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.