Strawberry, banana, mango smoothie

5 medium to large ripe strawberries
1/2 large banana
1/2 mango (I like the Ataulfo variety, it comes in a six pack at Costco)
3 oz. light vanilla yogurt (I love the Lucern brand)
7 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy! It's delicious!

Cinnamon Rolls

You start by making a dry mix (Hot Roll Mix)



Hot Roll Mix

5 lbs. all-purpose flour (I prefer Pillsbury)

3/4 Cup sugar

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk



Then in a small bowl combine the following:

1 Tablespoon of dry yeast

1 Tablespoon of sugar

1 1/2 cup of lukewarm water

Let this stand for about 5 minutes while putting the following in your mixer:

3 cups of hot roll mix

2 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup melted butter

Then put in yeast mixture and combine until smooth.

Gradually add 2 - 3 more cups of the Hot Roll Mix until batter is a little sticky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead until smooth. Place in butter bowl to rise and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down and knead again until smooth. Then roll out dough on a floured surface in an oblong shape to about 1/4 inch thick.



Cinnamon Sprinkle

2 Tablespoons of soft butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

raisins and nuts if desired



Spread cinnamon mixture on dough. Roll dough like a jelly roll and cut with a sharp knife into 1 inch slices. Place on lightly buttered flat baking sheet. Cover and let stand until rolls raise are double in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 20 to 25 minutes (don't over bake). Prepare glaze and drizzle over rolls while hot.



Glaze

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoon milk (add a little at a time until glaze is thin enough to drizzle)



Note: you may have some hot roll mix left. Bag and put in freezer for next time or store in dry cool place in sealed container.

Turkey Wraps

This is a favorite of ours when the weather is HOT HOT HOT. I got the recipe from a roommate in college that used to fix fabulous things for us all the time. It takes 5 minutes to come together and no cooking whatsoever. Just reading through the recipe, they don't sound too different or exciting, but they really taste great!! Even my kids gobble them. We often wrap them in tin foil and they travel great for packed lunches or picnics.

Ingredients:

flour tortillas

turkey lunch meat

provolone cheese slices, or your favorite cheese to go with turkey

cream cheese

baby spinach leaves

tomato, thinly sliced

salt/pepper, to taste

Spread cream cheese very lightly over the tortilla, then lay the rest of the ingredients down the center. Roll it up like a burrito and enjoy!

Quick Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Amy and I talked about buttercream recipes and she mentioned she didn't have a good one. Well, I have a great one--the kind I want to eat by the spoonful! Here you go, Amy, and anyone else who wants a good frosting recipe:

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tbsp whipping cream

In a stand mixer, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Cold chicken salad sandwichs

Great for picnics, to have on hand with crackers and cheese, or anytime you want a quick snack.

Ingredients: (all these amounts are approximates since I never measure anything)

• 4 chicken breasts cooked (either boil them or buy a cooked chicken at the grocery and use the whole chicken instead of just breast meat). cut into cubes or slices when cool, then shred into large bowl. Add:
• 1/2 Cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 chopped fine red onion or green onion stems (optional for you onion haters)
• 1/2-1 Cup (depending on how creamy you want the salad) mayonaise or light mayo...can use fat free
• 1 or 2 tsp/s yellow mustard (to taste)
• Pepper and other spices (sometimes I add a little red pepper powder) to taste

Mix well until all ingredients are well incorporated. Refrigerate until served. I like to use wheat bread or potato rolls. Another good bread with this is the costco bakery "rosemary and olive oil" bread cut into slices...add the chicken salad and a slice of cheese (any kind), bake open faced in the oven until cheese melts, then put the sandwich back together and serve...very good!

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie

A frozen dessert that is perfect for Summer evenings.

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 cup Nutter Butter cookies, coarsely chopped
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 chocolate pie crust
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

Place large bowl in freezer for 10 minutes before starting. In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter and honey. In chilled bowl, combine ice cream, peanut butter mixture and cookies. Beat on low speed until combined. Spread half of ice cream mixture in crust. Drizzle with chocolate syrup, then freeze for 20-30 minutes. Carefully spread remaining ice cream mixture on top. Freeze at least 3 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting. Garnish with cool whip if desired.

