Oatmeal Scotchies

I started making these cookies because DarRell had mentioned that it was one of his favorite cookies that his mom made during the holidays.

Oatmeal Scotchies

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups butterscotch chips

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips. Drop by rounded Tbsp onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 7-8 minutes (chewy) or 9-10 minutes (crispy). Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Frogmore Stew

I've had something like this at a Fireman's Auxiliary dinner. It's a pretty forgiving dish. I've tweaked it to how i like to make it. You'll find so may different variations out there, so take it in stride and throw what you like in it.
A GREAT summer evening meal when you just don't want to pack it all up and call it a day.

Frogmore Stew

3 quarts of water (give or take... it's just for boiling)
1 lemon halved (sometimes i use more)
1 medium onion, halved (sometimes i use pearl onions. DarRell loves those in this recipe)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed (i usually use more... up to a bulb and end up throwing each peeled clove whole in the pot. We are garlic lovers)
salt to taste
1 3oz pkg dry crab boil (or 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning)
2 large cans of new potatoes
1 pkg of smoked sausage, cut into bite sized pieces (sometimes i add more because this is my favorite part of the meal)
4 ears of corn, chucked and broken in half
1 lb chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 lb unpeeled lrg shrimp
1/2 cup butter melted
1 dash hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce)

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Squeeze the juice from a lemon int the water, and throw in the halves. Add onion, garlic, salt and crab boil/old bay seasoning. Reduce heat to medium/low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, chicken and sausage, and return to a boil. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add the corn to the pot and cover, cooking 10 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in shrimp and cover for 5 minutes. Drain off liquid before serving.

Mound on a paper covered table and sprinkle with additional Old Bay Seasoning if desired.

Stir together the melted butter and hot sauce and serve as a dipping sauce.

Crockpot Lasagna

I love lasagna. I'm not good at getting it right though. This is the first recipe I've ever used that I've made successfully over and over again for lasagna. What can i say? The crock pot is very forgiving.

With that being said, DarRell loves this lasagna the best too.

Crock pot Lasagna

1 pkg no-bake lasagna noodles broken into 2 pieces
1 lb ground beef (i usually put in sausage or half sausage and half ground beef)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, optional
15 oz. ricotta cheese (i use cottage cheese)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
dried parsley

brown ground meat in a skillet and drain well. Stir in Italian seasoning.

In a greased crock pot, layer ingredients as noted:
1/3 noodles
1/2 of ground beef mixture
1/2 of sauce,
1/2 of mushrooms
1/2 of ricotta/cottage cheese
1/2 of mozzarella cheese
repeat all layers again
Top with last layer of noodles, a bit more sauce, a little extra cheese and parsley.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

I'm a pork girl at heart so i substitute pork in with beef quite often. Especially in this dish. The combination of sweet and sausage just sends my heart melting.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 lb ground beef
1 lb sausage
1 lb bacon cook and crumbled (set aside on strip before browning)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pkg onion soup
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp worchershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan. Press 1/2 cup of brown sugar into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the 1/2 cup of ketchup over the sugar.

In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients (minus the additional 1/2 cup of ketchup and 1/2 cup of brown sugar and remaining piece of bacon) and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup.

Top with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of ketchup. Add the remaining piece of raw bacon over the top of the ketchup.

Cook at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

One of those great cold weather meals. Leftovers are even better than the first day
courtesy of Becky Higgins. I swiped it from her blog.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

16 oz farfalle pasta
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup butter
1 lb bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12oz) bottle Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime juice

Put chicken and the bottle of marinade in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices and allow to cool for a bit. Shred chicken and put back into the crock pot. About 1/2 hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir thoroughly. Garnish with more shredded Parmesan cheese.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

VERY rich but so worth the calories!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place one package of crescent rolls in the sprayed pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar (1 1/2 cups) and vanilla until fluffy. Spread over crescent rolls. Place second package of crescent rolls over the cream cheese mixture. Melt one stick of butter and pour over the crescent rolls. Mix 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream.

