Crepes Filling

FILLING:

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip
2 packages of Sugar Free White Chocolate

The powder at the bottom of my Thrive Freeze Dried Strawberries can. It give it a slight strawberry taste and a pretty light pink color

A couple dashes of Vanilla extract and Almond extract

A couple tablespoons of powdered sugar to help with the tartness from the strawberries

3 c. milk
Rehydrated  Thrive Strawberries and sprinkled it lightly with powdered sugar

Cream cream cheese and strawberry powder until smooth. Mix pudding as directed using 3 cups milk. Mix together cream cheese, pudding, and the extracts. Fold in Cool Whip.

Chicken Spaghetti with Spinach

 This recipe is from the website HERE
I added quite a bit of things Anything I added I put them in parentheses.
 

Ingredients
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with roasted garlic (I used Fireroasted and added Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic) (I also used two cans)

          (A couple white mushrooms sliced)

2 10 oz. boxes frozen spinach (I used one box)
2  cups cooked and shredded chicken ( I sauteed it in a skillet with salt, pepper, Garlic powder, minced garlic, and onion powder)

          

Optional: Shredded or grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Directions

• In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, boil the spaghetti noodles as directed. Drain and let sit in colander while you prepare the sauce.  
• Meanwhile, cook the spinach in the microwave as directed.  Drain off the liquid, but don’t squeeze it dry.
• Return the warm Dutch oven or saucepan to the burner and add the diced tomatoes with their juices, the spinach and remaining liquid, (the mushrooms) and the cooked and shredded chicken.  Stir until well combined (and thoroughly heated) .  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Reintroduce the spaghetti noodles and toss well.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Pudding Cake

From my sister-in-law, Lindsay. (I copied and pasted it.)

I have no idea where I got this recipe but it's oh so good!
serves 8

1 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c chopped nuts (I like walnuts or pecans)
3/4 c milk
2 T melted butter
1 t vanilla
1 c hot water
1/2 c chocolate syrup
Whipped cream, milk or vanilla ice cream

1. Heat oven to 350. Cover 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and nuts in large bowl. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla until well mixed. Scrape into prepared dish.

3. Stir together hot water and syrup in small bowl. Pour over batter.

4. Bake for 35 mins or until cake is done and pudding bubbles up on sides. Cool 20 mins. Serve warm or at room temp (It's obviously best warm). Spoon extra syrup on top and serve with whipped cream, milk or vanilla ice cream. ENJOY!

Pork Chops in Red Sauce

6 pork chops or 10 boneless pork chops
1 can of Tomato soup
1/2 cup water
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp  salt
3 potatoes, quartered
4 carrots, cut in half and then cut lengthwise


Brown pork chops in skillet
Place in the bottom of a casserole dish
Add all other ingredients to dish
Cover and bake 45-60 min at 350 degrees





from my Gramma Jane

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Several pieces of boneless skinless chicken
1 can of Cream of chicken Soup
1 can of Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup uncooked rice
1 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken in skillet with hot oil then place in bottom of casserole dish that has a fitted cover
Add rice over chicken
Add both soups that have been diluted with the water
Add salt and pepper
Cover and  bake 350 for 1 hour

From my Gramma Jane

Taco Soup

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time:--

Cook Time: 6 hr 0 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 12 to 16 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
• 2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
• 1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
• 1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
• 1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
• Corn chips, for serving
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Grated cheese, for garnish
• Chopped green onions, for garnish
• Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Directions

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Bow Tie Pasta with Tomatoes and Bacon

5 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion

1 can chicken broth

3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta

In a big skillet cook bacon pieces until done. Reduce heat and add onion and cook until onion is tender (2-3 mins). Stir in tomatoes, broth, and uncooked pasta. Heat until boiling, then reduce and simmer for 10-12 minutes until pasta is done. Remove from heat and let stand for 3-5 minutes. 

From Jana Perkins http://perkinsgoodeats.blogspot.com

Her blog is fully of YUMMY stuff!

