Win a month of Pillsbury Toaster Strudel

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Cookbook Giveaway: 1,001 Ways to Cook Southern - Eating Our Words - SouthernLiving.com

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Cookbook Giveaway: 1,001 Ways to Cook Southern - Eating Our Words - SouthernLiving.com

Triple Chocolate Mess Cake in a Crockpot

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Spinach and Mushrooms Quesadillas

These arewesome!

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Big Soft Ginger Cookies

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43 Cake Baking Tips

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Never to old to learn something new

Last week while browsing recipe sites I learned something I have never known.  At the end of aluminum foil or plastic wrap rolls there are tabs you punch in to keep the roll locked in place.  I can't tell you how many times I have had a roll fall out of the box and I have had to roll it back up and put it back in the box.  Now, I hope I have helped someone else to keep their rolls in place! : )

Banana-Sour Cream Cake recipe

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Banana-Sour Cream Cake recipe

Graham Cracker Eclair "Cake" recipe

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Graham Cracker Eclair "Cake" recipe

Boston Cream Pie Minis recipe

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Boston Cream Pie Minis recipe

Creamy Broccoli-Stuffed Chicken Breasts recipe

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Creamy Broccoli-Stuffed Chicken Breasts recipe

No Bake Nutella Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 & 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 3 cups rolled oats

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.Reduce heat and continue to boil for 3 minutes, still stirring.
2. Remove from heat and add Vanilla.
3. Add Nutella.
4. Add oats and mix well.
5. Drop quickly onto  waxed paper and allow cookies to cool and set.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Someone I know (who shall remain nameless) loves Red Lobster's biscuits.  These seem pretty close to what they make.  Click on title to view

The Ultimate Chocolate Lover's Breakfast - Chocolate French Toast

I bet this would be good with Nutella in place of the chocolate
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The Ultimate Chocolate Lover's Breakfast - Chocolate French Toast

Peach Almond Muffins

I make these frequently at our house
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Broccoli Mac n Cheese

This sound sooo good!  Click on title to view

Finnish Pasty Recipe

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Some of you know that my maternal grandparents immigrated here from Finland.  Many of the Finnish people went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to live as did my grandparents.  The months are very long in the winter in the Upper Peninsula and very cold.  So, they ate heartily in order to sustain themselves and this is just one of the many recipes they made to do just that.

Vegetable Soup Recipe | Recipe4Living

Vegetable Soup Recipe | Recipe4Living

Quick Chicken Quesadillas Recipe | Recipe4Living

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Quick Chicken Quesadillas Recipe | Recipe4Living

Apple and Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1/2 Cup of skim milk
4 eggs whites, lightly beaten
1-16 oz of pumpkin
3 TBSP vegetable oil
2 Cups finely diced unpeeled green apple
1 Cup white flour
1 1/2 Cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/4 Cups  Sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Combine milk, egg substitute or egg whites, pumpkin,oil and diced apple.  Mix flours, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda together and add to the other ingredients.  Stir just until moistened.  Spoon into muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray or lined with papers.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cranberry Muffins

1 Cup of fresh cranberries
1/3 Cup of confectioners sugar
2 Cups of unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 Cup granulated sugar
1 egg slightly beaten
1 Cup of whole milk
3TBS unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease muffin cups.  Pick over, wash and drain the cranberries.  Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and set aside.  In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar.  Sift a second time into a large bowl and set aside.  In a small bowl stir together the egg and milk and then the butter,  Add the milk mixture to the reserved flour mixture, stirring as little as possible, just enough to moisten the dry ingredients.  Fold in the cranberries.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake 20-25 minutes.  Cool briefly on a wire rack.

Holiday Broccoli Casserole

2-16 oz pkgs frozen broccoli
1/2-9 oz package of frozen corn
one 24 oz carton of cottage cheese
3 Eggs
1/3 Cup of margarine or butter
1/3 Cup of all purpose flour
2 Cups of shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 Cup of chopped onion
8 slices of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
1/2 Cup of Wheat Germ

salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350.  Cook broccoli and corn, separately according to package directions; drain.  Combine cottage cheese, eggs, butter and flour in a blender or food processor until smooth and set aside.  Combine, broccoli, corn, onion, cheese and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl; blend in cottage cheese mixture into a 9x11 baking dish;sprinkle with bacon and wheat germ on top.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

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TA DA!

I wanted to categorize the recipes posted on this blog.  I was not certain how to accomplish this.  As noted, in a previous posting, I thought I could not have an index and an archive of the recipes.  However, with much determination to have both, I figured it out on my own. Nope, no help from "Bill Gates, Jr." (my hubby),  I did it all on my own.  Am I proud?  You bet I am!

After I finished the index, I took note of the most popular categories; Desserts and Appetizers.  Hmmmmm...what does that say..Hahahaha!  I will say this though some of the recipes are cross-referenced in their perspective categories.

Now don't forget we can still look at recipes in the archives.  Just scroll down a little further to view archived recipes.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• I carrot, chopped
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)*
• Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper

Combine butter, onion, celery, and carrot in large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add squash, apple, and broth. Bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree. Add spices to taste.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

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SUGAR

Ever wonder how much a gram(s) of sugar is in your food labels.  Check this out!  Makes ya think twice about buying some of these products.  Click on title to view

Try Campbell Soup

Enter sweepstakes to win the 25,000.00 Grand Prize.

Try Campbell Soup

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
adapted from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper cups.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix with light strokes until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not overmix; batter will not be smooth.

Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in one or two of the muffins come out clean, 12-15 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, melt 1/2 stick butter and place in a bowl just large enough to hold a muffin. Combine ½ cup of sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small, shallow bowl. As soon as the muffing are done, dip them one at a time in the melted butter and then roll in the sugar mixture. Set on a rack to cool. Yields 12 standard muffins.

