St. Nick's Dove Sticks

Ingredients:
1 bag Peanut Butter M&M's (red and green ones for Christmas)
1 bag of DOVE Milk or Dark Choc. PROMISES
1 C. creamy peanut butter
2 1/2 C. powder sugar
2 sticks of butter
2 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1 greased 15x10 pan

Directions:
1. Combine the butter, powder sugar, peanut butter, and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Press mixture into the bottom of greased pan.
2. Melt unwrapped DOVE PROMISES in microwave for 90 sec. or till smooth. Pour melted choclate on top of mixture and smooth with spatula.
3. Place M%M's over the layer of chocolate.
4. Refridgeerate to set chocolate for about 30 mins. Cut and serve. Makes 48 sticks.

I got this recipe from the back of the Peanut Butter M&M's bag. I thought it was good and it all got pretty much eaten up and the ward Christmas party. One thing I'd change is to do either double or do half another bag of the DOVE PROMISES. It needed more chocolate for my taste.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 mashed bananas
1/2 c. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Mix together, just until moist. Pour into pan. Bake for 1 hr.

I love this recipe because it's easy, and yummy, and I like that it only makes one loaf. It's a great way to use up those last 2 bananas ( or 1 1/2 if that's all you've got) and it doesn't use too many ingredients ( if you're getting low on flour or eggs). Sometimes I do like to make a recipe that makes multiple loaves, but this is good for those times that you want a snack, but didn't really plan in advance. Another plus, Brendan will even eat this! (That says a lot, as he is an extremely picky kid).

Crock pot Chili

2 lbs ground beef 

1 large onion chopped

28 oz stewed tomatoes 

1 can dark kidney beans undrained 

1 can Hormel chili with beans

1 can tomato soup 

1 tsp BBQ sauce 

¼ tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼  onion salt

¼ tsp chili powder 

Pinch of sugar  

Brown beef in skillet. Sauté onion for last couple minutes. Add all ingredients to slow cooker and cover and cook on high 4 hours.

Frozen Fruit Salad

 Cream Together: 

1 (8oz) cream cheese 

¾ cup sugar   

Add:          

1 large Pineapple drained          

1 (10oz) Frozen Strawberry sliced with juice           

3 diced Bananas          

¾ cup chopped nuts           

1 large cool whip           

Mix together and place in 9X13 pan freeze.  Defrost 1 hour before serving.  

Smothered Steak

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds ground steak cut into strips 

1/3 cup flour 

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper 

1 onion sliced 

1 cup green pepper 

1 can diced tomatoes

4 oz mushrooms (optional)

3 Tbsp soy sauce 

1 can green beans or two cups frozen green beans  

Directions:

Cover the steak with the flour then put in the bottom of the crock-pot. 

Then add the remaining ingredients. 

Cover and cook on high for 5 hours. Serve over rice or baked potatoes. 

Holiday Mix

Ingredients:

3 cups Cheerios 

3 cups Rice Chex

3 cups Life 

3 cups Golden Grahams

1 pkg (10 oz) Pretzel Sticks

1 cup salted skinless peanuts 

1 pkg Holiday M&M’s 

24 oz pkg Almond Bark   

1. Melt Almond Bark in microwave. 
2. Pour over cereal mix in a large pan. 
3. Stir and mix. 
4. Spread on wax paper to dry. 
5. Store in zip lock bags.
   

This is the best to use up stored up WIC cereal.

Super Soft oatmeal cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening 

1 cup white sugar 

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs (5 if doubled) 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp baking soda 

½ tsp salt 

½ tsp baking powder 

2 cups quick oats 

2 cups flour  

2 cups chips of your choice

Directions: 

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs.

 In a separate bowl mix vanilla, soda, salt and baking powder.

 Add to creamed mixture. 

Mix flour and oats together. 

Mix with creamed mixture. 

Stir in chips of your choice. (We use half a bag of butterscotch and half of white chocolate)

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. 

