Sausage Rice Casserole

16 fresh pork sausage links (about 1 pound)
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cups cooked long grain rice
4 to 5 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Place sausages on a rack in a baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and no longer pink. Cut into 1-in. pieces; set aside.
In a large skillet, saute peppers in oil for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer to a 3-qt. baking dish. Add the sausages and the next eight ingredients.
Combine bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6-8 servings.

 

Pastry Cream/Custard

2 cups milk

1/4 cup white sugar

2 egg yolks

1 egg

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.
2. When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

Jambalaya

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound frozen shrimp without tails
Fresh parsley to sprinkle on top
I served this one with pasta but we also like it with rice.


In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Stir in the shrimp during the last 30-45 minutes of cook time.
I cooked mine on low for 5 hours and it was not done, I have a new crockpot that does not cook the same as my old one did. I really like to cook mine on the stove but I wanted this to be ready when we came home from church so I went with the crock pot. The recipe is good and you might have a crockpot that will be done in the 3-4 hours mine was not done it five hours. This is one of the reasons i did what I wrote below and because some not liking shrimp.
**I took half of mine out of the pan because some do not like shrimp in my family then I added about 2 T cornstarch to 1/2 cup water and added it to the pot and cooked this for about 20 minuted before I added the shrimp and cooked until the shrimp was done.

 

Gluten Free Bars

This is another wonderful recipe from Hugs and Cookies

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hugs-Cookies-xoxo/361999659991#!/notes/aprils-home-cooking/gluten-free-bars/253803367964397

I have to admit I did not use anything gluten free. But the recipes from Danielle is the one I posted below. Go on over to Hugs and cookies xoxo and check out all her wonderful recipes. I don't think I have ever baked so many things off one blog before. :o)
1 BOX BETTY CROCKER GF CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MIX
1c. chopped GLUTEN FREE pretzels (I LIKE SNYDERS OR
GLUTINO)
10 caramels
1T. HEAVY CREAM
3c. peanut butter cups, CUT IN
HALF OR QUARTERS
1/2c. CHOCOLATE chips of your choice!

Step 1: PREPARE GF COOKIE MIX ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS ON
BOX AND PRESS MOST INTO AN 8X8 PAN LINED WITH NONSTICK FOIL. RESERVE SOME FOR
THE TOPPING!


Step 2: Crush 1 cup of GF pretzels roughly with hands and
put on top of dough.

Step 3: Roughly chop 3c. peanut butter cups and
layer on top of the pretzels.

Step 4: Microwave 10 caramels and CREAM
till melted, about 1 minute. Pour on top of peanut butter cups.
Mmmmm!

Step 5: Crumble on the rest of the cookie dough that you reserved.
Bake about 25 minutes AT 350 till golden and cooked through. Let cool to room
temp.

Step 6: Melt 1/2c chocolate chips-milk or semisweet and drizzle
across the top when COOLED. Eat up

 

Pirate Cake

Sunday I had this sweet little blonde hair blue eyed boy run up to me with a cooking magazine in his hands and say,
"Grandma, will you make me this cake'" how could you not say yes to such a sweetie. Mommy and Daddy are having a date night tonight and Noah is coming over to Grandma and Grandpa's tonight, well he is really coming over to play with Uncle Jacob and Uncle Danny but as long I make a cake he will at least say a few words to me before going off to lay with his Unle Jacob for the night. For you who do not know, Noah is 3 and Jacob is 15, Jacob will drop everything when Noah comes over, if he has a choice to go with his friends or see Noah he will pick Noah, if we go some place and he does not want to go all we have to say is Noah is coming and he will change his mind. Noah has been the center of Jacob's life from the moment he held him a few minutes after his birth, the first words he said to Noah were "I am going to teach you to be so evil." I am glad to say he has not done that. Jacob is a very good 15 year old so I am not too worried, now he is a huge joker so for Noah's Mom's sake I hope that does not rub off on him. For an example, I was using the church bathroom one day during the week and Jacob decided to used a chair and locked me in the bathroom, after a few threats and yelling for my husband to make him open it I was let out. My whole family loves to play jokes but I think Jacob might be the worse well, his Dad might be a little worse. :o)

Italian Chicken

6 Boneless chicken breast, I think I will use boneless thighs next time.

Olive oil

1 large red onion

1 large yellow onion

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1 pound baby Bella cut in ¼

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp. Oregano

½ tsp. Tarragon

1 tsp. Italian spice

2 T. Corn starch

1/8 cup water


Slice chicken breast in have so you have two thin pieces,
salt and pepper each slice. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and fry until
lightly brown on each side but not all the way cooked. Cook a few pieces at a
time, remove to a plate. All onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms and cook for a
few minutes. Add chicken back to pan with the onion mixture. Add can tomato,
spaghetti sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, Tarragon and Italian spice cover with
lid and cook for about 20 minutes.

