The ProFRESHional Duo

Favorite Haws Family Pizza

2012-01-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

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.

Our Favorite Dinner Rolls

2011-12-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

So, this Thanksgiving, we made these rolls from "Our Best Bites." AMAZING. We made two dozen for Thanksgiving day. There were twelve of us. There was hardly enough, since some of us ate three of them. (Good thing some of us shared!!!) So, I had to make another batch (2 dozen) the next morning to go with Thanksgiving leftovers. Again, literally 30 seconds, and they were all gone. So, in the space of two days, between 12 people we ate 4 dozen rolls. Slightly disgusting, but not surprising!! We hope you love them too!!!

2 Cups Whole Milk*
1/2 Cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 packages (4-1/2 teaspoons) active dry or bread machine yeast
2/3 cup warm (105-115 degrees F) Water
8-9 Cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 Beaten Eggs

Combine Milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts into salty-sweet perfection.

Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. To hurry things up a bit, you can place the saucepan in a bowl of ice cubes. You want to make sure this mixture isn't too hot, otherwise it will kill the yeast.

While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn't bubbled, you'll need to repeat this step with new yeast.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups flour and cooled milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes. Add beaten eggs.

Stir in as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft - it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will stick to your finger when you touch it. Don't worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they're so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Lightly flour work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half. Spray two 9x13 inch glass pans with nonstick cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. A pizza cutter works well because it cuts right through the dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like Play-Doh. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan. Use a kitchen scale if you want to ensure that the rolls are exactly the same.

Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

When done, remove from oven. Brush with melted butter. Or, better yet, just grab a stick of cold butter from the fridge, and rub it over the top of each roll. Make sure you grab one now and eat it while its still hot! This is your reward for making the best dinner rolls EVER!

24 Rolls.

Source: Our Best Bites

*TIP - The fat in whole milk is absolutely essential to the lightness and flavor of these rolls. If you're in a pinch, 2% works ok, but try to stay away from 1% or skim. If you're going to put all the work into these rolls, you want to make sure they taste amazing!

Breadsticks

2011-10-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is a fantastic breadstick recipe. It is easy to make it is always turns out fantastic!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm (105-115 degrees F.) water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon active dry or bread machine yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

3-4 1/2 cups flour, divided

Directions:

1. In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly

2. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 1 1/2 cups- 2 1/2 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

3. Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

4. Remove from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll dough into a rectangle 18-inches long and 9-inches wide and cut into 12 strips with pizza cutter.

5. Roll out a piece of dough into a snake and drape it over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly.

6. Cover the pan with a clean cloth and allow the dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. When the dough is done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some melted butter on top and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.

source: Our Best Bites

Peanut Butter Temptations

2011-10-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe and knew that I had to make them. I have been having major chocolate/peanut butter cravings and this one satisfied! They are really close to the Cyclops Cookies but with a Peanut Butter Cup instead of a Hershey Kiss. I hope you enjoy them just as much as we did!

Ingredients:
About 40 Reese's Peanut Butter Miniatures
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Remove wrappers from candies

Line small muffin cups with paper baking cups, if desired

Beat Butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy in large bowl.

In another bowl stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place one in each paper-lined or ungreased muffin cup. Do Not Flatten

Bake 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and lightly browned; remove from oven.

immediately press peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Cool completely in muffin pan.

tips:

I don't have two mini muffin pans so I used a fork to help me remove the completed cookies from the pan, once they had set just a little, and put them onto a cooling rack. It worked just fine and then I was able to do the second batch of cookies in the same pan.

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

2011-10-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for a great popcorn recipe. I just think that popcorn is so versatile and you can do so much with it. I was lucky to come across this recipe from Our Best Bites. It is fantastic and totally worth the time that it takes to make it. It is a huge hit with everyone and great for parties.

Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans & White Chocolate
{AKA Cinnamon Bun Popcorn!}

Ingredients:

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)*

1 C roughly chopped pecans

1 C brown sugar

3/4 t cinnamon

1/4 C Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)

1 stick real butter (1/2 C)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

3 squares almond bark

*You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, anything works, but I prefer a "natural" flavor that's low in butter and salt.

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees

2. Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. And by large bowl, I mean like, twice as big as you think you really need. If you don't believe me, then maybe you will believe the scorching hot caramel goo that's splattered all over your hands while you're stirring in your not-so-big bowl. Just a thought.

3. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. It's really important to incorporate the cinnamon into the brown sugar at this point. For some reason, if you don't it does crazy things. I don't know why. Try it and then email Alton Brown and ask him if you really want to know.

4. Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything. Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine.

5. Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes.

6. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.By this point it should be nice and bubbly. If it doesn't quite look like that you can microwave it a little longer, but just beware that if you over cook it, it will reach the hard candy stage and you'll end up with a giant clump of tasty concrete-like substance with little popcorn pieces stuck to it. Don't ask me how I know this.

7. Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda. Now take that foamy science project and pour it right over the popcorn and pecans.

8. Stir right away, and stir lots. Take too long and the caramel will harden on you. Keep stirring until everything is well coated.Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

9. After 30 minutes, take a piece out and let it cool. "Sample." If it's not crunchy enough, bake for another 5 minutes. "Sample" again. This will not be the end of "sampling."When it's done, give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions) If you want, you can spread out your caramel corn on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil.

10. Now, just use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture.When it's hardened (pop it in the fridge to speed that process along) break into chunks and enjoy!

Source: www.ourbestbites.com

Brown Bag Burritos

2011-10-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Another Taste of Home find! I have been looking for lunchtime solutions lately that are quick to fix, so when I have a moment to eat during the day, I don't just look blankly in the fridge, shrug my shoulders, and make myself another lame sandwich. These frozen burritos rock! I especially love them because I can take them to school with me in my insulated lunch pack, then microwave when I get there. They're ready anytime, and they're really tasty!!!

2 lbs. Ground Beef
2 Cans (16 oz. each) Refried Beans
3 Cups (12 oz.) shredded mexican cheese blend, or cheddar cheese
1-1/3 cups enchilada sauce
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
16 flour tortillas - 10 in. - warmed

Optional toppings:
shredded mexican cheese blend/cheddar cheese
sour cream
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
sliced olives

In a dutch oven or large pot, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Return to pan; add the beans, cheese, enchilada sauce, water, onion and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Fold sides and end over filling and roll up. Wrap individually in paper towels, then foil. Transfer wrapped burritos to a resealable plastic freezer bag. May be frozen up to 2 months.

To use frozen burritos:
Unwrap foil. Place paper-towel wrapped burritos on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Serve with toppings of choice.

16 burritos.

Source: Taste of Home

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

2011-10-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so for those of you who don't know, Heather has an absolute obsession with Rice Krispie Treats. This is her ABSOLUTE favorite thing to munch on. Period. So, to no surprise, we recently received our latest Taste of Home issue, and I was thumbing through it, (unaware she was reading) when Heather let out a gasp behind me, and I hear a "wait! go back!" She saw these bars in the picture, and her pregnancy cravings kicked in with multiple oohs and yums. 1/2 hour later, I returned from a late night trip to the store with Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch in hand. The bars were devoured in record time by both of us, with lots of sticky fingers. Perfect late night snack (pregnancy or anytime!)

30 large Marshmallows
3 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
6 Cups Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch Cereal
1-1/2 cups Milk Chocolate Plain M&M's

In a large saucepan, combine the marshmallows, butter, and peanut butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Cereal and M&M's. Pat into a 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into bars.

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes with Vanilla Glaze "Syrup"

2011-10-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

So, we discovered that some friends in our ward and their family also have a food blog! We tried out these pancakes on Saturday morning from their recipes and they were SO good. They literally taste exactly like a cinnamon roll, fresh and hot out of the oven. Enjoy this one for your next weekend family breakfast!

1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
3 Tablespoons White Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
2 whole Eggs Beaten
1 cup Milk
2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
¼ cup Butter, Melted
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon with a whisk. Whisk well to make sure everything is combined. In separate large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium/low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle. Brown on both sides. Serve warm with vanilla glaze over the top.

Vanilla Glaze:

1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2-6b Tlbs hot water

Melt butter over low heat in saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth and the consistency of syrup.

Yield: 12 pancakes (when 1/4 cup batter is used for each pancake.)

Source: Smithalicious.blogspot.com

Meatball Soup

2011-09-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

In recent months, we have discovered that Lilly has an obsession with anything that has meatballs. Spaghetti and Meatballs, Saucy Meatballs, Sweet n' Sour Meatballs, you name it. She asks for meatballs CONSTANTLY. Heather and I have even had to limit meatball related items to about once every two weeks, for our sanity's sake. Recently, we found this recipe in one of Heather's mom's Betty Crocker Cookbooks. Meaballs? Check. Slow Cooker? DOUBLE Check. Soup? TRIPLE Check. (I LOVE all things soup.) This was the easiest soup to make, and it was so good! You probably even have about 90% of the ingredients on your shelf already!

1 bag (16-oz) frozen Italian-style meatballs
2 cans (14-oz each) beef broth
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes with italian herbs, undrained
1 medium potato, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper (none of this on our shelf. We ended up adding: a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and a few cranks of freshly ground pepper)
1 bag (1 lb.) frozen mixed vegetables
shredded parmesan cheese for garnish

Mix frozen meatballs, broth, tomatoes, potato, onion, and seasonings in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until veggies are tender. Stir in frozen mixed vegetables, cover and cook on high for one more hour. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Serves 6

source: www.bettycrocker.com

Crunchy Ice Cream Dessert

2011-08-11T13:07:00.001-07:00

Ok, this recipe is INDEED a find!!! One of Heather's friends served something like this to us several years ago, and she wouldn't tell us the recipe, only that it "had Chex in it." I have been wondering what exactly was in it for a long time. . . (fast forward to last week). . . we were unpacking our new house in Boise, and it was HOT outside. I happened to open up our cookbook box, and came across our Taste of Home "Cool and Creamy" book. I asked Heather if she wanted to try something with ice cream to celebrate the new house. She gave me a quick nod, and I opened up the book, and this recipe jumped right out. I was so excited because the picture looked like "that ice cream thingy with the Chex" that we tried so many years ago! I quickly jumped in the car and ran over to the store and bought a couple things, came home and made it. I'm not sure if it's the EXACT recipe that Heather's friend made, but it's really close. Needless to say, our first night in our new house, Heather and I lazily flopped on the couch after our unpacking marathon and had three pieces each. It was THAT good.

2 Cups crushed Rice Chex
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

In a large bowl, combine the cereal, brown sugar, peanuts and coconut. Drizzle with butter; stir until combined.

Press half of the mixture into an ungreased 9"x 13" dish. Cut ice cream into 3/4 in.-thick slices*; arrange evenly over crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture; press down lightly. Cover and freeze until serving. Yield: 12-15 servings

*If you don't want the mess from cutting your ice cream (like we did), we just softened it a bit and spread it over the crust. Spread very slowly and carefully though, so you don't pull up the crust off the bottom of the pan. Keep in mind you will also need to freeze it longer (probably overnight) before serving if you do this so it can harden.

Source: Taste of Home Cool and Creamy

Moving

2011-07-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

We have been gone a while from our fun food blog. Sorry everyone! We are in the middle of moving, but just as soon as we get settled we'll be back to sharing our yummy goodies!

