Autumn Pancakes

Autumn Pancakes

This is a great alternative to regular ol' pancakes! Double the recipe and put half of the batter in the freezer for another time!

1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 1/2 c. flour (can use whole wheat also)
2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
1 apple, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3 T. butter, melted

Place oats in small bowl. Pour boiling water over oats and let stand 5 minutes; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Add oat mixture, egg, milk, apple, nuts and butter; mix well. Cook on a lightly greased skillet like regular pancakes. Enjoy with whatever yummy topping you like.

Witches' Brew

One of our favorite Halloween activities for classroom parties is making a brew from all sorts of snacks and candies with gruesome names. You can either ask the children to provide a baggie of one or two ingredients, or gather them yourselves and hand them out the day of the party. It's especially fun if you or the teacher dresses up as a witch and has a big cauldron to mix it up in. We usually do this at the beginning of the party so that while the kids are at their other stations you can bag it for them to take home. Little ones love hearing the names of things and adding it to the brew. You just need about a cup of the number of items that you have people to give it to... so if there are 25 kids in the class, pick 25 items.

• Ghost Guts (Mini Marshmellows)
• Witches' Warts (Chocolate Chips)
• Withered Animal Carcasses (Animal crackers)
• Earthworm Knots (Pretzel Twists)
• Hollowed Out Fish (Goldfish Crackers)
• Bloated Ants (Raisins)
• Bugs and Beetles (Bugs Fruit Snacks)
• Shrunken Teddy Bears (Teddy Graham Crackers)
• Candied Spider Eggs (Gum Drops)
• Owl Eyes (Kix or Cheese Puff Balls)
• Chocolate-Dipped Houseflies (Chocolate-Covered Raisins)
• Compressed Cobwebs (Honeycomb or Chex Cereal)
• Crumbled Bat Wings (Blue Tortilla Chips)
• Dehydrated Dragon Wings (Doritos)
• Flatted Slugs (Fritos)
• Goblin Belly Button Lint Balls (Skittles or M&Ms)
• Plops of Pigeon Poop (Yogurt Covered Raisins)
• Rat Claws (Shelled Sunflower Seeds)
• Shredded Lizard Gizzards (Shredded Coconut)
• Vulture Toenails (Candy Corns)
• Warts from the White Witch (White Chocolate Chips)
• Dried Scabs (Craisins)
• Caramelized Mothballs (Caramels)
• Vampire Veins (Twizzlers)
• Goblin Fingers (Cheetos)
• Baked Skeleton Bones (Pretzel Sticks)
• Bat Brains (Popcorn)
• Splintered Turkey Bones (Shoestring Potato Chips)
• Tasted Cat's Eyes (Blanched Almonds)
• Dirty Shoelaces (Black Shoestring Licorice)
• Dried Seaweed (Chow Mein Noodles)
• Freeze Dried Drops of Blood (Red Hot Candies)
• Roasted Eyes (Peanuts)
• Boiled Lady Bugs (Red Jelly Beans)
• Braised Beetles (Milk Duds)

Of course you can come up with your own spooky ideas if the foods listed above aren't found in your pantry... If you have kids in the class with allergies to peanuts or other nuts you'll want to avoid those things too. The kids love it!

Oreo Cookie Pops

1 pkg. regular oreos

1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

Chocolate Bark

Sprinkles

Sucker Sticks

Process oreos in Food Processor until finely ground. Place in large mixing bowl. Add cream cheese. With a spoon blend the two together real well. (It didn't go well for me when I blended the two in my processor.) Form into balls about the size of large walnuts. Place in wax paper lined pan and put in the fridge to chill. Meanwhile melt the chocolates (I used Wilton milk chocolate and the pink white chocolate) with a little bit of shortening, like 1 to 2 teaspoons to thin it out some. Dip chilled balls in the chocolate. To make like above just let the balls sit for a while and then spoon some of the pink chocolate on top. Add sprinkles. Let set and then pick up and poke a sucker stick underneath. Super cute and fun to do with the kids!

