White Castle Casserole

We all love the little frozen white castle burgers here but they are SO expensive that I won't buy them. This casserole smells and tastes JUST like them! I didn't put pickles on just because I forgot them but I will try that next time.Ingredients

* 1 (1 3/4 ounce) package onion soup mix (Dry)
* 2 (12 ounce) cans crescent rolls
* 1 1/4 lbs hamburger
* American cheese (Around eight slices)
* pickle
* mustard

Directions

Cook hamburger with onion mix, Dry extremely well.
Lay whole can of crescent rolls in bottom of pan (do not break apar
Layer hamburger mixture, cheese, pickles and squirt mustard up
and down across pan.
Put whole can of crescent rolls on top.
Bake at 350 until golden brown

Paula Deen's Layered Mexican Cornbread

This was originally a Paula Deen recipe. I found it on recipezaar(#208619). This was soooo good!!


45 min | 10 min prep
SERVES 9 -12 , 1 (8x8-in) pan
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
2/3 cup half-and-half cream (or use milk--use evap milk)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt or 1/2 teaspoon white salt
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped or green onion
1 (14 ounce) can creamed corn
1 cup frozen corn, thawed or drained canned corn niblet
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (or to taste)
Set oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 8 x 8-inch or a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish.
In a large bowl mix together cornmeal with flour, sugar baking powder, garlic powder, milk, eggs, seasoned salt and melted butter or oil until well blended.
Add in onion and creamed corn and thawed corn; mix to combine.
Pour half the batter into prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle the layer with grated cheese and jalapeno peppers.
Pour the remaining batter on top of the cheese and jalapeno peppers.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (baking time will vary slightly depending on the size of pan used).
Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Tastin' is Believin' Chicken

Melissa's grandma used to make this and it's fantastic! Cooking it in the crockpot made it unbelievably easy too:) This will become one of our staple meals for sure!

4 - 8 boneless skinless chicken breats-depending on size
1 8-oz bottle of Russian salad dressing
1 can whole berry cranberry
1 Package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Put chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, pour everything on top and cook on high for 4 hours until chicken is done.

Sicilian Meat Roll

This was very good but VERY meaty. I haven't been eating as much meat lately so for me I only needed half of one slice.

Ingredients
2 slightly beaten eggs
3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/2 cup tomato juice (or 1/4 c. tomato sauce and 1/4 c. water mixed)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 lbs lean ground beef
6 slices fully cooked deli ham, thin
1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
1Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2In a large bowl combine eggs, bread crumbs, tomato juice, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic.
3Stir in ground beef, mixing well.
4On foil, pat meat mixture into a 12x10 inch rectangle.
5Arrange ham slices on top of meat, leaving a 3/4 inch border around all edges.
6Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups cheese over ham.
7Starting from a short end, carefully roll up meat, using foil to lift and guide; seal edges and ends. 8Place roll, seam side down, in a 13x9x2 pan sprayed with Pam.
9Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it reaches 170 degrees and juices run clear.
10(Center of meat roll will be pink because of the ham.) Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of roll; return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
11Remove to a platter to serve.

Bean and Kale Soup

I thought this was quite good. The leftovers were finished the next day but possiblyjust because it was the only heat and eat option I gave. I threw in a lot of baby spinach that I wanted to use up too and instead of getting the blender messy I just smashed up some of the beans with a fork.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups raw kale, chopped (remove spines)
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans or navy beans, undrained, split
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
salt and pepper
1 cup chopped parsley
shredded parmesan cheese
Directions
1In a large pot, heat olive oil.
2Add garlic and onion; saute until soft and the onion is transparent.
3Wash the kale, leaving small droplets of water. Saute, stirring, until wilted and a lovely emerald green, about 15 minute.
4Add 3 cups of the broth, reserving 1 cup, 2 cups of the beans, reserving 1 cup, all of the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper.
5Simmer 5 minutes.
6In a blender or food processor, mix the reserved beans and broth until smooth.
7Stir into the soup to thicken it nicely.
8Simmer 15 more minutes.
9Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley and shredded parmesan.
10Serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread to soak up all the yummy broth!
11For Vegetarian use the vegetable broth.

