Banana Cupcake with Honey Cinnamon Frosting

I tried a new recipe today. It is a Martha Stewart recipe,

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/desserts_E0308WELD_T. They turned out really good, at least in my opinion. My only problem was I should have beat the frosting a little more. As you can see by my decorating skills, I have no decorating skills. That was the first time I ever used a piping bag and tip. Hopefully I will have more chances to practice the decorating side of baking.

Cabbage / Hamburger Stew

This is recipe that my mom passed on to me. It is super simple to make.

Hamburger Cabbage Stew
1/2 small head cabbage, chopped

1 Lb. hamburger

1 small onion, chopped

pinch of salt

couple pinches of chili powder

2 (15 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can dark kidney beans

Brown hamburger meat, set aside. In large pot boil the cabbage. Add the onion, salt and chili powder. Boil until cabbage is tender. Drain about half the water. Add the hamburger meat, stewed tomatoes, and kidney beans. Stir to mix, and serve.

As you can see I use light beans, still tastes good. Corey likes his stews full of stuff. For this reason I use a whole head of cabbage, and about 2 pounds of meat.

Slow Cooker Puffy Pizza Casserole

I found this recipe on another blog.. We tried it tonight for dinner. It is pretty good. I didn't add the black olives to mine. The meat and sauce part would be excellent over spaghetti.

I browned my meat, onions and garlic in my Pampered Chef Micro Cooker.

I did the tomato paste, spaghetti mix on the stove. I cooked it just until it had a few bubbles. Then poured it over my drained meat in the Micro Cooker.

The dough portion seemed a little thick for my liking. But it cooked nicely. I'm wondering how it would turn out if I cut that portion of the recipe in half. Then just add a little extra cheese over it.

I cooked it for 4 hours on high. I think it could have cooked a little longer. It was done, but I would have like crisp around the edges, of course that is just me.

Anyway, it was a very easy recipe. Corey said it is a little spicy. So next time I make it I will maybe leave out the garlic. Or maybe only use half the spaghetti mix packet.

By the way I used the recipe for the spaghetti mix listed with the recipe.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/05/slow-cooker-puffy-pizza-casserole.html

Knock Off Chicken Bacon Ranch

This is another sandwich I knocked off from a local pizza place. It is another that you can change up to your liking. I used an Italian loaf from my local grocery. But you could easily substitute hoagy rolls, Kaiser rolls, even do it on a wrap.

I cut my loaf and put it on foil, crinkling the edges around the loaf.

Next spread as much or as little Ranch dressing as you like. You could even put it on just one side. The pizza place would smother them in dressing. I would always order the dressing on the side and just dip my sandwich in.

Next is the bacon. I use bacon bits, NOT imitation bits. You could fry your own and crumble over the sandwich. Even use whole strips if you like.

The the chicken. The chicken I used is some I grilled extra with yesterday's dinner. However breaded tenders are excellent on this sandwich. Just cook them first. Whatever type of chicken you use, cut into bite sized pieces. Spread over the loaf.

Add your cheese. I use Mozzarella that I shred myself. But use whatever cheese you like. Kraft has a couple blended cheeses, that I used before I started shredding myself, they work great.

Cook at 450 degrees for about 12 to 15 minutes. Until your cheese is melted to your satisfaction. Cut and serve.

Knock Off Hot Sicilian Sandwich

This is my version of a sandwich Corey and I would order from a pizza place where we live. They delivered to where we worked. I told him I could make it at home. So I opened the bread and made a list of the ingredients. I use the same basic items. I knew I would have to find a bread to use. I have made them in smaller individual sizes by using Hoagy rolls. What I use most are called Italian loaves, I buy them at my local grocery store deli department.

This sandwich is very easy to adapt to your taste. Any item can be used in larger or smaller amounts, how ever much you prefer.

First I cut open my loaf. I put it on foil so that when I put it in the oven to melt my cheese the bread doesn't darken. I crinkle the foil around the edges.

Spread spicy mustard over the bread. If you don't want so much only spread on one side of the loaf.

Next layer on the ham slices. I use honey ham, but whatever style you like will work. I use very thin sliced ham and layer on both sides of the loaf. Once again do it how you prefer, thicker slices, only layer on one side, two layers, totally your preference.