Remove lid and mix corn starch with water and add to pan to
thicken sauce, stir carefully so you will not break up the chicken and cook for
about five minutes more.
Serve over pasta or rice.

Taco Salad

My husband use to teach the single adults at our old church and we use to have a blast with them, we have

so many wonderful memories. We had a party at our condo once with about 40 young adults and one of the kids Jason was in the back room jumping off the bunk bed with my girls, they did not tell me about that until after the party.


We had a Olympic day at the park on one of our outings and I can still remember Chris racing on the tricycle and having to drink all the juice out of the baby bottle to win the race.


Pizza outing and in the busy pizza place Art standing up on a chair to give thanks and the whole place went
quiet. I believe all these young adults are now married with families of their own. I hope they know how special they were to us. There were so many more but if I mentioned them all it would take me forever to write this. When I make Cheddar Bay biscuits I think of Linda, the first time I had them was when she made them and they were so much better then Red Lobsters. :o)


We had an a lot of great memories with them and every time I make this salad I think of Leigh-Anne, we had a
pot-luck and she made this taco salad and since then it has been a favorite of my kids as well as my husband and myself. I may not make it the same as Leigh-Anne did but each time I make it I think of her. tacos. She is now married with four of her own children.


I make this taco salad different every time.
Maybe I can get Leigh-Anne to post her recipe here. :o)



Here is the recipe I made today.

Ground beef, cooked and drained (I always use taco seasoning but was out today)
Kidney Beans
Cheese, shredded
Lettuce, chopped
Chopped tomatoes, I add these after because most of my kids do not like tomatoes.
Cucumber sliced thin (this is the first time I did this, I was out of olives)
Cilantro
Red onion, diced
Pace Salsa, we like ours hot
Tub sour cream


Doritos, squeeze while in bag to
break up.

Mix salsa and sour cream together
and chill. You depend on how much sour cream, salsa you want, I like more salsa
then sour cream.

Mix all the other ingredients
together besides the chips, add sour cream salsa dressing and mix then either
mix in the Doritos or sprinkle on top.

What I remember the most about
Leigh-Anne making this was mixing it is a trash bag because she made such a
large amount. :o)

Milkyway Bars

OK here is the link to the recipe, I am warning you right now if you gain lots of weight after joining this page it is your fault not mine and if you drool all over your keyboard and it shorts out that is also all your fault. :o)

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?reated&&note_id=251265118218222#!/pages/Hugs-Cookies-xoxo/361999659991
CRUST:
 1 1/2c. FLOUR      
     1/2C. PLUS 2T. CONFECTIONERS SUGAR     
     1 1/2 STICKS SOFT BUTTER  ELECTRIC MIX ALL TILL CRUMBLY/COMBINED AND PAT DOWN EVENLY INTO A 9X13 PAN LINED WITH NONSTICK FOIL.
BAKE AT 350 FOR 15-20 MINUTES UNTIL LIGHTLY GOLDEN. 
CARAMEL:
  12 OUNCES CARAMEL BITS (NO UNWRAPPING WITH THESE!) (OR USE 40 WRAPPED CARAMELS)
  5 T. BUTTER
  1 CAN SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
  MICROWAVE ALL OF THESE TOGETHER UNTIL SMOOTH. GO 30 SECONDS-ONE MINUTE AT A TIME AND STIR IN BETWEEN. 
TOPPING:
1 BAG OF MILKY WAY MINIS CUT INTO 4 SLICES EACH. CAN ALSO USE MILKY WAY DARKS OR ANY OTHER CANDY YOU WANT LIKE PB CUPS!    LET CRUST COOL 5-10 MINUTES AND THEN POUR ON THE CARAMEL. PLACE THE CANDIES ON TO DECORATE AND CHILL COMPLETELY BEFORE CUTTING. THESE ARE EASY TO CUT WHEN VERY COLD AND SHOULD REMAIN IN FRIDGE UNTIL READY TO EAT. (CARAMEL WILL GET TOO GOOEY IF LEFT OUT.) 