No Bake Chocolate PB Bars

These are realllly good! It says to refrigerate at least an hour and they came out of the pan okay but after being in the fridge overnight they did MUCH better:)

From the Pillsbury site:

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Estimated Times:
Preparation - 15 min Cooling Time - 1 hrs refrigerating Yields - 60 bars (5 dozen)

Just beat, melt, stir, and refrigerate...these bars are that simple.
Ingredients:
2 cups peanut butter, divided
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels, divided
Directions:
GREASE 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.

MELT remaining peanut butter and remaining morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Hearty Mexican Spaghetti

This was from Mandi's week and she also made it so you can see hers here. Mine doesn't look nearly as nice because I used ground turkey...I'm on a mission to use up everything in my kitchen and this worked to use the turkey. I also had macaroni instead of spaghetti noodles so used those too:)

Hearty Mexican Spaghetti Recipe #129025
From: Recipezaar.com
SERVES 8
12 ounces spaghetti, uncooked

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey

14 1/2 ounces tomatoes, canned, diced in sauce, undrained

22 ounces whole mexicorn whole kernel corn, undrained (with red and green peppers)

1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies, undrained

1/2 cup green onion, sliced

1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded
Break spaghetti in half and add to simmering water in large pot or Dutch oven. Cook until tender. In large skillet brown ground beef or turkey. Add taco seaoning mix, undrained tomatoes and corn, green chilies, and onions. Over medium heat cook until heated thru, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and place in large bowl. Add meat mixture and toss lightly. Sprinkle with cheese, serve.

Ham Casserole

We loved this! Will be a staple of using up leftover ham in the future:)

6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups grated Cheddar
1 cup leftover ham, cubed
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
In a Dutch oven cover peeled, sliced potatoes in water, cover and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes ONLY. Drain and place in a buttered or non stick sprayed 2 quart casserole.

Sprinkle ham over potatoes.
In a saucepan place 3 tablespoons butter and melt.
Add flour, salt, and pepper and stir. Cook over low heat stirring constantly. Add milk.
When the mixture thickens, add the cheese and cook until it starts to bubble.
Pour sauce over the potatoes in casserole.
In a bowl combine bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Sprinkle these over top of casserole and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly.
Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Chowder

I decided to add a little extra creole seasoning to this and shoulda skipped it...talk about heartburn for the pregnant woman! This was good though:)

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon, diced


• 1/2 cup diced celery


• 2 cups potatoes, small dice


• 1 cup diced onion


• 1/2 cup diced carrot


• 3 tablespoons flour


• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth


• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning or seasoned salt


• 1 cup corn kernels


• 1 1/2 cups half-ahd-half


• 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced cooked chicken


• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes


• salt and pepper, to taste

Fry bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; remove to paper towels to drain. Add butter to bacon drippings, if necessary, to make 3 tablespoons. Add celery, potatoes, onion, and carrot. Saute, stirring constantly, until onion and celery are tender. Stir in flour until well incorporated. Add chicken broth and seasoning or seasoned salt, stirring to blend well. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Add the diced chicken and corn; simmer for 7 minutes longer, until vegetables are tender. Add half-and half and tomatoes. Heat through and taste. Add salt and pepper, as needed.
Serves 4 to 6.

Cottage Cheese Salad

This was good! I would have liked some nuts in it too:)

COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
1 (16 oz.) container cottage cheese
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lime Jello
1 (20 oz.) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 (9 oz.) container frozen dessert topping, thawed
Whip cottage cheese with mixer until fine. Beat dry Jello into cottage cheese. Add remaining ingredients. Mix together and pour into bowl. Chill until firm. Serve in bowl.

PB Cookies--3 Ingredient

I've seen this recipe around for years and read reviews so knew what to expect...they are a very different cookie and very very easy! Justin(2 1/2 years old) helped me with these:)

1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Mix and drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Do NOT overbake...they will be very soft.

Pesto Pizza

This was soooo yummy! I chose this for our meatless night this week. I didn't make the pesto like this has directions to do--instead I used a jar of pesto from the store. And I used our pizza oven instead of the regular oven.
Also I tried a new crust that I got off of Mandi's blog here and we LOVED it. Going to start using it now as our regular crust! (recipe also below)

Pesto Pizza
Ingredients
1 cup prepared pesto sauce (ingredients and directions included)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
pesto sauce
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (need a big bunch of parsley)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts
Directions
1
Place the following in blender: parsley, grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves (use garlic press)and blend until smooth.
2
PREHEAT OVEN 425F DEGREES.
3
Spread the Pesto Sauce on a 12 or 14 inch pizza crust.
4
Place spinach on pesto sauce.
5
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over pizza, then sprinkle the sharp cheddar cheese.
6
Top with sliced tomatoes, then sprinkle the feta cheese all over the pizza.
7
Bake about 15 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese are melted, and the crust is crisp and golden.