Apple Streusel Bars

2011-07-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

These bars are absolutely AMAZING. They taste similar to apple pie, but much easier to make! We made them last weekend, and 4 of us devoured the whole pan (gross, I know, but you weren't there!) in less than an hour, they were SO good! To make things even easier, substitute the apple filling below for one jar of our homemade apple pie filling!

Sweet Pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter (REAL butter here, people, no substitutions!)
1 egg, beaten

Apple Filling: (or one jar of our homemade filling)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups (about 3 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples (Granny Smith or Gala work great)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
About 3 Tablespoons milk (whole milk is best)

To prepare crust: mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture into bottom of pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare apple filling: combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Toss with apples and spread apples out on prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. When finished, allow to cool completely.

To prepare glaze: whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Transfer glaze to a ziploc bag and cut off a very small portion of one of the corners. Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the freezer if you want to hurry things along) Cut into bars and serve. Yield: 20-24 bars.

Source: Our Best Bites

Dijon-Crusted Fish

2011-05-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yet another amazing, easy, quick meal! We bought some tilapia at Costco a while back when it was on sale, and we've been wondering what to do with it. Here's our answer!! It gets TONS of flavor from the creamy sauce and lightly crispy topping. Heather usually isn't much of a fish person, but this is so mild, we all love it!

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. horseradish
4 tilapia fillets (approx. 5 ounces each)
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (we happened to have Italian seasoned variety on hand)
2 tsp. butter, melted

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. cheese, lemon juice, mustard, and horseradish. Place fillets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over fillets.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, butter and remaining cheese; sprinkle over fillets. Bake at 425 for 13-18 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings.

Source: Taste of Home Most Requested Recipes

Amazing 15 Minute Meal: Creamy Tortellini Marinara

2011-05-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, you happen to come across a meal that is a life saver that you can whip together in a hurry and avoid the dreaded "I don't know what to make fast, so lets go get McDonald's" nights. This is one of them that we made last night. Literally this comes together faster than it takes to get the kids to set the table. Toast up some garlic bread from the grocery store and open a bag of salad, and you've got a meal!

1 9-oz. package refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
4-1/2 tsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 15-oz. jar marinara sauce
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
2 green onions, sliced - (we didn't have green onions on hand when we tried it, so we just threw in some dried minced onion).
salt and pepper to taste

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute the garlic in butter for 1 min. Stir in flour. Slowly add milk and bring to a boil. Add marinara sauce, cream cheese, green onions, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Serve over tortellini.

6 servings.

Source: Taste of Home June/July 2011

Pistachio Cake

2011-05-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

So this is another yummy treat that we discovered some time ago. Unfortunately, like many recipes before, we ate the whole thing before we could get a picture. . . so a picture will be forthcoming at a later date. This moist bundt cake has has the perfect amount of sweetness, and is also a really cool shade of green, so it would be PERFECT for St. Patrick's day.

1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

ICING:

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant pistachio pudding mix
2 tsp. powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, soda and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Stir in walnuts

Pour into a greased and floured 10-in fluted tube (bundt) pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the cream, milk, pudding mix and powdered sugar on high until stiff peaks form. Frost cake. Sprinkle with Walnuts.

Yield: 12 servings

Source: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious February/March 2011

Our Amazing Kitchen Discovery

2011-05-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so have you ever seen this stuff in your Mom's or Grandma's pantry? I did too, but I never really what it was or what it did. WELL, I saw on a website what you actually do with it. This stuff is actually powdered buttermilk!

So, we've all had this experience, i'm sure: we want to make pancakes, breads, etc. that call for buttermilk. We open the fridge, and the buttermilk that was there was expired, curdled, and nasty. We don't want to make an unneccessary trip to the store for more. Well, now you can make your favorite buttermilk recipes without having to worry about having buttermilk on hand all the time!

Here's what you do. . .

When recipe calls for:

2/3 cup buttermilk: use 2-1/2 Tbsp. powder, and 2/3 cup water

1 cup buttermilk: use 4 Tbsp. powder and 1 cup water

To use it: First mix the measured buttermilk powder (above) with the other dry ingredients in your recipe, then add the appropriate amount of water when the recipe calls for liquid buttermilk. It's that easy!!

The can will store unopened on your pantry shelf for about 3-4 years or so, but they recommend refrigerating once the can is open.

Some of our favorite buttermilk recipes from this blog include our favorite pancake syrup, and Aebleskivers

ENJOY THIS TRICK!!!!

Chicken and Asparagus Kabobs

2011-05-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we actually had a day of sunshine last week, so we took advantage of it and got out the grill. We decided to try out these awesome asian-inspired kabobs with a tasty dipping sauce. They were so good, we devoured them ALL before we had a chance to take pictures! So, next time we make them (most likely soon) we will plan on taking pictures BEFORE we eat rather than AFTER.

DIPPING SAUCE:

2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted*
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

KABOBS:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, combine the dipping sauce ingredients. Cover the sauce and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

In a large ziploc bag, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sesame oil, pepper flakes and ginger. Add the chicken; seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. In a large bowl, toss the asparagus with olive oil and salt. On six metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread one chicken piece and two asparagus pieces.

Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink and asparagus is crisp-tender. Serve kabobs with dipping sauce.

*To toast sesame seeds: put seeds in a heavy ungreased pan and place over medium heat. Shake the pan occasionally until the seeds turn golden brown (about one minute). Remove from heat immediately and serve.

Yield: 6 kabobs

Source: Taste of Home Most Requested Recipes

Rainbow Jello

2011-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

*NOTE: I have made a correction to this recipe. You begin your layers with the yogurt jello not the plain.

So, this is probably our most asked for recipe. We make it for every special occasion. (It became known affectionately in Heather's family as "baptism jello" because her mom made it for every family baptism). We have made it every year at Lilly's birthday party, and we think it tastes awesome, and looks even better!!!! Be warned that this recipe, while really quite easy, takes a good 5-6 hours to make, since each layer of jello has to set individually, so plan your time accordingly.

16 ounce carton plain yogurt

one three-ounce package of jello in each of the following flavors:
1. Black Cherry
2. Raspberry
3. Strawberry
4. Orange
5. Lemon
6. Lime

To Start: Dissolve the package of Black Cherry Jello in 1 cup of boiling water. Set 1/2 cup of dissolved jello aside and add 3 tablespoons cold water. To the remaining 1/2 cup, add 1/3 cup of the plain yogurt and stir. In a 9x13 pan, pour the dissolved jello (with yogurt) into the pan, popping any bubbles that appear with a toothpick or fork. Chill for 20-30 minutes or until set. When set, carefully pour dissolved black cherry jello (without yogurt) over top, again popping bubbles that may appear. Chill another 20-30 minutes, or until set.

Repeat this process with each flavor of jello (in exact order- important in order for the jello to look right!), ending with lime layer on top. We usually top it with Cool Whip. We hope you love it as much as we do!!!

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

2011-04-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

I love cinnamon rolls, and while Heather does too, we dislike the mess that they make, and the endless cycles of kneading, rising, etc. It can be really time consuming and labor intensive. Well, we discovered that all that is easier when you let your bread machine do the work! All you do is roll out the finished dough, let rise once, and bake!

DOUGH:

1 egg, room temperature, PLUS enough lukewarm water to equal 1 cup

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp. salt

3-1/2 cups bread flour

2 tsp. active dry yeast

FILLING:

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

GLAZE:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

For dough, place all ingredients in bread machine pan. Select dough cycle. Set loaf size for 1-1/2 pounds (if using a variable loaf size bread machine). Push start. Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing. If too sticky, add a teaspoon or so of flour. If too dry, add a teaspoon or so of water.

When cycle is complete, place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12-inch by 6-inch rectangle and brush with butter. Combine remaining filling ingredients and sprinkle over butter. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Pinch seam to seal and cut roll into 1-inch slices.

Place slices onto a greased baking pan, about 1/2 inch apart and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool sightly. Mix glaze ingredients together and drizzle over rolls while still warm.

Sweet Lemon Puffs

2011-03-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

These tasty treats are absolutely scrumptious! We are visiting Aaron's sister this week and we made these for dessert. We couldn't even wait until we got home from California to post the recipe. To make enough for everybody, we doubled the recipe posted below. Enjoy!!!

1 sheet puff pastry dough (Pepperidge Farm), thawed
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Unfold pastry sheet and cut into 9 squares. Put each individual square into a greased muffin tin, pressing gently into cup. Beat remaining ingredients together until smooth. Divide the filling between the 9 pastry squares. Bring corners of puff pastry together in the middle to enclose filling. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Yield: 9 puffs.

Source: Lauren Nash (Aaron's Sister).

Oreo and Ritz Cracker Pops

2011-03-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up, I had one of those super cool Moms who made the thing that no one else was. I have seen several versions of the Oreo sucker or "pop" out there, but so far these are the best. They are easy, they hold together well and they are delicious. Besides, they have a lot of years of experience behind them, and nothing can beat that!

I haven't yet seen a Ritz cracker version so you'll have to take my word for it.... they are surprisingly delicious. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "what! A Ritz cracker? No way is that good." Well my husband said the same thing until I made him try it and now he loves it just as much as I do. In fact the Ritz cracker version was my favorite growing up. I know this recipe is a little behind schedule, obviously, but I still wanted to share it with you all. I made these to go with my daughters Valentines at preschool. The greatest thing about them is that they are inexpensive to make, so you can make a lot of them for very little! I remember my Mom made different versions throughout the year. For Easter she would put a sugar duck or bunny on top. So, ready to find out how to make your own Oreo and Ritz cracker pops? Well, here we go! Oh, and if you can't tell, the Oreo Pops are the picture on the left and the Ritz cracker pops are on the right. OK now, here we go!

RITZ CRACKER POP

Ingredients:

Ritz Crackers

Prepared Lemon Icing (I use the Betty Crocker one)

White Candy Melts (you can use almond bark, but I prefer the melts)

Sucker stick

Any candy or sugar embellishment

Directions:

1. Ice the back of a Ritz cracker. You really can't have too much icing, but you know, don't over do it. Place a sucker stick in the middle and then top with another Ritz cracker. Don't press down really hard because you'll break the cracker. Just enough so it will stick.

2. Repeat step one until you have as many pops as you would like. Then either let them set out until the frosting is firm enough to not fall apart, or to speed up the process you can put them in the refrigerator. This is what I would suggest doing.

3. Once the cookies are set up, Melt your white chocolate. Dip the cookies in the white chocolate, covering completely. This can get a little tricky. You really need to be as gentle as possible. Get off as much excess chocolate as possible. Place on wax or parchment paper to dry and set. If you want to add an embellishment, do so before the chocolate sets.

4. Once dry, everything holds together beautifully! I promise! I found some sucker bags at Wal-Mart, so I just packaged them up and tied them with a ribbon. You're all set to go! And believe me when I say that your kids will be the coolest ones in their class if they pass these little beauties out!

OREO POP

Ingredients:

Oreo Cookies

Any Color of Candy Melts (you can use chocolate or almond bark, but I prefer the melts)

Sucker stick

Any candy or sugar embellishment

Directions:

1. OK, so most people have a really hard time getting the stick into the middle without breaking the cookie, so here is the trick. You could buy Double Stuff Oreos, but it isn't completely necessary. Just take your cookies and put them in the microwave for about 5 to 10 seconds. If the middle is still not soft, microwave them again. It varies by microwave so I can't tell you an exact time. Once the middle is semi-soft, but not totally melted (watch that, it gets a little messy!) Slide your sucker stick into the middle.

