Holly Cookies

 Because I can never get the wreaths formed quickly enough I do it this way.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 30 large (regular, not jumbo) marshmallows (4 c. mini)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ teaspoons green food coloring
• 3½ cups corn flakes
• red cinnamon candies

Instructions

1. In a large pot, melt the butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla and food coloring. Stir in the corn flakes. 
2. Grease a spoon and drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet, or vegetable oil sprayed wax paper. Place 3 red cinnamon candies on each bunch of "holly," pressing slightly so they stick.
3. Let sit until they have cooled and set.

Fresh Salad

 

• 
  
  This is a wonderful salad that I have made and only gotten two meals out of it. It's that good.
• 
  
• 1 broccoli chopped into florets
• 1 cauliflower chopped into florets
  1 red onion thinly sliced opt.
  2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  1/2 cup shredded cheese opt.

DRESSING

• 
  1 cup mayonnaise
  1/2 cup sour cream
  1 Tbsp cider vinegar
  1 Tbsp sugar
  1/2 tsp black pepper

• Place prepared veggies into a large mixing bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, pepper and sugar.
• Pour over veggies and toss together.
• Chill in the fridge one hour before serving.
•   
• *** I don't ever have mayo because I don't like it at all. And I seldom have sour cream. I just used miracle whip. It turned out great.

Apple pie dump cake

 ****1 spice cake mix white or yellow cake mix works well too

1 1/2 sticks butter 

2  20 ounce cans apple pie filling

Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare 9 x 13 cake pan coating with oil or cooking spray.

Dump apple pie filling into prepared dish and spread evenly. I like to cut up the apple slices if they are too big. I like bite size better than a big chunk of apple.

Evenly sprinkle cake mix over pie filling.

Melt butter and pour evenly over cake mix.  Once you pour the butter, carefully tilt the cake can to evenly distribute the butter all over the cake mix.

Bake for 40 t0 45 minutes, depending on your oven, on center rack.

Serve warm. Store in fridge covered.

****I like the yellow or white cake mix better, less spice.

Pineapple Christmas balls

• 
  
  
  
• 
  
•  two 20oz cans of crushed pineapple (in pineapple juice) very well drained.  
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups unsweetened fine shred 
• 1/2 cup graham crumbs
• 3 ounce packet pineapple jello

• Add the room temperature cream cheese to a large bowl. I like to use a mixer to beat the cream cheese. This will help to loosen it up and avoid any lumps of cream cheese in the finished product.
  
• Next, add in the pineapple, one cup of the coconut, the graham crumbs, and the packet of pineapple jello. Just toss the jello powder into the bowl with the other ingredients.  
  
• Mix the ingredients well until thoroughly combined.
  
• Place bowl in fridge for an hour.
  
• Once ready, portion mixture into tablespoons and roll into balls. Roll ball into remaining coconut.
  
• Place finished Pineapple Christmas Balls into a food-safe container. Keep refrigerated.
  

Chicken pot pie

 

• 2 disposable 9×5 aluminum loaf pans (I use smaller pans for just me)
• Knife
• can opener
• foil
• Plastic wrap
• Large mixing bowl
• Basting Brush
• 1 refrigerated pie crust (more if wanting a bottom crust like me)
  1 (10.5 ounce) can of condensed cream of chicken
  1 (10.5 ounce) can of condensed cream of celery
  1 cup milk
  3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
  3 (15 ounce ounce) cans of peas and carrots, drained (or your favorite variety of canned vegetables)**Since I don’t like canned veggies, I par cook frozen veggies.
  1 egg
  1 tablespoon water. 
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (except the pie crust and egg, the egg is used for the egg wash before baking), and stir until well combined.
  Trim the pie crust to make two tops to fit the loaf pans. 
• Portion the filling between the greased loaf pans.
• Top with the cut crust.
  Cut slits in the top pie crust to allow steam to escape. 
  
• Egg Wash
• Whisk together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water.
  

