gave you 1/2 a bun with meat and cheese on it. That's what I wanted. That's not what I got.

Here's what I did... see if you can make it better if this sounds good to you.

Ingredients:
Hamburger Buns
Ground Beef
Onion
Pepperoni Slices
Cheese
Davanni's Pizza Sauce

I browned the onion and ground beef in a skillet on high. Then drained any and all grease from the pan. I added the Pizza Sauce. Thinking that it was Davanni's it should taste even better, right, wrong. When it was mixed together and heated I placed the meat mixture on 1/2 of a bun. On top of the meat I sprinkled a little cheese (I used both cheddar and mozzarella). On some I put slices of pepperoni. Into the oven they went. Really just to crisp up the bun and melt the cheese.

I made a batch of french fries too.... now those were delicious. The pizza burgers on the other hand... ICK. I'm thinking maybe some brown sugar needs to be added but I didn't want to add it since Jerome usually loves Davanni's pizzas I didn't want to change the taste just in case he liked it. Neither of us really enjoyed it.

Easy Shirmp Pasta for Two

2008-01-16T18:16:00.000-06:00

Well it was Jerome's night to cook tonight and we just found so many recipes in that Kraft mag that he made another new recipe for us.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined (we used small ones)
1 tomato, chopped
2 oz. Cream Cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves (we used dried)
4 oz fettuccine, uncooked
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese

Pour dressing over shrimp in small bowl; cover and refrigerate for 20 minuets to marinate. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, cube cream cheese and chop tomato.

In large skillet on medium heat add shrimp mixture. Cook 3 minuets or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp from skillet, using slotted spoon; cover to keep warm and set aside.

Add tomatoes, cream cheese and 1 Tbsp of basil to same skillet; cook and stir 3 minuets or until well blended. Add shrimp; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta. Place on large platter; top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. basil and shredded cheese.

Makes 2 servings, 1 3/4 cups each.

If you prefer is saucier, stir a small amount of milk into the shrimp mixture.

My suggestions:

Do add the milk... I still don't think it had enough sauce and I'd say Jerome added a 1/2 cup.
Take the tails off of the shrimp too... the picture looked like they were on... so Jerome left them on.
We used 2 Roma tomatoes... I'd say 3 would be better.
We also used 1 Tbsp. dried basil instead of the 2 Tbsp fresh basil... 2 Tbsp of dried would have been too much for us.

Gram's Chicken Pot Pie Updated

2008-01-15T19:07:00.000-06:00

Kraft has this mag called Food & Family that I just got the Winter edition of. On the cover (shown) they had the following recipe and I tried it out tonight. I did make a few changes to it and have some suggestions for the next time I make it. Below you will find my version of this recipe. If you want the original click the link above.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Italian Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups frozen California mix vegetables
1 can (10 3.4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 lb. (4 oz) Velveeta
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 can sweet peas

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. I cooked two frozen chicken breasts in my grill pan. Once they were 99% cooked I chopped them into bite size pieces. In a different skillet I added the dressing and chicken and cooked on high until the chicken was cooked thoroughly. Stir in vegetables, soup and Velveeta.

Stir until cheese has melted. Spoon into 9x9 square stoneware that has been sprayed with Pam. Unfold pastry sheet and place over chicken mixture.Brush pastry with egg. Be sure to cut a few slits in the pastry to permit steam to escape.

Bake for 30 minuets or until deep golden brown. Let stand 5 minuets before serving.

Now for my suggestions for next time. I recommend not using canned peas. Next time I will use frozen peas. I'll also add some potatoes to the mix. Other than those two things it was PERFECT!

Tator Tot Hotdish

2008-01-13T10:35:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 package of polish sausage
1 package Tator Tots
1 package California mix vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli)
salt and pepper to taste

Slice polish sausage into half and then slice again into smaller bite size pieces. Brown sausage over medium heat in large skillet. Remove sausage from skillet and place whole tator tots into skillet.

Place cover on tator tots and let soften. Once they have soften a tad crush tots. I've found that the Pampered Chef Mix 'N Chop works great for this...

Add bag of vegetables to tator tots. Cover. From time to time stir.

Once vegetables and tator tots are heated add the polish sausage back into the skillet. Heat thoroughly and serve! Add salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE: I also have made this for brunch or lunch as a main dish. Enjoy.

Chex Mix

2008-01-07T21:57:00.002-06:00

Ingredients:
6 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Lawry's Seasoning Salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups Cheerios (original)
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup pretzels

In a small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings.

