Santa Surprise Cookies

These are the cookies my boys made for Santa this year. I always liked this recipe during high school, but haven't had these cookies since then. Luckily Ricky's Aunt Rosalie had the recipe in the family cook book. I used a much larger dough to snickers ratio than you would normally use so that my little boys could easily cover the candy.

1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter (we used crunchy)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package mini Snickers (we just saved our's from Halloween)
chocolate for melting

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium to low speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until mixed. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt. Unwrap snickers. Make balls of dough; push your finger in the middle to make a place for the Snickers. Then rolls the dough around the candy. Place on greased cookie sheet and cook 10-12 minutes at 325. Drizzle with melted chocolate on the top.

I'm sure Santa will be happy to stop and have a treat at our house :)

Chip 'N' Oat Bars

I'm embarrassed to say these were so good Ricky and I ate the whole pan almost entirely by ourselves (E and F had 2 bars each). We used chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, but if you don't eat chocolate you could just double the amount of butterscotch chips and omit the milk chocolate and it would still be yummy.

1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass baking dish).
2. Combine flour, oats, sugar and butter; mix well.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture, press remainder on bottom of 9x13-inch baking pan.
4. Bake 10 minutes.
5. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crust.
6. Sprinkle with chips. Top with remaining oat mixture; press down firmly.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Cool. Cut into bars.

Cheeseburger Turnovers

I got this recipe from the Nelson Family Cookbook (Emily H. McKellar). It was delicious and made great leftovers.

Bread:
2 packages yeast (or 4 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cup flour

Dissolve yeast in water, milk and sugar. Add shortening, egg, salt and flour. Mix well. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Filling:
1 1/2 pounds ground hamburger (I only used 1 lb and it was plenty)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups grated cheese

Cook hamburger and onion. Add tomato sauce and cheese. Divide bread dough into 16 balls. Flatten and fill with 3 tablespoons filling. Pinch closed. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-12 minutes.

The next time we make this we are going to add chopped green peppers, olives and mushrooms to the filling.

Cake Mix Cookies

These are simple, easy, and can be made from any flavor of cake mix. They are a fun project for kids to make.

1 package dry cake mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
frosting (whatever kind you like)

1. Mix dry cake mix with oil and eggs.
2. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes.
3. Cool.
4. Frost
5. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Tortilla Chip Chicken

My sister-in-law Allie sent me this yummy recipe and we loved it. It is so easy, but packed with flavor.

3 Tbsp lime juice (I actually used lemon juice)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp honey
4 chicken breasts, halved
1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips (I used mostly hint of lime tortilla chips, but threw in some sun chips because I didn't have enough tortilla chips)
1 bottle of chunky salsa
1 cup shredded cheese

1. Combine lime juice, honey and oil.
2. Dip chicken in lime juice mixture then coat with crushed chips.
3. Place in ungreased 9x13 baking dish.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degress for 30-40 minutes or until juices run clear.
5. Spoon a tablespoon or two of salsa over each piece of chicken and sprinkle with cheese; bake 20 minutes more or until cheese is melted.
6. Serve with guacamole and sour cream or other favorite toppings.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Everybody needs a go-to peanut butter cookie recipe. This is a yummy one. The cookies turn out the perfect texture and taste.

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Use a mixer to combine the butter with the sugars until creamy.
3. Add peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to moist ingredients. Mix the dought until it is smooth and well blended.
5. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Press the dough flat with a fork.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until edges of the cookes begin to turn light brown.

Blueberry Lemon Bread

This bread is sooo addictive. I have to have people around to share it with when I make it, or I end up eating way too much. (Come from Favorites cookbook)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter with 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy in a second bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time; beat well after each one.
4. Add lemon juice.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mix.
6. Sprinkle blueberries with small amount of flour to prevent them sinking to the bottom of the bread.
7. Fold blueberries into batter.
8. Spoon batter into greased and floured loaf pan.
9. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Place on wire rack to cool slightly.
11. Bring lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar to a boil.
12. Pierce loaf. Spoon mixture over loaf. Let stand in pan 1 hour to cool.

Taco Lasagna

This is good for a crowd.

1 lb ground turkey or beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup water
1 envelope taco seasoning (or 1/4 cup if you are using a big container of taco seasoning)
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-oz) can Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
6 flour tortillas
1 (16-oz) can refried beans
3 cups shredded cheese (any kind you like)

1. Cooke the beef and onion. Drain the fat.
2. Add water and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in black beans and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
4. Place 2 tortillas in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Spread half of refriend beans over the tortillas. Put half of beef mixture on top of beans. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.
5. Repeat layers.
6. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese.
7. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Pizza Meatballs

These are great served with pasta, rice, on a bun, or as an appetizer. We even served them in tortillas as a wrap. We made a full batch and froze half to use later.