Homemade Vanilla

I'd like to try this
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Lemon Pepper Chicken

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• lemon wedges for garnish

1. In a bowl combine all ingredients except the chicken.
2. Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until they are a uniform thickness. This ensures that they will cook evenly.
3. Place chicken in a glass dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Turn the chicken to coat. Marinate for 2 hours.
4. After two hours, remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the remaining marinade.
5. Cook the chicken in a skillet 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges

Seven Layer Dip

• 1 14.5 ounce can of spicy refried beans
• 1 8 ounce container of guacamole
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 can sliced olives
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced

1. Combine the mayo, sour cream and taco seasoning in a small bowl.
2. Spread the refried beans on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan.
3. Spread guacamole on top of the beans.
4. Spread the mayo, sour cream and taco seasoning mixture on top of the guacamole.
5. Sprinkle the cheese, green onions, olives and then tomatoes.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Nutella
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prep baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, the sugar and the brown sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla until combined.

4. Gradually add the flour until the mixture is combined.

5. Then mix Nutella. Finally add in the chocolate chips.

6. Use ice cream scoop and drop on baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes.

Beef-Shitake-Barley Soup

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Turtle Cake

I have had this recipe forever.  In fact, Bob mentioned this morning how old the index card I have it on looked.  Speaking of Bob, I made this cake for him when he came to visit me in Michigan.  I quickly learned that you do not ask Bob to help when unwrapping caramels are involved.  I sat him down on the couch with a bowl for the unwrapped caramels and one for the wrappers.  Somehow, I think he must have gotten confused by my instructions because when I checked on him, he was eating about every other caramel he unwrapped. : )


1 box German Chocolate cake mix
1/4 lb butter
14 oz pkg caramels (I prefer Kraft)
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
6 oz chopped pecans
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix cake mix as directed on box.  Bake half the mix in a greased and floured 13x9 pan in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  In the top of a double boiler melt together butter, caramel and sweet milk.  Remove top pan of double boiler from heat.  Cool butter mixture slightly and pour over baked half of cake.  Pour the rest of the cake batter over butter mixture.  Then sprinkle the batter with chocolate chips and pecans.  Bake in a 350 degree oven 20-25 minutes.  **Serve with vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip.

**I never serve it with either because it is so rich without these

Tips

Crack Egg In Cup Before Measuring Shortening or Margarine
Tired of trying to clean the margarine or shortening out of the measuring cup after you use it? I am! But I discovered a trick today. If your recipe calls for an egg(s), crack the egg into the measuring cup your going to use for measuring the margarine or shortening. Pour the egg into your mixing bowl. now using the same measuring cup that the egg was in, measure out the margarine or shortening. You will be surprised at how easily the margarine or shortening comes out leaving behind no greasy gobs of shortening or margarine. 

Single edged razor blade useful for spills

I always keep a razor blade holder with a new single edge blade in it in my kitchen drawer. It is a great tool for cleaning ceramic stove top spills, caked on spills in the refrigerator or other stubborn spots. Just hold the blade at about a 30 degree angle so you don't scratch what you are working on (especially on your ceramic stove top). Draw the blade across just like you are scraping paint. Usually peels right off.

Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone

This recipe is awesome!  However, I did tweak it a bit by adding a dash of red wine, a few drops of Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce.Click on title to view

Spinach, Bacon and Potato Pie

2 lbs of Yukon Gold Potatoes
1-6 oz bag of baby spinach
3 TBS bread crumbs
4 slices of bacon
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
1 large egg
1/2 Cup Romano cheese
1/2 Cup Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp hot sauce

Cook pealed potatoes in boiling water until tender.  Stir in spinach.  Drain, place in a large bowl and mash.  Spray a pie plate and sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Cook bacon until crisp and then crumble.  Cook onion and garlic in bacon drippings until soft.  Then stir into potato mixture with egg, cheese, salt, pepper and hot sauce Spoon into pie plate Sprinkle with 3 TBS of romano cheese.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Peanut Butter Pie

I got this recipe from my now deceased older brother Tom who was an excellent cook and that was how he made a living.  Love you and miss you, Tom.

Peanut Butter Pie

2 Cups Vanilla Ice Cream
1 Cup Jiff Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 tsp  vanilla
1 TBS white sugar
1 nine inch graham cracker crust

Mix first four ingredients and freeze in the graham cracker crust until firm.

Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

Pie crust of your choice, either homemade or store bought

Filling:
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons caramel sundae syrup

To prepare filling, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Add sugar mixture and apples to skillet; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; stir in 3 tablespoons flour and lemon juice. Spoon into prepared crust.  To prepare topping, lightly spoon 1/4 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.  Combine flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a bowl; cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Drizzle syrup over apple mixture; sprinkle topping over syrup.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.  Cool on a wire rack

Cranberry Fluff

2 cups raw cranberries, ground in a food processor or chopped very finely
1 cup white sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
6 cups miniature marshmallows
1 can crushed pineapple, drained

Combine the ground cranberries and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, whip the cream and stir in the miniature marshmallows. Let both mixtures sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and then fold the cranberry mixture into the whipped cream. Then gently fold in the crushed pineapple and spoon the mixture into your serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let set for several hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator.

Bleu Cheese Dressing

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Bob absolutely loves bleu cheese dressing.  I may try this one day soon

Ameretto

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Cherry Pound Cake

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Fun hot dogs for kids

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Hot spiced instant tea

I am a big tea drinker.  I used to drink coffee but when I began having stomach issues, I switched to tea. I received this recipe from a good friend who gave me a jar of this tea as a Christmas gift.  Thanks Laurie!

1 can of orange Kool-Aid
1/4 Cup pre-sweetened lemonade Kool-Aid
1 Cup instant tea
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Mix all together in a bowl or for a layered look in jar, do small scoops a little at a time.  To drink start with 2-3 tsp per hot cup of water.  In other words, flavor to your liking.

No bake Cherry Cheese Pie

In all fairness to Michigan I can't help but mention Traverse City, Michigan is the cherry growing hub in Michigan.  I have never been to the annual cherry festival they have in July of each year but it seems like fun.  Have any of ya'll ever been?  Anyway, here is my cherry cheese pie recipe.  I don't know why but we have always referred to it as cherry cheesecake.  Maybe because it is so similar to cheesecake.

