Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

1 c. creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy peanut butter)
1 sm. jar marshmallow creme
1 c. Rice Krispies
1 pkg. almond bark candy coating
Mix peanut butter and marshmallow cream together. Add Rice
Krispies, mix. Let stand overnight. Form into small balls. Chill or freeze
for easier dipping. Dip in melted almond bark cool in refrigerator.

Gussie's Fruticake

250 degrees 4 fruit cakes (2lbs. each)

MIXTURE #1:

1 lb. raisins
1 package (11 oz.) currants
1 lb. walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. candied fruit cake mix
2 Tablespoons flour

MIXTURE #2:

3 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1 lb. butter (no substitute)
6 large eggs or 8 small eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup grape (or other fruit) juice
2 Tablespoons vanilla

MIXTURE #3:

4 cups sifted flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon soda

Combine each of the three above mixtures in separate containers. Add Mixture III to Mixture II; blend thoroughly. Stir in Mixture I thoroughly. Spoon batter into four loaf pans (9 1/2 X 5 1/2 X 2 1/2 inches) that have been lined with pan liners or with greased heavy brown paper. Bake for 2 hours. Cool thoroughly. Remove from pans; moisten top of each cake with pastry brush dipped into grape juice. Wrap cold cakes in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Store in cool place.

Marshmellow Popcorn

2 cubes unsalted butter
1 Cup brown sugar
24 large marshmellows
2 bags of Butter Lovers mircowave popcorn(ACT 11 brand)

Pop the pop corn and place in a large bowl. Then, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil in a good, non stick pan. Add the 24 marshmellows. Stir carefully until they are melted. When they are melted take off the heat and pour over the popcorn.

Salted Peanut Chews

Description:
If you are allergic to peanuts, stop now. If you aren’t proceed at your own risk. These things are deadly on the diet.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping
2/3 cups corn syrup
¼ cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (12oz.) pkg. (2 cups) peanut butter chips
2 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups salted peanuts


Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients except marshmallows at low speed until crumbly. Press firmly in bottom of ungreased 13X9-inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while preparing topping.

In large saucepan, combine all topping ingredients except cereal and peanuts. Heat just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cereal and peanuts. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars.


Number Of Servings:36 bars

Gran'ma Wood's Fudge

Description:
This is the way my grandmother made fudge. She was famous for her fudge. This is 1/2 the recipe she made.

Ingredients:
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark karo
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup butter
2 squares unsweetened chocolate

Directions:
Cook in a heavy bottomed pan, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon. Bring to a mild boil, washing down sides of pan to remove the sugar. Cook until candy has reached the soft ball stage. Pour onto a cold marble slab or a chilled counter top. When it quits moving stir with a pastry cutter until creamy brown.

Gran'ma Wood's Pie Crust for South Dakota

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cup shortening/lard (Gran'ma Wood used Crisco)
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1 Tablespoon vinegar

Makes 3-4 crusts. (dough is freezable)

Mix flour & salt together
Cut in shortening
Mix egg with water and vinegar and add it slowly
DON'T OVER WORK THE DOUGH

NO FAIL Pie Dough

Just in time for the holidays!

2 1/2 C flour
1/4 t salt
1 C shortening
1 egg
1/4 C cold water
1 T white vinegar

Combine flour and salt together in a large bowl.

Cut shortening into flour mixture with a knife or a fork until it becomes coarse crumbs.

Mix egg, water, and vinegar together in a smaller bowl.

Add liquids to the flour mixture and mix until a ball forms. DO NOT overwork the dough.

Place dough in a ziplock bag and place in refrigerator for 3-5 hours.


Roll out dough on a well floured surface.

Should make 3 pie shells OR 1 pie shell and 1 double crusted pie.


It's a really great recipe.

