Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

This bread is so fast to whip up and so moist! The glaze is simply heaven! From allrecipes.

3 c flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 T poppy seeds
2 c white sugar
1 c oil
3 eggs
1 c milk
grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 c fresh lemon juice (or if you are in a pinch you can use 1 1/2 t lemon extract)
1 1/2 t vanilla extract

GLAZE:
1/4 c orange juice
3/4 c white sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon (or 1/2 t lemon extract, but juice is always better!)

~In large mixing bowl stir together dry ingredients.
~Make well in center and add wet ingredients. Mix them well and then incorporate all the dry.
~Mix well for about a minute, until smooth.
~Pour into greased pans (I've used different sizes, but last I made was 2 med. loaves and 2 mini loaves. It makes approximately 3 medium loaves).
~Bake at 350 for around 50-55 minutes; less time for mini loaves. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Check them very carefully with toothpick just until done.
~Mix glaze ingredients well and drizzle over hot loaves completely covering them. Cool.
~Best when eaten the next day.

Jalapeno Jelly

Recipe from The Silver Scissor blog. Perfect! Not too hot. Must be served with cream cheese on Club or Triscuit crackers!

3/4 lb jalapeno peppers
2 c apple cider vinegar, divided
6 c sugar
2 pouches LIQUID pectin
green food coloring, optional but highly recommended!

~Wash peppers, drain. Remove stems and seeds. Puree peppers and 1 c vinegar in food processor or blender (blender works great!).
~Combine puree, 1 c vinegar, and sugar in very large pot. This will bubble up quite a bit so use a stock pot or larger pot.
~Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Have a book or other good reading material nearby to help pass the time!
~Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute stirring constantly.
~Remove from heat. Skim foam. Stir in a few drops of food coloring, otherwise it will be a weird yellowish color.
~Ladle hot jelly into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
~Process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.
~Makes approximately 7 half pints.

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

This is the best recipe I've found for buttermilk biscuits! Soooo good. Love the texture-a little crispy on outide and very moist inside.


2 c flour
3 t baking powder
2 t sugar
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c cold butter, sliced
3/4 c buttermilk (or more)

-You can do this in your food processor or in a bowl. Mix all dry ingredients then add butter slices. Pulse until coarse crumbs or use pastry cutter. Add buttermilk and mix just until it comes together. I needed to add a little more buttermilk to mine as it was a little dry.
-Put dough on floured surface, roll out with rolling pin just a little and cut out biscuits.
-Put on greased baking sheet and bake at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
-Makes approximately 12 medium biscuits.

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Cake

Ok girls.  Here is another delicious one!!  This tastes like pumpkin pie, but with a sweet buttery-goodness crust!!  It's really yummy!

1 large can pumpkin
1 T pumpkin pie spice (can do 2t cinn, 1/2 t each ginger, nutmeg and allspice to replace)
4 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c sugar
Mix all ingredients. Pour into 9x13 pan.  Bake 30 minutes at 350. (I baked mine almost 40 min. because the middle wasn't set) Mix 1 yellow cake mix with 1 cube butter til crumbly.  (My sis and I agree it needs 1 1/2 cubes butter to get good results.  1 cube leaves it dry.)  Put on top of pumpkin mixture.  Bake in oven 30 minutes more.  Serve room temp with dollop of  whipped cream.  Enjoy!!

White Cake with Peach Glaze

I had this at a friend's 'Chuck' premiere night party.  Delicious cake and the show was pretty funny.  I had never seen it, though it's been on for several seasons.  Sorry it's late.  Are there peaches left anywhere??  Next year for sure!!!


Make a white cake

8oz of cream cheese
8oz of Cool Whip
1/2-3/4 of powdered sugar
MIX ALL OF THIS TOGETHER, AND PUT ON TOP OF WHITE CAKE

GLAZE
1C sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 C water
2T lemon juice
1-2T butter
4T heaping of cornstarch
MIX THIS AND STIR CONSTANTLY ON BOIL TILL IT THICKENS, PUT IN FRIDGE TO COOL.

Dice up 4 cups of fresh peaches, mix with glaze and put on top of cake. YUMMY!