Costa Vida Sweet Pork

3 lb. (give or take) boneless pork roast
1/2 can of Dr. Pepper or Coke (NOT diet)
1 sm. can of green chilies
1 can (around 12 oz.) red enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and plop your thawed-out meat on top. Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours. At this point, take 2 forks and shred the meat into a million small pieces. Stir a little, and continue to cook on LOW for about 2 more hours.

We made ours into salads (my favorite thing to order at the restaurant) but you can put this on a bun and make a shredded pork sandwich, roll it up into a burrito, ANYTHING. In case you want, here's the tortilla recipe I made at the same time.

TORTILLAS:

3 cups flour
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup warm water

Stir/knead all ingredients until JUST combined. Let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 12 balls. Let rest for 20 minutes. Roll them out on a floured counter and cook on hot skillet until nicely browned on each side. (The secret is in the RESTING! The dough will not stretch properly if you don't wait the given amount of time. While it is resting, cover the bowl with a damp towel.)

Homemade Maple Syrup

My grandmother and mother always made homemade syrup and I took it for granted. I fixed this often for my family and added some twists. Easy to make and so much better than store bought syrup.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Put in sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Put in one Teaspoon of maple flavoring and you have syrup. I have also substituted almond extract for maple flavoring and it is so good. You can also add some jelly of any flavor and have a great syrup as well - apricot, strawberry, and so forth. This recipe makes about 3/4 cup syrup which is good for about three people but it can easily be doubled or tripled. Use your imagination and make something great to go with your waffles or pancakes.

Jeri's Sour Cream Waffles

I love to make these for my family on special days! That could be anyday and for dinner as well. The leftovers can be frozen and heated in the microwave and they are almost as good as fresh.

3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the above together with a fork in large bowl.

Stir in the following -
1 cup sour cream
3 egg yolks (save whites in small cooled bowl)
1 to 1 1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon oil or melted butter

Take the egg whites and beat until stiff and then fold into the batter. You are ready now to put in heated waffle iron. This makes good Belgian waffles as well. Cook for 3-5 mins, depending on your waffle iron.

Apple Fritters

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's website. It IS the most wonderful concoction ever known to man.

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 whole large eggs

3/4 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 whole granny smith apples, peeled and diced very small (pretty much any variety of apple is fine)

Powdered sugar (for dusting, optional)

Canola oil, for frying

In mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

In separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add other wet ingredients.

Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix!) Fold in apples. You will want a very chunky batter.

Heat a couple of inches of canola oil over medium heat. Drop in a little bit of batter to test the heat. If it immediately sizzles and rises to the top, the oil is ready. If it darkens quickly, turn down the heat.

Drop heaping teaspoons of batter into the hot oil, several at a time. Flip them over as they begin to brown. You don't want them too dark, but cooked long enough that the centers are done. (About 2 - 2 1/2 minutes total.)

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm!

Pumpkin Pancakes

My SIL, Holly, shared this recipe with me and it's really good. What makes it even better is topping each pancake with some nutella. DIVINE!

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
1 3/4 cup Bisquick
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients well and cook on hot griddle until golden brown.

Apple Puffed Pancake

My mom got this recipe from a bed and breakfast that she and my dad stayed at years ago. It is delicious!
2 medium baking apples (I like gala), peeled and sliced
4 T. butter

1 1/2 c. milk
6 eggs
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 T. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
5 T. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425, melt butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish in oven. Once butter has melted, add apples to dish and arrange in a uniform layer. Bake until sizzling. While apples are baking, whisk flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk eggs and milk in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer on high. You want to the mixture to be frothy. Pour the mixture over your cooked apples and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Breakfast: Grandma Ellis' pancakes

Dean's mother made these wonderful pancakes and our family loves them. We use the same batter for waffles, too.

Combine in bowl:
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup oil

Combine dry ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until moistened. Don't overstir.

Beat egg white until fluffy and fold into batter.

Cook as usual for pancakes or waffles.

I have been lazy lately and I haven't been beating the egg white--just adding the whole egg to the batter and it's still pretty good. Beating the egg white does make it nice and light, however.

Another thing that I've done sometimes is add half as much oil and then add a little water if it needs more moisture.

You can substitute part wheat flour, also.

