Chocolate Peppermint Log

4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
Peppermint filling (recipe follows)
Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

Instructions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan with wax paper; generously grease wax paper.
BEAT egg whites in large bowl on high speed of mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat egg yolks and vanilla in medium bowl on medium speed 3 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar; continue beating 2 additional minutes.
STIR together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; on low speed add to egg yolk mixture alternatively with water, beating just until batter is smooth. Using rubber spatula, gradually fold chocolate mixture into beaten egg whites until well blended. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
BAKE 12 to 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert on clean towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully peel off wax paper. Immediately roll cake in towel, starting from narrow end; place on wire rack to cool completely. Prepare PEPPERMINT FILLING. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cake with filling; reroll cake. Glaze with CHOCOLATE GLAZE. Refrigerate until just before serving. Cover; refrigerate left over dessert.

PEPPERMINT FILLING
1 cup cold whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
red food coloring

Beat 1 cup cold whipping cream in medium bowl until slightly thickened. Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, and a few drops of red food coloring. Beat until stiff.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE (frosting)
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons Hershey's cocoa
2 Tablespoons water
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in small saucepan over very low heat; add cocoa and water, stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. Do not boil. Remove from heat; cool completely. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth.

This is a wonderful dessert! It's a chocolate dessert but it is very light. Yummy! Everyone at work loved it. Unfortunately, I cannot find our camera transfer cable so I am unable to post the picture I took until I find that cable. I thought this dessert was to yummy not to share and will go great for a Christmas dessert!

Crunchy Munchies

These are a kicked up Rice Krispy Treat and they are awesome. Just got done making a batch!

12 oz. butterscotch morsels
1 cup crunchy PB
8 cups crispy rice cereal
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar
4 T butter
2 T water

Note: I did all of this in mixing bowls in the microwave, just be sure to use half power so as not to scald your delicious butterscotch and chocolate.

Melt the butterscotch morsels together with the PB in a sauce pan. Stir in rice cereal. Press 1/2 of this mixture in a greased 13x9 pan. Chill in the freezer about 20 minutes or fridge for about 45.

While this is chilling, combine chocolate chips, sugar, butter, and water in sauce pan on low heat and stir together until melted. Spread this mixture over chilled rice cereal mixture then press down the remaining rice cereal mixture on top of this. Chill the whole thing again until it's set and you can cut it without making a huge mess!

Pumpkin Cake

We seem to be pumpkin lovers here at Food and Fellowship. :)

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 (15 oz) can pumkin puree

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 and 1/2 cups white sugar

2 and 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one bundt pan. Cream oil, beaten eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla together. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined. If desired, stir in some chopped nuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto plate and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Top slices with cool whip when serving.

Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up

1 lb. lean ground beef
4 slices Bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust

Heat oven to 400°F. Brown ground beef with bacon and onions in large skillet; drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add VELVEETA; cook until melted, stirring frequently. Cool 10 minutes.

Unroll dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8-inch rectangle; top with meat mixture. Roll up, starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange if necessary so roll is seam-side down.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

This is WONDERFUL!! Dave ranks this as one of his favorite meals. He was a little skeptical at first but he absolutely loves this. Depending on how you slice this you could serve it as an appetizer or as the main course of your meal. I usually serve this with veggies (did I say my kids love veggies) and a salad or two. MMMMMMMmmmmm!! Try it, you will love it!

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling

Cake:
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 Tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15x10-inch-jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

4. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

This pumpkin roll is awesome! I have made it without the nuts and I also made one with half nuts and half without. If you make with half nuts you need to think about how you are going to roll it up before you sprinkle it with nuts. Enjoy this pumpkin pie alternative! Yummy!! You can't go wrong with this dessert!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon, optional

In a small bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs and sugar. Stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Pour into crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Spread over pie. Bake 8-12 minutes longer or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.

Pumpkin Oat Muffins

1 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup oats

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tblsp. flour
3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tblsp. cold butter or margarine


In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the egg, pumpkin, milk, and oil; add to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in the oats.

Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and pie spice; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle one rounded teaspoonful over each muffin. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Chicken 'N' Stuffing

1 pkg. seasoned stuffing mix
chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 Tblsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 swiss cheese slices
2 Tblsp. butter or margarine
1 can cream of chicken OR celery soup
1/4 cup water

Prepare stuffing mix according to pkg. directions. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 dish. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; place over stuffing. Top with cheese. Drizzle with butter.
Combine soup and water, spoon over stuffing. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear.

As usual, I left the cheese out. This was a big hit with the family.

Goulash

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tblsp. flour
1/8 cup cold water
Hot cooked noodles

Cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink, drain. Add the water, ketchup, Worcestershire, paprika, sugar, salt, mustard, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. In a bowl, combine flour and cold water until smooth; stir into the meat mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over noodles.

Oriental Salad

The following 4 recipes are what I made for Isabella's birthday party.
The main dish was this.

3/4 bag of lettuce

1/2 to 3/4 bag of fresh, raw spinach

2 Tblsp. toasted sesame seeds (I omitted these)

2 oz. toasted slivered almonds (put on baking pan, bake at 350 for about 8 minutes to toast)

2 green onions, chopped

1 pkg. Oriental Ramen noodles

Dressing:

seasoning packet from Ramen

3 Tblsp. sugar

1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable, or olive)

3 Tblsp. rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

Mix salad ingredients except for noodles and almonds. Mix dressing items separately. Mix dressing and lettuce mixture together. Right before serving, stir in broken up Ramen noodles and slivered almonds.

