new year's appetizer

crab and cream cheese wontons

Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons Recipe

4 oz. Dungeness or lump crab meat
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 t. grated lemon zest
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/4 t. Kosher salt or to taste
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 t. snipped chives

18 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil for deep frying

Egg Wash
1 large egg whisked with 2 T. water

The filling:
Pick through the crab to remove any remaining bits of cartilage and shell. Mix the crab, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper and chives together. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Folding the wonton:
Place a heaping half-teaspoon of filling on one corner of the wonton skin, leaving the edges clean. Moisten the edges with egg wash. Bring one set of opposite corners together and seal all the edges, making a triangle. Next, bring the long ends of the triangle together, overlapping the corners slightly and sealing with more egg wash. Turn the third corner up if it isn't already, forming a small tortellini or hat-shape.

Alternate folding method:
Cut the wonton skins in half, diagonally. Brush one side with egg wash then place a small dollop of filling a bit off the middle of the triangle. Bring the open edges together and seal, forming a small triangle.

Meanwhile, heat the oil to about 350° F. Fry the wontons until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Drain well on a rack lined with paper towels.

I copied this recipe.  I really want to make these.  These are my favorite thing from the Chinese restaurant and I can make a meal out of these and sweet and sour sauce.  Soo good!

country fried steak

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper
4 to 6 cube steaks
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup Bisquick or other buttermilk baking mix
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine the flour with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the steaks in the seasoned flour, dip in the egg mixture and coat with the Bisquick.
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the steaks over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and keep warm.  I serve this with country gravy (I use the packets from the grocery store for gravy.  I suck at making homemade gravy.  I can cook and bake many things but I cannot make a passable homemade gravy.  Oh well. We all can't be good at everything)

Twice baked potatoes

4 large baking potatoes

1/4 cup sour cream

dash of milk

garlic salt to taste

1 or 2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Clean and scrub baking potatoes. Pierce skin with a fork once or twice. Bake at 350 degrees  for approximately 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft and firm.
3. Let potatoes cool slightly. Cut baked potatoes in half and scoop out pulp within 1/4 inch of the shell edge. Mash the pulp with sour cream, milk, garlic salt and butter to taste. Stuff shells with mashed pulp mixture sprinkle tops with grated cheddar cheese. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees  for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

bread machine pizza dough

Ingredients
1 cup water plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups of bread flour
1/2 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning
2 teaspoons yeast
dash of garlic powder
dash of oregano

 

Add everything in this order to your bread machine and set it on "dough" setting.  After it's done, shape the dough into 2 pizzas. I brush the crust with olive oil and then you need to let it set for another 30 minutes. Use a fork and poke a few holes in the dough.  Preheat your oven to 400 and preheat your pizza stone.  Put a little cornmeal down and then put your risen dough on the hot pizza stone and bake it for about 10 minutes.  Take it out and add your sauce and toppings. Bake for another 10 minutes and enjoy!

Read more from the original source:   adapted to my tastes from this recipe on this blog. 

quick and easy pizza sauce

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste

3/4 cup water-add a little more if you like it thinner

1/3 c. of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning 

1 teaspoon oregano

dash of garlic powder

 

Mix it all together and let it sit. It's better to make this earlier in the day so the flavors have time to really meld.

 

Adapted to my taste preferences from the screaming penny blog.

potato skins

6 medium potatoes

1 lb. hamburger

1/2 cup onions, chopped

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 package taco seasoning

1 (12 oz.) package mozzarella cheese

2 (12 oz.) packages cheddar cheese

onion chives

bacon bits

sour cream

Brown hamburger with onions. Add salt & pepper; drain grease. Add taco seasoning and simmer.

Bake potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out center of potato, leaving 1/4" around edges. Place potatoes in baking dish and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Add about 2 tablespoons seasoned hamburger and top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle on onion, chives and bacon bits. Heat until cheese is melted.

Merry Christmas Everyone

My kitchen is closed for today. Enjoy your holiday and see you back tommorrow for a delicious potato recipe. 

Merry Christmas

~Jess~

Chocolate lovers' chocolate pie

1 package choclate pudding
1 3/4 cup chocolate milk
1 choclate crumb crust (like an oreo crust.  Found by the graham cracker crusts)
1 hershey's cookies and cream candy bar, shaved.

Prepare package of chocolate pudding using for pie instructions and chocolate milk instead of regular milk.  Pour Pudding into pie crust and sprinkle shaved candy bar on top. 

Let set for a couple hours before serving.  Can also top with cool whip before serving.

This pie looks lighter than yours would look following this recipe.  We were out of chocolate milk.

puppy chow

Puppy Chow

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9 cups Crispix cereal (any flavor)
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:
1. Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a pan.
2. Continually stir over low heat to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir well.
3. Place the 9 cups of Crispix cereal in a very large bowl.
4. Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering.
5. Coat with powdered sugar, sprinkling evenly over the cereal and tossing as you sprinkle to cover each piece well.

ranch roasted potatoes

1 packet Ranch Dressing mix

2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered

1/4 cup vegetable oil

 

Place potatoes in plastic bag and add oil. Toss to coat.

