Sunday, October 1, 2017

Golden Graham S'more Treats


  • 1 cube of butter
  • 1 bag of marshmallows
Melt together on medium heat. (Don't let it get too hot too fast.)
Add:
  • 16 oz box of Golden Grahams
Put in a 9x13 greased pan.
Add:
  • chocolate chips sprinkled on top while grahams are still warm and chocolate will melt/soften. 
Cool, cut and enjoy. Usually double the recipe, of course. :) 

No-bake Energy Bites

Brittany likes these no-bake Lactation Energy Bites

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. rolled oats
  • 2 T. brewers yeast
  • 1/2 c. ground flaxseed
  • 1/2 c. honey
  • 1 c. peanut butter
  • 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 T. coconut oil
Instructions:
  1. In a large bowl combine the oats, brewers yeast and the flaxseed
  2. Mix in the honey, peanut butter, vanilla and coconut oil
  3. Fold in the chocolate chips
  4. Press and roll into balls
  5. Enjoy!
Notes: We will keep for up to two weeks in a sealed container in the fridge. Use cooking spray to coat your hands before rolling into balls. 

Brittany's weight loss smoothie

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup or less prune juice
  • 1 1/2 T Peanut Butter Powder (this is also really yummy if you use a vanilla slim fast)
  • 1 whole banana, or 1/2 cup of fruit of your choice
  • 1 cup or 8-9 cubes ice
  • 1 cup water
Blend all ingredients together and enjoy. This recipes a 24 - 26 oz drink.

Perfect Salmon

Brittany shared this delicious recipe on how to get perfect salmon every time!

  • drizzle salmon filet with olive oil
  • spinkle with salt and pepper
  • put it in a cold oven, then turn on the heat to 400 degrees
  • 25 minutes later, the salmon is absolutely perfect
Tender, moist, flaky, a no-fail method! Excellent for impressing dinner guests.


Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Melissa's Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
  • 3 eggs 
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 1/4 cups white sugar 
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 
  • 2 cups grated zucchini 
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts 
Directions

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Crockpot Refried Beans

Melissa: "We love these and make them often and have them for the week, so so good!"   I can't wait to try these!

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion peeled and halved 
  • 3 cups dry beans (I do 2 c. Pinto 1 c. Black beans.) 
  • JalapeƱo optional (I usually add a few in from a jar) 
  • 2 TBL. Minced garlic 
  • 3 tsp salt 
  • 1 3/4 tsp pepper 
  • 1/8 tsp cumin (optional) 
  • 9 cups water or chicken broth 
Directions:

Soak beans overnight. Drain and put everything in the crockpot. Stir.

Cook on HIGH for 8 hours adding more water if needed. Once cooked, strain them reserving the liquid. Mash beans and onion, or remove onion, whatever your preference is. Add reserved liquid as needed until you reach your desired consistency.


Thursday, August 17, 2017

White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients 
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 tsp baking soda 
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
  • 2 tsp ground ginger 
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves 
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter , softened 
  • 1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp granulated sugar , divided 
  • 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar 
  • 1 large egg 
  • 1/4 cup molasses 
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract 
  • 3 cups white chocolate chips 
  • 3 Tbsp shortening 
  • Red and green candy melts (or tinted royal icing) (optional) 
Instructions 

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg for 20 seconds, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Mix in egg, then blend in molasses and vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 10 minutes of chilling. Scoop dough out about 1 1/2 Tbsp at a time, shape into balls then roll in remaining 3 Tbsp granulated sugar. Transfer to Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart (keep dough chilled that is not currently baking), flatten tops just slightly (to evenly level).

Bake in preheated oven 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1 cup white chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp shortening at a time in microwave on HIGH power in 10 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until melted, smooth and fairly runny (I did batches of it because it will cool as your dipping, plus its easy to burn so you don't want to work with too much of it at a time. Then once you've used it up melt more, you may not need all 3 cups). Dip half of each cookie in melted white chocolate mixture then run bottom of cookie slightly along edge of bowl to remove excess, then return to Silpat or parchment paper to set at room temperature.

If doing the holly decoration, melt candy melts according to directions on package (I worked in small batches because it sets quickly, maybe 9 chips at a time, plus you won't need much). Pour into a piping bags fitted with a #4 tip and pipe decorations. Allow to set a room temperature.


Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

"My kids gobble these up." -Melissa

Ingredients
  • 1 cup white sugar 
  • 2 cups flour 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream 
  • 2 eggs 1/2 cup butter, softened 
  • 2 or 3 ripe bananas - I always use 3 bananas 
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips 
Instructions

Mix all ingredients together until moistened. Add chocolate chips by sprinkling on the tops of the muffins before baking. Pour into greased muffin baking tray or use muffin paper liners. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Recipe makes 12 muffins.

Recipe found HERE.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Graham Cracker Crust #2

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 9 whole graham crackers) 
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional 
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 
DIRECTIONS

If you’re using whole graham crackers, finely crush them in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and roll with a rolling pin.

Stir graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Add melted butter and stir with a fork. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” pie plate. Press hard to compact. You can use a glass to press the bottom, but use your fingers to press the sides.

To make a no-bake pie: Chill pie crust for at least one hour before filling. Cover if chilling longer. Make pie as directed.

To make a baked graham crust: Preheat oven to 325°. Bake crust for 10 minutes, until it just starts to brown. Cool completely before filling.

Swig Sugar Cookie Link

Melissa likes this Swig Sugar Cookie Copycat Recipe found HERE.

(She specifically asks on her site not to copy her recipe and post anywhere else, so I've just linked it above.)

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipe

We have all had this cake. We've all made this cake. It's hard to believe we didn't have the recipe on here sooner! It is THE chocolate bundt cake recipe to have! Soooooooooooooo yummy!!


Ingredients 
  • 1 pkg Devil's Food Cake Mix 
  • 1 small box instant chocolate pudding 
  • 1 c. sour cream 
  • 4 large eggs 
  • 1/2 c. water 
  • 1/2 c. oil  
  • 1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips 
For the frosting
  • 1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened 
  • 1/4 cup butter , softened 
  • 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar 
  • 1 tsp . vanilla extract 
Instructions 

The night before: Mix first six ingredients together in a mixer or with beaters. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased bunt cake pan (cooking spray works great). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for 20 minutes. Remove cake from bundt pan by placing a plate upside down over the bundt pan. While holding the plate firmly on top of the bundt pan, flip both over so the cake comes out onto the plate. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight before frosting. 


Before serving: In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Start with 2 cups then keep adding more until it is nice and thick. Spoon the frosting into a Ziplock resealable gallon bag. Clip one bottom corner of the bag. Squeeze frosting out of the bag onto the cake in strips as pictured above.





Christmas Fudge

Melissa's comments: "I made this fudge for the first time at Christmas and it turned out so good. Easy pure fudge. Lot's of people at JD's work said it was the best creamiest fudge they had had."

Click HERE for recipe source.

Ingredients 

  • 2 and 1/2 cups white granulated sugar 
  • 3/4 cup butter 
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk 
  • 12 ounce package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips 
  • 7 ounce jar marshmallow cream (also called marshmallow fluff) 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
Instructions

Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a 3 quart HEAVY saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, butter, and evaporated milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir slowly until butter melts, scraping sides of pan to get all the sugar crystals. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon. Once it starts boiling, set a timer for 5 minutes and turn the heat down to medium so that you don't burn your fingers off--it should be boiling the full 5 minutes. Stir constantly.

When the timer goes off, remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until all chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

Add marshmallow creme and beat with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add vanilla and mix well.

Immediately pour into the prepared pan. Let cool to room temperature. Slice and serve! Store on the counter covered.

Recipe Notes This recipe is easy to double, just use a 9x13 pan. Microwave your marshmallow creme for 10 seconds to make it easier to scrape out. (Be sure to remove all traces of foil from the safety seal.)

Monday, August 14, 2017

Devin's Famous Dutch Oven Potatoes

Melissa says, "These are the best Dutch oven potatoes! We have made them several times and for several people. Scouts, Friends, JD's family at the cabin. And every time they turn out amazing and no joke everyone says they are the best Dutch oven potatoes they have ever had. We will never make a different one."

Click HERE for original recipe and photos.

