Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found these on the Betty Crocker website and we decided to try them this Holiday Season.  I'm sure glad we did because they are SUPER EASY and SUPER DELICIOUS!!  If you like the Mint Chocolate flavor combination- you will love these. Enjoy!!

1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix (1 lb 1.5 oz)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I tried each one and liked the way the margarine ones turned out better- just my opinion)
1/4- 1/2 tsp mint extract (in the seasoning isle- next to the vanilla, etc.)
6-8 drops green food coloring
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips (next to the chocolate chips)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.  Combine Cookie mix, butter/margarine, extract, food coloring an egg until soft dough forms.  Stir in chips.  Cook for 8-10 min.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

I grew up on Pumpkin Chiffon pie rather than the traditional pumpkin pie (however, I love traditional pp, I don't think my mother did).  This is a very YUMMY pie  recipe and is SO EASY!!!

1 pie shell - you can use a graham cracker pie crust, shortbread crust, or a traditional pie crust.  I personally like it best in the traditional pie crust.

1 cup pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix)

1 Large instant vanilla pudding.

1/2 cup cold milk

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 8 oz cool whip

Mix pumpkin, pudding, milk and spice together until it is mixed thoroughly.  Fold in Cool Whip and put in crust.  Refridgerate for a few hours until firm.

Lemon Cloud Pie

This is our FAVORITE holiday pie.  You could make it anytime, but I usually only get around to it during the holidays.  I love LEMON stuff and this is a spectacular pie.  Just lemony enough and a great texture.  My kids fight over the last piece.

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust- cook for a 1 shell pie. (450 for 9-11 min)  I poke holes in the crust with a fork all along the bottom and up the sides.  Then I line the bottom of the uncooked crust with raw pinto beans to weigh the crust down so that it doesn't bubble up.  Then I  throw the bean away when I'm done cooking the crust.

Filling:

1 cup sugar

3 TBSP cornstarch

1 cup Water

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 egg yolks slightly beaten

4 oz cream cheese softened

lemon zest from 1 lemon

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

Combine sugar and cornstarch and mix well.  Add water, lemon juice and egg yolks.  Cook over medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute.  Add cream cheese and lemon peel, stirring until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool to room temp.  I usually stick it in the freezer to speed up the cooling time.  After the lemon mixture is cooled, add the whipped whipping cream and fold together.  Place in cooked and cooled pie shell and place in fridge for 6 hours or overnight.  Top with a dollop of whip cream and ENJOY!!

Pilgram Hats

This was a fun little kids treat to make for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I made the ones in this picture a few years ago.  I made some to take for Sharing Time at Church last Sunday and didn't get a picture of them. 

It's a Fudge Striped Cookie upside down.  Glue the Reeses Mini Peanut Butter Cup on upside down with yellow squirt can icing by putting the frosting around the bottom edge of the PB cup and placing it upside down on the cookie.  Make the buckle with a little more frosting and an Orange Tic Tac.  This time I didn't use an orange Tic Tac, I just used a circle of red icing.  The Tic Tacs are REALLY hard and sometimes kids crunch down on them expecting them to be candy- but they are harder than that- so this time I just used the red icing for the buckle.  I  didn't get a picture of them before they scarfed them up in Primary.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

THis is just a classic pumpkin pie recipe- the one that I really like.  I wanted to put it on my blog for my own recipe collection.  Soon I'm going to make this into a recipe book and so I wanted this one in for sure.

1 can pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

2 eggs

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 pie crust (I just use a Pillsbury rolled up pie crust- yes, I cheat)

Unroll and flute the pie crust.  Fill crust and bake at 425 for 15 min.  Reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 35-40 min or until center is firm yet soft.  Cool.

Baked Ziti

This is a recipe a friend shared with me. She got it off of allrecipes.com.  I made a few changes according to what I had in the fridge.  I haven't frozen this recipe, but my friend has and says that it freezes great.  It made A LOT!!  you could split this in half and freeze part of it when you make it.  It calls for a 9x13 pan, you could use 2 8x8 pans and freeze one and eat one.

1 lb ziti pasta, cooked and drained
2 26 oz jars of your favorite pasta sauce
1 lb ground beef
1 med onion (I just used 1/4 cup dehydratd onion this time)
10 slices provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 oz. shredded mozzerella or Italian cheese
mozzerella, parmasen, or italitan cheese to sprinkle on top (whatever and how much you prefer)

Cook ground beef and onion until browned.  Add sauce and simmer for 15 min.  Cook pasta and drain.  Sprinkle a little salt and toss. 

