Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 package of chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together. Roll dough into balls and place onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let sit on cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring to cooling racks.

Zucchini Bacon Quiche

Zucchini Bacon Quiche

• 1 tube 8 oz. crescent rolls
• 2 tsp. prepared mustard
• 6 bacon strips, diced
• 3 cups thinly sliced zucchini
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 T. parsley
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. basil

Separate crescent rolls into triangles, and place in bottom of pan, with tips pointing to the center of pan. Spread mustard on top.

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from heat. Cook zucchini and onions in grease until tender.

Mix eggs, cheese, zucchini mixture, and spices together. Pour over crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Fruit Leather

Our family recently bought a dehydrator. One fun experiment was making fruit leather. Or fruit jerky, as my neighbor calls it.

We didn't use a strict recipe. Basically, we cooked some pears, pureed them, and added various spices and fruits. Each flavor is quite delicious.

Any real recipes would be appreciated.

Summer Squash Casserole

6 cups squash (sliced thin)

4 eggs, beaten

2 cup cheese

6 T. chopped onion

2 cup cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients together and spread into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

• Garlic Shrimp Pasta
• 1 (12 ounce) package pasta- I used spaghetti
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 teaspoons lemon thyme
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 large dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large dash hot sauce
• 1 lb. of fresh broccoli florets
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 
  
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
• 
  
• Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook until smooth. Slowly stir in milk and cream; simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in lemon thyme, parsley, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer
• 
  
• Meanwhile, steam broccoli until done.
• 
  
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Saute shrimp and garlic until done.
• 
  
• Toss everything together and serve. Enjoy!

Garlic Braised Mustard Greens

I tried mustard greens for the first time this weekend- They were delicious! This is how I cooked them:

Garlic Braised Mustard Greens

1/2 lb. mustard greens, with the thick stems cut off.

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Boil greens in water for 1 minute. Meanwhile, saute garlic in oil. Drain greens, and saute in olive oil until done- about 6-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

This makes a very small serving- definitely make multiple recipes for a family!

Orange Punch

This may be the best punch you will ever taste- seriously. The almond extract just adds something special.

Orange Punch

6 c. water

4 c. sugar

1 small package of orange jello

1 large can frozen orange juice

1 small can frozen lemonade

2 (46 oz.) cans pineapple juice

1 oz. almond extract

2 bottles ginger ale

Boil water and sugar until clear. Remove from heat and add next 6 ingredients. Pour into separate container- leaving room for mixture to expand. Freeze. When ready to serve, remove from freezer 14-20 minutes ahead of time. Add ginger all and stir.

Macaroni Meat Pie

Didn't get a picture of this meal- we ate it too fast!

Macaroni Meat Pie

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. salt

12 oz. thick spaghetti sauce

2 cups elbow macaroni

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 c. grated parmesan cheese

bread crumbs

Cook beef, onion, garlic, and the 1 1/2 tsp. salt in a large skillet until beef is well browned. Drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Continue to cook and stir until mixture is thickened.

Cook macaroni following the instructions on the box. Drain. Melt butter in pan, stir in flour and salt. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, continuing to stir until mixture thickens and bubbles. (about 1 minute.)

Butter a 9 inch pie plate. Sprinkle sides and bottom with bread crumbs. Spoon 2/3 of the macaroni mixture into pan. Spread into even layer, covering the bottom and the sides to form a "crust." Spoon meat mixture into center. I had some extra meat, so I spooned it into several ramekins. Sprinkle remaining macaroni mixture over top of the meat mixture and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown on top. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Carrot Cake Cups

I saw a recipe for mini carrot cake cups in a Pampered Chef cookbook. I thought that they looked wonderful, but was disappointed when I read through the recipe. Why does Pampered Chef always suggest that cooking can be made easier by using cake mixes and canned soups? Sometimes, that would be the best way to do things. But I felt like baking completely from scratch- so this is my attempt at creating my own version of the recipe. And I have to say- I'm pretty proud of them.