Add dressing mix and toss to coat again.

Place in ungreased baking pan and bake at 450' for 35 minutes or until tender.

grilled shishkabobs

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 sirloin steak
cherry tomatoes
green bell pepper
red bell pepper
orange bell pepper
whole mushrooms
vidalia onion
Other veggies or meats depending on your tastes.  You can use shrimp, etc.

marinade chicken and steak.  Grill meats until done.  Cut into chunks.  Chuck peppers into large chunk.  Spear meat and veggies alternating 1 piece of meat, a couple veggies, 1 piece of meat, couple veggies, etc.  Until stick is full.  Grill for 5-10 minutes until veggies cook.  Serve hot.  Serve with a side of rice and sweet and sour sauce if desired.

cake mix cookies

1 package of cake mix (any flavor)
1 large egg
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, etc. (anything you like in cookies)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredient (s).
Drop by teaspoon about 1 inch apart onto greased cooke sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until done.

roasted red potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small red new potatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• garlic powder
• italian seasoning
• rosemary
• thyme

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil and seasonings. Arrange, cut side down, on a large lipped cookie sheet or jellyroll pan.
2. Roast until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). Transfer to a serving dish.

cocktail weiners in tangy sweet sauce

grape jelly
ketchup
cocktail weiners

mix equal parts grape jelly and ketchup. Stir using low heat until jelly is melted and mix has a smooth consistency.  Add in cocktail weiners and stir.  Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

Alternately, place weiners in a crockpot and pour sauce over.  Stir and cook on low for 3-4 hours before serving. 

I like to leave them in the crockpot and place toothpicks beside the pot for parties.

inside out burgers

• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 pound ground beef  
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler.
2. Combine cheeses in a small bowl
3. Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.
4. To grill: Lightly oil the grill rack.  Grill the stuffed patties over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. (Be sure not to press the burgers as they cook or they'll split open and the cheese will ooze out.) To broil: Cover a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil the stuffed patties in the upper third of the oven, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well.

You can also pan fry these.  I add minced onion to the burger as well.

easy hamburger gravy

1 lb ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
1/8 cup of milk
pepper to taste.

Brown ground beef. Drain.  Dump mushroom soup in a bowl, add milk and mushrooms.  Stir.  Pour over hamburger.  Pepper to taste.  Simmer 4-5 minutes.  Serve over cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes for a filling easy dinner.

BBQ chicken pizza

Toppings:
6 oz mozzerella cheese, shredded
2 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 bell pepper diced
1 roma tomato diced
1 onion chopped thinly
sliced black olives
1/2 bottle of bbq sauce
3-5 oz left-over chicken (or cook a chicken breast and shred)

use a premade crust or buy a package of pizza crust mix.  Super cheap.  I think they are about 50 cents at Walmart. Prepare crust, top with BBQ sauce, then other toppings. Following baking instructions on package

baked pork chops

3 medium-sized onions, cut in half and sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

4 center-cut pork loin chops (about 1½ pounds total), ¾ inch thick

1 egg, beaten

1 cup Italian-flavored bread crumbs

¹/4 teaspoon salt

¹/4 teaspoon black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a 9" x 13" baking dish, combine the oil, and onions.
   
2. Place the egg in a shallow dish. Place the bread crumbs in a another shallow dish. Dip the pork chops in the egg then in the bread crumbs, coating completely.
   
3. Place the chops on top of the onions and sprinkle with the salt and pepper; coat lightly with the cooking spray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chops are cooked through.
   

cinnamon apple bake

4 large baking apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar mixture


Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x 13 inch baking pan.

Choose a baking type apple such as Golden Delicious for this recipe.

Peel apples and cut each apple into 16 slices. Arrange apple slices in the pan. Pour apple juice on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add butter and cut into flour mixture with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Sprinkle evenly over apples.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 50 - 60 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown

pizza burgers

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef
1 small minced onion
   minced garlic
1 tablespoon oregano
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste
Hamburger buns
Shredded mozzarella cheese


DIRECTIONS

Brown meat in. Add onion and garlic and cook until they are transparent and the meat is thoroughly browned. Pour off excess fat. Add herbs, tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer covered at least 1/2 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut hamburger buns in half and brown the open halves until lightly toasted in the broiler. Remove the top half of the hamburger bun from the baking sheet and put a large spoonful of the hot pizza burger mixture on toasted bottom half. Top with some mozzarella cheese and return to the broiler long enough for the cheese to melt. Place burgers on plates, and put the top half of the hamburger bun on sandwich and serve.

Indian fry bread

1 loaf of frozen bread dough
vegetable oil
butter

Let dough rise according to package instructions.  Warm oil in pan.  Tear off 50 cent piece sized sections.  Pull dough to somewhat flatten.  Place dough in pan and cook until browned flipping once so both sides are browned but not burnt.  Brush on butter.  Serve with chili.  Sprinkle garlic powder on to serve with spaghetti or other italian type dishes.

mock big mac "secret sauce"

1/2 cup Mayo

2 tablespoons French dressing

3 tablespoons Sweet Pickle Relish

1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced Onion

1 teaspoon White Vinegar

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/8 teaspoon Salt

combine and refrigerate until ready to use.