1-9 inch graham cracker crust
1- 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
1-14oz can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1/3 Cup of lemon juice
1 tsp of vanilla
1 can of cherry pie filling

Beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Add sweetened condensed milk; blend thoroughly.  Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.  Pour into graham cracker crust.  Chill 3 hours or until set.  Top with desired amount of pie filling. Refrigerate leftovers (if there are any).  : )

Peach Enchiladas

South Carolina grows more peaches than any other state in the U.S.  We don't live to far from a HUGE peach orchard in Mcbee, SC.  It is called Mcleod Farms.  They have their own store at the local farmers market where they sell peaches, apples, strawberries, jams, jellies, pies, ice cream, etc.  Recently I picked up this recipe from their counter.  I haven't tried it yet but it sounds good.

2-8oz tubes of crescent rolls
2-sticks of butter
1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4-6  large peaches, peeled and quartered
1-12 oz can of Mountain Dew

Melt butter;add cinnamon and sugar.  Unroll crescent dough and place one quarter of a peach on each crescent.  Roll dough  around peach from large end to small end.  Place in a 12"x10"x2" pan.  Pour butter mixture over the rolls and then pour the Mountain Dew on top.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Yield 16 servings.

Fruit cocktail coffee cake

I can't take credit for this one.  I got this one from my older sister Jean.  It is really easy and great if you low on coffee cake ingredients.

1    Cup Flour
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1     tsp baking soda
1/2  tsp salt
1/2  Cup Brown Sugar
1/2  Cup pecans or walnuts
1     17 oz. can of fruit cocktail
1     large egg

Mix the first four ingredients together.   Make a hole in the center.  Put the egg and the well drained can of fruit cocktail in the hole.  Mix well and put in a sprayed 8 X 8 pan.  Sprinkle withe 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of nuts.

Pecan Caramel Spiders

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Welcome new members

Welcome to the blog, Bev and Robin!.  I hope you enjoy browsing and please take the time to post your favorite recipes.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Serve this with graham crackers

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup miniature chocolate chip
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1.  In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
2.  Gradually add the icing sugar, then the brown sugar, then vanilla; beat just until combined.
3.  Stir in chocolate chips.
4.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5.  Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball; it helps to put your   hands under the plastic wrap to help you form it without getting your hands sticky.
6.  Place nuts in flat bowl and roll ball in pecans, trying to coat evenly.
7.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
8.  Serve with graham crackers.

Hot Pepper Cheese Ball

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Low fat and calorie version of baked potato soup

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Pepperoni Puffs

Pepperoni puffs  
 * 3/4 cup flour
    * 3/4 tsp. baking powder
    * 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
    * 3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
    * 1 egg, lightly beaten
    * 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
    * 4 oz. pepperoni, diced (about 1 cup)
    * 1/2 cup pizza sauce (homemade or store-bought)
    * 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely diced.
Method:

Preheat oven to 375o.  Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and oregano; whisk in the milk and egg.  Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.  Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups.  Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.  Warm the pizza sauce, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil.  Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil.  Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Tip:
These would of course be fun with tons of other ingredients!  Some possible ideas that come to mind (all of these diced pretty small!) might be:

    * “Hawaiian” – canadian bacon and diced pineapple
    * sausage
    * green or red peppers
    * olives
    * onion
    * etc….

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

Butterscotch Oatmeal Rice Crispy Cookies

1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. oil
1 egg
3 1/2 c. flour
1 c. white chocolate, peanut butter and butterscotch chips
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
1 c. Rice Krispies
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. oatmeal
1 c. coconut

Cream sugar, butter, oil and eggs. Beat in flour, soda and tartar. Stir in Krispies, oatmeal, coconut and chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet.

Easy Almond Apple Pie

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"Manwhich" Style Sloppy Joe's

"MANWICH STYLE" SLOPPY JOES   

3 lbs. ground beef
1 c. ketchup
1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 sm. cans tomato paste
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped green pepper

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Pay close attention if you make these and be sure to use a loaf pan

Ingredients:

2 Sticks Butter, softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Red Food Dye

Yellow Food Dye

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda, beat until well mixed. Divide dough into thirds. Press one-third of the white dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with foil, wax, or parchment paper. Place another one-third of the dough into a bowl and add yellow and red food dye to make orange (refer to the chart on the back of your box). Once it is mixed evenly, press orange dough evenly over white dough. In another bowl, add the final amount of dough and dye yellow. Press that evenly over the orange dough. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight is best). Once chilled, invert your loaf pan and unwrap your dough. Flip it back over and place it on a cutting board. Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Place cookies straight into a bowl with sugar and coat. Place coated cookies on a baking rack to cool.

Granola

I love Granola!  I always have since I was young.  I guess it is the toasted oatmeal that appeals to me.  Last fall I was making it all the time.  What a healthy snack!

 

Homemade Granola:

In a large bowl throw together the following ingredients for the granola, substitute as you see fit.

• 6 cups rolled oats (we prefer thick rolled, do NOT substitute quick cooking)
• 1 cup slivered or sliced almonds
• 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds (or cashews or nut of choice)
• 1 cup shredded coconut

In a small bowl mix together:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp kosher salt (reduce if any of the nuts are salted)
• 1/2 cup, packed brown sugar
• a scant (meaning not quite to the line) 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use peanut)

Once this is stirred together, pour it over the oat mixture and stir until distributed evenly.
Spread on two baking sheets and bake for 1.5 hours at 250F, stirring once or twice. The oven doesn’t even needs to be preheated.  Allow to cool and store in an airtight container. -Now is when you stir in the dried apples, raisins, dried cranberries, whatever floats your boat.
Really can a recipe be any more simple?

Grits, Real Grits

The first step is to visit your local grocery store and buy a bag of grits. Do not buy instant grits, or five minute grits, but only the bag labeled "regular grits." And, God forbid, do not buy little individual packages of instant grits, which are mostly wheat flour.

Read the directions and use the amounts of water and grits suggested. Put the water into a saucepan which has a lid, but don't cover it yet. Sprinkle in a little salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then slowly add the suggested amount of grits, stirring all the while. As soon as the rolling boil returns, turn down the heat to medium, just enough to maintain a slow boil, and let it boil for one minute, stirring all the while to prevent boil-over.