Breakfast: Norwegian Omelets

Here's the famous Norwegian Omelet Recipe that Mama Bahen always made us as kids. We would beg her to make them (Jeri, Bob, Rich and I) and she would have to really be in the mood as then we would have a contest to see which one of us could eat the most. Guess who always won--Bob! (big surprise). Papa Bahen's sister, Aunt Alice, was widowed at 29 yrs. of age and later remarried Vern Obray (it didn't last--they divorced)---but his legacy is this recipe. It was his family's recipe and then we adopted it.

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup flour

Combine all in a blender at slowest speed just until smooth. Don't overblend as you don't want air bubbles in the batter. If you have bubbles, let it sit for a few minutes before using.

Cook on a good non-stick fry pan that has been greased with non-stick spray or shortening.
Cook at medium heat. Use just enough batter to make a thin crepe. Let one side just brown enough to start becoming dry on the edges, run your spatula around the edge to loosen the crepe, and flip in one quick motion. Good luck! This is the hardest part. If you have a crepe maker use those directions.

We always ate them with melted butter and sugar and then rolled them up. Don't let them sit too long. They taste best freshly made.

You can of course fill them with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, jam, and I've filled them with chopped up ham and broccoli in an au gratin white sauce and then rolled it up enchilada style in a pan, poured more white sauce and cheese over the top, baked it in the oven until the cheese melts and it's very yummy.

Potato Cheese Soup

This is a recipe I make on cold rainy days and I always make homemade rolls to go with it. Warms the tummy and the heart just thinking about it. This recipe serves about 8 and can easily be doubled.

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
3 cups diced potatoes
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 quart half & half
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
8 slices of American Cheese

Place vegetables in pan and add just enough water to barely cover them. Cover and bring to boil. Then turn down heat to simmer until potatoes are tender.

In the meantime, melt butter in sauce pan and then add flour. Totally integrate flour into butter to create a roux. Then add half and half a little at a time stirring thoroughly between each amount added until smooth. Cook and stir until smooth and thick, using a wire whisk. Then add salt, pepper, and sugar. At this time, add cheese a slice at a time to sauce and stir until melted before adding next slice.

Add sauce to undrained potatoes, stir, reheat if needed, and serve.

Chocolate Pots de Creme (Poe de crem)

Serves 8. This is from Cooks Illustrated

We prefer pots de creme made with 60 percent cocoa bittersweet chocolate . Covered tightly with plastic wrap, the pots de creme will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but the whipped cream must be made just before serving.

Ingredients

Pots de Crème
10	ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% dark), chopped fine
5	large egg yolks
5	tablespoons sugar
1/4	teaspoon table salt
1 1/2	cups heavy cream
3/4	cup half-and-half
1	tablespoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
1/2	cup heavy cream (cold)
2	teaspoons sugar
1/2	teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish (optional)
	Cocoa powder for dusting
	Chocolate shavings for sprinkling

Instructions

1. 1. FOR THE POTS DE CRÈME: Place chocolate in medium heatproof bowl; set fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside.

2. 2. Whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in medium bowl until combined; whisk in heavy cream and half-and-half. Transfer mixture to medium saucepan. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until thickened and silky and custard registers 175 to 180 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 8 to 12 minutes (see photos, below). Do not let custard overcook or simmer.

3. 3. Immediately pour custard through strainer over chocolate. Let mixture stand to melt chocolate, about 5 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth, then whisk in vanilla. Divide mixture evenly among eight 5-ounce ramekins. Gently tap ramekins against counter to remove air bubbles.

4. 4. Cool pots de crème to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 72 hours. Before serving, let pots de crème stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes.

5. 5. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Using hand mixer or standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat cream, sugar, and vanilla on low speed until bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium; continue beating until beaters leave trail, about 30 seconds longer. Increase speed to high; continue beating until nearly doubled in volume and whipped cream forms soft peaks, 30 to 45 seconds longer.

6. 6. Dollop each pot de crème with about 2 tablespoons whipped cream; garnish with cocoa or chocolate shavings, if using. Serve.

Creme brulee for two

Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks after the cream has finished steeping; if left to sit, the surface of the yolks will dry and form a film. The best way to judge doneness is with a digital instant-read thermometer. The custards, especially if baked in shallow fluted dishes, will not be deep enough to provide an accurate reading with a dial-face thermometer. For the caramelized sugar crust, we recommend turbinado or Demerara sugar. Regular granulated sugar will work, too. The amount of sugar needed for the topping will depend on the shape of the ramekin. Sprinkle enough sugar over the the top to cover, and then shake off the excess (about 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons for turbinado sugar or 1 teaspoon for regular granulated sugar).

