Snickerdoodle Muffins

yumm! these taste like little muffin Snickerdoodles! I made them for the first time right after Fast Sunday, so; yes, I was really hungry, but they ARE Tasty! the original recipe called for 3/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg and 2 t. vanilla, but I wanted these to taste just like Snickerdoodles, so I didn't add them in....if you want a still yummy muffin, go ahead and add them, just don't call them Snickerdoodle Muffins!

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. cream of tartar
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sour cream (I used light, and they were fine)
pinch of salt (not in original recipe, but i added it)

1 c. sugar mixed with 2 t. cinnamon for rolling muffins in



Directions:

*Turn the oven to 350* spray with PAM 2 muffin tins (i LOVED these as mini muffins, I made both, but the mini muffins had a better cinnamon sugar to muffin ratio I thought)

1. Cream the softened butter with the sugar till light and fluffy-about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mix till each is incorporated.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, b. powder, soda, and cream of tartar.

3. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Adding the flour first and last. Scrape the bowl occasionally.

4. Using a scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the sugar till it's covered completely. Gently pick it up and pop it into the prepared muffin tins (mine filled to the top). Recipe said it makes about 14, I made 1 dozen regular and a whole pan ?? 2 doz?? minis....go figure.

5. Bake for.... i think i baked the minis for about 9 minutes...check with a toothpick at 8.
the regular size, may have been 14....again, check...sorry I didn't write it down....recipe said 20-22, but It wasn't that long.

happy baking!

Another GREAT Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2 c. brown sugar

1 ½ c. sugar

1 lb. butter (4 sticks)

3 eggs

2 T vanilla

1 ½ t. baking soda

1 ½ t. salt

6 c. flour

2 big handfuls of oatmeal

½ - 1 bag each of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and white choc. Chips (or peanut butter chips)

*** and I like to add toasted pecans too!

Cream the sugars and butter till fluffy and creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, b. soda, and salt. Add the oatmeal, and the chips, and the nuts.

You can refrigerate covered dough overnight if desired.

Bake in 350* oven for 9 or 10 minutes.

YUMMY!

and yes....you CAN 1/2 the recipe!

Mel's Mint Cookies

so....not MY recipe, but one Mel found, and i ate. these stayed soft and chewy for the whole week! yum!

Melanie’s Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 (1 pound 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
6 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks



Directions

1) Mix cookie mix, butter, extract, food color, and egg in bowl, until
soft dough forms. Stir in crème de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.

2)Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased
cookie sheet.

3)Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 3 minutes; remove
from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store
tightly covered at room temperature.

Homemade Mac n' Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. cornstarch

1 t. salt

1/2 t. dry mustard (I don't add this)

1/4 t. pepper

2 1/2 C. milk

2 T. butter

2 C. cheese

1 3/4 C. - 2 C. macaroni noodles (more or less depending how saucey you want it to be.)

DIRECTIONS:

Cook macaroni, drain and put in 8x8 baking dish. Set aside. Combine cornstarch, salt, dry mustard (yuck), and pepper in pot, and stir in milk. Add butter and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Stir in cheese until melted. Pour over macaroni noodles and stir up. Sprinkle extra cheese on top to cover noodles. Bake 350 for 30 minutes.

SUUUUPER good. Probably one of my favorite side dishes and my kids LOVE it too. Whoopee!

Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS:

4 C. sliced apples (granny smith are the best)

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 C. water

7 T. butter (softened)

1 C. sugar

3/4 C. flour

DIRECTIONS:

Butter the baking dish (i use a round glass dish, or my 8x8) and add in the apples. Add the cinnamon over the apples, and then pour the water over also. (fact: I use WAY more than a t. of cinnamon. I don't measure it, I just use the container to sprinkle it all over the apples till I feel like it's evenly spread. I like cinnamon.)

Work together sugar, flour and butter with fingers until crumbly, and spread over apple crud and bake uncovered for 90 minutes at 325. (I don't think mine usually takes the full 90 minutes, but I cut my apples real small. Just keep any eye on it around an hour till the top is browning a little, and try poking a knife or something in the apples to see if they're soft and gooey.)