This was the first time I have made this, and it was amazing! Will definitely make again. I had some leftover parmesan cheese mixture from the breadsticks posted below, and I also topped the salad with that. Yum! Monte said our house smelled just like The Olive Garden.

Breadsticks

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

In a shallow bowl, combine the first five ingredients; set aside. Divide dough into 12 -16 pieces; roll each into a 6 inch rope. Dip ropes in margarine, then roll in cheese mixture. Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Let rise about half and hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Cookie Salad

2 cups buttermilk
2 pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
12 oz. Cool Whip
1 large can fruit cocktail, drained
1 pkg. striped shortbread cookies (like Keeblers Fudge Stripes), broken up

Mix all ingredients. I made the salad ahead of time, then put the broken up cookies in right before serving.

Wedding Cake Icing

1/4 cup white Crisco

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/4 cup water

4 cups powdered sugar

Mix shortening, margarine, water, vanilla, almond extract, and half of the powdered sugar with a mixer for 5-10 minutes (it's very important to mix this long). Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat just enough to mix in (I always have to add more than the remaining 2 cups to get the right consistancy). Add additional water if needed.

This has quickly become my usual frosting, it tastes just like a bakery frosting! I made this frosting with boxed cake mixes for my daughter's two Veggie Tales themed birthday parties.

M&M Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups M&Ms plain (3/4 pound)

Cream shortening and sugars in large bowl. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Stir in remaining dry ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup candies (reserve remaining for decorating). Drop from teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet, decorate tops with remaining candies (about 3 per cookie). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Breadstick Bones

1 can of refrigerated breadsticks (either 6 breadsticks or 12 breadsticks in a can)

1 egg white, beaten

1 TBLS. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

1 jar of marinara sauce or 1 jar of pizza sauce (dipping breadsticks in)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough; separate at perforations into either 6 or 12 breadsticks (depending on how many come in your can). Roll each breadstick with a rolling pin until 12 inches long. Loosely tie a knot in both ends of each breadstick; place on cookie sheet. Brush breadsticks with egg white. Sprinkle with cheese and italian seasoning. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with warm dipping sauce.

Benjamin and Ada's daycare had a Halloween party so I sent these along for a snack. The kids enjoyed dipping the bones into the sauce. These tasted great warm! Plus, they were so easy to make.

Applesauce Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup applesauce

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and applesauce Stir in flour and spices. Fold in raisins and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. Frost with powdered sugar frosting while cookies are still warm.

These are one of my favorite fall foods! They are wonderful when they are fresh from the oven. The powdered sugar frosting is a MUST!!! Since Ada cannot have nuts until she is at least two I omitted the nuts. I also omitted the raisins as I just wasn't in a raisin mood! They still tasted AWESOME!! My cookies baked for 8-9 minutes so just watch them when you put them in your oven. You will not be disappointed with these cookies.

Corn and Sausage Casserole

1 lb sausage, browned & drained
1 can cream-style corn
2/3 cup crushed soda crackers
1 egg
1 cup milk

Mix crackers, egg, and milk; add to other ingredients. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

I use one sleeve of saltine crackers--we like it to feel/taste fuller. I also spray my pan with cooking oil before baking.

Pumpkin Bread

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Stir together pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Variations: Add nuts and/or raisins to the bread (1/2 cup each). I also add ginger or pumpkin pie spice for an extra kick.

Have I said that pumpkin bread is my weakness? I love this stuff and I am always trying new pumpkin bread recipes! I have been in the pumpkin bread making mood lately! Yummy!!

Banana Bread

Since I made 5 loaves of banana bread for our church's bake sale and country store I figured I might as well share my recipe.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 bananas
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream oil, sugar, and eggs. In separate bowl, mash the bananas with the cold water. Add to creamed mixture. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

You can add nuts or chocolate chips to this bread if you like. I generally use my mini loaf pan (makes 4 mini loaves) and it bakes about 40 minutes.

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

2 cups uncooked pasta

1 (14 oz.) jar pizza sauce

3/4 cup sliced pepperoni, halved or quartered

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8 inch square (or 2 qt.) baking dish. Cook pasta to desired doneness. Drain. In a large bowl, combine pasta, pizza sauce, pepperoni, bell pepper, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and garlic powder. Mix well. Spoon into baking dish, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until mixture is heated through and cheese is melted.

I substituted Italian seasoning for the oregano. I also omitted the Parmesan cheese and mozzarella. I added a little mozzarella to mine and Isabella's portions after it was out of the oven. For anyone who can't have dairy, this is great without any cheese!

Bubba's Beer Biscuits

These are courtesy Ms. Paula Deen. And they are the best beer bread recipe I've found and super easy and quick. You can even do these in a loaf but the biscuits are nice for soups and stews. We had them with our Beef Stew last night!

4 cups biscuit mix (recommended: Bisquick)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 (12-ounce) can of beer 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients well, adjusting the sugar according to how sweet a biscuit you prefer. Pour into well-greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with honey butter.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This is a great meal for a cool fall day! It takes a little prep work but comes out beautifully. You can also doctor it up any way you want. For example, I omitted the onions and added corn. You can also add some red wine for richer flavor.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut
into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black
pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth or chicken (I used chicken and it was just as yummy)
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2.
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Veggie Chicken Casserole

3 cups cubed, cooked turkey or chicken

4 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. celery seed

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until heated through. Stir before serving.

