Sugar Cookies with Frosting

On Monday, the girls and I made sugar cookies and frosting. They were so yummy! I got the recipe online and I'm so glad I gave them a try. I love soft sugar cookies and these were perfect, crispy around the edges but soft in the center. The frosting was also amazing. Don't mind the decorating, I had the kids helping. lol I accidentally made a double batch of frosting, measuring with the kids and all but it turned out fine. I only had a little left over, so if you like frosting you might want a double batch.

Sugar Cookies:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and almond extract.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• Food coloring if desired

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, confectioners' sugar, almond extract and enough water to achieve desired consistency.
2. Tint with food coloring if desired.
3. Frost the cookies.
   
   I used my pampered chef stones so they took 13 minutes to cook. Cooking time may vary. Enjoy and Happy Holidays ~Cindy~

Banana Bread

So, I'm sorry I haven't been posting. We've been extra busy around here. I've been wanting to make some of my Grandma's banana bread but my Grandma is out of town. I guess I'll have to wait for her recipe until she comes home. I found this recipe online and tried it out. It was definitely good banana bread. It was very moist and thick. I had never made banana bread and didn't realize how easy and fun it is to make.


Banana Bread:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
5. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.
6. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

I made a double batch, one with nuts and one without. This recipe yields one loaf. I also added more bananas.

Hope you enjoy! ~Cindy~

Another post..no pic's

I don't have any pic's of these two, but I thought I would share a little trick I learned. This may be something many of you know, but I found it very time saving and thought I would pass it on. I bought a small roast and put it directly into my crock pot and added some garlic salt and a packet of au jus sauce with some water. That's it! I then put the lid on, turned it on low, and left my kitchen!!! By dinner time, it was a perfectly tender roast! It was so good, we made another one a few days later.
I also did this with a full chicken. I put the raw chicken in my crock pot(minus the icky stuff inside the chicken, don't 4get to take that out!!!), some season all, garlic salt and about 3 tbsp of melted butter. I turned it on low and left my kitchen, again!!! With this I did come back to baste it every once in awhile. OMG...it was so good! Very tender and really easy chicken!

Ps: If you want to spend a little time in the kitchen after your chicken dinner, you can then boil your chicken bones to make broth and make chicken noodle soup. (like I did...I love it in the colder months!)

Crock Pot Ribs!

I'm back, after a long hiatus. I made these not to0 long ago. For anyone who may like ribs but doesn't really like to eat off the bone, try these!

Crock pot Ribs:

• Package of pork ribs
• 2 bottles of bbq sauce
• crock pot!!

1. cut ribs into 3-4 piece sections
2. brown slightly in frying pan
3. place ribs in crock pot
4. cover ribs with bbq sauce until fully covered
5. cook on low all day
6. ribs will fall off the bone if cooked long enough
7. serve with whatever you like(we like a vegetable and mashed potatoes)
8. enjoy!!

-Barb

Peach Cobbler

I got this recipe from a friend of a friend and it was really good. It tastes sort of like an English pudding. It was really sweet and yummy. I was so upset that I didn't have any vanilla ice cream. I really recommend putting it on top. I would cook it a little longer next time and try doing it with less butter if that's possible. All in all, it was so easy!

Peach Cobbler:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 flour
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 21 ounce can comstock peaches

Heat oven to 350

1. Put your stick of butter in your dish and stick it in the oven to melt.
2. Mix your flour, sugar and milk.
3. Add it to the butter.
4. Add the peaches to the rest.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until brown
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Hope you enjoy! Cindy

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

The weather has finally cooled off here, we'll see how long it lasts. I've been wanting to make my chicken and dumpling soup when the weather was right, so here it is. I always make a huge batch because we have it for left overs. I usually add carrots and peas but didn't have any on hand this time.

It's super quick and easy to make.

Chicken and Dumpling Soup:

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 2 large cans of chicken broth
• 1 large can water
• 1 baked chicken
• 1 cup peas and carrots
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 3/4 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp four

1. Add all broth, can of water and bouillon cubes to a large pot.
2. Cut all your chicken off the bone. I don't leave any skin on. Add to broth.
3. If you're using fresh carrots and peas add them now if not add them last.
4. Bring to a boil and cover.

