Quite possibly THE BEST rice krispy treats you will ever have

The recipe is not for the faint hearted, don't even bother making them is you are worried about keeping track of calories, on the plus side - they are delicious

Caramel Rice Krispies

16 c. rice krispies

2 cubes butter

3 - 16 oz. bags of mini marshmallows

50 caramels

1 c. butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Make half of rice krispy mixture ( 1 bag marshmallows, 1 cube butter, 8 c. rice krispies) mix according to regular rice krispy recipe and smash down in greased 9 x 13 pan. Lay out waxed paper and tap rice krispies out of pan onto waxed paper. Repeat with second batch of rice krispies (1 bag marshmallows, 1 cube butter, 8 c. rice krispies) but leave in greased pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 bag of mini marshmallows on batch in pan. In a saucepan melt 1 c. butter, 50 caramels, and add sweetened condensed milk. Stir until melted and mixed together. Pour this caramel sauce over the marshmallows and carefully spread. Top with your first sheet of rice krispies that are on waxed paper. Stack together and refrigerate at least 1 hour. I found it was better to make the day before and leave in fridge overnight to let the caramel set up.

These are alot of work but well worth it. And the best part, at least for Matt is that there is absolutely no peanut butter polluting them.

ENJOY!

I was looking at the pictures on my camera and forgot I was going to post this salad. I got it from Marilyn Deal. Everywhere I have taken it, it is a hit. I hope you don't mind that I posted your recipe.

Spinach Salad
1 bag of baby spinach leaves (9 0z.)
1 pint fresh strawberries- sliced
1 avocado- peeled and diced
1 pkg. slivered almonds that have been sugared(at least 1/2 cup)

Dressing
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. sesame seeds
1 T. poppy seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sweet rice vinegar (regular is fine)
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 T. finely chopped onion (dried will work)

This is a lot of dressing you don't need to put it all on. This salad only last for the day.

We were at Trunk-or-Treat the other night and Rachael was saying to Lorri how excited she was to go home the have some of this soup. I think it is one of our favorite soups. So here it is.

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini
1 lb. Italian Sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic- minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine (I just use water instead)
4 large tomatoes- peeled, seeded and chopped (I use canned tomatoes)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 T. packed fresh basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
8 oz. fresh tortellini (I use cheese tortellini)
3 T. chopped fresh parsley

1. Brown sausage in 5 quart dutch oven remove and drain. Reserve 1 T. drippings.
2. Saute onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce and sausage. Bring to boil- simmer uncovered for 30 min.
3. Remove fat from soup. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 min. Add tortellini during the last 10 min. Sprinkle with paremesan cheese.

Baked Potato Soup

I tried this recipe tonight - and I thought it was yummy! ( I am a soup-aholic though....)
Sorry, I haven't figured out how to post pictures..... Addie is busy with homework.

3 Tbs. Butter
1 c. chopped onion
2 Tbs. flour
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth (I used one and a 1/2 cans....it needed it)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
dash Tobasco sauce (or 2 or 3...)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 c. half and half

Melt butter in soup pan on medium heat. Add onion and suate for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. Gradually add chicken broth. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, basil, Tobasco and garlic salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in half and half, and heat through.

We then loaded our bowls up with grated cheese, crumbled bacon, green onions and sour cream...you can be creative! The kids really liked the cheese and bacon in their soup.

It was good comfort food - enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Time

It's that time of year. I love sugar cookies.



Does anyone have a favorite sugar cookie recipe? This is a favorite of mine. It comes originally from a dear friend, Macy, but I got it on a flyer from my sister-in-law who is a real estate agent. If you like the really soft sugar cookies, this is the recipe for you. If you want a crisp, crunchy cookie, keep looking. Hope you like it.

Macy's Sugar Cookies

6 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter (no wonder these are good)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Cream together sugar and butter, then add eggs, vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to creamed mixture. It will become stiff. Roll out dough on a floured surface (it says to 1/2" thick but they puff up a little so I definitely would roll them thinner. I think it must be a typo and should be 1/4"). Cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen. These are AMAZING cookies.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

2/3 cup butter
6 cups powdered sugar
1 dash salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
food coloring

Combine all ingredients and have fun frosting.