Chicken Lo Mein

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1/4 cup Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen bell pepper and onion strips, thawed, drained (or prepared stir-fry veggies)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce

COOK spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; stir-fry 3 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Add peppers, onions, andbroth; stir-fry 3 to 4 min. or until chicken is done.

DRAIN spaghetti; return to pan. Add chicken mixture and soy sauce; mix well. Spoon onto platter.

Adapted from Kraft foods

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

Definately a kid favorite.

Ingredients:

12-14 chicken tenderloins
1 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz.)
1 pkg. dry Italian season mix ( I use the zesty one)
1can cream of chicken soup
½ c. chicken broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the chicken into the crock pot. Mix the other ingredients together for the sauce and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook about 3-4 hours on high, 6 hrs. on low. Serve over rice or noodles.

Taco Pizza

An Easy Twist for Taco Night

To prepare: Preheat oven to 400.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
Taco Seasoning
Taco shells or tostito chips
1 prepared pizza crust (12 inch)
1 cup Mexican style shredded cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped
Sour Cream
Salsa

Directions:

Cook meat with Taco Seasoning mix. Spread evenly onto pizza crust. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 8 -10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
Top with lettuce, tomatoes, crushed taco shells, salsa and sour cream. Cut into ‘pizza’ slices.

adapted from kraft foods

Non Fried Fried Ice Cream

To prepare: Preheat oven to 425. Leave ice cream out while preparing first portions so it is easier to spread.

Ingredients
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup melted butter
1 cup coconut
½ gallon vanilla ice cream
Chocolate/ caramel sauce

Directions:
Mix first five ingredients for topping.
Cook at 425 for 10-15 minutes. You want to stir it every 5 minutes and cook only until the brown sugar is melted. Be careful, it burns.
Put half of the topping mixture in a 9X13 pan. Place vanilla ice cream on top. Put other half of topping mixture on. Freeze.
Drizzle with chocolate or caramel sauce before serving.

Blueberry Crumble

This dessert is so delicious and easy, you wouldn't guess that it is low in sugar and has healthful ingredients. I've been making it like mad while the blueberries are in season. I eat it topped with whipped light cream.

1 pint blueberries, picked over, washed and stems removed
2 T sugar

For crumble topping:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, diced

Spread blueberries in an 8x8" glass baking dish and sprinkle the 2 T sugar over them.

Put crumble ingredients in mixer and mix until dough looks moist and sandy with small lumps. Spread crumble evenly over blueberries. Bake 45-50 min at 350.

Brown Sugar Brownies

I got this recipe off the back of the bag of brown sugar that I normally buy at Walmart. When making the batter I was worried that they would be too cakey, because I prefer fudgier brownies. They raised fairly high while cooking and it looked exactly like a chocolate cake, but when I pulled it out of the oven and let it cool, it fell a little and they were so fudgy and delicious! We shared these brownies with company and got rave reviews! Ice cream was the perfect side to balance out the richness!

Ingredients:

1 cup packed DARK brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coursely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325. Grease 8x8x2-inch baking dish. In large bowl beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in chocolate, then flour. Stur in nuts. Pour into pan. Bake 25 minutes. Cool in pan and cut into bars. Dust with powdered sugar. (I made a double batch and did it in a 9x13 pan and just cooked it a little longer)

Corn Salsa Dip

Here is a super easy and yummy "face lift" to boring old salsa and chips

1 can of southwestern style corn (it's right by the canned corn and has beans it in)
1 or 2 avocados (depending on how much you want in your dip)
Container of fresh salsa (Rojo's or Costco's works best, don't use PacePicante)
Garlic Salt to taste
1 lime
Mission Chips, or any other chips you like

Instructions:
Half and slice your avocados and cut into smaller bits (just a bit bigger than the corn kernels)
Mix all ingredients in a bowl together and add your garlic salt to taste
Squeeze your lime over salsa just to keep your avocados from browning

Will make enough for about 4 to 6 people
Enjoy!