I was looking for something quick and easy for supper tonight, and found this recipe. It was really good, and I can't believe how quick it was! I made a half batch (using one can of cream of celery soup) and it was more than enough for our little family.

"War time" Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

This is a very autumnal recipe that we made to celebrate the Virgin Mary's birthday yesterday. My mom found the recipe and passed it on to me, knowing that I am always looking for eggless recipes. It not only accommodated the women who wanted to bake despite the rations during the war, but it also accommodates those with milk and egg allergies. Mine came out a bit dense, but I think I also overcooked it. (The frosting contains milk, but perhaps one could substitute for that.)

Spice Cake:

In a large saucepan, mix together and boil, gently, for 5 minutes:

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups hot water

2 tsp shortening

1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins or chopped dates (I left these out)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

Cool completely - very important.

When cool, add:

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda dissolved in a couple teaspoons hot water.

Mix well, pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool in pan about 10 minutes and remove.

Caramel Frosting: (from Taste of Home Aug/Sept 1997)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 to 2 cups (or more) powdered sugar

Combine brown sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cake.

French Silk Chocolate Pie

A while back, Monte was talking about one of the things he missed the most since he found out he couldn't have dairy over 5 years ago - chocolate pie. It's one of those things I just didn't think would be that great if I substituted dairy free milk, I thought it probably wouldn't set properly. I was SO excited when I found this recipe yesterday that doesn't even have milk in it. It got great reviews on allrecipes.com, and we agree, it is unbelievable!! Quite possibly the best thing I've ever eaten! It does have raw eggs in it, which freaked me out a little, but not enough to keep me from enjoying it. :)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

3/4 cup white sugar

2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 pie crust *

Cream butter, gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light colored and well blended. Stir in the cooled chocolate, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes on medium speed after each addition. (You must beat them for the full 5 minutes each.) Spoon the chocolate filling into a cooled, baked pie shell. Top with whipped topping and garnish with grated chocolate if desired.

*I used the following recipe for my crust.

1 and 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar.

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

Press into 9 inch pie plate, bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely. (You can also buy pre-made graham cracker crusts, and they're really good too.)

Egg and Sausage Bake

2 and 1/2 cups croutons
1 pound browned sausage
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
2 and 1/2 cups milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk

Grease 9x13 pan and cover bottom with croutons, sausage, and cheese. Beet eggs, mustard, and milk; pour over mixture and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, mix soup and 1/2 cup milk; pour over just before baking. Bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

This is my mom's recipe, it is by far my favorite egg bake. I made it for a baby shower the other morning, everyone said it was very different from the normal egg bake, but they all wanted the recipe.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup milk (or milk substitute - rice, soy, etc.)
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water

Cream together oil. sugar, eggs, and milk with mixer. Add dry ingredients. Beat, and mix in cup of boiling water. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting:

6 Tblsp. margarine or butter
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
5 Tblsp. milk or milk substitute

On stove or in microwave, let come to a boil and boil for 30 seconds. Add 2/3 cup chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate chips are melted. Let sit in the bowl for a while to thicken up before frosting the cake.

This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe, it's been in my family for a few generations.

Cucumber Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese
1 cup miracle whip
4Tblsp. chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped cucumbers
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 Tblsp. lemon juice

Mix together and serve with crackers (my favorite crackers with it are Wheat Thins Garden Harvest). This dip sounds kind of weird, but it is wonderful! I could eat nothing but this with crackers for meals, oh wait, I have been.

Peanut Butter Bars

These taste EXACTLY like Reece's Peanut Butter Cups! Yummy.

1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 and 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 Tblsp. peanut butter


Mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.


In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares. ( I stored them in the fridge also.)

Pepperoni Roll-Ups

1 tube (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls
Pizza sauce
2 pieces string cheese, cut into quarters
16 slices pepperoni, cut into quarters
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Spread about 1 tsp. pizza sauce on on each triangle. Next, put 8 pepperoni pieces on each. Then place a piece of cheese on the long side of each triangle. Roll each triangle up, starting with the long side, pinch seams to seal and sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

These turned out so good! And they're good without cheese too.

Italian Pasta Salad

8 oz. uncooked spiral pasta (I use the multi-colored)
2 cups cauliflower pieces
1 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup creamy Italian salad dressing
1 and 1/2 tsp. dillweed
1/4 tsp. salt

Cook pasta; drain. Combine onion, pasta, and vegetables. In another bowl, combine the salad dressing, dill weed, and salt. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat.

I could live off of pasta salads in the summer, this is one of my new favorites.

Lemonade Pie

From Taste of the South Magazine, we have already made 2 of these in the last week!
Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
7 tablespoons butter, melted
(or do like I did and get a graham cracker crust pre-made!)

Lemonade filling:
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 (12 ounce) container whip topping, thawed
1 (6 fluid ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen
1 teaspoon candied lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar, and the melted butter. Press firmly on bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, add chilled sweetened condensed milk and cool whip and fold gently. Add frozen lemonade and continue to gently fold. Do not let the mixture become soupy. Pour mixture into the pie crust and freeze overnight. Garnish with candied lemon peel.

Graham Streusel Cake

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup brown sugar
1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup margarine, melted
1 package cake mix (any flavor)
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 13 x 9 pan. Mix together the cracker crumbs, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and margarine; reserve. Beat cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl according to box directions. Pour about 2 1/3 cups batter into pan; sprinkle with about 2 cups crumb mixture. Pour remaining batter into pan; spring with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until cake springs back with touched lightly in center, 40-45 minutes. Cool. Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons water.