After slow boiling for one minute, reduce the heat to the lowest setting available, let the boil cease, then, and only then, cover the saucepan. It will bubble once in a while, but about every five minutes uncover, stir thoroughly, and recover. Continue that for twenty minutes and you will then have real grits, not the fake instant or five minute junk. (Those have wheat flour added for rapid cooking, so are not real grits.)

Grits may be eaten with just a dab of butter, or a sunny side egg placed on top, or anything else to your liking, gravy, ham, bacon, even salmon. Believe it or not, some people spoon on jelly! (Not Southerners!)

Think of grits as an artist's canvas. They are bare until you adorn them.

Tip Hero

I previously stated that I subscribe to Tip Nut but I was wrong.  I realized it today when I got my newsletter from Tip Hero.  This is the website where I have gotten many tips, freebies and coupons.  Just thought I'd correct myself if anyone was interested. : )  Click on the title of this post to view most current newsletter

PINA COLADA DIP

PINA COLADA DIP
---------------

  1 pkg. cream cheese
  1 pkg. dry pina colada drink mix
  3 tbsp. rum
  1 tbsp. milk
  2 tbsp. sugar
  Crushed pineapple (optional)

Mix well and refrigerate. Serve with fresh fruit. A
delicious summertime treat.

Garlic and herb marinade

• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian-style seasoning
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the water, vinegar, oil, garlic, thyme, Italian-style seasoning, poultry seasoning, rosemary, salt and ground black pepper. Mix well and apply to your favorite meat and marinate at least one hour (preferably overnight)

Dog Treat Website

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I like this website however I am not so sure I want to give my dogs garlic.  I have read some reports that garlic is bad for your dog.  Well, I am making the dog peanut butter treats as we speak.  They love peanut butter but I don't give them it very often.

New Favorite Website-How Sweet It Is

You may have noticed that I have a list of my favorite recipe websites on the left hand side of the main page.  Today I added How Sweet It Is.  Don't dismiss this website because of it's title because it isn't all sweet and sugary recipes.  This woman has a variety of recipes plus she has some blogs on fitness.  I like her blog and I hope you will take the time to browse it too.  

Sweet Potato Skins

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Homemade Kit-Kat Candy Bar Recipe

• 3 wrapped packs from club crackers divided (Keebler work well)
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
• 2/3 cups peanut butter

Preparation:

Spray a 13x9x2-inch pan with cooking spray and line bottom with a single layer of crackers. Combine butter, sugars, graham cracker crumbs and milk in saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat and boil 5 minutes. Pour half of the sauce over crackers, then place another layer of crackers over the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over crackers, then arrange the third layer of crackers over sauce. In a saucepan combine chocolate and butterscotch chips, and peanut butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. Pour over top layer of crackers. Refrigerate until sauce is hardened. Cut into squares.
Makes about 20.

Better Than Twix Bars

Better Than Twix Bars..
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
10 ounces caramels, unwrapped (I used 35 Brach's Milk Maid Caramels)
1 tablespoon, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons heavy cream
8 ounces milk chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable shortening (I used vegetable oil), optional

Preheat oven to 300º. Line 8 x 8 inch pan with nonstick foil or greased regular foil.

Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour. Press evenly into pan...you may need to flour your fingers to prevent sticking. Prick crust with fork. Bake 35-45 minutes till crust is golden.

Immediately after removing crust from oven, run knife around edges to loosen crust. Cool completely.

Melt caramel and cream gently in microwave or in saucepan over low heat till smooth. Pour over cooled crust and chill for 30 minutes.

Gently melt chocolate in microwave or in double boiler over low heat. Add shortening or oil if too thick to pour. Pour over chilled caramel and spread to edges. Chill till chocolate is well set. Cut into squares to serve. Store covered in refrigerator, but remove a few minutes before serving.

Jello shots

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When I was younger, the girls and I would go out to the local bar once in a while and drink a "little".  If we wanted a shot of something the waitress would bring it in liquid form.  When Susan was in college I began hearing about these things called jello shots.  So I asked one of the younger tellers I worked with at the bank about them and she explained to me the basics of making them.  Years later, after I moved to Darlington, I had accidentally bought the wrong size Dixie cups for my bathroom cup holder.  I thought to myself that these were the size cups the teller told me to use when making "jello shots".  When I explained it to Susan, she laughed and said those were kind of big for jello shots.  A few months later when she and Andy came to visit us for the first time in Darlington she brought the shot cups and ingredients to make them.  So, Bob and I sampled jello shots for the first time ever.

I'm rich, I'm rich, Thousand dollar bars

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Better Than Crack Brownies

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Contributor, Dorothy Pitt told me she made these this past weekend.  She said they were good but make sure to have a glass of milk with one because they are real sweet.  I plan to try them sometime in the near future.  I think Bob is anticipating them because since I posted the recipe on FB he has mentioned them at least three times. : ) 

Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

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My mother did not ever get a drivers license.  So when I was a young girl, we would catch the city bus to go downtown shopping sometimes on her days off from work.  At that time all the major department stores were in downtown Lansing.  There were no malls.  Most of the time we would stop for lunch or a snack.  I particularly liked it when we stopped a Kresge discount store's cafeteria  because they had the best lemon meringue pie.  This where I discovered my love for lemon meringue pie. This is the only recipe I use for lemon meringue pie. It is soooooo good! : p

Tip Nut

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I love to browse this website and I subscribe to their newsletter.  They often have freebies that I submit my name and address for.  The last time I submitted mine, it was for a free sample of Better Than Ears from Walmart.  It was a small sample but Rebel and Dixie loved them.  Plus, it came with a $1.00 off coupon.  So, when Bi-Lo had them on sale for 1.76, I bought a good sized package for .76.  When I go them home, I cut each one in half to economize and they don't need a whole one.

Food substitutes

You may not always have what you need for a recipe and don't want to rush to the grocery store in the middle of making your dish.  So, here is a helpful website identifying what can be substituted for certain ingredients

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Apple Use Chart

Some of you may not realize that certain apples are best to use in some recipes.  Myself, I always forget which ones to use for pie.  This chart outlines which variety to use for which recipe.