A while ago my sister, Steff, put on her blog some panty cookies that she made from sugar cookie dough and a heart shaped cookie cutter. I thought they were hilarious and made them for our YW leaders for Valentine's Day. So if you want to make something funny, try these. (I couldn't find the picture Steff posted).

Update in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

I hope I don't get in trouble for this but I am going to post the recipe and basic instructions if you are interested in trying this recipe (this is the master recipe). We are doing this for enrichment and have gotten a good response so here we go. . .

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water

1 ½ tablespoons granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)

1 ½ tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt (reduced by one quarter if using table salt)

6 ½ cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose white flour, measured with the scoop and sweep method

Cornmeal for pizza peel

Mixing dough and storing dough

1. Warm the water slightly: It should feel just a little warmer than body temperature, about 100 degrees. Warm water will rise the dough to the right point for storage in about 2 hours. You can use cold tap water and get an identical final result; then the first rising will take 3 or even 4 hours. That won’t be too great a difference, as you will only be doing this once per stored batch.

2. Add yeast and salt to the water: in a 5-quart bowl or preferably, in a resealable, lidded (not airtight) plastic food container or food-grade bucket. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour – kneading is unnecessary: Add all of the flour at once. measuring it in with dry-ingredients measuring cups, by gently scooping up flour, then sweeping the top level with a knife or spatula, don’t press down into the flour as you scoop or you’ll throw off the measurements by compressing. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high capacity food processor (14 cups or larger) fitted with the dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until the mixture is uniform. If you’re hand-mixing and it becomes too difficult to incorporate all the flour with the spoon, you can reach into your mixing vessel with very wet hands and press the mixture together. Don’t knead! It isn’t necessary. You’re finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes, and will yield a dough that is wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

4. All to rise: Cover with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the container you’re using. Do not use screw-topped bottles or Mason jars, which could explode from the trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), approximately 2 hours, depending on the room’s temperature. Longer rising times, up to about 5 hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try our method, it’s best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours), before shaping a loaf.

On Baking Day

5. The gluten cloak: don’t knead, just “cloak” and shape a loaf in 30 to 60 seconds. First, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or whatever your recipe calls for) to prevent your loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter of a turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it’s not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process should take no more than 30 to 60 seconds.

6. Rest the loaf and let it rise on a pizza peel: Place the shaped ball on the cornmeal-covered pizza peel. Allow the loaf to rest on the peel for about 40 minutes (it doesn’t need to be covered during the rest period.) Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rising during this period; more rising will occure during baking (“oven spring”).

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with a baking stone placed in the middle rack. Place empty broiler tray for holding water on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

8. Dust and slash: Unless otherwise indicated in a specific recipe, dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1/4 –inch-deep cross, “scallop”, or a tick-tac-toe pattern into the top using a serrated bread knife.

9. Baking with steam: After a 20-minute preheat, you’re ready to bake, even though your oven thermometer won’t yet be up to full temperature. With a quick forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about 1 cup of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. Because you’ve used wet dough, there is a little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing” when initially expose to room-temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack, for best flavor, texture, and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days: You’ll find that even one day improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the 14-day storage period. We often have several types of dough storing in the refrigerator at once. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking.

Dough Moisture Content

If you modify a recipe, using . . .
. . .more liquid (giving you a wetter dough), you’ll get . . .	. . . less liquid (giving you drier dough), you’ll get . . .
Larger air holes	Smaller air holes
Desirable “custard” interior, can become gummy if too little flour is used or too much whole grain is included.	Difficult to achieve custard interior, interior will be drier.
May be difficult for free-form loaf to hold shape, may spread laterally, but will do very well in loaf pans.	Free-form loaves will hold shape well and remain high and domed.
Requires less resting time before baking.	Require more resting time before baking.