Carrot Cake Cups

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup grated carrots (about two medium carrots)

2 eggs

3/4 c. oil You might have to add more oil- this is the only part of the recipe that I'm stuck with! Just add more oil slowly after the 3/4 c. and when the batter looks all mixed up and wet (it will still be very thick) it should be fine.

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. It will be very thick. More like a banana bread consistency than a cake mix consistency.

Spoon into greased mini muffin pans until 2/3 full. Do not overfill. Bake @ 350 degrees for approx. 11 min. or until tops are firm to touch. Once out of oven, use floured tart shaper* to push down cake cups. Let cool for 3 minutes in pan, then transfer from pan to cooling rack.

Filling-

8 oz. softened cream cheese

3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

Add powdered sugar to whipping cream. Beat until thick. Beat in cream cheese.

Fill either a pastry bag, or a Ziploc bag with filling (then cut corner off of Ziploc bag.)

Fill cups with filling and garnish with grated carrots and/or chopped walnuts.

Enjoy!

*Pampered Chef makes awesome kitchen gadgets, and I would recommend their tart shaper if you don't already have one.

Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. mashed bananas
1/2 c. walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together shortening, sugar, and eggs. Sift dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture alternately with banana. Mix in nuts. Blend well after each addition. Pour batter into well greased 9"x5"x3" loaf pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until done.
Remove the bread from the pan after letting it cool for about five minutes.

Honey and Molasses

Don't you hate it when you measure out honey or molasses, and when you begin to pour your measured out honey into a different bowl, it :

• takes forever to come out of the measuring cup or spoon
• it stick to the sides.

To avoid this, simply spray the insides of your measuring bowl or spoon with cooking spray. It'll slide right out!

Black Forest Cake

My brother, who works at Dairy Queen, likes to call this, Choco- cherry love cake, after the Blizzard. Whatever you call it, it is delicious!

2 16 oz. cans of tart pitted cherries, undrained

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

2 (9 inch) round layers of your favorite chocolate cake, baked and cooled

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup confectioners sugar.

Drain cherries, leaving 1/2 cup of juice. Combine reserved juice, cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until thickened. Stir in vanilla. Cool.

Split each cake layer in half, horizontally. Set aside on half layer.

Beat whipping cream and sugar together. Set aside 1 1/2 cups for piping.

Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Spread with whipped cream, and top with cherry mixture.

Place second layer of cake on top. Spread with whipped cream, and top with cherry mixture.

Place third layer of cake on tope. Ice top and side of cake with whipped cream. Spread cherry mixture on top.

Take your last cake layer and cut it in half. Crumble on half, and pat crumbs onto the sides of the cake.

Use reserved whipped cream to pipe around the edges on the top and bottom.

Any leftover cherry topping and whipped cream can be used for the extra half layer of cake.

Yum!

Never Fail Pie Crust

3 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/4 c. shortening

Blend.

In a small bowl, mix

1 tsp. vinegar

1 egg

6 T water.

Chill until cold.

Add wet ingredients to dry, and blend well with a pastry blender. Chill dough before rolling out- this makes your crust nice and flakey.

Chicken Pot Pie

Photo by Mama

2 c. cooked diced chicken

2 c. cooked diced potatoes

1 1/2 c. frozen peas

3 carrots, peeled, diced and cooked

1/4 c. butter

1 c. heavy cream

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

Flour to thicken

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter. Add flour. Cook until smooth. Add broth, cream and salt and pepper. Cook until thick. Add chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas. Line a 9 inch pie plate with Never Fail Pie Crust. Pour mixture into crust. Cover with pie crust, and crimp edges. Poke holes, or a pretty design on top to let out steam.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Beef and Barley Soup

Beef and Barley Soup

1/2 c. Crisco
3 onions
4 or 5 stalks of celery
1/2 c. beef base
1 29 oz. can of tomato sauce
2-3 lbs. of stew meat
2 c. of quick barley
1 1/2 gallons of water

First, cut the onions and celery.