My notes: This tastes awesome with a Butter Pecan Cake Mix! If I use nuts I usually use 1 cup of chopped walnuts instead of 3/4 cup. For the glaze I start with 1 cup powdered sugar and add one tablespoon of water. I then add a little more water or powdered sugar to get the consistency that I want. This is a great coffee cake.

Doctored Cake Mix

Have you ever made a cake from a cake mix only to find it was a little dry? I have just the solution for you!

Take any cake mix and follow the directions on the back on the box BUT ADD one cup of flour, one cup of granulated sugar (not powdered sugar), one cup of sour cream, and one additional egg to the batter. Bake according to box directions. When cake is done baking, remove from oven and immediately cover with a towel for 20 minutes.

My FAVORITE cake to make uses the French Vanilla Cake mix (ingredients on back of box plus 1 cup flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup sour cream, and one additional egg) and two teaspoons of almond extract. YUMMY!!!!

My Fancy Cake

Here is another cake that I decorated for my cake decorating class. I spent alot of time working with this cake and practicing my techniques. This cake is anything but perfect (I see all of my mistakes when I look at this picture and remember the cake) but I still am very proud of myself for creating it! It was a lot of work but it was worth it! I made everything for the cake except for the cake board and pillars. The flowers are made with royal icing. I left the aluminum foil on the flowers for the color effect that the silver gave the cake.

Vegetable Salad

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup onion or green onion, chopped

1-2 bunches of broccoli, chopped

carrots, chopped

tomatoes, chopped

cheese cubes (optional, actually everything is optional - just put in whatever vegetables you like)

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tblsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. sugar

3 Tblsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. salt

Mix dressing together and stir into salad. I've also put red and green peppers and black olives in this before. It's a great, healthy summer salad.

Gift Wrapped Present Cake

I was excited to learn how to decorate cakes with fondant. A word to the wise--Don't ever buy the pre-made Wilton fondant. It might be easy to work with but it tastes AWFUL! Use this recipe to make marshmallow fondant (MMF). This recipe actually tastes pretty good. When you work with fondant you will definitely make a huge mess of your kitchen and you will get your hands dirty. The secret to working with MMF is using enough crisco and rolling your MMF pretty thin. I had fun making this "present" cake. My bow's not perfect but the overall cake is pretty cute. Definitely worth another try!

Clown Cake

I finally was able to do something that I have dreamed of doing for a long time--take a cake decorating class. It was a lot of work but I loved every minute of it! I enjoyed learning the different techniques and practicing them. Boy, do I have a lot of practicing to do! My hand hurt from just piping on the shell border. I thought that I had pretty good strength in my hands but this cake class showed me otherwise. My right hand hurt after each class. I can see why people stop decorating cakes when they get older...Ouch! I made this clown cake for my brother's birthday and I thought I would showcase my creations from time-to-time (in case anyone else has a burning desire to recreate any of these designs or are like me always looking for ideas). This cake is my first attempt at making these clowns. I think that they are pretty cute.

Chicken and Rice Hotdish (or casserole if you don't live around here) :)

I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago, when I was searching for something to make for some unexpected company. Looking back, it was probably not the smartest thing to try a new recipe (much less one I came up with myself) on company, but it was delicious! When I don't have Uncle Ben's on hand I sometimes substitute plain rice with some chicken bouillon granules and about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. each of sage and thyme.

1 box Uncle Ben's Chicken and Wild Rice with seasoning packet
chopped celery
mushrooms (optional)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 and 1/3 cups water
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and diced

Mix everything together, pour into 2 qt. baking dish, cover and bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees. (I usually take the cover off for about the last 15 minutes of baking)

Streusel Rhubarb Bread

1 and 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil (or whatever kind of oil you like to use)
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk with 1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 and 1/2 cups rhubarb

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tblsp. cold butter or margarine

Combine brown sugar and oil, add egg; mix well. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into brown sugar mixture just until combined. Fold in the rhubarb. Pour into two greased loaf pans.

For topping, combine sugar, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly, sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

Soft Sandwich Buns

Success! After trying a recipe that totally flopped the other day, I made the BEST buns today. They are the lightest buns I've ever had. I have a really good recipe for buns, but they honestly take all day to make. So I only ever make them for special occasions. I wanted a quick recipe I could make quite often, and I finally found it. It made a pretty big batch, so I was able to freeze quite a few. I'm still on a mission to find a recipe for the perfect loaf of bread.

1 and 1/4 cups ginger ale (I had diet 7 up on hand, so that's what I used) heated to 120 degrees

1 egg (room temperature), beaten

2 Tblsp. butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

3 and 3/4 cups bread flour

1 and 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

1 Tblsp. butter or margarine, melted

In bread machine pan, place the first seven ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer (mine says to put liquids in first, then dry ingredients, with yeast on the very top). Select dough setting. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion to 3/4 inch thickness; cut with biscuit cutter ( I used two sizes so I could make larger hamburger buns, and smaller dinner type rolls). Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush tops with melted butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours usually. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Best Lemonade Ever

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water. You can leave some lemon slices in the pitcher as well. It is sooo yummy.

A Request

Does anybody have a good recipe for sandwich bread for the bread machine? I've started to make our own bread, but haven't found a really good recipe yet. Thanks.