Chicken Alphabet Soup

My kids loved this. Yummy and very easy.

3 medium carrots, sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 T olive oil
2 qt. water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 t dried thyme
1 1/2 c uncooked alphabet pasta
2 T minced fresh parsley (I keep this in a baggie in the freezer so it's easily accessible, just like you Mom!)

-In a large pot saute veggies in oil until tender. Stir in water, chicken, thyme, and bouillon cubes.
-Bring to a boil. You can then let this simmer as long as you like, but if you need it ASAP, once it comes to a boil add pasta. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until tender.
-Stir in parsley.
-Serves 10.

Crock Pot Applesauce

My favorite time to bake is here! Anything with apples, pumpkin, cranberry, pears, can't wait! So to kick off this autumn season I made something I think you'll like. Well, I know you'll like it, you may even love it as we did! I got the recipe from Secondsister. It is heaven and the fresh whipped cream melting on top of the hot applesauce is a MUST! This is the most simple dessert yet so amazingly delicious!

Variety of apples-mcintosh, pink lady, rome, golden delicious, anything!
fresh lemon juice
2 Cinnamon sticks
brown sugar, to taste
2 vanilla beans (optional)
whipped cream sweetened with sugar and vanilla

-Fill your crock pot up with peeled, cored, and quartered apples.
-Sprinkle with lemon juice to help prevent them turning brown.
-Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of water.
-Put cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans down in the apples. You can even sprinkle with some ground cinnamon if you like.
-Put lid on and cook on high all day. Mine took about 6 hours.
-Mash up a little with potato masher unless you like it more chunky. Stir in brown sugar to your liking. It doesn't take much, depending on the sweetness of your apples I guess.
-Serve hot in a bowl with a huge dollop of cold whipped cream. HEAVEN!

Chicken Chimies

Quick and good!

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
garlic salt and pepper to taste
10 flour tortillas
8oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
4 green onions, sliced
1-2 T oil
Toss shredded chicken with a few sprinkles garlic salt and pepper. Spoon chicken into tortillas, top with cheese and green onions, then wrap up burrito style. Heat oil in skillet, and add 'burritos', sautee till golden on both sides. Serve hot with your favorite toppings: sour cream, guacamole, salsa. These are good the next day just warmed in the microwave.

Mexican Lasagna

Brandon took left-overs to work for lunch with him for about 5 days- he loves this.

1/2 lb EACH ground beef and ground sausage
1 jalapeno, chopped( I did not use this, spicy enough w/o it)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
10oz can enchilada sauce(mild)
18 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded jack cheese
2 tomatoes chopped
4 green onions sliced
fresh cilantro
1 avocado sliced or diced
Cook sausage and beef. Drain. Add jalapeno, and next 5 ingredients, cook till heated. Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a pan, cook till heated. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce onto bottom of greased 9x13. Layer 6 tortillas. Spoon half the meat mixture and 1/3 sauce over tortillas, then sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese. Add 6 more tortillas, repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Sprinkle top with the jack cheese and next 3 ingredients. Bake @350 for 30 minutes. Serve with avocado on the side.

Patty Casserole

I picture this recipe coming from a little grandma born and raised in a little Utah town somewhere with a name like Verla. It's a goody.
1 lb or so ground beef
2 potatoes grated
1 carrot grated
half an onion grated
2 eggs
2 T flour
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken, whatever you have in the pantry
1 soup can filled with milk
Mix grated veggies and meat. Add flour and egg. Season if you like. Shape into 8 patties. Brown both sides in a little oil. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Heat together soup and milk. Pour over patties, cover and bake @350 for 40 minutes. Serve over hot rice spooning "gravy" over top.

Oatmeal Cinnamon waffles

These are the hearty-ist waffles I've eaten, and they are so good.
1 3/4 cups wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups quick-cooking oats (I used reg.)
2 T each cinnamon and packed brown sugar
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl mix wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to wet, and then add oats, cinnamon and brown sugar. Mix till just combined. Spray hot waffle iron with oil. Cook waffles like normal. Serve immediately. I love eating these with a sliced fresh banana on top and a drizzle of Mrs. butterworths.