Jess's sloppy joes

1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
diced onion
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
brown sugar (to taste)
yellow mustard (to taste)

Saute diced onion. Brown ground beef and drain.  Add in can of tomato sauce, 2 squirts of mustard and sprinkle brown sugar over the top.  Stir well over medium heat, covering ground beef.  Taste test.  If it tastes too tomato-y, add in more brown sugar and more mustard. Add in relish.  Stir.  Simmer 4-5 minutes over low heat. 

onion and balsamic vinegar pot roast

3-4 pound boneless roast
1-2 T steak rub
black pepper to taste
1-2 T olive oil 1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 cup beef broth, cooked down to 1/2 cup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Trim as much fat as you can from roast, and cut if necessary to fit into Crockpot. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes;

While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

Place onions in bottom of Crockpot. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Set Crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time.

Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

pumpkin bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 x 13 pans. Mix all ingredients until well blended. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool and frost bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.

cream cheese frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more for a sweeter taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

black bottom cupcakes

Cream cheese Filling:

8 ounces  cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup  granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup  granulated white sugar

1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup  water

1/3 cup corn or canola oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth. Set aside while you make the Chocolate Cupcake batter.

Chocolate Cupcakes: In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until nice and smooth. Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Then spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cream cheese filling is a little brown and the cupcakes feel springy to the touch (a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part of the cupcake will come out clean). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

The cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 - 4 days.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

from scratch devil's food cake

1/2 c shortening (can use butter)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 egg
1/2 c cocoa
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c sour milk or buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375.  mix together flour, baking soda and cocoa.  In a seperate bowl, beat softened shortening.  Add sugar and beat.  Add in eggs one at a time while mxing.  Add in vanilla and beat. Add sifted dry ingredient and sour milk alternately while beating.  Pour into greased cake pan and bake until tester comes out clean 25-35 minutes. 

Make your own buttermilk

just under one cup of milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar.  Stir together and let sit for 5 minutes. 

herb and garlic baked chicken

2 bone in chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
garlic powder
italian seasoning

Place defrosted chicken in a baking dish.  Push 1 tablespoon of butter under the skin of each breast.  Sprinkle chicken with seasonings. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 35-50 minutes.  I used a meat thermometer to check for doneness.  Should be 170 degrees internally when done.

microwave baked apple

1 apple (I use cortland or honey crisp. Red delicious is too soft)
brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
cinnamon

core apple.  Split skin.  Place in microwavable bowl.  Push butter down into the core and add brown sugar to fill to top.  Sprinkle cinnamon over apple and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes before eating.

no bake cheesecake

1 graham cracker crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 8oz package cream cheese

Beat cream cheese until softened.  Add in sweetened condensed milk.  Beat.  Add in lemon juice. Beat until well blended and smooth.  Pour into graham cracker crust and chill for 3-4 hours before serving.  Serving with cherry, blueberry or strawberry pie filling

bread machine breadsticks

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Preparation:

Add ingredients to bread machine.
Use the dough cycle. Remove dough to floured surface when done. Roll pieces of dough into stick shapes.  Place on baking sheet sprayed with butter flavored cooking spray.  Let rise for a couple hours until doubled in size.  Spray with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle on garlic powder.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Checking after 10 minutes and flipping over if bottoms are brown and tops are not.

Brush garlic butter on after baking. 

garlic butter

3 tablespoons butter

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil. 

cook in a small pot until butter is melted.  Stirring constantly.

You can also use this dough recipe to make a garlic roll as pictured below.  Instead of rolling into stick shape, just pull off pieces of dough to form a roll. 

My littlest helper making "fred sticks"

Garlic roll using the above recipe

Oatmeal raisin cookies

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter, softened (I melted it)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 dashes ground cinnamon (recipe called for 1 tsp but we like cinnamon so I just shook the container over the mix 3 times)
2 3/4 cups rolled oats (I used 12 packets of instant oatmel
1 cup raisins (I used 2 of the mini boxes
..

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.In large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in cinnamon.  Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3.Bake 6-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool slightly, remove from sheet to wire rack. Cool completely

I just watched them until they started to turn brown on the very edge and then took them out.  I let them cool on the sheet for about 2 minutes and then removed them.  I did it all by hand and did not use an electric mixer.  Not sure if that made a difference or not.  I also used melted margarine.  I adjusted the cooking time, and flour (which I changed above) otherwise the cookies were flat. 