Dumpling:

1. Mix your 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup water and salt together. It should be really sticky.
2. Put a generous amount of flour on your cutting board.
3. Lay your mixture down adding flour to the top as you knead it.
4. Keep flipping it over, kneading and adding flour so it's still fluffy but not too sticky to roll out. Do not over flour it or they'll be too doughy.
5. Roll them really thin, they'll plump a little once they boil. I prefer mine thin but fluffy.
6. Drop your dumplings into the boiling broth one at a time. The broth needs to be boiling for your dumplings to turn out.
7. Once all your items are in turn it to low and cook it covered for 30 min.
8. Salt and pepper to taste. Chris like to eat his with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Enjoy~ Cindy

Homemade Macaroni, Bacon & Cheese Casserole

I made my homemade macaroni & cheese casserole for dinner tonight. This time I added crispy bacon to it! I had a few bites to try it out and it was so good! I always make a quadruple batch of this because we eat the left overs as a side dish with other meals. So since I made a bigger batch I added 12 pieces of crispy bacon but I could of added a few more. They were really thin pieces.




TTFN, Cindy

Update

Barbara is going to post some things really soon. I'm waiting. lol
I'm so excited for it to start cooling down here so I can make my homemade chicken and dumpling soup and some other winter favorites. My mom-in-law just got into town so she brought me a few new recipe's too. I'll be trying those out soon. Happy cooking and I'll be back shortly! Cindy

Chicken Parmesan

So, ever since I tried Dawn's Chicken Piccata, Chris (my hubby) has been begging me to try Chicken Parmesan. That's what I tried tonight. It was really yummy. I did the chicken similar to the Piccata and just did a traditional spaghetti sauce with noodles. He loved it, the kids loved it and I have to say, I loved it too. lol It was real fast and simple to make. I hope you all enjoy it as much as our family.


Chicken Parmesan:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup garlic & herb bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 pinches of pepper
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Flatten all your chicken to 1/4 inch thickness between plastic wrap or waxed paper. This helps it cook well and remain tender.
2. Mix the egg and water together in a bowl.
3. Mix the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, grated parmesan and garlic powder together on a large plate. It's easier to coat the chicken on a plate then in a bowl.
4. First coat the chicken with the flour.
5. Then dip it into the egg mixture and coat with bread crumb mixture.
6. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
7. Cook the chicken in the skillet for 4 to 7 minutes on each side. Try to only turn it once so you don't loose any of your crust by flipping it too much. I found it was completely done yet still nice and tender when I cooked it for 6 minutes on each side. It depends on how large your chicken breast is.
8. Remove chicken from skillet using your tongs and keep warm.
9. I used a traditional jar of spaghetti sauce and added the fresh garlic and Italian seasoning to it.
10. Serve over noodles.

Enjoy ~Cindy~

Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

My friend Heather gave me this recipe and it was amazing! Her grandma gave it to her. It only took five minutes total to make! This recipe is so dangerous. You now are only five minutes away from a scrumptious homemade cake. I definitely recommend chocolate chips inside and chocolate or vanilla frosting on top. I think this would be such a cute idea for a slumber party! It would be fun for all the kids to be able to make their own cake. Thank you Heather for the great recipe and keep them coming!



Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake:

• 1 Coffee Mug
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 4 tbsp sugar (or other)
• 2 tbsp baking cocoa
• 1 egg (or substitute)
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tbsp oil (olive, etc....olive is actually very good in cakes)
• 3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
• Small splash of vanilla
• Frosting of your choice

1. Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix together.
2. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in the milk and oil and mix.
4. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla, and mix again.
5. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
6. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
7. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate.
8. Frost away and you're ready to eat!

Thanks again and enjoy! ~Cindy~

Sticky Buns

This is a recipe from my sister-in-law, Anne. I've never had anything like these sticky buns, they were so yummy! Soft, flaky but yet sticky and real sugary! They are definitely rich and make you want a big glass of milk.
I really recommend trying these. This recipe makes a lot! Next time I'll cut it in half. I think they would be great for breakfast when you have company over. Thanks again Anne for another great recipe!

Sticky Buns:

• 1 tablespoon orange zest (I didn't add)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 package cream cheese
• 2 cans grand flaky biscuits
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a nonstick pan.
3. In small bowl combine all sugar, orange zest and pecans and set aside.
4. Cut cream cheese into about 20 pieces (depends on how many biscuits you have).
5. Split each biscuit in half and place cream cheese in center.
6. Pinch ends all around the cream cheese.
7. Dip each biscuit into butter then into sugar mixture, coating whole biscuit.
8. Place at one end of the pan, slightly overlapping to the end of the pan.
9. If any butter or sugar mixture is left sprinkle on top.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes. (Mine needed an extra 10 minutes)
11. Cool a few minutes and turn onto plate.

