Copycat Sconecutter Scones

Copycat Sconecutter Scones

~Ingredients~
2 tablespoons  active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups warm milk
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening,
7 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup lukewarm water.  Stir in salt and shortening. Add warm  milk. then mix in the flour until smooth.  

Place dough on lightly floured surface.  Knead until smooth and elastic, five to six minutes. Place dough in lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Punch down dough.  Place on lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.  Allow to rest five minutes.  Cut with pizza cutter into desired shapes.

Fry dough in deep, hot vegetable oil about 350 degrees, one minute on each side.  Serve hot with honey butter or jam.  Can also use for Navajo Tacos with desired toppings.

Crockpot Parmesan Chicken

2 cans (10.25 oz each) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 pkg. onion soup mix
3 chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. butter
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Mix cream of mushroom soup, milk, chicken broth and onion soup mix in a small mixing bowl. Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Lay chicken breasts in the crockpot. Place one tablespoon of butter on each chicken breast. Pour soup mixture over chicken breasts. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Cook on Low 8-10 hours or on High 4-6 hours.

Non-Breaded Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Carrot sliced

1 clove Garlic minced

1 cup sugar

4 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 1/3 cups Water

3 Tbsp Oil

2/3 cup Vinegar

4 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Onion chunked

1 Red Bell Pepper chunked

1 Green Bell Pepper chunked

1 small can pineapple chunks

Directions:

Cut chicken in 1 inch cubes. Saute in oil with carrot and garlic until no longer pink. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in water. Add oil, vinegar and soy sauce. Cook and stir until thick and clear. Remove from heat. Stir together chicken, sauce, vegetables and pineapple. Serve with hot rice.

To Freeze: Allow to cool. Place in gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze. To serve: Thaw. Heat until hot and bubbly. Serve with hot rice.

S.O.S. aka Creamed Tuna over Toast

Haha! Love this name for a recipe and love my grandpa's explanation of what S.O.S. can stand for (Sh** on a Shingle) Some people may view it as that, but believe me this is so yummy! It may not be for everyone, but I grew up on this and loved it! Just a good simple home-cooked meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cans tuna fish, drained
1 bag of frozen petite peas

Directions:
Combine milk and cornstarch in a sauce pan and mix until dissolved. Add butter, chicken bouillon and salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down heat and add tuna fish and peas and cook for 5-10 minutes until the peas are no longer frozen.

Serve over buttered toast.

Crockpot Stew

Ingredients:

2 lbs. stew meat chunks
2 cans Cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup water

Directions:

Brown stew meat in oil with salt and pepper. In the crockpot combine soup, milk, soup mix and water and mix until smooth. Add the stew meat and drippings into the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or hot buttered noodles.

To freeze: Remove from crockpot and allow to cool. Place in a gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze.

Apple Crisp

This is The Best Apple Crisp recipe I have ever found~Enjoy :o)

Ingredients:
3 quarts sliced peeled apples (about 12 medium)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Ice cream, optional

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; cook and stir over medium heat just until apples are tender. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the shortening, b butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Pat half of the flour mixture into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread apples over top; crumble remaining flour mixture over apples.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

Yield: 16 servings

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
1 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups oats (not quick)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
Cream together sugar, brown sugar and butter. Add vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter. In separate bowl combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed sugar mixture. Spread dough in greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown.

While hot, spread 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter on top (put in warm oven to help speed this up). Let cool and add a layer of chocolate frosting on top. Below is a recipe for the Chocolate frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Bring to boil butter, cocoa and milk. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups potatoes, diced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
2 cups water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 cup cubed processed cheese
1/2 tsp. mustard
1/8 tsp. pepper
Salt to taste

Sautee potatoes, carrots, celery and onions in 1/4 cup butter. Add water and bouillon, bring to boil and cook until done. Blend milk and flour and stir into soup. Add cheese, mustard, pepper and salt.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I love to serve these for luncheons or bridal/baby showers. Serve as a sandwich filling in a croissant.

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken cooked and diced (or use all white canned chicken)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup mayo
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Makes 4 servings

Sugar Cookie Dough and Frosting

Sugar Cookie Dough:

2/3 cup butter (~11 Tbsp.)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt

In large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until well mixed. Scrape down sides of bowl. Dissolve baking soda in milk and add to mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt with a wire whisk, then add the flour mixture. Blend on low speed just until combined. Gather dough into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and place in plastic bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. On floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. With cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Frost when cooled and decorate.