Layer
1/2 Ziti pasta
Provolone cheese slices
Sour Cream spread on top of cheese slices
1/2 pasta sauce mixture
Rest of pasta
 6 oz Shredded Cheese
Rest of Pasta Sauce mix
However much cheese you want sprinkled on top.

Cook at 350 for 30 min.

Enjoy with a beautiful green salad.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

These are the BEST pancakes ever, especially in the Fall!!



Pancakes

2 cups Bisquick Mix

2 eggs

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp baking powder

1 TBSP sugar

1 cup Apple Cider

1 apple, quarters, cored and peeled.  Then shredd it with a cheese grater into the mix

Mix all together and cook on a gridle.  They are kind of thick, so spoon them out onto the gridle and spread it out a little to make a round pancake. 

Homemade Maple Syrup

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp Mapeline Favoring (you can find it in the spice isle next to the extracts) or other Maple extract

Crock Pot Roast & Veggies

 
I'm sure you all have your own Roast Recipes.  It seems that every time I make one, I do something different so I decided to write this one down because it turned out pretty good.

Dredge Roast in Flour
Season with Salt, Pepper, Dehydrated Onions and Garlic (whatever proportions you like to your taste)
Brown in a few TBSP olive oil

Place in a warm Crock Pot

Chop 7 Red potatoes
Chop 5 carrots
Add 1 tsp Rosemary
Add 1 tsp Sage
Add 1 tsp Salt
Add 1/2 tsp pepper
Add 1-2 TBSP olive oil

Mix up veggies and pour around roast in the crock pot

Cook on High for ~5 hours

After I removed the meat and all the veggies, I added some beef boullion granules and thickened it with 2 TBSP flour and 1/4 cup water (shake all together and pour into hot drippings).  Pour over the meat and veggies and serve.

Sugar Cookie Bars

These are TO DIE FOR!!!!! We made these for my daughter's baptism and everybody loved them. I found the cookie recipe from mybakingaddiction.com and then used my Grandmother's cream cheese frosting recipe. It was fabulous!

Cookie

1 cup butter (I used salted butter- not margarine)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla (I use a vanilla that says it is double strength- so it was super yummy)

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients. Spread on a greased cookie sheet (jelly roll pan with sides- 13X18)

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)

1/2 lb. powdered sugar (about 2 cups- add more or less depending on the consistency you like your frosting)

1/2 tsp vanilla

food coloring if you want it colored.

*Side note: We made 3 of these sheet cake cookies and made 4 batches of frosting to go on them, so you may want to double the frosting if you like it thicker. These were great to freeze too. We baked them and froze them and then took them out and frosted them as they were thawing. Great for a large gathering!!!

Easy Cream Cheese Pie

This is an oldie but a goody. My family all loves this treat and its so easy to make. It's a favorite for Family Home Evening Treat because we can whip it up so fast.

1 graham cracker pie crust (I try and buy the "2 extra serving" one so that it goes further)
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Blend all together and pour in pie crust. Refrigerate until firm (2-3 hours) and top with your favorite toppings.

Tomato Pesto Macaroni Salad

I just threw some ingredients together one night to make this pasta salad. It turned out yummy and all the girls really liked it. (My kids are great eaters though and they love tomatoes though- I know some people are not tomato people)

2 cups small shell pasta
3 TBSP Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
1 small can Sliced Black Olives
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 green onions, diced
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I used a roast chicken from Sam's Club and cut it up to use for 2 different dishes)
1 cup light Mayo
Salt, pepper to taste

Cook the pasta until done, drain. Add pesto, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, and chicken. Mix thoroughly. Add Mayo (you may want more- according to how creamy you like it) and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Super Delicious White Chip Brownies

This is one of our all time favorite brownie recipes. It calls for White Chips but you can use, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and we have even used mint chips. So fun to mix it up and have a different brownie with the same recipe.

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups white chips

cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs together. Mix dry ingredients together and mix them into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chips. Melt the rest of the chips and drizzle them over the brownine after if you want, or just use all 2 cups in the mix. Cook at 350 for 25-30 min.

Ice Cream Cake.... Any flavor

The cake we made for Kayla's friend party

What was left of the cake we took to Julian's birthday party (a friend from Brady's work)

I've made this Ice Cream Cake a few times in the last year. The first time I made it was for Brady's Birthday last year, and it's almost his birthday again. I made it again for the first time just after my birthday a month ago and then for Kayla's friend birthday party and we had to provide the birthday cake for a colleagues of Brady's birthday party. Hence, we've made it quite a few times in the last month and could stand a few more times too. I totally made up this recipe and it is very versitile so you can do what you like with it. Have fun!!!