Ingredients 

  • 1 pkg. bacon cut into fourths 
  • 10-12 large potatoes scrubbed, rinsed, and sliced into circles 
  • Seasoning Salt "Spike" or "Johnny's" seasoning salt work great! 
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder 
  • 1 can cream of chicken 
  • 3-4 c. shredded cheddar cheese 
Instructions 

When the Dutch oven is good and hot add the bacon and heat until fully cooked. Drain about half of the bacon grease then add the potatoes. Stir in about 3 Tbsp. of the seasoning salt (or to taste) and garlic powder. Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally (or until potatoes are no longer crunchy, but do NOT overcook). Add cream of chicken. When the cream of chicken is evenly distributed and hot, add cheese. When cheese is melted, remove from heat and serve.

Melissa's Grilled Chicken Marinade #2

Melissa says, "This is one of my go to recipes for grilled chicken. Easy and delicious!"

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown sugar 
  • 1 cup oil 
  • ½ cup soy sauce 
  • ½ cup vinegar
Mix all the ingredients and then add chicken. Let marinate at least 4 hours or best overnight. Grill chicken and then enjoy!

Click HERE for recipe source.


Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil

Melissa says, "I made this for Father's Day for the first time and we have made it twice since then. My whole family loves this."

Recipe found here.
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound baby Dutch yellow potatoes 
  • 3 ears corn, each cut crosswise into 6 pieces 
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning 
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 
  • 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced 
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook potatoes until just tender and parboiled, about 10-13 minutes. Stir in corn during the last 5 minutes of cooking time; drain well.

In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic and Old Bay Seasoning.

Place potatoes, corn, shrimp and sausage in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Stir in butter mixture and gently toss to combine. Place into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque and corn is tender.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Coca Cola BBQ Chicken

Melissa shared this recipe with us, and we tried it when we went camping this past weekend. It was super yummy!

Ingredients:

  • 10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 can coke
  • 16 oz BBQ suace
  • 1 T. worchestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
Arrange chicken in an oiled dutch oven.  Mix the BBQ sauce, coke and spices and pour over chicken. (Optional: I put it all together in a bag in the morning and left in our cooler all day so the sauce could act as a marinade. It made things super easy when it came time to cook.) Cover the dutch oven and cook over coals for 60-70 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. 

*Even though this is a dutch oven recipe, it would be easily adjustable to make in the oven at home. 

Dutch Oven Potatoes

We made these classic potatoes when we went camping last weekend. They were perfection!


Ingredients:

  • 1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 
  • 1 small onion, chopped 
  • 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks 
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves 
  • 1 tablespoon seasoned salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper 
  • 1/2 cup water 
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces 
Directions:

Preheat a wood fire or outdoor charcoal grill to medium heat. In a Dutch oven placed on the grill grate or directly on the embers of the fire, cook bacon until crisp. Add onions and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Put potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add parsley, seasoned salt and pepper, to taste. Mix all ingredients well. Put potatoes into the Dutch oven, and add water and butter. Cook, covered, until potatoes are browned and tender, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Mom's Easter Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Salad

  • 1 head romaine lettuce*
  • 1 head green leaf lettuce*
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
  • 2 apples, diced
  • 1/2 c. dried cranberries 
  • 10 - 12 small cherry tomatoes, halved (mom prefers to leave this out)
  • 1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese
  • 1/4 c. slivered almonds
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 2 avocados, pared and cut into chunks (mom prefers to leave this out)
Dressing
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • juice of 1 grated onion (grate and then put through sieve
  • 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 3/4 tsp poppy seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 c. vegetable oil
Directions:

Wash lettuce, spin dry, and tear into pieces. Combine with celery, mandarin oranges, apples, cranberries, tomatoes, and cheese in a large serving bowl. Toss.

In a 9-inch nonstick skillet, cook almonds with a 1 T. sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and almonds start to caramelize. Cool.

To make dressing, whisk together all dressing ingredients except vegetable oil. Gradually pour in vegetable oil, whisking to combine. 

Add almonds and avocados to salad just prior to serving. Toss with dressing. 

*You can substitute one package mixed green sin place of the romaine and green leaf lettuce.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Brittany's Easy Maple Syrup


Ingredients:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 T. maple (Don't use maple extract, it won't taste as strong. Use real maple.)
Mix together sugar and water and stir constantly over heat. Right when it starts to boil, remove from heat and add the maple extract. Tip: Make sure you are watching and stirring or it will boil over.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Volcanoes

Brittany shared this treat. They look yummy!!