Pork Chop Supreme

6 pork chops, bone-in
paprika
salt&pepper
2 T olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 packet onion soup mix
2-3 T flour
1 T fresh parsley
1/4 cup cold water
6oz can evaporated milk
Season generously the pork chops using paprika, salt and pepper. In the biggest skillet you own, brown them well in olive oil. Mix together onion soup mix, 1 cup water and celery. Pour over chops. Cover and simmer 45mins. Remove chops, set aside and keep warm. Combine flour, parsley and 1/4 cup cold water till smooth. Add to juices in pan. Then add milk. Whisk till bubbly and thickened 3-5 mins.(at this point if you want a lot of gravy, you can add more milk, water/flour to this.) Cover chops with sauce and serve with mashed potatoes or noodles. **This also would be great in a crock pot for a couple hours instead of skillet cooking.

Banana Foster Bread Pudding (AKA the best bread pudding in the universe!)

I have made this three times in two weeks! You can't go wrong with this comfort dessert with amazing carmel rum sauce and fresh bananas! 1- 1/2 the recipe for a 9x13 pan.


3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1 C ripe bananas, mashed (about two med.)
1 t vanilla extract
1 C sugar
1/2 C light brown sugar, packed
1-3/4 C heavy cream
croissants, broken into bite size pieces (5-6 cups)

350. In large bowl, mix eggs and yolks until frothy. Add spices, banana puree, vanilla. Mix well. Add sugars. Mix. Add cream. Add croissants and let sit for 30 min. Pour into buttered 9x13. (I use glass). Place pan in a hot water bath (about an inch hot water in large roasting pan). Bake for 1 hour. Serve with sauce.

Sauce:

1/2 C unsalted butter
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 C heavy cream
2 bananas sliced
3 tablespoons rum (got to have rum or you might as well forget the whole thing!!!!)

Heat medium skillet-low heat. Add butter and brown sugar, stir constantly until sugar melts. Add bananas-1 min. Add rum, 1 min. Add cream. Serve over pudding with vanilla ice cream!!!! Try not to make the mmmmmm noise too much while eating!

Lime Freeze

In honor of the elusive summer weather, I am posting this most delectable of summer treats.  They make these at the local drug store/soda fountain in town.  AND, since none of you EVER come and visit me, you'll never know how good they are.  SO, I am sharing this recipe.  (you can feel guilty now) I have a friend who works there, so she has made them at her home for me!  Enjoy!

Vanilla ice cream--maybe half a picher full
3-4 Fresh squeezed lime juice, to taste
Sprite, quite a bit, enough to make it thin shake consistency
Sugar, to taste (if the limes are too tart)

Put all the stuff in the blender and blend away.  Just make it taste yummy.  You can put some green food coloring in it for effect, but I try to avoid adding food coloring to my stuff.

Caramel Pretzel Brownie Cups

I got this recipe from the blog In My Kitchen Today.  (adapted from zupas.com) These babies are delicious!  And pretty easy.  I made them in mini cupcake molds.  If you don't have these, just make them smaller in regular ones.  I think big ones would be too much.  These are really rich!  It made about 34 small ones.

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 C butter, softened

Pretzel Crumble
1/4 C butter, melted
2 T brown sugar
1 C crushed pretzels
Mix together.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg and butter until smooth.  (Use a mixer)  Scoop batter 2/3 full into a muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray.  Scoop 1 T pretzel crumble on top of brownie batter.  (little less for minis) Pat down.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until edges are set. (I did 7 minutes with the minis)

8 oz caramels, melted in microwave over medium heat-stirring frequently
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Immediately after taking the brownie cups out of the oven, pour caramel over the cups, and then sprinkle with choc. chips.  Place cups in the oven for 30 minutes more to allow the choc. chips to soften slightly. (I did 15 minutes with the minis) Place in the microwave for 15 seconds (7 sec for minis) before serving.

I needed more caramel than this.  I don't know if I got too much or if the mini just made more.  (can you have too much?) I used the whole bag.  ( Minus the few Chan and I snitched!)  Mine were a little hard when they cooled, but if you microwave them, then are soft and delish.  (be careful, the caramel will be molten) Please make sure and follow the directions.  I had a 3 year old helping me, so I put the pretzel stuff on in the wrong order because I was keeping him out of things instead of reading carefully!   But they were still so yummy!

