Strawberry Pretzel Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.

Red Velvet Cookies

These are fun and very, very easy for a quick treat for Red Velvet Cake lovers.

Ingredients:
1 Box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8 ounce package cream cheese -- softened
1/4 cup stick margarine or butter -- softened
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, margarine, milk and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. *** I added about 2 teaspoons of water to the batter. Directions:Mix all ingredients together. This will make a cookie dough. Roll into balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flattendown slightly (depending on the thickness you desire). Bake at 375° until the tops crackle (about 8-10 minutes) or until desireddoneness. Cool and then frost

** I would half the recipe for the frosting. I used the basic cream cheese and didn't add chocolate.

Corn and cabbage

Ingredients:

4-5 slices bacon--cooked crisp
liquid from 1 can of corn
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
3 c. shredded cabbage or 1 large head
1 can corn

Directions:

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from pan. Add corn liquid, sugar and salt to bacon drippings. Bring to boil; add cabbage and cook until tender--7-10 minutes. Add corn and heat. Garnish with crisp bacon. Make 6 generous servings

Peanut Butter Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts ( I like to use chocolate crusts)


Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm

I add chocolate syrup over top of the pie and spread to make a design. Garnish with resee's peanut butter cups when serving...

Scotcheroos

INGREDIENTS
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips


Butter a 11 x 15 pan

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter. Mix in the rice cereal until evenly coated. Press the mixture into the prepared pan.
In a glass bowl in the microwave, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips, stirring occasionally until smooth and well blended. Spread over the top of the bars. Chill until set, then cut into bars.


I have found adding a little extra corn syrup will make them more chewy.

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients:

1 package Crescent Rolls (8 roll package)
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored, and cut in 8 pieces


Directions:

Wrap each apple slice in Crescent roll and place in baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Mix together

:1 cup sugar1/2 stick butter2/3 cup Sprite Bring to a boil and pour over rolled apples. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chicken Reuben

This is a favorite of mine....

4 Whole chicken breast, split, skinned and boned
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 can (16 oz) sauerkraut, well drained
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 1/4 cups French Dressing
Parsley


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place chicken in a single layer in a greased baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press excess liquid from sauerkraut; spoon over chicken. Arrange cheese slices over sauerkraut. Pour dressing evenly over the top. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake about 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is tender.

It really doesn't matter what order stuff goes on. I usually put the dressing on over the sauerkraut....

Quick and Easy Bars

A very nummy recipe that can be made with saltine crackers or graham crackers. Watch out because they are addicting. You can't eat just one!

1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (10 ounce) package saltine crackers
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter with brown sugar; bring to a boil and remove from heat. Arrange crackers (salt side up) on a jelly roll pan lined with foil. Pour butter mixture over crackers.
Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers. Bake for another 5 minutes.

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:



1 cup warm water (about 98 degrees F)

1 package active dry yeast

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar

4 cups water

5 teaspoons baking soda

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Kosher salt



Directions:



In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water and yeast. When the yeast dissolves, add half of the flour, the butter, salt, and sugar and mix for about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is no longer sticky. Let the dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until it doubles in size, about 45 to 50 minutes. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into 18-inch long ropes. On a greased cookie sheet, shape each rope into a pretzel shape. Let rise again until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. In a large non-aluminum Dutch oven over high heat, bring 4 cups of water and baking soda to a boil. Using a large spoon, gently lower pretzels into water a few at a time and boil for about 1 minute, or until they float. Return the pretzels to the cookie sheet and brush with melted butter then sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until browned, about 12 minutes.

Jumbo Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
3 c butter flavored shortening
4 c sugar
1 c molasses
4 eggs
8 c flour
2 T plus 2 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon1 t salt
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground ginger
additional sugar

Directions:In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and eggs; mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and ginger; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Shape 1/4 cupfuls of dough into balls; roll in sugar. Place four cookies on a greased baking sheet at a time. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until edges are set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

These can be made into smaller cookies and baked for about 10-12 minutes...

Kung Pao Chicken

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen website. I would cut back on the chili flakes. My first attempt of making this was rather spicy.

