Cherry Dump Dessert

 

• 2 cans cherry pie filling
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 stick butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray.
3. Spread cherry pie filling in bottom of the baking dish.
4. Stir the vanilla in the pie filling.
5. Sprinkle the cake mix in the next layer.
6. Cut the butter into 18 slices.
7. Spread over the top of the cake mix.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
9. Serve with ice cream while warm (optional).

Au Gratin Potatoes

  

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons onion powder
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups 2% milk (can use lactose free)
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Paprika (optional)
• 1 package 30 oz. frozen shredded hashbrowns 

1. Spray casserole dish and microwave shredded hashbrowns for 6 minutes.  Stir and repeat.
2. In skillet, melt butter.
3. Add onion powder, flour, salt and pepper.  Stir. 
4. Add milk and stir constantly.
5. When mixture thickens a bit, add cheese and stir constantly until cheese is melted. 
6. Pour mixture over microwaved potatoes.
7. Stir.
8. Top with paprika (optional).
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.

 

 

Lemon or Lime Bars

Lemon or Lime Bars 

Crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 sticks butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar 

Filling:

• 4 eggs
• 4 Tablespoons lemon juice (or lime juice with a few drops of food coloring)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

1. Melt butter in 13 x 9 pan.  Mix 2 cups flour and powdered sugar.  Pour into pan and stir into butter.  Press down firmly.
2.  
3. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Beat together eggs and lemon juice. Stir in  sugar, baking powder, and 4 tablespoons flour.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Sift powdered sugar on top while still hot.

 

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

 

 

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 2 ½ cups rolled oats (quick cooking kind or regular)
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sized saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat.  Stir occasionally.
3. Remove from heat when butter is melted and brown sugar is dissolved. 
4. Let cool for about 10 minutes.  If you add the egg immediately, it will scramble the egg and you don’t want that to happen.  
5. Add the salt and stir.
6. Add the vanilla and stir.
7. Add the oats and stir. 
8. Add the flour and stir.
9. Add the beaten egg and stir.
10. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
11. Using the smallest of three sized cookie scoops, drop by scoopful on to the parchment.  Each sheet should contain 12 drops.  Flatten with a glass.  These cookies spread a lot, so do not try to add more to the sheet.
12. Bake 8 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven.
13. Remove cookies and let cool on the parchment slightly before removing them to a rack for further cooling.

Makes about 72 cookies. 

Enjoy.

 

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

 

• 2 sticks of butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• zest of three lemons
• juice from three lemons
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of oatmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Additional sugar to dip cookie in before baking.

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. 
2. Beat in eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the mixture.
3. Add baking powder and salt.  Mix well.
4. Add oatmeal and mix well.
5. Add flour and mix well.
6. Chill for 30 minutes. 
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
8. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
9. With a medium cookie dough scoop, get dough and make into balls. 
10. Flatten each ball into a round cookie.
11. Dip in sugar.
12. Place on the parchment paper.
13. Bake 12 at a time on the bottom oven rack for 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are light brown.
14. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.  Place on racks to finish cooling.
15. Makes about 36 cookies.

 

 

Plum Rustic Pie

• One refrigerator pie crust (bottom and top)
• 2 lbs. plums (about 9)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place bottom pie crust in a ceramic pie dish.
3. Form edge of the bottom pie crust to edge. 
4. Dock with fork about 30 times. 
5. Use pie weights to keep up the sides and on top of the bottom crust.
6. Bake for 20 minutes in the middle rack of the oven. 
7. Wash, pit, and slice plums into a mixing bowl.
8. In another bowl, mix the sugar, salt, and the cornstarch,
9. Add the ginger, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
10. Remove the bottom crust from the oven.
11. Reset oven to 400 degrees.
12. Remove the pie weights from the bottom crust.
13. Add the plum mixture to the pie crust.
14. Put the top crust on the pie and pinch pie crust at the edges.
15. Do some cutouts to let this juicy pie have some place to let the steam escape. 
16. Mix egg and water. 
17. Brush the top crust with the egg mixture. 
18. Return the pie to the middle rack of the oven and bake 20 minutes. 
19. Add aluminum foil to the edges to keep the crust from burning.
20. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and return to the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes.
21. Remove pie and remove foil from the edges.
22. Allow to cool at least 3 hours so the cornstarch to set the filling.
23. Cut, serve, and enjoy.

