Waldorf Salad

We like this classic salad because it combines Aaron's two favorite flavors: apples and cinnamon.  Delicious and fresh any time of year, we especially love it in the fall when apples are at their peak.

6 Cups diced apples
1 Cup chopped celery
1 Cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 Cup mayonnaise
6 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Cup heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, combine apples, celery, and nuts.  In a small bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon until well combined.  Whip cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; fold into mayonnaise mixture to form a creamy dressing.  Pour dressing over apple mixture and stir until well coated.  Chill at least 1 hour before serving. 

12 servings.

Source:  allrecipes.com

School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars

Really I can't say enough about these cookies. They are just awesome and a regular thing at our house. Especially when we have company over for dessert. We hope that you enjoy them just as much as we do. Especially if you happen to be a peanut butter and chocolate loving fool like me!

Ingredients

Cookie:
1 1/2 cup Flour
1 1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (divided)
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cup Quick Oats

Frosting:
1/2 cup Butter
3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugars, 3/4 cup peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Stir in oats and spread mixture onto a greased 11x15 jelly roll pan (cookie sheet).

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Whip the remaining 3/4 cup peanut butter until it becomes lighter colored and fluffy. Carefully spread the whipped peanut butter over the cookie.

5. Time to make the frosting! Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the milk and cocoa powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat just until boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Then gradually add the powdered sugar. Stir until thickened. Pour over the peanut butter and gently spread over the cookie.

6. Cool completely and slice into bars.

Chocolate Eclair Torte

Everybody loves Chocolate Eclairs, right?  However, making the vanilla custard filling and chocolate ganache from scratch and messily filling pastries can be time consuming and delicate work.  Well, here's a recipe that has all the eclair flavor (with a few handy shortcuts) in an easy to make cake!  We hope you love it as much as we do!

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.4 oz. each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 carton (12 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
2 to 4 Tablespoons chocolate syrup

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil.  Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms.  Remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.

Spread mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack.  If desired, remove puff from pan and place on a serving platter. 

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Add the milk and pudding mix; beat until smooth.  Spread over puff; refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Spread with the Cool Whip; refrigerate.  Drizzle with chocolate syrup just before serving.  Refrigerate leftovers.  Serves 12. 

Source:  Taste of Home Most Requested Recipes

Homemade Wendy's Frosties

Discovered from a fellow food blogger, we have made this recipe twice in the past week.  For us, that is really saying something!  With several 100 degree days already this summer, we now find ourselves stockpiling our freezer with cool whip and our pantry with sweetened condensed milk to make this over and over again.  No need to get the kids in the blistering car and waste the gas to head to Wendy's. . . whip this three-ingredient version up at home for mere pennies compared to what the drive-thru would cost!  Enjoy!  

NOTE:  We don't have a giant sized ice cream freezer.  We have a small countertop Cuisinart one.  This recipe was most likely designed for a larger ice cream maker.  If you have one, great.  If not, we just cut this recipe in half, and it fits our ice cream maker perfectly.

1 14-oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 12-oz tub Cool Whip
1 Gallon Chocolate Milk

Combine sweetened Condensed milk and Cool Whip in large bowl.  Pour into Ice Cream Maker and add Chocolate Milk until it reaches the fill line.  Turn on Ice Cream Maker and let freeze.  AMAZING. 

Summer Cool-Down Treat: Homemade Fudgesicles

Looking for an easy, two ingredient way to beat the heat?  Look no further!  This is one of our favorite discoveries from good ol' Pinterest!

1/3 cup Nutella
1 Cup Milk

Place Nutella and milk in a blender, and blend until smooth.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.  That's it!  Depending upon the size of your molds, this makes anywhere from 4-6 fudgesicles.

Traditional Haws Family "Sugar n' Cinnamon Cereal"

In my (Aaron's) family, there has always been a tradition:  "Sugar n' Cinnamon cereal."  It is a simple concoction consisting of Cream of Wheat, sugar, and cinnamon, spread on a plate.  My mom loved Cream of Wheat when she was little, and so my Grandma would make it often.  However, my mom didn't like that it took forever to cool.  So, my genius Grandma spread it on a plate so it would cool faster.  Thus the tradition was born!  My mom made it for me, and I loved sprinkling cinnamon and sugar over the whole thing.  The sugar melts into this yummy liquid "goo" over the surface, and it is sooooo good!  You just simply eat the cereal in a "spiral" starting from the outside because it cools faster on the edges.  I love the fact that I have now passed this tradition on to our kids!  So, the next time you make plain Cream of Wheat, try it this way!  It just may become your new favorite!  :-)

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Krista Lyons, a colleague of mine in the MBA program at Boise State University, shared her AMAZING bread recipe with me.  This moist, decadent lemon bread studded with blueberries is drizzled with a quick homemade syrup at the end which gives it a little extra lemony "punch."  She would often make this batter into muffins and bring them to our late-night accounting study groups.  You may need to double this recipe because I guarantee you'll devour the first loaf in no time.  This recipe is DELICIOUS!  Thanks, Krista, for sharing!!!