3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Dried Red Chili Flakes
1 teaspoon Corn Starch
¼ cups Chicken Broth
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
½ teaspoons Sambal Oelek
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Hoisin Sauce
1 teaspoon Corn Starch, Dissolved In 2 Tsp Cold Water

Marinate: In a bowl, combine 2 tbs soy sauce, chili flakes and corn starch. Add chicken that has been chopped into bite size pieces. Stir to coat and let stand for 10 minutes.
Prepare Sauce: In a separate bowl, combine chicken stock through hoisin sauce. Set aside.Heat 2 tbs oil in a non stick skillet. Add chicken and marinade. Stir fry until no longer pink. Add prepared sauce and simmer 5 - 10 minutes. Add the dissolved corn starch to thicken.

I did not have the Sambal Oelek which can be found in the Asian section so I omitted it. I think it is like a chili powder.......

Overnight French Toast

This recipe is so easy and delicious(if you like sweets for breakfast.) It tastes like a giant cinnamon roll.

Ingredients:
2 cups brown sugar1 cup
(2 sticks)butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
18 slices Italian or French bread
3 cups milk
6 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in pan. Lay some of the bread slices in bottom of a well greased 9 x 13 pan. Drizzle part of the butter mixture over the bread, add more bread, repeating to make 3 layers, ending with the drizzle mixture. Mix the remaining ingredients, and pour over the bread. Cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 1 hour covered, then for 15 minutes uncovered. I found that I had to bake a little longer (maiybe 15 minutes more) but remember, it's supposed to be moist and not dry looking. It's so sweet you don't even need to use butter or syrup. It tastes deliclious re-heated or cold, too if there's any left for later!!! It smells so good baking you'll want to get up early in the morning just to taste it!

Microwave Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 T. Butter
2 T. flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 cups milk
3 1/2 to 4 cups sliced potatoes
2 T. minced onion

Directions:

Place butter in 1 pt measuring cup. Microwave till melted. Blend in flour and seasonings. Gradulally stir in milk. Microwave 8-10 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes. Layer half of potatoes, onion, and sauce in greased 2 qt. casserole. Repeat layers. cover. Microwave 17-19 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle top with paprika and or 1/2 cup shredded cheese after cooking. Cheese melts as casserole stands.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

This is the recipe that we made every Christmas season. I enjoy making them throughout the year using whatever cookie cutter shape is in seasonl.

Ingredients

2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
4 +c. flour
2 t. cr. of tartar
1 c. butter
2 t. baking soda
3 eggs
3/4 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla or 3 t. lemon flavoring ( We also use the lemon flavoring).

Directions:
Cut in butter to sugar and flour. Add the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerated at least one hour. Roll out at least 1/4 in. I usually have to add more flour as I roll out the dough. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.
Frost...

Texas Sheet Cake

A delicious Texas sheet cake with chocolate frosting.
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
.
Chocolate Frosting:

1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons buttermilk
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
Preparation:CakeGrease a 15X10X1-inch or jelly roll pan or a 13X9X2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. With an electric hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat chocolate mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in a 350° oven about 25 minutes for the 15X10-inch pan or 35 minutes for the 13X9-inch pan, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
Pour warm chocolate frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. Place cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly before cutting. Makes 24 servings.
Frosting:In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter or margarine, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; add 2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. If desired, stir in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans.

Strawberry Margarita Squares

Crust:
2 cups mini-twist pretzels (1 cup crushed)
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Filling:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup thawed, frozen margarita mix concentrate (non-alcoholic)
16 oz. Cool Whip, divided
1 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry jello
1/2 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen, sliced strawberries in syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Combine crust ingredients and press into bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool completely.Beat cream cheese, and margarita mix. Fold in 2 cups of Cool Whip. Spread mixture over crust. Refrigerate while preparing strawberry layer.Combine gelatin with boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved. Add frozen strawberries, and stir until dissolved and mixture starts to thicken. Whisk in 3 cups Cool Whip. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours to set.

Amish Peanut Butter

I fell in "love" with this peanut butter spread the first time I went to the Blue Gate Restaurant in Shipshewanna, IN. I went home trying to recreate the recipe. This one comes pretty close....It is addicting.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth
1/4 cup marshmallow creme




DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, mix corn syrup, peanut butter and marshmallow creme until thoroughly combined. Store in an air-tight container.

Oreo Custard Dessert

Custard:

1 c. milk

48 marshmallows

4 egg yolks.