2. Repeat this step until you get the number of cookies that you want. Put the cookies aside to firm up, or, to speed up the process, place them in the fridge. Make sure you don't skip this step no matter what. If you do, your cookie will most likely fall apart during the chocolate dipping. Don't ask how I know that, just take my word for it!

3. When the cookies are firm, melt your chocolate. I used Semi-sweet chocolate melts and white chocolate melts that I colored pink (the pink candy melts were gone - but they literally make almost every color!) Once melted dip your cookies into the chocolate, covering completely. Be as gentle as possible as you get off as much excess chocolate as you can. Place onto Wax or Parchment paper and let them dry. At this point, place any embellishment that you would like onto the cookie.

4. Once the chocolate is set you can package them up and give them out. I again used the sucker bags from Wal-Mart and ribbon. Once again, be prepared for the compliments, the adulation's, the praise, the.....well you get the picture!

Happy Making!

Fudge Puddles

2011-02-28T09:40:00.001-08:00

So Aaron bought the cookbook that we got this recipe out of. I must say that I was so excited to try this one out. It is like chocolate and peanut butter decadence all rolled into one! These are definitely for those days when you just need that chocolate fix but you don't want to feel too bad about what you are eating. It is especially good for those days when you go to your closet looking to wear that pair of fat jeans you've been saving only to realize that your fat jeans are now your regular every day jeans, and now you have to eat your sorrow away. You girls follow me? Anyway, try them out. They are delicious.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

FUDGE FILLING:

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped peanuts

In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill for one hour.

Shape mixture into 48 balls, 1 inch each. Place balls in lightly greased mini-muffin tins. Bake at 325 for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 3/8-1/2 inch deep indentation in the center of each ball. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

For filling, in a microwave or small saucepan, melt chocolate chips. Stir in milk and vanilla until smooth. Fill each shell with chocolate filling. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. (Any leftover chocolate filling can be stored in the fridge and served later warmed over ice cream).

Source: TOH Most Requested Recipes

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

2011-02-16T10:06:00.001-08:00

This is an easy version of "Homemade Hamburger Helper." It doesn't take very long, and you know exactly what's in it, without having to worry about preservatives and additives, etc. You can even make this in a lighter version by using reduced fat or fat free cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream and cheddar cheese, as noted below. This makes a great weeknight family entree.

5 cups uncooked egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce (we actually thought it looked a little dry when we made it the first time, so we added an additional 1/2 can or so.)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (reduced fat or fat free if preferred)
1 cup ricotta cheese (reduced fat or fat free if preferred)
1/4 cup sour cream (reduced fat or fat free if preferred)
3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (more if you like it really cheesy. Again, low fat, if desired)

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper; heat through. Drain noodles; stir into beef mixture.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and sour cream until well blended. Stir in half of the onions.

Spoon half of the noodle mixture into a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with the cheese mixture and remaining noodle mixture.

Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until thoroughly heated and the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions.

Yield: Approx. 10 servings

Source: TOH Most Requested Recipes

Taco Chicken Rolls

2011-02-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here's another tasty 5 ingredient fix for chicken! If you don't like the green chilies, you can replace it with finely chopped broccoli, or whatever you prefer.

1 cup finely crushed cheese-flavored crackers (Cheez-its, Goldfish, Better Cheddars, whatever).
1 envelope taco seasoning (about 1/4 cup-we buy this in bulk at Costco)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 ounces each)
2 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, cut into six 2 inch x 1/2 inch sticks (we just used plain ol' cheddar to avoid an unnecessary trip to the store - worked great.)
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

In a shallow dish, combine cracker crumbs and taco seasoning; set aside. Flatten chicken between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap to about 1/4 inch thickness (we found the easiest way is just to whack with a rolling pin since we don't have a meat mallet). Place a cheese stick and about 1 tablespoon of chilies on each piece of chicken. Tuck ends of chicken in and roll up. Secure with a toothpick.

Coat chicken rolls with crumb mixture. Place in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. (Don't forget to remove toothpicks before serving!!)

Yield: 6 servings

Source: TOH Most Requested Recipes

"Can't Leave Alone" Bars

2011-02-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

We have a lot of cake mix on hand in our pantry since we bought an entire case of it at a local case lot sale this fall. We started getting tired of just making cakes. Then, we discovered these amazing, gooey, chewy bars. You literally can't leave them alone. They are so good, have only 6 ingredients, and nobody will ever think that it starts with a white cake mix!!

1 box (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, cubed

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, and oil. Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Set the remaining cake mixture aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips, and butter. Microwave, uncovered, until chips and butter are melted; stir until smooth. Pour over crust.

Drop teaspoonfuls of remaining cake mixture over top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.

Yield: 3 dozen.

Source: TOH Most Requested Recipes

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

2011-02-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

Heather and I love warm, rich comfort food on a cold, snowy winter night. On just such a night a while ago, we gave this recipe a try. Absolutely delicious. Heather especially loved it because she is a big fan of basil, and this recipe has a lot of it!

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas (we happened to have frozen peas and carrots on hand, it worked great.)
4 cups cubed cooked chicken

Dumplings:
2 cups bisquick
2 teaspoons dried basil
2/3 cup milk

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, basil and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute; reduce heat. Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

For dumplings: in a small bowl combine bisquick and basil. Stir in milk with a fork until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls into 12 mounds over chicken mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Cover and bake 10 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean. 6-8 servings.

Source: TOH Most Requested Recipes.

Breaded Ranch Chicken

2011-02-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

This 5-ingredient treatment for baked chicken is a tasty change! Lilly declared it was officially her "new favorite chicken." We served it with Pasta Salad and green beans.

3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 ounces each) - for our small family we only made 4 pieces chicken and just discarded the extra breading.
1/2 cup butter, melted

In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, Parmesan cheese and ranch mix. Dip chicken pieces in butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat. Place in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake, uncovered, at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. 8 servings.

Source: TOH Most Requested Recipes

Apple Pie Filling

2011-01-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

I love the fall. All those apples and the millions of things you can do with them. One thing in particular is the smell of apple pie. It's a warmth and smell that just fills your house with goodness. It's also a great time to get all that canning done that you've been meaning to do all summer, but have put off until the last possible second!?! No of course not, we are all perfect housewives who get all the ironing, cooking, cleaning, laundry, watching the children, running errands and darning done in one day. And if you don't know what darning is... well, never mind then, you must be the perfect housewife if you never have to darn a thing!

So anyway, I just really wanted to post this recipe before I lose it again in my perfectly clean house. (you can't see me right now, but I'm rolling my eyes) This recipe has nothing to do with the season. In fact you won't be able to use this recipe for probably a good...well when fall comes around again. It is delicious when you bake it into a pie and it would even be great warmed up and served with ice cream. It is easy to can, even for the newbie!

Ingredients:

Apples

1 cup corn starch

dash of cloves

4 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 teaspoons cinnamon

10 cups water

Directions:

Peel, core and slice your apples. Place into jars, filling the jar to just the bottom of the rings.
Mix together the corn starch, cloves, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.Add 10 cups water to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Boil the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
Pour over jarred apples.
Process for 20 minutes

Makes 7 jars

Tips: Don't boil your mixture too fast. Gradually bring it to a boil. I think it gets too thick too fast otherwise.
I like to use my apple peeler/corer. They aren't expensive and they make the job go so much faster. Then all you have to do is slice the apples.

source: Claudia Clayson via April Clayson

Aunt Joan's Christmas Jello

2011-01-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

So my Aunt, Joan Haws, shared this recipe with my parents several years ago. Growing up, we had it every Christmas eve. However, now Heather and I actually tend to have it at Thanksgiving with my family more than Christmas, but is still just as delicious and unique no matter when we have it. You may think it's weird looking at the ingredients, but trust me, it's DELICIOUS. Thank you to my sister Andrea for sending me the recipe! This will be included in our family recipe book forever.

1 large pkg. Cherry Jello
1/2 Cup Red Hots (Cinnamon Imperial Candies)
2 Cups water + 1-3/4 Cups water
1 red apple, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Dissolve Red Hot Candies in 2 cups boiling water, then stir in Jello to dissolve. Pour into 9x13 pan. Stir in 1-3/4 cups cold water. Stir in apple, celery, and walnuts. Chill several hours, or until set.

Source: Joan Haws

Breadsticks

2011-01-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

These are delicious bread sticks. They are soft, warm and buttery. Nothing is better than butter, as Paula Deen would say! We had these at our friends house. I love bread! We decided that we needed to get off of our little dessert kick that we have been on lately, and post some other recipes. So we hope that this is a sign of things to come!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. Yeast
2 Tbsp. Sugar
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cube butter
garlic salt
Parmesan cheese
parsley flakes (optional)

Directions:

Mix together the warm water, yeast and sugar. Then add the flour and salt. Mix together and let rise for 1/2 hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place one stick of butter on a cookie sheet pan. Place in heating oven to melt.

Put some flour on a board and roll out dough. Cut into bread sticks and dip them in the butter and arrange on the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle the tops with garlic salt, Parmesan cheese and parsley flakes. Put as much garlic as you would like.

Let raise for 15 minutes.

Bake for 20 minutes or until light brown.

Tips: Grated Parmesan in a bottle is better than fresh shredded parmesan on these, but shredded will work just as well.
It is OK to omit the parsley flakes. I think they would taste just as good without it.
The more garlic salt you use, the more intense your garlic flavor will be.

source: Jennifer Holman via her sister Sarah Feil

The Cookie Monster!

2011-01-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I were in college there was this pizza joint that we always used to eat at. It was called Craigo's. They had the best cheese bread sticks! But they also had a dessert that would feed like 10 of us girls who wouldn't eat much, because there are guys that you like around and so of course we ate before we showed up type deal!?! Nah! That wasn't me!! Anyway, it was called the Cookie Monster. It was like a little piece of heaven on your plate. So my husband and I have been on a dessert kick lately, if you couldn't tell and we decided to make our own cookie monster.

Ingredients:

Prepared cookie dough. (You can use whatever you would prefer!)

Caramel sauce

Chocolate Sauce

Vanilla Ice Cream

Whipped Cream

Nuts - optional

Directions:

Shape your prepared cookie dough on a round pan. Bake until golden brown. Let cool.

Slice your cookie like slices of pizza. Take a slice and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and nuts. Enjoy!

Candy Crunch Pudding Pie

2011-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

If you love chocolate then you will love this! I was in the store buying pudding for my Smore Cookies when I happened upon this recipe. This was an impulse buy if ever there was one and let's be honest, it probably had more to do with my sudden and inexplicable urge for chocolate! Of course my husband and I ran into some people we know at the store and he proceeds to tell them that it seems like with each child we have, I get more and more into chocolate. Well if that's the case, then I am going to be one big chocolate mess by the time I hit my mid-thirties! Anyway, this recipe ended up being fantastic. It was simple, fast and it wasn't too rich at all. In fact it was just right.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cold milk

1 pkg. (5.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding

1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, divided

2 milk chocolate English toffee candy bars (1.4 oz each), chopped and divided

1 Oreo pie crust

1 square BAKER'S semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions:

Beat milk and pudding mix with whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 the whipped topping and all but about 3 tablespoons of the candy.

Spoon the mixture into the crust.