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

Description:

Quick and simple buttery bread sticks -- garlic or cinnamon recipe variations included! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO KNEAD THESE TOO MUCH!
Yield:

8 servings
Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 tablespoon oil
3 cups flour (I use part whole wheat, part unbleached)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4-1 cup milk

**See additional notes for ingredients and instructions to make garlic breadsticks or cinnamon breadsticks from this recipe!
Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter and oil in 9x13 pan and put in oven so butter melts as the oven heats up. Be careful not to let it burn!

2. Stir dry ingredients together, and gradually add milk, stirring until dough forms and leaves sides of bowl. I don't bother to actually measure out the milk - just add it gradually until there's enough.

3. Knead 5-6 times in bowl; place on floured countertop and roll out into 9x13-inch rectangle.

4. Lay dough in pre-heated 9x13-inch pan, atop the melted butter/oil. Cut into 1/2" strips. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.


Additional Notes:

Variations:

Garlic Breadsticks (shown above)

1 + 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder and 1 tablespoon parsley flakes to the dough. Then, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the melted butter before placing dough in the pan. Breadsticks may be sprinkled with parmesan cheese before baking.

Cinnamon Breadsticks (shown below)

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of breadsticks before baking. Tastes like cinnamon rolls!


This recipe and photos are by chef Abigail Paul. She credits Maggie's Buttery Bread Sticks as the original recipe inspiration source. http://www.tammysrecipes.com/quick_easy_bread_sticks

Copy Cat Auntie Anne's Pretzels

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast (1 1/2 pkg)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups regular flour

2 cups Warm water
2 tbsp baking soda

to taste coarse salt
2 - 4 tbsp butter (melted)

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add
sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth
and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm
water and 2 tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often.

After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope*
(about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and
place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in 450¡
oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and
enjoy!

Toppings:

after you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt.

or for Auntie Anne's famous Cinnamon Sugar, try melting a stick of butter
in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the entire pretzel) and in another
shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and suagr. Dip the pretzel into
the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the
cinnamon mixture. Enjoy!

* The longer and thinner you can make the dough rope, the more like Auntie
Anne's they will be.

I found this recipe online a couple years ago, and of course I forgot to copy and paste the website. So the glory goes out to you unidentified baker! :O)

Cheesecake Cookie Cups

                    Cheesecake Cookie Cups

   12 pieces Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough 
 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
 Strawberries, blueberries, or decorative fruit of choice 


 Preheat oven to 325°.  Paper-line 12 muffin cups.  Place one piece of cookie dough in each muffin cup.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookie has spread to edge of cup.  Beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, egg, and vanilla extract in medium bowl until smooth.  Pour about 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture over each cookie cup.  Bake for additional 15 to 18 minutes or until set.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Top with fruit of choice.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.Click Here for Nestle website and picture

Piedmont North Carolina Style BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

The above is the recipe on the site, but I looked at a couple others and changed a little to this. I only put a couple dashes of salt, a little less than the amount of crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 more of brown sugar.....and a big squirt of ketchup.     The recipe as above was just too hot for me. This was SO good one the Cheater Pulled Pork recipe on this blog!  

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and brown sugar. Mix well and allow ingredients to mesh for about 4 to 8 hours before using. Website Here!

Cheater Pulled Pork

Makes 12 to 14 servings

• One 5- to 6-pound boneless Boston butt pork roast or same weight of boneless country-style pork ribs
• 1/4 cup Cheater Basic Dry Rub (recipe follows)
• 1/2 cup bottled smoke
• Barbecue sauce of your choice

1. Cut the pork butt into medium (2- to 3-inch) chunks (the ribs don't need to be cut up).
2. Put the pieces in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts). Sprinkle the meat with the rub, turning the pieces to coat evenly. Add the bottled smoke.
3. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 F.
4. Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed platter or baking sheet. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Pull the meat into strands. It should shred very easily. Serve the barbecue piled on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.
5. To serve the barbecue later, cover and refrigerate the meat when it has cooled. Pour the meat juice into a separate container and refrigerate. Before reheating the juice, skim and discard the congealed fat layer on the top.
6. To reheat the barbecue, place it in a saucepan moistened with some of the reserved juice. Gently heat the meat on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Or, place it in a covered casserole with some of the reserved juice and heat in a 350 F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
7. While the meat warms, combine the barbecue sauce and some of the additional reserved meat juice in a saucepan. Heat through and serve with the barbecue.