Zucchini Cookies

I wanted to let everyone know about "whole wheat PASTRY flour"! It's made from soft summer wheat instead of the usual hard winter wheat. It's not so rough as reg. whole wheat and you can substitute it for all-purpose white flour in recipes using baking powder or soda as leavening, i.e. cookies, pancakes, muffins, etc!! I found some in the health food section of Smith's. I have been having fun experimenting with it and have been really pleased. One of my tries involves this cookie recipe I got from Cooks.com and substituted the ww pastry flour. The consistency is soft and spongey, more like pumpkin cookies. They are so chock-full of healthy stuff, I let my kids have as many as they want, and I chuckle smugly as they eat...

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole grain old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together and add to butter mixture. Beat well. Stir in rest of the ingredients. Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on rack. Makes 24 large ones or 48 small ones.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
1 tube Ritz crackers, crushed
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
8 oz. sour cream
1 Tbs. poppy seeds

Topping:
1 tube Ritz crackers, crushed
3-4 Tbs. butter, melted

In large bowl, combine all ingredients except for topping. Pour into a casserole (I use a 11x7) dish. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Grape Salad

3-4 c. green grapes
3-4 c. red grapes
1 c. sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
Topping:
1/3-1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans

Wash and dry grapes thoroughly. Mix other ingredients with mixer until smooth. Fold in grapes. Top salad with sprinkles of brown sugar and nuts. Cover and refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight.

Kashi GoLean Muffins

I enjoy the Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal. It is good in milk or on top of some yogurt. Yum! Last week I decided to try the regular Kashi Go Lean cereal. It couldn't really be that different than the crunch cereal, could it? The answer is yes, it could! I barely managed to choke down a bowl that had sugar and bananas on it. So I decided to look for some recipes to use this healthy cereal in; I wasn't going to waste a whole box, and I wasn't going to be able to eat it plain! I came upon this recipe for muffins, which I tweaked a little. They aren't super amazing muffins, but with a little honey they were good, and definitely better than the plain cereal! My kids ate them happily, and didn't suspect how healthy they are.

Kashi Go Lean Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 3/4 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
3/4 cup skim milk plus a dash of vanilla
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 cup applesauce
1 medium ripe banana

Directions

Spray muffin tin cups with cooking spray and preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine cereal and milk and let stand for 3-4 minutes. Add the honey and egg whites to cereal mixture and beat well. Stir in apple sauce and banana. Add flour mixture and mix only until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill sprayed muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.


The original recipe called for light vanilla soy milk, but I don't do the soy milk thing so I used skim milk and a dash of vanilla. The original also called for two egg whites, but since I'm not on that much of a healthy kick I just used one whole egg. It also didn't call for the cinnamon, which I added (I add it to basically all of my sweet baked goods). If you have any Go Lean cereal hanging around that you just couldn't bring yourself to eat, now you know what to do with it!

Peanut Buttery Cereal Treats

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. light corn syrup {i like Karo}

1 c. sugar {regular white sugar}

2 c. creamy peanut butter {i like JIF}

5-6 cups of Raisin Bran Extra cereal*

DIRECTIONS:

Bring the corn syrup and sugar to a boil. Stir it up real good now.Take it off the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Get to Stirrin! Then pour it over the cereal in a big bowl & Stir like the dickens!! Plop it by spoonfuls onto wax paper & let 'em cool. Then eat them babies up! Or You can lightly spray a 13x9" pan {with like Pam or another cooking spray} and get a little of that spray on your fingers and press the peanut buttery cereal goodness into the pan & let it cool. Then you would cut them into squares & serve.

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* you can also use basic corn flakes or just Raisin Bran... or Cranberry Almond Crunch... anything really-- AND as long as there are flakes.

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Just do not use a "sugary sweet" cereal like Cap'n Crunch, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Fruit Loops, or Trix etc..... talk about sweetness overkill if you do!

