Easiest, Slow-simmered Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. ground turkey
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 med onion, minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely processed
3 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp beef bullion
3 14.5oz cans tomatoes, process them down to crushed
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 8oz can tomato sauce

In a large, oven proof pot with a lid, brown ground turkey, then remove to a plate. Saute onion, seasoning, and garlic in olive oil. Add all the rest of the ingredients to onions and garlic. Stir together, then cover with the lid. Put in the oven at 300 degrees for 3-6 hours, or whenever you are ready to eat. The longer it cooks, the better it is! This way you don't get your kitchen all splattery!!

Caramel Thumbprints

One of my favorite cookies! 

I can't hardly part with them to give them as part of the Christmas Gift Tray!

Caramel Thumbprints

from Family Fun Magazine

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg, separated

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped pecans

26 chocolate-covered caramel candies, such as Dove or Rolo

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
Using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture in two batches and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350º. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg white with a fork. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the pecans; put the rest on a plate. Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough into a ball, coat it with egg white, and roll it in the nuts. Repeat with the remaining dough. Put the cookies on the sheet, leaving about 3 inches between them. With your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie, then reshape the outside edges, if they crack.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, then take them from the oven and gently press a caramel candy into each cookie. Bake until the chocolate and caramel soften, about 4 minutes. Grease the tines of a fork with butter and press on each candy to flatten it slightly. Sprinkle on the reserved nuts, then cool the cookies on a rack.

Holiday Candy Wreaths

Holiday Candy Wreaths

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1-10 oz. pkg. marshmallows

1 tsp. green food coloring

6 cups corn flakes

Red Hots cinnamon candies, for decorating

Melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Add marshmallows and melt until soupy. Remove from heat and add food coloring. Stir in corn flakes that have been slightly crushed. Spray a 1/4 c. measuring cup and press cornflake mixture in it. Turn out onto wax paper. Continue with the rest. There should be 16. Using buttered hands press a thumb in the center and begin to shape the balls into wreaths. Immediately put the red hots on them (after you wash your hands!). If they don't want to stick, try "glueing" them on with a dot of peanut butter or melted chocolate

Chris Tomlin - I Will Follow w/Lyrics

Sorry Shally!! I posted this to the wrong blog and can't figure out how to delete it....great song though :)

Chocolate Chip Bars/Cookies

1 c. margarine, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine until creamy; add sugars.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Blend flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Bake in a 15x10x1 baking sheet (I line my sheet with nonstick aluminum foil) at 375 for 12-15 minutes.
**If you choose to make them into cookies just drop by spoonfuls and bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  Let set on sheets for 5-7 minutes. They will look underbaked when coming out of the oven.  Don't be tempted to bake longer! Don't do it!! Walk away from the oven door!  They will finish up on the sheets.
Adapted from our Ward Cookbook titled A-Ward Winning Recipes contributed by Jenny B.

Cookie Dough Brownies

Prepared Brownies in 13x9 pan

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

3 Tbs. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. mini chocolate chips

Cool prepared brownies completely and leave in pan.  In stand mixer beat on medium speed the butter until light and creamy; add sugars, cream and vanilla.  Beat until nice and fluffy.  Add salt and flour; beat on medium high for about 10 minutes.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Spread the cookie dough on top of brownies.  Wrap or put a lid on the pan and place in refrigerator until thoroughly chilled. 

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 lb. Shoulder of beef
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28oz. Can crushed tomatoes
3 drive red chilies
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. ancho chile powder
½ bunch cilantro
1 T. red wine vinegar
corn tortillas
shredded romaine lettuce
½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves
fresh limes
1-3 lb. Cotija cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pot over medium high heat.
2. Season beef shoulder with plenty of salt and pepper; then sear all over until you have a nice brown crust.
3. Add onion and garlic to the bottom of the pot and stir so they caramelize a little.
4. Add tomatoes, chilies, spices and cilantro. Then add about 2 inches of water, cover the pot, and simmer for about 2 hours until the meat is tender and comes apart with little resistance. Add more water as it cooks down, if necessary.
5. Once cooked, break the meat apart with a wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper, and add red wine vinegar.
6. Serve with warm tortillas.

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.