Top with remaining whipped topping and candy. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

source: Jell-o brand Chocolate Instant Pudding Box

Nikki's Amazing Smore Cookies

2011-01-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes to us from our Niece-in-law Nikki. She is chalk full of great recipes! This recipe is just one of many. They are so yummy and soft. Aaron and I both agreed that they were even better the next day. They reminded me so much of my many fun camping adventures with my family. Many of which ended with someone falling out of a hammock, or falling in the lake or falling out of a tent! Ah, the memories! So if you are missing out on that campfire ritual of smore's then you will love these cookies.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 (4oz) pkg. chocolate instant pudding (powder only)

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 cups flour 1 cup mini marshmallows

1 cup crushed graham crackers (makes sure it's not too fine you want some chunks)

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and pudding mix.

In a separate bowl mix baking soda and flour. Gently add to wet ingredients. Add marshmallows, chips and graham crackers

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Tips:

After I mixed the batter I put it into the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes, it makes the cookies fluffy.

It's hard to mix in the marshmallows, so you may need to put them into each cookie as you roll it into a ball. I put in 3 marshmallows per cookie.

I used parchment paper on my cookie sheet and also sprayed it with some Pam. I didn't want those marshmallows to stick!

I cooked mine for 8 minutes and then let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes before I transferred them to the cooling rack. They might not look done at 8 minutes but they will cook while they set on the pan and this way they will be soft and chewy!

Refreshing Raspberry Jello Salad

2011-01-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

We re-discovered recently that we really enjoy jello salad. However, we don't have many on here except for Heather's Grandma's Jello and Rainbow Jello . We made this recipe the other night when we had lots of ripe bananas on hand. It turned out great! Somehow I need to get a hold of my Sister Andrea to get the recipe to my Aunt Joan's Christmas Jello recipe as well. One of my favorites! In the meantime, enjoy this one!

2 cups boiling water
1 (6 ounce) package raspberry flavored gelatin
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries in syrup
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
4 bananas

Add package of gelatin to boiling water and stir until dissolved. Refrigerate until thick and syrupy (but not set). Thaw unopened package of raspberries in cold water for about 10 minutes. Carefully add to gelatin. Stir in crushed pineapple. Dice bananas and add. Pour into 9x13 dish. Refrigerate and let set overnight, if possible, or for several hours.

Yield: about 12 servings.

Source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Tex-Mex Chili

2010-12-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was FREEZING here in Pocatello with 50 MPH winds and a wind chill below zero. I wanted to warm up, so I went searching for a good chili recipe. This is what I found. It was EXCELLENT. It also makes a big pot, so I will also be enjoying some for lunch today. It's different because it calls for beef stew cubes (which we had a lot of in our freezer) instead of ground beef. This recipe also calls for slow cooking, but I didn't get it on in time for dinner, so I just simmered it on the stove on low for about 3 hours. Beware, this recipe is rather spicy, and I only used half the cayenne it calls for. Next time I may eliminate the red pepper flakes as well. But, if you like it spicy, here's your fix!

3 pounds beef stew meat
1 Tablespoon Canola (or vegetable) oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (16 ounces each) Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans (15 ounces each) Tomato Sauce
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
3/4 cup salsa verde
1 envelope chili seasoning
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Optional garnishes:

Minced Fresh Cilantro
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

In a large skillet, brown the beef stew meat in oil in batches. Add the garlic to the pan; cook and stir for 1 minute. Transfer to a 6 qt. slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients (except garnishes). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Yield: 12 servings (1-1/3 cups each)

Source: Taste of Home

Creme Brulee French Toast

2010-12-29T07:10:00.000-08:00

We love having guests and friends visit us on the weekends. However, Saturday morning breakfast can be a challenge. You want to maximize visiting time and minimize time in the kitchen while still having a delicious breakfast. This is a great recipe because it is put together the night before and all you do is pop it in the oven when you get up! This french toast bakes in the oven and melts in your mouth.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 loaf Texas Toast bread (extra-thick slices)
5 eggs
1-1/2 cups half and half cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 recipe syrup butter (below)

In a small saucepan, stir and melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth. Pour mixture onto a large, greased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet pan-18x13x1 inch). Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices Texas toast bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, cream, salt, and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve. If not serving immediately, turn each slice of bread over (this will prevent bread from sticking to bottom of the pan.) Serve with syrup butter. 12 slices french toast.

Syrup Butter:
1-1/2 cups butter
3 cups maple syrup

Melt together and serve over toast.

Source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook.

Extremely Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-12-20T09:33:00.001-08:00

Our friends and neighbors, the Davis family, shared this recipe for these soft, moist, cake-like cookies. They are so incredibly easy and have only 3 ingredients. Also this delicious recipe has no oil, butter or added fat, and no eggs! Thanks Tom and Laura!! (For another delicious cake-like pumpkin cookie recipe see the "pumpkin cookies with warm caramel icing" also on this blog.)

1 box spice cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin Puree
2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Beat cake mix and pumpkin puree together in a large bowl. Stir in Chocolate Chips. Drop by tablespoon-fuls onto very lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes or until very slightly browned but still soft. Let cool on cookie sheet for one minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Christmas Snowballs

2010-12-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Hello! It's been a crazy time preparing for Christmas! Here is a slightly different twist on the chex "muddy buddy" recipe. We give it away as gifts every year! Enjoy!

8 cups (1 large box) Cocoa Puffs Cereal
1 bag (10 oz.) Peanut Butter Chips
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. Light Corn Syrup
3 Cups Powdered Sugar-divided

In each of two gallon-size resealable ziploc bags, place 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar. Set aside. Either on the stove over medium heat, or in the microwave, stir and melt together the Peanut Butter Chips, butter and corn syrup until smooth. Pour over Cocoa Puffs in a large bowl and stir gently to coat. Divide the cocoa puff mixture evenly between the two ziploc bags of powdered sugar. Seal the bags and shake gently to coat with sugar. Spread onto waxed paper to cool.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

2010-11-16T09:59:00.001-08:00

This awesome quick bread fills the kitchen with spicy holiday scents while it bakes. SO yummy! It also freezes well.

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 - 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 - 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (or use cooking spray) two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, and eggs. beat until smooth. add water and pumpkin and beat until blended.
In a medium bowl, combine ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, flour, soda, salt and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all dry ingredients are moistened (do not over mix). Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 2 loaves.

Source: allrecipes.com

Our Favorite Breakfast Pizza

2010-11-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Heather and I invented this pizza when we wanted something quick and yummy for breakfast one morning. It is delicious!!

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (more if you like)
Favorite desired toppings (cooked bacon sausage or ham, chopped bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.)

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescent roll dough onto a cookie sheet, pressing seams together to seal. Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and scramble eggs over medium heat until almost set (don't cook all the way, otherwise the eggs will be rubbery on the pizza). Spread eggs onto crust. Top with cheese and toppings. Bake in preheated oven for approx. 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Rolo Cookies

2010-11-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have left over candy? Especially at this time of year. Well I seem to have rolos around the house and this recipe is a perfect use for them. This is a delicious cookie. I would even venture to say that it is totally acceptable for those Christmas cookie plates that we all like to give to our neighbors. However, for me it is that cookie that satisfies all chocolate fixes that a girl could need. It. is. that. good. If you didn't know what they were you would think it was just a normal chocolate cookie, but as soon as you bite into it, you know it isn't just another chocolate cookie. With it's gooey caramel center it is sure to please everyone!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. flour

3/4 C. cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 C. Sugar

1 C. packed brown sugar

1 C. butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 C. chopped nuts (your choice - I prefer walnuts)

60 Rolo candies - or one bag

4 tbsp. sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; blend well.
In a large bowl, beat sugars and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Slowly add flour mixture; blend well. Stir in 1/2 cup nuts.
For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoon dough around caramel candy, covering completely.
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup nuts and 4 tablespoons sugar. Press one side of each ball into nut mixture.
Place, nut side up, on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from sheet.

source: www.cooks.com

Microwave Caramel Popcorn

2010-11-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

We just tried out this recipe. For us caramel corn has been difficult to make. We don't know why. We figured that we just hadn't found the right recipe for us. Besides which, I am not patient enough to stir my popcorn in the oven every 15 minutes for an hour. We thought this recipe was easy and delicious. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 quarts (16 cup) popped popcorn

1 Cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Place the popped popcorn into a large paper bag. Set aside

In a 2 quart dish, or other heat-proof glass dish, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Heat for 3 minutes in the microwave, then take out and stir until well blended. Return to the microwave, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in the baking soda.

Pour syrup over the popcorn in the bag. Roll down the top once or twice to close the bag, and shake to coat the corn. Place bag into the microwave and cook for 45 seconds. Remove, shake, flip the bag over and return it to the microwave. Cook for another 45 seconds. Dump the popcorn out onto waved paper and let cool until coating is set. Store in an airtight container.

Tips:

Be quick when pouring the syrup onto your popcorn. You want to get as much of the corn coated as possible.

Our microwave cooks on the warmer side. If yours does not, you may want to cook the popcorn for 1 minute 10 seconds as opposed to 45 seconds.

Don't get the syrup on you! It's hot - I found out the hard way. I just can't keep myself from trying the ooey gooey syrup!

source: www.allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-11-05T10:10:00.001-07:00

Those of you who know me I am a fan of ALL things pumpkin. Heather, not so much. I appreciate the fact that she lets me go crazy with the pumpkin stuff in the fall, even though they're not her favorite. These muffins are so moist and flavorful, and they are perfect for fall and Halloween class parties. You can also substitute mini chocolate chips and make them into mini-muffins for a bite-size treat. They are especially tasty when served warm right out of the oven!

4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and mix in the sugar, pumpkin, and oil. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Blend carefully into the egg and pumpkin mixture just until moistened. Gently stir in chocolate chips. Transfer to muffin pans, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Yield: Approx. 30 regular size muffins, 70-80 mini muffins.

Source: allrecipes.com

Slow Cooker Chili

2010-11-05T09:41:00.001-07:00

We found this recipe and made it for our neighborhood chili dinner and trunk-or-treat over Halloween weekend at O.K. Ward park. It was excellent, especially because we just threw it in the slow cooker in the morning, and it just simmered all day while we got the kids costumes ready and did other things. Feel free to adjust ingredients to suit your family's tastes. For instance, if you like a spicier chili, add additional tabasco or a chopped seeded jalapeno pepper. Enjoy!

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans (I sometimes prefer to use a variety of beans in my chili. last time I used two cans pinto beans and one can kidney beans. It turned out great. You can also use small red beans or black beans if you like as well).
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes (last time I made this we didn't have these on hand, I just used canned diced tomatoes instead, and added a little extra garlic. It came out perfect).
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 generous dash worcestershire sauce
1 generous dash tabasco
1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
1 to 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste, if desired*

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until beef is evenly browned. Drain fat and season to taste with salt and pepper. In a slow cooker (ours is 5 quart size) combine the ground beef mixture, beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil, worcestershire sauce and tabasco. Stir in tomato paste, if desired. Cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours. Pour in wine or beef broth during the last two hours.

*This recipe without the tomato paste makes a rather "soup like" batch of chili. If you prefer a thicker chili, add as much tomato paste as you would like to achieve your desired consistency. (2 6-ounce cans of tomato paste is perfect for our liking. . . not too thick, not too thin).