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Mu husband and one of my kids don't even like Raisins or dry fruit whatsoever... but they chowed down on these treats!!!

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Ü

~Merrianne~

Fruited Moroccan Chicken and Curried Couscous

1 tbsp Moroccan seasoning (or Carribean Jerk or similar)
1 lb chicken breast tenders
Cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil
16 dried apricot halves
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Sprinkle seasoning on chicken. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil. Place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 3 min on each side or until chicken is lightly browned.
While chicken cooks, cut apricot halfs into slivers. Place in a glass measure; add water to cover. Cover with lid or plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 2 min., drain well.
Remove chicken from heat; stir in apricots and sour cream.

Curried Couscous with Walnuts

1 can (14 1/2 oz) fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sliced green onions
10 oz couscous

Combine broth, water and curry powder, bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 min. Fluff with fork and stir in walnuts and green onions.

Of course you can use any side dish, but these go very well together with a salad on the side....very quick and yummy! Came out of the 5 Ingredient 15 Minute cookbook from Cooking Light...a great buy!

Parmesan Chicken Noodle

My friend brought this meal over after I had my baby (almost 2 years ago!) and we loved it. I finally got the recipe from her. This is a great weeknight meal and very kid friendly.

Parmesan Chicken Noodle
8 oz Angel Hair pasta, cooked
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 - 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

Place cooked noodles in bottom of casserole dish. In saucepan melt butter, add flour, add chicken broth. Cook until thick & bubbly. Add milk, stir in Parmesan cheese and chicken. Pour sauce & chicken over noodles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (This recipe makes a lot of sauce, so you could easily get away with cutting it down a bit.)

Poaching Chicken
I finally learned how to poach chicken perfectly. Before, it always turned out a little on the tough side - No matter how many different ways I tried it. Everyday Food Magazine taught me the trick. (If you already knew how to do this to perfection, good for you! If not, this will help you so much!!)

Place chicken in a large, shallow skillet or pot. Add water to cover and season with salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a bare simmer; cook 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let chicken stand, covered, until cooked through, 12-14 minutes. Remove chicken from liquid and let cool completely. The chicken stays moist and tender - perfect for this dish and also for cold salads.

Pulled Pork with Root Beer Sauce

1 2 1/2 - 3-pound pork sirloin roast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 TBS cooking oil
2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup root beer*
2 Tbs minced garlic
3 cups root beer*
1 cup bottled chili sauce
1/4 tsp root beer concentrate (optional)
Several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
8-10 hamburger buns, split (toasted if desired)

*Do not use diet root beer

1. Trim fat from meat. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown meat on all sides in hot oil. Transfer meat to 3 1/2 - 5 quart slow cooker. Add onions, the 1 cup root beer, and garlic. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hrs or high-heat setting for 4-5 hrs.

2. About 30 minutes before roast is done, for sauce, in a medium saucepan combine the 3 cups root beer and the chili sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 2 cups. If desired, add root beer concentrate and hot pepper sauce.

3. Transfer meat to a cutting board or serving platter. Using 2 forks, pull meat apart into shreds. If desired, use slotted spoon to remove onions from cooker to serve on top of the meat. If desired, line buns with lettuce leaves and tomato slices. Add meat and spoon on sauce.

I made this for my family last night and we all loved it, including the kids. The sauce is not too strong, and doesn't taste like root beer at all. (I didn't use the optional ingredients) This was really easy, as well. Just throw it in the crock pot early in the day and dinner is ready to go!

Wheat and Honey Pitas

I got this recipe from a Bosch cooking class. I have tried it for pizza crust, pita bread and bubbly bread. All of them have been delicious!
2 cups warm water
1 TBSP honey
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP Saf Instant Yeast
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour Unbleached White Flour (approx 2 cups)

Combine first five ingredients in Bosch bowl with dough hook. Mix thoroughly, continue to add unbleached white flour until mixture cleans sides of bowl. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 24 pieces for small pitas or 12 pieces for larger pitas. Roll into ⅛" thick circles on a floured surface. (Any creases in the dough will cause the pita to stick together and not form a pocket.) Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest 30 minutes. Bake on pizza stone that has been preheated to 500 degrees for 3½ to 4 minutes. Watch carefully. Remove from oven when pita puffs up and is slightly golden. Place in a large bread bag to soften and flatten.