Resting and Baking Times

All of our resting and baking times are approximate. Since loaves are formed by hand, their size will vary from loaf to loaf. There can be significant changes in resting and baking time requirements with changes in loaf sizes. Although large, flat loaves bake rapidly, large, high domed loaves will require dramatically longer baking times. Here are some basic guidelines for varying resting and baking times and oven temperatures on the characteristic of that day’s loaf:

Increase resting and baking time if any of the following apply: Large loaf More whole grain Wetter Dough

Adjust baking temperature based on dough ingredients: Non-enriched doughs made mostly from white flour 450 degrees Egg, honey, or brioche dough 350 degrees High whole wheat content (more than 50 percent) 350 degrees

Easy Monkey Bread

Since Liz hasn't shared her really yummy, homemade recipe for Monkey Bread, I guess I will share this semi-homemade one. (I will still be hoping and waiting for Liz to post hers)

I got this recipe off the Just That Good recipe blog. It's not as good as a totally homemade recipe (LIZ!) but it's good when you want something quick, easy and tasty.

Rolls

4 cans refrigerated biscuits (any flavor)
1 cup brown sugar
2 TBS cinnamon
1 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
4 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla

"First of all ... there is no need to buy the more expensive brand of biscuit with this recipe. Just get the cheap ones.Melt one stick of butter in bowl. Using kitchen scissors, cut each biscuit in half and place them in bowl with melted butter. After all biscuits are cut roll them around in the butter to coat all sides. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Stir well. Grease a bundt pan or 9x13 glass dish. Bake at 350* for about 35 minutes, depending on which dish you are using. The 9x13 will take longer. Just keep an eye on it.Remove from oven and flip bundt over while hot ... otherwise, your monkey bread will be stuck in the pan. Drizzle glaze on top. Serve warm."

Spanish Rice

Also for our Fiesta I made Spanish Rice. I have tried the boxed variety from Uncle Ben's and a few of the others and have never been impressed. I got this one from allrecipes.com also. The bacon gave it a smoky flavor which really added to the overall taste. I went a little lighter on the green pepper as the boys in our family are not fans. I ended up doubling this recipe and it made quit a bit. Try and tell me what you think.

Spanish Rice Original

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup tomato sauce

6 slices bacon

2 onions, diced

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 tomatoes, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

1 (10 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained (optional)

1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil while cooking the following.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until evenly brown. Chop bacon, and set aside, reserving the bacon fat. Add onion to skillet, and saute until tender. Stir in rice, and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in boiling chicken broth and tomato sauce. Add diced tomatoes, green peppers, and chopped bacon. Season with chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in black olives and corn.

FOOTNOTE

• If you are going to double the recipe (I usually make a doubled recipe), use the same amount of bacon strips and oil, and keep to 1 can of olives and 1 can of corn, double all other ingredients.

Amy's Cilantro Cream Sauce

We had a fiesta at Grandma and Grandpa Butler's last night. It was to celebrate our Seniors moving on into the big wide world. Not that we were celebrating them leaving, but more to wish them well. Rebecca has been working at Taco Time and fixed us some chicken soft tacos. So along with that I found this cilantro cream sauce. It got great reviews on allrecipes.com, you can view it at the reviews here. Some people used it as a dip, some on burgers and others on tacos. So if you are looking for something light, new and festive, here you go. BTW, I am not sure who Amy is so if you want to call the Lorri's Cilantro Cream Sauce, go ahead :)

Amy's Cilantro Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.

Side note: My 18 year old son insisted on putting his hand in the picture because he is thinking of becoming a hand model.

I read about this book on another blog and have been trying to get my hands on it from the library every since. But since I was 151 in line for 6 books I finally just ordered it from Amazon. Basically the book gives you several recipes you can make ahead of time and then cut off a piece of dough when you are ready to make a loaf of artisan bread. The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and the bread is suppose to get better the longer it sits. I made my first batch this afternoon and will let you know the results. They also have recipes for doughnuts, other types of breads and troubleshoots most problems you might run into. I will keep you posted and share whatever recipes I think are worth trying.
Edited: I found this youtube video telling more about the book in case someone is interested.