Sho-Yu Chicken

I got this recipe from Mike. He got it while he was on a mission in Hawaii (i believe... i may be wrong about that fact). First time i had this was while i was at college dating my now hubby, DarRell. I have a major craving for this every once in a while. This is the recipe he gave to me, word for word ;-)

Sho-Yu Chicken

2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cups brown sugar (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp ginger
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
5 lbs chicken pieces (legs, thighs or boneless breast work best)

Mix together all ingredient except for the chicken in a large pot. After mixing sauce, add in chicken. Bring to a boil. Turn to medium and simmer for one hour.

Asian Ramen Salad

I had something like this during a Easter get together a few years back. I started searching the Internet high and low and found something pretty much like it. I've tweaked it to my liking so I'm calling it my own.

Asian Ramen Salad

2 pkgs ramen noodles crushed
1-2 pkgs shredded cabbage
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

In a large bowl, combine noodles, cabbage, almonds, sunflower seeds and green onions. In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, and sugar. Toss dressing with salad just before serving.

Peppermint Crumble Cookies

With the holidays here, I've been in a bit of a cooking mood lately. Which in turn sent me looking through all my recipes for my favorite holiday recipes. I ran across this one that i haven't made for a year and all the great cookie memories came back. These are just the best cookies ever.
I've got to give credit to Becky Higgins. I snagged this off her blog.

Peppermint Crumble Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 12oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag of crumbled peppermint pieces (no, peppermint crumbles are not the same as crushed peppermint candies or candy canes. The texture is more similar to chocolate chips/crumbles)

Melt butter, brown sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and then add the chocolate chips, stirring until completely melted. Cool for 10 minutes. Put this in a mixing bowl and beat in 2 eggs. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together and chill for about 45 minutes.

Spoon onto a cookies sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. When cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle the peppermint crumbles on top of the cookies and do not spread. The pieces will get soft at first but then keep their shape and re-solidify when cool.

Bay Area Buger

I believe I found this recipe over at http://www.allrecipes.com/. LOVE LOVE LOVE these burgers! They are super moist and juicy.

Bay Area Burgers
enough for 4 burgers

1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil

Preheat grill (best grilled but can be pan fried) for high heat. Mix together all ingredients. Divide into four ball and flatten into patties and grill.

Serve with desired toppings. Absolutely fab with onion straws and roasted green chilies.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I can't exactly vouch for this one since i absolutely loath mashed potatoes. But, i did make it for DarRell (and Dick) for Father's Day and he swore by it (and Joline took a bunch home for leftovers).
Courtesy of Pioneer Women once again.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
May be easily halved

5 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and rinsed.
1 1/2 sticks regular (salted) butter (1 1/2 sticks is the same as 3/4 cup)
1 package softened cream cheese
1/2 cup (give or take) Half & Half (or heavy cream if you’re feeling naughty)
3-5 roasted garlic cloves (find recipe HERE)
Salt
Black pepper

Cut the peeled potatoes into pieces and cook in boiling water until fork-tender.
Drain water and return to pot, and mash potatoes over low heat until lots of the steam has escaped.
Next, mash in softened butter, cream cheese, Half & Half, and salt to taste.
Dump in three to five heads of roasted garlic cloves; stir together, then check seasoning.
Add some fresh ground black pepper
Garnish with one or two roasted garlic cloves on top.

Onion Straws

Another one of PW recipes.
This one is super good, especially on top of burgers!

Onion Straws

1 large onion
2 cups buttermilk (for a buttermilk substitute: for every cup of milk, add 1 Tbsp of vinegar and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until it looks curdled. Stir before using)
2 cups flour
1 scant tablespoon salt
Lots of black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Oil for deepfrying

Slice onion very thin.
Place in a baking dish (i use a ziplock bag) and cover with buttermilk for at least one hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil to 375 degrees.
Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tab to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil.
Fry until golden brown.