If you want flatbread, turn over before they poof up.

For pizza crust, I let my dough sit for about 20 minutes or so and then divide in half (or thirds depending how big your pizza stone is). Roll out your dough with some flour on a wood pizza board. Preheat your oven with pizza stone to 450 degrees while preparing your pizza with toppings. Add your toppings without the cheese making sure that the pizza dough doesn’t stick to the board. Once the oven is preheated, slide the pizza onto the hot stone. Cook for about 6 minutes or so and then add the cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and to your liking.For bubbly bread, roll the dough like you would for your pizza. Add grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and bake on a preheated stone at 500 degrees for about 5-6 minutes. Be sure to check so the cheese doesn’t burn.

12 grain bread

I got this recipe from a Bosch cooking class. I really love it! This recipe is also fantastic for pizza crust, dinner rolls, and sandwich buns.
6 cups warm water
2 cups Nine grain cracked cereal mix OR 3½ cups 12 grain blend (Bosch store)
¼ cup Millet
1 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup Vital Wheat Gluten
⅔ cup Honey⅔ cup Canola Oil
2 TBS real salt
3 TBS Saf Instant yeast
3 TBS Dough Enhancer
2 Tbs Lecithin (optional)
12-14 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour

You will not need the millet, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds if you buy the 12 grain blend from Bosch ($3)Combine water, Cereal Mix, Millet, Sunflower Seeds and Sesame Seeds in a Bosch mixing bowl. Cover with lid and let rest for 5-10 minutes to soften grains. Add oil, honey, Real Salt, Dough Enhancer, Gluten, about 6 cups flour, and SAF yeast to grain mixture. Mix at speed one until a smooth batter is formed. Add remaining flour one cup at a time until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. (You will want to turn your mixer to speed two as the mixture gets heavier but do not go over speed two.) Continue to knead until dough is smooth and elastic, the total mixing time is generally 10-12 minutes. Divide dough into loaves and allow to raise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Applesauce Muffins

The girls found this recipe on NickJr.com the other day, and asked me to make it with them. Super easy and fun for the kids to help! The girls loved it!

Ingredients
2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 lg egg, lightly beaten
1 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line with cupcake liners a muffin pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a med. bowl. Whisk to blend.
3. Add the egg, applesauce and melted butter. Stir just until blended. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes. Invert and cool completely.

We put some mini chocolate chip sprinkles on top before baking and they were YUMMY!

Easter Treats

Little Nests:
1/4 cup butter (Mama bird melts in sauce pan)
1 cup marshmallows (baby bird measures and adds to melted butter, Mama bird stirs until melted smooth, then removes from heat)
1 cup bran flakes (baby bird adds to pan and Mama Bird coats it in marshmallow mixture)
coconut, dyed green
candy eggs
Shape 'em out, let them firm up a little, then eat 'em up!

CROCKPOT CHICKEN ALFREDO

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cubed
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. melted butter
1/4 c. whole milk {not fat-free or 2%}
16 oz. sour cream
1 envelope of Italian dressing mix
1 lb. fettuccine noodles

Stir everything together in a crockpot except for the noodles. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. Then make the pasta according to package directions then drain. Stir the pasta into the crockpot and serve.

Delicious and so very easy!


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*Merrianne

Rice Crispy Chicken

This was my childhood favorite. Now my kids and husband love it.

Dip chicken in melted butter, then in crushed rice crispies. Place in casserole dish. Don't crowd the chicken, or it takes longer to cook. Pour left over butter into left over crushed crispies and mix together, then sprinkle over chicken in dish. Bake at 350, uncovered, about 20-30 min for bone/skinless tenderloins or breasts, and about 1 hr. for bone-in chicken.

