Cookie Recipes.....

Go here to find some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Vegetable Wreath Recipe

On Wednesdays I have been going to a Women's Bible study, which has been wonderful. I have only been there for the last couple of weeks, but I am looking forward to next month when they start there new study. Well yesterday we had a little Christmas party and one of the lady's brought this wonderful dish that was very yummy and sounds easy to make.

Ingredients

• 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
• Celery leaves

Directions:

• Remove crescent dough from packaging (do not unroll). Cut each tube into eight slices. Arrange in an 11-in. circle on an ungreased 14-in. pizza pan.
• Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a serving platter; cool completely.
• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth. Spread over wreath; top with broccoli, celery and red pepper. Form a bow garnish with celery leaves. Yield: 16 servings.

EASY PEANUT BUTTER CRACKER COOKIES
NO BAKE

I came across this link and remember having these before and they are so good. I think this might me something the kids and I would like to make. To find out how to make them go here.

Christmas Bark......

Here's a recipe that I want to try out this year. It looks so easy and yummy too.

Ingredients:

• 35 saltine crackers
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 pkg. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• toffee bits or chopped walnuts for topping

1. Line a sheet cake pan with foil or parchment paper. Lay crackers on the pan in a single layer.
2. Stirring frequently, melt butter and sugar together in a small saucepan. Stir until bubbly.
3. Pour butter mixture over crackers. Spread with a spoon. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Return to the oven for 2 minutes.
5. Spread melted chocolate chips evenly over crackers.
6. Top with chopped walnuts or toffee bits.
7. Set aside to cool. Refrigerate until set. Break crackers into pieces for serving.

Runza Casserole.....

I was looking at some menu's this morning and came across this Runza Casserole recipe. Since my hubby is from Nebraska I have to put this on my list of recipes to try. For those who may not know they have Runza Restaurants there.

French Toast Mix Recipe......

This is a recipe that I got from Brandon's sister several years back and I love it so much. I have to say French toast is probably one of my favorite items for breakfast with bacon as a close first as well. I also like to use French or Italian bread, which makes the best french toast, but you can use bread if that's what you have on hand. Enjoy and let me know if you try it out:)

French Toast Mix

3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour

Combine all the ingredients as listed and whisk well.

Thanksgiving Recipes......

We are staying home for Thanksgiving this year, so Brandon invited a friend from school over to enjoy dinner with us. It will be a nice relaxing day of cooking & baking, which are two things I really enjoy. To find a few of the recipes that I will be making you can go here.

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thess 5:18

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

I needed to make a dessert last week and I came across this pumpkin pie recipe in a Midwest Living magazine. It turned out really good and I will definitely make it again. You can find the recipe here on the Taste of Home website. I used evaporated milk instead of the whipping cream. I also thought about putting a crumb topping on it. You can find the crumb topping recipe here and also the Streusel Pumpkin Pie recipe.

5 Star Brownies......

Do you ever just need chocolate? I decided to try out this from scratch brownie recipe and they were delicious.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup shortening, melted
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until blended. Beat in butter and shortening until smooth. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in nuts if desired.
• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan with foil and grease the foil; pour batter into pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
• Using foil, lift brownies out of pan. Discard foil. Cut with a star cutter or into bars. Yield: about 3 dozen.

German Apple Pie

This is a super easy recipe. I usually used a tart apple like granny smith, which hold up the best for baking. This time I used some of the free apples that the kids and I found down by the library. They are a nice tart apple like the granny smith and the hubby thought the pie tasted great.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups of apples
pie crust of choice

Mix together the the first 5 ingredients & then add the sliced apple. Mix together well and pour into pie crust. You can either top it with another crust or make up a crumb topping. For my crumb topping is use: 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c. flour, & 1/4 c. cold butter. Cut butter into the flour & sugar till it forms a crumb mixture.

Bake pie at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool & enjoy! Refrigerate if the whole pie is not devoured.

Fried Bread Dough Donuts......
This is a favorite that my mom use to make for us growing up. I loved it and still do, but you have to make peanut butter frosting to go on top. Yum Yum!!!!

Making these are super easy. Just use some fresh bread dough that has risen. It can be keep in the refrigerator until your ready to make them. Then cut off a good size chunk and make it into a donut shape. Then fry in the deep fat fryer. Put on a plate that has some paper towels on it to let it cool a bit.

To make up the peanut butter frosting just use powdered sugar, peanut butter, & milk. I suppose 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 2 Tb. peanut butter and just enough milk to make it look like a frosting. I have also found that using french vanilla coffee cream adds a nice extra flavor to most frosting's I make.

These could be eaten as a dessert or breakfast. It's your choice. I think we usually had them as a desert, but with using whole wheat bread dough why not for breakfast?