Roasting Green Chilies

This became a necessety this last summer when Pat had a nice gardenful of these babies. I couldn't keep up with eating them so i roasted them and froze them so i could use them for later. I must say, they are MUCH better roasted!

Preheat your oven’s broiler.
Lay the chilies (this actually works with any kind of peppers) on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Place the pan under the broiler (get as close as you can to the heating element) and let them broil until most of the skin is black. (You can also do this over an open flame on your cooktop or grill.)
Remove the pan, flip the chilies over, and repeat on the other side. When they’re done, they should look black and gross. (Note: the charring process should take 10-15 minutes. You don’t want to leave them in there forever because they’d eventually disintegrate or become too mushy.)
While they’re still very hot, place the roasted chilies into a large Ziploc bag.
Then seal the bag and allow to sit around for 20 minutes or so. This will allow the chilies to steam, which will cause the charred skin to loosen (At this point i have thrown them into the freezer as is, defrosted and skinned them later and they've worked out quite well.)
When you’re ready, remove the chilies from the bag, one by one, and with your fingers, gently peel off the black skin, discarding the charred flesh.
From here you can package these tightly in a Ziploc and freeze them for later use.
If you’d like to use them right away, just slice them open, lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife or spoon. The more seeds you leave in the hotter they will be.

Roasting Garlic

Nothing beats REAL fresh roasted garlic. It's super easy.

Grab a bunch of heads of garlic. Try not to buy them too small.
Cut off just enough of the top to expose all of the cloves inside.
Find a old pie pan or sometimes i even like to use my cupcake/muffin tins.
Drizzle a little olive oil (1 or 2 tablespoons) in the pan and tilt around to coat the bottom thoroughly.
Place the garlic heads, cut side up, in the pan. If the heads won’t sit flat on the pan, just give the bottom a little slice to even it out (you may also even try puttig the cut side down so that the whole cut end gets carmalized).
Drizzle the exposed cloves with olive oil. You want them to have a coating of moisture so they won’t burn easily.
Sprinkle the cloves with salt (Kosher salt is best and super forgiving) and pepper.
Cover them with aluminum foil and pop them into a 375-degree oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
Now, all you have to do to extract the roasted cloves is to grab the bottom of the head and gently squeeze until the cloves pop out. They should be quite mushy.

Cutting an onion

It seems that i can never cut an onion right. By the time i get enough of the onion that i need, I'm usually in tears (from frustration and from the onion itself).

Here's a surefire way of doing it right and with minimal tears.

Start by cutting the onion in half from root to tip.
Lop off the top end.
Peel off the outer layer.
Then make several small, vertical slices all the way through the onion.
Next, rotate the onion 90 degrees and slice again, creating a fine dice.
The root end of the onion holds it all together while you slice away.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

Yes, another Pioneer Woman recipe. What can i say, she and i have such great taste.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

Fresh jalapenos 2-3 inches in size
cream cheese - softened
bacon, sliced in half

Cut jalapenos in half. length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (leave a little if you want a little heat to them). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece. Secure by sticking a toothpick through the middle (you may freeze at this point).

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Don't cook them so long that the bacon starts to shrink and squeeze the jalapenos. If the bacon isn't browned after 20 minutes, turn on the broiler to finish them off.

Apple Dumplings

Another Pioneer Woman recipe.
This one rocks.
Try it, you'll be in heaven!
Oh, and yes... you will have gained 5lbs by just taking a tiny taste of this!

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1/2 can Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples.
Cut apples into 8 slices each.
Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.
Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir (it will be lumpy)
Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples.
Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Brown Sugar Smokies aka Pork on Pork

I found this recipe at http://www.allrecipes.com/. It's definitely a keeper. To make them even better... let them marinate overnight!