I soaked the raisins in hot water while I made the dough.  It made for plump juicy raisins in the last batch.

sweet onion sauce (like Subway)

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tbsp minced vidalia onion (recipe called for 1 but I used more like 2-3 because we LOVE onions)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp blasamic vinegar
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp honey (original recipe called for 1 tsp brown sugar and no honey but I made it this way instead)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 pinch cracked black pepper ( I used 3-4 pinches)
1 pinch garlic powder (I used 1 tsp minced garlic...made sure alot of that was juice)

combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Let cool and put in a squueze bottle. easy peasy and soo yummy. Very much like subways

Kait's birthday ribs

1 rack of baby back ribs
1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce
sliced onion

Line cake pan with aluminum foil.  Spray with cooking spray. Lay defrosted ribs on the foil. cover with onions.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour 45 minutes.  Cover with BBQ sauce and back for final 15 minutes.

cinnamon raisin biscuits (similar to Hardee's)

4 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups milk or buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1.Mix flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar.
2.Blend in shortening with a fork until mixture is fine.
3.Add milk and stir until just mixed. Add raisins and mix.
4.Add cinnamon and mix until swirled through batter. Do not mix batter any more than you have to.
5.Scrape batter onto well floured surface. Flour top and pat down with hands until 1/2-inch thick.
6.Cut with 2-inch cutter and place on greased baking pan.
7.Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
8.Frost with powdered sugar glaze icing.

I didn't have self rising flour so I added another 2 tsp of baking powder and another tsp of salt. I used regular shortening but think butter flavor might taste a bit better but IDK for sure.

I used 1 1/2 cups raisins and dried cranberries. We cut the dough with a egg shaped cookie cutter.

For the glaze I just dumped powder sugar in a bowl and added a dash of milk and a dash of vanilla. I mixed and it was a bit dry yet so I added just a dash more milk and it worked well. it called for whole milk but skim worked just fine.

A family holiday favorite

Peanut butter balls~I had never had peanut butter balls until my parents' bought their first home.  Our elderly neighbor woman made them for my dad after he cleared her driveway with his snowblower.  Ever since they they are a family favorite.  She would make them everytime we cleared her driveway and sidewalk.  My brother and I would fight over who got to "help" Ms. Lydia because we knew when we were done she had a dozen or so of these delicious treats waiting for us.

2 cups creamy peanut butter (can use chunky if desired)

1/2 cup butter

4 cups confectioners' sugar

3 cups crisp rice cereal

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Melt peanut butter and butter in saucepan, over low heat. In large bowl, mix crispy rice cereal and confectioners' sugar well. Pour melted peanut butter and butter over cereal and sugar and blend together thoroughly.
2. Form into 1 inch or smaller balls, spread on cookie sheets, poke a toothpick into each one for easier dipping.  chill till firm in refrigerator (over night is okay). 
3. Melt chocolate in double boiler and keep melted while working with balls. Dip well and place on cookie sheet. Place fill sheet in fridge to chill until chocolate is firm.

Holiday Caramel Rolls (EASY!!!!)

These rolls are left to rise overnight to wake your family up with delicious smells coming from the kitchen on Christmas morning.  You can make them anytime but I make them as a special treat for Christmas.

1 small pkg. cook-n-serve butterscotch pudding (not instant)

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup milk

20-24 frozen dinner rolls

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place rolls in pan. Bring pudding, butter, brown sugar and milk to a boil for one minute. Pour mixture over rolls and cover pan with a towel. Let the rolls sit on counter overnight to rise. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

When the rolls are done, place platter on top of pan and flip over.

using your amish friendship bread starter

this is instructions for day 10 of your starter after you have seperated the starter into 4 batches.  Your starter will smell like beer.  That is normal!

1 cup of starter
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour

use up those turkey leftovers

Amish Friendship Bread starter

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 cup white sugar, divided
• 1 cup milk

 

Additional ingredients on seperate days

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk

see directions below for details.

 

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
2. On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.
3. Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

Lasagna roll ups

1 lb ground beef or turkey
9 lasagna noodles
1 8 oz container cottage cheese
1 8oz package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar pasta sauce

Brown ground beef and drain.  Cook lasagna noodles until almost done, Drain.  Dry off noodles using a kitchen towel.  I dry them individually. 

Preheat oven to 350.

Lay noodle flat.  Starting at one end place a line of cooked ground beef down the middle of the noodles leaving about 1/4 of the noodle at the opposite end without beef.  Do the same with cottage cheese and the mozzearella.  Roll noodle up.  Place in bottom of a 8X8 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. 

Follow the same steps for the remaining at noodles.  They will be a tight fit so you might have to squeeze them in.  Pour pasta sauce on top of noodles and top with any remaining ground beef and/or cheeses.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Kait's favorite sweet potato fries

3 sweet potatoes
paprika
garlic powder
garlic salt
onion powder
2 tablespoons olive oil


Peel sweet potatoes.   Preheat oven to 425. Cut into french fry shapes. (I use an antique fry french cutter I bought off ebay for pretty cheap).  Place potato sticks in a bowl and add olive oil.  Stir.  Sprinkle on seasonings to taste.  Place coated potatoes into a foil lined cake pan in a single layer.  Bake for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.

fried potatoes

Not exactly healthy, but easy and filling. 