Easy Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1 pkg. vanilla pudding (the kind you need to cook)
1 pkg. tapioca pudding
1 small pkg. Jell-O
3 Cups water
Canned fruit
8 oz. Cool Whip

Directions:
Combine puddings, Jell-O, and water

Bring to a boil
--cook according to tapioca directions
--or bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes

Remove from heat and chill for 3 hours

Drain fruit

Once mixture has chilled stir in Cool Whip

Mix well

Add fruit

Variations:
*Use orange Jell-O & 2 cans mandarin oranges
2-3 cans pineapple (chunks, tidbits or crushed)

*Use raspberry Jell-O & thawed raspberries and pineapple

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

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

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Potato Salad

6 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
8 hard cooked eggs
3 to 4 Tablespoons prepared mustard
1 cup salad dressing (Best Foods type)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon celery seed

Cook, peel and dice potatoes; combine with chopped onion. Shell eggs; separate yolks and whites. Dice egg whites; set aside. Mash yolks with mustard*; stir in salad dressing along with sugar and salt. Combine dressing with potatoes and onions. Fold in egg whites carefully. Adjust seasoning. Cover and chill for several hours before serving.

Serves 8

*I mash egg whites and yolks together.

Oatmeal Bread- For a Bread Machine

Oatmeal Bread

2 Pound Loaf

1 1/3 cups Quick Oats
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water
2 tablespoons Oil
3 1/3 cups Flour
1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Add in this order.
Set on dough setting on machine.
Proof in the oven, or however you proof, for 30 minutes.
Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until done.

avocado relish

2 ripe California avocados
1 small vine-ripened tomato
2/3 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1/2 onion)
1 to 2 fresh serrano chilies
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander sprigs
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed black peppercorns

tortilla soup

1/2 white onion
1 pound plum tomatoes
6 peeled garlic cloves
2 [dried] guajillo chilies* (about 1 ounce)
2 [dried] ancho chilies* (about 1 ounce)
8 cups chicken stock*
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon coarse salt

ten 5- to 6-inch white corn tortillas
about 2 cups peanut or vegetable oil for deep-frying


8 fresh coriander sprigs
Garnish: lime wedges

Dressing

1 c. buttermilk
1 c. mayonnaise
1 pkg Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (the dry packet)
2 tomatillos*
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 bunch cilantro
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 small jalapeno pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Rice

1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chilies
1/2 onion
3 c. water (or more if needed)
4 tsp chicken bouillon
4 tsp garlic, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
3 c. rice (uncooked)
-Blend cilantro, green chilies & onion together in food processor/blender.
-Boil water; add all ingredients.
-Simmer covered 20-30 minutes or until rice is cooked…just watch near the end and add more water if it’s starting to look dry.

Pico de Gallo

(this is a really fresh salsa)
4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded & finely chopped
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. cilantro leaves, chopped (or more to taste!)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & finely chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
salt
Combine all ingredients; cover & refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cafe Rio Pork

1 pork shoulder (no bone preferably)
2 liter bottle of Coke (Is there something else that can be used?)
bottle of barbecue sauce

Put pork, barbecue sauce, & coke in a crockpot on low overnight.
About an hour before serving, shred the pork & return to crockpot

Cafe Rio chicken tortilla soup

Puree in blender or food processor
-2 seeded, soaked ancho chilies (Poblano peppers)
-1 onion
-2 tomatoes Roma
-2 cloves garlic
Just rough chop all these ingredients then put in blender or processor and puree until smooth

In soup pot cover bottom of pot with olive oil or other kind of oil. Heat over med-high. Add puree to oil and fry for a minute or two.
Then add
-6 cups chicken broth
-4 torn corn tortillas. Tear them into about quarter size pieces.
-1/2 cup cilantro
-some shredded cooked chicken, or throw in about 6 frozen chicken cutlets and let them cook in the soup, less work!

Simmer until thick, about 1 1/2 hours. Less if you use cooked chicken. Add salt to taste, about 1 TBSP.

Serve with lime wedges, chopped avocados, cilantro, tortilla strips, and Mexican cheese (queso fresco). I squeezed 1/4 lime into each bowl of soup and it was perfect.