Can be made the night before, covered and placed in fridge and baked in morning.
TTFN, Cindy

Hungarian Goulash

I got this recipe from my best friend Robin. It was so good! Chris was so excited when he came home to me making this. His mom used to make one like this when he was growing up. We all loved it! I was so glad that the girls loved it because I never know if they'll like a new recipe. Thanks Robin for another great meal!

Hungarian Goulash:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 pounds beef chuck or round steak, cut into 1 inch cubes.
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 2 tbsp flour

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
2. Add beef, onion and garlic.
3. Cook and stir until meat is brown and onion is tender.
4. Stir in ketchup, worcestshire sauce, sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, cayenne, and 1 1/2 cups of water.
5. Cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
6. About 20 minutes before you're ready to serve, thicken it.
7. Blend flour and 1/4 cups water together then stir gradually into meat mixture.
8. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. ( this will thicken it.)
9. Serve over cooked wide egg noodles

Enjoy - Cindy

Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies

I got this recipe on another blog. They looked so good that I had to try them. I modified them just a bit. They were so yummy! They came out crisp on the outside and gooey in the center. Just the way I like them.


Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies:

• 1 cup of butter, soften
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup toffee bits

1. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs (1 at a time), vanilla and water and mix well.
2. Combine in a separate bowl, flour, salt and baking soda. Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Don't over mix!
3. Add chocolate chips and caramel chips.
4. Chill the cookie dough for 1/2 an hour. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Drop the cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in the middle of your oven for 12-14 minutes (depending on your oven) or until the tops start to turn golden.
6. Remove from oven and let sit on the tray for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to cooling rack.

Hope you enjoy!

Cindy

Italian Macaroni

Okay Barb, I tried your Mostacoli dish. I renamed mine just because Chris was teasing me about it NOT being Mostacoli since I used macaroni noodles instead. lol So here we have Italian macaroni! I made everything the same except the noodles and I added some ground beef and sweet Italian sausage. It was amazing! The whole family loved it. It was so easy to make. I served it with a caesar salad and a glass of wine!
I was so upset because I love olives and I forgot to get them at the store so next time I'll be adding those too. For this recipe just add ground beef and sweet Italian sausage to to Barb's Mostacoli.

Thanks for the great idea Barb!

TTFN, Cindy

Fiesta Chicken

My sister-in-law Anne gave me this recipe and it was so yummy! It's really easy to make and was great left over too. The whole family loved it. My hubby is so excited that I'm doing this blog because I'm cooking every night and it's always something new. lol I LOVE Mexican food so anything new is always good for me. I think I'm going to make this dish for our potluck we have at Halloween. Thank you so much for sharing Anne!


Fiesta Chicken:

• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded into bite sized pieces
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (8 oz) jar cheese whiz
• 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile's
• 1 can mild enchilada sauce
• 10 corn tortillas (the number depends on the size of your dish)
• chopped lettuce and tomatoes (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook chicken in a skillet with 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce. This gives it great flavor and makes it tender enough to shred with a fork.
3. Stir together cream of chicken soup, cheese whiz, green chile's and your cooked chicken.
4. Divide 1/3 of chicken mixture and spread on bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish.
5. Dip approximately 3 tortillas in enchilada sauce and place on top of chicken mixture.
6. Continue to layer chicken mixture and tortillas until all of the chicken mixture is gone. The top layer should be the chicken mixture.
7. Bake the casserole covered with foil for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
8. Continue baking uncovered 15 minutes more.

You can also serve it with cut up lettuce and tomatoes on top if desired. Makes 5 servings
I hope you all enjoy! Thanks again Anne.
Cindy

Stuffed Bell Peppers

My bestie, Robin sent me this recipe. My mom used to make this a lot when I was growing up. I love it and make it for my family too. The kids love it! I'm giving you a combined version of both of our recipe's. Robin uses ground turkey. I tried it this time and loved it, especially because it's so much less fat. It's a little blander in taste, so you can still use a lean ground beef if you prefer. This is so yummy! Thanks Robin for reminded me of how much I love these!