Mexican Beef and Rice

I kind of accidentally came up with this recipe one night, and we have loved it ever since.

1 box Mexican flavored Rice A Roni
1 pound ground beef
chopped onions and peppers
tortillas

Brown the ground beef along with onions and peppers (I usually use green, red, and jalapeno peppers) and set aside. Cook Rice A Roni according to pkg. directions. Mix ground beef mixture together with cooked rice, spoon into tortillas and fold to close. Top with your favorite toppings (I usually put cheese, sour cream, and a little taco sauce or salsa on mine).

Baked Fish with Lemon Pepper Crust

1 cup dried bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp. lemon pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

firm white fish fillets, fresh or frozen, thawed

2 Tblsp. butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, lemon pepper, and salt. Set aside. Dip fish into melted butter and coat both sides with crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, yet flaky to the fork, about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.

Our neighbors brought over some freshly caught walleye the other night. I know that fried fish is really good, but I am terrible at frying things (they always seem to burn), plus I don't like the smell. I had forgotten about this recipe, I hadn't made it in a long time, it's so good!

French Dip Sandwiches

1 beef roast (3 lb) (I just use whatever cut I have on hand)
2 cups water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
pepper to taste

Directions: Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until tender. Remove meat and shred with fork. Skim off fat. Pour broth in small cups for dipping. Serve on rolls.

My thoughts: If you like a salty dip then add more soy sauce and some salt. Serve this with Angela's Spinach Penne Toss--Wonderful!

Rhubarb Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

Directions: Combine the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl, beat the egg, milk, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in rhubarb. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I love this recipe! All I can say is YUMMY!!

Spinich Penne Toss

2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tblsp. plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 pkg. (6 oz.) fresh baby spinich
3/4 cup crumbled, cooked bacon (I used real bacon bits instead)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
tomatoes, chopped
2 Tblsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt

Cook pasta according to package. Saute red pepper and onion in 1 Tblsp. oil for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Add the red pepper mixture, spinich, bacon, cheese, and tomatoes. In a jar with tight fitting lid, combine vinegar, pepper, salt, and remaining oil; shake well. Drizzle over pasta mixture and toss to coat. 10 servings.

I made this last week at my parents, we all loved it. It was honestly the only thing I wanted to eat for days! It's very good for you too, I used some omega 3, multigrain pasta and made it even healthier. And I didn't get sick of it because I'm thinking about making it again soon. I wish I would've taken a picture, it even looks pretty! :)

Edit: I couldn't resist making it again! So I added a picture.

Cola Roast

1 beef roast (I just use whatever is closest to the top in the freezer, today it's an arm roast)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 cans cola

Place roast in crockpot. Sprinkle with soup mix. Pour soda over all.
Cover, and cook on low 7 to 8 hours.

This is so easy, I love crockpot meals! The pop makes this very tender. And for leftovers, I shred the beef and mix it with barbecue sauce to make some yummy sandwiches.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe is very easy. There are only two ingredients. You need a 15 oz can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) and a spice cake mix. Mix the cake mix and pumpkin until well moistened. Do not add water, oil, or eggs. Just use the can of pumpkin and spice cake mix. Note: the batter will be very thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until done.

Ice Cream Cake

18 Oreo cookies, crushed (happily, this leaves some to munch on while you're baking)
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 gallon ice cream
2 packages German sweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter
ground nuts

Butter pan well. Mix cookies and butter; pat into pan. Put in refrigerator to set. Slice ice cream about one inch thick and put over crumb mixture (or let sit at room temperature for a bit to get soft, then spread over crumb mixture). Melt chocolate with sugar, milk, and butter in a heavy saucepan. Pour over ice cream while warm and put ground nuts on top. Store in the freezer.


I made this for my husband's birthday back in March, and it was so tasty I thought I'd do this every time we bought a half gallon of ice cream. Buy whatever kind you like (come on, be more adventurous than vanilla!). This is a pretty simple way to do a birthday, especially when the birthday person doesn't request a fire truck birthday cake. That'll be next month...

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup slivered mini carrots
1 cup chopped celery
10 Tblsp. butter
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 cups chicken broth
2 diced chicken breasts
2 cans cooked wild rice
1 and 1/2 cups half and half

Saute chicken. Melt butter. Add onions, celery, and carrots until cooked. Add flour and chicken broth. Add drained wild rice. Simmer 5 minutes. Add diced chicken and half and half to desired thickness. Add more broth or water if too thick.

I'm sure this is fattening (10 Tblsp. butter!!!) but it is SO good. I decided that when I'm at my parents next week I'll make the meals, as an early Mother's Day present to my mom. So I made up a few things ahead of time. This is really good frozen, then you can just reheat it in the crockpot.

Mounds Cookies

If you like Mounds candy bars then you will LOVE these!

1/4 cup butter

3 Tblsp. cold water

1 tsp. almond flavoring

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup powdered milk

3 cups flaked coconut

Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat, add water, flavoring, powdered sugar, and powdered milk. Mix well, add coconut. Drop by teaspoons on waxed paper lined cookie sheets. Chill until firm.

Frosting:

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 Tblsp. oil

Melt, and drizzle over cookies.

These can also be frosted with chocolate almond bark.

Hamburger Hot Dish

1 lb. hamburger

1 cup diced celery

1 onion

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 can tomato soup

8 oz. noodles, cooked

Brown hamburger, celery, and onion together. Mix together with rest of ingredients and place in casserole dish. Bake 25 minutes and add cheese (optional). Cover and bake 15 minutes more.