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

This dish is pretty easy and it was good! Things I changed: took out diced tomatoes and put another can of crushed (making it more saucy, next time I'll just omit the diced w/o adding more crushed), and added more seasonings (Italian seasoning, garlic salt). And unfortunately I realized when putting things away after dinner, that I'd forgotten the heavy cream. And I think that having that would have made it a lot better and more creamy. I got this recipe from: http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/09/baked-pasta-with-chicken-sausage.html who adapted it from Martha Stewart

*Makes a heaping full 9X13 pan*
or
*2 8x8 pans*

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces frozen baby spinach, thawed and drained well (can substitute 1 9-oz. bag fresh spinach)
12 ounces precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (I find this in the same section/aisle as the hotdogs next to the precooked kielbasa and chorizo - I use the Jennie-O brand and it is precooked in a U-shape. JoAnn, a commenter said she finds chicken sausage at Super Target)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 ounces shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.

Stir in tomatoes, oregano and basil; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. (If using fresh spinach, add it to the pot of boiling pasta right at the end and cook until wilted.) Drain, and return contents to pot.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, spinach and cubed mozzarella to the pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop pasta into lightly greased 9X13-inch pan (or divide evenly between two 8X8-inch pans). Top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Apple Crisp

My mom got this recipe from the food network web site. I'm not usually a fan of apple crisp but this was awesome!

the apples:
8 to 10 med. to lrg. apples cut and sliced
1/2 c. sugar
1/2t. salt
2t cinnamon
1/4c. peacans (chopped)
1t nutmeg
2tbl orange juice
2tbl lemon juice
1tsp lemon and orange zest

Topping:
1/2c. flour
1/2 lb. butter (diced)
3/4c sugar
1c. oatmeal
3/4c. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients for the apples together and put into baking dish. Then combine all the topping ingredients together and mix until mixture is crumbly about peas size. Scatter over the apples evenly. Bake for 1 hr. at 350

Dragon's Breath Chili

I went to the Food Network website and looked through all the different chilis to find the perfect one to make for our ward chili cook-off, and this is the one I chose. It is really good, in fact it won me first place! I ended up only doing about 1/2 of the chilis it called for becuase I didn't want it to be super hot, and instead of hot paprika, I used regular paprika. I also decided to take out the chuck roast, because I didn't want chunks of meat. Here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/dragons-breath-chili-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons bacon grease, or canola oil
2 red bell peppers, diced (about 2 cups)
2 jalapenos, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped (I did 1)
3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped (I did 1)
2 yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups)
1 head garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 pound boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (I didn't use this)
2 pounds ground beef, coarse grind
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 teaspoons granulated onion
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons hot paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup tomato paste
12 ounces lager beer (did more chicken stock instead of this)
1 cup chicken stock
2 (15.5-ounce) cans pinto beans, with juice
2 (15.5-ounce) cans kidney beans, with juice
Double-Fried French Fries, recipe follows
Saltine crackers, for garnish
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Cheddar
Directions
In large stock pot over high heat, add butter and bacon grease. Add bell pepper, jalapeno, chiles and onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add chuck and brown. Add ground beef and sausage to brown and stir gently, trying not to break up the ground beef too much. Cook until meat is nicely browned and cooked through, about 7 to10 minutes. Add in granulated onions, granulated garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add in tomato sauce and paste and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in beer and chicken stock. Add beans, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.

*I also did 4 different types of beans, Navy beans, Pinto Beans, Dark Kidney beans, and Light Kidney Beans

Requests

Does anyone have a good recipe for sugar cookies? Not the fluffy, soft ones, I have a good one for those, but they aren't my favorite. Plus they're not the best for decorating. Also I signed up to do a chili at our ward Halloween dinner and I've never made any....so if you've got one I'd love to try it out!! Thanks!

Linds

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a recipe from my sister-in-law's mother originally, Mary Lou Erickson. My mother-in-law made it the other night for dessert and it was enjoyed by everyone! Delicious!