3 large potatoes or 4 small potatoes
garlic powder
black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
diced onion

peel potatoes (or you can leave the skin on if you want.  I do make them either way..just depends on how big of a hurry I am in). Slice potatoes thinly.  I use an antique mandoline slicer but this can be done with a knife as well.  Just takes longer.  Heat oil and butter in a frying pan.  Put potatoes and onion in the pan, sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper.  Stir them around often to prevent burning.  Flip after about 5 minutes.  Cook until potatoes are browned and soft.

goulash

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
2 cups uncooked noodles (different shapes and sizes make this fun for kids.  We use shells, wheels, radiotore, and elbow macaroni)
1 or 2 cans of tomato sauce (or you can use a jar of pasta sauce)
shredded mozzarella cheese 8-12 oz depending on how cheesy you want the mix to be.
parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef, cook noodles until done. Drain noodles and beef.  Put noodles back into a large pot.  Add sauce and Ground beef. Stir.  Add in mozzarella cheese.  Stir cooking on low until cheese is melted. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

You can also add in mushrooms, onions, green pepper, diced tomato, etc.

tuna patties

1 can of tuna
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1 egg
10-15 crushed saltines (or ritz crackers)

Open Tuna and drain.  Dump into medium sized bowl.  Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, crack egg into tuna.  Add in crushed saltines.  Stir until well mixed.  Form mixture into patty shapes and fry until brown on each side.  Serve with mac n cheese.

easy way to get a few meals for pretty cheap

I buy a 9 ish lb spiral cut ham.  I cut the slices off the bone, wrapping them in meal sized portions in freezer paper.  When I want to make ham, I take a meal sized portion from the freezer and place it in the crockpot with some pineapple juice and sliced or chunked pineapple.  It takes about 4-6 hours on low for the ham to be done.  This is a fully cooked ham when I freeze it so basically I am just warming it up.I use any leftovers from that meal in this dish for another meal.

1 9 lb ham can make multiple meals for us.  Ham, ham sandwiches, cheesy au gratin potatoes with ham, grilled ham and cheese, diced up in camping eggs, and the ham bone is used for beans and ham, which my mom makes in the pressure cooker and then cans for us.  I can get 14-15 meals from one ham.  That's a bargain!

mac n cheese pizza bake

Pizza Mac and Cheese Bake

1 box Macaroni and cheese
1/2 lb. Ground beef
3/4 cup Onion - chopped
1 jar Pizza sauce
1 can Mushrooms - drained
2 oz. Pepperoni slices
1 1/2 cups Shreddedmozzarella cheese

Prepare macaroni according to directions on box.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook beef, drain fat, and sauté onions.  Add pizza sauce and mushrooms and heat through.

Pour macaroni and cheese into a greased two-quart casserole.  Top with beef mixture.  Arrange pepperoni on top and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes (until cheese is melted).

easy pigs in a blanket

1 tube crescent roll dough
1 package hotdogs

open dough tube. lay cresecent roll sections out flat. Wipe off hotdog so it is dry and place on larger end of dough.  Roll hot dog in the dough.  Bake according to instructions on dough tube.  Serve with ketchup if desired. 

for a cheesy version, place a slice of american cheese on the dough before placing the hotdog.  Trim cheese to fit the dough and put the leftover pieces on as well.

chicken cacciatore

2 boneless/skinless thighs and breasts
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 large red or green bell peppers, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon each basil and oregano
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (8 oz.) can stewed tomatoes with chiles
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling before serving

Place sliced onions on bottom of crock pot. Add chicken. Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.
Cook on low 7-9 hours. Serve over pasta

*made this dish on 11/4.  It was quite spicy but we did enjoy it.  Next time I would tame the spices down by using just diced tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes with chiles.  I think that made it a tad too spicy for my taste but my husband loved it.  Definitely a keeper.  I also used canned mushrooms instead of fresh and left out the basil as I didn't have any.  I forgot the parmesan cheese as well.*

finished product

chicken parmesan

The Ingredients:

--2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

--1/2 cup bread crumbs

--1/4 cup parmesan cheese

--1/2 t Italian Seasoning

--1 t black pepper

--1 T olive oil

--1 beaten egg

--shredded mozzarella cheese

--favorite pasta sauce

The Directions:

--spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert

--whip the egg with a fork in a separate bowl

--mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the parmesan cheese in another separate dish

--dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings

--place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock

--layer shredded mozzarella cheese on top

--cover with entire jar of sauce

--close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer.

Serve with your favorite pasta.

This recipe is from 1 year of crockpot cooking blog.  I changed a few things to suit our tastes.

old fashioned pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• dash of vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Strawberry pancake and waffle syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups mashed unsweetened strawberries

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Gradually add strawberries; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pancakes, waffles or ice cream.

I pick bunches of strawberries in the summer and freeze them.  I use them to make this recipe.  soo good!

Zucchini bread

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.


I grate zucchini in the fall and freeze it in 2 cup portions for this recipe.  If using frozen zucchini, I cut the water down and add a bit more flour as the frozen zucchini is pretty liquidy.  You could also strain the zucchini with cheese cloth if desired.  I also bake this recipe as zucchini muffins and the kids love them.

sugar cookies and frosting for cut out cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter flavored shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Frosting

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 drops any color food coloring

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove cookies from baking sheets to cool on wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.
4. In a small bowl, beat the butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Mix in the milk one tablespoon at a time until a good spreading consistency is reached. Stir in food coloring to desired shade. Decorate cooled cookies, and set on waxed paper to harden.