2 pounds ground turkey (you could use beef instead)
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup diced red onion (or whatever type of onion you have on hand)
1/2 Tablespoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 mozzarella string cheese sticks (or an 8-oz block of mozzarella cheese)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
spaghetti sauce

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl just until mixed.
2. Shape into 48 small meatballs.
3. Cut mozzarella into 48 cubes (about 1/2-inch each). Push one cube into the center of each meatball; covering the cheese completely with the meat.
4. Roll meatballs lightly in flour.
5. In a large skillet, cook meatballs in oil until browned; drain.
6. Add spaghetti sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until meatballs are no longer pink.

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake with Strawberries and Cream

This recipe makes two pound cakes. I found this recipe in the Lion House Desserts cookbook and it is delicious!

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 eggs
3 3/4 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup whipped cream (whipped and sweetened to taste)
strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Set aside
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until very light.
3. Add alternately vanilla and eggs with flour on low speed. Whip on low speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add lemon juice and beat until light.
5. Pour into loaf pans and bake 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool and serve with whipped cream and strawberries.

Marshmallow Chocolate Mousse

Ricky made this dessert for me for Mother's day and it was great. We served raspberries on top as well. We bought all the ingredients for mousse, then realized on Sunday that it called for uncooked eggs (a no-no for pregnant women). So we quickly found this mousse recipe which was perfect. I want to try it with different types of chocolate now. I think it could be really yummy using white chocolate or dark chocolate. We used a baking bar in this recipe, but you could use any kind of chocolate (candy bar, chocolate chips, etc) as long as you use the right amount of chocolate.

3 cups marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1 (4-0z) bar of baking chocolate, broken (This time we used German Chocolate, but you could use any kind as long as it is 4oz)
1 cup whipping cream
chocolate shavings
raspberries

1. Melt marshmallows, milk and chocolate over low heat. Stir continually. It might take awhile, but don't heat it too quickly.
2. Let cool.
3. Whip 1 cup whipping cream and fold into cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into small dessert dishes and chill.
4. Serve with chocolate shavings and raspberries.

Baked Spaghetti

Delicious! That's all I can say.

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes (preferably the kind with Italian herbs)
1 (15-oz) can tomato suace
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
salt, to taste
1 tsp basil flakes
12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguini, broken in half and cooked al dente
1 (3.8-oz) can sliced black olives
8 ounces grated cheese (any kind you like)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook ground beef, Italian seasoning, and onion salt. Drain.
2. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings.
3. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
4. In 9x13-baking dish, layer half the noodles, half the sauce and half the cheese; repeat.
5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

This might not be the most impressive dish, and it certainly isn't gourmet, but it is fast and easy. It is also a great way to use up any kind of leftover chicken. It's also a kid pleaser. My family used to double this and bake it in a 9x13-inch baking pan.

1 2/3 cups frozen mixed vegetable (or broccoli)
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

1. Heat oven to 400.
2. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in an ungreased glass pie plate.
3. Stir together remaining ingredients with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.
4. Bake 3o minutes or until golden brown.
   

Potato Casserole

This is another recipe adapted from the Nelson Family Food Fare cookbook. I wasn't really measuring when I made it, so these measurements are approximations. Just use what you have on hand. It is very adaptable and yummy. It's one of my new favorite side dishes. It is very similar to funeral potatoes. I've been looking for a recipe that tastes like that but doesn't call for frozen hashbrowns.

1/4 cup butter
4-6 medium potatoes (I used 4 medium large potatoes)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light sour cream
4 oz cream cheese (1/2 a package)
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
crushed corn flakes
3 Tablespoons melted butter

1. Bake potatoes. Cool and grate. (I baked my potatoes in the morning and let them cool all day until I shredded them before making this dish. You could bake them the day before if you wanted.)
2. Melt 1/4 cup butter and add the soup. Heat the soup and then add sour cream, cream cheese, and shredded cheese.
3. Stir in potatoes.
4. Place in greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Mix cornflakes with melted butter and sprinkle over casserole.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Herbed Pork Chops

I'm posting this because I don't have many pork chop recipes. We made this for dinner last night and Finlay (my boy who doesn't always love meat) couldn't get enough. He loved it! The recipe is adapted from a recipe found in the Nelson Family Food Fare cookbook.

salt and pepper to taste
4 large pork chops
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 tsp rosemary
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/2 cup water (or more)

1. Salt and pepper pork chops.
2. Dip in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs mixed with rosemary.
3. Brown the pork chops in olive oil.
4. Sprinkle celery salt over browned chops. Add water; cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
5. Uncover and cook 5 minutes.