Brown Sugar Smokies
AKA Pork on Pork

1 (16 ounce) package little smokie sausages
1 pound bacon
1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cut bacon into halves and wrap each strip around a little sausage.
Skewer each wrapped sausages on a toothpick.
Arrange the skewers on a baking sheet (i used a broiler pan so the smokies didn't sit and go soggy in the drippings) and sprinkle them liberally with brown sugar.
Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.

For even better smokies do the following:
totally smother the bacon wrapped smokies with brown sugar...the more the better. I have found that they turn out perfect when I wrap them up the night before, put them in a ziplock baggie with the brown sugar, toss well, and let "marinate" all night. Then, covering them with all of the sauce they've created, I bake them for an extended time until crisp. Not being surprised if they take 45 minutes. It's even better if midway, you turn them.

Slow Cooker Stuffing

I'm always looking for new recipies. Always. This particular time i was looking for a different kind of stuffing for Thanksgiving. What sold me on this recipe is the use of the crockpot. It turned out pretty good. I think it might have needed a bit more spices but it was still yummy. And... i had TONS of complements!!!!

Slow Cooker Stuffing
yeilds: about 12 servings

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp minced garlic
9 oz fresh sliced mushrooms (i chopped about 3/4 of them finely and the rest i left whole)
9 cups dry bread cubes (i added almost 12 cups bakery bread leftovers)
3/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sage
3/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp salt (i didn't use it, didn't think i needed it with the salted butter i used)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb sausage (i used sage sausage so i ommited the sage seasoning)
up to 4 cups of chicken broth (start out with 1 1/2 - 2 cups and add more as needed)
2 eggs beaten

1. Melt buter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, garlic and parsley in butter until tender and translucent.
*NOTE - the mushrooms will sweat off a lot of liquid. It will take a while to cook down the liquid.
2. Spoon cooked vegetable over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with seasonings. Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in eggs. Transfer to slow cooker and cover.
3. Cook on HIGH for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to LOW and cook for 4 to 8 hours (mine did NOT take that long to cook... only about 3 hours if that).

A few tips:
*stir every hour or so. If you don't the edges will get brown and the center will stay soggy
*spray the crockpot with Pam for easier removal
*cover the crockpot before putting on the lid to help suck up the moisture.
*if the stuffing is too moist, cook the last 30 minutes to hour with the lid off.
*if the stuffing is too dry, add additional chicken stock to your preference.
*it will NOT take as long as the recipe says to cook. Mine was finished cooking about 2-3 hours after i started.

Cake Balls

I found this recipe off of Pioneer Woman. I went to the several other links that she had posted of where she got her recipe from and then i took off from there.
These are super good! And super addicting! You just can't stop at one.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
melting chocolates - i used Wilton chocolates in orange, purple and green. I tried white chocolate chips and whit chocolate bark but they didn't melt very well.
sucker sticks
wax paper
decorating gel frosting

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, I used a cookie scooper and rolled them in my hand)
4. Chill for several hours. (I sped this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Insert sucker stick.
7. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra. I stuck my suckers in a foam sheet so i didn't have a flat side to the suckers).
8. Decorate as desired.

Chicken Breast Supreme

I got this recipe from Mom when she was on a new recipe binge. Nice and creamy and full of flavor.

Chicken Breast Supreme

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry Italian dressing
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (can substitute with cream of chicken soup or half and half)
1 container cream cheese with chives and onion
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese

Place chicken breasts in a sprayed 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Cream together soup and cream cheeses until smooth. Pour over chicken and bake at a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Serve over rice.

Chicken Adobo

the cider vinegar gives this dish a great twang without overpowering it. Delish!

Chicken Adobo

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or equivalent)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil for frying
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves

Marinate: place chicken into a large bowl that can be covered with a lid or plastic wrap (a Ziploc baggie works well). Pour vinegar and soy sauce over chicken and season with black pepper to taste. Toss to coat, making sure chicken pieces are covered with marinade. Cover bowl and refrigerate to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and brown garlic (do NOT burn garlic!!!). After browning garlic, remove it from oil and discard.