Breadmaker crust
1 cup water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. yeast

After the dough has risen in the machine, grease a 14" pizza pan or baking pan. Stretch the dough to fit. Spread your favorite sauce, sprinkle on grated mozzarella (and Cheddar if you like), add toppings, and bake at 450 for 15 - 20 minutes.

White bread

This made a good bread with a soft crust. The inside was very airy and went very well with our soup. With all the yeast it did touch the top of my bread maker for a bit but that was the only problem with it:) There's nothing like that fresh bread smell on a cold day!

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 (.25 ounce) package bread machine yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons if you keep a jar of yeast like I do)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast. Select Basic or White Bread setting, and press Start.

Zuppa Toscana

 *6/18/10 I grew swiss chard this year specifically for this recipe and finally got to try it today!  Fabulous!  I also made it more frugal by using homemade yogurt instead of cream.  It was a lighter version but still good:)

I got this recipe from the zaar and then read all the reviews and followed some of the suggestions. This is absolutely awesome and I highly recommend trying it:) I've never used kale before so this was another first for me too!
This is supposed to be a copycat of an Olive Garden soup but I don't normally order soups at restaurants so I'm not sure if it is a copycat or not.

1 lb Italian sausage (I used mild)
4 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half,and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can oscar meyer bacon bit (I used about 6 slices crumbled bacon)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped (used kale and lots more than 2 cups)
1 LARGE can chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream


Remove casings and cook sausage in a skillet. Set sausage aside.
Cook onions and garlic with a little olive oil in the same skillet.
Place onions, garlic, potatoes, chicken broth in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
Add sausage and bacon.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Turn to low heat.
Add kale and cream.
Heat through and serve.

Ham and Spinach Quiche

This was sooooooooooo good! Even Corrine ate it and she's my egg-hater!

Deep Dish Ham and Spinach Quiche(6 servings)
1 9" deep dish frozen pie crust
5 slices sandwich ham - chopped (I used regular cubed ham--two handfuls)
1/2 of an onion - chopped
1/2 package frozen spinach - thawed and drained (I used the whole package)
2 Tablespoons ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Italian 5 blend cheese
1 cup milk
6 large eggs
salt and pepper - to taste

Preheat oven to 400.In a bowl, combine all ingredients.Pour into deep dish pie crust and bake for 1 hour.

Breakfast Bake

I really didn't expect to like this...I've made the recipes with bread and eggs before and the whole wet bread thing didn't work for me but this didn't have that texture at all!!

1 can (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 pkg (8 oz) smoked ham, chopped (deli-type lunchmeat)
6 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 t pepper
1 c shredded cheddar
1 c shredded mozzarella

Heat oven to 350*. Unroll dough in a 13x9" dish, press to cover bottom of dish, firmly pressing holes and seams together to seal.
Sprinkle ham over crust. Beat eggs, milk and pepper with whisk until blended. Pour over ham. Top with cheeses.
Bake 25 mins or until center is set

Pinto Bean Bake

We have a lot of leftover ham from Christmas so this was the first thing I made. Then we froze the rest so we'll be having ham recipes all month.
This was okay...nothing awesome but an inexpensive way to use some of the ham up:) This came from southernfood on about.com

2 cups dried pinto beans
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 cup sliced onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
8 to 16 ounces cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard
1/2 cup reserved bean cooking liquid
Preparation:Following package directions, cook pinto beans until tender. Drain beans, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add bacon drippings to a skillet over medium heat; add onion and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Layer cooked drained beans, onions and peppers, and ham in a 2-quart casserole. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the mixture. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. Serves 6.

Cheesy ham and hashbrown casserole

We had this Christmas morning and it was SO good. Definitely would make this again...throw it together and come back after the presents are open and the wrapping paper is all picked up:)
Shar found this one (update) her post can be found here.

INGREDIENTS

1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes

8 ounces cooked, diced ham

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly brown. Serve immediately.