Ingredients

1	cup heavy cream , chilled
2	tablespoons granulated sugar plus 1 additional teaspoon
	Pinch table salt
3	large egg yolks
1/2	teaspoon vanilla extract
2 - 4	teaspoons turbinado sugar or Demerara sugar

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Combine 1/2 cup cream, sugar, and salt in small saucepan; bring mixture to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves.

3. Meanwhile, place kitchen towel in bottom of baking dish or roasting pan and arrange two 4- to 5-ounce ramekins (or shallow fluted dishes) on towel. Bring kettle or saucepan of water to boil over high heat.

4. After cream has cooled slightly, stir in remaining 1/2 cup cream to cool down mixture further. Whisk yolks in medium bowl until broken up and combined. Whisk in vanilla extract and about 1/4 cup cream mixture into yolks until loosened and combined; repeat with another 1/4 cup cream. Add remaining cream and whisk until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into 2-cup measuring cup or pitcher (or clean medium bowl); discard solids in strainer. Pour or ladle mixture into ramekins, dividing it evenly among them.

5. Carefully place baking dish with ramekins on oven rack; pour boiling water into dish, taking care not to splash water into ramekins, until water reaches two-thirds height of ramekins. Bake until centers of custards are just barely set and are no longer sloshy and digital instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 170 to 175 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for shallow fluted dishes). Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time.

6. Transfer ramekins to wire rack; cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Set ramekins on rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.

7. Uncover ramekins; if condensation has collected on custards, place paper towel on surface to soak up moisture. Sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (1 1/2 teaspoons for shallow fluted dishes); tilt and tap ramekin for even coverage. Ignite torch and caramelize sugar. Refrigerate ramekins, uncovered, to re-chill, 30 to 45 minutes (but no longer); serve.

Here's what the yummy tropical salad looks like:

Tropical Fusion Salad with Spicy Tortilla Ribbons

This is from the Taste of Home magazine.
Prep/total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
2 c. cubed, peeled papaya (I used clamshell mangos from Costco. I'm not a huge papaya fan).
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium ripe avocado
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1/2 c. golden raisins
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped (I only seeded one, and it really wasn't that hot.)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. orange juice
2 T. lime juice
1 T. cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced (I put them through a press)
2 tsp. ground ancho chili pepper, divided (I couldn't find this at Vons, but I did find New Mexican chili powder).
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 corn tortillas (6 in.) cut into 1/4 in strips

1. In a large bowl combine the papaya, beans, avocado, corn, raisins, peppers, cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 tsp. of chili pepper, sugar, and salt

2. Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining chili pepper. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 min or until crisp. Serve with salad

Notes: I added 8 oz. of the Costco rotisserie chicken shredded. Make sure you get your tortilla strips really crispy. I would aim for 1/8" strips as opposed to 1/4" ones. I think a little shallot or onion would really make the dressing sing. I'll be trying an orange lime vinaigrette the next time I make this.

Nutrition facts: 1 1/4 cups salad w/about 10 tortilla strips equals 321 cals, 8 g fat (1 g sat), 0 cholesterol, 380 mg sodium, 58 g carbs, 11 g fiber, 9 g protein.

Cinnamon Twists Reviewed

I had my eye on these bad boys from the very beginning...

Overall, making these was a harrowing experience! I think this was largely in part due to human error, and not the recipe itself. :/ I was rushing and didn't realize that there were some extra steps in making the dough that I hadn't taken into account yet. (Basically it's not a "dump it all in the bowl and mix it up" type of dough. But bread-making is rarely that quick n' easy... shame on me for not planning ahead.)

Then, at one point I had to bring the buttermilk to a boil. Shame on me AGAIN, I walked away from the pan and it boiled over. ALL OVER. So I had this to deal with:

I threw it out, washed the pan, and started to heat up a new batch on a different burner. Wouldn't ya know it, that #@!&!?@!!$!*! buttermilk boiled over a second time!!! Note to all who read this: buttermilk comes to a boil awfully fast. And I'm a dork in the kitchen. Enough said.