Dry Rub
Makes about 2/3 cup

• 1/4 cup paprika
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard

1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to blend.


 The Website
Recipe given to me by Angela Orme.

Yummy Chicken and Dumplings

Ok so here goes the no measurements thing again...only with making the broth though.

Broth
Add 6 or so chicken thighs to 2/3 pot of water and cook on med low heat for an hour or so.
Skim off any fat
Remove the skin from the thighs and take meat off the bone. Add the chicken back to the broth.
Bring the broth to boil.

Dumplings
1 cup Bisquik
1/3 cup milk

Drop by spoonfuls into the boiling broth.
Turn the heat to low and let cook for 10-20 min
Don't stir the dumplings, instead use a ladle to lightly submerge.

We serve them over mashed potatoes.

Copy Cat Costa Vida Cilantro Lime Rice

3 cups cooked rice
juice of 2 small limes
zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.
This is SO yummy! We love to make this! It makes taco salad at home a little different!

Parmesan Chicken

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry bread crumbs, plain
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup ground oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup melted butter or margarine, divided
• 3 to 4 pounds chicken parts

Preparation:

Directions for Parmesan chicken
Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, pepper, and salt; set aside. In a skillet in 2 tablespoons butter, sauté garlic until tender. Add remaining melted butter. Dip chicken in garlic butter; roll each piece in bread crumb and Parmesan mixture. Place Parmesan chicken in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; sprinkle with remaining bread crumb mixture and pour remaining garlic butter over all. Bake Parmesan chicken at 350° for 55 minutes, or until golden brown. Parmesan chicken serves 6.
From About.com

Wilton's Buttercream Frosting

OK this is SOOO yummy. I make white cake cupcakes and fill them with white chocolate pudding and frost with this icing. If anyone is wondering how to fill the cupcakes (I always did) you use one of Wilton's decorating tips. I can't remember the number, but the only way I've found it is in their Cupcake Decorating kit. It's about $10.

1/2 cup Criso
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla*
4 cups (1lb) powered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Cream Crisco and butter
Add Vanilla (and other flavorings if desired) and any food coloring
Gradually add sugar 1 cup at a time and continue mixing
Add milk and beat on Medium speed until light and fluffy.
You can add a little more milk if you need to make the consistency better for spreading.


*This is the recipe Wilton has on their website, but I do the flavor a little different. I use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of butter flavoring, and 1 teaspoon (or more) of almond extract.

Cabbage and Potatoes

We eat this meal on New Years Day (and lot throughout the year too). Cabbage leaves represent money and is a symbol of good luck for the rest of the year.
My family is rich in Welsh heritage and this meal was made as far back as my family can remember. This is really a "poor man's meal". When money was tough my ancestors made this meal without meat or butter and everything else came from their gardens. This might be one of those comfort foods that others don't like, but Jed's family has enjoyed letting me keep my family tradition alive while celebrating with them.

This is one of those recipes that doesn't have exact measurements....SORRY... :O) Just how I learned to cook.

In a large pot combine
-One head of cabbage cored and quartered (don't cut small than this because the cabbage will "cook away"
-A small bag of baby carrots or carrots cut into slices
-Potatoes peeled and cut into thick slices (maybe 4 0r 5. I normally add them last and just fill the pot)
-Diced Onion (maybe 1/4 to a 1/2 med onion)
-One package smoked sausage (the "horseshoe" type package and my mom and I really like the skinless)
-One cube of real butter
-Salt and Pepper to taste

Cover with water and bring to boil then simmer for about 2 hours. When stirring do so very carefully.

We always make cornbread and A-1 sauce is really yummy mixed with it.