Yield: 8-10 servings

Source: allrecipes.com

Chicken Tetrazzini

2010-10-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

I know that I am lacking in the picture department. It is just that by the time I actually get everything made, I don't stop to think about a picture! That's why, this month I am going to try harder to take more pictures of the new foods we make and then also pictures of the other foods. So of course, at this moment I don't have a picture of this delicious pasta dish. But believe me.... it's good!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. spaghetti (12 oz.)
1/3 C. butter or margarine
1/3 C. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz.)
1 1/2 C. half and half cream
1 C. heavy whipping cream
4 C. cubed cooked chicken
3 cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained (4 oz. each)
1 jar sliced pimentos, drained (4 oz.)
1/2 C. grated Parmesan Cheese

directions:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile in a skillet, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add the broth, half and half and whipping cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened.
Remove from heat. Stir in chicken, mushrooms and pimentos.
Drain spaghetti; add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat.
Transfer to two greased 11X7 inch baking dishes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole up to 2 months. Bake second casserole uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
To use frozen casserole, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through. Stir before serving.

source: FCCLA cookbook: A Little yummy for Your Tummy

Halloween Menu

2010-10-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Because Halloween is on a Sunday this year, I decided that I wanted to make it special since we won't be trick-or-treating on that day. If you are like me, you have struggled to come up with a fun, yet not too creepy, but delicious, and something the kids will eat - meal to serve. It was especially difficult because everything that you find is usually an appetizer type food. Since we are having a few friends over for a sit-down dinner, I can't really just serve finger foods for the meal. Finally I have figured out what I am going to do. I wanted to share it with all of you so that if you are still looking, maybe I can help out with your meal plans.

Breakfast:

Pancakes made into Halloween shapes
Sausage "Fingers"

I came up with this idea when I was first introduced to Jim's Pancakes by a family member and then later when he appeared on the Rachel Ray show. His pancakes are awesome! I thought, "hey, I can do that!" So we will be attempting these pancakes in the morning.

Lunch

Ghost of Monte Cristo Sandwiches. (Picture 5 above)
PB&J sandwiches cut into shapes or Hot dog mummies. (Pictures 2 and 7)

The Monte Cristo will most likely be for the adults that will be visiting with us for lunch. I haven't quite decided between the mummies or the PB&J's, but these are for the kiddos.

Dinner:

Martinelli's Apple Cider with eye ball drink stir-ers (found at Wal-mart)
Mummy Meatloaf (picture 1 above)
Mashed Boo-tatoes (picture 4 above)
Slivered Scream Beans (picture 6 above)
Witches Fingers (Bread sticks)

Ever since I first saw this meatloaf I wanted to make it. Everything else is really all about how you present it.

Dessert:

Brain Cupcakes (picture 3 above)
Homemade Oreos with Orange filling
Candy Corn Trifles

We are having so many desserts because I want people to be able to choose what they want. We are also putting the kids to bed and then watching some type of scary movie - it is after all Halloween! I just want everyone to be fed and happy, plus the sugar will help keep all the adults awake!

The Oreos are our own recipe found here! For other really great ideas visit Family Fun and Martha Stewart. They have some really great entertaining ideas and awesome things that you can do with your kids! Good luck and Happy Halloween!

Candy Corn Mini Trifles

2010-10-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love Halloween! So when I came across these I knew that I just had to try them. Besides, we love trifles so this is also right up Aaron's alley as well!

Ingredients:

Box of yellow cake mix, plus oil, eggs and water needed to prepare
Yellow food coloring
2 (4 serving size) boxes instant vanilla pudding, plus milk needed to prepare
Orange food coloring
8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Candy Corn

Directions:

Prepare cake batter according to instructions, adding yellow food coloring during mixing. Pour batter into a 9x13 inch pan and bake and cool according to box directions.
Prepare instant pudding according to directions on box, adding enough orange color to make it a bright orange. Place pudding in the refrigerator while you prepare the topping.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in the Cool Whip until well blended.
Crumble the yellow cake into an even layer in the bottom of each mini trifle bowl. Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and spoon on top of cake layer. Smooth out with the back of your spoon. Pipe whipped topping/cream cheese layer on top with a large star tip. Or, just spoon it on. No one will care.
Top with a candy corn.

source: http://confessionsofacookbookqueen.blogspot.com

Upside-Down Pizza

2010-10-19T10:59:00.001-07:00

This is a delicious twist on pizza. Give it a try, your kids will love it!

Ingredients

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 jar pizza sauce
1 can mushrooms
1 can olives, sliced
favorite pizza toppings (pepperoni, Canadian bacon, etc.)
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 C. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown beef, sausage, onion and garlic in large saucepan over medium high hear. Once browned, drain fat and stir in pizza sauce.

In a 9X13 inch baking dish, spread a layer of sauce and pizza toppings. Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, another layer of sauce and pizza toppings and the rest of the cheese.

Top with crescent rolls, pinching seams together. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown.

source: A Little Yummy for Your Tummy cookbook put out by the FCCLA in Grangeville Idaho

Fun Halloween Idea: Black Widow Bread with Spider Eggs

2010-10-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

This bread makes an awesome buffet centerpiece for any Halloween gathering! You can use it to make your own sandwiches with trays of cold cuts and cheese, or just serve it alongside whatever your main course is. We made it for a murder mystery dinner which our friends hosted a few weeks ago. It looked awesome on the table!

4 (1 pound) loaves frozen whole-wheat or white bread dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons black poppy seeds or black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

The Head:

Divide one loaf in half. Knead half on a floured board to make a smooth ball. Set aside while forming the body and legs.

The Body:

Knead remaining half-loaf with one whole loaf into a smooth ball.

Center body and head on a greased baking sheet. Gently flatten head to make it 3 inches wide. Flatten body to make it 5 inches wide. Body and head should touch.

The Legs:

On a floured board, divide one loaf into 8 equal pieces. Roll each portion into an 8-inch log. Place ends of logs under head and body about 2 inches apart (two on each side of the head and two on each side of the body). Curve them to resemble spider legs. Make sure dough stays at least 2 inches from pan edge.

Spider Eggs:

Divide remaining loaf into 8 equal pieces. Shape each portion into a smooth ball. Place slightly apart on a separate greased baking sheet.

Let dough rise in a warm place until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes. Brush dough with beaten egg; sprinkle spider with black poppy seeds or black sesame seeds, and spider eggs with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 until bread is a rich golden color beneath seeds and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean (20 to 25 minutes for spider eggs, 40 t0 45 minutes for spider). Serve warm or cool on racks. If not serving immediately, wrap well. Can be made ahead and frozen. Serves 10 to 12.

Source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Cheesecake Brownies

2010-10-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Just recently we bought a case of brownie mix at one of our local grocery stores during their case lot sale. So now we have started looking for interesting ways to use those brownie mixes. This recipe is super easy and it tasted great!

Ingredients

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar

Directions

Prepare the brownie mix as directed on box. Preheat oven to temperature indicated on box. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer.
Bake according to box instructions. Brownies will be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then cut into bars and serve.

source: www.allrecipes.com

Caesar Salad Supreme

2010-10-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

This was a delicious salad. The dressing is pretty thick though, so just be a little careful when you dress the salad.

Ingredients

6 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup mayonnaise
5 anchovy fillets, minced
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups day-old bread, cubed
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

Directions

Mince 3 cloves of garlic, and combine in a small bowl with mayonnaise, anchovies, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cut the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into quarters, and add to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown, and then remove garlic from pan. Add bread cubes to the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Remove bread cubes from oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Place lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with dressing, remaining Parmesan cheese, and seasoned bread cubes.

source: www.allrecipes.com

That Good Salad

2010-09-09T15:37:00.001-07:00

this is a surprisingly simple yet delicious salad. We made it exactly as the recipe called for and it was quite a refreshing salad. One word of advice.... Use fresh lemon juice. I did and I think it made all the difference. It ended up taking about 2 lemons.

Ingredients

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 heads romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 cup Caesar salad croutons

Directions

In a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper; cover and shake well. Chill. In a bowl, toss romaine, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, almonds if desired, Parmesan cheese and bacon. Shake dressing; pour over salad and toss. Add croutons and serve immediately.

source: www.allrecipes.com

A Useful Tool - The Citrus Press

2010-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have recently rediscovered the usefulness of this tool. The Citrus Press. For a long time whenever I need fresh lemon juice I just use my good old hand to squeeze the juice out. I can never seem to get all the juice out. So I finally pulled out this beauty. It gets out all the juice and it keeps me from having to fish out the seeds. It is an inexpensive tool that will be useful for years to come.

MIA and a New Announcement

2010-09-02T15:38:00.001-07:00

OK, so I know that we have been missing in action for a little while now. You all know how it is with summer, everything just gets turned around and upside down. With school starting again we have a new resolve to update more frequently and make this a place you enjoy coming so that you can get new recipes and tips for your families to enjoy.

With that being said we wanted to announce that starting this Tuesday and continuing for the next few months we will be trying something new. We have quite a few recipes in the "to try someday" pile. So we decided that we would finally put these recipes to the test. Twice a week we will be trying something new with our meals. This month we will be trying out new salads. In the months to come we will be trying appetizers, main courses, desserts and so on. hopefully this will give all of you something new to try as well.

Also, we will be starting a new tips and tricks and useful hints section. A few times a week we will post tricks that we have found to be helpful in the kitchen. If any of you have any questions, leave us a comment and we will do our best to answer any of the questions that you may have. Keep in mind that we aren't professionals. We are just two people who love to cook and have been learning a lot along the way. So we are hoping that with your questions we will be able to learn along with you.

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

2010-08-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

Oh man, Paula Deen has done it again! Heather and I were flipping through the channels the other night, and stopped dead in our tracks when we saw this cobbler flash up on the screen. It looked AWESOME! And so, we made it for dessert when we realized we had a bunch of blueberries in the fridge we needed to use. WOW. This turned out awesome! Hope you enjoy!!

Fruit Mixture:

2 (16 oz.) cans sliced peaches in heavy or light syrup or in juice (your choice)
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries (optional)
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup sugar
Ground Cinnamon

Topping:

2-1/4 cups Bisquick
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
Cinnamon Sugar (1/4 cup sugar combined with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; store in an empty spice shaker jar; shake well before each use).

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a dutch oven (we just used a large round baking dish) with cooking spray. Drain one can of the peaches. Combine both cans of peaches (including the juice from the undrained can), blueberries (if using), the Bisquick, sugar, and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Place this mixture in prepared pan.

To make topping: Combine the Bisquick, sugar, butter, and milk in a resealable plastic bag (we just combined in a bowl). Drip bits of dough, using your fingers, on top of the peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Place pan into preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crusty.

Source: foodnetwork.com

Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, and Banana Pancakes

2010-08-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

One of our good friends posted this recipe on her Facebook wall and said we had try it. These were probably the best pancakes I (Aaron) have ever had. They were remarkably light and fluffy for being whole wheat, and tasted like banana bread. The secret is letting the batter rest for 5 minutes (enough time to whip up the syrup recipe below) before you put the batter on the griddle.

1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons dry milk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 cups milk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed

1. Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, dry mlk powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside.

*2. Whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.