Ingredients:
  • 1 bag of square pretzels
  • 2 bags Rolo candies
  • 1 bag M&Ms
Spread pretzels on a tinfoil-lined cookie sheet.  Add a Rolo on top of each pretzel. Bake in the oven 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees. You want the Rolos soft but not melting.  Take out of oven and immediately push an M&M down into the middle of each Rolo. Cool and enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables or potatoes

Delicious side dish to any meal!

Roasted vegetables:

  • red onion
  • yellow squash
  • zucchini
  • other veggies of choice
  • olive oil or vegetable oil
  • seasonings of choice
Dice up all the vegetables the same size and coat them in oil and salt and pepper (and other seasonings if desired). Bake them until cooked through. 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. 


Roasted potatoes:
  • sweet potatoes or red potatoes
  • oil
  • seasonings of choice
Dice the potatoes into cubes. Coat in oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for around 20 minutes or until soft and cooked through. 


Brittany's Muddy Buddies

Brittany has revised the original recipe to be even better!

Ingredients:

  • 1 regular box Chex mix
  • 2 c. chocolate chips
  • 1 c. peanut butter
  • 1/2 c. margarine
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • powdered sugar
Make normally as directed and dump as much powdered sugar as you like. Yum!

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Gnocchi Zuppa Toscana

Melissa shared this quick and yummy soup recipe with me. My family really enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

  • Italian sausage, about 1 pound
  • 1 onion, minced
  • garlic to taste (1-2 tsp, minced)
  • Carton of chicken broth
  • milk
  • package of gnocchi
  • a few handfuls of kale, washed and chopped
  • salt 
  • pepper 
  • Parmesan cheese

In a big pot, brown the italian sausage. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until fragrant. Add the carton of chicken broth and some milk (as much as you want to make the soup as thin or as thick as you prefer). Bring to a boil. Toss in the package of gnocchi and a few big handfuls of kale. Cook until gnocchi floats and kale wilts (3-5 minutes). Add salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese to taste. Done!

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

Melissa shared this fantastic recipe with all of us. She says they are a bit more work, but worth the effort! Click HERE for the full recipe!

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Ham Casserole

I found a recipe for a similar casserole online and tweaked and changed until it worked best for us. Here is the final result. My family really likes this one!

Ingredients

  • 5 or 6 small to medium russet potatoes
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped 
  • 2 large carrots, sliced 
  • 4 1/2 cups water 
  • 3 tablespoons butter 
  • 3 cups cubed fully cooked ham 
  • About 1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped
  • About 1/2 a small onion, chopped
  • 6 tablespoons butter 
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
  • 2 cups milk 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Place potatoes, celery, and carrot in a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a 9x13 baking dish.

3. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir ham, red bell pepper, and onion until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer ham mixture to baking dish and mix with potatoes.

4. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a clean skillet; cook and stir flour in melted butter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Gradually stir in milk and season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add Cheddar cheese; stir until melted. Pour cheese mixture over ham and potatoes.

5. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in preheated oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Allow casserole to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.


Monday, January 2, 2017

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

We went out for sushi over Thanksgiving Break with LaVon and Kelly. In addition to some DELICIOUS sushi, we had the tastiest bowl of chicken teriyaki chicken and rice. I've been craving it ever since. We have come up with our own version of this meal, and we think it's pretty close to the original! Bonus, it's easy and inexpensive to make. This is definitely going to become a regular at our house.

Ingredients:
  • Rice, cooked
  • Chicken, cooked and seasoned as desired
  • Any vegetables you like in your rice bowl (we prefer to leave the vegetables out of the bowl but make edamame for the side - yum!!)
  • 1 Batch of Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients: 
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce 
  • 1 cup water 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
  • 5 tablespoons packed brown sugar 
  • 1 -2 tablespoon honey 
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch 
  • 1/4 cup cold water 
Directions:

Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4 c cold water in a sauce pan and begin heating. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. (I like to add the cornstarch slowly while whisking.) Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce in pan. Heat and stir until sauce thickens and darkens to desired consistency. Add water to thin if you want it thinner, but for me this is perfect! Just like that nice, sweet, thick Teriyaki sauce we had at the restaurant. YUM!