4 eggs 2 1/2 cups flour
1 c. oil 2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups canned pumpkin

Combine the eggs, oil, sugar, & salt. Then add the dry ingredients. Bake at 350 for 30 min.
*Use a cookie sheet or a shallow pan.

Frosting:
1 8oz. cream cheese softened
1 cube margarine softened
1 16oz. pkg. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Blend all ingredients together.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Dinner in a Pumpkin

My mom made this every Fall when I was growing up. For those who have never heard of it-it may seem a little weird, but it is easy and soooo good.

You need one medium size pumpkin (make sure it can fit in your oven) scraped out, saving the top.

Saute the following in butter:
water chestnuts
mushrooms (about 4 oz)
3 gloves pressed garlic
small onion chopped
1-2 cups chopped peppers (any variety of colors)
1 tsp salt

Add 2 lbs ground beef and cook through

When meat is cooked and vegetables are tender stir in:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 TBS brown sugar
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups hot cooked rice

Place inside pumpkin and cover with pumpkin lid. Bake 375 for one hour. Enjoy!

Labels

Ok lets just not put the main ingredients in the labels...I think it would just get a little crazy. Also if anyone has any suggestions let me know!

Linds

White Texas Sheet Cake

Here you go David! Enjoy! I got this recipe from Ross's mom and it's his favorite cake- super yummy!

Ingredients:

1 C butter/margarine 1 tsp almond extract
1 C water 1 tsp salt
2 C flour 1 tsp baking soda
2 C sugar 1/2 C sour cream
2 eggs beaten*

Directions:

In large saucepan bring butter and water to boil. Remove from heat; stir in flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, almond extract, salt and baking soda until smooth. Pour into a greased 15x10 (1 in deep) baking pan. Bake @ 375 for 20-22 mins or till golden brown. Cool for 20 mins before frosting.

Frosting:

1/2 C butter/margarine
1/4 C milk
4 1/2 C powder sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine butter and milk in a saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add sugar and extract and mix well.

Peanut Butter Pizza

This is my husbands absolute favorite dessert and he is not even a big sweet eater. It is delicious! It has been in my family since I can remember! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pizza
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cubes marg. or butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups flour

Mix all ingredients together but add flour gradually. Press big cookie dough ball into a pizza pan leaving about a 1 inch ridge from the edge of the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with 6 oz of chocolate chips and about 2 cups marshmellows. Bake for another 5-8 minutes until marshmellows are a golden brown.

Question...

So originally I was wanting to put the main ingredient (chicken, potato, beef) in the label along with "main dish", or "soup", or whatever it may be. But now I'm wondering if that would too many labels going on. Should I leave it the way I was thinking...or just have these main labels: main dish, side dish, dessert, soup, holiday, crock pot, and maybe some others?

Chicken Paprika

Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts                       1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. dried minced onion                 1/2 tsp. pepper
3 T. oil                                          1 C. water
1 1/2 tsp.paprika                           6 T. flour
2 C. sour cream

Directions:
          Cook onions in oil in a preheated frying pan until a light yellow color. Add paprika, salt, pepper, water and mix. place the chicken  on the onion mixture, cover tightly and simmer for 45 mins to 1 hour or until tender. Remove chicken. Mix flour and sour cream together and add to the onion mixture, stir and cook until thick. Return the chicken to the frying pan and simmer until hot.
This is so yummy, and the chicken is super tender. I had it with white rice, but I think that it'd be good with mashed potatoes too.

Baked Potato Soup

I got this recipe from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/06/crockpot-baked-potato-soup-recipe.html
I just copied the recipe from there on to here...it's delicious!

Ingredients:

5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
2 quarts chicken broth
2 -8 oz cream cheese, to add at the end
crumbled bacon, green onion, shredded cheese, as garnish(optional)

Directions:

Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. I suppose you can also leave the potatoes in chunks, if you really wanted, but I wanted a smooth soup.

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and cheddar cheese.