a little of this and a little of that

This cookies are what I call White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Nut Cookies. Mom has these amazing cookies that she buys at Family Fare that I just love and wanted to duplicate. The duplication is not perfect but I really like how they turned out. I started with the Chocolate Chip Cereal Cookies out of the Adam Street Kitchen Kaleidoscope on page 100; these are the chocolate chip cookies that mom used to make when were were young. This recipe makes 80 cookies and I did not need or want that many so I halved the recipe then added some things and subtracted a few others and...voila!

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg beaten
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
macadamia nuts (I just chopped up and threw in what I had...probably about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup cornflakes, crushed (I used Special K because that is what I had in the house)
1/2 t vanilla cranberries (I just dumped until it looked right in the dough...I think I started with 1/2 cup added a little, so probably 3/4 cup)
1/2 pkg white chocolate chips (1 cup)

Beat oil, margarine, and sugars until fluffy. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Bake at 375* on lightly greased cookie sheets until light brown, 10-12 minutes.

this one is for the kids & those who LOVE peanut butter

Here is the recipe that I made the night we got together with Pastoor's. Laura's kids have been asking me ever since, to add it to the blog because they LOVED it! It is a bit rich, and fat free of course, but light and fluffy. The recipe came out of the Rock Valley CRC cookbook; I am not sure if it rivals the "green bible" but I do know this...Iowa women sure know how to cook, bake, and make people pleasantly plump.


Chocolate Peanut Delight

1 package chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cups chopped peanuts, divided

8 oz cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (16 oz) carton whipped cream, divided
1/2 cup chocolate chips

4 1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry cake mix, butter, milk, and egg. Add 3/4 cup peanuts. Spread into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, condensed milk, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 3 cups of the whipped cream. Spread over crust; top with remaining whipped cream and peanuts. Melt chocolate chips and butter. Add vanilla. Drizzle over cake. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before eating or cutting.

*I did not use peanuts on the top but chopped peanut butter cups instead.
*I did not have enough whipping cream to put it in the main part of the dessert and on top so I just mixed it all in and then topped it with the chocolate and peanut butter cups.

enjoy!

Baked Beans

48oz. beans
1 med. onion chopped
1/2 c. catsup
2 T. cider vinager
2 T. dark molassis
1/2 c. sugar
bacon bits
1 small can french fried onions

Heat on high in crockpot 5 hours.

Ham, Beef, and Cheese Sandwiches

2 loaves multi grain French bread

Mix:
1 cup mayo
2 t mustard
1 T grated onion

Spread on bread

Cut bread in to sandwich size pieces. Layer beef and ham and cheeses. Wrap in foil and bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes.

Loaded Garlic Bread

6 slices bacon, each cut into 4 pieces
1 stick butter
6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 loaf (12 oz) crusty Italian bread cut into 24 slices about ½ inch thick
¾ pound mozzarella cheese, cut into 24 slices

Heat oven to 400*. Coat 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

Place bacon on a microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels. Cover with another piece of paper towel. Microwave on high for 4 minutes or until slightly crisp. Drain off fat and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut into thin strips.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Place bread on baking sheets. Spoon on butter and garlic. Top each with a slice of cheese; sprinkle with bacon. Bake at 400* for 12-15 minutes, until cheese melts and bacon is crisp. Cool slightly.

Rueben Soup

This one is REALLY good! Recipe came from Aunt Pat.

½ stick margarine
½ cup flour
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
3 cups chicken broth
2 ½ oz can corned beef, (shred or cube it)
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
1 teaspoon whole caraway seed
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¾ cup shredded swiss cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup half and half

Melt Margarine, stir in flour and dijon mustard and cook 3-5 mins. Add chicken broth, stir till smooth. Add corned beef, swiss and parmesan cheeses, stir till melted. Add caraway seed and pepper. Gradually add half and half and sauerkraut and let simmer.