Stuffed Bell Peppers:

• 4 large green bell peppers that will stand up
• 1/4 of an onion
• 1 pound ground turkey, lean ground beef or steamed veggies
• 1 1/2 cups of steamed rice
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1 bag of shredded cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder

1. Heat oven to 350
2. First steam your rice.
3. In a large skillet brown your meat with salt, garlic salt, pepper and onion powder.
4. Discard any grease, I never have any when using lean meats.
5. Add your finely chopped onion and cook until ready.
6. Add steamed rice, 1/2 can spaghetti sauce and 1/2 bag of cheese to your skillet with the meat mixture.
7. Put on low heat and stir until it's sticking together. This is when I start tasting it to make sure I have enough seasoning, sauce and rice. I like to add some here or there as desired.
8. Cut a hole into the top of your peppers, core out the inside.
9. Rinse your peppers inside and out.
10. Start Filling them with your mixture. I like mine stuffed full!
11. Put your peppers into a baking dish and add more cheese on top. I cook mine without adding more sauce. Robin adds the rest of the can over top and bakes it that way. It's good both ways.
12. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.Take off the foil and finish baking for 15 minutes.

If you have left over mixture it's nice to add it to the plates when serving. Hope you enjoy! Thanks again Robin for a yummy meal!

Cindy

Chicken Piccata

This is delicious! My friend Dawn gave me this recipe and it's definitely something you all have to try. I made a few changes to the recipe so we would have more sauce to pour over the top. I then thickened the sauce. My family loves sauces and I prefer them thick. This sauce has lemon in it so it's very flavorful. You don't need a lot of sauce just enough to moisten the rice and add some flavor. The kids loved this too! Thank you Dawn, for an awesome new meal that I will be cooking regularly! This would go great with a summer salad.



Chicken Piccata:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water
• 6 tbsp butter or margarine
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup garlic & herb bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 pinches of pepper
• 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup white wine or blush
• 1 can chicken broth

1. Flatten all your chicken to 1/4 inch thickness between plastic wrap or waxed paper. This helps it cook well and remain tender.
2. Mix the egg and water together in a bowl.
3. Mix the bread crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder together on a large plate. It's easier to coat the chicken on a plate then in a bowl.
4. First coat the chicken with the flour.
5. Then dip it into the egg mixture and coat with bread crumb mixture.
   Heat 3 tbsp of butter or margarine and 3 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
6. Cook the chicken in the skillet for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Try to only turn it once so you don't loose any of your crust by flipping it too much. I found it was completely done yet still nice and tender when I cooked it for 4 minutes on each side.
7. Remove chicken from skillet using your tongs and keep warm.
8. Keep you drippings in your skillet, this will be used to create your sauce.

Sauce:

1. Add 3 tbsp butter or margarine and 3 tbsp of vegetable oil to the skillet.
2. Add the juice of one regular lemon or 1/2 large lemon and 1/4 cup white wine into your drippings in the skillet.
3. Add 1/2 can chicken broth and stir.
4. In a bowl, mix your remaining 1/2 can of chicken broth and 4 tbsp of your remaining all-purpose flour until it's smooth.
5. Add the flour/broth mixture slowly to your skillet while stirring constantly.
6. Keep stirring until thickened and turn to low.
7. Taste and add pepper, salt or any other seasoning needed.
8. Poor over your rice and chicken and serve with lemon wedge.

This would also go well with mashed potatoes or noodles.
I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did.
Cindy

Mostacoli

If you are looking for an quick and easy meal,
this is it! Lee and Kyleigh love this and it only
takes me a few minutes in the kitchen. I don't cover this when I bake it but if you like the cheese slightly creamier I would put foil over it.

Mostacholi:

• 1 box Barilla mostacholi(4 cups uncooked)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 regular jar prego w/ italian sausage
• 1 can sliced black olives
• parmesan cheese
• garlic salt

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Cook pasta, drain don't rinse.
3. Add 1/2 of pasta to casserole dish.
4. Add 1/2 jar of Prego to pasta.
5. Sprinkle Garlic salt and parmesan cheese over pasta.
6. Add 1 cup cheese over pasta.
7. Add 1/2 can olives.
8. Spread evenly.
9. Repeat all steps for a second layer.
10. Bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy-Barb

New recipe's coming!