Sinful Toffee Turtles

OK let me warn you now so you do not get mad at me for what is about to happen to you. I joined this new blog a few days ago and this is the second item I have made off Hugs-Cookies page. So be warned before you go over you will fall in love with her blog which will in turn make you want to bake everything she has on her blog which could make you gain a lot of weight, but just work out a little harder and all will balance out. LOL
I am scard to look at her older post because I may want to bake more. She is talking about a cake she is making that is going to weigh over 11.5 pounds. Kind of sounds like a cake I made with a cheesecake layer in it. :o) I think that one was close to 25 pounds.
But really, go on over and like her page you are really going to love it. :o)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hugs-Cookies-xoxo/361999659991?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Hugs-Cookies-xoxo/361999659991

1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Caramel Bits, 4 ounces (or regular caramels)
1 1/2 T. heavy cream

1 bag Heath toffee bits or chocolate toffee bits (both work great)
Pecan Halves-one per cookie
Small amount of melted chocolate disks or chips for drizzling!

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat butter and sugar till creamy. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Once combined well, gradually add flour, salt and cocoa. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge at least 2 hours. You need this dough to be very cold!

Once chilled, break off large Tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball into the toffee bits. Place on cookie sheet and use back of a small measuring spoon to press an indent in the center. This step is like making a thumbprint cookie. Bake in the oven for approx 10-12 minutes. (Don't worry if they spread at this point because you will fix centers!) Remove and press the centers down with the measuring spoon again to fix the indent.

While cookies cool, melt caramels and cream in microwave and stir smooth. Let cool a few minutes and carefully spoon some into the center of each cookie. Top each caramel center with a pecan halve. Once set, melt chocolate in microwave and drizzle over the tops!

• 
  

Mac and Cheese with Chicken

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cream or /2 & 1/2 it is cheaper
1-1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth, divided
3/4 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
2 packages (7 ounces each) uncooked elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add cream and 1-1/2 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; add cheese; stir until melted. Add the macaroni, chicken, salt and pepper. Add additional broth if needed.
Pour into a 3-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until heated through.

Chow Mein

1 pkg stir fry noodles, cook as package directs
1 1/2 pounds diced chicken breast
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
3 cloves
garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 carrot, julienned
2 cups beansprouts
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock


In a very hot wok add oil and stir fry chicken until cooked, remove from
wok then set aside. Lower the heat to medium high, then add garlic, ginger
and shallots. Toss carrots and stir fry for 30 seconds, remove from wok then set
aside. Mix corn starch with chicken stock, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and
pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add noodles and give it a
good mix making sure that all noodles are coated with the gravy.
Put back the cooked meat, vegetables and bean sprouts, stir for 1 minute then
serve.

Spring Rolls

2 ounces rice vermicelli
8 rice wrappers (8.5 inch
diameter)
1 1/3 tablespoons chopped
fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh
mint leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh
cilantro
2 leaves lettuce, chopped
4 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
Directions:
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain. 2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients. 3. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce. 4. In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts. 5. Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce

•  

I have a four week study going on with my sunday school class and the subject is watchdogs so I figured why not make treat bags for them. I can't wait to see the look on their face when they open their bags of dog bone. LOL Well shortbread dog bones that is. :o)

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in flour and mix well. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pat into a 1/3-in.-thick rectangle measuring 11 in. x 8 in.
Cut into 2-in. x 1-in. strips. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork.
Bake at 300° for 25 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.

Bread Pudding

I was telling my daughter Kristine that I think something is wrong with me, (yes, those of you who know me already know this) anyhow, normal people talk about how much weight they have gained for the summer and decided to workout or diet. Well, then there is me.....I go make a bread pudding because I have left over hamburger and hot dog buns and some chocolate chunks and walnuts. How do I explain this and tell myself it is alright you wonder...well I remind myself that I am joining the gym tomorrow and will be good then. :o)


6 slices day-old bread (I used leftover hot dog and hamburger buns)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup chocolate chunks
1 cup nuts
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with chocolate and nuts. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, cream, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

This is so much better the next day cold, it reminds me of the bread pudding my grandmother use to make and a bakery we use to get bread pudding at when I was young. I am so glad I had left over buns and heavy cream I need to use up. This has got to be one of the best I have yet to make and just throwing it together was so worth it and I am glad I paid attention to what I did so I can make it again and have the recipe.

 * This would be good with dried fruit in place of the chocolate also.

• 
  

Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 can chick peas
1 bunch chopped up fresh parsley
1 finely chopped red onion
3 cups sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
1 yellow tomato chopped
1 large peeled and chopped hot house cucumber
1 lemon juice and peel grated
1/3 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
Toss all ingredients together, chill and serve.