BREAD:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Grated Zest of 1 medium lemon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup fresh blueberries* (I would actually increase this to about 1/3 cup - delicious!)


LEMON SYRUP:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Grated Zest of 1 medium Lemon

Preheat oven to 350, and spray a loaf pan (could use mini loaf pans or muffin tins also - adjust bake time accordingly) with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bown, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fluffy.  Add the lemon zest and buttermilk, beating until smooth.  On low speed, blend in the dry ingredients until just combined, careful not to overmix.  Gently fold in the blueberries with a spoon until just mixed.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s), smoothing the top.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until tester comes out clean.

While bread is baking, stir sugar and lemon juice together in small bowl until sugar is dissolved, then set aside.  When the bread is done, immediately turn out onto a large piece of foil, or onto a cooling rack with wax paper or foil underneath.  With a toothpick, pierce the top of the bread in several places.  Re-stir the lemon syrup mixture and then slowly drizzle over warm bread.  Sprinkle the top with the grated zest, and let cool completely before slicing.


*To help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf, dust them with a bit of flour before adding to batter.


Yield:  1 loaf

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

I love peanut butter. I love chocolate. So what better than these delicious bars. They were so perfect to make with the kids on a rainy day. It kept them busy and they both loved helping. I think they love to consume more than help, but I am OK with that too! We made these into bars only in the interest of time. But these would be awesome cookies too! I know what you will say when you see the amount of butter that is in these, and I will admit that I was a smidge taken aback by the amount. But it definitely keeps them moist and delicious!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 2/3 cups (10 oz pkg.) Peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips.
3. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not over bake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Pan Recipe: Spread batter in greased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan (cookie sheet). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars. Makes about 4 dozen bars.

Banana Nut Bread



This recipe comes from my Grandma Bock. This is certainly an "old-school" recipe, but it is totally worth it!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Shortening
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 2/3 cups Sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 cups Bananas, Mashed
2/3 cups Buttermilk
2 Eggs
2/3 cups Nuts, Chopped

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes in paper lined or cooking sprayed pans.

Chicken Enchiladas

Aaron's friend gave him this recipe forever ago, and I don't know why we haven't posted it until now! Anyway, the are delicious, you really should try them!

Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken Breasts - Cooked
1 Can cream of mushroom soup
1 Can cream of chicken soup
1 can chopped Olives
1 can diced green chilies
1-2 cups grated cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 can enchilada sauce
10 tortillas

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients and about half of the cheese
• Roll the sauce and chicken up in the tortillas
• Cover with remaining sauce and top with remaining cheese
• Cook at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour - or until bubbly

AMAZING Cheesy Cauliflower

Oh, yes, this is a vegetable dish, but don't let the "cauliflower" in the title fool you. It is probably the most unhealthy vegetable you have ever eaten. It has enough fat and calories in the sauce to cancel out even the most minute amount of nutritional value you may receive from the cauliflower. That being said, this is one of our absolute most favorite, tasty vegetable side dishes we have ever made. Enjoy!

 

1 head cauliflower

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

 

Place whole cauliflower in a large stockpot. Add water to cover. Cook until tender (about 30 minutes). - (or you may steam in microwave instead if desired). Remove from stockpot. Drain well and cool. Lightly salt and pepper surface of cauliflower. Place whole cauliflower in baking dish. Set aside. In a bowl, microwave onion and butter for 2 minutes. Stir together with mayonnaise and cheese. Spread mixture over surface of cauliflower. Place under broiler in oven until lightly browned. Set on bed of greens if desired, and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Lasagna

So I decided that I really had to write this one down before I couldn't read the recipe anymore. I have made it so much that my recipe is really starting to show it. It's like that one page in a cookbook that is splattered and stained and the pages are sticky.... you just know that is the best recipe in the book. I hope you enjoy... because I know we will!

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger

about 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 small onion)

Spaghetti Sauce (at least 28 oz.) - I usually use more

1 lb. Cottage Cheese

1 lb. Grated Mozzarella cheese

9 lasagna noodles

Directions:

Brown your hamburger and onion together. When meat is cooked add your spaghetti sauce to the pan and remove from heat. Set aside 1 cup of the sauce.

Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Put a little sauce into the bottom of your pan. Place 3 noodles into the bottom of your pan.

Now layer your lasagna: 1/2 of the cottage cheese, then 1/2 of the grated cheese. then half of the sauce. Add 3 more noodles and repeat with the rest of your cottage cheese, grated cheese and sauce. Place 3 noodles on top and top with your 1 cup of reserved sauce. Top with a little extra mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour

Creamy Tomato Soup

This soup is so delicious and easy to make! To go with it, we made "grown up" grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough, made with Havarti and fresh basil. SO good!

1 Tbsp. reserved oil from sun dried tomatoes or olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup shredded caroot

4 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes packed in oil

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

3 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat, if you like)

GARNISHES: Grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil (shown in picture), optional.

Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until veggies are tender, stirring often.

Add sun dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. If you're using the red pepper flakes, add them now.

Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cover pan and simmer for 30 mins.

Remove from heat; transfer soup to a blender (may need to do this in two batches). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in lid to avoid splatters. Process for a few minutes or until smooth. (You could also just add the cream cheese directly to the pot, and use an immersion blender to combine, if you would like).

Add additional salt and pepper to taste and then divide soup among bowls. Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of grated cheese and fresh basil if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Source: Our Best Bites.

Favorite Haws Family Pizza

We love pizza. However, takeout gets old, and this recipe tastes much better than some $5 hot-n-ready deal! What even makes this easier is that we make the dough in the bread machine, so you don't have to deal with kneading and rising! SO easy! This dough recipe actually came with our bread machine, and the sauce is another amazing miracle from "our best bites!" (you'll never resort to using bottled marinara sauce on pizza EVER again)!

DOUGH VARIATIONS:

1 Lb. recipe (Makes 1 thick or 2 thin crusts):

3/4 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon dry milk powder
2-1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 Lb. recipe (Makes 2 thick or 4 thin crusts):

1-2/3 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons dry milk powder
4-1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast


1 lb Whole Wheat Recipe (makes 2 thin crusts):

1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine in order listed, then select "pizza dough" cycle and loaf size if you have that feature. (If you don't have pizza dough cycle, just use "dough" cycle). Depending on your climate and elevation, check dough after 5 minutes of mixing. If dough looks dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of water. If it looks too wet and sticky, add a tablespoon or two of flour).

When dough cycle is complete, turn out on a lightly floured surface. Divide and press onto a 12 inch pizza pan, raising edges. Top with sauce (Below):

PIZZA SAUCE:

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
6 ounces water (just use empty tomato paste can)
3 Tablespoons Garlic Bread Seasoning (see next post below)
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Empty tomato paste into a bowl and add water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly until combined. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and allow to stand until ready to use. (Covers two average-sized pizzas.)

Finish pizza with mozzarella cheese and desired toppings and bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown around edges.

Garlic Bread Seasoning

So, how many times have you caught yourself buying expensive garlic bread seasonings in the store? (It's OK, you can raise your hand, nobody's watching!) We found another great "our best bites" find for this stuff from ingredients you likely already have on hand, and we pledged will NEVER buy it again! We just shake it together in a jar and keep it in the fridge, and use it ALL the time. It'll keep for 3 months refrigerated. (You also use it for the pizza sauce recipe in the previous post).

1/2 cup powdered Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 teaspoons parsley

Shake ingredients together in an airtight container and store in fridge. THAT'S IT! :-)

Overnight Caramel Sticky Buns

So, Heather is out of town for a few days, and I have the girls. I wanted to make something fun for breakfast instead of their Lame-o cereal and toast, and I wanted to make something more interesting than the same old pancakes, waffles, or french toast. So, I opened our trusty "Our Best Bites" cookbook, and these rolls jumped out. (I have seen several variations of this recipe before, but i've never really attempted to make them). The best part about this is that they are TOTALLY dad-friendly! 10 minutes to throw together the night before? Seriously? Oh man, they were good. Lilly devoured like half the pan, which is saying something, because that girl is PICKY! (She and Molly even did a little happy dance for me around the table singing a "dad's sticky buns are the best!" song). Enjoy!

18 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls
1 (4.6 ounce size) box cook-and-serve pudding mix in either butterscotch or vanilla flavor
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, optional
1/3 cup melted butter

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the frozen rolls evenly around pan. Sprinkle dry pudding mix, brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the top of rolls. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. Pour melted butter evenly over everything. Cover with a clean dry towel and leave at room temperature overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes and then invert onto a serving platter.