Homemade waffles

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add milk, eggs and oil; mix well.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

Homemade gummies

- 1/3 c. water
- 1 3 oz. package of sugar-free gelatin (any flavor...and it can be the normal sugar-y kind)
- 2 or 3 packages of Knox unflavored gelatin.
In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and let them sit there for about 10 minutes After they sit, turn on your burner to low and stir until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Let it cool for about a minute (not too long) and pour the mixture into something that's easy to pour from.
 You can use a little cream pitcher or measuring cup.
Then just pour the mixture carefully into the candy molds. You can use the bottom of a muffin tin, if you don't have any molds. No oil is needed! Just use what you have around the house and get creative! The trays went prompty into the fridge for about 10 minutes and then they were ready to go! Go ahead and pull them out of the mold, they're tough and chewy and won't rip like Jello Gigglers will

Thanks Manna00!

mustard potato salad

6 large potatoes - peeled and cubed

3 eggs

1 onion, finely chopped

3 teaspoons sweet pickle relish (I add more of this if I add more miracle whip)

2 teaspoons prepared mustard (add more if you add more miracle whip)

3 tablespoons  miracle whip ( I add more of this as needed for creaminess)

1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, onion, and relish.
4. Blend together the mustard and miracle whip, add to salad and mix well. Sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate until chilled.

caramel french toast (modified from the overnight version)

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 12 slices bread
• ground cinnamon,
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Dip each slice of bread in the egg mix individually and layer on top of the caramel, 6 pieces on the bottom and 6 pieces on top of the bottom
3. Sprinkle on a little bit more cinnamon
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes

not quite as yummy as the overnight version but still pretty good!

Tips

Just a quick little tip....
did you know that baking soda and vinegar makes a great drain cleaner?  Think back to basic science in elementary school.  Remember those paper mache volcanos?  Same thing, only your clogged drain is your paper mache volcano.  Dump some baking soda down that drain and pour over some vinegar.  I haven't had a clogged drain yet that this couldn't fix.

A disgusting story so don't read if you get easily grossed out or have a week stomach. 

We had a small gathering at our house for new years eve.  A friend of mine choked and she ended up throwing up in our bathroom sink.  Unfortunately that sink has a deep gooseneck drain.  Friend tried to clean up after herself and plugged that drain tight.  I tried different drainos, Plunging it, etc and nothing worked.  It stayed plugged.  I figured we would have to take the pipes apart and clean that mess out.  I did NOT want to do that.  I read online that baking soda and vinegar makes a great drain cleaner so I thought what the heck.  I dumped some baking soda in and poured some vinegar on.  I tried this 3 times and it started to drain.  YES!  So I tried it one more time and plunged it just a little bit and it drained out completely. 

I still occasionally use this to keep that drain running free.  About once a month I pour some baking soda down the drain and pour on some vinegar.  Together the cost for a box of baking soda and a bottle of vinegar is under $2.  Try buying a better working drain cleaner for that.  I can treat all the drain in my house for under $2. 

Rodney's favorite chili mac

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 can of chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
dash of chili powder


Brown ground beef. Sprinkle on chili powder while it is cooking .  Open cans of tomatoes and beans and dump into a pot.  Add browned ground beef and stir.  Simmer for 20 minutes or so.  While it is simmering, cook elbow macaroni until done, drain.  Add macaroni to chili mix. Stir until macaroni is covered with chili and serve. 

Pizza Hot dish

1 lb ground beef or turkey
16 oz of noodles
1 jar pasta sauce
pepperoni
dash of garlic powder
dash of italian seasoning
1 8 oz bag shredded mozzarella
veggies (your choice)

brown ground beef or turkey.  Cook noodles.  combine veggies, meat, noodles, pasta sauce, italian seasoning, garlic powder and 1/2 of the cheese.  Top with rest of cheese and some pepperoni. Put in baking dish and bake at 350 until cheese is melted.

I haven't tried this yet either so I will post back with changes and a review when I do.

pizza roll

1 crescent roll tube
1 can tomato sauce
meat (pepperoni, cooked ground beef, cooked shredded chicken, cooked sausage, whatever you prefer on a pizza)
mozzerella cheese\
veggies of your choice

lay out rolls on a baking sheet. Bake 3-5 minutes. Take out of oven, add toppings.  Roll up and bake according to instructions on roll tube.

