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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