Eat & Enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters.....
We had these for supper the other night and they were great. You can find the recipe here. The recipe calls for carrots and zucchini, but I just used zucchini because I have a lot of it and have been looking for good recipes to use it in.

Here is my hubby making up some battered fried fish, which was really yummy.

Zucchini Cobbler....

Here is a recipe I found on the Taste of Homes website. It is definitely different but I was very surprised at how tasty it turned out. My hubby thought it was good, but it is best to eat it after it has been refrigerated for a few hours and served with some vanilla ice cream. So if you have some extra zucchini sitting around give it a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Ingredients:

FILLING
4 cups chopped seeded peeled zucchini (about 3 pounds)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
CRUST:
2 cups all-purpose flour
cups sugar
3/4 cups cold butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, cook and stir zucchini and lemon juice for 15-20 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; simmer 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat; set aside. For crust, combine the flour and sugar in a bowl; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir 1/2 cup into zucchini mixture. Press half of remaining crust mixture. Press half of remaining crust mixture into a greased 12-in. x 13-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Spread zucchini over top; crumble remaining crust mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

I came across this recipe the other day while looking for some new zucchini recipes. I have lots of zucchini to use up and more on the way. This is a winner for my husband as he helped himself to thirds last night. To find the recipe go here.

Also to find out nutritional information on zucchini you can go here.

Monkey Bread.....
This is one of my husbands favorite breakfast breads. I like to make it and the kids also love to help out. I came cross a monkey bread recipe here and had to try it out. I like the idea she had for using a pie pan. This blue Pyrex dish worked great and baked up so easy and I didn't have to worry about it not getting done in the middle like with using a bunt pan.

Ingredients:
2 can buttermilk biscuits
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

First mix the sugar & cinnamon together. Then roll the biscuits in the cinnamon sugar mixture and cut into 4ths. I actually had the kids roll the big biscuits in the mixture first before I cut them up because it was easier & faster.

On the stove top cook together:
1/2 c. butter, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. white corn syrup & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cook together till it is nicely melted and bubbles a bit. Then pour over your cinnamon sugar biscuits in your dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Take out and let cool a minute. Then put plate over the top and invert on to plate.

Most monkey bread recipes only use butter and brown sugar for the sauce, but I have found that if you add some corn syrup to the mixture you get a nice gooey caramel sauce. It's super yummy. I hope the picture makes your mouth water:)

Yummy Banana Bread..........

I had lots of frozen bananas in my freezer, so I decided to try out a new recipe. To my surprise it turned out great, but I never follow the recipe. The recipe that I used as a guide was found here. I added 1/2 cup of grated carrot for extra nutrition and a 1/4 c. water for a little extra moisture. I made muffins just because they are easier with the kids, but you could make loafs. They were so moist & yummy.

Noodles......

The one place that I love to eat at is Noodles & Company and my favorite dish is the Pasta Fresca. It is so good, so I decided to go on line to see about coming up with a recipe to try. I came across a recipe here. I will be trying it out very soon, maybe even tonight. The kids also like to eat there because noodles are one of those foods they like. Just give them some spaghetti noodles with a little butter and salt and they are good to go.

Sweet Cinnamon Rolls
I have tried many times to make cinnamon rolls and they always turned out to heavy. I'm not really sure what I was doing wrong. Probably nothing just finding bad recipes that don't turn out like I would like. Anyway I went to a ladies conference about a month ago and there were some awesome cinnamon rolls there. I knew who made them, so I made sure to get the recipe. Yesterday I decided to try it out and they turned out really yummy. So here is the recipe, which made a nice 9x12 pan of cinnamon rolls.

Sweet Dough Recipe:
Scald 1/2 cup 2% milk in microwave for 1 1/2 mins, then add to milk 2 Tb. real butter, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/2 tsp salt. Stir together & cool until lukewarm. I poured my mixture into the bread machine to cool. Then dissolve 1 1/2 tsp active yeast in 3 Tb. lukewarm water & then add to cooled milk mixture and add 2 beaten eggs. Lastly add 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour and turn bread machine onto dough cycle. Watch it as it mixes and when ingredients are nicely mixed together let the bread machine do the rest.

When done pull the dough out and roll it out into a nice rectangle. Butter the dough & sprinkle with a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Roll the dough up and slice. Lay sliced into a 9x12 pan 3 across. I think I ended up with 16 rolls. Let rise in baking dish till doubled in size & bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or till lightly browned. Then frost with your favorite cinnamon roll frosting. Enjoy!