3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until brown on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

*TIP: (saves a few dirty dishes) After blending the oatmeal and adding it to the dry ingredients, I just dumped the whole banana, egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla into the blender, pulsed it a few times on low to mash the banana and blend the wet ingredients, then added it to the dry ingredients.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Absolute Best Pancake Syrup

2010-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Someone on allrecipes suggested that we try this syrup with the whole wheat, oatmeal and banana pancakes (above). Man, this syrup was sooooo delicious, and it comes together in like 5 minutes! I serously wonder if we will ever buy store bought syrup ever again! TIP: When you add the baking soda, the syrup tends to foam up quickly and may boil over. To prevent this, stir in the soda a tiny bit at a time, or just use a larger pot.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Bring butter, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract, corn syrup, and cinnmon to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once simmering, whisk in baking soda, and cook for 10 seconds before removing from heat. Serve warm.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Slow Cooker Tamale Pie

2010-07-26T20:46:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I (Aaron) really like southwestern tex-mexy (is that a word?) type food. Tamale pie is one of my favorites. I have been looking for an easy and tasty tamale pie recipe for a long time, (i've tried a BUNCH, but they were always "missing" something) but never really found one. . . until now. I was flipping through this month's (August/September 2010 issue) Taste of Home, and there on the contest page this first-place award winning Tamale Pie in the SLOW COOKER jumped out and slap-a-lapped me in the face! Who would have thought you could make Tamale Pie in the slow cooker?? Those of you who know me know that the crock pot and I have a very special relationship. It's awesome. Throw all your ingredients in the pot in the morning, no dishes after dinner time, the house smells great all day, tasty food, no fuss (especially if you use those coolio slow cooker liners)! So we had this tamale pie tonight and it was DEE-LISH, and it wasn't missing anything! The best part is that it uses a ton of pantry staples so that most people have on hand! :-) Hope you all enjoy!

1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained (we didn't have this, so we used one 14-1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes and one small can of mild diced green chilies).
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 pkg. (8-1/2 oz.) corn bread/muffin mix (we used "Jiffy" corn muffin mix)
2 eggs
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese blend (we had cheddar jack on hand, worked great)
Sour Cream and additional minced fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the cumin, salt, chili powder and pepper. Transfer to a 4 quart slow cooker; stir in the beans, tomatoes, corn, enchilada sauce, onions and cilantro. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until heated through.
In a small bowl, combine muffin mix and eggs; spoon over meat mixture. Cover and cook 1 hour longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream and additional cilantro if desired.

Source: Taste of Home (August/September 2010)

Gretchen's Amazing Potato Salad

2010-07-11T21:30:00.001-07:00

So, my sister-in-law, Gretchen Haws, has been making this potato salad for nearly every Haws gathering I can remember. It is slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and SO good. Usually, i'm not a huge fan of potato salad, but this one is a winner! Thanks, Nikki, for digging out Gretchen's recipe for us!! :-)

Salad:
10 red potatoes, cubed and boiled (if you don't have red potatoes, russets work fine too, just remember that russets are larger and you will need fewer potatoes.)
8 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small can sliced olives, drained

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup sugar

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together, pour over salad and toss. Store covered in refrigerator until serving.

Source: Gretchen Haws

Easy Entertaining Idea: Trifle Bar!!!!!

2010-07-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

This year for the fourth of July, Heather and I wanted to try something different and delicious for a dessert. A while ago, I read in Taste of Home about the idea of a trifle bar. I thought this would be fun. So we tried it, and it was a HUGE success for our barbecue, and very delicious! Plus, it was so little work, it made the day even better! For those non-triflers out there, according to google, a trifle is defined as: "a dessert dish made from thick (or often solidified) custard, fruit, sponge cake, fruit juice or, more recently, gelatin, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers with fruit and sponge on the bottom, and custard and cream on top." We put out individual serving dishes for our guests, along with dishes of brownie cubes, angel food cake cubes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, vanilla pudding, and cool whip, and let them go to town. Since this was 4th of July, we went with the red-white-blue thing, but you can let your imagination go wild! Here are some suggestions:

Cakes:
Frozen (or homemade) pound cake cubes
Chocolate Cake cubes
Angel Food Cake cubes
Brownie Cubes
Yellow Cake Cubes
White Cake Cubes

Fruits:
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Banana Slices
Mandarin Orange Segments
Kiwi Slices

Sauces/Custards:
Vanilla Pudding
Chocolate Pudding
White Chocolate Pudding
Cheesecake Pudding
Banana Cream Pudding
Favorite jam or jelly
Chocolate or Caramel Sauce

Toppings:
Whipped Cream/Cool Whip
Yogurt
Raspberry Whipped cream (if you want to get extra fancy!) To make raspberry whipped cream: take one 10 oz. tub of frozen sweeetened raspberries in syrup, thawed, blend in blender for 30 seconds until pureed, strain and discard seeds, and stir in one 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip, and voila! Instant raspberry cream! :-)

Strawberry Cheesecake

2010-05-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

So, I asked Heather what she wanted for dessert for Mother's Day this year. She just said "something extra yummy." I was totally out of ideas. I happened to yank the "Taste of Home Baking Book" off our shelf and flipped open the cheesecake tab. There, staring me in the face, were the pictures of this AMAZING, JAW DROPPING sight:

It came out incredible!!! Most people find cheesecakes really intimidating and difficult. This one was really a no-brainer, and it looks like it comes from some fancy, expensive bakery!! It takes a little planning ahead, but other than that, it's really easy! ENJOY this one!!!!!

CRUST:
3/4 cup ground pecans (I just chopped them really fine)
3/4 cup graham cracker squares (about 12 squares)
3 Tablespoons butter

FILLING:
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten

TOPPING:
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

STRAWBERRY GLAZE:
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 jar (12 ounces) strawberry jelly
3 Tablespoons orange juice
Red food coloring, optional
1 quart fresh whole strawberries

1. In a bowl, combine the pecans and cracker crumbs; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 10-inch springform pan; set aside

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Spoon over crust. Place pan on a baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 15 minutes (LEAVE OVEN ON). For topping, combine all the ingredients; spoon around edge of cheesecake. Carefully spread over filling. Bake 5 minutes longer. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

4. Several hours before serving, prepare glaze. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; add jelly. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until jelly is melted and glaze is thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in orange juice and food coloring, if desired. Cool to room temperature.

5. Just before serving, remove sides of pan. Arrange strawberries on top of cheesecake with pointed ends up. Spoon glaze over berries, allowing some to drip down sides of cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Taste of Home Baking Book

Haws Family Sunday Night Crepes

2010-05-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

My sister, Lauren Nash, the younger of my two sisters, has made these crepes every Sunday night since I can remember. They are absolutely awesome! Heather and I liked them so much when we would visit her on occasional weekends, that we decided a few years back that we would carry on the crepe tradition at our house as well! When fresh strawberries aren't in season, feel free to substitute other fruit, or frozen fruit, or use only bananas.

Crepe Batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Fillings/Toppings:

Nutella (Hazelnut spread with skim milk and cocoa).

Fresh sliced strawberries

Sliced bananas

Whipped Cream (We usually use the Reddi Whip in a can).

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter, beat until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled nonstick griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the bottom of the pan evenly.

3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Remove crepe and spread with as much Nutella as you would like down the middle. Top with sliced strawberries and bananas. Fold crepe over and top with whipped cream!

"Mile-High" Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie

2010-05-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Heather and I were in the check-out line at Wal-Mart. We were standing there and saw the "Pillsbury recipe winners" cookbook on the rack. This pie was on the cover. It looked SO good! So, we bought the magazine, (impulse buyers that we are) and made the pie to take to a "Sushi-pajama party" we had last night with friends. The pie was the hit of the whole evening. We all had at least a piece and a half, and we all loved it especially because it hit that chocolate-peanut butter spot without being too sweet or too rich. Enjoy!!!!!

NOTE: we looked all over town for a "15.5" ounce package of the chocolate chunk brownie mix, and couldn't find it anywhere. So Heather, being as creative as she is, bought a larger size chocolate chunk brownie mix, then weighed out exactly 15.5 ounces of it on her little food scale, then proceeded as directed with the recipe. You don't want more than 15.5 ounces of the brownie mix because it will be too much batter and overflow the pie crust.

1 refrigerated pie crust (or homemade pie crust for single crust pie)

1 box (15.5 oz.) Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix

1/4 cup peanut butter chips

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 Tablespoons water

1 egg

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

2 Tablespoons peanuts, chopped

2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Unroll pie crust and place in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for one-crust filled pie. Flute edge.

2. In a medium bowl, stir brownie mix, peanut butter chips, oil, water and egg 50 strokes with spoon. Pour batter into crust-lined pie plate.

3. Bake 30-40 minutes, covering edge of crust with strips of aluminum foil after 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and center of brownie is set. Cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate 1 hour or until completely cooled.

4. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread mixture over brownie. Sprinkle top of pie with peanuts and chocolate chips. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Tres Leches Cake

2010-05-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

For Cinco De Mayo we were having a small party with some friends. We made a wonderful meal chalk full of Spanish Favorites. We had Strawberry Margaritas (virgin of course), Fajitas, Spanish Rice and to top of our meal..... Tres Leches Cake. I am not normally a big fan of Tres Leches Cake but we decided to give this recipe a try. It turned out amazing! Aaron thought it was a lot like bread pudding. Everyone loved it and it was a huge success.

1 cup white sugar
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
10 maraschino cherries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

Beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar until light in color and doubled in volume. Stir in milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until firm but not dry. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes.

Loosen edge of cake with knife before removing side of pan. Cool cake completely; place on a deep serving plate. Use a two prong meat fork or cake tester to pierce surface of cake.

Mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of the whipping cream. Discard 1 cup of the measured milk mixture or cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining milk mixture over cake slowly until absorbed. Whip the remaining whipping cream until it thickens and reaches spreading consistency. Frost cake with whipped cream and garnish with cherries.

Tips: I would suggest sifting your flour before you add it to the cake. I didn't do this and there ended up being a few lumps that turned into hard little nuggets. Everyone ignored them (lucky for me) but I am my own worst critic!

I used Strawberries instead of the Cherries. I liked the taste of the Strawberries and the freshness that they added.

source: www.allrecipes.com

Chicken Pot Pie or "Pea Pie"

2010-04-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have never had a pot pie like this. It's a recipe from Heather's family, and absolutely delicious. This is real, down home, comforting country cookin'. It may sound a little weird at first, but it is one of my favorite things that Heather makes.

1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1-3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1 10 ounce bag frozen peas
1 package refrigerated pie pastry (one crust)

Brown sausage in a large skillet. When cooked, remove sausage from skillet with slotted spoon and set aside, reserving drippings in skillet. Add butter to drippings. When butter is melted, add flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until flour is slightly browned. Add chicken broth and milk and stir until mixture is thick and creamy. Add cooked sausage, chicken and peas to sauce and stir gently. Spoon mixture into 2-1/2 or 3 quart casserole dish, and top with pie pastry. Flute edges as desired and cut a few small slits in crust for steam to escape. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

2010-04-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

This year for Easter, Heather and I wanted to make a different, really decadent dessert. So, we pulled out our Taste of Home Baking book, and saw the cheesecake tab. Both of us looked at each other and smiled, and flipped the tab, and this cheesecake was staring us in the face. We KNEW we had to make it. So we did. It was AWESOME. We hope you like it as much as we do!!

CRUST:
1-3/4 cups crushed chocolate chip cookies or chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

FILLING:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

COOKIE DOUGH:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and one inch up the sides of a greased 9 inch springform pan; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat just until blended. Pour over crust; set aside.

