Reindeer Munch

This is one I clipped out of a magazine - I don't remember which one. Everyone at our house seems to like it!

Ingredients:
2 Cups Chex Rice Cereal
2 Cups Thin Pretzel Sticks
1 Cup Honey Roasted Peanuts
1 Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Cup M&Ms
1 Package Vanilla Flavored Candy coating

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except the candy coating in a large bowl/container. Melt the candy coating according to package directions and pour over cereal mixture. Stir to get everything well coated then pour mixture on foil to harden. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

*This is really very flexible - I usually add more cranberries and m&ms than called for because that's what my gang likes!

Lucious Lumps

This is a cookie recipe from Dave's Mom, Carol. Dave loves these and I love how easy and Yummy they are!

Ingredients:
1 Cup butter
1/2 cup powdered (Confectioner's) Sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup sifted flour
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Directions:
Cream soft butter well. Add sugar, corn starch, and vanilla then blend well. Add flour until thoroughly blended. Add Chips, nuts, and mix. Drop on an ungreased cookie sheet by the teaspoon. Bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

*These need to be small or they crumble when they come off the cookie sheet - it also helps to let them cool a little while on the cookie sheet.

Grandmommy's Meatloaf

This is a recipe from my Grandmother... YUMMY!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (Turkey works too)
1 small chopped onion
2 3ggs
2/3 cup quick oats
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp oregeno
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp basil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt

Direction:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray bottom of loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, place in the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes.
One thing I like to do is buy the 15 oz can of tomato sauce instead of the baby can. I put half into the meatloaf and then pour the rest on top before baking. This one is a great leftover....

Simple Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

I made these for Thanksgiving and they taste almost like fudge! I can't wait to try the other versions of the recipe!

Brownies!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 (4-oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking bar, chopped
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
Chocolate Frosting

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in sugar and eggs until well blended. Stir in flour. Spread batter into a greased 13- x 9-inch pan.
3. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
4. Prepare Chocolate Frosting. Pour over warm brownies; spread to edges. Sprinkle with pecans. Let cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Chocolate Frosting!!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter $
1/3 cup milk $
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Cook first 3 ingredients over medium heat in a large saucepan, stirring constantly, 4 to 5 minutes or until butter melts. Remove from heat, and beat in powdered sugar and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Here is the original link: http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/bar-cookie-and-brownie-recipes-00417000072474/page5.html

Quick-Fix Burrito Skillet

This is a Kraft Recipe - Easy and YUMMY!

What you need

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can (15.5 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed
1 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese
1/3 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1 large green onion,

Make it

BROWN meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
ADD next 4 ingredients; stir. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min.
STIR in tortillas; top with cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions.

Here is the original link: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/quick-fix-beef-burrito-skillet-105217.aspx

Santa Fe Bake

We are big fans of Market Day products - they allow us to have yummy food and we support our local schools. This is a recipe I received from then and it was good too!

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef
3 Tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can (14 1/2 oz.)drained diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions with tops
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag (12 oz.)egg noodles

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cook noodles as directed on package; drain. Meanwhile, combine ground beef in large skillet; cook over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes until beef is no longer pink; breaking into crumbles. Combine taco seasoning, noodles, mushroom soup, sour cream, tomatoes & green onions with beef mixture. Pour into 9 x 13-inch casserole, top with cheese. Bake 5-6 minutes to melt cheese. Serves 8.

Optional Tip: For more zip, add additional seasoning mix.

Pecan-Topped Cornbread

I've had this recipe for a while, but just got around to trying it. Very Yummy! I would definitely recommend this one!

Easy Banana Bread

Last week, I had a couple of bananas that were too ripe to eat, so I went on a recipe search and found this recipe. It was super yummy and definitely a keeper!

This banana bread recipe is easy, using one egg and one bowl.
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

3 large bananas , well mashed
1 egg
1 stick of butter, melted
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup nuts, optional
Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl; put into a well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° for about 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

Wheel's Up Pasta Salad

This is one I found in Parent's Magazine October 2011 issue. It was a huge hit with the kids and we thought it was yummy too.

Ingredients:
2 Cups cooked mini wagon wheel pasta
1 small apple, cored and chopped
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup raisins
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine pasta, apple, cucumber, pecans, raisins, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Squeeze on lemon juice. Cover and let chill until serving time.

Note... I wasn't able to find the mini wagon wheel pasta and really should have increased the other ingredients to compensate :)

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake from Southern Living

This cake is Yum Yum YUMMY..... I made it for my September DAR meeting and it received rave reviews from the ladies there, our neighbors, and my husband. Don't be daunted by the 4 hour total time... a lot of that is baking and cooling time. The most time consuming parts are peeling/chopping the apples and chopping the nuts if you haven't bought pre chopped. I definitely recommend this one!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/apple-cream-cheese-bundt-cake-50400000115369/

Oatmeal Muffins

We had these over the weekend - from the Penzey Spice Catalog and we loved them, so I had to share before filing it away in the cook book!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp Nutmeg
1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Raisins or chopped, dried apricots
3/4 chopped nuts
1 egg beaten
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Oil
3/4 Cup Milk

Directions:
In large bowl, combine Oats, Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon and Mix well. Add Raisins and nuts and mix. In a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and mix. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until just moistened. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Tops should just be browned.