Next layer pepperoni. As you can see I layer them on both side. Use as many or as few as you like. Use the giant sized slices, but a full link and cut into small diced chunks, once again however you like.

Your next layer is bacon. I used bacon bits, NOT the imitation bits. This way is more convenient for me. If you prefer to fry your own bacon that works great also. The pizza place that we ordered from puts the whole bacon slices on the sandwich. You could crumble the slices if you prefer. If you do fry your bacon pat off the extra grease before adding to your sandwich.

The final layer before heating is the cheese. I do shred my own cheese. I use Mozzarella with some Oregano and Italian Seasoning mixed in. Of course your favorite pre-shredded cheese is fine. Again, as much or as little as you want.

Finally into a 450 degree oven for about ten to twelve minutes, or until your cheese is melted to your liking. I shred a small amount of lettuce and add before I close the loaf. Totally your preference to add lettuce or not, a few shreds or a handful. Personalize it to your liking.

**I usually cut the loaf into four pieces. One piece for each of us for dinner. And one piece for each of us for lunch the next day. But cut into how ever many pieces you need.

**Potato chips, French fries, or even tator tots go great with this sandwich.

**I have even made this sandwich for a Superbowl party. I cut it into eight slices.

Knock Off Crunch Wraps

My nephew loves the Crunch Wraps from a certain fast food taco place. I thought it would be pretty easy to recreate. I was making them on my George Foreman grill, but talked Corey into a Panini Press. Of course if you don't have either you could make it in a pan using another pan on top to press it.

Knock Off Crunch Wraps

Make your taco meat, however you like yours. You will need tortilla shells, be sure they are burrito size or they will not be big enough. You will also need tostada shells and cheese. Whatever style cheese you prefer on your tacos. All other ingredients would be anything you like on your tacos.

Take your burrito shell, add your meat, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, whatever you want. Keep your ingredients in a circle area in the middle of the shell, leaving plenty of space around the edges. (If unsure about circle size, lay a tostada shell in the middle. You want your ingredients circle that approximate size.) Once you have added your ingredients top with a tostads shell. Start folding the edges over the shell. Work your way around the shell.

Put your folded shell on your grill, panini press, or pans, whatever your method will be. Let your wrap brown to your liking. If you have stuffed your shell, you may want to use a fork. Otherwise very easy meal to just pick up and eat.

**How I make my meat. I brown my ground beef with onions. Drain well. Add about half a can of refried beans, a small can of green chilies, and a 16 oz. jar of salsa. Use whatever style salsa you like.

**Any left over tostada shells could be broken and used for chips and salsa or would work great in a taco casserole.

Nuts and Bolts Mix

This is a recipe I found online. It is super simple. I made some for our Fall Family Event. I am going to make some more for our Christmas Eve get together.

Nuts and Bolts Mix

2 1/2 cups unsalted nuts

1 1/2 cups pretzel sticks

1 cup dried fruit

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp water

Put dry ingredients into crock pot. In a bowl mix butter, water, vanilla and sugar. Pour mixture over dry items. Stir to coat. Cover and cook on high 2 to 3 hours, stirring every half hour. Spread on wax paper lined baking sheet until cool.

**The recipe I found suggest almonds and walnuts. As for the fruits they suggest blueberries and apricots. I used the suggested nuts. And for the fruits I used mixed berries, mango, and apricots. I doubled the recipe and it turned out fine.

**The request for Christmas is less pretzels and more fruit, I have to agree with this. There did seem to be too many pretzels.

Monthly Menu

I just wanted to give an example of my menu. I have a dry erase sheet that I use. I just updated my menu this morning. As you can see we are having Stromboli and fries tonight. I try to do a little stocking up when I can. For instance, I will buy as many can good items as I need to complete this menu. Also anything that does not need refrigerated or frozen, (pasta, rice, noodles, etc.).

Some items I make enough that I can freeze some and have another meal out of that item. You will notice some red asterisks on my menu. These are items that I have vacuum sealed and are in the freezer. I did some cooking ahead and vacuum sealed other items also. For example, the taco meat for Taco Casserole, Crunch Wraps and Burrito Bake are all ready to go.