Okay, I just wanted to take a moment to let you all know that I have received all your recipe's. Thank you for sending them and I will be working on them soon. Things have just been a little crazy around our house lately. lol I am looking forward to trying all these new and exciting dishes!
Thanks again,
Cindy

Summer Salad

This has been one of my favorite salads this summer! It's so light, easy to make and I love all the different flavors. All you need is some baby spinach, walnuts, feta cheese, oranges, craisins and a raspberry dressing. I tried the raspberry walnut dressing this time and it was really good but any raspberry dressing will do. It's so nice when it's hot out to have something light and a little sweet.

Hope you enjoy!

Cindy

Peking Pork Chops

I got this recipe from my friend, Grace. This is a recipe she got from Weight Watchers. It is a simple crock pot meal. I added Chinese snap peas, rice and crunchy noodles, but I'm sure it is good with noodles and other vegetables. Depending on how many pork chops you make or if you like extra sauce you may want to double the sauce recipe. I also cut my pork chops into strips for easier eating! Enjoy!

Peking Pork Chops:

• 4-6 pork chops
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
  salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown pork chops, put into crock pot.
2. In a bowl add all ingredients, mix.
3. Add ingredients to crock pot.
4. Cook on low for a least 6 hours.

Barb

Beef Pot Roast

I made beef pot roast today. It's one of our family favorites. My mom used to make this when we were little and we always loved it. It's so easy to make you just put it in the crock pot in the morning and let it cook all day. I love having this during the winter months when it's cold outside because this meal is so rich and heavy. This makes a lot but we like it left over, so you may want to cut it in half.



Beef Pot Roast:

• 1 pound or so beef pot roast
• 2 family size cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 family size can of water
• 2 packets of dry onion soup/dip mix
• cut carrots
• 3 cups of rice

1. Empty both cans of soup into your crock pot.
2. Add your can of water and dry onion mix.
3. Stir together.
4. Cut any fat off your pot roast. (you can usually find one without fat on it) then put in.
5. Cook on high for 3 hours then turn to low for 3 to 5 hours.
6. Put your carrots in (depending on how big you've cut them) once you turn it to low.
7. Serve over rice, salt and pepper to taste.

This was our dessert tonight. I didn't make it homemade. I just wanted to post it because it was so simple and yummy! I bought angle food cake and put raspberries, blueberries and cool whip on top. It's nice to be able to through something together real fast that still tastes good!

Enjoy! Cindy

Potato Salad

This is one of my favorite things to make if I'm going to a potluck or bbq. ( I made it this weekend for a church potluck.) It is a little labor intensive, but well worth it! I learned how to make this by watching my grandmother for several years. So, if you like potato salad, give this recipe a try! I'm sure you will love it!

Potato Salad:

• 10 red potatoes
• 12 eggs
• 1 bunch of green onion
• 1 1/2 cups of Mayo.(make sure to use only Best Foods or Kraft)
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 3 sweet pickles
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil red potatoes until fully cooked(it is best if they are slightly firm, so they don't crumble).
2. Boil eggs until hard-boiled.
3. Drain both potatoes and eggs. Cool with cold water. Peel and dice potatoes. Peel and dice eggs.
4. Add both to large bowl.
5. Chop and add in green onion.
6. Chop and add pickles.
7. Add mayo. I usually don't measure the exact amount. I believe it is around 1 1/2 cups. But just keep adding until the consistency looks right.
8. Add mustard, garlic, salt and pepper and vinegar.
9. Mix well.
10. Refrigerate until cold.

Enjoy!!!

Barb

Easy Peach Cobbler

This recipe is so easy and so good! It takes only 10 minutes prep time and then you pop it in the oven! It is best when it is served warm!

Peach cobbler:

• 1 large can peaches
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 box white cake mix

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Cube butter into little dots then place them on bottom of casserole dish
3. Sprinkle brown sugar over butter
4. Drain peaches( but keep juice)
5. Lay peaches in casserole dish
6. In a separate bowl make white cake mix. Omit water and use juice instead.
7. Pour mix over peaches
8. Bake according to white cake directions

Enjoy, Barb

Pizza Braid

You all have to try this recipe. I think you will enjoy it and it's pretty too! My friend KL gave this recipe to me and it's amazing! It's so simple and takes little time to make. This pizza braid is rich, creamy and full of flavor.

This was my first time making it so I definitely have some suggestions of where I went wrong. My husband absolutely loved it! I can't wait to make one for a party!

I took a lot of pictures when I was making this, so you could better understand the instructions. I didn't have a large enough rectangle pizza stone, so I prepared it on my cutting board and then transfered it to my round stone. I don't suggest this, it was difficult to transfer without having it fall apart. You should prepare it on the surface you're going to bake it on.