Multi-Grain Bread

This is THE most delicious bread I have ever made!  I got the recipe from the blog All Things Delicious.  (it's a great blog, check it out!)  It's as good or better than my "prize winning" bread. It stays moist longer.  It tastes like the multi-grain bread I have been buying and wishing I could duplicate!   Make it as soon as you can!

This is her exact recipe.  I'll make my comments at the end.

1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 c millet
1/8 c flaxseed
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 c 9 grain cereal (or 7 grain or 11 grain whatever you want)
3 c very hot water

1/4 c oil
3 T molasses
1/4 c honey
1 (heaping) T instant yeast (my mom uses 3 leveled T instant yeast, so take your pick or anywhere in between)

1/2 c gluten
1 T dough enhancer
1 T salt
1 c whole wheat flour

4-5 c additional whole wheat flour

Combine first 5 ingredients (the seeds) and let them soak in the very hot water for 15 minutes.  Then combine the oil, molasses, honey, and yeast and add it to the soaked seeds and water.  To this mixture, add the gluten, dough enhancer, salt, and 1 c flour; mix well for 1 minute.  Then add 4-5 cups more flour, enough until the sides of the bowl are clean.  Mix with a Bosch on speed 2 (medium) for 8 minutes with a dough hook.

Turn out dough.  Put in loaf pans.  Let rise for an hour.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

My notes:  I used the three level (or close to it) T yeast.  I didn't have dough enhancer, so I omitted, and the bread came out great. When it's mixing with the dough hook, WATCH YOUR MIXER!  I wasn't, and when I turned around the whole mixer was about to go off the counter.  The dough is tough and the mixer really moves.  (maybe that's where the dough enhancer comes in??) Thank heaven for electricity, the cord saved my mixer.  You only have to let this rise once, in the pans.  I didn't let mine rise quite an hour.  They rose more than double though, and I love the consistency.  I made 3 large loaves (9x5x3).  If you have the smaller ones, it's probably more like 5-6.  You'll want to adjust the time if you do smaller loaves--maybe 10 minutes less??

Mom's Corned Beef & Cabbage

This blog cannot be complete without Mom's signature Corned Beef and Cabbage! This is on the menu tonight for our green day celebration and my mouth is already watering. This is the best you will ever have, trust me.

3-4 lbs corned beef (Shenson's is good), choose one with the least fat and DO NOT use seasoning packet that comes with it-I prefer 4 lbs and so does Mom
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
6 small red potatoes, cut in wedges
6 small carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
1 medium green cabbage, cut in 6 wedges

-Put corned beef in large pot, barely covering with hot water. Add onion, garlic, cloves, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer-don't boil-for 1 hr. per pound of meat.
-When done, take out the meat and set aside on plate and cover with foil. To liquid in pot add potatoes and carrots. Cover and boil 20 minutes. Add cabbage wedges and boil 10 more minutes.
-Cut meat across the grain. Put slices on plates or large soup bowls and spoon veggies and some juice over the meat. And smother with butter and lots of salt of course!!

Lemon Cakes

If you are a lemon fan you will LOVE LOVE these!!!!!! I'm making them for Dad's 70th!

Generously butter and sugar 8 (5 oz) ramekins.

Preheat oven to 325.

5 T butter @ room temp.

6 T plus 3/4 C sugar, divided

5 eggs @ room temp., separated

grated zest of two lemons

6 T flour

1 1/4 C whole milk @ room temp.

2/3 C fresh lemon juice @ room temp.

garnish with whipped cream and berries

Cream butter and 6 T sugar until light in color, about 2 min. Add egg yolks one at a time. Stir in lemon zest and flour. Add milk and lemon juice and beat thoroughly.

Whip eggs whites until soft opaque peaks form. Slowly drizzle in 3/4 C sugar and whip until meringue forms stiff glossy peaks. Gently fold meringue into lemon mixture.

Scoop the mixture into the ramekins and gently smooth the tops. Place ramekins in a large baking pan in oven. Pour boiling water into pan within 1" of tops of ramekins. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from water bath and cool completely.