You will also notice blue check marks in some boxes. This tells me I have all the ingredients on hand for those meals. As you can see I have some boxes with checks after some without. I usually make out the menu as a guide. I will just switch meals that I have everything for with ones that I need to pick up items for.

Also in my planning I put items together where I can split a package. For example, I split the package of Italian sausages for the Stromboli, Spinach Roll and French Bread Pizza. So those items will fall fairly close on the menu. You will also notice I have Burgers the night before Meatloaf. As there are only two in my household I can make a couple patties from the ground beef package and still have enough for the next meal.

Remember it is a dry erase board, not set in stone. If I don't feel like cooking a certain item I will move on to another meal that I have on hand. I have about 50 or so meals in my menu rotation. I have been trying some new things lately. And have more new items to still try. I am trying to get out of the menu rut. Of course we have our favorites so they will always be in rotation.

**Don't forget desserts!! Keep simple dessert items on hand, cake mix, brownie mix, cookie ingredients. I try to make a dessert every week. Most times a cake will last all week with just the two of us.

**Corey brown bags his lunches everyday. Although I don't put them on my menu I know every week I will need a loaf of bread, lunch meat, chips and a box of toaster pastries or granola bars. You could however split your calendar days to show a lunch and dinner menu if you need to plan lunches also.

**Check your local ad papers. We eat lots of frozen vegetables. My local grocery has a 10 for $10 special on their brand every couple weeks. I always buy ten. I know what I don't use on this menu will get used next time around.

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan / Salmon

I found this recipe on another blog. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/chicken-parmesan-crockpot-recipe.html It is really good. I served my over spaghetti noodles, as that is what I had on hand.

I have also made a salmon recipe from her blog. I'm not a fish eater. But Corey said it was excellent. I didn't do the plank thing, just did it foil packet style. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/cedar-planked-salmon-cooked-in-crockpot.html

Tator Tot Casserole

This always seems to be a hit when my sister makes it, so I decided to try it out.

Tator Tot Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef with a small chopped onion, salt and pepper. Drain. In a 9 x 13 pan combine the meat with a can of Cream of Mushroom soup, and about half the soup can of milk. Mix well and spread over bottom of pan. Add a layer of American cheese slices. Layer tator tots over the cheese. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until tots are golden brown.

**I didn't have cheese slices, I used shredded cheese instead.

**I used a blend of cheddar and mozzarella, then also added some shredded swiss chesses.

Pizza tip

My husband and I eat a lot of pizza. I like a hand tossed style crust. Not too thick, not too thin. Corey on the other hand loves thin crusts, really thin crusts. He is all about the toppings and sauce. I looked at recipes for crusts. I tried to find a simple crust that I could make super thin. Then I came up with a plan. I had some tortilla shells left over from a meal a couple days before. I used them as his thin crusts. He loves it. Just put the shell on a baking sheet. Top with your favorite toppings. Bake at 400 degrees about eight to ten minutes, or until cheese is melted. The one thing you have to be careful with is your sauce. You just want a light layer of sauce. The first couple times I made them the bottoms got greasy when they were cut. When I cut back the amount of sauce they did fine. Of course with them being so thin, be careful eating your slices. They will flop from being so thin.

Congo Bars

This is another dessert recipe. A lady that my husband works with gave it to him. I would describe them as a bar cookie. I made them for the first time for my family Labor Day cookout. My bowl came home empty!!

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup margarine

3 eggs

1 (12 oz.) package chocolate chips

1 cups nuts

2 1/4 cups brown sugar

Melt margarine. Add brown sugar, mix well, let cool. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread in a 10 x 15 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

**The recipe she gave me just says nuts, no specific type. I had a partial bag of almond slivers and a partial bag of pecans, so that is what I used. They turned out great.

Taco Seasoning

This recipe is for seasoning. This will take the place of one packet that you would but at the store.

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red peppers

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Mix everything together. Store in an air tight container.

Tex-Mex Chicken

This recipe was given to me by my younger sister. It is really good!! This is a crock pot recipe.

Tex-Mex Chicken

1 Lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning packet

2 Tbsp. flour

1 each red and green pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1 cup frozen corn

1 1/2 cups chunky salsa

1 cup Mexican cheese blend

Toss chicken with seasoning and flour. Put into crock pot. Stir in everything else, except cheese. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high. Stir before serving. Top with cheese and serve.