I haven't made this one yet but will post back with better instructions when I do. 

dill dip

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon dried onion flakes (minced onion in the spice aisle)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon dried parsley ( I use parsley flakes)

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, celery salt, onion flakes, garlic salt, dill weed,  and parsley flakes. Serve immediately, or chill overnight to enjoy the full flavor of the herbs.

cucumber sandwiches

1 package rye or pumpernickel cocktail bread (at my local stores this is found in the deli area)
1 cup or so of dill dip
sliced cucumber
dill weed (I buy the bottle of spice in the baking section)

Spread piece of bread liberally with dill dip.  Top with a slice of cucumber and sprinkle with dill weed.  Chill for at least 4 hours before serving so flavors intermingle.

easy italian pasta salad

1/2 bag of tri-colored rotini
1 bottle italian dressing (I use reduced fat or fat free)
1 can black olives (whole or sliced)
small diced tomato
small diced green pepper
small diced onion

Cook pasta as directed on package.  Drain and run under cold water until cooled off.  Place in large bowl.  Add diced veggies (you can omit whatever you don't like or add different ones to suit your taste).  Mix and add 1/2 bottle of italian dressing.  Let chill in fridge for a couple hours or overnight.  Add more dressing if needed before serving.  I usually add more because we like the flavor.

camping eggs

We used to make this on the last morning of camping.  Mom would use 1 dozen eggs, shredded cheddar or mozzerella cheese, diced onion, diced green pepper, a can of mushrooms and whatever meat we had leftover from camping.  Basically she used up the food that we had left over.  I make a 5 egg meatless version, which is perfect for our family.  I serve it with some sausage or bacon and pancakes or waffles for a filling breakfast or breakfast for dinner.  You can add precooked meat to it and pretty much anything.  It is a very forgiving dish to make.

5 eggs
dash of milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (whatever type you prefer and however much you prefer)
1 diced green pepper
1 small diced onion
1 can of sliced mushrooms.

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and warm in it up.  Crack eggs into a medium bowl, add milk.  Stir. Set aside.  Saute mushrooms, onions and green peppers until softened.  Add to egg and milk mixture.  Add in cheese.  Stir.  Pour into warmed frying pan and continually stir until eggs are cooked thoroughly.  Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.

easy chicken and dumplings

1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken pieces (I use leftover pieces from baked chicken from a previous dinner.  I debone it and freeze it already cooked for future use)

4 cups chicken broth

In a large wide pot, simmer the chicken pieces in the broth until the chicken is tender.  Remove chicken from pot.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cold
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour baking powder and salt. Using a food processor, pastry blender, or two knives, cut in the butter until it is the size of very small peas and distributed throughout the dry ingredients. Add the water and knead 8 to 10 times. If the dough seems too sticky, add a little more flour. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, drop in the dumplings, cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked. Overcooking will cause the dumplings to fall apart.
To serve, place the chicken pieces in a bowl and ladle hot broth and dumplings over the chicken.

cabbage rolls

This recipe definitely is not for everyone.  In fact I made it and couldn't handle the cabbage smell so I didn't even try them but my father in law had requested them and knows I like to cook so I made them for him.  He said they were excellent.

1 large head cabbage
3/4 lb. ground pork
3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped or ground onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup rolled oats

1 can (2 1/2 cups) tomato juice
3 cups water

Core the cabbage and place head-down in enough boiling water to cover. Turn off heat. When cabbage has softened, remove from water and separate leaves, leaving them whole.

Trim heavy vein down to make it look flat. Combine meat, onion, egg, seasonings, and oatmeal. Mix well.
In the center of each cabbage leaf place 2 to 3 tablespoons of this filling mixture. Fold two sides down toward center and roll. Secure with toothpicks.
Place in large kettle or Crockpot; Add the tomato juice and water.
Bring to a boil on high heat; reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Please cabbage rolls on a serving dish. Pour liquid over the cabbage rolls.

meatballs with gravy

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  small onion, grated
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 1  pound  ground turkey or ground beef
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2  cup  rolled oats (do not use instant)
• 1 package gravy mix or make some homemade

Prep

1. Warm oil and saute onion and garlic.  Make gravy mix in a seperate pan
2. Place turkey or beef in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, egg and oats. Use your hands to gently but thoroughly blend ingredients. Dampen hands lightly and form mixture into about 20 meatballs, each 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
3. Pour a small amount of gravy over bottom of slow cooker. Add meatballs, top with remaining gravy. Pour in 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on high until meatballs are cooked through, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

I serve this with mashed potatoes.

Rodney's favorite steak strips

2 lbs of sirloin steak, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1/4 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon regular vinegar
1 tsp worchestshire sauce
pinch or two of brown sugar
dash of garlic powder


mix together items in blue, taste test.  Add more sugar if not sweet enough for your taste or more vinegar if too sweet.  Marinade steak in this mix for a couple hours.

After the marinading is done, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, brown steak strips in 2 batches.  Remove to a plate and keep warm. Brown mushrooms and serve on top of steak strips.

Salsa chicken

chicken breasts (boneless skinless works best but can use bone in)
jar of salsa

place defrosted chicken breasts in a crockpot, add in 1/2 jar or so of salsa (add in to taste and depending on how much chicken you are making).  cover and turn on low, cook until chicken is done (6-8) hours.

Cheesy Au gratin potatoes with ham

Ingredients:

• 4 cups diced potatoes
• salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, halved ( I use minced)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups diced cooked ham
• 8 ounces shredded  Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups) , divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and add about 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and boil gently for about 10 minutes, or until just fork tender. Drain.
 
In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard. Add onion and cook, stirring, just until onion is softened.
 