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Bread Machine Dinner Rolls (Yeast Rolls)

This recipe is from the Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook. I suppose you could modify if you do not own a bread machine by doing the kneading yourself.


Dinner Rolls (Yeast rolls)

1 Cup water
2 TBS margarine or butter, softened
1 egg
3 1/4 Cups of bread flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsps bread machine yeast or quick active dry yeast
Margarine or butter melted, if desired

MEASURE carefully placing all ingredients except melted margarine in bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer

SELECT Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles

REMOVE dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface.

GREASE large cookie sheet. Divide dough into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place 30 to 40 minutes or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched)

HEAT oven to 375. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with melted margarine. Serve warm or coll on wire rack.

Oyster Dressing

My step-daughter, Chrissy makes a REALLY good oyster dressing.  It has to be good because I don't really even like oysters but her oyster dressing is great.  I am hoping she signs up for this blog because like her sister, Trisha she is an excellent cook.  But in the meantime, I will give you Paula Deen's Oyster Dressing recipe.  Unlike Paula Deen does, I would just buy Pepperidge Farms Cornbread Stuffing in a bag.

Cornbread:

• 1 cup self rising cornmeal
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dressing:

• 7 slices white bread, dried in warm oven
• Cornbread
• 1 sleeve saltine crackers
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 2 pints or 1 quart oysters, drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the cornbread, combine all ingredients and pour into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the dressing, crumble dried white bread slices, cornbread and crackers. Mix together and set aside. Saute chopped celery and onion in butter until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour over corn bread mixture. Add stock, mix well and add salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Add oysters and mix. Pour into a greased pan. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Bacon Crescents recipe

I made these and Chrissy got to taste test them as she had stopped by when they were coming out of the oven. They are good! Chrissy suggested putting jalapenos in them too. I haven't tried the jalapenos yet but it does sound good

Cream Cheese Bacon Crescents recipe

Chicken Macaroni Bake

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey, cooked and cubed
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz pasta, any varity, cooked
buttered bread crumbs

Prepare pasta according to directions. Brown onion in butter. Stir in soup,chicken, milk and 3/4 cups cheese: heat until cheese melts. Blend sauce with cooked noodles: pour into buttered baking dish. Mix remaining cheese and bread crumbs and place on top.

Back at 350 for 30 mins or until hot

Chicken Kabobs

• This is seriously the best chicken kebob recipe I have ever made! 
• 
  
• 1 lemon
• 1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 pinch dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into sections
• 1/2 lb grape tomatoes (they look like small, pear shaped cherry tomatoes, but they are much better on the grill, and taste)
• 2 red peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

1.  Place chicken breast pieces in a bowl.
2.  Pour in enough olive oil to completely cover pieces, squeeze the lemon over them, and then add the garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt, and a couple of twists of cracked pepper.
3.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4.  Assemble kebabs, and grill until chicken is no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes depending on your grill.
5.  Don't overcook them, though.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Some of you may not realize it but Darlington, SC is the sweet potato capital of the world.  Yup, we have a big festival uptown every October and they have many different food items you can buy that is made with sweet potatoes along with the usual festival type food.

From the kitchen of Mrs. Linda Wheeler, Statesville

2 cups sweet potatoes (cooked)
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
3 cups flour
3 Tbsp baking powder

Stir sweet potatoes, margarine and sugar while potatoes are still hot. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll and cut into biscuits. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown. Serve hot with butter.

Cake In A Jar

1 18.25 oz package yellow cake mix

8 Straight Sided Wide Mouth Jars with Lids and Rings

Prepare the cake according to package instructions, or use any cake recipe.

In pint size, straight-sided wide-mouth jars, put 1 cup of batter in each greased jar. Make sure to keep the rims of the jars clean. Put in preheated oven 350 degrees F. Place jars on a cookie sheet to keep from tipping over while baking.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. While they are baking, have your jar lids boiling in a pan of water. When the cake is done, take one jar out at a time and add the hot lid and screw on your jar ring and let set and cool.

It will seal as it cools. Place the jars on the counter and listen for them to "ping" as they seal. If you miss the "ping", wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn't move at all, it is sealed.

After it cools it will pull away ffrom the jar and when you are ready to eat, open and pop out the cake. You can ice just before eating if you like. Enjoy.

Orange Dreamsicle Delight

1 - .3oz box of Orange Flavor Sugar Free Jello 1 - 1oz box of Fat Free Sugar Free Vanilla Instant Pudding 1 - container of Cool Whip Free (8oz.)

Makes approximately 4 1-cup servings

Prepare Jello according to package directions by adding the hot and cold water. Stir in instant pudding powder mix (do not prepare as normal). I use a wire wisk to mix.
Fold in entire container of Cool Whip Free, and wisk until completely blended. Refrigerate for a few hours until set.


Number of Servings: 4

Pecan Pie

• 9 inches pie shells
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup pecan halves

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Beat sugar, eggs, salt, butter, and syrup.
3.  Fold in pecans.
4.  Pour into pie shell.
5.  Bake for 50 minutes.

Pumpkin Pocket Pies :: Malinda Coletta [Professorchef] :: Justapinch.com

Pumpkin Pocket Pies :: Malinda Coletta [Professorchef] :: Justapinch.com

Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Bake

I can't seem to weasel Mrs. Jessie's Sweet Potato Casserole out of Trisha so here is Paula Deen's version.

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
Mix together with fork; sprinkle over top of casserole**

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients together except for cream. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cream;mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish ( 1 1/2 quarts). Add topping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
**Note Trisha always puts miniature marshmallows over the top after the casserole is done cooking and browns them lightly in the oven.  YUM!

Chrissy's Banana Pudding

I can't take any credit for this one.  I got this one from my step-daughter Chrissy Stevens-Jackson who is an excellent cook and fantastic person

3 small pkgs instant vanilla pudding
4 Cups Milk
8 oz sour cream
1 box of vanilla wafers
1 large carton of Cool Whip
7-8 bananas, sliced

Mix milk and sour cream with pudding mix.
Add half the Cool Whip.
In a large container alternate layers of vanilla wafers, banana and pudding mixture.
Top with remaining Cool Whip.
Cover and refrigerate.