The great thing about this cake is that you can make it any flavor combination you like. Whatever Ice Cream your family likes- use that. If you like a flavor that goes well with chocolate, make the crust out of chocolate oreos. If it's more fruit flavored, use the vanilla oreos.

1 pkg. chocolate or vanilla oreos

1/2 stick butter, melted

carmel, chocolate, chopped nuts (whatever you want), strawberry sauce........

2 different flavor cartons of ice cream

1 10 in round springform pan ( I don't recommend any other kind of pan- the springform pan you can remove the sides so that you can cut the cake and serve it)

The top cake, I used vanilla oreos. Crush and stir in the melted butter. Use all but 1/2 cup to press down on the bottom of the springform pan. Save the rest to sprinkle on top. Place the crust in the freezer for about 10-15 min. so that you can easily spread the ice cream on it without it pulling up. Then you melt your bottom flavor of ice cream enough to spoon out thin layers so you can press it along the top of the crust. I used strawberry ice cream on the top picture, and chocolate fudge brownie on the bottom picture. Then you top that ice cream with chocolate/carmel/nuts (if you're using a chocolate crust) or strawberry sauce (if you're using a fruity ice cream. (this is a totally optional ingredient). Place inthe freezer for 10-15 min. to harden the ice cream. Then spread the second flavor of ice cream on top. On the top picture we use Birthday Cake flavor ice cream and the bottom picture I use Vanilla Bean. Then top with the same stuff you put in the middle and sprinkle with the remaining crushed oreos. Freeze for 1- 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 20 min. before you want to cut it. Remove the sides of the springform pan. Place the cake on a cookie sheet because it tends to get pretty messy cutting it up. It is SOOOO yummy!!! My favorite cake for the summer.

Meat Loaf

I know that not everyone is a meat loaf fan- but my family really is. All of us really like it and I really like this recipe. It has shredded carrots in it so they get some extra veggies hidden in it.

Meat Loaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (I always us the leanest you can buy- usually the 90 or 93% lean)

1 egg beaten

2/3 cup milk

3 slices bread crumbled up really small (I always use wheat bread and break it up very small instead of blending it and making crumbs)

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 med. onion, chopped

2 med. carrots, shredded

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients together and put in a 9 X5X3 in. loaf pan. Cook at 350 for 60-75 min. or until meat thermometer reads 160. The last 15 min I make a sauce and put it on the top. The original recipe says place it on there the whole time, but I think you loose less sauce if you put it on at the end and just let the brown sugar melt and get hot.

Sauce:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 TBSP mustard

(the original recipe calls for half of this (I double the sauce) but we think it's better with doubled sauce- the recipe above is already doubled)

Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes

These are easy and very yummy.

6-7 Large Red Potatoes, washed and cut up
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp crushed Rosemary

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir together to distribute oil and spices on all the potatoes.
Put on a jelly rolls cake pan/cookie sheet with sides and bake at 425 for 40 min. Stir them around halfway through cooking. They are really great when they brown up on the bottom and get crispy. Enjoy

Flutter Dogs

This was a fun idea we did for my daughter's birthday party we found in a magazine. We used cresent rolls- cut each triangle in 2- or each rectangle that unrolls from the tube into 4. You should get 16 balls of dough. Lay them out with a small space between each pair. Cut a slit for the antennas and press it between the wings. Cook at 375 for 15 min. and ENJOY them before they fly away.

Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

I made these Easter Sunday morning and this will for sure be our new Easter Sunday Breakfast tradition. It was SOOOO yummy!! The girls said it was just like being at IHOP.

I made regular pancakes (the just add water kind- Krusteaz). It made about 16 pancakes. I added 2 tsp Vanilla (mine is double strength vanilla). I used a 12 oz package of frozen blueberries thawed- take out 1 cup of the blueberries for the syrup and add the rest of them to the pancake mix.

Blueberry Syrup Recipe:
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP Cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 TBSP Butter

Add sugar and cornstarch to a saucepan and mix together. Add Water and bring to a boil- cook for 3 min. Stir in blueberries and reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 min until berries burst and syrup is thick. Stir in butter until melted. Serve over pancakes with a squirt of whipped cream.
*Note: We didn't eat all the pancakes, but all the syrup was gone- you may want to double the sauce if you want it to go on all of the pancakes. We used the leftover pancakes the next day with just maple syrup.