I LOVE THIS STUFF. And you better have vanilla ice cream to go with it or else it's boring. Hooray!

Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Bites

these are owesome. even katie likes them!

Ingredients

• 8 slices uncooked bacon
• 1 T Olive Oil
• 1 Lg. red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (3 oz)
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 can crescent dinner rolls (8 rolls)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray large cookie sheet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray, or line with cooking parchment paper.
2. In 10-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp. Remove from skillet; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside.
3. Discard bacon drippings. Add oil to skillet; heat over medium heat until hot. Add onion and bell pepper; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender. Stir in salt and pepper. Place mixture in food processor bowl with metal blade. Cover; process until smooth. Or blend in blender on medium speed about 30 seconds, stopping once to scrape sides, until smooth.
4. In small bowl, mix goat cheese, cream cheese and parsley until smooth.
5. Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. Cut each rectangle into 8 (1 1/2-inch) squares. Place squares on cookie sheet. Spoon rounded 1 teaspoon red pepper mixture on each square, spreading slightly. Spoon slightly less than 1 teaspoon cheese mixture on pepper mixture on each square. Top each with about 1/4 teaspoon crumbled bacon.
6. Bake 15 to 22 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

 "Spiced Applesauce Cake"

A Chicken in Every Pot

A crock pot, that is. Making this slow cooker meal is incredibly simple, but the results are so good! It works great for a Sunday meal. You'll need a whole chicken - not the little fryer kind - the bigger ones are better. We get a 2-pack at Sams Club and freeze one for later. Just make sure the bird will fit in your slow cooker, with some room to spare for the veggies. This isn't really a recipe in the sense that you can add whatever you like. Por ejemplo, we don't love potatoes so much so I only add about 3 when I make this for just us. But I love carrots, so I put in at least 6 or so.

Supply List:

a whole chicken

potatoes, peeled if desired & cut into large wedges

carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces

onion and/or old apple scraps

anything else (maybe you like celery chunks, pearl onions... or turnips?)

poultry seasoning

sea salt & pepper

1 chicken bouillon cube*

1/2 cup chicken broth (or water & more bouillon)

Okay, here's how I do this:

1. Turn the crock pot on to high and add the chicken broth.

2. Put all those potato pieces in the crock pot next and crumble the bouillon cube over them. If your crock pot is oval shaped, or larger than your chicken, go ahead and put all the veggies in right now. Our slow cooker is not, so I save the carrots and any smaller veggies for step 4.

*If you are adding lots of veggies to serve more than 4, you may want to crumble 2 bouillon cubes over everything.

3. Take your chicken out of its plastic wrap and get ready to season it. I like to do this in the sink. It's easier to clean up all the nasty raw chicken stuff. If your chicken has giblets stuffed in the hole, get those out and toss them in the trash. Yuck. Stuff the empty cavity with onion wedges or even old apple wedges. Just so it's not empty. Now simply season the bird with the salt & pepper and that poultry seasoning. Season it heavily, especially with the poultry stuff. When it's ready, put it in the cooker, with the breast side on the top. That makes for easier cutting later.

4. Next it's time to stuff any remaining nooks and crannies with the rest of your veggies if your cooker is tight on space. If you have room to spare, let's move on.

5. Put the lid on and walk away for 3 hours. DO NOT TAKE THE LID OFF during the cooking. Just don't.

6. After about 3 hours on high (we've gone up to 4 hours with good results, if you can't make it back), turn the crock pot down to low. DO NOT TAKE THE LID OFF. Leave it on low for at least 3 more hours. 3 hours alone with get you wonderfully soft, succulent chicken that more or less holds its shape when you cut and serve it. If you leave it in for 4+ hours, the meat will fall apart much, much more. Which is fine, if you like that.

That's it. We like eating ours with some gravy on the table. Enjoy!