Asparagus Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients:
*2 frozen pie crusts
*4 eggs (or 1 cup liquid eggs)
*3/4 cup shredded mozzarella (or cheddar or Parmesan)
*2 Tablespoons flour
*1 cup milk
*1 cup asparagus, cut into one-inch stalks and cooked until they are a brilliant green color (I used frozen Green Giant asparagus because it was cut up into small pieces and they stalks were all tender.)
*1 cup other sliced veggies that have been sauteed together (sliced mushrooms and red bell pepper, tomato and spinach, zucchini, etc.)
*1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg

Directions:
-In a large bowl, mix the beaten eggs with the milk, cheese, and flour.
-Gently add the veggies and seasonings, and pour evenly into both pie crusts.
-Bake about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
-Make sure the egg mixture is set when you remove the quiche by inserting a knife (does it come out clean). If it's not, return in to the oven fo 5 more minutes.

Flan Cake

Ingredients:

Syrup
• Leche Quemada (Cajeta Caramel) Or another flavor of syrup
Pour into a heavily greased deep cake pan until bottom is covered.
********************************************

Cake
• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 1/4 Cup milk
• 1/3 Cup melted butter
• 3 eggs
Mix together and pour over syrup.
***********************************************

Flan
• 8 eggs
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1 12 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix in the blender until totally mixed

Preparation:
Preheat oven and water bath to 350 degrees.
Place pan in heated water bath in oven
Cook for 90 minutes. Check with a knife for doneness. If the knife doesn’t come out clean cook for 10 more minutes.

White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T. raspberry extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
1 c. craisins
1 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350* and line baking sheets with parchment paper. ( this does help with the outcome of the cookie) Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the cream mixture. Stir until almost incorporated. Add the craisins and white chocolate chips. Mix until everything is just together. Roll into heaping spoonfuls (I use an ice cream scoop) and bake at 350 F. The time varies some where between 11-15 min. When I use the ice cream scoop its at least 15 minutes. So you may want to watch the first batch, depending on how large you make them.

Geranium Pound Cake

1 cup butter softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 t. vanilla extract

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Well-grease a 10-inch tube pan; pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 (375) degrees for 1 hour or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Yield: one 10-inch cake.

Green Sauce

1 lb. fresh tomatillos
3 large jalapeno peppers, seeded
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
6 sprigs of cilantro, stems removed
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbl. vegetable oil

Husk tomatillos and cut in half. Stem and half peppers. Boil tomatillos and peppers in chicken broth for 10 minutes. Strain, reserving broth. Combine tomatillos, peppers and remaining ingredients, except for the oil, in a blender and mix until almost smooth. Heat oil in frying pan until very hot. Add the tomatillo mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly until dark and thick. Add reserved broth to mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Aunt Jamima Maple Syrup

2 Cup Water
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cup Dark corn syrup
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Maple flavoring
Combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan over med. heat. Stir
occasionally, until the mixture comes to a full boil. Let it boil for 7 min.
Turn the heat off and let the syrup cool for 15 min. Add the maple flavoring
and stir. When completely cool, transfer the syrup to a covered plastic or
glass container.
VARIATION: For syrup with a butter flavor, just add 3 tbsp. of butter to the
mixture before heating. For a lighter syrup, use a sugar substitute instead
of the regular sugar.

Lasagna chez Myers

So I've been thinking of doing this for a while now, but Jason and I have successfully (I think at least) made lasagna from scratch... or at least a good part of it.

Here's the pasta recipe. It's pretty basic. You can use it for whatever you're pasta needs might be...


Pasta:

1 beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups flour
2 tablespoons water (or 1:1 oil and water)

In a large bowl mix salt and flower together.

Make a well in the flour mixture.

Pour the egg in and mix well.

















Add liquid (if needed)
***I found I actually needed 4 tablespoons of water. It makes the dough nice and sticky. Its less dry throughout the whole process if you have it nice and sticky.















Looks pretty sticky, eh?