Add the flour and cook, stirring, until well blended and bubbly. Add the milk and cook, stirring, until thickened.
 
Add the ham and 6 ounces of the cheese (about 1 1/2 cups). Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Stir in the parsley. Gently stir in the potatoes until well coated with the cheese mixture.
 
Turn into a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the reserved 2 ounces of shredded cheese.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

caramel corn

7 quarts plain popped popcorn (or a couple pages of puff corn from the grocery store in the chip aisle)
2 cups of brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 cup margarine
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place popcorn in a large paper grocery bag.  Preheat oven to 250. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a large pot.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.  Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes stiring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla.  Mixture will bubble up and be light and foamy.  Immediately pour over popcorn in a bag.  Shake bag until corn is covered.  Dump covered corn into 2 baking dishes (I use cake pans).  Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  When done, dump corn on to waxed paper on the countertop.  Seperate the pieces and allow to cool.  Store in airtight container or resealable bags. 

Mom's meatloaf

ingredients

1 lb ground beef
3/4 c rolled oats (not instant)
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, diced
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c milk
2 eggs
1/2 c ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350. lightly grease loaf pan (or about 4 mini pans if making mini loafs)
pack brown sugar onto bottom of greased pan.  Pour ketchup on top of sugar and even out to cover the sugar.  Add ground beef, onion, bell pepper, eggs, oatmeal, salt, pepper and milk to a large bowl.  Mix well with hands. Make a loaf shape and place on top of ketchup.  Bake for about 1 hour or until juice is no longer visible (depending on how lean your beef is this may or may not happen so just bake for about an hour until it looks dry on top and done.  I cut into it with a knife and check).  Invert on a plate when done.

YUM!  Top view

Inside

slow cooker BBQ meatballs

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  small onion, grated
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 1  pound  ground turkey or ground beef
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2  cup  rolled oats (do not use instant)
• 2  cups  barbecue sauce

Prep

1. Warm oil and saute onion and garlic. 
2. Place turkey or beef in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, egg and oats. Use your hands to gently but thoroughly blend ingredients. Dampen hands lightly and form mixture into about 20 meatballs, each 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
3. Pour a small amount of sauce over bottom of slow cooker. Add meatballs, top with remaining sauce. Pour in 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on high until meatballs are cooked through, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

I serve this with mashed potatoes.

Cornflake Candy bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 1 C. corn syrup
• 1 C. peanut butter
• 6 C. corn flakes
• 1-12 oz.pkg.chocolate chips

• In pan; mix sugar, brown sugar and syrup over low heat.
• Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute.
• Take off the heat and add peanut butter.
• Stir well.
• In a large bowl stir together the corn flakes and peanuts.
• Add the sugar mixture and mix.
• Press firmly into a 9" x 13" greased pan.
• Melt chips and pour over the pressed mixture.
• Put in refrigerator and cool for 1 hour.

Cheesy Shepherd's pie

2 cups mashed potatoes (can use instant prepare according to instructions on package)

1 lb.  lean ground beef

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

1 cup  beef gravy

Heat oven to 375°F.

Prepare potatoes as directed on package or use leftover homemade mashed potatoes or make fresh ( if using leftover homemade heat up in microwave with a little water mixed in)

Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain.
Add vegetables and gravy to meat; mix well. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with prepared Potatoes.
Bake 20 to 25 min. or until heated through and lightly browned.

you can also use leftover deboned, shredded chicken and use chicken gravy instead of beef.  I am terrible at making gravy so I just use the packets.  They are about 50 cents each in my local store.  You could also use canned gravy.

simple beef stoganoff

1 (8 ounce) package egg noodles

1 pound ground beef

1 (10.75 ounce) can fat free condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prepare the egg noodles according to package directions and set aside.
2. In a separate large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned. Drain the fat and add the soup and garlic powder. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and combine the meat mixture with the egg noodles. Add the sour cream, stirring well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

overnight caramel french toast

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 12 slices bread
• ground cinnamon,
• 3eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with six slices of bread. Sprinkle cinnamon on the bread. Place remaining bread on top. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining cinnamon. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
3. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

The recipe doesn't call for it but I cook another 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of butter and 1 tbsp of corn syrup in the morning and top the bread just before baking.  You could also just invert the baked french toast on a cookie sheet and get the same result with less calories and sugar.

mom's mock beef wellington

my mom calls this mock beef wellington

1 lb ground beef
1 tube crescent rolls
1 can mushrooms
1 small diced onion
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
(I also add 1/2 a can of corn)
1/2 cup or so of shredded cheese (I use whatever we have here and we don't really like cheese so I don't use much.)

brown ground beef, saute onions. drain beef and put in a medium bowl. Add in mushrooms, onions and dry soup mix, stir in cheese. place 1/2 tube of crescrent roll dough rolled out (not shaped into crescent rolls) in bottom of an 8X8 pan. Place beef mixture on top. Place other 1/2 of the crescent rolls on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Until dough is golden brown.

you can leave out the onions and mushrooms if you want. This recipe is pretty forgiving and has a lot of taste