Peanut butter cup cookies

Another recipe from Shar. These were yummy and so pretty! Her post about them is here.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chocolate chips
2 squares (2oz) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups (plus 2 tbsp) flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cups finely chopped almonds
36 or so (a bag) of miniature peanut butter cups (frozen)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine chocolate in bowl and microwave for approx 2 min. stir.. until melted
cool slightly.
Combine sugar, butter in large bowl. Beat. Add eggs, salt and vanilla. Beat.
Add chocolate and mix by hand.
Stir in flour, b. soda and shape into 1-1/4 inch balls. Roll in finely chopped almonds. place on an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake for 8-10 min.
Immediate press "unwrapped" frozen peanut butter cup in the centre of each cookie. don't touch them once you've pressed the p. cup inside.. leave to solidify

Sweet N Sour Meatloaf

We all LOVED this meatloaf! I think Lissa originally sent it a long time ago on the recipe group but I know lots of people have made it and liked it too. I'm not putting a picture...it looks like meatloaf with a red sauce:)

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon prepared mustard
Preheat oven to 350degrees
In large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, eggs, onion, and 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Mix together and place into a loaf pan. Push meatloaf down into pan forming a well for the sauce around the edges. Bake for 40min. Meanwhile in a small saucepan over med heat combine the remaining tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Bring to boil and remove from heat. After meatloaf has cooked 40min remove from oven and pour sauce over top. Return to oven and bake for 20 more min.

Stuffed Shells

This was soooo good! I used more spaghetti sauce than it called for but it definitely still could have had more...a whole jar at the very least but we like our Italian food with lotsa sauce:) I'll make this again for sure.

Ingredients

12 ounces jumbo pasta shells

1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (Reserve 1/4 cup)

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 lbs ricotta cheese

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

8 ounces spaghetti sauce (jarred or homemade)

fresh basil, chopped, for garnish

Directions1In an 8 quart pot, bring water to a boil and cook shells for 8 minutes or until al dente. 2Drain and cool immediately with cold water.

3Drain and place open side down on paper towels.

4In a medium bowl, combine the rest of ingredients except the spaghetti sauce.

5Reserve the 1/4 cup of Mozzarella.

6Place a thin layer of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 12 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

7Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

8Spoon the cheese mixture into each pasta shell and place open side up, in a single layer, in prepared pan.

9Pour the rest of sauce over the stuffed shells.

10Loosely cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

11During last 5 minutes of baking, remove foil and sprinkle remaining Mozzarella cheese on top. 12Bake 5 more minutes.

13Garnish with fresh chopped basil.

Eggnog Kringla

I made these as one of my gifts and while we ended up eating most of them one neighbor did get a plate of them:)

These are not a super sweet cookie but the are really really good!

Eggnog Kringla
Makes about 60(made about 45 for me)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup butter (do not use margarine)
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup dairy or nondairy eggnog
sifted powder sugar
ground nutmeg

In large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Add the flour mix and eggnog alternately to the sugar/butter mix. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
Dough may still be sticky but it is a soft dough.
Preheat oven to 350F. Take out half the dough at a time (leaving rest in the fridge). On a lightly floured surface, take one tablespoon of the dough and roll into a rope shape (about 1/2 inch thick and 8 inches long) On an ungreased cookie sheet, place the rope in a loop, cross one end over the other. Make the shape slightly oval. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on wire rack. While still warm, sprinkle tops with powdered sugar and nutmeg.

Hot dog muffins

I didn't get a picture of these... It ended up making 18. I thought they were good but everyone else thought they were awesome:)


Ingredients
2 (8 1/2 ounce) packages cornbread mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
5 hot dogs, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
1Combine mix and brown sugar, add eggs and milk stirring only until moistened.
2Stir in drained corn, hot dogs, and cheese. Batter will be thin.
3Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
4Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until tops are brown.
5Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients:

Refrigerated pie crust
11/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay refrigerated pie crust in pie pan crimpling edges. Bake pie crust for 8 minutes(until lightly browned). Cool completely.
Combine the sugar and flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten eggs and mix well. Stir in butter and buttermilk. Stir in lemon juice and juice, vanilla and pour into the pie shell. Place the pie in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and serve at room temperature.