3. In another large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add water and vanilla. Gradually add the flour. Stir in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls over filling, gently pushing dough down below surface (dough should be completely covered by filling). Place pan on a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until center of cheesecake is almost set. Cool pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate cheesecake overnight. Remove sides of springform pan. Sprinkle with remaining mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Taste of Home Baking Book

Hash Brown Quiche

2010-03-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

This breakfast dish is really different, and its a nice change from a traditional ham and cheese omlette! The eggs and potatoes bake up light and fluffy, and are soooo good!

8 shredded hash brown potato patties
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup cubed precooked ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
8 eggs
2 cups milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place hash brown potato patties in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Pour melted butter evenly over the surface of the patties. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle potatoes with ham and cheeses. In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk or cream, and salt. Stir. Pour mixture over cheeses and ham. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serves 8.

Source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Aebleskivers

2010-02-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

The best way to describe an "aebleskiver" is a "pancake puff ball." They originate in Denmark, and are crispy on the outside and fluffy and light on the inside. Whenever we have company for breakfast, we make them, and serve with bacon on the side. To make real aeblskivers, you will need an aebleskiver pan (pictured above), which you can purchase online. It's a round pan with several round divots to pour the batter into. Enjoy!

2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
vegetable oil

Separate eggs. Place yolks in a large mixing bowl. Add buttermilk and mix together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix again, just until moistened. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold in egg whites to batter. Heat aebleskiver pan over medium high heat, and add 1/2 teaspoon of oil into each well in the pan. When hot, drop batter by tablespoonfuls into pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn with fork and cook 1-2 minutes longer or until golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with your favorite jam and powdered sugar, or maple syrup and butter.

Farmer's Hamburger Soup

2010-02-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

This is another version of Hamburger Soup from Heather's family. It uses pearl barley instead of potatoes, which makes for a different twist on the classic potato version. It is SO EASY and really yummy!!!

1 lb. ground beef
5 cups water
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes
1 med. onion, chopped
2 med. carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/3 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. beef bouillon
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf

In soup pot, brown ground beef. Drain. Add remaining ingredients. Stir. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

My Dad's Favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2010-02-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

My dad, Karl Haws, has made these cookies for ages. He has bag, upon bag, upon bag in the freezer. He especially likes these cookies very small, because they become these poppable little crispy-crunchy bites. However, you can make the cookies whatever size you like.

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
5 Tbsp. evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour, sifted (my dad especially likes to use whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Add combined dry ingredients and mix well. Add oats, walnuts, and raisins, mixing until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Chicken Crescents

2010-02-23T18:32:00.001-08:00

This is a favorite meal at our house. It is filling, flaky and just plain yummy! They are easy and quick to make, which is always a plus.

Crescents:

2 tubes refrigerated Crescent rolls
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 green onions
seasoning salt to taste
1/4 cup butter melted
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (we usually use italian bread crumbs)

Sauce:

1 can (10.75 ounces) Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk

In a bowl combine cream cheese, chicken, green onions and seasoned salt. Mix well. Place a small amount of the filling on the wide end of the crescent roll. Roll crescent toward smaller end, tucking under seams and pinching closed. Roll the filled crescent in the melted butter and then in the bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat for all remaining crescents.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.

In a saucepan, heat the soup, sour cream and milk. Warm through. If you find your sauce to be too thick add more milk. Be aware that as the soup warms it gets thinner so don't add too much milk. If you like your sauces to be more tangy, add more sour cream.

Spoon warmed sauce over crescents. Enjoy!

Honey Sesame Pork Tenderloin

2010-02-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

Awesome recipe! This pork has soooo much flavor! You have to try it!

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger or 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 to 1-1/2 lb. Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. sesame seeds

Combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in large ziploc bag. Add tenderloin. Marinate at least 2 hours. Combine honey and brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Remove tenderloin from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Roll tenderloin in honey mixture and then roll in sesame seeds. Roast in shallow pan at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until meat thermometer registers 160. Makes 4-6 servings.

Source: Worldwide Ward Cookbook

S'mores Bars

2010-02-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

This recipe was given to us by Julia Haws, our sister-in-law. She first made these awesome bars for us one summer when we were all at our family cabin in Southern Idaho. These bars are quickly becoming a cabin tradition for us!

3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups mini marshmallows
3 cups chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together butter, flour, graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Press into 9x13 pan to make crust. Sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips over crust. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Cheese Broccoli Soup

2010-02-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

We got this recipe from April, Heather's sister. I believe it comes from her husband's family, the Claysons. We made it a while back and it was soooooo good! It makes a TON of soup, and will feed a crowd! I believe they make it every Christmas.

Stir together in a large kettle and boil for 10 minutes:

6 cups water
1/4 cup (4 tbsp. or 12 cubes) Chicken bouillon granules
1 cup chopped celery
1 large chopped onion (may only use half - enough to make about 1 cup chopped or less.)
16 ounce bag frozen chopped broccoli (or 3 fresh stalks)
1/2 cup butter

Mix separately:

6 cups water
1 1/2 cups flour

Whisk together and pour into boiling soup, stirring constantly (and reduce heat to medium high) while soup thickens

When Thickened, add:

1 large jar Cheez Whiz (will melt slowly as you stir)
Dash of pepper

Keep stirring until cheese melts, then remove from heat. Makes a very large pot of soup! Serve hot with cornbread (or serve in bread bowls).

Source: http://eatintreats.blogspot.com

Stuffed Rolls

2010-02-09T10:14:00.001-08:00

My parents have made these tasty rolls for many, many large family get togethers and special occasions. I always remember eating them on New Year's Eve, and other times when my parents would host youth get-togethers when my Dad was Bishop of our LDS ward. This recipe makes a LOT of rolls, so it's easy to serve to large groups. You can easily halve or quarter the recipe to feed smaller crowds, or even double the recipe for REALLY big groups!

4 pounds medium cheddar cheese, finely shredded
2 pounds ground ham (or bologna)
4 onions, finely chopped
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 cups mayonnaise
tabasco to taste
60-75 unsliced french rolls

Combine all ingredients except rolls in a very large bowl. Slice off the ends of french rolls and use the end of a wooden spoon or your finger to poke a hole in the soft insides of rolls. Stuff each poked roll lightly with filling. Wrap each roll in a sheet of wax paper and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Makes 60-75 rolls.

Famous Haws Family Oatmeal Cake

2010-02-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

So, my parents have been making this cake for ages. When I was growing up, it was easily the most requested birthday cake in the house, served with vanilla ice cream. It has a warm moist cake topped with crispy, chewy, toasted coconut and nut topping. It has LOVE written all over it. Enjoy!

Cake:

1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tsp. nutmeg

In a medium bowl, combine oats and salt. Add boiling water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, eggs and sugar. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and add to creamed mixture, beating well. Fold in oat mixture. Spread in greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 mins. or until cake passes toothpick test.

while cake is cooling, make topping:

Topping for Oatmeal Cake: (My dad loves the topping the most, so he likes to use 1-1/2 times this topping recipe, but that is totally up to you).

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
6 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped nuts

In a saucepan, combine ingredients over medium heat until combined and bubbly. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla, and spread on cake. Place under broiler in oven until toasted and golden brown.

Chewy Chex Mix ("Almond Holiday Mix")

2010-01-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

Heather has been searching for this yummy recipe for ages! We found it in a cookbook that her little sister Amber put together for the Grangeville Idaho chapter of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) called "A Little Yummy for Your Tummy." This recipe was submitted for the cookbook by Kim Oxnam.

1 box Rice Chex Cereal
1 box Golden Grahams Cereal
1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 cups coconut
2 1/2 cups sliced almonds
2 cups corn syrup

In a large bowl, mix together cereals, coconut and almonds and set aside. In a saucepan, combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over cereal mixture. Stir until completely coated and combined. Pour onto cookie sheets in a thin layer to cool.

Source: "A Little Yummy For Your Tummy." published by the Grangeville, Idaho Chapter of the FCCLA.

TIP: Use your pizza cutter!

2010-01-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

We have discovered that with two small girls around the house, we are constantly cutting food into "bite size chunks" for little hands to handle. We used the standard knife and fork a lot, but it was kind of time consuming, especially with sticky foods. Well, we discovered a trick that somebody mentioned in Quick Cooking Magazine: Try the pizza cutter!! So we did, and were amazed. French toast? Swipe, swipe, swipe! Done! Pancakes? Waffles? Eggs? Grilled Cheese Sandwich? Quesadilla? You get the picture. So, this has become the most versatile cutting tool for food in our house, and we have essentially "reinvented" the pizza "wheel". We hope you enjoy discovering new uses for this age-old favorite kitchen utensil that may be collecting dust in your kitchen drawer, too!

Caramel Cream Cheese Dip

2010-01-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious new dip for your apples. It's rich, gooey and just plain good!

16 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture.

Serve immediately

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Britton's Black Bean Salsa

2010-01-18T18:22:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious salsa that our friend Britton makes. She finally shared her recipe with us and we couldn't be happier. Be aware that this make a huge amount of salsa so it's perfect for any party!

Ingredients:

1 large can diced tomatoes
2 small or 1 large can Rotel tomatoes (original or mild)
2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 (16 oz bottle of zesty Italian dressing (I like to use fat free)
3-4 medium/large tomatoes - diced
2 yellow onions - diced
1 bunch green onions - diced
1 bunch cilantro - chopped
3-4 jalapenos - seeded and diced
1 package frozen shoe peg or super sweet white corn
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
Fresh garlic to taste (about 2 Tbsp.)

Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy!

Tips:

*2 small cans of diced tomatoes are a good substitute for the 1 large.

* I like more black beans so you can add another can if you like

*Use 1 large yellow onion in place of the 2 regular

*I would use only 2 jalapenos (I'm not into the really hot salsa)

*Salsa will store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 weeks

Broccoli Salad

2009-12-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been a while since we have added a new recipe. You all know how life goes. I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas.

This is a delicious recipe that is great for company. It is fresh and tangy. This is one of our favorite summertime picnic recipes as well.

2 bunches fresh broccoli (about 1 pound), cut in small florets
1 medium purple onion, finely chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 recipe Broccoli Salad Dressing (see below)

In a large bowl combine broccoli, onion, and cheese. Refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in bacon and sunflower seeds. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad. Stir briefly. Serve the same day.

BROCCOLI SALAD DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients. Chill at least one hour before tossing with salad.

Makes 6 servings

source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Navajo Style Fry Bread (for Navajo Tacos)

2009-12-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

This recipe may be used in place of conventional taco shells for "Navajo Tacos" (topped with taco meat, beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.), or served warm sprinkled with powdered sugar or honey.