Another bit of grumpiness I encountered was that this recipe required a "Hot Roll Mix." This was a big batch of dry ingredients that you only need a small portion of for the actual recipe. Then you have to save the rest for another time, or another recipe from the same "Hot Roll Mix" family. I was bummed that I had soooooooo much leftover and wasn't sure when/if I could use it again. Maybe Jeri could post some more things on here to make using it? (I even cut the amounts in half and I STILL had a ton of Hot Roll Mix left.)

However!!!!!

All of my grumpiness was experienced BEFORE the cinnamon twists were done. Once I ate one (or was it 17? I lost count...) all complaints should be erased from the record books. They were HEAVEN. Very different from a regular cinnamon roll. I don't know how they do it, but this dough comes out very Krispy Kreme-ish, so light and melt-in-your-mouth just like cotton candy. Wowsers. I will have NO problem using up that leftover Hot Roll Mix. I will be making these again -- SOON.

Here's the total amount the recipe made, just so you can see. (But imagine 2 more twists in the picture. I ate them before I remembered to grab my camera! HA!)

Thank you Jeri - we are bringing these to hang out with friends tonight and they are going to be awesome!

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
1tsp dried parsley flakes
4Tb butter or margerine, divided
1/4 c sour cream
3 c shicken broth
4 c diced potatoes
1/4 c flour
16 oz processed American cheese (I use a 15 oz jar of velveeta)
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Just a tip here, I use a mandolin slicer tool for all these veggies; it makes things cut fast, cook fast, and are the right size for eating.

In a 3qt saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1Tbs butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-13 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cooka nd stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Ad to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

This is to die for with a loaf of fresh made bread, but I don't have a special recipe for that.

Tip-wise, I don't think my saucepan will hold this, but I'm also not sure how big my pan really is. I end up adding all ingredients together in my stockpot. I also tend to skip steps and I just brown the beef, then leave it in there to add the veggies, herbs and broth and let it all simmer together a little longer; I just taste-test it as I go.

This new favorite of mine comes from my mom who got it out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Be ready to share the recipe with anyone who tries it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 I actually got this from a Pampered Chef party--I didn't buy any products, but I've gotten many miles out of the recipe!

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (approx. 12 oz)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped or diced green chilies, undrained
tortilla chips
fresh cilantro, finely chopped
shredded cheddar cheese
thick slices fresh lime

Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat stockpot over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a little olive oil. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add chopped onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place a handful of chips in a bowl. Ladle soup over chips and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Garnish each bowl with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup (one of my favorite parts!).

I often make this when I have planned another dish during the week that uses chips and cilantro. I hate wasting ingredients, but if I don't plan for these ones in other meals, they'll go bad.

Potato Soup

Evvvvveryone loves a good creamy potato soup, but I found a neat little trick to take most of the hard work out of it! Frozen potatoes!!! (You'll never peel and chop again.) And I might be a tad biased, but this recipe tastes a lot better than most others I've tried. Since I made it up, a lot of the measurements are up to you... but it's pretty hard to mess up. Just start out small and taste to decide how much of the spices you want. I also like that I can omit or add in different veggies to make it different. But here is the general list of stuff that works for me!

POTATO SOUP

3 cans cream of potato soup

1 bag frozen southern style hashbrowns (cubes)

Milk (to fill one empty soup can)

1 can corn - drained

1 cup fresh (or frozen) broccoli flowerets - I chop them up very small

Bacon bits

Garlic powder

Pepper

Diced yellow onion (or dehydrated onion flakes)

½ cup (or more) heavy cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bring soup and milk to a gentle boil, add potatoes and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, chop broccoli into tiny, tiny bits. Add that and the corn to your boiling mixture. Add bacon bits, onion, and other spices to your own liking. When potatoes are soft, add cream. Start with ½ cup, but you can add more as you wish. The more the richer and yummier! Serve with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.

Cheese Crunchers

My mom has made this as a holiday dessert for as long as I can remember, so that's when I typically make it. But you can totally use this whenever you want! (I know my hubby would be absolutely content if I decided to make this on a weekly basis!)

Crust/Topper
1 12 oz bag butterscotch chips
6 Tbs butter
2 C graham crackers, crumbled-big crumbs
2 C chopped nuts

Soften and mix chips and butter. Stir until smooth. Add in crumbs and nuts. Set aside 2 C of the mixture. Pat remainder in a 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 3-5 minutes.