Marilyne's Lion House Rolls

So our Mom finally made these rolls for us. They were absolutely fantastic. In fact we begged for them again they were so great. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. Mom also said they really weren't that hard to make so I am trying to gear myself up for the challenge.

If you are interested in this heavenly and divine recipe go here.

4th of July Cake

So we were invited to a barbecue at a friends house and I was asked to make a dessert. I don't know about you, but this is when I foolishly like to try new recipes, which usually leads to disaster. But this time, I found a winner. It was what the pioneer woman was making, and she got it from the Barefoot Contessa. How can you go wrong with that. The cake was very moist and slightly denser than regular cake, but it was a good match for the frosting and fruit. I would highly recommend this. It has quit a bit of butter so it isn't for the faint of heart, but when you add the fresh fruit it "almost" looks healthy. I got many compliments on how pretty it looked and was the only dessert that got completely eaten.
Note: I baked mine for 30 minutes and it still seemd a little soft in the middle, but it looked like the one on Pioneer Woman's website. Go here to see step by step directions with pictures.


Barefoot Contessa’s Fourth of July Cake

Cake:
18 tablespoons (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 half-pints blueberries
4 half-pints raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour (or spray with baking spray) an 18 x 12 x 1 ½
sheet cake pan.
Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add eggs, 2
at a time, then add sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bow. With the mixer on low speed,
add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric
mixer. Mix just until smooth.
Spread ½ of the icing on top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the star section of the flag with a
toothpick. Pipe two rows of icing, then place 2 rows of raspberries, alternately, to form the stripes of the cake. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

Serve at your Fourth of July celebration and send everyone home with a piece!
Recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa, www.barefootcontessa.com.
From the cookbook, “Barefoot Contessa Family Style”

Oven Baked Corn on the Cob

We were at a local town street fair and they were selling this heavenly smelling corn on the cob. It was also fun to see people carrying their cobs around by the husks which had been folded back into a handle. So of course we hunted down the source of this fun treat and paid a whopping $3 for an ear of corn. I felt for that much I should also get a few directions on how to do this at home. So I went behind the serving kiosk and talked to the oven tender (is that an official position, if so I need to hire one when I am toasting bread in the oven because I always burn it). He just takes the ears of corn out of the box and throws them in the oven for about 30 minutes. When they are done he takes a cob out, peels the husks down so you can hold your hot cob of corn with this makeshift handle. He then brushes off what is left of the silks and hands them to the seller who rolls it in butter and gives it to the customer (the oven tender told me that there is a lot of sugar in the silks and when you remove them prior to cooking you miss out on some great flavor). There were several things to sprinkle on besides the traditional salt and pepper. Our favorite was Johnnys seasoning. But they also had paremsan, paprika, lemon pepper and so on. It was really yummy.

So I decided to try it at home. I cooked it at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes and it came out perfect. The husks did get a little brown and there was a slight odor of burning husks in the house that was easy to get rid of. But how easy is that. You don't have to peel the corn anymore. Just throw it in the oven and cook away. Give it a try.



Picture is courtesy of the internet. I will post a real picture of my finished product next time we make it (which will hopefully be this week).

My husband said it was the best corn he had eaten and it was just from the grocery store. Imagie how divine to do it with fresh corn from your garden!

I read somewhere else that you can soak your corn a little before cooking so the husks don't burn, but I wonder if that would dilute the flavor. Something to try. Maybe we will try half soaked and half not and see what turns out better. Good Luck!

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

I made this for Mother's Day and it was really good. Of course almost anything Paula Deen makes is good. So I thought I would share it.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake
(makes 1 (9-inch) cake

1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry flavored instant frozen
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cup water
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Garnish: sliced fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 round 9 inch cake pans. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes about 4 cups)

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioner's sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry puree, reserving remaining for another use. Beat in extract. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, beat until smooth.
Note: for pinker frosting, add 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to frosting.