Melt the Crisco in a large pot. The stew meat looks much better once it is cooked!
















Brown the meat in the Crisco until it is cooked. Then, add the celery and onions. Next, add the beef base, tomato sauce, and water. Let it simmer on a low heat.














Peel a bunch of carrots! (about one bag) and then slice them like this.
Let your soup simmer for an hour or two. The longer you let it simmer, the better.

About 20 minutes before you are going to serve
the soup, add the barley. Cook it until it is
done. (about 15 minutes) This picture of the soup doesn't do it justice. It looks much better for real.

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pockets

Photo by Mama

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pockets

11 oz. fresh broccoli

3 cups cooked (shredded or cubed) chicken

4 tsp. olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 16 oz. jar of roasted red peppers (coarsely chop them)

2 Tbsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 recipes of pizza crust, prepared

In a medium skillet, saute garlic in oil. Add broccoli, and cook until almost tender.

Remove from heat,

In a large bowl, broccoli, cheese, peppers, chicken, salt, pepper, and oregano.

Divide dough into 16 pieces. (8 pieces per recipe of dough)

On a floured surface, roll out each piece to make a 6 inch circle.

Spoon equal amounts of filling into each dough circle. Fold dough over filling, making a half circle. Press edges together with a fork. Make a small slit on the top of each pocket, to allow steam to escape.

Place pockets on greased baking sheets, and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Baked Bananas

Photo by Collin

Baked Bananas

4 T. Butter

1 T. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon rind.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put ingredients in baking dish, and set it oven for 3 minutes, or until butter melts. After butter is melted, remove, and stir.

Peel 4 bananas and place them in the dish, turning them over and spooning sauce over them until they are completely covered.

Sprinkle with 4 T. of brown sugar, and bake for 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Pie

Peanut Butter Pie

1 c. peanut butter

16 oz. cool whip

8 oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix all together and spread into 2 graham cracker crusts. If desired, sprinkle with chocolate chips, or swirl the top with hot fudge sauce.

So easy, and so tasty!

I'll have recipes with pictures soon...I promise!

Cream Cheese Burgers

I do not have a picture to go with the recipe- but these burgers are much more flavorful than a regular burger. The cream cheese filling adds such a unique taste!

Cream Cheese Burgers

2 lbs. ground meat

1 chopped onion

4 T. chopped parsley

Mix together in a large bowl, and form into 12 patties.

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese

4 T. chopped chives

1 clove of minced garlic.

Mix together, and spoon 1/6 of mixture onto 6 of the patties.

Take the rest of the patties, and place them like lids on the cream cheese topped patties. Press the edges together, and slightly flatten.

Grill burgers until thoroughly cooked.

Let me know if you try these!

A Pleasant Surprise

A few years back, my mom bought me a subscription to Taste of Home.

I just received a notice in the mail stating that because I was a previous subscriber, I can subscribe this year for only $6 dollars!

I can't wait until my magazines come in!

Swedish Meatballs

Photo by Mama.

• 2 lbs. ground meat
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 c. bread crumbs
• 2 eggs

Mix ingredients (with your bare hands!!) until well mixed. Roll into 1-2 inch balls and place in a 9x13 pan.

Mix together 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and 1 can of beef gravy. (I make my own gravy to use, by using Tone's beef base and the recipe on the back of the container.)

Pour over top of meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve over noodles.

Chocolate Biscotti

1/2 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. chocolate chips

Grease a cookie sheet.

Beat butter. Add sugar, cocoa, and baking powder. Mix well. Beat in eggs. Beat in flour. Mix in chocolate chips.

Shape dough into 2 9 inch long rolls. Flatten slightly until about 2 inches wide.

Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes. Cool for one hour on cookie sheet.

Using a serrated knife, cut loaves diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices on their sides on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 F for 8 minutes. Turn slices over and bake for an additional 7-9 minutes. Cool.