Back to the recipe...

Knead on a floured surface for 3-4 minutes till its nice and smooth.















Flour is your friend!


































Cover the little dough ball with a damp towel (I use a damp paper towel) and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface.















Try to not re-roll an area over and over. It make the pasta move and double over on itself in places. Roll from the center out in all directions. Rotate and flip the dough as needed. Just remember flour if your friend!


And now we are ready for the lasagna part!

Fold the dough in half for cutting.















I use this guy for the cutting because it give a pretty authentic look of store bought lasagna...






























Here's the noodle cut out. You might need to cut the noodle in half because it will be pretty long.

But you boil the noodles next...DUH!


Just a couple of minutes will do. Just boil them long enough to make sure they aren't gooey still.
















Still has the steam and everything.















But now that the noodles are out of the way, the fun begins!

So let's talk about cheese (one of my favorite topics).

I prefer ricotta cheese for my lasagna. Cottage cheese is nice and all, but I like the creaminess of ricotta. And what's even better... I made some myself!















Super simple... recipe for another day though.
















Look and compare. Same texture. Tastes great!


But you know the drill. Layer it all up.




















We got four layers lasagna (we made two batches of the pasta dough), but you can easily make a lasagna and a half with three layers and be just fine.

Here. Is. The. Tempting. Result.
































Bon appétit!

Ridiculously Easy Peanut Butter Pudding

1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla


Combine sugar, corn starch and salt into a medium to large saucepan.

Gradually stir in the milk.

Cook over Medium heat- Stir it constantly until it boils.

Cook for another 2 minutes (still boiling) - Stir occasionally.

Take off heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla.

Cover the saucepan and let chill in the refrigerator.

It will thicken up more in the fridge.

That's it! No tempered eggs! Simple! Tasty!

Tortillas (Sarah's Recipe)

I just snagged this recipe from Sarah's blog...

* 2 cups of white flour
* 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. salt
* 2 tsp. vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup warm water


5 Ingredients. That's it!

You combine the flour, salt and baking powder all together in a bowl.

In another bowl combine the oil and the water.

Add the water mixture to the flour mixture ONE TABLESPOON AT A TIME.
You just mix it with a fork. Just slowly add the water. Boring as it may seem...this is the key.

Once all the water is in there, the dough will be sticky... DO NOT let this alarm you.Pour the sticky dough onto a floured surface. Flour is your friend.

You need to knead the dough for 4-5 minutes. Add flour as needed to keep the stickiness down. You will knead it till the dough is nice and smooth.

Once you have your knead ball of dough, place it back into the mixing bowl and cover with a damp cloth (or damp paper towel). Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

You let it rest to have to gluten in the flour settle. This will make the dough easier to roll out in the end. SO LET IT REST! USE a damp cloth so they don't dry out.

After resting break the dough ball into golf ball sized balls. You can make 10-12 little balls from this recipe. You can pinch off the dough with your thumb and fore finger.

Place the dough balls on a tray, make sure they do not touch each other. Once they are all rolled into balls and on the tray, cover them again with the damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, now you are in business.

Take a dough ball and flatten it with your palm on a floured surface. Flatten it out till its about 3-4 inches wide (and in the shape of a circle).

Then use the rolling pin to roll it out. Try to roll it as thin as you can (maybe 1/8 inch thickness...I just eyeball it). The thinner the better, because when you fry it up, they get thicker.

So roll it out, flipping the tortilla from from the back as needed.

You can stack your tortillas as you're rolling them out only if you FLOUR BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM, so they don't stick together.

Once you have them all rolled out, time to cook them!

Have you stove top on a medium high heat- it is suggested you use cast iron, but I just use a skillet that works... call me simple!

But once the skillet is preheated, just toss the first tortilla on. You want to cook about 1 minute per side. Don't over cook or they will be flaky and hard.

Cook em' up and eat em!. You can store them temporarily in a dishtowel, or once they've cooled in a plastic bag.