Granny B's "Pink" Frosting

4 Tbsp Butter
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla
Food coloring

Cream butter and 1/2 of powdered sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and add more milk or powdered sugar to mixture for desired thickness. Mix in food coloring.

(Double Recipe- 8 Tbsp. Butter, 4 2/3 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. milk, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, food coloring)

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in raisins and pecans. Pour into greased 3 quart microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes; stir. Cook at 50% power for 6 minutes or until oats are tender. Serve warm with additional milk. Makes 6-8 servings.

Lime Slush

4 cups sugar
4 cups water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) lime Jello
1 can (46 oz.) unsweetened pineapple juice
juice of two lemons
7 cups cold water

In saucepan, mix together sugar and water and boil for 5 minutes. Stir in Jello until dissolved. Pour in gallon container. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice and water. Freeze. Place in punch bowl and mix with 7-up until desired slush consistency.

Orange Slush

1 can (12 oz.) frozen orange juice
1 bottle (10 oz.) lemon juice
4 cups sugar
20 cups water
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. almond extract

Combine all ingredients and pour into container to freeze. Take out of freezer 2 hours before serving. Place in punch bowl and mix with Sprite until desired slush consistency.

Elegant Chicken Salad

2 cups uncooked shell macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup coleslaw dressing
4 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1/2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups red or green seedless grapes (grapes cut in half)
2 cups chopped red apples

Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package. Rinse with cold water; drain. Mix macaroni and remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate to chill.

Pane Francese "Baguette"

1 pkg. dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp.)
1/4 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-1 1/4 cups cold water

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in small bow, stir briefly. Let stand until foamy or about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and 1 cup of cold water. Beat until dough is shiny, elastic and slightly sticky; about 5 minutes. Add more cold water 1-2 teaspoons at a time if the dough is dry. (Dough should be soft, we and when stretched should have a thin transparent skin.)

Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours. Sprinkle the countertop with flour and turn out the dough. Cut in half and shape into 8" rectangles. Start at the short end and roll and press edge into the unrolled part of dough with the heal of your hand. Place seam side down on countertop (with flour sprinkled underneath). Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Transfer loaves to greased baguette pan on cookie sheet and stretch to 12-14" long. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 475 degrees.

After dough has risen in the pan, place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 425 degrees and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Dough for Dinner Rolls and Cinnamon Rolls

Dough Ingredients:
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter flavor Crisco (melted)
2 eggs
4 cups hot milk (let cool before adding to mixture)
3 Tbsp. yeast, plus 1Tbsp. sugar mixed with 1 cup warm water (let rise until double)
Flour 8-10 cups (add more if needed)

Directions:
Mix together then add flour until a good elastic consistency.Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it is double (about 1 hour). Punch down dough; turn onto lightly floured surface. Roll out in a circle and using a pizza wheel make triangles. Roll each section starting from the widest down to tip and seal with a dab of water. Place on greased cookie sheet and cover. Let rise until double (about 30 minutes) Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Bring out of oven and using a pastry brush, dip in melted butter and brush on hot rolls. Transfer rolls onto a cooling rack.

Cinnamon Roll Directions:
After letting dough rise, roll into a rectangle and using a pastry brush and melted butter, brush butter onto dough. Next sprinkle on a generous amount of brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll from the long side and seal the ends of the roll. Using unflavored floss, slide under roll and cross the floss and pull until it slices the roll. Place cinnamon rolls on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Cinnamon Roll Icing with Cream Cheese:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Regular Icing:
3 cups of confectionery sugar
2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
Flour
Salt and Pepper
Oil
15 oz can pineapple tidbits, reserve juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch (use enough water to dissolve the cornstarch)
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, chopped in large pieces
2 carrots, sliced

Directions:
Cube chicken and roll pieces in a flour, salt and pepper mixture. Heat oil in a skillet and brown the chicken. Put chicken pieces in a baking dish, cover with foil and place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice and add enough water to equal 1 1/2 cups. In a large sauce pot, combine juice and water, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and chicken bouillon and cook and stir over medium heat until dissolved. Add cornstarch to mixture and bring to a boil for one minute, reduce to a simmer.