Oatmeal Banana Cake

When you want an extra special banana "bread" try this! I like it better that any of my other recipes for banana bread.

Serves 8-10

4 oz. (8 T) butter at room temp.

3/4 C brown sugar

2 eggs @ room temp.

2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1 t vanilla

zest of half a lemon

3/4 C flour

1 1/4 C oats

heaping 1/4 t salt

1 t baking soda

Topping:

3/4 C oats

1/3 C brown sugar

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 t cinnamon

1 T flour

1/3 finely chopped pecans

4 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare a 9" spring form pan with butter and flour.

Whisk dry ingred. for topping. Add melted butter and stir with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For cake, mix like you would for banana bread. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, zest and banana. Mix in dry ingred. Pour into prepared pan. Spread topping on top and push down slightly. Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean but moist. Let cool on rack for a few minutes. Release ring. Cut and serve warm!

Cranberry, Orange Scones

These are so moist and delicate when fresh out of the oven! Very quick to make for a special week day breakfast! Kelly says they are one of his favorite "desserts" that I make! You can use different fresh fruits and zests such as blueberry lemon, or raspberry lemon. Give them a try!

1C fruit (dried cranberries)
2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t orange zest
6 T cold butter cut into 1/4" pieces
1/2 C plus 1 T light cream
1 t vanilla
1/4 C light sour cream

Preheat to 425. Line large cookie sheet with parchment.
Mix dry ingred. Cut in butter. Add fruit and gently toss. Add 1/2 C cream, vanilla and zest. Stir to form ball. If you need more moisture, add a little more cream but you don't want dough to be too moist. It shouldn't stick to your hands! DON'T overwork! Form ball. Let sit a minute. Transfer to pan and pat into 8 inch circle. Cut into 8 equal wedges and separate by 1 inch apart at least. Brush tops with 1 T cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 18 min or until golden. DON'T over bake!!! Watch these! Cook slightly and serve with honey butter or just plain!

Hot Mexican Spinach Dip

Lately, I have been making hearty dips on Sunday for dinner.  It's quick, easy and I don't have to think ahead more than just making sure I have the ingredients.  We just all sit around the bowl and chow to our hearts content.  No fuss.  This one is really good.  I tweaked it from the original I found on allrecipes.com.  I like this because you can use any salsa to spice it up or down and same with the cheese.

1 (16 oz) jar salsa
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded pepper jack (you can also use monterey jack for a milder version)
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, diced and softened
1 (2.25 oz) can chopped black olives, drained (I just chopped my own)
1 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb or so loose Italian pork sausage, cooked (it didn't call for this, but my family is carnivorous, so it went in, and it was delish)

Preheat oven to 400.  In medium baking dish, mix together all ingredients.  Bake 12-15 minutes or til bubbly.  I gave it a quick stir cuz I didn't want a mouthful of hot cream cheese.  Serve with torilla chips or fritos.  I thought this might be good with cubed bread or crackers, too.

Shepherd's Pie

Here's a good 'ole standby from my college days. I got the recipe from Heather--she used to make it when we were at Ricks College. My family loves it. I love the simplicity of it and the fact that I always have the ingredients on hand. It's a great food storage recipe, especially if you use potato pearls instead of fresh. It makes the perfect amount for our family too--11x7 casserole dish or the equivalent.

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/2 t salt (or more)
lots of fresh ground pepper
1 can green beans, drained
1 can condensed tomato soup
5 medium potatoes, cooked
1/2 c milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated

-Brown meat with onion and salt and pepper. When cooked through, add green beans and tomato soup. Mix well.
-For fresh potatoes, peel, dice, and cook until fork-tender. Drain. Mash with milk and egg.
-For potato pearls--follow directions on can if you're using ones from the cannery--I use 1 c potato pearls and 2 1/4 c boiling water. I still add the beaten egg to this.
-In an 11x7 greased dish, put all of meat mixture in and spread even. Then top with mashed potatoes, spread to cover meat mixture. Top with grated cheese.
-Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly.
-Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

I was in a bind the other night, busily trying to get my typing done, when I asked Gwen to make dinner for us. It was pizza night but I couldn't find my regular pizza crust recipe and had no time to look for it, so I quickly looked on allrecipes and printed this one out. It turned out amazingly good. Usually my crust is too thick and bready, but this one came out crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. We didn't rise the dough for an hour like the recipe states since we were short on time, but it still turned out great and I know would be even better made the proper way. We also baked it a little differently than stated on the original recipe because pizza cooked at a higher temperature is how they do it in restraurants and the secret to good crust, so I hear, so the following is how we did it. This was the best homemade pizza I've had and Gwen did a better job than I think I could have done!