Gradually stir in butter mix into remaining ingredients in a super big bowl.

Stir until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool.

Store in airtight container.

Note: I usually double this recipe... then again it's usually for a road trip or holiday party.

Tweaked Mac and Cheese a.k.a. Adult Mac

2008-01-07T21:34:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
box of macaroni and cheese (I'm partial to Kraft)
milk and butter as recommended on box
Velveeta cheese

Now since I've been married to Jerome he's started to give me a few hints about Southern cooking. He knows of my love of macaroni and cheese... what can I say... I have the pallet of a kid! So.... he gave me the heads up on this one.

Make the mac and cheese as directed on the box. While the noodles are boiling I cut the Velveeta in to small chunks.

When the noodles are soft drain them in a strainer. Leave them in the strainer while you add the butter to the warm pot to melt. Then adding the noodles back into the pot, then the powdered cheese and milk. Stir until mixed.

Keep the heat on under the pot. Add the chunks of Velveeta cheese to the pot. Stir until the chunks are gone - usually only about a minuet.

Now if you want to make this even more adult you start adding more items by folding it into the cheesey mac and cheese and this could become your main dish for dinner.
Some other items you could add:
bacon
tomatoes
onions
green/red peppers
sausage
ham

Breakfast Ring

2007-12-30T10:18:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups frozen chopped broccoli
1/4 cup chopped onion
3oz cream cheese
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 cup cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans (8 oz each) crescent dinner rolls

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add broccoli and onion; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, milk, salt and pepper until well combined. Add egg mixture to vegetables in skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When eggs are set but still moist, stir in ham and cheese.

Unroll cans of the dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles on large round stone with short side of the triangles toward the center of the circle, overlapping into wreath shape and leaving a 4 inch hole in center.Spoon egg mixture onto widest part of dough.

Pull end points of triangles over filling and tuck under dough in center to form ring - some filling may be visible.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve warm.

My suggestion: add more ham and also sprinkle some cheese on the top after you remove it from the oven

Mini Ham Puffs

2007-12-06T18:54:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1 pkg (2.5 oz) processed ham or smoked turkey, finely chop
2 T. finely chop onion
1/2 c. (2 oz) shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 T. snipped fresh parsley
1 1/2 t. Dijon mustard
1/8 t. ground black pepper
1 pkg (8 oz) refrigerated flaky biscuits

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly spray Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with Pam. Finely chop ham & onion using Food Chopper; place in Batter Bowl. Add cheese, egg, parsley, mustard and black pepper; mix well.

Separate each biscuit into three layers. Press one layer of biscuit dough into each muffin cup using lightly floured Mini-Tart Shaper. Using Sm-Scoop, fill each muffin cup with a scoop of ham mixture.

Bake 12-14 min. or until puffs are light golden brown. Remove from pan; serve immediately.

Yield: 24 appetizers
per serving: (2 appetizers): Cal. 110, Fat 6 g, Sat. Fat 2 g, Chol. 25 mg, Carb. 8 g, Pro. 4 g, Sod. 260 mg, Fib. 0 g

Chocolate Covered Prezels

2007-12-02T18:59:00.002-06:00

Ingredients:
1/2 package of white almond bark
mini pretzels, large pretzel sticks, or large pretzel twists (not the "buttery" kind - plain, dry, pretzels)

Not too much to this... just melt almond bark in microwave safe bowl for 90 seconds. Stir. If it isn't melted completely microwave for 15 second intervals. If the almond bark doesn't thin enough add a touch of vegetable oil and mix.

In bowl drop a few mini pretzels. Turn and coat with almond bark with a fork. Pull pretzel out and drop onto waxed paper. Let set.

Note: When using sticks you could also melt chocolate almond bark for dipping and drizzle on pretzels that are coated with white almond bark.

Pecan Candy

2007-12-02T18:07:00.002-06:00

Ingredients:
1 can condensed milk
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups pecans

In a heavy saucepan mix condensed milk and sugar before turning on heat. Cook on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until soft ball stage. (Soft ball stage is when candy forms a ball in cold water.)

Add vanilla and butter (this will make a noise!). Stir until combined. Add pecans and combine.

Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper or spread out and cut into squares or break apart.

Note: We tossed it into the freezer with a cutting board holding the wax paper to have it harden quicker.

Updates: The photo above is not the correct color, it should be more of a carmel color. We made this a 2nd time around and cooked it a bit longer making in darker.