It's suggested to refrigerate any leftovers (if there are any!), but just remember they will need to be warmed up the next time you use them or they will be brittle.

If you freeze the tortillas, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put them in a ziplock bag. When you are ready to use them, first thaw at room temperature and then wrap them in foil and place them in a 250 degree oven for a 10 to 15 minutes.

MY Chicken Piccata

I follow The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog religiously. I love her food! I just wish I could eat it all, if I did I'd be FAT (not just fluffy). Anyway she posted her "My Chicken Piccata" recipe and it looked really tasty. So I decided to make it for dinner last night but realized too late that I didn't have all the ingredients. So here is my version (be sure to check out her instructions as you go)...

CHICKEN
4 chicken breast, pound out so they are thin-ish
salt & pepper
flour
4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs olive oil

If chicken breasts are overly thick, pound until slightly flattened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, then dredge in flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry two of the chicken breasts at one time until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side; a little longer if breasts are thicker, a little shorter if breasts are thinner. Remove to a plate, then add the other 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. Fry the other two breasts until golden, monitoring the oil/butter mixture to make sure it doesn’t burn. Decrease heat as needed!

SAUCE
2 C. chicken broth
4-6 Tbs. lemon juice (we had 6T and loved it, but we love lemon)
3 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 can cream o' chicken soup (can substitute any cream o' soup)
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 - 1 tsp dill

After removing the chicken, have the heat on medium to medium-low. Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice. Whisk the sauce, scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow sauce to cook and bubble and thicken until reduced by about half. Add butter and sprinkle in a little salt as it’s cooking.

Reduce heat to low and add soup. Whisk together and allow to cook for a couple of minute until sauce thickens. Add garlic, mustard, and dill. Taste and adjust seasonings or other ingredients. Expect the sauce to have a real tang to it.

We served this with thin spaghetti and broccoli on the side.

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

2 1/2 C. wheat flour
2 Tbs. baking powder
2 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. milled flax seed
3 eggs
2 C. milk
3 bananas, mashed
nutmeg, cinnamon, & cloves to taste

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Combine eggs, milk, and bananas. Mix very well. Add the dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Then cook on the griddle. You do have to try and keep them about 4" pancakes, or they are really hard to flip, they break apart.

I adapted this recipe from the "Desert Recipes" cookbook. We all love them (except Missi, she hates bananas)! I'm sure you could even substitute the bananas for applesauce and add some apple chunks... YUMM!! I am watching my calories right now and I love that there is no oil! I also grind my own wheat for this. Again, YUMM!

IHOP Pancake Recipe

This last Tuesday was Pancake Day. Thanks to Josh for letting me know. I was able to celebrate with a yummy breakfast for dinner. This is my favorite recipe for making pancakes. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat.

2. Mix all of the ingredients til combined.

3. Melt a little bit of butter in the pan. (I just spray with Pam)
   

4. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles.

5. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes.

6. They should be golden brown.

7. Cook the pancakes on the other side until they are also golden brown.

8. Enjoy.
   

9. Options - I will usually use splenda instead of sugar. Also I like these with whole wheat flour, a little cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice), and vanilla. This way makes a really yummy spice version.

10. Also if you don't have buttermilk, don't worry. I usually pour 2T lemon juice into my measuring cup. Then fill it up to the 1 1/4 cup mark with milk. Let sit for 5 minutes. And you have homemade buttermilk. You can also use vinegar instead of lemon juice. But I just can't bring myself to try that.

Don't wait till next Pancake Day to try these.

McArthur Sugar Cookies

This is a sugar cookie recipe that Angelic got from Janie McArthur (Gina's mom) years back. I just made some for Valentine's Day. So I thought that I would share the recipe.

1 cup butter softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. baking powder
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and mix well.

Mix all dry ingredients in separate bowl. Then gradually add to the wet ingredients. When all mixed put in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Roll out on a floured surface. Cut and cook @ 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Angelic uses cream cheese frosting. I prefer a buttercream with almond extract. YUM!!