Bread Machine Rolls

I got this recipe December 31,2000 from Chenoa on a local mom's list and made it many times before I started this blog. I kept it in the back of my recipe binder to make again and today was the perfect day:)

1 cup water
2 TBS butter, softened
1 egg
3 1/4 C bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp yeast,regular dry active or bread machine yeast

Put all ingredients in the bread maker and start on the dough cycle. Grease a cookie sheet. Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. (Light pan only!!! Aluminum foil dark pans). Brush with butter. Cover and let rise for 30-40 minutes, or until doubled. Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter.

23 Skidoo pie

This reminds me of butternut brownie pie from Luby's but they don't put a chocolate whipped cream on the top and I like the regular cream better:)

23 Skidoo pie

23 Ritz Crackers 3 egg whites
1 c white sugar 1 c chopped pecans
1 t. McCormick's Vanilla extract

Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add sugar and vanilla extract. Crush 23 Ritz crackers until very fine and fold them into egg whites; add pecans. Pour into greased pie pan and bake 30 minutes at 350. Cool.
Top with the following whipped together: 1/2 pint whipping cream, 3 T of nestle's instant cocoa (nesquick?) and sugar to taste. Put pie in refrigerator

Triple Layer Mud Pie

This was soooo chocolatey and yummy!

Triple Layer Mud Pie
3 (1 ounce) squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted
1/4 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
1 (6 ounce) OREO Pie Crust
1/2 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans, toasted
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Mix chocolate and condensed milk until well blended. Pour into crust; sprinkle with pecans. Beat milk and dry pudding mixes with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon 1-1/2 cups of the pudding over pecans. Add half of the whipped topping to remaining pudding; stir until well blended. Spread over pudding layer in crust; top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate 3 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Waffles and homemade syrup

The waffles were okay but tasted very strong of egg...not surprising with so many eggs in it. The syrup was great and so easy!

Syrup
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the sugars, water and corn syrup; bring to a boil over medium heat. Broil for 7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in maple flavoring and vanilla. Cool for 15 minutes. Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.

Buttermilk waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup SACO Buttermilk Blend
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In medium mixing bowl combine flour, Buttermilk Blend, baking powder, salt and sugar. In small mixing bowl combine water, eggs and oil together. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mixing only until moistened. Preheat waffle iron. When hot, brush cooking surface lightly with shortening or oil. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of batter into waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Serve immediately.

E-Z Drop Biscuits

These would be really good for sausage and biscuits. We had them plain with bacon on the side and they were just lacking something. The texture was great even if they look a little flat.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Stir in butter and milk just until moistened. Drop batter on a lightly greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon.
Bake in preheated oven until golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Corn Casserole

Tee shared this recipe in 2006 and I've made it many many times since. This time I doubled the recipe and made it in a large rectangle glass baking dish. I also only had half the sour cream it needed so I put in a little cream cheese(you can see it in the picture)...I don't think it was actually needed but I loved it. I also drained the whole kernel corn this time so it's a very versatile recipe where you just do what you want!


1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can cream style corn
1 (8oz) sour cream
1 egg--beaten
1 pkg dry corn muffin mix
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350
Mix together the whole kernel corn, creamed corn, sour cream, and egg.
Add corn bread mix and butter. Mix all together and pour into 2 quart baking dish.
Bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.

Tuna Croquettes

I don't usually fry anything at home especially after my okra/fire department issue...but I decided to try it again. These turned out pretty darn good! I added a LOT of flour because the mixture was very thin and that was a very good idea:) 

2 (6 ounce) cans canned tuna
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 tablespoons tomato juice
1/2-3/4 teaspoon dried dill
black pepper, to taste
cooking oil
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients; nix well.
Shape the mixture into 4 equal size patties.
Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in heavy frying pan add the formed patties and fry on both sides until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Hunter's banana bread

Hunter has started wanting to cook so he's done a few recipes lately and this was one. The only time I helped was when I heard him mumbling about 11 1/2 cups of flour...had to help him stop and read it again;)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas, finely crushed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Cream together butter and sugar.
Add eggs and crushed bananas.
Combine well.
Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla.
Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.
Keeps well, refrigerated.

Philly Cheesesteak Casserole

This made a LOT so I'd recommend only doing half. We all liked this but it isn't a favorite. I don't regret making it at all though:)

Philly Cheesesteak Casserole

1 (16 oz) pkg. bowtie pasta

2 T. vegetable oil

2 onions chopped

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 (10 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can milk

4 (4 oz) can mushroom

1/2 t. thyme

4 C. shredded Cheddar cheese divided

salt and pepper to taste

1 C. bread crumbs

3 T. butter melted

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute' onions until they begin to soften. Add ground beef and cook stirring until evenly browned. Drain off grease and pour into the bowl with the pasta.