Saute vegetables in butter, add pineapple pour sauce over the veggies. When ready to serve add the cooked chicken to the sauce and vegetables. Serve with cooked white rice.

Texas Sheet Brownies

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda

1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine and set aside flour, sugar and baking soda. Bring to boil the butter, shortening, water and cocoa. Then combine the boiled mixture with the flour mixture. Stir in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.

Grease and flour a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1/4 cup milk

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Bring to boil the butter, cocoa and milk (stir constantly). Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.

ENJOY!!! :o)

Fondant and Chocolate Covering tips

***IF YOU LIVE SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN UTAH, YOU WILL NEED TO ADJUST YOUR THERMOMETER TEMPERATURE TO ACCOUNT FOR ALTITUDE CHANGES***

Ever since I can remember my Grandma Ann would make hand dipped chocolates every year around Thanksgiving time and then box them up in a pretty box and hand them out to family and friends for the Holidays. What sweet and precious memories I have of this time of year and now it is my turn to take what I have learned from her and my mother and keep this memory alive!

The fondant is used as the creamy center inside the chocolates. There are so many different colors and flavors that you can add to this recipe to make it to your own liking. A few that I love and remember that my grandma would do are: Almond (which was used to enclose a single cherry), Rum (either plain or once dipped in chocolate it went directly into toasted coconut and rolled around for a beautiful look and texture), Orange, Lemon, Peppermint (I remember these as being dipped in pink chocolate and then topped with a edible silver bead), Caramels, Cherry Nut (almond flavoring with diced cherries and chopped walnuts), Maple Nut (maple flavoring with chopped walnuts), Raspberry and Strawberry. I know there are many others that were used and created and so it is really up to you and your taste buds to create something wonderful with this basic fondant recipe.

Some special equipment that is really helpful to use while doing fondant and chocolates are:

Marble slab (a cool surface is what really is needed for fondant and chocolate to set up correctly, and a marble slab is really a great cool surface-but these can be quite expensive, but well worth it. If your counter tops are already marble or granite those will work great as well).

A good candy thermometer that will hang on the side of the pot.

Metal putty knife (get a really heavy duty one, making fondant requires quite a bit of strength and a good putty knife that can handle pressure).

Pastry brush which you will use while cooking the fondant (this will allow you to "wash" down the sides of the pot to make sure all of the sugar is dissolved, having sugar not dissolved and then being poured out with the rest of the fondant will ruin the batch of fondant, so it is really important to have a pastry brush and a glass of water by your pot of candy to run along the sides of the pot and to also "wash" the steam away from your candy thermometer to correctly read the temperature. Also with the sugar, it is important to not use a wooden spoon-sugar can be trapped in the wood, it is probably a good idea that once your fondant is pretty well dissolved of sugar to rinse your spoon off, I use a nylon spoon).

I have also been told a heavy pot is another great thing to have when doing candy. For fondant you need a big tall pot because once the fondant has reached to a boil it will boil up to the top of the pot. I use an 8 quart pot for my fondant.

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
1 cup half & half
1/3 cup Whole milk
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. Light Karo Syrup

*Later on add things such as, flavoring (1-2 teaspoons), food coloring, nuts and cherries/fruit pieces.

Instructions:
Boil to 225 degrees.