This is one of my new favorite hotdishes, even with the modifications I made. I didn't use cheese, and I used 2 cans of 98% fat free cream of celery soup instead of the cream of mushroom and chicken soups. I always use that substitution as the 98% fat free cream of celery has the smallest amount of dairy in it.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I hope I'm not being a blog hog, and I hope we hear from some of our "quieter" contributers soon. :-) Although, I suspect not everyone is snowed in like me, who is spending the day making things to go in the freezer, things for weekend company, and treats to take to my parents next week, since I can't leave the house and seem to have a very sleepy girl today! So if time allows, I might have lots of recipes to share today. Also, don't forget to email me a picture and/or blurb about yourself if you want. Onto the recipe . . .

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2 and 1/3 cups flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries*

Streusel:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup cold margarine

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Combine streusel ingredients with fork or pastry blender until crumbly; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until brown.

*If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.

If you have ever had the Mammoth Muffins from Perkins, that is what these remind me of. Yum! I haven't made them in a while, though, and I forgot how the streusel topping likes to explode in my oven. I would suggest putting a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch drips.

Check out this website

I found another great resource for recipes! Click here to see.

BBQ Meatballs

1 lb. hamburger

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 pkg. dry onion soup mix (like lipton)

handful of crushed crackers

Mix into balls. Broil 10 -12 minutes. Put in crockpot and cover with following sauce:

1 and 1/2 cups ketchup

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook in crockpot on low until heated through.

We were outside most of the afternoon so I wasn't watching the clock. I forgot they had to go in the crockpot, but I just put them in the oven on 350 for 30-40 minutes, and they still turned out great. You could also make the meatballs ahead of time, and either freeze or refrigerate them. Then mix up the sauce and put in the crockpot another day for a very easy meal.

Sausage Bacon Bites

Yum! My Mom fixed these for us the other night and we devoured them for dinner! They would go great with a breakfast too. They are soooo easy too!

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package little smokie sausages
1 pound bacon
1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage. Secure each one with a toothpick and place in a large baking dish or casserole dish. Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.

Like I said, YUM YUM!

Lazy Doughnuts

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup shortening

Cream sugar and shortening; add beaten egg, milk, and dry ingredients. Put in greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Pour following mixture over doughnuts while still in pan:

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Oatmeal - Apple Muffins

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup apples, chopped fine
1/2 cup oil
1 cup flour
1 cup quick oatmeal
1/3 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat egg. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing just to moisten. Pour into 12 greased or paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.

I feel good about giving these to Isabella for a snack, since they are pretty healthy. I make them into mini muffins for her, and decrease the baking time a little.

Asian Chicken and Noodles

*1 lb. diced chicken

*2 packages (3 oz. each) oriental flavored ramen noodles

*2 cups frozen vegetable mixture

*1/4 tsp. ground ginger

*2 Tblsp. thinly sliced green onion (I left this out)

1. In a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink. Remove with slotted spoon; pour off drippings. Season chicken with one seasoning packet from noodles; set aside.

2. In same skillet, combine 2 cups water, noodles (broken into several pieces), vegetables, ginger, and remaining seasoning packet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 4 minutes or until noodles are tender.

3. Return chicken to skillet, heat through. Stir in green onion before serving.

Tonight was the first time I made this, it was very good. The only thing I will change for next time would be to add more vegetables.

Banana Bread

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
4 tblsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 to 3 bananas, mashed
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream shortening, sugars, and eggs. Mix in vanilla, milk, and bananas. Add dry ingredients, then chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

This is a recipe from my grandma, who was an excellent cook. She didn't have very many recipes written down, so I treasure the few that I have from her.

My Yummy Fruit Salad

1 small box (3.4 oz) instant white chocolate pudding
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 lb strawberries, sliced
grapes, washed and stems removed

Directions: Prepare fruit. Mix pudding, milk, and sour cream or yogurt together until thickened. Mix in fruit. Chill before serving.

Options:
You can use vanilla or french vanilla pudding but I find that the white chocolate pudding tastes the best! I like to use a mixture of grapes, green and red. You can use whatever fruit you like best.

Meat Loaf

2 slices of bread, broken up

1 cup milk

1/4 cup grated onion

salt and pepper to taste

2 beaten eggs

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. sage

1 and 1/2 pounds ground beef

Mix together and spread in glass pan.

Top with the following:

1 Tblsp. mustard

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ketchup (depends on how much sauce you like)

1 tsp. vinegar

3 Tblsp. brown sugar

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

This is our favorite meal, we have it a lot. It is even Isabella's favorite meal. It goes great with baked potatoes and a green vegetable. I always liked my mom's meatloaf when I was growing up, but then I met Monte and tried his mom's meatloaf (this recipe). Wow! We've even had a couple of friends who don't like meatloaf, but loved this meatloaf.

Coca Cola Cake

They recently featured this cake at Cracker Barrel and I fell in LOVE with it! My sister had the recipe from a magazine and shared it with me. I even used Dr. Pepper one day when I didn't have any Coke. It's light and fluffy and great with vanilla bean ice cream!

Ingredients for the Cake:
2 c. plain flour
2 c. sugar
2 sticks butter
3 tbsp. cocoa
1 c. Coca-Cola
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, whole, beaten
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows

Combine sugar and flour in a mixing bowl. Heat butter, coca cola and cocoa to boiling and pour over flour and sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly. Add buttermilk, eggs, soda, vanilla and marshmallows; mix well. This will be a thin batter with marshmallows floating on top. Bake in a greased and floured flat pan at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Ice while hot.