This dough can also be used to make pecan rolls, tea ring, Kuchen or anything else that requires a sweet dough. All my other cinnamon roll recipes are going in the garbage and this is the one I will be using from now on. You could also double the recipe easily, but I think I will stick with just one pan of rolls, two would be dangerous:)

It is time for the May's Recipe Box Swap! This month's theme is no-theme at all, meaning you get to post any recipe that suits your fancy! This makes it easy for me to choose because I have rhubarb coming up in the garden, which is my favorite and makes such yummy deserts. I recipe I came across a few years ago was Rhubarb Custard Bars. Once I made it I was hooked & it's super easy,which is a bonus. To find more recipes just click on the link above.

Granola Recipe....

I have been so busy that I haven't had much time to try out any new recipes, but here is a recipe that I have to try making soon:

Maple Almond Granola

New Favoraite

We just made this Hearty Hash Brown Dinner & it's a new favorite. It's like Tater Tot Casserole, but a few different ingredients. It's one of those comfort foods that is just plain yummy. I can always tell when the hubby really likes what I made because he goes back for seconds. As you can see from the picture there was not much leftover.

Now like always I didn't follow the recipe. I didn't want to make it in the crock pot, so I put everything together using a casserole dish that was 8x11. I also replace the cream of chicken soup with cream of mushroom soup & just sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top, since I don't keep Velveeta in the house. I also didn't use the French Onions, since I didn't have any. For the vegetable blend I used a mixture of corn, carrots & peas. This was a super yummy & easy dish. So check it out and let me know if you try it out or have any other variation that I could try.

Whole Wheat Bread

Here's another loved recipe from my mother in law. I just made a loaf yesterday and am enjoying a peace for breakfast. It sure beats store bought bread any day. This makes a 1.5 lb loaf in your bread machine. Put ingredients in as they are listed.

1/2 c. warm water
2 Tb. butter
1 egg
1 1/2 Tb. sugar
3/4 tsp. slat
1 1/2 c. bread flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. yeast
2 TB ground flax seed (optional)

Take out when done, let cool, slice & Enjoy:)

Leek Soups....Yummy

I love to make soup using Leeks because they give such wonderful flavor. Leeks are also a good source of vitamin A and a significant source of vitamin C & iron. If you have never made Potato Leek soup you must try it out. I have also learned to use a can of evaporated milk in my soups from my mother in law. It works like a charm and then I don't end up using up our drinking milk.

Last night I came across this Leeky, Creamy Chicken-and-Dumpling Stoup in Rachael Ray's magazine and I had to try it. I had just bought a package of gnocchi because I wanted to try them out to see how they tasted. The gnocchi were good and tasted just like the dumplings that I make by mixing up flour and egg like making egg noddles, but I shape them into little balls and through them in. They add a nice texture to many different kinds of soups.

So go buy yourself some leeks and make some soup or plant some in your garden this summer.

This months recipe swap is a pasta theme and so I decided to go with a sweet salad favorite: Frog Eye Salad. To find the recipe click here. To find other great pasta recipes go to I Have to Say. Also my other recipe Box Swap Recipes are here.

Here's another recipe from my mother in law. She is so good at finding some of the best recipes.


5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

(Use a large coffee mug with straight sides.  Mine is 4" tall and 3 1/2
inches wide and could be taller)

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips (optional)
small splash vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.  Add the egg and mix
thoroughly.  Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.  Add the chocolate
chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.  Put your mug in
the microwave and cook for 3 minutes in 1000 watt microwave.  May have
to adjust time if unit does not have 1000 watts.  The cake will rise up
over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed.  At the end of cooking
time, set out on counter and allow to cook slightly.  It will sink back
almost to level of cup.  Place a saucer on top of mug and invert to
remove.  Be sure to get the goodies from the bottom of the mug, too!  I
cut mine in two pieces lengthwise and add the necessary ingredients (you
know, like ice cream, chocolate syrup, caramel sauce.....)  Enjoy!

My mother in law sent me this recipe today.  I am
looking forward to trying it out.
It sound yummy.....

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding
Buttering each  slice of bread and sprinkling it with cinnamon before
cutting it into cubes makes every bit especially tasty!

5 slices whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup white or brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Spread one side of bread with margarine or
butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Cut bread into 1 inch cubes.  In
medium bowl, combine bread cubes, sugar and raisins.  In another bowl
blend eggs, milk, salt and vanilla.  Pour liquid over bread mixture and
lightly mix.  Transfer to baking dish sprayed with oil or non-stick
spray.  Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes till a metal knife inserted
near center comes out clean.  Serve warm (mmmm) or cold.

Butter Cream Frosting
This is a pretty standard recipe, but the butter flavoring makes this frosting really yummy. I always used Almond flavoring, but the butter flavoring is real treat. I got this recipe from a lady who had made Anna's birthday cake this past December. The next time I make this I am planning on using coconut oil to replace the Crisco in hopes to make it not so bad for you.