Pizza Bread:

• 1 refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/2 to 1, 8 ounce brick of cream cheese
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2 cloves garlic pressed
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• sliced pepperoni
  
  

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Place the dough on a large stone and roll it out into a nice rectangular shape. Prepare it on the surface you're going to bake it on.
3. Use a knife to cut into the long sides of the rectangle. You will cut about 2 to 3 inches deep and about 1 inch apart, these sections will be folded over later to create the braid.
4. Leave the long strip of dough in the center untouched.
5. On that center section of dough, spread on your cream cheese. (I heated mine for 35 seconds so it was easy to spread)
6. Press the garlic and spread evenly over the cream cheese.
7. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the cream cheese.
8. Layer pepperoni over the cream cheese center.
9. Sprinkle your grated cheese over the meats.
10. Braid the cut pieces of dough, alternating sides and stretching each piece over to cover the ingredients in the center.
11. Pinch the ends to make sure the meat and cheese won’t escape during the baking.
12. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
    
    

You can also make this with fresh or sautéed veggies such as onions, mushrooms, peppers, olives, sliced tomatoes, etc. I also think it would be great with mozzarella cheese.

Hope you enjoy!

Thank you so much KL for this great recipe! I will be making this a lot.

Cindy

Parmesan Chicken

Our friend Jennifer sent us this recipe. As soon as I heard the name, I decided to make it. It did not disappoint! It was quite easy to put together and in 35 minutes I had a great meal! The nice thing about this meal is that it should keep well. This works for my household since Lee works odd hours and usually doesn't get our dinner meal until the next day. Thanks again Jennifer! It was yummy!!!

Parmesan Chicken:

• Pam cooking spray
• Enough chicken to feed your family.(Jennifer uses the chicken tenders and I used chicken breasts.)
• 1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
• 1 cup Bread crumbs(seasoned or any kind you prefer.)
• 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese(grated)
• 2 TBSP melted butter to drizzle

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with pam.
3. Put buttermilk in bowl with chicken and let marinate.
4. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan together and put on a plate.
5. Take buttermilk soaked chicken and coat the pieces with bread crumb mixture.
6. Press the mixture onto the chicken.
7. Transfer the chicken onto the pan.
8. Drizzle butter over chicken.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Until next time - Barb

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

This is one of the meals my mom would
make for our family. The nice thing is that because it's a macaroni and cheese casserole it's something everyone can enjoy. We loved it! It's so easy to make.

I made a quadruple batch of this because the kids LOVE it and it’s great left over. It also fits perfect in a large casserole dish when it’s quadrupled. This is one of those great dishes that the kids can help with. Ellie helped with the measuring, pouring and stiring it all together. She loves to cook.





Homemade Macaroni & Cheese Casserole:

• 1 cup of your choice uncooked macaroni (I used spiral noodles because that’s what I had at home)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheese
• 1 tsp garlic salt
  

1. Heat oven to 400
2. Cook your macaroni and strain very well. (don't rinse)
3. In a large pan melt the butter.
4. Add flour then milk stirring constantly.
5. Add your cheese and macaroni stirring constantly.
6. Let it cook on low for 3 minutes. It will appear very soupy but will thicken while baking.
7. Poor into casserole dish and put in the oven (uncovered) for 40 minutes.
8. Take out and stir thoroughly. This helps it finish thickening
9. Add a little more grated cheese to the top and bake for 5 more minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Now it's time to eat!

TTFN, Cindy

Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

My Mom, Jeanne, made the best spaghetti sauce and I was lucky enough to watch her make it and get the recipe. I have made this sauce for 14 years now and still LOVE it. It is a bit spicy(which is what I like about it), so for anyone who likes blander food, skip the italian sausage. I like to make garlic bread with it as well as a Caesar salad. Enjoy!!!


Spaghetti sauce:

• 1 package hot italian sausage
• 1 1/2 lbs. ground meat
• 1 large can of Prego(or any Spaghetti sauce you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons of italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• pinch of basil
• 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1. Brown italian sausage and meat until no pink is showing.
2. While cooking meat add italian seasoning, garlic salt and basil to pan. Stir.
3. Put Sausage and meat into crockpot.
4. Add Prego and tomato sauce. Stir.
5. Add a pinch more garlic and italian seasoning.
6. Put on crockpot lid.
7. Cook on low or warm for at least 8 hours!(you can make this quickly, but it is better if it cooks all day!!)