Icing Ingredients:
1 stick butter
3 tbsp. cocoa
6 tbsp. Coca-Cola
1 box powdered sugar
1 c. pecans (optional, I don't like them so I never use them!)
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine butter, Coca-Cola and heat to boiling. Pour over sugar. After beating, add pecans and vanilla. Spread over hot cake.

Turkey Stuffing Roll-Ups

1 pkg. stuffing mix

1 can condensed cream of chicken OR cream of celery soup

3/4 cup milk

1 pound sliced deli smoked turkey

1 can (2.8 oz) French's onions, crushed

*Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions. In a bowl, combine soup and milk; set aside. Spoon about 1/4 cup stuffing onto each turkey slice. Roll up and place in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour soup mixture over roll-ups. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans milk
1 c. salsa
4 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1 large chicken breast, cooked and cut up (or you can use 1 large can of chicken)

Mix ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed up. Serve topped with tortilla chips and cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese.

It's so easy and so good! In fact, it's what's for supper tonight.

Pistachio Bundt Cake

I got this receipe from a co-worker. It is an oldy but a goody--especially if you like pistachio!

1 package white cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (3.4 oz) package pistachio instant pudding mix
green food coloring, optional

1/2 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup

Mix first five ingredients for 10 minutes, beating slowly. Add one drop of green food coloring if desired. If you added the food coloring, mix it in.

Pour 1/2 of the batter into a well greased bundt pan. Add chocolate syrup to remaining batter and mix until incorporated. Pour over top of green batter (batter already in bundt pan).

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Put foil over top and bake 5-10 minutes more until a toothpick comes out clean.

They're right, they ARE good!

Hello everyone! My first post on here isn't exactly anything new, but a recommendation to listen to the other ladies on here. Those sugar cookies Connie and Angela have been talking about? Make them. Eat them. Give them away to your neighbors. Sell them. They are delicious! They remind me of those round super-thick sugar cookies with super-thick frosting that grocery stores sell decorated for each holiday. I love those things. If you make these nice and thick, then goop on the frosting, watch out. You won't be able to eat just one. In fact, you'll wonder if the Easter Bunny took a basket of cookies home with him, but then that ache in your gut will remind you that you overdid it yesterday.

Angela, your beautiful frosting job inspired me, so I totally copied you. And Connie, thanks for sharing this great recipe! We even used an egg substitute since my son has an egg white allergy, and they turned out really awesome (for each egg, I use 1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp vinegar, and 1 tsp. baking powder).

I'm more of a prose lady I guess, but I will share recipes when I have the time! Please don't kick me off this blog!

A small assortment from a large batch!

Pork Medallions in Mustard Sauce

We enjoyed this last night and it was delicious. It looks fancy even though it is really quite simple. It's good if you need to feed several people and wow them too.

2 T vegetable oil
2 T coarse-grained mustard
1/2 t salt
1/2 t coarsely ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/4 cup dry white win or chicken broth (I didn't even use this ingreident or the step that calls for basting and it turned out awesome!)
Mustard Sauce (recipe follows)

Stir together first 4 ingredients. (I've found it best to double the marinade in order to cover the both roasts) Rub mixture over pork, and place in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Seal bag; chill 8 hours. Place pork on a lightly greased rack in a shallow roasting pan.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce temp to 400; bake 15 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion says 160, basting with wine every ten minutes. (Basting not essential, I found). Slice and serve with mustard sauce.

(Note: you really don't want to overcook this, it should be slightly pink inside in order to be tender. Temperature reading more important/accurate than cook time.)

Mustard Sauce 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup coarse-grained mustard
1/4 t salt1/8 t ground white pepper (black is fine)

Cook whipping cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1 1/4 cups (about 20 minutes). Stir in remaining ingredients and cook 1 minute.

a few notes: the recipe said not to let it boil, but that was nearly impossible! simmer is okay, just don't let it scald. And I cooked for the 20 minutes and it didn't ever reduce but didn't affect the taste of the sauce. It is yummy!

Sweet and Sassy Ribs

2 pounds pork loin back ribs
1 cup carbonated cola drink
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 cans (16 ounces each) baked beans, undrained
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
sliced green onions, if desired

Directions:
1. Spray inside of 3 to 4 quart crockpot with cooking spray or use a crock pot liner. Cut ribs to fit in crockpot. Mix remaining ingredients except for water, cornstarch, and onions in medium bowl; pour over ribs.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.

3. Remove ribs and beans from crockpot; keep warm. Mix water and cornstarch; stir into mixture in crockpot. Increase heat setting to high. Cover and cook about 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Serve sauce over ribs and beans. Garnish with onions, if desired.

My notes:
I use whatever ribs and cola I happen to have on hand. Usually, we have the ribs and I have to buy the cola so get something you like! For the beans I usually buy the bigger, more economical can. Use whatever flavor of beans is your favorite. We love Busch's Baked Beans with bacon and brown sugar but you can use any flavor you want. Cook on low. Do not try to rush the ribs by cooking on high. I did that once and never again--in my opinion they were pretty tough but Dave and my parents thought that they were good. I still think that they were just being kind. I have never used the sliced green onions and I think these ribs taste great. But if you don't like beans then this is not the recipe for you. These ribs are great served with salad, bread, and baked potato (and a bunch of other options). Benjamin would say you need to have canned peaches--lately he can't get enough of them!