Awesome BBQ Chicken Chili

INGREDIENTS

2 cans black beans

2 cans kidney beans
2 cans chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 bottle bbq sauce (my bottle is probably like 16 oz or so...) - honey bbq is good
1/2 bottle ketchup (again...not the gigantic bottle...probably 16 oz.)
2T sugar
cayan pepper (I hardly do any)
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS
Dump all cans into crock pot UNDRAINED, and other ingredients except chicken. Mix it all together and then taste a bit of it, so you know if you want to add more of anything. Then add the chicken ( add it after I taste it so I don't get salmonella). Cook on high in crock pot for 4 hours. (I put the chicken in frozen, but you can do thawed chicken too.)

Once the 4 hours is up, you take the chicken out and shred it up, and then put it back in and mix it all up. I like to add a plop of sour cream on top and shredded cheese, and you MUST eat it with fritos. YUUUMMMY!!!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

this is sooo good. pumpkin pie is just a'ight for me, but this is glorious. topher....its just like a pieshake from sammy's.

1/3 C pumpkin, canned or homemade
1/4 - 1/2 C milk
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/16 t cloves (just use a 1/8 t measure and fill it half way, or do a pinch)
1/16 t nutmeg
2 T brown sugar
2 C vanilla ice cream
1-2 graham crackers

pop everything but the ice cream and graham crackers in a blender. start with 1/4 C milk and then slowly add more if needed to make the blender process it all. i like to mix all the powders to make sure they blend then add the ice cream.

once its blendeded you can sprinkle on some grahams and enjoy.

its sooo good.

buffalo chicken crescent puffs

INGREDIENTS

12

oz cream cheese (from two 8-oz packages), softened

2

tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce or other red pepper sauce - we added more for more pronounced flavor

1/3

cup crumbled blue cheese (1 1/2 oz)

1/4

cup finely chopped celery (i, of course, omitted this - yuck)

1

cup finely chopped cooked chicken breast - we added between 1/12 - 2 C

2

cans (8 oz each) crescent rounds (16 rounds) or 2 cans (8 oz each) crescent dinner rolls

1/3

cup Unsalted or Salted Butter, melted

1

cup plain or chicken-flavored panko-style bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

• 1 Line cookie sheet with sides with waxed paper or cooking parchment paper. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and pepper sauce. Stir in blue cheese and celery. Stir in chicken until well blended. Shape mixture by tablespoonfuls into 32 (1 1/2-inch) balls; place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

  2 Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. If using crescent rounds, remove from package, but do not separate rounds. If using crescent rolls, remove from package, but do not unroll. Using serrated knife, cut each roll evenly into 16 rounds; carefully separate rounds. Press each round to 3 inches in diameter. Place chilled chicken mixture ball on center of each dough round; shape dough around ball to cover completely.

  3 In shallow dish, place melted butter. In another shallow dish, place bread crumbs. Dip dough balls into butter, then roll in bread crumbs. Place 2 inches apart on large ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Creamy Mexican Chicken Soup

I don't know about the rest of you, but it's getting colder here and time for warm recipes. Hooray for crock pots and things being super easy to make!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 - 16 oz. can of corn with peppers, drained

1 - 10 3/4 oz. can of condensed potato soup

1 - 4 oz. can of diced green chile peppers

3 C. chicken broth

1/2 taco mix packet

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 8 oz. block of pepper jack cheese cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine chicken, corn, potato soup, undrained chile peppers, taco mix, and chicken broth in crock pot. Mix well, cover. (duh.) Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours.

2. Put sour cream in a bowl and add some of the hot broth to mix. (so the sour cream blends in better.) Pour back in and add in the pepper jack cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes, and then devour with fritos!

Crisp Rosemary Flatbread

i have this food site that i LOVE. i have tried many of the recipes there and am almost always so glad that i did. Smitten Kitchen go there.

so naturally, my first recipe post should be from its archives. the following is straight from the site. also, i just made this for the second time in three days. the first time, these "crackers", as we call them, lasted mere hours. they are so simple and so good.

Crisp Rosemary Flatbread
Adapted from Gourmet, July 2008

Nothing could be easier than making this cracker, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tell people you slaved all day over it because they’re going to be impressed, really impressed, and I see no reason not to milk it.