Stir constantly until melted. Cool

Beat 4 egg whites till stiff. ….. Stir in 16 oz. cool whip. Sliver one large Hershey bar or 4 small ones. Fold into egg white/cool whip mixture.

When the custard mixture is cooled, combine the two together. Pour onto Oreo crust. One bag oreos crushed and mixed with ¾ stick melted butter….. Save some crumbs for the top…………

Enchilada Meatballs

2 cups of crumbled cornbread
1-10-oz can of enchilada sauce, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 pounds of ground chuck
1-10-oz can of tomato sauce
1 cup of mexican cheese blend divided

Oven set at 350. Combine the cornbread and 1/2 of the enchilada sauce,1/2 of the tomato sauce and 1/2 of the cheese and the salt.Crumble in the beef mixture and blend well. Shape into 1" balls and place on a jellyroll pan. Bake for 18-22 minutes. You can also use a cookie sheet with sides.Warm the remaining enchilada sauce and tomato sauce in a saucepan. Remove the meatballs from the oven, place in a serving dish and add the heated sauces and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

I made these today with some leftover sweet corn. Nummy. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, honey, or maple syrup makes them even more delish!!! I also added some parsley and chives into my batter....

Ingredients:

2 large ears fresh sweet corn (or 1 packed cup of thawed, drained, frozen corn)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
oil for frying

Preparation:

Over a large bowl, using a sharp knife, carefully shave the corn kernels off the cob. With the back of the knife, scrap the milky juice from the cob into the bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk into the corn until thoroughly combined. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Pour into the bowl of the corn mixture, and stir with a spatula to form a thick batter. Pour oil about 3/4-inch deep into a heavy-duty skillet. Over med-high heat bring oil to 375°F. When oil is hot, drop rounded tablespoons of batter carefully into the oil. Don’t crowd, the fritters should not touch each other. Best done in two batches. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until the corn fritters are golden brown. Drain on paper towels or wire rack. Salt if desired, and serve corn fritters immediately.

Best Ever Oven-Baked Barbecue Ribs

These ribs are tasty. Make sure you line the pan with foil so you don't have a huge mess to clean up....... The picture has ribs that are cooked with this recipe as well as a dry rub recipe that can be found on my sister Beth's blog.

Ingredients:
1 family pack ribs
1 18 ouce bottle hickory smoke BBQ sauce
1 14 ouce jar spaghetti sauce
1- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Directions:
Line a deep roasting pan with foil. Place ribs in foil. Pour remaning ingredients over ribs (no need to mix). Bake, uncovered, at 250 for 6 hours, or at 225 for 8-10 hours.

Asian Chicken Bites

Great as an appetizer or served as a main dish with a side of fried rice or veggies.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin and cut into chunks
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup flour, self rising
oil for frying

Sauce:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup of barbecue sauce
2 tblsps. brown sugar, dark or light
1/4 cup of honey1/4 cup of soy sauce
4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh gingerroot

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons minced garlic (Fresh!)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
1 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish.
2 Place the olive oil and garlic in a large resealable bag.* Add cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
3 Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown

Heath Bar Cake

:Great for the chocolate lover! It is very simple to make.

Ingredients:

1 box German Cake mix; mix according to package
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of caramel or butterscotch ice cream topping
1 8 oz. cool whip
1 pkg. Skor or Heath bits

Directions:

Bake cake according to package. *9 X 13 panPoke holes in the cake. Pour eagle brand milk over the cooled cake. ( I gave it about 5 minutes to work its way into the cake). Pour caramel topping. Top with cool whip and heath bits. This can be made with a regular chocolate cake mix......

Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1/2 c soy sauce
1/4 c olive oil
4 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves minced
2 pork tenderloins 3/4 to 1 lb each


Marinate for at least 4 hoursGrill over indirect medium heat 8-9 minutes per sideOr to 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. I have done this in the oven as well.

TACO BEEF NUGGETS WITH TEJANO DIPPING SAUCE

This recipe came from the Food Network.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef round

2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix

1 can (4 ounces) chopped mild green chilies, drained

16 cubes Co-Jack cheese (1/2-inch)

1 egg white1 tablespoon water

2 cups crushed nacho cheese-flavored tortilla chips

Sauce:

6 tablespoons prepared thick taco sauce

3 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Combine ground beef, taco seasoning and green chilies in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Divide beef mixture into 16 portions; shape each portion around a cheese cube, completely covering cheese.