My Search is Over

Thanks to Connie, I have finally found the PERFECT sugar cookie! These are awesome!

Cereal Snack

This recipe was in our local paper yesterday under, "Healthy snacks for kids". I really like peanut butter, so I think it's pretty good.

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cups Kix cereal
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 and 1/2 cups pretzels

1. Melt peanut butter with oil over low heat in large roasting pan.
2. Add cereals and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in pretzels.
4. Spread on cookie sheets to cool. Store in airtight container.

Pork Chop Casserole

4 to 6 pork chops
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tblsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 cups sliced potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 and 1/4 cups milk


Melt butter in skillet; add salt, pepper, onions, and chops. Brown lightly on both sides. Place potatoes in baking dish. Arrange chops over potatoes. Add soup and milk to skillet. Blend and pour over chops. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 to 40 minutes more.

I made this for the first time last night, it's a very good, basic "meat and potatoes" meal. However, I wasn't watching it, and left it in for the full 70 minutes. I don't think they need to be in that long since you brown them first, our pork turned out a little on the tough side. Although, I used small, boneless pork chops so that's why they probably didn't take as long to cook.

Marquette Family Sugar Cookie Cut-outs

1 cup margarine
1 cup shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour (add more if needed)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions: Cream margarine, shortening, sugars, and eggs together. Add dry ingredients and vanilla. Mix well. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until there is a golden brown color.

My notes: Batter should be chilled for easier working. If in a hurry add extra flour until you are able to work a little easier with the dough. This recipe makes a lot of cookies! No need to double unless you are expecting a huge crowd of cookie lovers!

Benjamin enjoys helping me frost and decorate the cookies. He also likes helping me cut out the cookies. For frosting and decorating, I have used a buttercream frosting, a mixture like Angela's below, or almond bark. I melt some vanilla almond bark, add food coloring, and frost till my little heart's content. I think the almond bark gives it a little something different. I am always looking for a good frosting recipe so if anyone has one they would like to share I would appreciate trying it. Thanks.

Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Cream the margarine and add the sugar gradually. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt gradually to the creamed mixture, stirring in by hand. Cover and chill dough overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes. Place cookies onto greased baking sheets.

Bake at 375 degree for 6 to 8 minutes or until cookie has a golden appearance.

Today was the perfect day to be inside making these, it was snowing all day. I am searching for the perfect cut out cookie. So far, this is the best of all the recipes I have tried. If anyone else has a good sugar cookie recipe, please let me know, or post it on here.

I don't go by a recipe for the frosting, I just use about 3 Tblsp. margarine, 5 Tblsp. soymilk, a little vanilla and almond extract, and enough powdered sugar to make it the right consistency.

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blueberries

Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups, or grease bottoms only of muffin cups. Stir all ingredients except blueberries until moistened. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon batter evenly among cups. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Lately, Dave has been craving blueberry muffins so I use this simple recipe for homemade blueberry muffins.

My notes: Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Over-mixing can cause tunnels and a tough texture in the muffins. Also, you can substitute raspberries or other berries for the blueberries or use a mixture of berries. This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Tang Fruit Salad

1 can pineapple chunks, drained but reserve this juice
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (but don't save this juice)
1 3.4 oz package of instant vanilla pudding
1 banana, sliced
4 Tablespoons Tang

Directions:
Mix Tang, package of pudding, and pineapple juice until dissolved. Stir in pineapple chunks, oranges, and banana. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes before serving.

Dave really enjoys this fruit salad. I think this salad gives you a little taste of spring all year round. You can add other fruit to this salad but I find the above ingredients work best. I really like the banana in the salad so sometimes I will add more. You can't go wrong when you make this salad! Yummy.

Pudding Cake

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups hot water
1/2 bag mini marshmallows (otherwise cut up big marshmallows in small pieces)
Any cake mix (chocolate flavor works well)

Mix first 3 ingredients together and pour in bottom of 9x13 pan. Pour marshmallows on top of mixture. Mix together cake as directed on box. Pour it on top of marshmallows. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. When serving, cut each piece and flip upside down on the plate so that the pudding is on top. Top with whipped cream.

Baked Spinach & Gouda Penne

1 lb. penne pasta, cooked
1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 pkg. gouda cheese*, cubed
1-2 lbs. Italian sausage, browned
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese for top

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a large baking dish - you may need one slightly bigger than a 9x13 depending on how much sausage you use. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

*Gouda cheese is the kind that comes wrapped in wax and looks like a hockey puck. It's kind of expensive, so you probably could substitute with another cheese if you want.

Chicken Packets

My sister gave me this recipe a few years ago and it is a simple but hearty main dish that can be made the night before and then baked when it's time for dinner. Also, they can be frozen and pulled out as needed.

Ingredients:

2 packages (tubes) crescent rolls
2 or 3 chicken breasts cooked and cut up*
3 oz. cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk
butter and a few bread crumbs (optional)
salt, pepper, garlic salt to taste

*for a tastier version, use leftover baked/grilled chicken

1. Unroll the cresent dough so they are little triangles. Take two triangles and form them into 1 rectangle. Make sure you eliminate a seam. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix the chicken, cream cheese, milk, and seasonings.

3. Place a dollop of the filling in each rectangle and close them up by placing another rectangle over them. (You can also use just one rectangle and fold over for smaller packets.)

4. Brush the packets with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs if desired. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350.