2 1/4 t active dry yeast
1/2 t brown sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
3 1/3 c flour

-In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and brown sugar in water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
-Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
-Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about an hour.
-Punch dough down; form a tight ball; let dough relax for a minute before rolling out.
-Gwen just pressed the dough into a large 16" pizza pan (the kind with tiny holes in the bottom-important for crispy crust) to the edges, making the dough thicker around the very edge for that extra "crust". You can spray your pan, but we didn't so that the crust could "grip" the pan and stay put.
-Preheat oven at 500. Bake for 5-8 minutes. Take out. Put on toppings. Put back in oven and bake for approximately 8 more minutes, or until cheese is bubbly, crust is golden, and toppings look cooked how you like them.

Easy Chocolate Lover's Cheesepie

I made this for Valentine's Day.  It is fast, easy, and really delicious!  It's rich, but not over the top.  I have had this recipe for years.  It's from Hershey's. 

3 packages cream cheese (8 oz ea), softened (I use the 1/3 less fat)

3/4 c sugar

3 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

2 c (12 oz pkg) Hershey's Mini Semi-Sweet Chips, divided

1 extra-serving-size packaged graham cracker crust (9 oz)

(I made my crust, I like homemade better.  I used a deep dish 9" pie plate)

2 T whipping cream

1. Heat oven to 450.

2. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Stir in 1 2/3 c small chocolate chips; pour into crust.

3. Bake 10 minutes.  Without opening oven door, reduce tempurature to 250; continue baking 30 minutes or just until set.  Remove from oven to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Cover; refigerate until thoroughly chilled.

4. Place remaining 1/3 c chips and whipping cream in a small bowl.  Microwave at high 20-30 seconds or just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.  Cool slightly; spread over top of cheesepie.  Refrigerate 15 minutes or until topping is set.  Cover; refrigerate leftover pie.  Serves 10.

Sugar Crinkles

I have had this recipe for years.  They are delicious and so quick and easy!  If you're in the mood for sugar cookies, but don't have the time for the traditional recipe, these are a great substitute.

1 c shortening (I do half butter, it's really a must)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
Cream this together. 
Add to creamed mixture:
2 c flour
1/2 t soda
1 t cream of tartar
1 t salt
Mix well.
Roll 1 tablespoon dough into a ball.  Roll in sugar.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Do not flatten.  Bake 10 minutes (or a little less) at 350.  Makes about 30 cookies.  (in an effort to make these festive, I used colored sugar.  I only had large granulated.  They weren't quite as yummy with the big chunks.  Use fine colored sugar, if they make it. Or just don't bother!!)

Weeknight Ravioli Bake

This is the one I told you about at girl's day! You probably have made something similar, but this is so good!
1 jar Prego, any flavor
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained. I like petite diced.
1/2 cup water
2 pkgs (1lb. each) frozen cheese ravioli, leave frozen. Can do meat filled if you prefer.
1 pkg shredded Italian cheese blend (2 cups)
Parmesan
Mix Prego with tomatoes and water. Pour 1 cup sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Layer half the frozen ravioli and 1 cup cheese blend. Repeat ravioli layer and remaining sauce. Top with remaining cheese blend. Cover and bake at 400 for 30 mins. Uncover and continue baking 15 mins till bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan, let stand 10 mins. Serve.

Brownie Trifle

1 pkg. brownie mix
2 1/2 cups cold milk
2 boxes chocolate instant pudding (3.4oz)
12 oz cool whip
3 Heath candy bars, chopped
Bake brownies, cool completely. Cut into bite-sizes cubes. Beat milk and pudding 2 mins. Fold in cool whip. Place 1/2 the brownie cubes in bottom of trifle pan , cover with 1/2 pudding layer. Repeat layers. Top with Heath crumbs.