2. Beat egg white with water in shallow dish until blended. Place chips in second shallow dish. Dip each meatball into egg white mixture, then into chips to coat completely. Press each meatball with palm into a flattened nugget shape, generously coating both sides of nugget with chips.

3. Spray large baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place nuggets in baking pan; spray tops of nuggets generously with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in 400°F oven 15 to 20 minutes to medium (160°F) doneness, until not pink and juices show no pink color.

4. Meanwhile combine sauce ingredients in small microwave-safe dish. Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds or until warm. Serve nuggets with sauce.

Spanish rice

After eating at On the Border one time, I tried to make my own version of their rice.....Add what you like to make it your own.


Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked rice -- your choice

2 cups cold water

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

olive oil

hot pepper sliced lengthwise (I use jalapeno)

tomato sauce (i'd say a little less that 1/4 cup) - I used enchilada sauce this past time.

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

salt, to taste



Directions:

Put a little olive oil (tbsp or so) into a medium-sized pot and heat to a medium temp. add the rice, uncooked, and brown in the oil. Make sure all the rice is lightly coated with the oil. you do not have to stir the rice around very much at first, while browning, but as the rice becomes browner you want to be stirring it around to make sure it all browns evenly and doesn't burn. It will turn BROWN....it's not burning unless it's turning dark/black. Towards the end of the browning, add the garlic so that it is sort of sauteed/browned. Next, dump the water on the rice (it will steam up loudly) and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and cover (with a small air escape). Reduce heat to medium-low and let cook for 20-30 minutes. (cooking time and temp varies with your stove....check after 20 min to make sure you don't burn!) The essential part of this recipe is DO NOT PEEK while the rice is cooking When it is ready, all the water will be absorbed, the rice will fluff, and each grain will be "split open" because of the browning. It should be dry, not saucy. You can adjust the spices/peppers to your taste. The recipe can be changed by keeping with the 1 cup rice/2 cups water ratio, and adjusting remaining ingredients.



I add about 1/2 c of corn the last few minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

Description:

This is Jamie's recipe. I have used it with both chicken and sirloin tip meat. IT is good along with spanish rice which I will post on another day.

Ingredients:

3-4 cooked chicken breasts cubed or shredded
1 jar of taco sauce or salsa
1 pint half and half
1 chicken bouillion cube
2 cups shredded cheese
8-10 flour tortillas

Directions:

Mix taco sauce and chicken together.In separate pan, dissolve chicken boullion in half and half.Dip each tortilla in half and half mixture and then spoon in chicken. Roll tortilla and place in glass 9 X 13 baking dish. Pour remaining half and half mixture over tortillas.Top with cheese.

Chocolate Mints

One of my favorite cookies!

Ingredients:

3/4 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 T. water
2 c semisweet chocolate pieces
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 lb Andes mints(chocolate wafers with green mint)



Directions:

In a large saucepan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add choc chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until completely melted. Pour into large mixer bowl and let stand about 10 minutes to cool.With a mixer at high speed, beat in eggs one at a time. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients. Beat until just blended. Chill dough about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350. Roll 1 tsp dough into balls, place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes---no longer since cookies will crisp as they cool. Remove from oven and immediately place 1 mint on each hot cookie. Allow mint to soften, then swirl mint over cookie. Remove from sheets and cool completely. Makes 80 cookies

Lemonade Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 Cups sugar
1 and 1/4 Cups powdered sweetened lemonade mix, divided
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract or 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 and 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and 3/4 Cup of the lemonade mix until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon extract or grated lemon rind.In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, beating until thoroughly combined.Place the remaining 1/2 Cup of lemonade mix in a shallow dish. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in the lemonade mix, then place them 2 inches apart on a well-greased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies until the edges just begin to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a rack.Makes about 5 dozen cookies.Notes:From the August 2002 issue of Family Fun Magazine

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 lb sliced bacon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbls. chili powder

Preheat over to 350 degreesCut chicken into 1" cubesCut each bacon slice into thirdsWrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a toothpick.Mix together brown sugar and chili powder.Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture.Coat a rack and broiler pan with cooking spray.Place chicken on rack & bake for 30-35 minutes, or until bacon is crisp.