Banana Fudge Bundt Cake

Ricky loves banana and I love chocolate. This was a great combination. We made this to celebrate when Ricky accepted his new job.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon slat
1 cup mini-chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups pureed ripe bananas (3-4 medium)
1 container chocolate frosting (or make your own - we loved the triple chocolate frosting we used)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with pureed bananas, mixing well. Add mini-chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes for until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan.
5. Let stand in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan.
6. Microwave frosting until its a little bit runny. Drizzle it over the slightly warm cake.
   

Almond Blondies

Yum! These are the white chocolate version of the perfect non-cocoa-chocolate brownie.

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add almonds, and mix well.
2. Melt butter in medium sauce pan and stir in brown sugar; cool slightly.
3. Add egg and vanilla to sauce pan and stir well.
   
4. Add flour mixture, a small amount at a time. Mix well (I use a wooden spoon).
5. Spread in greased 8x8 pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with fudge looking crumbs on it.
7. Serve warm with ice-cream on top. (They are good cold too)
   

Corn Chowder

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. Ricky and I enjoy it when we eat at her house, and now we know that our boys love it too. We will be making it frequently from now on.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour (heaping)
Seasoning of your choice (I used an Italian seasoning blend)
4 cups of any of the following or a combination: milk, chicken broth, water (I used half milk and half chicken broth)
1 can corn
Frozen hash browns (a large handful) or two potatoes cooked and shredded or cubed (I used shredded potatoes)
A large handful of cheddar cheese

• Melt butter.
• Add flour and stir until a nice paste forms.
• Add liquid and bring almost to a boil. It will thicken as it cooks.
  
• Add the corn, potatoes, and cheese.
• Heat through.
• Serve with big hunks of yummy bread.
  

Slow-Cooker Parmesan Chicken and Rice

This is any easy, but yummy slow-cooker recipe. The leftovers are great to use in taquitos, chicken pot pies, burritos, etc.

10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1-1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 oz. package onion soup mix
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
4 boneless skinless chicken breast (if you use small breast, you might want to use 6)
4 Tablespoons butter, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese to taste

• Mix together soup, milk, soup mix and rice; set aside.
• Arrange chicken breasts in a lightly greased slow-cooker; place on tablespoon butter on top of each chicken breast.
• Pour soup mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.
• Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours, or on high setting for 4-6 hours.
• You can serve the whole breast if you like. We prefer to shred the chicken and mix it up with the rice.
  

Peanut Butter Fingers

I couldn't really get a great picture of these bars, but who doesn't like the look of gooey melted chocolate. I took these to a baby shower this past week. They are easy to make and yummy to eat. (This is my Aunt Diane's recipe)

Cream: 1/2 cup butter
Add: 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 brown sugar
Blend in: 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup peanut butter
Stir in: 1 cup flour and 1 cup rolled oats

Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with one 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate won't set as well). Let stand 5 minutes. While still hot, spread chips around with a knife. I let the bars set in the fridge then cut them to serve.

Cheese Sauce

Here's a good recipe for cheese sauce to put on top of broccoli or baked potatoes. Our boys normally love broccoli, but they acted like we were feeding them a treat when we put this sauce on top.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper (or seasonings of your choice)
1 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (you can use less if you use a sharp cheddar)

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in flour and seasonings. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook until evenly combined.
3. After the butter and flour are combined and no lumps remain, slowly add the milk. Stir constantly.
4. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. The bubbles should be across the entire surface.
   
5. Cook 1 minute longer and turn heat to low. Add cheese and stir until melted.
6. Serve on top of veggies or potatoes.
   

Baked French Toast

1 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 c. butter
5 eggs
1-1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

1. In saucepan mix sugar, corn syrup, and butter.

2. Prepare baking dish by spraying with PAM.

3. Slice loaf of French bread 3/4 inch thick (or homemade bread). 4. Cover the bottom of an 8x13-inch pan with the bread slices.

5. Pour blended syrup mixture over the bread.

6. Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla.

7. Pour over bread and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

P.S. Can be fixed ahead of time. Cover baking dish and refrigerate overnight. Uncover and bake 30 minutes.