**Or serve on a tortilla shell, topped like a taco. A little lettuce, tomato, sour cream, whatever you like.

Cranberry Punch

My sister made this punch for my nephew's graduation party. It is a super simple recipe. It is really good.

Cranberry Punch

4 cups cranberry juice

4 cups pineapple juice

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. almond extract

2 liter Sprite

Mix the cranberry juice, pineapple juice, sugar and almond extract together. Freeze this mixture.

For serving, thaw slightly. Add the Sprite and serve.

Hummingbird Cake

I lady I used to work with made this a few times and brought to work. It was really good. I found this version online.

Hummingbird Cake

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapples

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flake coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Add vanilla.

In a small bowl combine bananas and pineapples.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with banana/pineapple mixture. Beat well after each addition. Fold in coconut and walnuts.

For cupcakes, bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. For a 9 x 13 cake bake 40 to 45 minutes.

**Cream cheese frosting

1 (8oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

**Be sure cupcakes/cake are completely cooled before icing.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Yes another dessert!! This one comes from Kraft Foods. I am going to add it as it as written, but I am going to give you some tips on how I do it. This recipe is really easy and yummy. This has become one that my dad really likes.

35 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup Butter, melted

2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

1/2 cup Peanut butter

2 Bananas, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into quarters

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Salted Peanuts, coarsely chopped

make it

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

MIX wafer crumbs and butter until well blended; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 5 to 8 min. or until golden brown. Cool completely. Meanwhile, make chocolate curls from 1/2 chocolate square. Refrigerate.

MICROWAVE remaining 1-1/2 chocolate squares and peanut butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min.; stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Place bananas in crust; drizzle with melted chocolate.

BEAT pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Spread over bananas; top with remaining COOL WHIP.

REFRIGERATE 3 hours. Top with chocolate curls and nuts just before serving.

**Now for my tips!!

I think this pie is too thick this way so I adjusted it to my liking. So the tips I am giving will help you make and split it. Instead of making the crust myself I purchase two graham cracker crusts.

Even if you don't want to split it into two pies, you could still buy the ready made crust. They do have a extra serving sized crust in the stores that would help thin it down a bit.

I also get a couple extra bananas. Move your whipped topping to the fridge that night before you plan to make this. When you are ready to start make your pudding first so that it can be chilling and setting up while you work on the other prep. Next, do the chocolate, peanut butter melting. While it is in the microwave work on the banana slicing and arrangement. Split the chocolate, peanut butter mix between the two crusts. If you want more of this flavor double the amount and then split between the crusts.

Next after you mix the whipped topping with the pudding split it between the two crusts. Split the remaining topping between both pies. As for the chocolate curls and crushed nuts, I run them through my grater. If you don't have a grater use a vegetable peeler on the chocolate. You can put the nuts in a zip top bag and give a few hits with a rolling pin.

**I don't use salted nuts. I buy a jar of dry roasted peanuts. Then I can use the remaining nuts to make Rocky Road Squares.

**As you can see by my final picture, the pie crust is full. With splitting the mixture I get two full pies.

Taco Casserole, Burrito Bake

I am combining two recipes in this post. They are very similar to make. Think of it as, if you like hard shell tacos, do the casserole. If you like soft shells, try the bake. As for the amounts of ingredients, use as much or as little as you want/need.

First off I am going to tell you how I make my basic taco meat. I use it this way for both recipes. Brown your ground beef with onions. Drain grease. Add about half a can of refried beans. In my opinion they mix in better if you put them in first. Then add one can of diced green chilies and a 16 ounce jar of salsa. This is where you can decide your heat level, by the strength of your salsa. Stir until everything is well blended. (Sometimes I will add a small amount of diced black olives.) The following picture is of the meat with refried beans, green chilies, and salsas mixed in. I cook my meat and onions in my Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker. Then drain grease before adding other ingredients.

For the Taco Casserole you will need your taco meat, tortilla chips, (sometimes I use Fritos), and your cheese, (whatever type you like on your tacos, I use a mild cheddar/mozzarella blend that I grate and season myself.) Crush your chips into a 9 x 13 pan. Gently layer about one third of your meat over the chips.