Fusilli with Creamed Leek and Spinach

I found this pasta dish on the internet. It was easy and we all liked it. I served it with Chicken Sausages. Now that I've tried it once though, I would had a few cloves of garlic to the recipe when you cook the leek in the olive oil for flavor.

3/4 lb (12oz) Fusilli or Rotinni

1 1/2 TBSP olive oil

1 leek (white and light green parts only, thinly sliced)

1 cup heavy cream

4 cups baby spinach (coarsely chopped) (I just used a large handful)

1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves (finely chopped) (or 1 tsp dried basil)

1/2-1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

I sprinkled a little shredded parmesan (not the canned kind) cheese on top and stired it in.

Boil pasta and set aside (add a little salt to the water). In a deep skillet, heat olive oil and add the chopped leek (a leek is the vegetable that looks like a monster sized green onion- they are usually sold in bunches of 3) and cook over med. heat until softened. Add cream and simmer until slightly thick- about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and the basil (if using dry), salt, and pepper and cook until spinach wilts- about 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta into the skillet and toss with sauce. Remove from heat and add basil (if using fresh) and sprinkle parmasean cheese.

Spaghetti Pie

Here's a new twist on an old favorite- Spaghetti!! I came across this recipe a few years ago and have tried a few different variations- depending on what kind of meat I had on hand. The original recipe calls for a cut up sausage kielbasa- never tried it that way, but I've tried it with ground turkey sausage and regular 90% lean ground beef. It's good both ways, but I usually have the ground beef on hand more than the ground turkey sausage. My kids really like this and even Brady does- who is not a fan of noodles in any casserole form.

1 lb ground beef or sausage

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1 cup cottage cheese

3 egg whites

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

12 oz spaghetti

Mozzerella cheese for the top

Cook beef and add pasta sauce- simmer for 10 min. Cook Spaghetti noodles, drain, let cool for a few minutes. Add 2 egg whites and Parmesan cheese to spaghetti noodles. In a seperate bowl, combine cottage cheese and 1 egg white- mix until blended. In a 9 in Deep Dish Pie Plate pour in noodle combination and flatten on the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Add the cottage cheese mixture in the center and cover with the meat sauce. Bake uncovered 350 for 20 min. Add as much mozzerella cheese as you desire on top and bake for 5 more min. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Note: the noodles not covered by the pasta sauce will get kind of crispy- so spread the sauce out accordingly.

Loaded Baked Potato Bake

This is not really a recipe, it's really just an idea. I made it up last night and took it to some friends house for a potluck Football party. Everyone really liked it. I didn't get a nice picture before we started into it so here is a picture of the leftovers that I warmed up for us for lunch.

6-7 red potatoes, cubed (leave the skin on) I used the regular sized ones, not the tiny round ones. Put the chopped potatoes in a pot and just cover them with water. Add 4-5 tsp of Chicken boullion granules (or you can just boil them in chicken stock). Boil them until tender. Drain.

Put the boiled potatoes in a large bowl and add butter, sour cream and some shredded cheese (use just as much as your family likes) I used about 1/4 cup butter , 3/4 cup sour cream and 2 handfuls of shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and some dried chives that I had. You could even add chopped bacon if you have.

Put in a baking dish and cover with more shredded cheese. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.

Sun Dried Sausage & Penne

This is just one of my made up recipes that we have really enjoyed. It's one of those easy dishes that can be thrown together in 20 minutes and everyone really likes.

1/2-3/4 of a box of Penne noodles (or whatever pasta you like)

5 chicken sausages ((At Sam's Club they have these sausages seen in the picture- several different flavors- our favorite is Chicken and Apple) If you don't have a Sam's, any klebasa type sausage will work- Chicken ones are a lot more healthy and lower in fat and calories)

2 large tablespoons of Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pesto (you can get this -seen in the above picture) at any grocery store next to the pasta sauces. I also use the regular pesto too and it's great as well.

Slice the sausages on an angle and fry in a skillet, dump in the cooked noodles and stir in the pesto. Serve with a fresh spinach salad and you have a great meal.

Homemade Granola

I decided to try and use up some of my Food Storage oatmeal. This is a great way to do it. My kids even like this stuff. It's great with milk, in yogurt, or even dry.

4 cup quick oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 sliced almonds (you can also use slivered)

1/2 cups chopped pecans, or walnuts (just about any combination of nuts you like)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil (or vegetable)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, coconut, and nuts- set aside.

In a saucepan mix water, oil, honey, and peanut butter; bring to a boil. Remove from head and add vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients. Spread onto a large greased baking sheet and bake at 325 for 20-30 min. stiring occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool. Makes 2 pounds.