Filling
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 C sugar
4 eggs
1/2 C flour
2 Tbs lemon juice

Combine all together. Beat until smooth. Pour over crust. Crumble remaining crust mixture over all. Bake at 350 for 25 min. Cool, cut, refrigerate or serve immediately. Refrigerate uneaten portion.

Oven Roasted Chicken

Found this one last year and I think it's the BEST. The chicken is always moist and flavorful, and the leftovers can be made into just about anything. I'm making it tomorrow and felt I just had to pass it along.

1 whole chicken
garlic salt
seasoned salt (any kind of seasoning blend works)
lemon pepper

Preheat oven to 325.

Rinse chicken with cold water and remove giblets from inside. Lay chicken, breast side up, in a baking dish (just big enough to contain it and has a lid). Sprinkle seasonings generously over chicken; flip to breast side down and season generously again. Cover and bake for 30 minutes per pound. (I've noticed that going over by as much as 30 minutes has never dried it out.)

Remove chicken and place breast-side up on a plate to serve.

Now, if anyone else has a good recipe for how to turn the 1-2 cups of juice left over after all this into a stock or soup, I'm interested. I've never been able to save it properly, but I know it would be great in other dishes.

Swedish Cinnamon Twists

This is one of my favorites of all time. I got the recipe from Make-a-Mix Cookery. You have to start by making a Hot Roll Mix (which will make at least two batches of the following recipe).

Hot Roll Mix
5 lbs. all-purpose flour (I prefer Pillsbury)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 Teaspoons salt
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk
Combine together and put in large airtight container to store. Use within 6 months.

Bread mixture:
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
4 to 5 cups Hot Roll Mix
Cinnamon Filling, see below
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Powdered Sugar Glaze, see below

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if desired)
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts in a small bowl.

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoon hot water
Combine powdered sugar, melted butter and hot water in a small bowl to make a thin glaze.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Set aside. Bring buttermilk to a boil in a small saucepan (or in microwave); buttermilk should curdle. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, baking soda and 1/2 cup melted butter. Let buttermilk and butter cool then add eggs. When mixture is lukewarm, add dissolved yeast mixture. Gradually stir in 4 cups Hot Roll Mix until the soft dough forms a ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add additional Hot Roll Mix if necessary to make a soft, but not too sticky dough. Lightly butter bowl. Put dough in bowl and turn butter top. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Generously grease 2 baking sheets. Prepare Cinnamon Filling. Punch down dough. Roll out to a 12"x20" rectangle. Brush dough with 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling lengthwise over half of dough to within 1/2 inch of long edge. Fold rectangle in half lengthwise to cover filling. Seal dough edges with the edge of a plate. With a pizza cutter, cut dough into 24 strips, about 3/4-inch wide. Twist each strip twice and place strips 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 t0 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Prepare Powdered Sugar Glaze, and brush on while rolls are still warm. Makes 24.

Pumpkin Delight

This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, Karen Reid, years ago. She loved to make it instead of pumpkin pie.

1 yellow cake mix (set aside 1 cup)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 beaten egg
Mix together these three ingredients and press into 9x13 cake pan.

Filling:
1 large can pumpkin
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
Mix the filling ingredients together and then pour over the cake mixture in 9x13 pan.

Topping:
1 cup cake mix
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix the topping ingredients together until crumbly and then put on top of filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Low Sugar Berry Cobbler

This is a great cobbler to make last minute and it is very low in sugar if you care about that sort of thing.

Ingredients:
3 cups (more or less) frozen triple berry mix or fresh blackberries
1/4 C margarine or butter, cut up into smaller pieces
1 Tblsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix above ingredients together in a bowl, place into shallow baking dish (2 inch high sides) of approx 8X10 inch size

Topping:
1/2 C Flour
3/4 C rolled oats (old fashioned, not instant)
1-2 Tblsp brown sugar
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 C margarine or butter
Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter to mix. Then smoosh together with fingers until crubbly and butter is fully incorporated.

Sprinkle topping over berries and bake at 3:50 for 30 minutes or until topping is light brown.

Serve with whipped topping or whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

These ALWAYS please a crowd and are super easy to make. Just buy three things from the store, and the rest you have in your pantry!

1 box brownie mix (I've always used Betty Crocker Supreme with the chocolate syrup pouch)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 pouch (1 lb, 1.5 oz) chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 container chocolate frosting (semi-sweet is better than milk-chocolate in my opinion because the brownies are already really rich)

Heat oven to 350; grease bottom of 13x9 pan.