Stir in the soup, soup can of milk, mushrooms and thyme until well blended. Mix in 3 C. of the cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter.

Mix in remaining cheese. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the baking dish.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until top if golden and crispy.

California Quesadillas

I got this recipe off recipezaar. They were pretty good! Hearty enough to not need meat for us:) Hunter ate his but I don't think he was particularly thrilled...he would have much rathered cheese I think.

I made them in an electric skillet rather than the oven.

Recipe #195455

SERVES 6
2 1/2 cups monterey jack chees, shredded
6 1/2 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/3 cup black olives, chopped
2/3 cup salsa
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
12 soft taco-size flour tortillas
3 tablespoons butter, melted
In a large bowl combine cheese, artichokes, olives, salsa and cilantro.
Brush one side of the tortilla with the melted butter and place butter side down on a cookie sheet.
Top with 1/6th of the cheese mixture. Top with another tortilla and brush with butter.
Repeat until all tortillas and cheese mixture is gone. You should have six quesadillas.
Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees or until lightly brown. Watch them carefully.
Cool 5 minutes then cut into wedges.
Serve with additional salsa, sour cream, etc.
You can also add grilled chopped chicken to the cheese mixture for a heartier quesadilla.

Tees Rolls

I made these for the second time this morning as biscuits to go with our sausage for breakfast. They turned out even better! I sprayed the muffin tin with cooking spray so they came out well and I cooked them a bit over 20 minutes.

Quick Delicious Rolls
2 cups self rising flour(I added 8 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt to all purpose flour)
4 tablespoons mayo
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
Mix all together and pour into muffin pan.
Bake 15min. at 375 degrees or until brown.

Banana muffins

I was headed to make banana cake this morning when I saw Mandi made banana muffins yesterday so I tried them out instead. Her recipe is here.

I think I overmixed them or something because they didn't rise but they still tasted awesome:) I didn't use nuts and I threw in a little cinnamon vanilla(I will use up spices lol) also...oh and I doubled the recipe.

Ingredients
3 large bananas
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg

1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

1Mash bananas.

2Add sugar and slightly beaten egg.

3Add the melted butter and chopped walnuts.

4Add the dry ingredients stir to mix.

5Fill greased muffin tray with mixture and bake for 20 minutes in a 375F degrees oven.

Leche Quemada

When I was little the restaurant Monterrey House had candies in the bottom of the chip basket. Now the restaurant that took over still has them but they're purchased at the checkout..it's not the same as finding the treasure under the chip basket:)

I have tried a few recipes to find what kind of candy they are...this is the closest I've found in taste but it still didn't turn out. It is still soft the next day and it's supposed to be firm like fudge(leche quemada actually means burnt milk fudge).

If you don't like sweet, and I mean sickeningly sweet like eating sweetened condensed milk out of the can, then don't even consider trying this:)

2 large cans evaporated milk

5 1/2 cups sugar

5 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar
Directions:
Mix milk, sugar, butter and salt in a large heavy pan and bring to boil. Add brown sugar and stir until it dissolves. Continue cooking and stirring mixture over medium heat until it reaches soft ball stage(about an hour). Stir until thick enough (as for fudge). Drop by teaspoonful on a buttered pan or waxpaper or pour into buttered pan and cut into squares.

Taco Stew

This was for Mandi's week and it was really fast and easy! I used fritos because I had them on hand:)

This reminds me of another one Mandi sent a long time ago and I absolutely loved that one...it can be found here.

Easy Taco Stew Recipe

1 lb lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (15 1/4 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained

1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans in chili sauce, undrained

1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato soup, undiluted

1 cup water baked corn tortilla chips or plain Doritos

cheddar cheese, grated

Brown the beef and onion in a dutch oven, then drain. Add all ingredients to the beef/onion mixture, except for the tortilla chips and cheese. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

TO SERVE: Crumble a handful of either tortilla chips or Doritos in individual serving bowls and cover with a generous helping of stew. Sprinkle with cheese.