We aren't big nutmeg fans, so I reduced that to 1/4 teaspoon and used the full 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. We used pecans and raisins in our version and I will definitely be making these again!

Another Southern Living Winner

I tried a recipe for Graham Nut Clusters found in Southern Living for our Labor day get together and it was a HUGE hit. I used generic honey roasted peanuts and it tasted good, but I think it might have been better had I used Planters. I am also toying with the idea of trying mini pretzels instead of the pretzel sticks.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/graham-nut-clusters-50400000115366/

Southern Living Recipe Reviews

I've recently tried two recipes that I found in Southern Living that we really liked. Hopefully, you'll enjoy them too!

Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-semifreddo-shortcake-50400000114543/

This is an awesome dessert! Because the fresh strawberries are pureed, it's a great dessert to make if the strawberries aren't picture perfect. The only thing... a plate (or something) needs to be placed under the springform pan before serving or your counters will be a mess!

Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-chili-hash-brown-bake-50400000109928/

This one was a big hit with Dave! It claims to serve 8, but that must only be with very robust side dishes. We had this with a salad and it really took a serving and a half for everyone to feel full. We also tried this as a quick reheat for lunch a few days later and it was just as yummy.

Party Freeze Salad

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but it's always a hit at summer gatherings - we sometimes call it Strawberry Freeze Salad.

Ingredients:

8 oz Cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup honey
10 oz Frozen Sliced Strawberries, partially thawed (I usually use 1 oz unsweetened)
2 Ripe Bananas - sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
8 oz tub of cool whip

Directions:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add Honey and mix well. Add fruit and marshmallows, toss to coat. Fold in cool whip. Pour into a 13x9 dish and freeze overnight. Allow to thaw at room temp 30 minutes prior to serving.

Notes:
I use my stand mixer when I make this. When beating the cream cheese, I scrape the bowl twice to removed large clumps. I scrape the bowl again after mixing in the honey. After adding the strawberries, I allow he mixer to run on low while slicing in he bananas and adding marshmallows. I fold in the cool whip using a rubber spatula. This works great as a sweeter side dish or as a light dessert.

Edmund's Up North Roasted Potatoes

This was in the Penzeys catalog and you need Penzey's Northwoods seasoning for it. If you can't get to a store, visit www.Panzeys.com.

Ingredients:

4 Cups chunked red potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
2 Tablespoons Northwoods Seasoning
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Coarsely chop onion and place in a large bowl. Leaving the skins on, cut potatoes into bite size pieces and add to the onions. Toss potatoes and onions with the Northwoods seasoning until well coated. Toss with the olive oil. Pour into a 13x9 glass baking dish and place in hot oven. Stir potatoes every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, then bake for an additional 30 minutes or until potatoes are nice and brown.

Fresh Fruit Medley

I made this for Memorial Day and it got rave reviews...

Ingredients:
1 Cup orange Juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
2 apples, chopped
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:
Combine Orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan and mix well. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Chill, covered, until cool. Combine orange sections, apples, and bananas in a bowl. Pour cooled dressing over fruit and toss gently to mix.

Peanut Butter Blondies

Another wonderful recipe from Penzy's....

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, cream together sugar, peanut butter, eggs, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread into ungreased 9x13 baking pan. Bake 35 minutes.

Spicy Orange Pecans

This one is from the Penzy Spice Co and is WONDERFUL! This one definitely makes it into the recipe book.....

Ingredients:
4 cups PLAIN pecan halves
2 Tablespoons Orange juice - fresh is best
1 large egg white
2 Tablespoons fresh orange zest
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher flake or coarse sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In large bowl, combine pecan halves, orange juice, and egg white. Toss to coat. In small bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to pecans and toss to coat evenly. Spread nuts evenly on baking sheet and bake at 225 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes until the pecans appear dry - about 1 hour. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Berry-White Chocolate Muffins

This is another Betty Crocker recipe. I made these ahead of time for Christmas morning and froze them. We thawed them over night then warmed them slightly in the microwave and they were yummy!

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white chocolate baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees and prepare 12 cup muffin pan by lining with paper cups or spraying the bottoms only with cooking spray. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, except berries, until just moistened. Gently stir in berries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes then remove from pan.

Betty Crocker's Banana-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

I made this for Dave to take to work for the holidays buffet.... I never got to try it, but he said it was yummy. I'll have to let you know if I get to make it again.

Ingredients:
Coffee Cake:
2 1/4 cups Bis-quick Mix
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 egg

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees and Spray 8 inch square pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir all coffee cake ingredients with a wire whisk or fork until blended. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 26 to 30 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth (add extra milk 1 teaspoon at a time until thin enough to drizzle). Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake, serve warm.

Fabulous Fruit Crisp

This one came from Parents Magazine. I made it to take Christmas day and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Ingredients:
Topping:
3/4 Cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup white flour
3 Tbls butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teas nutmeg

Filling:
6 cups peeled and sliced fruit (apples, pears, peaches)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tbls cornstarch

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees and grease 9 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together all topping ingredients until they resemble a course crumbs. In a separate bowl, toss together the fruit, syrup, and cornstarch. Transfer the filling to the baking dish then spoon the oat mixture evenly on top. Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serves 8.