Paula Deen Cinnamon Rolls

Thanks to Susan Garman for the photo and the suggestion of this recipe for cinnamon rolls

Dough:

• 1/4-ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Special K Bars and Gourmet Pretzel Rods

Thanks again to Susan Garman for the fine photo of the goodies she made

7-8 c. Special K cereal
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white Karo syrup
1 c. peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips

Put sugar and syrup in large saucepan and heat. Stir constantly until bubbly on sides. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir. Pour over cereal in large bowl. Stir. Pat into 9"x13" pan (pat firmly). Heat chips together in double boiler until smooth. (Or heat in microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on High.) Spread on bars. Cut when chocolate is firm.

GOURMET PRETZEL RODS

• 10 ounces pretzel sticks (Pretzel RODS)
• 12 ounces milk chocolate chips (or melting disks)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
• candy sprinkles (optional)
• miniature M&M's chocolate candies (optional)
• mini Reese's pieces (optional)
• chopped peanuts (optional)
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 33 mins

1.  Melt milk chocolate chips in double boiler or in microwave (be careful not to burn in the micro).
2.  If you are using the white chocolate, wait until later before melting unless you can keep it over warm water.
3.  Dip each pretzel rod about 2/3 of the way up in chocolate.
4.  Lay on wax paper lined baking sheets, lining up the rods but leave a bit of space between them.
5.  Allow to set a little, but not completely dry (while waiting, make sure your white chocolate is ready).
6.  Dip a fork into the white chocolate and drizzle over the milk chocolate by gently swishing the fork back and forth over the rods but not touching them.
7.  Place your sprinkles or candies on a paper plate and roll each pretzel rod in desired topping (or just sprinkle on).
8.  Lay back on wax paper to set completely.
9.  These look great displayed in, or given in, a unique glass or mug.

Layered Peppermint Bark (Photo courtesy of Susan Garman)

17 ounces good-quality white chocolate -- finely chopped (such as Lindt or Baker's)
30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint -- coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)
candies
7 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or -- chopped
semisweet chocolate
6 tablespoons whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover securely with foil. Mark 12
x 9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over
saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch
water) until chocolate is melted and smooth and candy thermometer
registers 110°F. (chocolate will feel warm to touch). Remove from over
water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using
icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup
crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium
saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely
lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long
lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread
bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm,
about 25 minutes.

Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water
to 110°F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet
chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining
crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes.

Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into
2-inch-wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work
surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section
diagonally into 2 triangles. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Chill in airtight
container.) Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Makes 36 pieces.

Happy Birthday Robin and Trisha!

Manicotti for Two Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Manicotti for Two Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Oyster Casserole

This is one of Bob's specialties.  He will make it when he can get fresh oysters.    Oyster Casserole

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

This sounds really good! I have never made it with maple syrup

Vegetable Pizza

CRUST
Roll of pizza crust or crescent rolls
SAUCE
2 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese
2/3 cups mayo
1 1/2 Tbsp. dry Haily Ranch dressing
TOPPING
Any raw vegetables, chopped

Bake crust 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool. Mix cheese, mayo, and Ranch dressing. Spread over crust. Sprinkle veggies over cheese mixture. You can sprinkle more of the dry dressing. Veggies-celery, bell peppers, carrots, onion, tomato, broccoli, and cauliflower.

This is a great veggie pizza and you can use low fat mayo and Lite-ranch dressing if you can find it in the packs.

Veggie Dip

1 Cup of Mayonnaise
1 pt of sour cream
2 TBS dill weed
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp Lowery's seasoning salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 TBS of fine chopped onions
1 TBS of Worcestershire sauce

Oreo Cookie Dessert

And of course Susan's favorite

OREO COOKIE DESSERT

1 16 oz package of Oreo Cookies
2/3 Cup melted butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 16 oz container of Cool Whip
1 Cup powdered sugar
1 large box of instant chocolate pudding

Crush Oreo cookies. Set aside 1/2 cup of crushed cookies. Mix remaining crumbs with melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. Refrigerate one hour.

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and half the Cool Whip. Spread over cookie layer and refrigerate one hour. Mix pudding according to directions on the box. Spread pudding on top of the cream cheese layer. Let it set for about 15 minutes and top with remaining Cool Whip. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs and refrigerate.

Favorite Food Processor Pie Crust

My favorite food processor pie dough from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
It never fails me. Their recipe calls for shortening but I prefer unsalted butter ever since I heard Martha Stewart suggest it.

1 Cup of flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 Cup unsalted butter or shortening
1/4 Cup ice water

Process flour and salt in food processor, pulsing 3 or 4 times or until combined. Add shortening or butter pulsing 5 or 6 times or until mixture is crumbly. With processor running slowly add ice water one TBS at a time. Process just until pastry begins to form a ball and leaves sides of bowl. Chill 30 minutes. Roll pastry to an 1/8 thickness on a lightly floured surface. Place in a 9 inch pie plate. Trim off excess pastry edges. Fold edges under and crimp. For baked pastry shell, prick bottom and sides of pastry generously with a fork and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Chicken marinade

* 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, Fine sliced
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 green onion, chopped


Total Time: 4 3/4 hrs

1. 1 Combine marinade ingredients.
2. 2 Place in glass bowl or dish that will hold chicken in single layer.
3. 3 Add chicken; let marinate a minimum of 4 hours, turning occasionally.
4. 4 May be left in fridge, covered overnight.
5. 5 Remove chicken from marinade.
6. 6 Grill chicken on barbecue, basting with marinade at intervals, bake 30 to 45 minutes in 350 F degree oven or until cooked through.