Hope you enjoy it! Barb

Speedy Beef Enchiladas

Okay Barb, you had me craving beef enchiladas so I made some of mine. Yours looked better and more labor intensive than mine. This is how I always make them and next time I'm definitely going to try your version. We usually serve them with beans and spanish rice. I love to put homemade salsa and sour cream on top. The one nice thing about this version is, it's so fast to make and we usually keep everything on hand.

Speedy Beef Enchiladas:

• 1 19 ounce can enchilada sauce (mild)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 tbsp taco seasoning
• 9 corn tortillas
• grated cheese
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 onion (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Brown the ground beef and add 2 tbsp of taco seasoning and 1 finely chopped garlic clove.
3. Add 1/2 finely chopped onion (I don't always add the onion since my hubby is a picky eater)
4. Put your enchilada sauce and 1 tbsp of taco seasoning into a skillet. Heat on low.
5. I like to heat 3 tortillas at a time in a Ziploc bag for 10 seconds. This keeps them soft so when you fold them they don't crack and split open.
6. Put a tortilla into the enchilada sauce and flip it so it's covered in sauce.
7. Now your ready to fill. I put some meat and grated cheese in each one.
8. I put the remaining meat, cheese and sauce on top.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Hope you enjoy!

TTFN, Cindy

Beef Enchiladas

This is a new recipe that I decided to try. It was quick, easy and delicious! I did not add the green chilies since my family doesn't like things too spicy. One suggestion I have is to make extra enchilada sauce for after it is cooked.


Beef Enchiladas:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 green chilies
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 8 corn tortillas

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Cook and drain beef. Mix in onion, sour cream, cheese and pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chilies, garlic and tomato sauce to boiling. Reduce to low. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour into ungreased pie pan.
4. Dip each tortilla into sauce to coat both sides. Spoon 1/4 cup of meat onto tortilla; roll tortilla around filling. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.
5. Bake uncovered about 20 minutes. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and onions. Enjoy!

Until next time, Barb

Homemade Salsa

This is a yummy salsa! It's always great to have a homemade salsa to bring to a party or just to much on at home. Because I'm a Mexican food lover, I love having this salsa in the fridge at all times. I put it on everything. lol You can make it as spicy as you like but I tend to keep it closer to the medium range.


Salsa:

• 1 28oz can of whole tomatoes
• 5 romano tomatoes (optional)
• 2 7oz cans of diced mild green chile's (usually in your Mexican food isle)
• 3/4 to 1 stalk of Cilantro
• 3/4 of a medium white onion
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• 1 small red chile pepper (optional)

1. Chop your cilantro, onion and garlic really fine.
2. Add your can of whole tomatoes and your fresh tomatoes to the food processor or blender.
3. Add your chopped cilantro, onion and garlic to the tomatoes.
4. Mix until it's all blended. Do not over do it or it will become soupy.
5. I stir in the salt and pepper when it's finished and keep tasting until I have the desired amount.
6. It's best to refrigerate it for awhile before serving.

I think you'll enjoy it and it's so fast and easy!

TTFN, Cindy

Tuna Noodles

So, I have not made this in a long time. I remember having this as a child. Now I know why, it is a quick and easy way to make dinner for the whole family! Barb and I were just talking about creating this blog this afternoon so I had no idea what I was going to cook tonight. Then all of a sudden, I was excited about making dinner! lol I found all the stuff in the cupboards and away we went. This is a great meal to make if you have little kids that want to help in the kitchen. Ellie's four and she was able to stir in all the ingredients. We all had fun and it tasted great.

Tuna Noodles:

• 4 cups of uncooked spiral noodles
• 3 to 4 small cans of white canned tuna in water
• 1 to 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (depending on how moist you like it)
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp sour cream (optional)
• 1 cup of peas/celery or both (optional) My husband is a picky eater so I didn't add these but they're great added in.

1. Boil your 4 cups of noodles. Strain well, don not rinse. Put back into your hot pan.
2. Add your 1 1/2 tbsp of butter, tuna and cream of mushroom soup. Mix it all together.
3. This is a very bland dish so you really need to keep adding salt and pepper to taste.
4. I like to put a dollop of sour cream on top.

Now your ready to enjoy!

TTFN, Cindy