Barbecue Chicken

I started pondering some of my favorite recipes that I haven't made in awhile, and since it is close to summer, I remember loving this barbecue chicken. It reminds me of this stand at our local King County Fair that would make the best smelling and tasting chicken ever! I think it was run by the Kiwanas. Anyway, this recipe is very close to it. I like this recipe because you precook the chicken half way, so when you go to barbecue you don't have to wait forever for your chicken to get done. I did overcook my chicken when I precooked it, but it was still really tasty. I think it was because you baste it as it cooks so it still stayed decently moist. I also boiled the left over marinade (so it would be safe to eat after you marinade your half cooked chicken in it) and served it with the chicken. Hope you like this as much as I do.

Barbecue Chicken

3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup salad oil (I would half or possibly quarter this amount)
3/4 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
3 T sugar
2 T worcestershire sauce
2 tsp prepared mustard (I also cut this down a little)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
chicken breasts (in this recipe I prefer it on the bone, but this could be used on whole chicken pieces). If you use boneless chicken breasts I would just marinade without precooking.

Saute onion in oil until tender. Simmer the remaining ingredients until thick. Boil chicken in salt water until partially done. Marinade (I did this overnight) - barbecue and brush with sauce until it is cooked through (juices run clear when poked with a fork).

Turtle Cookies

I am not sure why these are called turtle cookies. It is a recipe that I got from my sister in law years ago (since then she has left the family). I like these because they are different (you make them in a waffle iron) and don't require a lot of ingredients. They also make up pretty quickly. So if you are looking for something new, here it is.
Hope this was okay to post on Sunday. Our church is a 9am after which we usually havea big dinner. So by 6pm my kids start wandering the kitchen looking for something taste, so I made these tonight. This is also great with milk which we are trying to drink tons of since my 13 year old daughter needs to make a boat out of milk cartons and it is due next week. Milk and cookies, is there any better combination?

Turtle Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
6 T cocoa powder

Preheat waffle iron.
Beat sugar and eggs while butter in melting in microwave. Add melted butter and vanilla then mix well. Next add flour and cocoa powder while mixing between additions.
Drop by tablespoons onto each section of the waffle iron (as shown below)



Close and bake for 2 1/4 minutes per batch (for some reason mine were sticking a little this time so I sprayed with cooking spray every other batch). Lift off with a fork when they are done. Make sure you don't overcook them are they will be tough. I frosted mine with canned, whipped, chocolate frosting. But these would be yummy if you have a great chocolate frosting. You can add sprinkles for the kids (or you that are young at heart). One in my picture is not frosted so you can see what they look like when they come out. One also has sprinkles.

Enjoy!

Waffles

These are the waffles my mom use to make. I have tried a few other recipes and still really like this one. Mostly because you beat the egg whites and then fold them into the batter which gives you fluffy waffles instead of hard hockey puck types. This is actually in the Better Homes and Gardens cook book. I share this with you today, because we made these for breakfast and I actually remembered to take a picture.

ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil or shortening melted

In a large bowl stir together dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt. In a small mixing bowl beat egg yolks then add milk and oil, mixing after each addition. Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients. In another bowl mix egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour-milk mixture. Leave a few fluffs of egg white so you know you didn't over mix. This is important - Do Not Overmix.

Pour batter onto preheated waffle iron and follow directions from manufacture on how to cook waffles. To keep waffles hot for serving, place in a single layer on a wire rack placed atop a baking sheet in a warm oven.

This makes three 9 inch waffles. You can also double the recipe, making extra waffles, then store in freezer bags. When you want waffles just put them in a toaster and heat through. If you do this, just cook them until they start to turn light brown as they will finish browning in the toaster.

Easy Apple Dip

Whew! I am back. We just got our son off to the MTC to serve a mission in the Tucson, Arizona where he will speak Spanish. It was a harrowing last couple of weeks which finally culminated in tears (mostly me) as we parted. So I have been a wee bit busy, and unable to post.

This one is very, very (can I emphasize very) easy to make. I actually invented this a few years back when in desperate need of an appetizer for a Relief Society social in the fall. Maybe this has been done by someone else, but humor me and make me think I am clever.


These are the required ingredients. Count them - 4!
12 oz container of cool whip
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping
lemon
apples
If you don't have a fresh lemon, you can use lemon juice. And if you are going to eat it right away, you don't need the lemon at all.