Place marinated chicken pieces in hot oil. Pour remaining marinade over all and add bay leaves. Reduce heat to low and cook chicken pieces for about 15 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked. The marinade will reduce and makes a nice gravy. When chicken is cooked through (juices will run clear), serve immediately over rice.

Roast Pork Loin with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Another Martha Stewart recipe. I absolutely LOVE this dish. Super easy and yet fancy.

Roast Pork Loin with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

1 lb plum tomatoes, cut into thick wedges (i use cherry or grape tomatoes and double or triple the amount.)
1 lb small button mushrooms, stems trimmed (if bigger mushrooms are used, slice in half. I usually double or triple the amount).
5 garlic cloves, halved (i usually double the amount)
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/4 lb boneless pork loin
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano

preheat oven to 425 degrees. in a 9x13 inch baking pan, combine tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and oil; season with salt and pepper. toss to coat and move mixture to side of pan (leaving center free). Sprinkle pork with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, cumin, coriander, and oregano, rubbing mixture in. Place pork in center of pan. Roast until meat register 160 degrees on an instant thermometer and mushrooms are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven.

Slice pork and serve with tomatoes, mushrooms and any pan juices.

Left overs are great sliced up as a sandwich. Top with tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms.

Finger Lickin' Good Pork Chops

Comes from a ward recipe book. Who would have known that pork chops could be so good. Especially slowcooker chops.

Finger Lickn' Good Pork Chops

6-8 pork chops
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp oil - i use olive oil
1 large can chicken and rice soup (i usually use 4 small cans of chicken and wild rice - i like the extra rice/gravy)

Mix together dry ingredients. Dredge pork chops in dry ingredients and brown in oil. Place in crockpot and soup. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3 1/2 hours. Can serve sauce over rice.

Cheddar-Horseradish Burgers

Absolutely YUMMY burgers!
I got the recipe from a Martha Stewart cookbook.
If you doubt this recipe because it has horseradish in it, try it anyways. You really can't taste it.

Cheddar-Horseradish Burgers

1 1/2 lb. (80% lean) ground beef (more fat makes the burgers fall apart)
3-4 Tbsp. bottled white horseradish
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
sliced cheddar cheese
English muffins

in a medium bowl, place beef, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly to combine, but being careful not to overwork the meat (which would make the burgers dense). Form meat into 4 equal size patties (i can usually get about 6). With a thumb, make a 1/2 inch deep indentation in the center o f the patty (this helps keep burgers flat during grilling).

Top with sliced cheddar cheese and serve on toasted English muffins with desired toppings. hamburgers are definitely better when grill but just as good pan fried.

Broccoli Salad

Another FAB salad! I wouldn't eat this salad for the longest time because I'm just not big veggie fan (at the time) and the craisins just didn't look appetizing. After seeing it at every family gathering, I finally tried it. Once you try it, you'll wonder what stopped you in the first place.

Broccoli Salad

1 lrg bunch broccoli
1 pkg. craisins
1 lrg onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
1 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1 lb. bacon, fried crisply and crumbled

Dressing:
6 Tbsp sugar
1 cup mayo
2 Tbsp vinegar

Soak broccoli in water for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly. Tear broccoli into bite-size pieces. Mix broccoli, craisins, red onion, sunflower seeds, and bacon. Set aside.

Combine sugar with vinegar and whip to dissolve; mix in mayo. Pour over salad and chill until ready to serve.

Poppy Seed Spinich Salad

Introduced to me at a Fireman's Auxiliary Dinner.
I would eat this every day if i could.