(optional: rye bread chunked on top when serve)

Serves 2

Fruity Cracker Dip

Cranberry Cracker Spread

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp frozen OJ concentrate, thawed

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp grated orange peel

1/8 tsp cinnamon

¼ c dried cranberries

In small bowl, mix cream cheese, concentrate, sugar, peel & cinnamon together until fluffy. Stir in berries. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve on wheat thins. Delicious!

*I actually just used 2 Tbsp of made orange juice and I thought it was orangey enough tasting. It is much more potent if you use the concentrate.

BREAD!!!

Garlic Bread

2 loaves frozen bread dough
**K-sister correction ** thaw out frozen bread dough according to directions on package.
Set loaves out for 1 hour, then slice each into 7 slices.

Dip each slice into the mixture of the following
1 stick butter/margarine melted
2 Tbs. parsley flakes
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
couple shakes of dill weed

Place each slice into bread pan with 7 slices in each.
Let bread rise for 2 hours or more. Bake for 20-25 min. at 350

SUNDAY roast!

This is the roast recipe that I always use for my roasts. It is the tastiest and tenderest I have ever had!!

This recipe is complements of my cousin Kris.

ROAST

Roast (preferably a Chuck Roast)
1 can of beef broth
1/2 cup of red or white wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 packet aujus gravy mix
1/2 white or yellow onion, quartered (this is pretty much the only recipe that I actually buy my own onion rather than use the time saver, frozen chopped onions)

Put roast on bottom of crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients on top. Cook on low for 8 hrs.

(If making this for Sunday dinner, put the FROZEN roast with all the ingredients except the onion in crock pot on Saturday night before bed & cook on low through the night. Add onion in the morning & continue cooking on low during church. ).

Curry and Honey Glazed Chicken

this is in one of the cookbooks we have but i can't find it so here it is.

1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. dijon mustard
1/4 c. butter
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. curry powder
1 T. soy sauce

place chicken in a baking dish skin side down (i use boneless skinless chicken). mix all ingredients in small sauce pan, heat until butter is melted. pour over chicken, cover. refrigerate all day or overnight. Turn chicken over just before baking.

bake 350 for 1 hour covered. bake uncovered for 15 more minutes. baste with juices 1-2 times. serve with rice.

Earthquake Cake

page 153 Hull cookbook

Electric Fry Pan Hot Dish

page 253 Hull cookbook

you have to have an electric fry pan for this recipe.

Freezer BBQ Meatballs

page 261 Hull cookbook

Chicken and Cheese Chimichanga

page 34 Adam's Tasting Bee 2008

Chicken Marsala

page 28 Adam's Tasting Bee 2008

make sure you use marsala cooking wine (by the vinegar in the grocery store)

Tandi's Tomato Pie

this is from country living. Tim and Julia love tomatos so it thought i would give it a try. it remindes me of pizza.

4 med. tomatoes
1 pie shell, baked
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. fresh basil (i put in 2 t. basil, and will do slightly less next time.)
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese.

Cut 6 tomato slices for garnish. halve remaining tomatos, removes seeds, and cut each half into 6 wedges. place half of the tomato wedges into the bottom of the baked pie shell. sprinkle with half the onion, salt, pepper, and basil. mix mayo, parmesan, and cheddar cheese together and spread half over the onion layer. repeat in the same order starting with tomatos. place sliced tomatos on top in a pinwheel design.

bake 375 for 30-40 minutes until golden

Boston Brown Bread

Grandma's brown bread recipe that she bakes in the cans, not the loaf pans.
Mine is usually a little soft in the middle. i bake it for an extra fifteen minutes. also the vinager is really vanilla.

page 65 Hope Tasting Bee 2004

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

page 48 Hope Tasting Bee 2004

Mini Cheese Meat Loaves

page 37 Hope Tasting Bee 2004

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

page 301 Hull cookbook

Ranch Chicken Breast

page 297 Hull cookbook

Cheesy Enchiladas

page 285 Hull cookbook

Deep Dish Pizza

page 273
Kara adds pepperionis, but i don't