Stir all ingredients together on medium heat. Once butter is melted and sugar is dissolved rinse your spoon and use your pastry brush and glass of water to "wash" down the sides of the pot to allow all of the sugar to be dissolved. Place your candy thermometer down into the mixture and attach to the side of the pot. Continue stirring the mixture until the fondant comes to a steady boil. At this point there is no need to stir, just let it cook until it has reached 225 degrees on the thermometer. Once it has hit 225 degrees take your thermometer out of the pot and pour the fondant directly in the middle on your marble slab. The marble slab should be square (or close to) and at least the size of a 17x20 slab, because the fondant will spread out into a circle almost to the size of a large pizza. At this point the fondant will be hot and shiny. Allow it to cool and lose it's shine. Add your choice of flavoring (1-2 teaspoons)/nuts/cherries and food coloring. Mix this with a metal putty knife by scooping and folding/slapping down the fondant until it hardens and can be shaped in a square or rectangle. Wrap with Saran Wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Dipping your candy in chocolate
When ready to dip in chocolate, cut off sections of refrigerated (but brought up to room temperature, 62-68 F) fondant to be rolled into a ball about the size of a nickel to a quarter-depending on how big you would like your chocolates to be. Make sure the room you are dipping your chocolates in is very cold, anything below 65 degrees F is great. There is a technique for melting your chocolate, this is called tempering the chocolate. My grandma would always melt her chocolate in a crock pot on a low to medium heat. The trick is to not get your chocolate too hot or it will burn and ruin the chocolate. The chocolate in the crock pot needs to be stirred often. If you think you are stirring it enough, it is probably better to stir it some more. When the chocolate is melted it is helpful to have a digital thermometer to not exceed 120 degrees with your melted chocolate. If the chocolate is getting too hot and exceeding 120 degrees add more chocolate pieces and stir or simply lower the temperature on the crock pot. When ready to dip, pour out a ladle or two of chocolate onto your marble board. Using the marble board will again, cool down the chocolate to it's proper temperature. Use your hand to mix the chocolate on the board by using, with your fingers together, an "S" motion through the chocolate. Continue this mixing and cooling process until chocolate feels cool to the touch, about 85 F. Now your fondant or candy is ready to be dipped in the chocolate. Cover the candy and place on wax paper. My grandma would always use a symbol that would be written in the chocolate when she placed the covered candy on the wax paper, by dipping her finger on the top of the wet chocolate covered candy and draw the symbol. Most times it was the initial of the flavoring used; such as an M for maple nut, O for Orange, a cursive L for lemon, diagonal line for Caramels and so on.

Caramels

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light Karo
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 lb. butter

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a large 8 quart pot and stir until melted and dissolved. Using your pastry brush and glass of water "wash" down the sides of the pot to dissolve all sugar. Once the mixture has come to a boil, stir consistently until it has reached 234 degrees. Pour in a greased, 8x8 glass dish. (The dish can be different sizes but the ideal depth for the piece of caramel is 3/4 inches.) Allow to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Cut into squares.

*When ready to cover in chocolate, take each square piece and roll in your hands to round the edges. This will help the chocolate cover easier and look prettier.

Coconut Delight (aka Almond Joys)

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cup light Karo
1/8 tsp. salt

Cook to 224 degrees (remember to wash down the sides of the pot), then add:

1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. coconut flavoring
14 oz. Angel Flake Sweetened Coconut

Pour into a buttered pan. When ready to cover in chocolate, roll a ball the size of a quarter, then take an almond and press in the center of the coconut mixture, this will squish it down to an oval. Continue by covering with chocolate.

Crunchy Butter Toffee

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Melt and dissolve and wash down sides of pot. This mixture need to be stirred continuously. Cook to a light crack stage of 280 degrees. Pour onto a marble slab and cool slightly. Make scores of a grid pattern in the toffee with a pizza cutter. Break into individual squares. Store in an air tight container until ready to cover in chocolate. When ready to cover in chocolate, dip and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Chicken Chow Mein

3 chicken breasts
3 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups diagonally sliced celery
1 onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 can (14 oz) bean sprouts, drained
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can (8 oz) sliced bamboo shoots, drained

Cut chicken into bit-sized pieces and cook in 1-2 Tablespoons of oil. Add chicken broth, vegetable oil, chicken bouillon granules, soy sauce, celery and onion; bring to a boil and cook until onion and celery are tender. Blend cornstarch with 1/2 cup cold water. Stir into mixture until it comes to a boil and thickens. Add bean sprouts, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Serve over chow mein noodles or hot rice.

Spaghetti and Meatballs in Tomato-Basil Sauce

I really cannot take credit for this recipe, it is actually one of Rachel Ray's recipes. But I have changed a few things to my liking. If you want to see the original RR recipe here is the link http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spaghetti-meatballs-and-tomato-basil-sauce-recipe/index.html, otherwise here is my version.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees


Pesto Ingredients:

1 large bunch of flat leaf Italian parsley, leaves only
1 bunch basil, leaves only
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Light Tasting Olive Oil

Make a thick herb pesto by placing herbs, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and pine nuts in a food processor. Turn processor on and stream in 1/3 cup olive oil. Ths will be divided for half in the sauce and half in the meatballs.


Sauce Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Light Tasting Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
1 cup beef stock (or 1 tsp. beef bouillon granules with 1 cup water)
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp. sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 of Pesto mixture

Heat a healthy drizzle of olive oil in a sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in stock, add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. Then stir in remaining pesto mixture and set aside. *Another quick option for a sauce could be 1 bottle of prego sauce substituted for the tomatoes, beef broth, carrots and onion.