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
• 2 tablespoons dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
• 1 egg
• 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

Method:

In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.

Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with Honey Butter. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.

Helpful Tips for Making Rolls

Always add flour gradually and keep dough as soft as you can handle. A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.

It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour called for in the recipe—add only enough flour to make dough manageable.

To shorten dough's rising time, use one of these methods:

1) When dough is thoroughly mixed, oil bowl and cover dough with plastic wrap. Fill sink or larger bowl with about 2 inches of hot water or enough water to come about half or three-fourths the way up outside the dough bowl. Place bowl of dough in bowl of water and allow to rise until double in size.

2) Just before mixing dough, turn oven on lowest possible temperature. Place a pan of hot water on bottom oven rack. When dough is thoroughly mixed, place in oiled bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap; place in oven. Turn oven off, shut oven door, and allow dough to rise until double in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Shape or cut into desired rolls. Place rolls on greased or parchment-lined pans and allow to rise until double in size. Bake according to recipe.

Brush top of rolls with butter when first taken from oven.

How to consistently make attractive, good-tasting rolls? Practice! Practice! Practice!

Addictive Caramel Corn Puffs

Addictive Caramel Corn Puffs

2 sticks butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. Karo (light)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 package Cheetos butter flavored corn puffs

In a large saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar and Karo to a boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla, salt and baking soda. (This will cause the mixture to bubble up.) Pour the corn puffs into a large bowl. Pour the mixture over the corn puffs and stir until well coated. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour. Turn and stir every 15 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. To store, place in a sealed air tight container.

side note: if you prefer a more chewy caramel corn to the crunchy just skip the cooking @ 250 degrees step. I usually only cook mine for 30 minutes. (2 - 15 minutes sessions)

Enjoy, but please use with caution. This is extremely addictive.

No Knead Bread: so easy a 4-yr old can make it!

So, let’s start. 3 cups of bread flour in a big bowl.
(last time I made it I used 1cup wheat & 2cups white)

1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast.

1 teaspoon of table salt

Add 1-1/2 cups of lukewarm water.

STIR
(you can use your hands, a spoon, or whatever)

cover the dough and let sit on counter for 12 to 18 hours

After sleeping, the no knead bread dough should look like this:


Dump out on floured surface.

Wet your hands. This will prevent the very sticky dough from sticking to your hands. If you find dough sticking to your hands, wet again. Why not flour your hands? You could, but you want to keep the flour: water ratio pretty even. Since we are adding flour to the surface, I balance it out by wetting my hands. It is the high water content that makes this bread so deliciously light and the crust very crisp. With wet hands, grab the dough and fold over all ends towards the middle. Turn dough blob over so that you get a nice, smooth, tight surface. Try to tuck the dough ends under to get that taut surface.

Gently move dough onto a floured towel. Cover. Let nap for 2 hours. It should puff up nicely and double in size.

A half hour before the nap ends, slip covered pot into your oven. Use a 5-qt or larger cast iron, ceramic, Pyrex, stainless steel or enamel pot. Crank up the heat to 450F. Let it pre-heat for 30 minutes or longer.

When the oven is heated up throw the dough into your pot. Slap on the lid and cook for 30 minutes covered. Then uncover and bake further for 15-20 minutes. To check – you can either tap the bread (should sound low, hollow, like a drum) or take its temperature (should be 210F in middle).

Remove and let cool. Enjoy with your choice of butter or margarine.
This goes really well with soups. Or would make a yummy sandwich.

White Chocolate Holiday Bark

I was looking at different blogs (http://lichtyfamilyblog.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog)and I found this recipe.