Turkey Chili

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
1 (7 ounce) can salsa
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or coarsely chopped tomatoes packed in puree
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 large can pinto beans
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart as much as possible. Season with taco seasoning mix, coriander, oregano, chili flakes, and tomato paste, and mix until meat is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking, reducing heat if necessary, until turkey is well browned.
Pour in beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies,pinto beans and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes. Adjust the thickness at any time you feel necessary by adding water.
While chili is still cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and green bell pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is lightly browned. Add onion and bell pepper to the chili, and continue cooking at a very low simmer.
Adjust the consistency with water as needed.
Ladle chili into serving bowls. Top with yogurt, green onion, and cheddar cheese, and serve.

Chocolate Cake

My grandson turned 3 yesterday and his Daddy and Mommy had a pirate party for him today. I had some problems with the cake but he seemed to really like it. I sure am glad he is only three. The cookie recipe you will find on this page under cutout cookies and they are listed under memories, I was thinking yesterday about when I made that same recipe for his Mommy when she turned five.

2 cups hot coffee
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour coffee over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Frozen Yogurt

I have been camping for the past ten days. We had two of our boys and three of their friends for seven of the ten days, then off and one two of my daughter, son, son-in-law and grandson came up to swim and join us for dinner, we had a blast. I am one who can't wait for camping trips to be over but I really want to go back. Anyhow back to the recipe and why we bought a ice cream make....Well we are going back camping the 4th of July and then we thought why not make our own ice cream while we are camping....then I thought okay lets make frozen yogurt so it will be a little healthy, if you notice my recipes I don't do a lot of healthy, I really did want to make this healthy but they I changed the recipe and did my own thing and I have to admit it is really good. :o)


2 cups  plain yogurt
2 cups pureed fresh strawberries
1 3/4 c whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in refrigerator freezer 2-4 hours before serving. Remove from the freezer 30-45 minutes before serving

Coffee Cake

This is the coffee cake my family demans I bring camping with us.

1-½ stick butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour, sifted
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-¼ cup milk
3 whole egg whites, beaten til stiff


Topping:

1-½ stick butter, softened
¾ cups flour
1-½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1-½ cup pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt
Beat egg whites and set aside

In same mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar
Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined; don’t overbeat
Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula until just incorporated
Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13  baking pan
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes til a toothpick inserted comes out clean and nicely brown on top. Mine seemed done but not brown, so I turned on convection heat for a few minutes

Club Sandwiches

My son has been talking about Club Sandwiches for awhile now so I figure I would make them for dinner. I did them just a little different this time. I know you all know how to make club sandwiches but I wanted to add it here for my son while he is away from home (he joined the Air Force)  he can come on here and look for recipes. :o)

This is why this  blog got started, my kids were getting older and moving out and they would call home for recipes, so I started a blog, it was not this one (I have no idea where the first one went) but I started adding recipes they ate while growing up and then it took off it to this somehow. I would love to find the first blog I started and add all those recipes here.

Wheat Bread
Bacon
Ham
Turkey
Avocado
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayo
Toast bread. One on slice add mayo, turkey, Bacon, tomatoes, add another slice of bread (My husband loves mayo so I put some on all of his slices ours only has it on the top and bottom) then add ham, avocado and lettuce and then add the last slice of toasted bread and cut into 1/4 and stick a tooth pick in each 1/4 to keep together.

Hot Wings

This is my favorite recipe for hot wings...

½ cup butter or margarine, melted
¼ cup hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
24 chicken wing drumettes
1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
½ teaspoon paprika
1 cup prepared, Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
celery sticks

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In small bowl, whisk together butter, pepper sauce and vinegar. Dip drumettes in butter mixture; arrange in single layer in large baking pan. Sprinkle with salad dressing mix. Bake until chicken is browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika.

Serve with salad dressing and celery sticks.

Chicken Fried Chicken

30 saltine crackers
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dry potato flakes
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Place crackers in a large resealable plastic bag; seal bag and crush crackers until they are coarse crumbs. Add flour, potato flakes, seasoned salt, and pepper to bag and mix well. Beat egg in a shallow dish or bowl; heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. One by one, dredge chicken pieces in egg beat, then place in bag with crumb mixture, seal bag and shake to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook coated chicken in skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown and juices run clear.

Lentil Soup

1 pound French green lentils

4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese


In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.



In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan

•  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Turkey Pot Pie

I always buy an extra turkey at Thanksgiving so I decided to bake it and figure out what I was going to do with it later.
After making turkey avocado sandwiches I decided to make pot-pies with the rest.