Peanut Butter Pizza

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs -- lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
miniature marshmallows
semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and mix well. Pat into a greased 15-by-10 1/2 inch baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or till lightly browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with chocolate chips and marshmallows (in that order), till it looks well covered to you. Return to the oven and cook until marshmallows are lightly browned, or desired darkness

Aunt Dorothy's Brisket

The meat is very tender and you can cut it with a fork.

Ingredients:
4-5 lbs beef brisket
onion
chicken bouillion
garlic cloves

Directions:

Slit the beef in various places and insert garlic cloves on both sides. Sprinkle with chicken bouillion granules. Slice one onion and put in cooking bag. Lay the prepared brisket on top of the onion. Marinate in refigerator over night. Add one cup of water before cooking. Cook for 2-3 hours at 350. Cool. Slice against the grain. Reheat slowly for 1-2 hours.

Braised sirloin tips

Description:
This came from Don's sister and is easy and wonderful! Use whatever type of juice you have on hand in place of the cranberry.

Ingredients:

2 T shortening
2 # beef sirloin tips, cut into 1" cubes
1 can beef broth(or 1 cup boullion)
1/3 c cranberry cocktail
2 T soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t onion salt
2 T cornstarch
1/4 c water

Directions:

Melt shortening. Brown meat on all sides. Stir in bouillion, juice,soy, garlic and onion slat. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat;cover and simmer 1 hr until meat is tender. Blend cornstarch and water; stir into meat. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened(won't be too thick) Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve over rice.

*****Crockpot works great all day on low(I don't brown the meat when I put it in the crockpot) '
I have used round steak as well

LITTLE SMOKIE APPETIZERS

1 pkg. Little Smokies
1 lb. bacon
2 c. brown sugar

Cut bacon strips into 3 pieces. Wrap each piece around 1 smokie; secure with toothpick. Fill 9x13 inch baking dish and sprinkle brown sugar to cover on top. Bake at 300* for 45 minutes or until bacon is done. Brown sugar will melt and form a syrup. Serve hot.These are so good and so easy.

Hot Broccoli Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 8 oz. cream cheese
1 c sour cream
1 envelope (1 oz.) ranch salad dressing mix1 pkg.
1 (10 oz.) frozen,chopped broccoli, thawed,well drained
2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, salad dressing mix, with electric mixer. Stir in broccoli and 1 1/2 c of the cheddar cheese.Spoon into a 9 " pie plateBake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with 1/2 c cheddar cheese. Bake additional 5 minutes. Garnish with blanched broccoli flowerets and red pepper strips. Serve with bread, crackers, or assorted cut up vegetables

Lemon Pound Cake Muffins

These nummy muffins came from a Taste of Home Magazine. They are scrumptious!


1/2 cup butter, soft
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs and extracts; beat well. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4s full. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and move to a wire rack to cool. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over muffins. Serve warm.
I have also done mini-muffins and bake for about 10-12 minutes.

Creamy Parmesan Fondue

This is one of our favorites. We have it every Christmas Eve when we have fondue as well as other times throughout the year.

1-1/2 c. milk
2 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese [not low-fat or fat free]
Heat slowly in saucepan.
Add: 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Slowly add: 2-1/2 oz. container of Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 c.)

Blend milk, and cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Heat slowly in saucepan. Add salt and garlic salt. Slowly add Parmesan cheese. Stir until smooth, transfer to fondue pot. Serve with bread chunks. We use french bread cubes sometimes lightly toasted.

Creamy Bacon Bites

1 package, 8 oz., cream cheese
4 bacon slices, cooked, drained,and crumbled
2 Tbsp. chopped onion or garlic
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 package, 8 oz., refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cheese, bacon, onion and pepper. Separate crescent roll dough into 2 rectangles, press seams and perforations together with fingers to seal. Spread cream cheese mixture onto rectangles, roll up, starting with longest sides. Press seams together to seal, cut each roll into 16 slices, place cut side down on grease baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown

Marinated Green Beans

Description:This is from a Best of the Best cookbook. The beans are quite delicious.

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 16 oz can of green beans

Directions:

Brown bacon in pan, remove and set aside. Add sugar and vinegar to bacon grease and stir. Add grean beans. Simmer about 20 minutes. Add crumbled bacon and simmer about 5 minutes