I serve this with mashed potatoes and a microwaved steamed vegetable.

Biscuits and Gravy

I grew up eating this for breakfast in Tennessee. It is delicious and a real Southern treat for kids and husbands. We usually had the hot country sausage but you can use whatever suits your taste.

1- 12 ounce roll of bulk Pork Sausage
2 to 3 Tbs. flour (try 2 Tbs. first)
2 cups milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
Homemade or Frozen Biscuits, baked and kept warm

Fry sausage in a cast iron skillet. Remove sausage and leave drippings in pan. Add flour and mix with a whisk until incorporated. Add milk, salt and pepper. Whisk over medium heat until bubbly, thick (but not too thick) and lump free. Crumble sausage and add to gravy. Serve immediately over warm homemade biscuits split and patted with butter.
Note: If the gravy seems way too thick, just add a little more milk.

Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

I found this amazing recipe on a random recipe blog and I had to try it out. It got rave reviews from friends!

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp baking cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
4 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping:1-1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp butter
2 cups crisp rice cereal

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts if desired. Spread in a greased 15 x 10 x 1" pan. (Can also use a 13 x 9)

Bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes. Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over cake; return to oven for 2-3 minutes. Using a knife dipped in water, spread the melted marshmallows evenly over cake. Cool. (I didn't spread the marshmallows out, I just used enough to cover the whole thing in a single layer of marshmallows)

For topping, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and well blended. (I just did mine in the microwave) Remove from heat; stir in cereal. Immediately spread over bars. Chill

I didn't let the marshmallows cool enough after I put them in the oven, so when I tried to put the topping on it didn't work out so great. It ended up being a little bit of a marshmallow/topping swirl. But it looked fine and still tasted great! I kept them in the fridge because they were so gooey!

Breakfast Burritos

My husband loves breakfast burritos, but I've never been a huge fan. I came up with this simple and easy recipe that my whole family enjoys.


Ingredients:


1/2 package bacon
6-8 eggs
3 medium sized potatoes
Shredded cheese
Tortillas
Salsa


Cut bacon into pieces and cook in skillet over medium heat until fat renders. While bacon is cooking, peel and shred the potatoes. Rinse them off, then boil them in water for just a couple of minutes until they are pretty tender. Drain fat from pan, give the eggs a good stir in a bowl and add to bacon. Scramble the eggs. Remove eggs and bacon from skillet, drain potatoes and add to skillet. I add some seasoned salt and pepper to the potatoes and let them cook a little in the skillet. Add eggs and bacon back in and stir it all up. Warm up your tortillas, put on some of your egg/bacon/potato mixture, add shredded cheese and salsa to your tastes.


This recipe can easily be adjusted for more or less people. You could probably use frozen hash browns instead of doing your own potatoes, but I've never tried it. You can put this in the fridge for a few days and it reheats really well.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

I absolutely hate making Sugar Cookies cutout but i've learned to love these because they stay soft!!!!!! (must be the whipping cream)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.  Sift together the flour and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the heavy cream.  Cover dough and chill for 2 to 3 hours.  

Roll out dough (the thicker the better) Cut into shapes

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  

Tip---best with homeade frosting!!!!

Pumpkin Bread

I love pumpkin things, especially during the fall and holiday months. The other day though I had a hankering for this yummy bread and thought, what the heck, who cares if it's February, I can make it again.

Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Alternate mixing in dry ingredients and pumpkin until it's thoroughly mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. Spray pans with Pam and bake two large loaves for 60 to 65 minutes (5 small loaves for 50-55 minutes or muffins for 20-25 minutes).

I love making this bread in small loaf pans so I can use a few for our family and take a few others to friends.

Easy Homemade Bread

I was so excited when my sister-in-law Kristen gave me a fabulous book of her best recipes for Christmas which included her bread recipe, aptly titled "Best Bread Ever." We've made it several times, and we've always had success. The thing I love best is that it's super simple and it takes just over 2 hours, start to finish. We have LOVED having fresh bread with our dinners and for toast in the morning. With her permission, here's the recipe.