14 ounces white chocolate
Dried cranberries
Sliced almonds
Crushed pretzels
Mini M&M's-red and green
Holiday sprinkles
Crushed candy canes

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. (I used my Silpat)
2. Place the white chocolate in a metal bowl. Put the metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir the chocolate frequently with a rubber spatula. When the chocolate is smooth and fully melted, remove the bowl from the heat. Wipe off the bowl if there is any condensation.
3. Let the white chocolate cool for a minute or two. Stir to make sure it doesn't harden. Pour the chocolate onto the baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Spread it with a spatula until it is about 3/8 inch thick.
4. Sprinkle the toppings over the white chocolate. I did this in sections-a section for the cranberry almond, a section for the pretzel, M&M, sprinkles, and a section for the candy canes.
5. Let the chocolate cool and harden. I put the pan in the refrigerator. It was ready in about 30-45 minutes.
7. Once the chocolate is set and hard, break bark into pieces.

Turkey Chili Recipe from The Biggest Loser

1 (20-ounce) package Jennie-O Extra Lean Ground Turkey
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (optional)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2 (16-ounce) cans low-sodium whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounce tomato sauce


In a large stockpot, combine turkey, onion, bell pepper, carrots, garlic, jalapeño peppers, and spices.

Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in beans and cilantro. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Calories 220
Fat calories 20
Total Fat g 2.5
Sat Fat g 0.5
Chol mg 40
Sodium mg 190
Total Carb g 23
Fiber g 8
Sugars g 6
Protein g 29

Weight Watchers 0 point soup

With all the dieting going on I thought this might be a good idea.

Ingredients

2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 medium onion(s), diced
2 medium carrot(s), diced
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced
1 medium stalk(s) celery, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
2 cup(s) green cabbage, shredded
2 cup(s) Swiss chard, chopped
2 cup(s) cauliflower, small florets
2 cup(s) broccoli, small florets
2 tsp thyme, fresh, chopped
6 cup(s) vegetable broth
2 Tbsp parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional

Instructions
Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.


Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Notes
If you like thick soups, consider pureeing this recipe in the pot with an immersion blender.

There are so many variations on this recipe. Add or leave out vegetables to suit your taste.

Save time by using frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones (though the texture of the soup might change a bit). You can also buy small amounts of pre-cut vegetables from your super market's salad bar.

PUMPKIN SPICE DOUGHNUT RECIPE...YUM

REALLY, REALLY TASTY RECIPE!!!!

















DOESN'T IT LOOK DIVINE?


DOUGHNUT INGREDIENTS:

1 EGG
1 EGG YOLK
1 C PUMPKIN
1/4 C BROWN SUGAR
1/2 C SUGAR
1/2 C BUTTERMILK (OR 1/2 C MILK WITH 1 TSP VINEGAR)
3 T BUTTER, MELTED
4 TSP BAKING POWDER
2 TSP PUMPKIN SPICE
1 TSP SALT
1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
3 C FLOUR

VEGETABLE OIL TO FRY

GLAZE:
1/4 C MILK
DASH OF SALT
SPICES THAT GO WELL WITH, JUST A DASH (PUMPKIN SPICE, NUTMEG, CINNAMON, ETC.)
3 C POWDERED SUGAR

IN A LARGE BOWL WHISK EGG AND EGG YOLK TILL NICE AND FROTHY.

ADD PUMPKIN, SUGAR, BROWN SUGAR, BUTTERMILK, AND BUTTER. WHISK UNTIL COMBINED WELL.

STIR IN BAKING POWDER, PIE SPICE (I ALSO LIKE TO SNEAK IN CINNAMON, ALLSPICE, NUTMEG, CLOVES...YOU NAME IT, ITS IN THERE!!!), AND BAKING SODA.

FOLD IN FLOUR IN GRADUAL AMOUNTS UNTIL STICKY DOUGH FORMS.

COVER DOUGH IN PLASTIC AND PLACE IN FREEZER FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES.

NOW TO THE OIL!

HEAT OIL TO 370 DEGREES F EXACTLY !!! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. EITHER USE A CANDY THERMOMETER OR SOMETHING. I HAVE AN ELECTRIC WOK THAT HAS A TEMPERATURE GAUGE THAT IS VERY HELPFUL.