Poppy Seed Spinach Salad

1 bag baby spinach
1 bag salad mix (the more exotic, the better)
1 purple onion, thinly sliced
1 cup finely grated cheese (1/2 yellow, 1/2 mozzarella)
1/2 lb bacon, crisply browned and crumbled (i like a bit more so i usually cook 1lb)

Toss the above ingredients in a large salad bowl.
Stir together the following dressing and pour over the salad just before serving:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. mustard powder
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 tsp. poppy seeds
3/4 tsp. salt

Taco Stoup

I start craving this when the weather starts getting cooler.
This recipe makes a ton so i usually freeze some to heat up later for when I'm craving it but don't have the time to make it.

Taco Stoup
Like a soup but think like a stew.

1 lb sausage
1 lb chicken, cooked and cubed
1 lb bacon
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg chili seasoning
2-3 cans white hominy (i prefer this to corn)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes ----{i usually combine different flavored tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans

All all ingredients together (including liquids from cans) and warm through completely. The longer it cooks, the better it is.

This is a very forgiving recipe. You may substitute any ingredient or add to stoup. Corn, kidney beans, pinto beans, ground beef, etc. If you want more juice, add 1 can of beef or chicken broth.

Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and corn chips.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

One of my favorite appetizers for our Fire Department food gatherings.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

1 - 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 - 8oz. pkg. fresh mushrooms, stems removed
1 lb sausage, browned

Preheat broiler. Blend cream cheese, and cooked sausage. Stuff mushrooms with cream cheese mixture and arrange on a medium baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned.

BLT Spread

One of my favorite easy summer meals.

BLT Spread

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 lb. bacon. Browned and crumbled
1 small tomato, diced.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve on toast as a sandwich, with crackers, or fresh veggies for dipping.

Artichoke Dip

I was introduced to this heavenly appetizer during a scrapping retreat. I've been in love every since.

Artichoke Dip

1/2 cup mayo (may use light or fat free)
1 can artichokes, drained and diced
1 can Ro-Tel, drained well
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients into a baking dish. Top with additional Parmesan cheese. Cook in a preheated 350 degree over for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly in the center.

Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Crash Hot Potatoes

This recipe almost cured me of hating potatoes... Almost.
Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Crash Hot Potatoes
(we call them Hot Crash Potatoes... it just rolls off the tongue better)

New Potatoes (i REALLY prefer the smallish red ones)
olive oil
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
desired herbs (i LOVE the garlic pepper seasoning grinder from McCormick. The Italian Herb seasoning grinder is fab too!)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender. Or if you are like me, nuke a bunch in the microwave. It's faster and easier and less mess.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher (the squiggly looking one), gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and whatever desired herb you wish.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Oatmeal Pie

Yes, i realize this sounds pretty gross. But really, you have to try it before saying such a thing.

This recipe came into our lives by way of a little mom and pop diner, The SunGlow Cafe, in Wayne County. Bicknell to be exact. They have some really great homemade pies there. Some normal ones like coconut cream, chocolate creme, or apple pie. But then there are those "odd" ones. Ones like the sweet pickle pie, the pinto bean pie, the buttermilk pie, or my favorite, the oatmeal pie. But considering that Bicknell is a good 2+ hours away from us, it's not very convenient to hop in the vehicle and go buy a pie. So i searched the Internet high and low and found one that come awfully close to it. And according to my father-in-law, it's even better.

While looking this recipe up i also found a great history to it. It goes something like this: During the Civil War, since pecans were in short supply in the south, oatmeal was substituted for the traditional pecan pie and the results were astonishing.

Here's my version of the Oatmeal Pie:
(it will make 2 deep dish pies)

Oatmeal Pie

3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar - packed
1 1/8 cups light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp. butter - melted
1 1/2 cups sweetened flake coconut (i use the bakers sweetened coconut)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp rolled oats - raw (Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oats - NOT the quick oats)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 -10" prepared deep dish pastry shells - unbaked (i use the Marie Callender's deep dish shells)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well. Pour into the two prepared pastry shells. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until browned and set. The last couple minutes of baking, garnish with extra coconut and toast.