Best Bread Ever1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp oil
2 cups water
3/4 cup milk
6 to 8 cups flour (You can use all white flour, all wheat flour, or a blend of white and wheat. I have loved it with about 2 cups of white flour and 5 cups of wheat flour, freshly ground.)

Put all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (I put the dry ingredients in my Kitchen-Aid). Put liquid ingredients into a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave until it's very hot to the touch. Pour liquids into the dry ingredients. Knead with hands or mix in mixer for 10-12 minutes. If dough is sticky, add flour sparingly. Let rise for 45 minutes. Punch dough to flatten. Remove from bowl and divide in half. Shape two loaves and put into greased bread pans. Let rise for 40-45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Apple Cider Pork

1-2 lb. pork loin roast
4 cups apple cider (or apple juice)
4 cubes bouillon
2 Tbsp. ground dry mustard

Place all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or on high for 4 to 6 hours).

Note: If you don't have a crock pot, you can do this on the stove top as well. Sear all sides of the roast in a large frying pan. Add the cider and seasonings and simmer on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Caramel Popcorn...just adding to your love handles! :)

I promise this is one of the best I've ever had. It must be the sweetened condensed milk. You won't be disappointed.

Summer Gollhofer’s Popcorn
By Lauren L. Shumway

2 cups brown sugar
2 cubes butter
1 cup karo syrup
Pinch salt
2 bags popcorn, popped--no old maids

Melt together 3-5 minutes on stove stirring often. Remove from heat and add 1 can sweetened condensed milk.

For 2 people, ½ the recipe!!! (so 1 bag of popcorn)

****I did mine in the microwave, stirring occasionally until the sugar is all dissolved.

Buttermilk Syrup

So I thought I'd add this recipe to complement the one below. :) It's so yummy!!

1 Cup Butter
2 Cups buttermilk
2 Cups Sugar (I've always used white- but says you can use brown too... both would be yummy!)
2 Tbs light Karo Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

Use a Large Saucepan (it will foam and grow) and bring the first four ingredients to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for 7 minutes (still stirring). Remove from heat and add soda and vanilla (will puff up again).

*Note- Probably will want to half if for a small family
*Note 2- if you let it boil a few minutes longer, it will be thicker. Great on ice cream too!

Buttermilk pancakes

Once you make these, you won't want the mix anymore. Unless it's the Lehi Roller Mills Mix, I got that for Christmas and it was really good.

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c oil
2 c buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 T sugar
1 1/2 c flour (you can use whole wheat, or 1/2 and 1/2!!)

Add everything in the above order and whisk just until smooth. Makes about 18 pancakes, so enough for a family of six.

Linguini with vegetables

1/2 lb. linguini
2 T oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 green onions, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 med tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup provolone or mozzarella, grated
3 T parmesan
2 T fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Cook pasta. Heat oil in large fry pan on med heat. Add garlic, gr onion, zucchini, and saute 2 min. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 min. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 min or until tender-crisp. Add vegetables to drained pasta, add cheeses and mix until cheese melts. Sprinkle with parsley.

I serve this with sauteed chicken tenderloins. It's simple, but really, really good.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (in the crock pot)!

Yum, yum and perfect for a cold, winter's day!

1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes (southwest style, if possible)
1 packet enchilada sauce mix (or if you can't find this, mild taco seasoning works well too)
1 1/2 C water
1 can tomato sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 C milk
3-4 boneless chicken breasts

In crock pot, mix the enchilada packet together with the water and tomato sauce. Add cream of chicken soup and milk and wisk together until smooth. Add chicken. Pour drained black beans, drained corn and diced tomatoes on top of that.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Before serving, take out chicken and shred or dice, then put back and stir it all together.
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, lime, avocado, or tortilla chips. (Use any or all of these - I think it's the best with everything!).