Yummy French Dip Sandwhich

Crockpot on low, 10-12 hrs:
3 lb. roast
2 pkts. au jus mix
1 pkt onion soup mix
7-8 cups water
Shred beef and serve on buns and use juices from crock pot for dipping.

Hot Hammies

I stole this recipe from some blog I ran into!
Rhodes rolls, thawed
10-15 thin slices deli ham
10 slices swiss cheese
Roll out each roll into big as you can circle
Place slice ham and 1/2 slice or so swiss in center. Wrap dough around meat and cheese and seal all edges. Melt 1 cube butter. In a seperate bowl, mix 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 T dry parsely flakes, 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Dip each roll into butter then parmesan mixture. Place in greased baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to double, about 1 hr. Bake according to roll's package, 350 for 20 mins?? Be careful to watch for burning.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I finally found the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe! I was so excited once I baked them to find out that they were nice thick, soft, and chewy cookies--just the way we love them. In the past my oatmeal cookies have always gone flat, but not these babies! (Found at allrecipes with some adjustments).

1 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 3/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 c quick oats (I'm sure you could use reg.)
1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

-Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. I like to do this for a few minutes until it gets light and fluffy.
-Beat in eggs one at a time.
-Add vanilla.
-Combine flour, baking soda, and salt into separate bowl. Gradually add to creamed mixture UNTIL JUST BLENDED.
-Stir in oats, nuts, and chocolate chips. If you don't think you like nuts in cookies, you will in these. It's a small amount and hardly noticable but adds great flavor.
-Drop by heaping spoonfuls ontol ungreased baking sheets. I use medium size cookie scoop heaping.
-Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. I found 12 minutes to be perfect. Don't overbake. If your oven tends to cook fast check cookies at 10 minutes or so.
-Store in airtight container.

Homemade Whole Grain Pancake Mix

I decided I wanted to make my own pancake mix. Since I have a wheat grinder, I thought I should be thinking of more ways to use it.  I am also interested in fresher, more quality foods. These are just under 90% whole grain!  This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour Company's website.  It is SOOOO delicious!  This stores in an airtight container at room temp for 2 weeks, or indefinately in the fridge or freezer.  Everyone gave these a thumbs up tonight.  This will be really fast to whip up before school! 

4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

To Make Mix
1.Grind the oats in a food processer until they are chopped fine, but not a powder. (I just use quick oats and don't bother grinding. One less step.)
2.Put the flour, oats, and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running.
3.Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.
To Make Pancakes:
1.Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup of buttermilk (you can use soured milk, but buttermilk gives noticeably superior results; a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk also will do), and 1 large egg. Don't worry if it seems thin at first: the oats will soak up the milk, and the mix will thicken a bit as it stands. Let the batter stand for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
2.Heat a lightly greased griddle to 350°F (if you've got a griddle with a temperature setting; if not, medium-hot will do).
3.Drop the batter onto it in 1/4-cupfuls (a jumbo cookie scoop works well here) to make a 4" diameter pancake. If you have English muffin rings, use them; they make a perfectly round, evenly thick pancake. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface without breaking (after about 2 minutes, if your griddle is the correct temperature), turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side, which will take about 2 minutes.
4.Serve pancakes immediately, or stack and hold in a warm oven.
Yield: a batch using one cup of the mix will make about eight 4" pancakes.
Note: If you don't have buttermilk in the house, try the yogurt and milk combination first; if you happen to have buttermilk powder, try this: In place of the buttermilk, add 1/4 cup buttermilk powder to 1 cup of dry mix, then stir in 1 cup water and 1 large egg. The results won't be as magnificent as using liquid buttermilk, but you'll still have very tasty pancakes.
Variation: Add 1 tablespoon orange juice to the dry mix along with the buttermilk. We've found that the acidity and sweetness of the orange juice helps mellow the tannic taste some people perceive in whole wheat flour; while the pancakes won't have any orange flavor, they may taste slightly milder to you, if you're not a fan of whole wheat flour (but still want to get more whole grains into your diet).