Cornflake Cookies

2007-12-02T17:49:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:
1 lb milk chocolate or chocolate almond bark
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup walnuts (either purchase already chopped or you will need to chop them)
1 cup dates (I purchased the chopped version so that I won't need to chop them)
5 cups cornflakes

Melt chocolates in microwave for 90 seconds in microwave safe bowl (use a large bowl as all ingredients will end up in this bowl - 8 cups +). Stir. If chocolates are not completely melted microwave for in 15 second intervals and stir.
Chop dates and walnuts if needed.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

When making this I had too small of a bowl (8 cup size) to mix things nicely... so... a bigger bowl :)

Drop mixture in spoonfuls onto wax paper. I found that the Pampered Chef's medium Stainless Steel Scoop works great for this when making these this year! Let set.

Once they have hardened you can stack them in a tin or other air tight container until you are ready to enjoy.

Lasagna

2007-12-02T17:05:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
2 lbs to 3lbs ground beef
4 cloves of garlic
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 package of 8oz package of wide lasagna noodles
1 12oz container of cottage cheese
8 oz Swiss cheese; shredded
4 oz mozzarella cheese; shredded

Brown beef and garlic in large skillet.

When beef is no longer pink add tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano and tomato sauce. Mix. Let simmer for 20 minuets.

In stock pot boil water with recommended salt amount on pasta box.

When noodles are soft, drain. In 9x13 pan place one layer or noodles. I can fit four the long way and then one on a short side. Divide ground beef into three even sections in pan.

Layer one section of the beef on top of the first layer of noodles.

Divide cottage cheese in three sections. Drop spoonfuls of one section of cottage cheese on ground beef. Divide Swiss and mozzarella cheeses into three sections. Sprinkle one section of Swiss and one section of mozzarella cheese on top of cottage cheese.

Repeat noodle layer, ground beef layer, cottage cheese layer, cheeses layer twice.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Note: This lasagna is always better the next day when reheated. The first day it will fall apart on your plate. The next day you will be able to get an actual square piece out of the pan.

Scrambled Eggs

2007-12-02T16:51:00.000-06:00

So this is one of those... no recipe items that I make often... and for Trisha - who claims to have always loved my eggs... this ones for you!

First, crack two eggs into a bowl... don't leave any egg shells in there either! Add a splash of milk. I'd say about 2 Tablespoons or so. Add salt and pepper to your liking or save that until they're done - either way. Whisk to mix.

Start a frying pan on medium high with a Tablespoon of butter in it (margarine or cooking spray works too... but butter tastes so much better!)

When butter has completely melted add a droplet of the egg/milk mixture. If it starts to form add the rest of the mixture. If not, then your pan isn't hot enough yet.

Now this is all preference... you can either chop up the egg or leave it kinda "whole"... Depends on my mood as to what I do... when serving it to others though I usually chop it up.

When there is no "juice" left you're done...

In photo: Scrambled eggs with my mom's homemade strawberry jam and butter on white toast.

For all those Holiday treats your baking...

2007-12-01T02:25:00.000-06:00

Whopatooli

2007-11-30T13:34:00.000-06:00

1 bottle of Rum
1 bottle of Vodka
1 package of Fruit Punch Kool-aid (the premixed kind)
2 liters of Sprite
2 liters of Raspberry Ginger Ale
100 slices of mixed fruit
6 cans of beer optional

Cut pieces of fruit (strawberries, apples, pears, pineapple, grapes, watermelon, peaches, banana, kiwi, anything else) and set aside.

Mix rum, vodka, kool-aid, sprite, ginger ale in a large container (I bought a tote from Target after Halloween). Add pieces of fruit and let soak overnight with the cover on.

Add beer if you want to just before serving as this increases the alcohol content but if added earlier will be "stale" and taste nasty.

Scoop or pour Whopatooli into a punch bowl and add some fruit and ice cubes.

Watch out as the fruit has soaked up a ton of the alcohol... don't give these to the kiddies! I made this for a party that we threw for our birthdays. It was a hit!

Why?

2007-11-30T11:36:00.000-06:00

So I thought I would start this blog as a place where I can show the recipes that I'm making often... and even those not so often. I really want a place where I can have the whole recipe and ingredients from any computer. Some of these will be recipes that I grew up on, some are Pampered Chef ones (hummm wonder why?), and some are just found in other ways.

I'm planning on posting pictures of it when I make it... and of course give any helpful hints as needed.

So let's get to cooking... or baking... oh heck, how bout just eating????