First step one is put cool whip in a lovely bowl. Add as much cool whip as you want dip. Then drizzle caramel ice cream topping into the cool whip and mix gently. You can more caramel if you want more of that flavor or less if you want it more fluffy. It is all just a matter of preference. If you are one of those people desperately in need of measurements, how about a 12 oz container of cool whip to 1/2 jar of Hershey's caramel ice cream topping.

Now put this in the fridge while you cut up your apples. We are gala fans and fuji comes in second place. Put some water in a bowl and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice in it (this is where you can use lemon juice from the bottle if you wish). Cut your apples slices into the bowl of lemon water. Let hem sit for just a minute and then drain. Arrange apple slices on the plate around your bowl of caramel dip and serve. The lemon water will keep your apples from going brown and unless you get crazy about adding lemon juice you won't even taste it.


If you use fat free or low fat cool whip this ends up being a fairly light and low fat treat. You can also keep cool whip in the freezer and the jar of caramel in your pantry so you can always have it on hand for a quick treat to take somewhere. Hope you enjoy this!

Tres Leches (Milk Cake)

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. Matt's work is having a contest on Friday to see who can bring the best Mexican food. Matt really wanted me to give Tres Leches a try. I was a little hesitant thinking it would be kinda gross to eat soggy, milky cake but I have to say, it is sooooooo good! I'm so glad we tried it out and it was really easy. I think we have a good shot at winning the gift card from Matt's boss. The cake is so moist and the taste is fantastic. You should definitely give this a go! I'll let you know how the contest turns out. :)

Tres Leches

INGREDIENTS

5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Cream butter or margarine and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, beat well.
Add the flour mixture to the butter or margarine mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
Whip whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

A hit for dinner last night!

So I tried a recipe off the picky palate blog last night. You should have seen my kids faces when I placed it on the table, they were not happy to say the least. In fact, in the blessing on the food my 11 year old prayed that he would be able to eat the meal and not throw up - it is such a pleasure to cook for them! Now for the good news - they loved it! There was some spinach and aparagus pushed to the side of a couple plates but all in all it was a success. I did change one small thing on the recipe, it calls for alot of gorgonzola cheese so I just swapped amounts with the parmesan cheese. We still got the rich flavor without it being overwhelming. I even remembered to take a picture, it's nothing like the picky palate pictures but it's a start.

I highly recommend this recipe, in fact I finished it off for lunch today - Yummy!
The recipe is posted below with the cheese amounts already swapped the way I made it.

Spinach and Asparagus Chicken Linguini in a Parmesan Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

12 oz uncooked linguini pasta

1 Bunch asparagus tips

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

Pinch of salt and pepper

3 Cups lowfat milk

¼ Cups crumbled gorgonzola

1¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 Cups baby spinach

2 medium size chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

10 strips precooked bacon, crisped and crumbled

Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare linguini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan filled ¾ full of water to boil. Place asparagus tips in hot water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and place into a bowl of ice water to shock and stop cooking. Set aside.
2. Place butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat to melt. Whisk in flour, pinch of salt and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium high. While whisking, heat until milk comes to a light boil.

Reduce heat to low and immediately stir in parmesan and gorgonzola until melted. Stir in chopped spinach, linguini, asparagus, chicken and half the bacon.

Gently toss to coat, season with pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a large serving bowl and garnish top with remaining crumbled bacon pieces.

Barbecue Spareribs

This recipe is from a favorite fellow who use to be in our ward. His name was Wayne Winter and uou couldn't meet a nicer guy. This was one of his specialties.

Barbecue Spareribs

country style spareribs (buy this already cut into pieces without the bone, they have package at Costco)
salt and pepper
Bullseye Barbecue Sauce (or whatever your favorite is, again you might want to buy this at Costco because you use quit a bit)

Season spareribs with salt and pepper. Brown in a pan/dutch oven (I do this in batches, then put them all back in when they are all browned). Pour Barbecue sauce over the top to coat spareribs. Bake at 280 - 300 degrees for 2 hours, stirring halfway through.