1 cup Crisco
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 bag powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
pinch of salt

Cream all the ingredients together. Add more milk or powdered sugar to get the thickness you want. Spread on cake or cupcakes and Enjoy:)

Bread Pudding
This is what we made at my mom's house this weekend. So yummy and I found out my husband really like's it too. It has been years since I have eaten bread pudding and I think now I will be making it more. It will be a good way to use up that extra bread that is getting old & dried out.

4 1/2 c dried bread cubes
1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups milk

Put the bread cubes in a 8 x8 pan. Then mix up the sugar, eggs, cinnamon, salt, vanilla & milk and pour over the bread cubes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 mins or till it is golden brown & look like it's set.

Nutmeg Sauce:
3 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Heat all ingredients together and then in a separate bowl mix up 3 Tb. corn starch with some water and use it to thicken the sugar nutmeg mixture.

Cream Cheese Bars
These are super easy to make and are so yummy.



Ingredients:
2 pkg. crescent rolls
2 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk & save egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. sugar or honey

Directions:
Beat together cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla & honey. Then take one pkg of crescents and place them in the bottom of a 9x12 pan as the crust. Then pour the cream cheese filling on top. Then take the second pkg of crescents and roll out nicely to place on top of filling mixture. Then brush the egg white on top and sprinkle with white or cane sugar & cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees or 30 mins or till nice and gold brown. Let cool and Enjoy:) It also very easy to make a 8x8 pan by just cutting the recipe in half.

Streusel Pumpkin Pie Recipe......

Here the Streusel Pumpkin Pie Recipe that I posted on my other blog a while back. I wanted to add it to my collection here on my cooking blog. So to find the recipe you can go here.

Apple Cherry Pie

I absolutely love to make pies and eat them, but Brandon and I have decide to try and eat a little more healthy so the recipe below uses healthier ingredients.

Pie Crust:
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. white flour
1/2 c. wheat flour
1/4 c. ice water

Put in your mixing bowl coconut oil, sea salt and flour's. Cut all the ingredients today and then add the water gradually. Mix well then added the water till all the ingredients come together and form a nice ball. Then flour your surface and roll out for you pie tin. This recipe makes 1 good size pie crust.

Apple Cherry Pie Filling:
4 apple pealed & sliced up
2 cups of pie cherries
1/3 c. flour
1 Tb. corn starch
1/2 c. demerara cane sugar
1/4 c. honey

This is the amount of apples and cherries I used, but you may need to use more or less depending on your pie pan. I mixed the apples & cherries with the flour, corn starch & cane sugar. Then pour the filling in the pie crust. Drizzle the honey over the filling.

Crumb topping:
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. demerara cane sugar

Mix topping together well and pour on top of the pie. You can sprinkle with cinnamon if you want, which I guess I didn't do.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or till it is nice and browned and filling is bubbling. Let it cool and enjoy.

Haystack's

is a family favorite and mom especially like's it because it is so easy to make. We tend to make this when we have company and they always rave about it. To find the recipe just click here.

Easy Roll-Up Cannelloni
So here is my first recipe for the blog. This recipe came out of my Family Fun magazine. It was easy to make and it was a nice change from eating lasagna.

1 lb hamburger
1 small onion diced
1 large garlic clove
1 c. cottage cheese or ricotta
1 cup mozzarella
1/2 frozen peas (optional)
1 egg
1 tsp basil
salt & pepper to taste
1 package no-boil lasagna pasta (Barilla brand)
1 jar spaghetti sauce or make your own

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a frying pan brown hamburger, onion & garlic and then when done transfer to a bowl. Then add to the meat mixture cottage cheese, mozzarella, peas, egg, basil and salt & pepper. While the hamburger is browning get a pot of water boiling and salt water and then cook the lasagna noodles for 2-3 mins in the boiling water. When done lay them out on a clean towel. Then take your baking pan 9x13 and spread some of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Then take your cooked pasta and put some filling in and roll them up. Place in your pan and finishing using up the pasta and filling till pan is full. Then put the rest of the spaghetti sauce on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover pan with tin fold and bake for 20 mins then uncover pan and bake 10 mins longer. Serve with some garlic bread & vegetable.

Something New.....

I finally decided to start a recipe blog. I love to cook & bake so I though this would be a great way to keep track of what I make.

The book to the right is something my mom gave to be back in high school. I have written only my absolute favorite recipes in it and many of the recipes are from my Grandma Beulah. She is a wonderful cook and baker and makes awesome pies and cakes.

I decided to use the title of my little book as the title for my blog. I am looking forward to working on adding recipes that I like and finding great recipe links. So I hope you all will be able to find this place helpful.