HINT: You can reduce the heat by substituting the pinto beans in chili sauce with either red kidney beans, plain pinto beans, etc

Veggie Lasagna

Shar made this and we had to try it. You can see hers here and her pictures are wonderful:) We loved this but I wish I hadn't run out of mozzarella. I had to use just a little more than the recipe called for and I always add looooots more to my lasagna lol

INGREDIENTS
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups diced zucchini
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (or use ready oven noodles)
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes.
Add the zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and peppers; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove 2 cups sauce and set aside.Drain noodles; set aside. Combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella and the cheddar cheese. In an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, layer a third of the remaining sauce, four noodles and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce and noodles. Spread reserved sauce over top.Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Bacon Chicken

This is a recipe from Lissa's week. Turned out good! I wish I'd pounded the chicken first but that's the only regret I have:)

Bacon Chicken
Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Preparation:

Cook bacon in 12" skillet until crisp, about 4-6 minutes. Crumble bacon and set aside. Pour bacon grease out of skillet, but don't wash or wipe it. Add butter and olive oil to skillet. Saute chicken breasts in this mixture over medium heat, turning once, until chicken is cooked and no longer pink in center. Place chicken in ungreased 12x8" baking dish.
Cook onion and garlic in drippings remaining in skillet. Cook until onion is softened, then stir in salt, pepper, and cooked bacon. Spoon over chicken breasts and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Serves 6

Buttermilk Bakery Bread

This is by far my favorite white bread that I've made in the bread machine. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone! It smells great, bakes perfectly, looks perfect, cuts perfect and tastes perfect! hee:)

Source: SACOfoods.com

1 1/2 Pound Loaf:

1 cup + 1 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3 Tbsp. SACO Buttermilk Blend

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups bread flour

1 Tbsp. Red Star® Active Dry Yeast

Add ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manual. Use Basic Medium setting.

No-Bake Granola Bars

These are a lot like rice crispy treats - really easy and yummy:)

No-Bake Granola Bars

from Southern Living Magazine

2 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.Bring brown sugar and syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until blended.Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated; let stand 10 minutes.Stir in chocolate morsels. Press mixture into a 13x9-inch pan; cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Onion Soup Mix

Since I was mixing up the ranch dressing mix I went ahead and refilled my onion soup mix too. This time I used chicken bouillon because it doesn't have msg.

3/4 cup instant minced onion
1/3 cup beef bouillon powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed celery seed
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
About 5 tablespoons of mix are equal to 1 1¼-ounce package.
To make onion dip: Mix 5 tablespoons with one pint of sour cream.

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

I made this up myself to avoid msg in the usual brands. It was JUST like the name brand! I was low on parsley so I made a half batch which will work out well for us since I don't use a lot of ranch dressing. I may try this as a dip soon too but this time I used it in the chicken dish tonight.

15 saltines, finely crushed

2 cups minced parsley flakes, crushed

1/2 cup instant minced onion

2 tablespoons dry dill weed

1/4 cup onion salt

1/4 cup garlic salt

1/4 cup onion powder

1/4 cup garlic powder

Put crackers through blender on high speed until powdered.
Add parsley, minced onions, and dill weed.
Blend again until powdered. Dump into bowl.
Stir in onion salt, garlic salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

For dressing use 1 tablespoon mix, 1 cup mayo, 1 cup buttermilk.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

This is a recipe from Mandi and was soooo good! We'll have to double it next time for sure! Her post is here.

6 slices bacon
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons ranch dry salad dressing mix
1 1/4 cups milk
3 cups dried medium noodles
1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1. Start your water for your pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.
3. In the same skillet, cook chicken in reserved drippings until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over chicken; stir well to coat the chicken. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon.4. Serve the chicken over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy

Caramel apple time!

It's that time for our Halloween caramel apples!

I bought a new kind of caramel this year that's supposed to melt easier and it definitely did! Right before we pulled them out and enjoyed:)

Oriental Stir Fry Scallops

The kids absolutely loved it and Justin would have happily eaten a ton of scallops(none of the veggies) but we ran out. I love stir fry so it was a given I'd like it. Leeks were something we'd never had before at home so it was fun to use them!

Oriental Stir Fry Scallops

8 ounces sea scallops

1/2 cup leeks

1/3 cup water chestnuts

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 1/3 tsp olive oil

1 cup snow peas

3/4 cup bamboo sprouts

2 tsp soy sauce

Sauté all the oriental vegetables until tender in olive oil over medium heat. Add scallops to vegetables and cook until done. While cooking, add the soy sauce. Serve while hot.