Layer on about one third of your cheese.
Then chips, meat, cheese, chips, meat, and ending with cheese. You may need two bags of cheese, depending on how cheesy you want it. Since your meat is cooked you could serve like this. However, I cook for about 12 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees, until cheese is melted.

For the Burrito bake you will need your taco meat, tortilla shells (burrito sized), and your cheese. This can be done on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Lay a shell on your pan, spread about one third of your meat on the shell. Layer on about one third of your cheese. Layer shell, meat, cheese, shell, rest of meat, rest of cheese. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and serve.

**Generally I will do three layers, but it is your dinner, do as many layers as you wish.

**I serve both with shredded lettuce, sour cream, sliced grape tomatoes, (or any style tomato you like). Basically anything you would put on a taco salad.

**The original Burrito Bake recipe call for smearing the beans on each shell as you stack. If you do it this way omit the beans from your meat recipe.

**I use my Pampered Chef Deep Dish Baker to make mine. If you have a small family could do it in a 8x8 or 9x9 pan.

**I cook my meat in my Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker.

A couple reviews

This post is going to be a little different. I want to give my opinion on a couple kitchen items that I use.

Presto Professional Salad Shooter, love it!! I have grated my cheese for a couple years now. I was using a hand grater before it broke. It was a long process. The block of cheese had to be cut way down to fit into the holding area. Then all the cranking. I asked for a electric grater for Christmas last year. My parents got me an Oster electric grater, don't waste your money. Once again had to cut into tiny pieces. Then it wouldn't work once the cheese touched the grating barrel. So after buying already shredded cheese a couple times, and could tell the difference, Corey got me the Presto.

I love it!! I don't have to cut the cheese block down, put the whole thing right in the top. I have made hash brown a few times. I pick out the smallest potatoes, wash em up, and right in the top. Aim the opening at the pan and right in they go. I also use it for shredding or slicing carrots, radishes, and cucumbers for my salads. So if you do a lot of slicing and shredding it is great.

**http://www.gopresto.com/products/products.php?stock=02970

The next thing I want to talk about is the Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker. Once again something I love, and use several times a week. I use this item to cook my vegetables. I buy frozen veges, empty the whole bag into the cooker. I add a few tablespoons of butter, and usually some Mrs. Dash (in the yellow bottle) or Italian seasoning. Cook for about four to five minutes, (sometimes they need a couple minutes more) they turn out great. I don't add any water. However, I have cooked frozen corn on the cob in the cooker several times, I do use water in this case. I barely cover the corn with water and cook about ten minutes. Stick it with a fork, if still too hard cook a few more minutes.

This is great for baked potatoes also. Poke some holes in your potatoes. I smear mine with butter. I also shake on some Italian seasoning and a little garlic salt. Cook for about eight to ten minutes. Poke with fork, if not soft enough, cook a couple more minutes. They don't shrivel up like most potatoes cooked in the microwave.

You can also use this item to cook meat in the microwave. I break up my ground beef, add any seasonings, and onions, cover and cook. I cook my beef for chili, stews, and tacos in the Micro_Cooker. For my taco meats, I break up my ground beef. I add onions and cook about four minutes. Drain out the grease. Remove lid and stir with fork, breaking up any large pieces. Place lid back on and cook a few more minutes, or until done. Drain any grease. I add a small can of green chilies, about half a can of refried beans, and a 16 ounce jar of salsa. Stirring after each addition. I add the beans first, they seem to mix in better that way. This is the taco meat recipe I use for regular tacos, taco casseroles, and burrito bakes.

As a matter of fact, I have two Micro-Cookers. My first one is pretty scratched up and starting to bubble on the bottom. But I have had that one for about ten years. They also have a small sized one.

**http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=251&words=micro%20cooker

Stuffed Spinach and Sausage Roll

This is another of Corey's favorites. This is a Pampered Chef recipe. I am posting it as written. However, I cut the recipe in half when I make it.