I think you could easily swap the rosemary for other herbs, such as thyme or tarragon, or punch it up with black pepper or other spices, but personally, I like it just the way it is here.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon (has anyone seen this stateside?)

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.

Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.

Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).

Lightly brush top with additional oil and scatter small clusters of rosemary leaves on top, pressing in slightly*. Sprinkle with sea salt. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.

Flatbread can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

*here are my changes: i didn't brush the top with more oil. i felt the dough had plenty. on the other hand, if you have a good oil i suppose the more the merrier? i dunno. i also used kosher salt in the dough, and sprinkled (just a bit) more on top. oh yeah, and i also also also have a thing with big pieces of dried rosemary, so i had a bottle of dried, crushed rosemary that i used. our fresh stuff is getting woody.

More Advice: if you remove the flatbread from the oven, just as the edges are beginning to brown, the texture results in more of a chew than a snap. i liked that. ammon, however, wanted his crispy & snappy, so i left one in just a litttttttle bit longer. and there you have it.

drinks drinks and more drinks

i stumbled onto this site and so far am loving it....so i thought i'd share.
i love drinks, and always love finding festive new ones to try. you could try a new drink everyday! so here it is...enjoy!

http://www.drinksmixer.com/cat/8/

Cheesey Corn Dip

This is one of Tyler's favorite things and he makes me make it insanely often. :)

3 cans drained corn
2 C. mayonnaise (I use a little under 1 C. cause it's not as fattening that way.)
1 C. Parmesan cheese
16 oz. Pepper Jack Cheese (Aldi only sells it in 8 oz. packages of slices, so I just tear the pieces up)
1/2 to whole can sliced jalapenos (I actually skip this part cause I don't like them.)

Mix together in 9x13 dish. Bake 20 minutes at 350. After its done I get a spoon and mix it all together a little more now that it's all melted.

Yummy! Make sure you have some tortilla chips!

Ranch Chicken

¾ c. cornflakes crushed

¾ c grated Parmesan cheese

1 pkg. Ranch salad dressing

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

½ c. butter or marg. Melted (I use maybe 2 T.)

Note: This really does make enough for like 8 whole chicken pieces, so if you're only making 4-5 you can half the recipe. That's what I do.

In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, p. cheese, and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in melted butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat. Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13” baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350* for 45 min. or until juices run clear. Makes 8 servings.

I LOVE this stuff. and if I have any leftover crumby-stuff I put it all over the chicken also. I like to serve it with mashed potatoes and sometimes I dip my bites in sour cream just for kicks. :)

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

Grill 4 or 5 chicken tenders. I used some lemon pepper marinade cause that is what I had and it was GOOD! Italian dressing is also great! Chopped up about a half of a red pepper and half a green pepper and a quarter to a half of an onion. Saute in pan with some olive oil, 1 clove crushed garlic, a little salt and pepper and about 3/4 teaspoon cumin. Chopped up the chicken. Shred half cheddar cheese and half monterey jack. Take a large tortilla, place some cheese, chicken and sauted veggies on half the tortilla and fold. Spray a skillet with oil that is big enough to fit 2 folded tortillas. Cook on medium heat for about ohhh, 2 minutes per side? Watch them! Flip when it is lightly browned.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or Matt's hot sauce :) and my sooooo easy mexican rice ( I will post that tomorrow)

Greek Potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Cut up 7 or 8 potatoes into bit size chunks and put in a medium size bowl. Add about a 1/2 cup of olive oil? (I've never measured, use enough to really cover potatoes)

Crush 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, lots of sea salt and pepper, and oregano....be very generous with the oregano...like 3 teaspoons. Squeeze a half of lemon into it too if you have one, (I can't remember which way I like it better.) I add a few big dashes of basil too. Toss to coat the potatoes well and spread out on a cookie tray. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes have browned edges and are as crisp as you like them. Of course we dip them in ketchup :)

Waikiki Meatballs

*you can make your meatballs or buy them...and we love sauce, so the sauce has been doubled already for this recipe

Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 C crushed soda crackers
1/2 C onion, minced or chopped
1 egg
1 t salt
2 T milk

Mix together beef, crackers, onion, egg, salt, and milk.  Shape into balls.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. 