ONCE OIL IS AT SPECIFIED TEMPERATURE AND DOUGH HAS CHILLED FOR 15 MINUTES, THE FUN BEGINS!

THE KEY TO A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE (I SHOULD KNOW, DID IT TWICE, SECOND TIME WAS MUCH MORE PLEASANT)...IS FLOUR! THE MORE FLOUR THE BETTER. SO LOAD IT ON. NO JOKE.

SO, PAT DONE DOUGH ON A VERY WELL FLOURED SURFACE. VERY , VERY WELL (OK, I THINK I HAVE EMPHASIZED THE POINT ENOUGH). FLOUR THE TOP, TOO.

PAT DOUGH OUT ABOUT 1/2 INCH THICK. CUT 3 INCH CIRCLES AND 1 INCH CIRCLES FOR THE DOUGHNUT HOLES. I USED A HOT COCOA MUG FOR THE 3 INCH CIRCLE (AND YES I MEASURED IT WITH THE MEASURING TAPE) AND I ACTUALLY USED THE PIE SPICE LID AS THE 1 INCH CIRCLE (CLEANED IT VERY THOROUGHLY AFTER SO I COULD PUT IT BACK ON THE BOTTLE).

TRANSFER DOUGHNUTS AND HOLES TO A FLOURED BAKING SHEET. HANDLE WITH CARE. THEY ARE VERY FLIMSY. USE A SPATULA IF NEEDED.

ONCE DONE WITH CUTTING OUT THE DOUGHNUTS, PLACE DOUGHNUT IN HEATED OIL. FRY TILL BROWNED, ABOUT 2 MINUTES OR 1 MINUTE ON EACH SIDE. JUST EYEBALL IT IF NEEDED. YOU GET THE POINT AFTER AWHILE. DOUGHNUT HOLES TAKE LESS TIME, BUT STILL FLIP THEM ON BOTH SIDES.

MY SECRET TO FLIPPING THE DOUGHNUTS... I REALLY SHOULDN'T SPILL ALL MY SECRETS... BUT I'M JUST TOO NICE :)
BUT THE SECRET IS... CHOPSTICKS. I LEARNED THIS OFF OF MAN VS. FOOD ON THE TRAVEL CHANNEL. WHO SAYS TV ISN'T EDUCATIONAL? BUT, YOU STICK ONE CHOP STICK UNDER THE DOUGHNUT AND ONE ON TOP OF IT AND IN ONE FLUID MOTION... WHOOSH!!! YOU FLIP THAT DOUGHNUT OVER!

PLACE FRIED DOUGHNUT ON A PAPER TOWELED TRAY, OR ANY OTHER WAY YOU DEGREASE FRIED FOOD.

ONCE ALL DOUGHNUTS AND HOLES ARE FRIED, TIME TO MAKE THE GLAZE.

PRETTY SIMPLE YET, SUPER TASTY WITH THE DOUGHNUT.

PLACE ALL INGREDIENTS IN A BOWL AND WHISK LIKE YOU'VE NEVER WHISKED BEFORE. IF YOU WANT IT RUNNIER, ADD MORE MILK. IF YOU WANT IT THICKER, ADD MORE POWDERED SUGAR. ITS JUST THAT SIMPLE!

APPLY GLAZE TO DOUGHNUT. I USE THE "DIP THE DOUGHNUT IN THE BOWL" METHOD. IT WORKS FOR ME. YOU MIGHT ALSO THINK TO TRY THE "SLATHER THE DOUGHNUT WITH OOEY GOOEY ICING WITH A RUBBER SPATULA" METHOD AS WELL. NEVER TRIED IT MYSELF, BUT IT SEEMS PROMISING.

LET THE GLAZE HARDEN. AND REALLY I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT THE DOUGHNUTS ALWAYS SEEM TO TASTE BETTER THE DAY AFTER. TRY TO RESIST THEM FOR THAT LONG IF YOU CAN...

BUT THERE YOU GO! A DELICIOUS DOUGHNUT RECIPE JUST FOR YOU.