Chopped up turkey
2 cup frozen peas and carrot mixture
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups broth from the juices you baked the turkey in, you can add more broth if there was not enough.
2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the turkey/veggie mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 
 

Apple Bars

1/2 cup Dried apples
1/2 cup Organic Medjool Date
1/2 cup Almonds (unsalted)
1/2 cups walnuts (unsalted)
3 tsp Cinnamon.

Place dates and apples in a food processor and pulse to make into paste. Addnuts and cinnamon and pulse mixture to grind up. Press into a loaf pan linedwith plastic wrap. Or you can roll into balls and roll in unsweetenedcoconut.

Chicago School Peanut Butter Cookies

These are my favorite peanut butter recipe, I have been making them for years.

1 1/4 pound (5 sticks) butter, softened

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed

1 pound peanut butter

3 eggs

5 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add both sugars and mix until no granules remain, about 5 minutes. Add peanut butter and mix until combined. Add eggs; continue to beat on high speed for 1 minute. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until well-blended. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonsful onto greased baking sheets. Flatten dough with palm of hand to form 3-inch circles that are 1/4 inch thick. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom

Apple Spice Friendship Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter (Recipe below this one, needs 11 days to make starter)
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt, set aside
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Amish Friendship Starter, eggs, oil and vanilla. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Finally stir in the chopped nuts and apples. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

Friendship Bread Starter

So I started the recipe for the starter seven days ago and I have to say it is one of the best Starters I have ever made, in a few days I will be making the bread to go with this. I seen the book forsale at Costco but was in a hurry so I was not able to get it. I think it would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift, or a gift for any reason with a bag of the starter and a loaf of bread. I will post the link to her page, she has a lot of recipes on there I have only made a pumpkin Friendship bread so I am pretty excited to try out a lot of the recipes, there is even a weight watchers recipe.
http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/
Amish Friendship Bread starter is passed from one friend or neighbor to another, usually in a Ziploc bag or ceramic container.
Starter Ingredients
1 (0.25 oz) package dry active yeast
¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly.
3. Slowly add in milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly, and then transfer to a plastic bag. This is Day One of the ten-day cycle.
4. For the next 10 days, care for your starter according to the below instructions. Do not refrigerate the starter. It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. If air gets in the bag, let it out. Do not use a metal bowl or spoon.

Day 1: Do nothing
Days 2 – 5: Mash the bag.
Day 6: Add to the bag 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag.
Days 7 – 9: Mash the bag.
Day 10: Pour entire bag into a nonmetal bowl. Add 1-½ cup flour, 1-½ cup sugar, 1-1/2 cup milk. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into four one-gallon plastic bags. Keep one the bags for yourself and give the other bags to three friends along with this recipe.

Baking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Put the remaining batter in a bowl and add the following:

3 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1-2 boxes instant pudding (any flavor)
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

3. Grease two large loaf pans.
4. In a bowl, mix an additional ½ cup sugar and 1-½ tsp cinnamon.
5. Dust the greased pans with sugar/cinnamon mixture.
6. Pour the batter evenly inot the pans and sprinkle the remaining mixture on the top.
7. Bake for one hour or until the bead loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Pretzels

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110
degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/3 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape.
Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

OK, I have to say before you go looking at the photo below, my 15 year old son and myself should never be allowed in the kitchen together. He wanted to make pretzels and we were the only ones home so I figured we would, it turned into a snake eating a mouse. Then I had the crazy idea of adding red food coloring for special effects. But he had fun and that is all that matters in the end....well.....

Cake Pops

I will have a few recipes to post today and tomorrow for you all. I just hope I remember to take photos, I get so busy anymore I forget about the picture until it has all been eaten.
So last night my daughter and I were making cake pops and then I got a sweet little surprise helper who came over, my grandson Noah. He did such a great job making cake pops and then he took a bag home for his friends.
Here is the photo of the cake pops we made.
http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-pops/
I need a lot of work on mine, I have no idea how she gets hers to look so good, we have figured it is wood she is working with as the pop. LOL

 

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Frosting
1/3 cup butter, soften
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, soften
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

We are having a breakfast at church tomorrow morning, what better way to start it off then getting the kids all full of sugar. :o)
• Place yeast and water in a bowl until creamy, mix with next five ingredients. Mix well, knead on a flour surface for about five minutes. Put into a large oil bowl and cover with a cloth until double in size.
After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

•  

Carrot Cake

                                                                           Happy Easter

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.