Andes Mint Cookies

These are very yummy and great for open houses or to take somewhere special.

Andes Mint Cookies

3/4 cup margarine
2 T Water
1 1/2 cubs brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
2 beaten eggs
1 1/4 tsp soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 pkgs. 28 mini size Andes Mints

Melt together margarine, water, brown sugar and chocolate chips on low heat. Cool for ten minutes then add the eggs, soda, flour and salt. Chill dough for about 45 minutes. Roll into small balls. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and put 1/2 of an Andes Mint on the top. When melted, spread over cookie. This makes approximately 90 - 100 small cookies. This is from a sister in our ward's mom and she says it is standard far at any open house hosted in her family.

Slushy Punch

This is a fun and tasty drink that I got from my sister Wendi. Basically you make a mixture ahead of time, pour it into 2 containers (probably something that looks nice because you might set it on the table) then freeze it. When you are ready to serve, use an ice cream scoop to scoop out some of the frozen slush, put it in a cup then pour 7 up over the top. Because you are using unsweetened koolaid you can make it in any flavor you want (or color to go with a theme). You can even make each bowl a different color for variety. This makes a pretty good amount.

Slushy Punch

16 cups water
6 cups sugar
2 (12 oz) cans frozen lemonade
3 pkgs koolaid
2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
7 up

Heat 8 cups of water to boil, add an dissolve sugar and koolaid in it. Add remaining water and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and put into 2 containers then freeze. When ready to serve, pull out 1 container at a time, scoop out about 1/2 cup of slush, put in a cup. Pour 7 up over the top and enjoy. When it begins to thaw, put it back in the freezer and use the other frozen slush. Keep switching so it always stays frozen.

Banana Bread

I realize that there is a shortage (maybe it is over) of bananas, but I wanted to share this recipe that has been passed around and horded through our ward. It is a very sweet banana bread and has not nuts (I guess you could add some if you wanted to). I love the added almond flavoring and the glaze makes it more of a dessert than other banana breads. This makes 2-3 loaves depending on your pans. And "no" just because it has bananas, doesn't mean it is healthy (check out the oil and butter yummm!)

Banana Bread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soda
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 mashed bananas
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup oil
1/2 cup butter melted
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add buttermilk, eggs, oil, butter and mashed bananas. Mix until just combined. Next add vanilla and almond extract. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to wet mixture and mix until just combined. I believe if you over mix it will make your bread tougher (can anyone confirm this?).
Pour into bread pans that have been sprayed with pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or more. Check it with a knife, when you insert the knife and pull it out if there is still wetness on it then keep cooking. I definitely cooked mine for more than an hour. If your oven cooks hot, you may want to drop the temperature a little so they don't get to brown on the outside.

Glaze
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp butter

Bring to a boil - turn off and pour over warm bread while still in the pan. When it sets up, remove bread from pans. Let sit until cooled a little, then slice and serve.

Corn Dip

I cheated and used a picture off the internet, but have made this several times. It is very tastey and is a different than same old dips everyone brings. You can also serve it cold or hot. If you want to heat it, I put it in the oven at 350 degrees until it is heated through and the cheese is melted. Serve it with tortilla chips or corn chips. I have also heard of people dipping veggies into it. Not sure I get that but hey, to each his own. This also makes a lot. You might want to half it the first time.

Corn Dip

INGREDIENTS

3 (11 ounce) cans Mexican-style corn, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch salt
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 jalapeno diced (optional for heat)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large serving bowl, stir together the corn, mayonnaise, sour cream, green onions, cilantro, Cheddar cheese and lime juice. Add green chiles and as much jalapeno as you desire for heat. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir to blend in seasonings, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.

Oatmeal Caramel Bars

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. I made a few changes that other reviewers suggested.

INGREDIENTS:
32 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
5 tablespoons heavy cream (milk works too)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter, melted (I use a little less)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I use a little more)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (we don't like nuts so I use baking toffee chips instead)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth. (I do this in the microwave to save time)

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press Half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Reserve the rest.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly toasted. Cut into squares while it is still warm.