To Bake Immediately:

Brush the top of the pot pie crusts with egg wash
Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and golden brown

To Freeze:

• To freeze: wrap with tin foil, followed by plastic wrap.
  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F and bake unwrapped for 1 hour.  Opt: Egg wash the top pie crust the last 15 minutes.
• 
   **Recipe and picture from The Blogette

Six week muffins (Raisin Bran muffins)

 

9 cups Raisin Bran cereal

3 cups sugar

5 cups flour

5 tsp. Baking soda

2 tsp salt

4 eggs

1 cup veg. Oil

4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

<Mix cereal, sugar, flour, soda and salt in very large bowl. Add oil, eggs and milk. Allow to rest, to absorb liquid, before use.

Fill lined or greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 400º for 18 to 20 minutes.

**Store remaining mixture in covered container in fridge, and use as needed. This will keep in fridge for 6 weeks, hence the name. The remaining dough can also be frozen.

***The recipe can be cut in half.

Chicken Ala King

1/2 cup butter

8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped and seeded

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup ap flour

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

3 to 4 cup chopped chicken, cooked (rotisserie works very well)

1/2 cup heavy cream ( I use half and half)

1 small jar, (8 oz), pimentos, very well drained

Melt butter over medium heat in a stockpot or dutch oven

Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Add green pepper and onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft.

Turn the heat down to medium and sprinkle in the flour, string constantly. Continue to stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes

Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring to combine. Mix in the milk, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in chicken, cream, peas and pimentos. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice, pasta, toast or biscuits. My family prefers toast or biscuits. 

Turtle Bars

 

For the Crust:

1/2 cup of butter

2 cups of flour

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of pecan pieces

To create the crust, mix together the butter, flour, and brown sugar using either a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture has a crumbly texture.

Next, press the mixture into a 9" x 13" un-greased pan and sprinkle the pecan pieces on top.

For the Caramel Layer:

2/3 cup of butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar

To make the caramel layer, mix together the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring continuously, until boiling. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute.

Pour the mixture over the crust evenly.

Bake the crust in the oven for 20 minutes at 350°F.

For the Topping:

1 cup of milk chocolate chips

Once the crust is removed from the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over it. Let the chips sit for 5 minutes to allow them to melt and then spread evenly over the surface of the bars.

Allow the bars to cool, then slice them into the desired portion sizes.

***I cut the recipe in half.

 

Garlic parmesan potatoes

 

 3 pounds of potatoes quartered

1/4 cup veg oil

3  tsp. Minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400º. Mid potatoes, oil garlic and oregano. Gently toss in the cheese.

Place on baking sheet covered with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle  the remaining cheese onto the potatoes and bake another 20 minutes. Check for doneness, bake longer if needed.

Garnish with chopped  fresh parsley if desired.  Serve.

I cut the recipe in half.

Cucumber appetizer

These won't last long on your appetizer tray. Light and delicious.

4 ounces of cream cheese

1/4 cup ranch dressing

2 Tbl. Fresh dill ( I used 1 TB dried)

3 - 4   cucumbers (I like English cucumbers, seeds are small)

About 15 cherry or grape tomatoes halved

 

Mix cream cheese with dressing and dill. Spoon into pastry bag with star tip.

Wash cucumber, remove peel in striped manor. Scoop out a half moon crater of seeds from cucumber.

Pipe cream cheese mixture into crater of cucumber.   Use enough to leave a  mound on top. Sprinkle a little paprika on top for color if you want.  Top with half cherry pushed slightly into cream cheese, seed side up or down, which ever you like.  Serve cold.

Best if chilled a bit before serving.

Dole Whip Frozen Treat

So refreshing on those hot summer days.

4 to 6 ounces of 100% pineapple juice

2 cup frozen strawberries or raspberries

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Pour juice, berries and ice cream in a blender

Blend on high until smooth. Add more juice or berries to reach your desired consistency

Pour into glasses, serve, and enjoy

Leftovers can be stored in freezer, covered. To use, thaw at room temp for about 10 minutes.