3 to 4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Cooking oil or Lard

Mix dry ingredients with warm milk until well blended. Place in an oiled bowl and allow to rest at least 30 minutes. When dough has rested, divide into 10 to 12 pieces. Roll out or pat pieces into rough circles on lightly floured surface. Cut a small slit or hole in the center of each circle. Heat oil or lard in either a cast iron dutch oven or skillet until oil is hot. Drop one or two pieces of dough in hot oil, cooking until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side.) Drain well on paper towels. Keep warm in 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

Chicken Breasts with Herb Basting Sauce

2009-12-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is NOT your normal everyday lame-o baked chicken. It is SCRUMPTIOUS! It's very simple to make, but the flavor is amazing. The first time we tried this recipe, we actually used the sauce on a turkey breast roast instead of Chicken Breasts. It was the best herb roasted turkey I have ever had. For the turkey roast, and every other time we have made this, we have doubled the sauce recipe, because we like a lot for basting. But it is entirely up to you.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced onion (we use dried minced onion. . .much easier!)
1 clove crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (we use tabasco)
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin (we use boneless skinless breasts, they work fine)
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional, we never use it)

Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, prepare the basting sauce by combining the olive oil, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Turn chicken breasts in sauce to to coat thoroughly. Place skin side up in a shallow baking dish. Cover and roast at 425, basting occasionally with pan drippings, for about 35-45 minutes. Remove to a warm serving plate, spoon pan juices over chicken, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: allrecipes.com, heinerfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com

Grilled Marinated Chicken

2009-12-02T19:07:00.001-08:00

This slightly sweet and savory grilled chicken comes together in a snap with just 4 ingredients! Just marinate, grill and serve!

3/4 cup italian salad dressing
3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
3/4 cup white grape juice
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine first three ingredients in 1 gallon ziploc bag. Add chicken and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. Discard marinade and grill chicken over medium high heat until done.

Source: Quick Cooking Magazine

Cyclops Cookies

2009-11-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is a variation on the classic Hershey Kiss Cookies. My family and I have been making these cookies since I was a little girl. My mom got the original recipe out of a kids cookbook, so you know your kids will love helping to make these cookies too.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 bag Hershey kisses, unwrapped
extra sugar - if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add in eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix well.

Roll dough into balls the size of a silver dollar. Roll balls in the sugar and place on the cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Once out of the oven, place a Hershey kiss into the center of each cookie and press down.

Grandma Farmer's Raspberry Jello Salad

2009-11-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorite jello salads. It has a creamy texture to it and the top is a delicious addition. This is my grandma's recipe and it is definitely a winner.

1 large package Raspberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 package (12 ounces) frozen raspberries
1 can (15 ounces) applesauce
1 carton (16 ounces) sour cream
1 package mini marshmallows

Dissolve 1 large box of raspberry jello in 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until well dissolved. Add 1 package frozen raspberries and blend well. Add in 1 can applesauce. Stir until well blended. Pour into a 9x13 pan and place in fridge until set.

Before serving mix together 1 carton of sour cream and 1 package mini marshmallows. Spread on top of jello.

Enjoy!

Tip: For a variation you can use Strawberries instead of Raspberries. Just replace the jello and frozen berries with your choice of flavors.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Trifle

2009-11-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

If you like peanut butter and chocolate, this layered trifle is right up your alley! With its layers of gooey chocolate pudding, moist chocolate cake and homemade peanut butter sauce, it will totally satisfy any craving for sweets! Plus, it's actually really easy!

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips
4-1/4 cups cold milk, divided
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 packages (5.9 ounces each) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 carton (12 ounce size) cool whip, thawed
4 Nestle Crunch candy bars (approx. 1.55 ounces each), crumbled

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until toothipick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake on a wire rack.
In a heavy saucepan, combine the peanut butter chips, 1/4 cup milk and cream. Cook and stir over low heat until chips are melted. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Place the remaining milk in a mixing bowl; beat in pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes.
To assemble: crumble half of the cake into a 4 quart trifle bowl or large bowl. layer with half of the peanut butter sauce, half the pudding, half the whipped topping and half of the candy bars. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Yield: 12-15 servings

Source: Quick Cooking Magazine

Grasshopper Pie

2009-11-17T21:53:00.000-08:00

I know the name sounds weird, but this is the best dessert ever! My little sister frequently asks for this to be her birthday cake. I promise, there aren't any real grasshoppers involved!

1 package (1 lb 2 oz) Oreo cookies
2 (8 ounces each) tubs Cool Whip
1 (16 ounce) jar hot fudge ice cream topping
1 (2 quart) carton mint chocolate chip ice cream (make sure it's green, not white)

1. Crush Oreo cookies in a bag or food processor. Add one tub of Cool Whip. Press into a 9x13 inch pan. Cover and place in freezer until set. While the Oreo crust is setting, get the ice cream out of the freezer so it can thaw enough to be spreadable.

2. Once the Oreo crust has set, spread the ice cream on top. Cover and place in freezer until set.

3. Warm up the hot fudge just enough to be spreadable. Spread on top of the set ice cream. Cover and place in freezer until set.

4. Spread 1 tub of Cool Whip on top. Cover and place in freezer until set.

Enjoy!

Tip: It is easier to cut the entire pie at once. That way it is easier to store and get out pieces as needed. The longer it sets, the harder it can be to cut.

Shepherd's Pie

2009-11-15T10:44:00.001-08:00

This is a quick and easy recipe that tastes delicious.

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 ounce) can cut green beans, drained
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato soup
6 potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef in olive oil. Add onion, salt and pepper and saute until onion is tender. Put into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with drained green beans. Spread tomato soup over beans. Combine mashed potatoes, milk and salt. Mix well. Spoon potatoes over mixture. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Tips: For easier assembly, add the green beans and tomato soup into the meat and stir all together before placing in baking dish. Also, make about 6 servings of instant mashed potatoes for a faster and easier topping.

source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Tater Tot Casserole

2009-11-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Since these recipes will be for our kids someday, we wanted to post some easy, simple recipes that our kids will be able to use for quick and easy meals. We love our version of tater tot casserole, and it's really easy to make.

1 pound ground beef
1 can (14.5 oz) green beans, drained
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup grated cheese
Seasoned Salt
Tater Tots

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown ground beef with seasoned salt. Drain off any excess grease. Add green beans, onion soup mix, and cream of mushroom soup to meat. Mix well. Place in a 8x8 baking dish. Place Tater tots on top of casserole. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Tip: For a creamier sauce add additional cream of mushroom soup.

Three Cheese Manicotti

2009-11-13T07:41:00.001-08:00

This is one of our favorite Italian dishes. There isn't any meat, but I promise that you won't miss it one bit! And it will taste like you're at the restaurant.

1 (8 ounce) package manicotti pasta
15 ounces ricotta cheese
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned (I use Italian bread crumbs)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente, drain.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, bread crumbs, parsley and salt and pepper to taste; mix well
In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spray dish with non-stick cooking spray and cover bottom of dish with a thin film of spaghetti sauce
Fill each manicotti with cheese mixture and place in dish; cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top of sauce.
Bake in preheated oven uncovered for 40 minutes; serve.

source: www.allrecipes.com

Basil Caesar Salmon

2009-11-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

The picture of this dish in the magazine looked awesome! When we saw it was ready in under 30 minutes, it looked even more appealing! We served the salmon with the recipe for Zucchini Rice Pilaf from this blog. It was WAY good!

4 salmon fillets (8 ounces each)
1/4 cup creamy caesar salad dressing
pepper to taste
1 cup caesar salad croutons, crushed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place salmon in a greased baking dish. Spoon the salad dressing over fillets; sprinkle with pepper. Combine the croutons, Parmesan cheese and basil; sprinkle over fillets and gently press into dressing. Drizzle with oil. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Quick Cooking Magazine

My Mom's Easy Baked Beans

2009-11-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you wish to make more for a large crowd. You will just need a bigger pot. My mom always told me that this recipe works best in a heavy cast iron pot, or "earthenware" pot, but I think most any type of oven safe pot will do. This "earthenware" pot she refers to is a glazed fired clay pot which I believe she found in San Francisco, and the texture of the beans always turned out phenomenal (not too runny, not to hard). Whenever my 6 brothers and sisters and I would come home, or for most any gathering, my mom would always serve ham, these beans, green peas, and rolls. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

3 large cans Pork and Beans (my mom always uses Van Camp's)
1 lb. bacon (uncooked)
3 cups brown sugar, divided
3 Tablespoons Dry Yellow Coleman's Mustard
1-1/2 cups Ketchup

Rub the inside of bean pot with bacon (to prevent sticking). Pour one can of beans in pot. Mix 1 cup of the brown sugar with 1 Tablespoon of the mustard. Spread over beans. Repeat layers of beans and mustard/sugar mixture twice. Chop bacon and sprinkle over beans, finishing with ketchup layer on top. Bake at 325 for 2 to 3 hours, or until you get the consistency that you like. My mom always reminds me to never short sugar, mustard, or time!!!

Source: Marion Haws

Hearty Six-Hour Stew

2009-11-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

Really yummy beef stew!! You can bake this in the oven or the slow cooker on low for up to 12 hours. You can also serve this in a hollowed-out pumpkin shell for a holiday touch.

1 pound beef stew cubes
4 carrots, sliced
4 medium potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 bay leaf
1 (1-ounce) package dry onion soup mix
2 (10-3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Grease dutch oven or heavy pan (or slow cooker pot). Place beef cubes on the bottom. Layer carrots, then potatoes, placing bay leaf on top. In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients and pour over beef and vegetables. Cover with tight-fitting lid. Bake at 250 for 6 hours (or up to 8 hours) or slow cooker on low setting for up to 12 hours.

Serves 4 to 6 hungry goblins.

Source: The Essential Mormon Cookbook

Chicken with Rosemary-Garlic Butter Sauce

2009-11-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

This is another simple skillet chicken dish which is ready in about 20 minutes, and has really great flavor!!

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
Add wine or broth to the pan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring to loosen browned bits from the pan. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in rosemary, garlic, and remaining butter until blended. Serve sauce with chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Taste of Home

Pumpkin Cake

2009-11-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious cake and really great in place of a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. I am not normally a huge pumpkin fan, but this cake is one great cake. I promise it will be hard to get enough of this one!

2 1/2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/4 teaspoons cloves, ground
1 can evaporated milk
1 cake package of yellow cake mix
1/2 cups nuts, chopped
3/4 cups butter, melted

Beat eggs. Add pumpkin, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and evaporated milk. Blend well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sift one yellow cake mix over the top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped nuts and top with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cake is done when knife inserted comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Sweet n' Sour Meatballs

2009-11-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

Served over rice, these meatballs are a life saver for us when time is short. Cooked entirely in the microwave, you can have this on the table in under 15 minutes, literally.

2 pounds frozen fully cooked meatballs, thawed
1 small onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 small green pepper, julienned
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar (10 ounces) sweet-and-sour sauce
4-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
Hot cooked rice

Place the meatballs in a 3-qt microwave safe dish; top with the onion, carrots, green pepper and garlic. Combine the sauces; pour over meatballs. Cover and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and meatballs are heated through, stirring twice. Serve over rice.

Yield: 8 servings

Source: Quick Cooking Magazine

Oatmeal Brownie Gems

2009-11-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

These are a delicious new take on brownies. It makes a lot, so be prepared to share!

2 3/4 cup quick-cooking or old fashioned oats, uncooked
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 3/4 cup M&Ms semi-sweet chocolate mini baking bits
1 (19 to 21 ounce) package brownie mix, prepared according to package directions for fudge like brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, nuts and baking soda; add butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir in M&Ms semi-sweet bits until evenly distributed. Reserve 3 cups of the mixture. Pat remaining mixture into bottom of 15x10x1 inch pan (cookie sheet) to form the crust. Pour prepared brownie batter over crust, carefully spreading into a thin layer. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top of brownie mixture; pat down lightly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store covered in container.

Yield: 48 bars

source: April Clayson. I'm not sure where she got the recipe from.