Cauliflower Soup-Weight Watchers

Contributed by Dorothy Pitt

Cauliflower SOUP:

1 small head of cauliflower
1 cup rice cooked in 2 cups water
saute some onion in a little oil i use butter add chopped cauliflower sorta small pieces..saute this for a bit..in soup pot add this to the cooked rice and 2 cans chicken broth..add a little water if needed..simmer till cauliflower is tender..serve with Parmesan cheese

Copycat Picante Sauce

Copycat Picante Sauce

1-28 0z can of tomato sauce
28 oz water
1 medium yellow onion
2 Fresh jalapeno peppers, with seeds minced
1/4 White vinegar
1 tsp of salt
1 TBS dried onion flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder



Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over medium to high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and cool. Store in an airtight jar in fridge until serving

Buckeyes (Photo courtesy of Susan Garman)

* 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
* 1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter
* 1 lb powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
* Crisco


1. 1 Mix peanut butter, margarine or butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in bowl (It helps to soften the margarine).
2. 2 Shape into 1" balls.
3. 3 Refrigerate balls.
4. 4 Meanwhile, melt chocolate with a bit of crisco (so the chocolate will harden. Without crisco, chocolate will remain soft.) in double boiler.
5. 5 Insert toothpick into refrigerated balls and dip into chocolate, leaving small area resembling a buckeye.
6. 6 Cool on wax paper and store in refrigerator or freezer

Fool proof chocolate fudge

* 3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
* Dash salt
* 1/2 to 1 cups chopped nuts (optional)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* LINE 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
* MELT chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
* CHILL 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of foil. Cut into squares.
* MICROWAVE METHOD
* COMBINE chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in 1-quart glass measure. Cook on HIGH (100% power) 3 minutes or until chips are melted, stirring after 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Proceed as above.

Fritos Hot Bean Dip Recipe @CDKitchen

Fritos Hot Bean Dip Recipe @CDKitchen

Click on title to get recipe link

Asparagus Casserole

We usually make this for holiday dinners.

* 1 (15 ounce) can asparagus, drained well (the recipe calls for a Large can, so it is bigger than 15 oz. or you may want to use 2 15 oz. cans)
* 1/2 cup butter (melted, I use smart balance light)
* 2 cups cracker crumbs (I use ritz light)
* 1/2 lb cheddar cheese (I use 2%)
* 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (I use 98% fat free)
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans


Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

1. 1 Mix cracker crumbs and melted butter together.
2. 2 In baking dish, place a layer of 1/2 the buttered crumbs, 1/2 cheese, and a layer of asparagus.
3. 3 Cover with Soup.
4. 4 Sprinkle with pecans.
5. 5 Top with remainder of cheese.
6. 6 Cover with remainder of cracker crumbs.
7. 7 bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (I bake about 30-35)

Dirt Dirt Cake

1 large box vanilla pudding(instant)
1 bag Oreo cookies
3 cups Milk
1 (4oz) cream cheese, softened
1 large cool whip
1 cup confectioners sugar

Blend oreos in blender or put in a ziploc bag and mash up.
Mix together milk, Cool whip, pudding, softened cream cheese, and sugar. Layer mix and cookie crumbs in large bowl. Save enough crumbs to put on top to make it look like dirt. You can add jelly worms coming out of the top for kids. They love this. Keep in the refrigerator until all is eaten.

Squash Patties

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated squash
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tsp. finely chopped green or banana pepper(optional)

Combine flour, sugar, salt, milk, egg and oil. Beat with electric mixer(low) until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Drop mixture by tablespoons into hot greased skillet. Cook until brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Yields 2 dozen.

I have tried these and they are really good.

Campbell's Kitchen: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Campbell's Kitchen: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

Watergate Salad

Daddy use to buy this at the grocery store when we were little, and I use to buy it after I got married. Glad I found this recipe.

1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 package of pistachio pudding
1/8 cup of chopped nuts
8 oz Cool whip

Mix crushed pineapple and pudding mix. Add nuts and Cool whip.
Serve cold

Hot Hamburger dip

This is the dip that is made with Veleeta and Rotelle

1 lb ground hamburger or Jimmy Dean mild sausage
1 small box Velveeta cheese
1 (12 oz) jar picante sauce(or use 1 can of Rotelle tomato and peppers in the can)
Brown meat, drain. Mix with cheese and sauce. Put in crock-pot or chafing dish.
Serve with tortilla chips

Spinach Dip

16 oz. sour cream
1 pkg. Knolls Vegetable dip or Ranch dip mix(original)
1 can water chestnuts, chopped(optional)
1 (10 oz) package, chopped spinach drained and well and thawed

Put all ingredients in bowl and mix well. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Looks great served in hollowed out round bread loaf

Cheese Ball

2 lb. sharp cheese
2 large pkg. cream cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
4 grated cloves of garlic
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
Mixture of Parsley, Ground nuts, paprika
Grate cheese. When cheese and cream cheese are room temperature, add cream cheese, lemon juice, garlic and Tabasco. Mix and mold into 2 balls. Roll on wax paper, which is covered with mixture of parsley, nuts, and paprika.

Sausage and Cheese Balls

2 cups Bisquick
1 lb. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb. mild sausage
Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake on 350 for 15 minutes

Like this blog

Betts, I really like this way better to post recipes. I think it will work out a lot better because everything is to the left and you can click on the one you want and view it. I will find some more recipes and post them. Thanks, Patricia

Quick Chicken and Dumplings

I found it!! I use the Heart Smart Bisquik and Healthy Choice Cream of Chicken Soup.

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup frozen green peas and carrots
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed creamy chicken mushroom soup
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup milk
Paprika, if desired


1. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk, the peas and carrots, chicken and soup to boiling in 3-quart saucepan, stirring frequently.
2. Stir Bisquick mix and 1/3 cup milk until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 8 spoonfuls onto chicken mixture (do not drop directly into liquid). Sprinkle with paprika.
3. Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Light Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Light Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

I have only made this once but it was really good

Grilled Fruit with Rich Chocolate Sauce

This is a Weight Watches Receipe, and its only 2 points.
Contributed by Patricia Tobias

Ingredients:
1 sprays cooking spray
1 tsp. decaffeinated instant coffee, powder
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon, or to taste(optional)
2/3 oz fat-free sugar free instant chocolate pudding mix, use half a 1/4 oz. package
1 1/2 cup fat free skim milk
2 large bananas, cut into a total of 12 chunks
12 meadium strawberries, hulled


1)Coat grind of grill with cooking spray-Preheat grill to medium
2)Combine coffee powder, cinnamon, pudding mix and milk in a tall pitcher. Blend with a wisk or immersion blender until mixture is frothy, set aside(the mixture will firm up as it stands)
3)Alternately thread 3 bananas and 3 strawberries onto each of 4 metal skewers. Grill skewers. turning once, just long enough so t hat the grill marks appear on fruit, about 2-3 minutes per side.
4)Remove fruit from skewers and divide among 4 plates. Top each serving with about 1/4 cup of chocolate sauce.