Sauce:
1/4 C cornstarch
1 can pineapple (cut into tidbit size; drain, but reserve liquid)
1 C brown sugar
2/3 C white vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/3 C chopped green pepper

Mix cornstarch and brown sugar.  Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth.  Pour into skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly (or it will burn).  Add meatballs, pineapple, and green peppers.  Serve over rice.

Carne Asada

we had this at a Stake Meeting and it was very tasty!
some of these spices you may not have, but i'm pretty sure if you take a walk down the Mexican isle and look at the spices (they're cheap!) you may find them. maybe i'll find them all and mix them together and send you all some if you think that would be a good idea.

This is a "do-ahead dish" make it the night before to marinate for 24 hours.


4 lbs. flank steak (approx. 3-4 flanks)
1/2 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 limes, juiced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 New Mexico chili, finely chopped (optional)
2 t. salt
2 t. ground black pepper
2 t. garlic powder
2 t ancho chili powder
2 t. chipotle chili powder
2 t. ground oregano
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. ground paprika

Slice flank steak into strips 1/2" wide across the grain of the flank. Then mix all other ingredients into a container. Omit the jalapeno and New Mexico peppers for a milder flavor. Add the meat and knead the marinade into the meat by hand. Let sit for 8 - 24 hours, the longer the better. Lay marinated strips flat on the grill and cook 4-5 minutes at approx. 350*, then flip strips and cook for another 2-3 minutes. This recipe will serve 10-12.

Mini Meatloaves

or should it be spelled "meatloves"...that's so cute.

ok, the ingredients:

for the meatloaf:
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c. quick oats
1 t. salt
1 lb. ground beef

for the sauce:
2/3 c. ketchup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t. prepared mustard


Preheat oven to 350*

In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats, and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well...wash your hands first, and get in there and knead it all together. Forn this mixture into eight mini meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish.

In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.

Bake, uncovered, at 350* for about 35-45 minutes.

**note: the recipe i wrote down first didn't separate the sauce and the meatloaf; in a rush to make dinner, i added the ketchup and brown sugar...then realized i goofed, so i scooped some of it out, then made the sauce, but some ketchup and brown sugar was, of course left in the meat mixture. I liked it! so.... you just may want to add a bit of ketchup and brown sugar into the meatloaf mixture also.

and i'm sure this would make a mighty fine manly-sized meatloaf too, just increase the baking time by another 20 or 30 minutes probably.

Garbage Salad

1 bunch romaine lettuce

black olives, halved

1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, chopped in to bite size pieces

1 cucumber, bite size pieces

1/2 cup red onion, bite size pieces

6 oz sliced pepperoni, cut in half

1/2 container feta cheese

1/2 bunch cilanto, chopped finely

combine all ingredients and add Kens lite italian dressing right before serving.

Worlds best fruit salad

(I've made this twice this summer and had rave reviews! I will post the full calorie recipe and in brackets the low calorie....both are divine :)

1 small tub cool whip (lite cool whip)

1 big box instant vanilla pudding (sugar free instant pudding)

1 individual size yoplait strawberry yogurt (lite yogurt)

Grapes

1 can pineapple tidbits

1can mandrin oranges

1/2 bag of frozen raspberries

1/2 bag of frozen blueberries

Mix together cool whip, pudding powder and yogurt. Add a few handfuls of grapes. Drain pineapple and oranges and add to salad. About a half hour before you serve, add the frozen berries. Mix when ready to serve, the berries will start to thaw and turn the salad pink and really cool. Perfect for a summer BBQ!