Stuffed Spinach and Sausage Roll

1/2	pound mild Italian sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled
1	cup (4 ounces) chopped fresh whole mushrooms
1	package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1	cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
2	garlic cloves, pressed
1	egg, separated
2	packages (10 ounces each) refrigerated pizza crust
1	can (8 ounces) pizza sauce, warmed Preheat oven to 400°F. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine sausage, mushrooms, spinach, cheese and garlic; mix well. In Small Batter Bowl, separate egg using Egg Separator; add yolk to spinach mixture, reserving egg white. Roll one pizza crust into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Spread half of spinach mixture over dough to within 1/2- inch of edges of dough. Starting at longest side of rectangle, roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion; press seams together to seal. Repeat with remaining pizza crust and filling. Place rolls, seam sides down, on Large Round Stone. Join ends of rolls to form 1 large ring; pinch together to seal. Lightly beat egg white using Egg Separator; brush over dough. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Spoon sauce over each serving. Yield: 10 servings **http://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe_search/recipe.jsp?id=12323

French Dressing

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. I really like it.

3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

salt and white pepper to taste

Put all in blender until well mixed.

**http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/iceberg-lettuce-chopped-salad-with-french-dressing-recipe/index.html

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

This is a recipe that I came across a few years ago. Super, super easy!!

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

1 tub vanilla frosting

1 (18oz.) creamy peanut butter

Remove lids and foil from both. Be sure ALL foil is removed. Microwave each for 30 - 40 seconds. Pour both into 8 x 8 pan. Stir together until blended. Cover and refrigerate about an hour. Cut and serve.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

This recipe comes from one of my sisters. This has become her bring to family events dish. Corey loves this stuff.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

1 (10oz.) frozen chopped broccoli

1 Lb. Velveeta

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 box Original Stove Top Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour broccoli into 9 x 13 pan. Pour soup over broccoli and gently stir. Cover with slices of Velveeta. Make stuffing as directed on box. Put stuffing over cheese. Bake one hour.

**This is a great side with grilled chicken breasts.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a very simple recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup peanut butter

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Drop by spoon onto pan. Use fork to gently press down before baking. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.

Gooey Butter Cake

Time for another dessert recipe. This is a recipe that a lady who works with my husband gave me.

Gooey Butter Cake

Grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Mix thoroughly 1 yellow cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Pat down into pan.

Mix 8 oz. cream cheese, 3 drops almond extract, 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 2 eggs. Beat until fluffy. Pour over cake.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar and pecans, about 10 minutes before done baking.

Reuben Casserole

Tonight I tried a new recipe. Someone on another forum that I read posted it. Everyone who tried it for their families loved it, so I gave it a try.

Reuben Casserole

6 slices of rye bread, cubed

1 (16oz) can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

1 Lb. deli sliced corned beef, cut into strips

3/4 cup Russian or 1000 Island dressing

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Using a 9 x 13 pan layer as follows. Bread cubes, kraut, beef, and dressing. Cover loosely with foil and bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, add cheese, bake uncovered for an additional ten minutes.

Rocky Road Chocolate Squares

This is a very simple recipe. It is always a hit at our family gatherings.

Rocky Road Chocolate Squares

1 (12 oz) package semi sweet chocolate chips

1 (10.5 oz) mini marshmallows

1 (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2 cups dry roasted peanuts

2 Tbsp butter

In double broiler, or microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate morsels, butter and condensed milk. In large bowl mix peanuts and marshmallows. When chocolate is melted, let cool slightly. Mix into nut mixture, coating throughly. Spread into wax paper lined 9 x 13 pan. Refrigerate one hour. Remove from pan. Cut into bite sized pieces, serve.

**I like them a little sweeter, I use milk chocolate chips when I make them.

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

This recipe is one my mom sent me. It is supposed to be an appetizer, but works just as well as part of your meal.

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

1 1/4 Lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 4 breasts)

1 Lb bacon

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tbs. chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes. Cut bacon into thirds. Wrap bacon around chicken pieces, secure with toothpicks. Mix brown sugar and chili powder in small bowl. Dredge the wrapped chicken in mixture. Use non stick pan or spray baking sheet with non stich spray. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until bacon is crispy.

**I have also done these kabob style. Instead of toothpicks, after dredging I put chicken on skewer, (be sure you go through the bacon to keep it on the chicken). Fill your skewer leaving a tiny bit of space between pieces.