Dump Cake

Contributed by Patricia Tobias

Dump Cake
This is the easiest cake ever to make. My Aunt use to make it all the time and you can add whatever fruit you like. Note! Don't bake the cake first and then put the ingredients in, that's why its called a Dump Cake, you literally dump the ingredients into the cake mix.

1 can of cherry pie filling
1 can of crushed pineapple
1 yellow cake mix
2 sticks melted butter
Pour over top

Crushed nuts-measure as many as you like and pour over top

Bake at 325 for 1 hour

This is a great, quick cake to make and very easy!

Homemade dog biscuits

2 1/2 Cups of Whole Wheat flour
1/2 Cup of Nonfat dry milk-powdered
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 TBS margarine
1 Large egg

Mix ingredients with about a half cup of cold water. Knead for three minutes. Dough should form a ball. Roll to 1/2" thick and cut with biscuit cutters (we have cutters in the shape of a bone). Bake on a lightly grease sheet for 30 minutes @ 350

**Optional ingredients powdered chicken or beef bullion, or dried soup greens or dry soup mix. If you do add these I would eliminate the salt

TIPS

Tips

Potatoes soaked in salt water twenty minutes before baking will bake more rapidly

To keep celery fresher longer, wrap it in aluminum foil before putting in fridge

Delicious Bookmarks

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Broccolli Cornbread

Contributed by Deborah Weatherford Humphries


1- Box Jiffy Muffin Cornbread mix
1- Box of chopped broccoli ( thawed )
1- Small container of Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1/2 stick of margarine
2- large eggs
1/2 small onion- chopped...( if preferred, I don't )
1- Tablespoon of sugar
Salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients together and place in a casserole dish. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until done....( Depending on your oven )



Special thanks to Leah Watkins for this recipe....My family can't get enough of it! ENJOY!

SPICY EGGPLANT PARMESAN

3/4 c. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 c. Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 minced garlic cloves
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 (26 oz. jar.) tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup. shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese

Place a baking sheet inside oven, preheat to 400°F.

In shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and garlic. In separate shallow dish, combine egg whites and egg. Dip eggplant slice in egg, dredge in breadcrumb mix. Remove pan from oven. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange eggplant on pan, coat eggplant with cooking spray.

Bake for 17 minutes or until golden.

Reduce oven temp to 375°F. Combine pasta sauce and red pepper. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup sauce mix evenly in baking dish. Arrange eggplant slices over pasta in baking dish. Spread remaining sauce over eggplant, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Only 203 calories per serving. Fat is 6.5g., saturated fat is 3.2g.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookie recipe

The recipe and the story

Free Neiman-Marcus Cookie Recipe

This is a true story... Please forward it to everyone that you can.... You will have to read it to believe it....

My daughter and I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie". It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and the waitress said with a small frown "I'm afraid not." Well" I said, "would you let me buy the recipe?"

With a cute smile, she said YES". I asked how much and she responded, "Only two fifty, it's a great deal!" I said with approval, "just add it to my tab".. Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe - $250.00". That's outrageous!!!

I called Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them that the waitress said it was "two-fifty," which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any POSSIBLE interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge.. They would not refund my money, because according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe - we absolutely will not refund your money at this point." I explained to her the criminal statutes which govern fraud in Texas. I threatened to refer them to the Better Business Bureau and the State's Attorney General for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want, we dont give a damn, and we're not refunding your money." I waited a moment, thinking of how I could get even,or even try to get any of my money back. I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250.00, and now I'm going to have $250.00 worth of fun."

I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus... for free..She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this" I said, "Well you should have thought of that before you ripped me off", and slammed down the phone on her.. So, here it is!!! Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250.00 dollars for this... I don't want Neiman-Marcus to ever get another penny off of this recipe....

(Recipe may be halved):
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.. Have Fun!!!

This is not a joke - this is a true story... Ride free citizens!!!! This isn't some stupid chain letter either.. pass it on.. if you don't, you won't die or get dumped.. you'll just do the world an injustice...

Thanx...


Comments: Here is a "true story" almost everyone has heard by now, generically known as "The $250 Cookie Recipe" and most recently associated with the Neiman Marcus company, though during the 1980s it was the bane of cookie diva Mrs. Fields.

If you hadn't figured it out already, it is not really true, by the way. It's a classic urban legend — a variant of a popular tale traced by folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand as far back as 1948, when the ridiculously expensive recipe yielded a red velvet fudge cake attributed to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (asking price for that recipe: $25).

The current adjusted-for-inflation version (reproduced above) is still making the email rounds and its popularity shows no signs of waning, even though it has been debunked repeatedly over the past two decades. To paraphrase the ancient Klingon proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served warm out of the oven."

As to the recipe itself, I haven't tried the cookies, but by most accounts it yields damn good ones (and plenty of them). No one knows whose kitchen it came from, but we do know it wasn't the Neiman Marcus company, whose restaurants didn't even sell chocolate chip cookies back when this legend first began circulating. Neiman Marcus chefs did create a chocolate chip cookie recipe after the fact, however, which the company now distributes free of charge as an antidote, if you will, to this defamatory urban legend. Bon appetit!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

* 12 slices bacon
* 2/3 cup margarine
* 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 7 cups milk (I use skim milk)
* 4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 4 green onions, chopped
* 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Prep Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

1. 1 Place bacon in a large, deep skillet.
2. 2 Cook over medium heat until browned.
3. 3 Drain, crumble, and set aside.
4. 4 In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat.
5. 5 Whisk in flour until smooth.
6. 6 Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened.
7. 7 Stir in potatoes and onions.
8. 8 Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
9. 9 Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
10. 10 Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper.
11. 11 Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.