Chicken Pasta Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

this is YUMMY, everyone likes it, and it's great on a hot summer day (which most of YOU have) it's really a "eyeball it" type salad...use the proportions you like

INGREDIENTS
about 1/2 of a costco rotisserie chicken - or about 3 chicken breasts,
baked, and cut in small pieces
12 oz. or rotini pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled with water (i think i use
a little less)
1 large can pineapple chunks (i like the tidbits) drained, or you can use fresh!
3/4 lb large red grapes, seedless of course, cut them in half
2 green onions (ALL of it) sliced very thin
Poppy seed dressing (see below)
1 - 1 1/2 c. cashews, add just before serving

Combine all ingredients except the cashew, the toss with the Poppy Seed Dressing. Cover and keep in the refrigerator till ready to serve. Just before serving, ad the cashews and toss, or put them in a small bowl and let guests add their own. (they get soggy in the leftovers) It's nice if it is made an hour ahead of time, then the flavors of the dressing seep in. either way it's great

Poppy Seed Dressing
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 t. (to taste) powdered mustard (i may add more)
1 t. salt
1/3 c. cider (or red wine) vinegar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 T poppy seeds

in a blender, pulverize the sugar. Add the mustard, salt, vinegar, and blend. with the machine running on low - SLOWLY add the oil...a little at a time. Pulse till smooth and creamy. Stir in the poppy seeds.

*this dressing is also great with a Strawberry Spinach and bacon salad, or make a salad with lettuce, mandarin oranges and crisp -baked chicken nuggets cut in half; and toss with dressing, and add a few sliced or slivered almonds. this was one of Gma and Gpa's favorite salads at the little sandwich and salad shop they'd go to.

Mint Brownie Cookies

i took 4 different cookies to dad's work BBQ and these were the best loved.

1 box (Betty Crocker) fudge Brownie mix
1/4 c. oil
2 eggs
1 T water
1/4 c. flour
(i added just a T or so more cocoa powder just cause i felt like it)
3/4 c. chopped up Wilton chocolate mint disks (they melt and make it ooey-gooey)...i wanted to use the green guittard mint chips, but i didn't have them, so used these, and it worked.


mix all in a bowl. (you could refrigerate for an hour...dough would be less sticky).

drop by spoonfulls on greased cookie sheet, or use parchment paper.

bake for 10-11 minutes. use a thin metal spatula to "scrape" them off the cookie sheet. i think they'd bake better NOT on an airbake sheet, but a regular pan. Wait a minute or two, but not too long..they're easier to take off while warm. ~mom

Chicken Divan

1/8 to 1/4 t curry (we love curry so we add 1/2t)
2 t lemon juice
1 can cream of chicken
1 C mayonnaise
1 C milk
2 C cooked chicken
2 C broccoli, partially cooked
Grated Cheddar cheese

Mix curry, lemon juice, cream of chicken, mayo, and milk together.  Put broccoli and chicken in bottom of casserole pan.  Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli.  Grate some cheese on top of sauce.  Cover with foil. 
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Serve on top of rice.

Sweet Corn Cakes

These are just like the ones at El Torito.  YUM.

1/2 C Butter
1/3 C masa harina
1/4 C water
1 1/2 C frozen corn
1/4 C cornmeal
1/3 C sugar
2 T heavy cream
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder

1. Beat butter til creamy.  Add mexican corn flour & water.  Mix well.
2. In food processor mix thawed corn, leave some chunky.  Stir into butter mixture.
3.  In separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt and baking powder.  Add to cornflour mixture.  Pour into 8x8 dish and cover with foil.  Place in a 9x13 dish and fill 1/3 way with water.
4. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Crispy Coconut Chicken

rispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less...)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)

preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Give coconut a rough chop so it's about the same size as the panko pieces


Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices.


Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating.

Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour...


then dip in egg...


And then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.


Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it's optional.


Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they're big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

Brazilian Lemonade

Brazilian Lemonade

4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they're the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
1 c. sugar
6 c. cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk


Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.

Wash limes thoroughly with soap (I just use hand-dishwashing soap or regular hand soap); you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you're using the WHOLE lime, baby. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.

Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.

Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you'll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk; DO NOT leave this step out unless you will die of a horrible sweetened condensed milk allergy because this is the secret ingredient! You may want to taste test it at this point; I used giant, thick-skinned limes tonight and didn't test it and it came out a little bitter. If it's bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more milk.
Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don't make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance). Serves 4, although I can pretty much guarantee you that people will want more; I usually plan on 1 1/2 servings at LEAST per person.