Meatball Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 of Pesto mixture

Place meat in a bowl. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add egg, bread crumbs and the other half of the pesto mixture. Mix to combine and form 16 balls and place in a hot skillet. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and brown the meatballs. Take them out of the skillet and place in a baking dish and add half of the sauce on top of the meatballs. Place in preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until done.

While meatballs are cooking, boil some water and cook your desired amount of spaghetti noodles. Spoon remaining sauce over cooked noodles and cooked meatballs and wahla! Enjoy!!!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

The Cookie:
Chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup Crisco shortening

The Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 cup butter (softened)
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla


Mix the cake mix, eggs and shortening until well blended. Roll into balls the size of a nickel. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cool cookies completely. For the filling blend cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency. Use a icing bag to pipe filling onto 1 cookie. Add another cookie on top and press. Keep refrigerated.

Cafe Rio Salad Dressing

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg dry ranch buttermilk dressing
2 tomatillos*
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 clove of garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 seeded jalapeno

Use food processor to blend all of the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Tip: I like to make a lot of this and freeze it in small batches so I can easily make the dressing quickly for dinner without having to have tomatillos on hand. Blend all the ingredients expect the buttermilk and mayonnaise. Freeze this in 3 small containers. To use, thaw (it goes pretty quick, but you can speed up the process by running hot water over the container) and mix with enough mayonnaise and buttermilk for a dressing consistency.

*How to clean and prepare Tomatillos: Place tomatillos (with husks) in a bowl, cover with hot water (from the tap) and allow to soak for a few minutes. Remove one at a time and peel away husks, remove the stem attachment point with a paring knife and cut into smaller pieces to put in the food processor.

Fruit Pizza

Cookie Base
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese "sauce"
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons granulated sugar

Fresh Fruit Topping
Sliced Bananas, Strawberries, Kiwi and Blueberries

Citrus Glaze
6 tablespoons water
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Instructions:

For the cookie base -
In a large mixing bowl, cream sugars, butter and oil. Add egg and vanilla beating well.

In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture and mix just until combined.

Press dough into round pizza pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

Cream cheese "sauce" -
Mix ingredients together with an electric mixer and spread on cooled sugar cookie.

Arrange freshly cut fruit on top of cream cheese mixture.

Glaze
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the fruit with the glaze.

Pot Roast and Gravy

rump roast
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
water
3 teaspoons beef bouillon
3 Tablespoons flour (for gravy)

Brown the rump roast in a pot with desired amount of oil, depending on the size of your rump roast. Season it with salt and pepper and brown all sides of roast to create drippings for the gravy. Do not discard the drippings.

Then place your rump roast in a crockpot and fill the crockpot with water about 1/3 of the way up the roast. Add 3 tsp. beef bouillon

After the roast has cooked in the crockpot all day and is done and ready to serve, place the roast on a plate and cut into slices and cover with foil. This prevents the roast from drying out. Pour the water mixture inside of the crockpot into the pot that holds the reserved drippings. Cook on medium heat and stir together. Add about 3 Tbsp. of flour (sprinkle a little at a time and whisking, so it does not clump up). If needed add a little water if it becomes too thick. Boil this down until it is at the desired texture of gravy. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. My mom will also add a few drops of "Kitchen Bouquet", which is a dark brown sauce that adds a little more flavor and color to the gravy.

Banana Walnut Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 mashed ripe bananas
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

Fold the walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Grandma's Bran Muffins

These are so super yummy! Plus they are so beneficial, packed with bran and fiber for those times that you need a little extra :o) Have you ever eaten the muffins at the Rainbow Gardens restaurant in Ogden? If so, these are very similar. Hope you like them!

6 cups Kellogg's All-Bran Cereal
2 cups raisins or Craisins
2 cups boiling water
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
5 cups whole wheat flour
5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 cup buttermilk

Pour boiling water over all-bran cereal and raisins in bowl, set aside. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl. Beat together butter, sugar, and eggs in large bowl. Add all-bran cereal and raisins just until mixed. Alternate flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing just until moistened. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.

These can also be frozen, which can then be taken out and microwaved for just a minute or two to soften. Be sure not to microwave too long, which will make it a little tough. I usually put them in on a defrost mode for a couple minutes.