I didn't use their brand of flour.  I ground my own WW flour and I only use unbleached anyway.  I only had quick oats on hand, so I used those instead.  I only had the mixture sit 10 minutes.  It seemed fine.  I also didn't have buttermilk, so I used the sour milk.  Whenever I do this in a buttermilk recipe, it makes a thinner pancake. (we call the too thick ones 'sinkers'--they sink to the pit of your stomach and stay! My dad always made sinkers growing up!!)  I don't mind the thinner, but it is different with the real stuff.  I would say they are better with buttermilk , but still delicious no matter what is used.  They also said you can freeze buttermilk in 1 cup portions to use at later times.  I will definitely do this, because I don't often have a need for buttermilk otherwise.  Also, these are fabulous with berries in them.  And my kids loved jam on them.  They were nervous to try the syrup I made. (see comments below!)

Here is a syrup recipe I found on Rumble in the kitchen blog.  It doesn't taste like Mrs. Butterworth.  Chris thought it tasted "boozy" with the rum.  I liked it.  Not sure what that says about me...  I think you just need to use a little.  Chris always dowses his pancakes, I am a minimalist!  See what you think, and let me know!

Homemade "Mrs. Butterworth's" Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp rum flavoring
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

1.Put the brown sugar & salt into a medium saucepan. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl or cup and drizzle with about 2 tbs. of water. Stir or whisk with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved, then add it to the saucepan along with the rest of the water.
2.Stir or whisk constantly over medium-high heat, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil one minute, still stirring.
3.Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let the syrup cool completely. When it's cool, stir in the extracts.

Winter Salsa

Don't you miss fresh salsa in the winter??  I surely do.  I came up with this the other day.  Most Mexican resturants don't use fresh tomatoes anyway.  And who doesn't have them on hand all the time?!

1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes--puree, diced, whatever you like (I put mine in the blender because I don't like chunks)
jalepeno pepper, to taste
annaheim pepper, to taste
onion, to taste
green onion, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
pepper
little bit of sugar, if desired
cilantro
2-3 tsp cider vinegar, to taste  (I found the vinegar was key to making it yummy!  I don't know if lime juice might do the same thing, you might play with that)

Put tomatoes, peppers, and some of plain onion in blender.  Whirl til just blended, not pulverized.  Put in bowl and add the rest of your ingredients.  Chris is the salsa king and he LOVES this!  Now we can have good salsa all year round!

Beef and Broccoli

My sister sent this yummy recipe to me.  This is really good and quick and easy!  My sister said she didn't have apple juice, so she substituted orange juice, and it was fine.  Her hubby is diabetic, so she only used 1T sugar, and she said it was good that way.  I put toasted sesame seeds in it for fun.  Enjoy!!!

1 pound top round beef steak
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tlbs sugar
¼ cup white grape juice or apple juice
2 Tlbs cornstarch
1 cup water
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, stems removed
4 Tlbs vegetable or olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
(toasted sesame seeds, optional)
Cut beef steak into 2-inch strips; set aside.(I cut mine into bite-sized pieces) Combine soy sauce, sugar, juice, cornstarch, and water in a small bowl; set aside. In a large skillet, stir-fry broccoli in 2 tlbs oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Do not overcook. Place broccoli in another dish. Pour remaining oil in the same skillet and heat on medium high. Add beef steak and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, not more than one minute. Pour soy sauce mixture over meat and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in sesame oil. Remove from heat. Stir in broccoli. Serve over hot steamed rice. Makes 8 servings.

Refreshing Shrimp Salad

I've been craving Costco's shrimp salad and thought I'd try making my own. I love what I came up with, so refreshing and perfect for a light meal, and of course it's low-carb so that makes it even better. You can use low-fat mayo to cut on the fat also if you'd like. This would be lovely served for brunch/lunch in a hollowed out tomato and a sprig of parsley or fresh dill on top for garnish (if putting in a tomato you may want to cut up shrimp a little bit). Can also be served on a bed of green leaf lettuce.

2 pounds medium cooked shrimp
3 stalks celery, diced
3 green onions, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 c mayonnaise
1 t kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1/2-1 t dill weed (fresh or dry)

-Combine everything in a large bowl and chill for at least an hour for flavors to mix.