 

 

                             

Oriental Cabbage Salad

 

• 2/3 cabbage, chopped coarsely
• 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon crystals or 2 cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• Coarsely grated ¼ cup baby carrots
• 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 cup sesame oil
• ½ cup cider vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Chow Mein noodles

1. Place the chopped cabbage, chopped green onions, grated carrots and shelled sunflower seeds in a bowl that has a lid available.
2. Mix the sesame oil and seasonings in a deep bowl.
3.  Add the cider vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.
4.  Stir well.
5.  Pour over the slaw.  Put the lid on it and shake. 
6.  Refrigerate for several hours to let the ingredients mix.
7.  Just before serving top with chow mein crunchy oriental noodles.

 Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Cornflake Cookies

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup white corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups cornflakes

1. Heat sugar and corn syrup in 3-quart saucepan until the sugar is just dissolved, stirring frequently.  If you heat it longer the cookies will be too hard.
2.  Remove from heat. 
3.  Add salt and stir. 
4.  Add peanut butter and stir. 
5.  Add peanuts and stir.
6.  Add cornflakes and stir. 
7.  Using a quarter cup, scoop mixture onto parchment in mounds.  
8.  Let cool and set up. Makes about 30 cookies.

Mexican Corn Salad for Two

 

• 1 15 ounce whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon refrigerated minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup light mayonnaise
• ¼ cup light sour cream
• ½ red onion, chopped finely
• 4 stems of cilantro, remove the leaves, discard the stems, and chop the leaves
• ¼ cup of shredded parmesan
• 4 stems green onions
• 1 sliced jalapeno (optional)
• 2 ounces feta cheese
• ½ bag Chili Cheese Fritos.

1.  Melt butter in non-stick skillet.
2. Add corn and saute over medium heat.  Stir occasionally, but not too often or the corn will not brown. 
3. Add the salt and pepper and stir.
4. Make a dressing out of the light mayonnaise and sour cream.  Set aside.
5. Chop the red onion and green onions. 
6. Remove the corn from the heat.
7. Stir in the dressing and half the red and green onions.
8. Add the sliced jalapeno (optional).
9. Plate the salad.
10. Top with the remaining green and red onions.
11. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan.
12. Sprinkle with the feta.
13. Serve with Chili Cheese Fritos. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French Potato Salad

5 baked potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 boiled eggs, cut into chunks

1 Vidalia onion, diced

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup California French Dressing

¾ teaspoon celery salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

Mix the last five ingredients.

Add liquid mixture to the potatoes, eggs, and onion and gently mix. 

Refrigerate for at least two hours to allow flavors to blend.

Serve and enjoy. 

Cherry Bars

Bottom Crust

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar

1. Melt butter in a 9 x 13” baking dish in oven at 350 degrees.
2. Stir in powdered sugar.
3. Stir in the flour.
4. Pat down and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. 

Middle Layer Filling

• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Stir lemon juice into cherry pie filling.
2. Pour onto the bottom crust and spread evenly. 

Crumb Topping

• 6 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour

1. Cut butter into chunks with a pastry blender.
2. Stir the sugar and salt together.
3. Cut all the dry ingredients into the butter, making crumbs. 
4. Distribute over the cherry layer evenly. 
5. Return the layers to the 350 degree oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Krispy Rice Squares

If you have ever followed the official recipe from a large nationally known cereal company for a treat and eagerly tasted the results, but were somewhat disappointed, you weren't alone.  Yet I have purchased the actual treats made by them and they were delicious.  I suspect that they are not using the same recipe that has been published for many years.  So after a little investigation and hoping to get better results, I came up with this recipe and hope you like it as much as our family did.  

• 1 box crispy rice cereal
• 1 stick butter
• 2-10 oz. packages marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt

1. Grease a 10 x 13” glass baking dish using part of one stick of the butter.
2. Put all the remaining butter in a 2-quart saucepan and melt under medium low heat.
3. When melted, add the salt and stir.
4. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until they are all melted. 
5. Add the vanilla and stir.
6. Remove from heat and add the cereal in phases, alternately adding and stirring. 
7. When all the ingredients have been mixed well, pour into the baking dish and press down, using either aluminum foil or wax paper. 
8. When cooled, cut into squares and serve.  

Peach Cobbler

• 4 cups unpeeled peaches sliced
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup water

    In another bowl, cut the butter into the flour and then add the sugar:

• ¾ cups sifted flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ sticks butter

1. Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish.
2. Arrange the fruit layer over the bottom of the dish.
3. Sprinkle the crumbled layer over the fruit layer.
4. Add extra sugar (1/2 cup). Dust with more cinnamon.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 large butternut squash soup
• olive oil spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ground pepper (optional)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. Wash and pierce with fork the butternut squash.
2. Put on a cookie sheet and bake it at 425 degrees for an hour.
3. Meanwhile, chop shallots and saute in olive oil in a skillet.
4. Add the garlic and saute a minute longer. (Don't add earlier or it will burn and be bitter.
5. Transfer mixture to the blender.
6. Add the salt, maple syrup, and ground nutmeg.
7. After an hour, remove the squash and cool until comfortable to touch.
8. Half, peel, and remove the seed portion. Chop into 1 inch pieces.
9. Spray the cookie sheet with olive oil.
10. Spread the pieces of squash over the pan.
11. Spray the squash with olive oil.
12. Roast for another 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
13. Add the pieces of squash to the blender.
14. Pour enough of the vegetable broth into the blender so that it can aid in the blending. Do not put too much in the blender or you will have a big mess.
15. When blended, pour the mixture into a pan.
16. Add the rest of the vegetable broth and the butter.
17. Heat, stirring occasionally.
18. Serve in bowls. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.
19. Serve and enjoy.

Dilled Cucumber Salad

• 1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dill weed

1. Soak red onion slices in ice water for 15 minutes.
2. Drain the slices.
3. Combine all the ingredients together.
4. Stir and refrigerate at least an hour.
5. Serve and enjoy.  

Baked Apple Roses Pastry

• 1 sheet frozen puffed pastry
• 2 honey crisp apples
• Juice of a lemon
• Water to cover the apples (amount depends on the size of the bowl)
• 3 tablespoons peach jam
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a silicone cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray
3. Thaw the pastry sheet for 15 minutes and roll out until about a third larger in length.
4. Squeeze one lemon's juice into a bowl.
5. Add enough water to bowl to cover the apple slices. (You may have to add more as the apples are added.)
6. Cut each apple in half vertically.
7. Core the apple halves.
8. Place apples flat side down and slice thinly horizonally.
9. Add the apple slices to the lemon water.
10. Add more water if necessary to cover the slices.
11. Microwave the the apple slices in the water for 3 minutes.
12. Remove from the microwave and drain.
13. Add the one tablespoon water to the peach jam and stir until fairly smooth.
14. Slice the pastry sheet into six strips.
15. Take one of the strips, paint one side of it with the peach and water mixture, and place about 7 slices of the apples along the edge overlapping about half way along the length, and half way over each other apple slice.
16. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
17. On one end, start rolling the pastry, holding it so that the apple slices appear to be rose petals when completely rolled.
18. Place each rose in one of the cupcake compartments.
19. Repeat this assembly process five more times.
20. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.
21. Serve and enjoy.

Apple Crisp

• 4 cup honey crisp applies,  sliced (6 apples)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup water

In another bowl mix up:

• ¾ cups sifted flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup butter

1. In a 9 x 13 " baking dish, poor over top of applies.
2. Add extra sugar (1/2 cup). Dust with more cinnamon.
3. Baket 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Cheese Crisps

• 8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese
• 8 oz. Pepper Jack Cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet. Do not use a silicone mat for this recipe.
3. Shred the cheese with a box grater in to a bowl.
4. Mix the cheese.
5. Spoon by tablespoons twelve per sheet onto the parchment. Flatten with the bottom side of the spoon.
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.
7. Remove and let cool on the parchment.
8. These are great to serve with salads.

Note: If you prefer it more spicy, use all pepper jack cheese.

Frog Eye Salad

This makes quite a bit.  I made it in a 5 quart Dutch oven.  Great for taking to a potluck.  More like a dessert than a salad.  

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (the amount of juice that drains off of the canned pineapple is about right amount)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 quarts water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 (16 ounce) package acini di pepe pasta

3 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained

2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, drained

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

3 (8 ounce) containers frozen whipped topping, thawed (fat free works fine)

2 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

1.    In a sauce pan, combine sugar, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pineapple juice and eggs. Stir and cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat; add lemon juice and cool to room temperature.

2.    Bring water to a boil, add oil, remaining salt and cook pasta 11 minutes stirring frequently. Rinse under cold water and drain. (You must use the oil on this pasta to keep it from clumping.)

3.    In a large bowl, combine the pasta, egg mixture, mandarin oranges, pineapple and whipped topping. Mix well and refrigerate overnight or until chilled (at least 4 hours). Before serving add marshmallows and coconut. Toss and serve.

A Touch of Coffee Chocolate Frosting

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 5 cups of confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon instant coffee crystals
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• ¼ teaspoon salt

1. With a mixer on low speed, cream butter and cocoa powder together.
2. Add confectioner's sugar a bit at a time and mix.
3. Add vanilla extract, coffee crystals and salt to warm water and stir.
4. Add liquid mixture a little at a time to the butter-sugar-cocoa mixture a little at a time and mix until creamy. Add a little more water to make it spreadable at room temperature if necessary.
5. Frost a completely cooled cake.

Note: Cake was a Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake baked according to package directions for a Bundt pan. Then cooled and sliced in half into layers. Then frosted with the above frosting.