Make brownies as directed on box. Spread in pan. Make cookies as directed on pouch. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter; press down lightly. Bake 35-40 minutes. Cool completely, about an hour. Frost with frosting and cut into small-ish pieces.

Karlie's Awesome Brownie Recipe

Better than a box, and not too much work!

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Grease an 8x8 glass pan; preheat oven to 350.

Blend butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and gradually add to the wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Great as is, or top with the following frosting recipe. (Allow brownies to cool before frosting.)


Creamy Brownie Frosting
3 Tbsp softened butter
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp lite corn syrup or honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk


Cream butter, cocoa, corn syrup or honey, and vanilla together. Mix in the sugar. Add milk slowly until it reaches the desired consistency.

Four Layer Dessert

One: 1 ½ cup flour

1 ½ stick butter

¾ cup pecans (optional)

1 Tbsp sugar

Mix and press on bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 15 min. Glass pan may take 5 more minutes. Let cool.

Two: 8 oz. cream cheese

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup cool whip

Beat together and pour on top of cooled crust.

Three: 2 sm. pkg. instant pudding (chocolate

or lemon)

3 cups cold milk

Beat together and spread over cream cheese layer.

Four: Spread remainder of cool whip on top.

This recipe comes together very quickly! It's so perfect for having guests over, or an event you need to bring something to. It may read to be very simple and maybe even ho-hum, but let me assure you, I've NEVER met anyone who didn't freak out after tasting it. I like that I can use sugar-free pudding mix and help cut some carbs. It's a huge favorite at our house! Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Thank you, Lindsey, for starting this for me. I am so new at the blogging thing that I am not sure that I could have done it without you. The blog looks great. Here's my first recipe.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Filling -
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 grated lemon-rind
1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh)
3 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon butter

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly stir in everything else. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring continually, until smooth and thick. Let cool for 15 minutes and then put in pre-cooked 9 inch pie shell. Top with Meringue (3 large egg whites beaten until stiff with 1/4 cup sugar) Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Mom's Famous Apple Pie

Apple filling
7-8 medium apples (Mom always recommends a mix of McIntosh and fuji)
4 big TBSP flour
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP cinnamon

Peel and core apples, then slice into thin slices (1/4 to 1/2 inch thick). Put into a large bowl with all the other ingredients. Toss until all are evenly coated and set aside.

Crust
In a large bowl:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter flavored Crisco (yes, it must be crisco. Yes, it must be butter flavored)

Mix flour and salt together briefly with a fork. Use a pastry cutter to cut shortening into the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Set aside

In a small bowl, put 1/2 cup flour. In a glass measuring cup, put one egg and an ice cube. Add enough water to total 1/2 cup. Mix egg, water, and ice cube with a fork for 10 to 15 seconds (that's an estimate, just mix it until it's combined). Discard the ice cube and pour the egg/water mixture into the small bowl with the flour. Mix until it makes a runny paste.

Add paste to the large bowl and mix with a fork until all combined and slightly sticky. From this point forward, handle/touch the pastry as little as possible. Divide the dough into two even clumps.

Roll one half out into a circle using a heavily floured surface and lots of flour on the rolling pin. Place into the bottom of the pie plate. Add the apples; you can try to make them sit down into the shell as much as possible, but they will stack high. But that's okay because apples cook down A LOT. Roll out the other half of the dough and place on top of the apples. Cut the excess crust off and crimp the edges. Cut a few slits on top to vent. You can also brush with an egg wash for a crisp top. You can also dust with cinnamon and sugar. You can do both together too!

Put pie on a cookie sheet to keep drippings from messing up the oven. Bake in 375 oven for one hour.

A Shared Meal

This was Mom's idea, and I'm just the one putting it into action.

This is a place to share our recipes online. A place to keep them all and learn from each other. We have so many that are favorites and we're always asking each other "Can I get that recipe?" So let's put them all together here. It'll be a great place to find something new or just a reminder of a meal we love.

Every couple of weeks, we'll put out a theme or a category and you can share your favorite one or two recipes in that area. If you can't contribute to every category, no worries, just jump back in the next time you can. Also, if you've tried something new and feel like you just HAVE to tell everyone because it's so good, put it on here.

I miss being with family, so maybe this will be a way to share a meal without being together.