Easy Oven Beef Stew

This is a great easy recipe you can start in the early afternoon and have ready when everyone gets home for dinner.

Easy Oven Beef Stew

2-lb stew meat (I usually buy a roast and chunk it up)
1 medium onion - chopped
1 stalk celery (I omit this because my family isn't wild about celery)
4 carrots - cut into chunks (I buy the bag of baby carrots and cut them in half)
1 T. sugar (I half this because I don't like it so sweet)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. tomato juice
2 T. minute tapioca

Mix meat, onions, celery, carrots in a large pan. Mix together sugar, salt, tomato juice and tapioca. Pour over meat and vegetables. Cover with foil tightly, then a lid. Bake at 250 degrees for 5 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes.

note: When you pour the liquid over the meat and vegetables it appears there will not be enough, but it will make enough gravy to serve with the mashed potatoes. Real mashed potatoes are the best but instant do well in a pinch.

Lion House Rolls

I have a piece of crud camera so please don't judge me by my pictures. I didn't have a picture of these cooked but you can get the idea from this pic of them rising.

These are some of my favorite rolls. I can't actually get the real shape of the Lion House Rolls so I just make them into a cresent shape. The one thing I do different from the following recipe is brush the dough with butter before I roll it into cresent shapes. Enjoy!

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

Method:
In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).
Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.
Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.
Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with Honey Butter. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.

Helpful Tips for Making Rolls
Always add flour gradually and keep dough as soft as you can handle. A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.
It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour called for in the recipe—add only enough flour to make dough manageable.

To shorten dough's rising time, use one of these methods:
1) When dough is thoroughly mixed, oil bowl and cover dough with plastic wrap. Fill sink or larger bowl with about 2 inches of hot water or enough water to come about half or three-fourths the way up outside the dough bowl. Place bowl of dough in bowl of water and allow to rise until double in size.
2) Just before mixing dough, turn oven on lowest possible temperature. Place a pan of hot water on bottom oven rack. When dough is thoroughly mixed, place in oiled bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap; place in oven. Turn oven off, shut oven door, and allow dough to rise until double in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Shape or cut into desired rolls. Place rolls on greased or parchment-lined pans and allow to rise until double in size. Bake according to recipe.
Brush top of rolls with butter when first taken from oven.
How to consistently make attractive, good-tasting rolls? Practice! Practice! Practice!

White Chocolate Chippers

If you are a McGhie, you know I have an obsession with cookies. My latest quest has been an effort to reproduce the White Chocolate Chippers from Paradise Bakery.....they don't have them in Georgia!

(Note to Steph - I would like to see you post the recipe for those yummy bar cookies you brought to Mom and Dad's farewell!)

White Chocolate Chippers

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. Hersheys DARK cocoa

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour (approx.)

2 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. white chocolate chips (or less)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (opt....I like nuts)

Beat butter, short., sugars, add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients.

I usually chill the dough a while....it gives me a chance to eat it longer.

Roll into small balls and bake 350 for 10 min.

Peanut Butter S'more Cookies

I don't really like peanut butter cookies. Not sure why. I mean I love peanut butter and I love cookies. I bought this small pamphlet cook book called "Monster Cookies" which has recipes for those huge sized cookies. In it I tried the recipe for these. They were really yummy. Every time I take them somewhere I always get tons of requests for the recipe. So here it is...

Peanut Butter S'mores

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 (1.55oz) milk chocolate candy bars
16 large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl; set aside. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in peanut butter, egg and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended.
3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten dough with tines of fork, forming criss-cross pattern. Bake about 14 minutes of until set and edges are light golden brown. Cook cookies 2 minutes on cookie sheets; transfer to wire cooling racks. Cool completely.
4. To assemble sandwiches, break each candy bar into four sections. Place 1 section of chocolate on flat side of 1 cookies. Place on microwaveable plate; top with 1 marshmallow. Microwave on HIGH 10 to 12 seconds or until marshmallow is puffy. Immediately top with another cookie, flat side down. Press slightly. Repeat with remaining cookies, chocolate and marshmallows. Cool completely. Makes about 16 sandwich cookies.