Donut Holes

This recipe could be made for actual donuts also, but the holes are the best part. No calories, right? I know, we wish.

Ingredients:
Canned biscuit dough
Hot oil
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 T. margarine, melted
2 1/s T. milk

In small mixing bowl, beat sugar, vanilla, margarine and milk until smooth. Roll biscuit dough into balls and fry in hot oil until brown. Cool, then drag through glaze.

Yummy.  These can be decorated for special occasions - make spiders for Halloween or snowmen for Christmas. Just use your imagination!

Nutty Buddy Pie

When I was a kid, my favorite treat in the world was a nutty buddy. I would hide while I ate one so that I could enjoy it in peace. This recipe below takes the concept of the nutty buddy and kicks it up several levels of awesome!

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker pie crust (or you can make your own if you like)
1 c. confectioners sugar
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
8 oz. Cool Whip
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. milk
chocolate chips, melted (to taste)
chopped peanuts (to taste)

Blend sugar and peanut butter. Add cream cheese and milk, then fold in Cool Whip. Pour into crust and freeze for a couple of hours. Before serving drizzle with chocolate and peanuts.

The trick to this one is letting the darn thing FREEZE before trying to devour it. I cut one slice too early and it tasted like a melted nutty butty. The frozen concoction was divine. I need to learn to wait more.

Messy Potatoes

This potato casserole is a keeper and guaranteed to impress the ladies if taken to a potluck! They don't have to know how easy it is... I actually halved this recipe when I made it for dinner and it was still plenty for the three of us.

Ingredients:
2 lbs hash browns (I used the shredded potatoes in the bag, found over by the margarine or thereabouts)
16 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
1 c. sharp cheese, shredded
1 stick margarine, melted
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 c. Ritz cracker crumbs

Combine all ingredients except cracker crumbs and spread in lightly greased 9x13 dish. Sprinkle top with crumbs. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes until bubbly.

When warming up leftovers the next day, the casserole may be a bit dry.  I added a tiny bit of milk before heating.

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

3 words: To Die For.

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened
3 eggs
1 c. water

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bundt pan and dust with coco powder. Beat cake mix, ice cream, eggs and water for four minutes. Pour into bundt pan and bake 45 minutes. Top with glaze, a dusting of powdered sugar, or the frosting of your choice.

Feel free to use other flavors of cake and ice cream. I am going to try strawberry next, or maybe make orange for Halloween, topped with dark chocolate frosting. The possibilities are endless.

Vegetable Rotini

My daughter and I both love pasta; any kind will do. This recipe gives a healthy kick to a comfort food.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. rotini

1 c. broccoli flowerets

1 c. cauliflower flowerets

1 c. chopped carrots

4 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 can condensed cheddar soup

3/4 c. milk

1/8 t. pepper

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare rotini per package directions. Add broccoli, cauliflower and carrots to last 5 minutes or so of cooking. Drain and set aside. In same pan, stir in cream cheese until smooth. Add soup, milk, pepper and Parmesan. Heat through over low. Add rotini mixture and stir well. 

When I made this, I cooked the pasta and vegetables separately then added them together. Not sure if that made a difference or not. Some cooked, diced chicken could be added to this for a complete one-dish meal.

Sunshine Cake

You know you're old when you make your own birthday cake!  Usually I just pick up one at Lowe's Foods - they have a marble cake with whipped cream icing that is to die for.  But I wanted to try this old recipe that I found in my box. And let me tell you... it was a hit!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 c. sugar
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
Milk (amount listed on pudding box)
1 large container Cool Whip
1 c. chopped nuts

Cook cake according to directions on box for a 9x13 inch cake pan. Let cool completely. Put pineapple and sugar in saucepan. Cook 2-3 minutes; let cool. In mixing bowl, prepare pudding per package directions. When the cake and the pineapple mixture are both cool, spread the mixture on top of the cake. Then spread pudding over pineapple. Top with the Cool Whip and sprinkle nuts on top.

My daughter doesn't like nuts of any kind (except a couple of her friends) so I had to ensure she got a piece without them.  This cake doesn't keep in the refrigerator very long; it's better to try to eat it up quickly. (Not a problem at our house.)

Pineapple Cheese Ball

Because I've always been a "lazy" cook, I usually pick up a pre-made cheeseball at the deli whenever I need one. This recipe is easy and much cheaper than the store-bought kind.

Ingredients:

2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained

1 T. minced onion

1 t. seasoned salt

2 c. pecan pieces, divided

Mix cream cheese, pineapple, onion, salt and 1 cup pecans together; roll into a ball. Roll the ball into the other one cup of pecans. Serve with assorted crackers.

For a festive cheese ball, add just a dash of food coloring to the cheese ball - orange for Halloween, red for Christmas.

Crunchy Chicken Cheese Bake

I usually only buy the Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix once a year - at Thanksgiving. This dish is very simple and adds a bit of "special occasion" to any ordinary dinner.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. milk
2 T margarine, melted
3/4 c. Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
Hot cooked rice

Arrange chicken in casserole dish. Top with cheese. In small bowl, combine soup and milk. Pour over cheese. In another bowl, combine margarine and stuffing. Sprinkle over soup. Bake half hour at 400°. Serve over rice.

I'm going to try this with different cheeses and soup combinations and let y'all know how it works out. Experimenting in the kitchen = scary fun!!

My Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I found several versions of a "homemade" chicken pot pie and tweaked until I found what I liked best.  My mom used to buy the frozen version when I was a kid, but she likes this better too.  I try to make this dish for her if there is a special occasion or she is the guest of honor. No, it's not fancy, but it's her favorite and what she always asks for.

Ingredients:
2 deep dish crusts
1 c. chopped, diced cooked chicken
1 small can peas and carrots, drained
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of water

Mix together chicken, soups, and water first, then add the peas and carrots. Pour into one crust and invert the 2nd crust over the top one. Poke a couple of vents with a fork.  Bake at 350° until brown, about 45 minutes.

If you want to, you can add more veggies to the mixture, such as onions or celery. I don't like those so I leave them out.

Calico Beans

One of the guys at work brought this to a holiday potluck last year and it was SO good! I was not the only one who asked for the recipe. This can be stored in a crock pot and taken to events to be shared, as God intended.

Ingredients:
1 can pork and beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can northern beans
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion diced (I use real onion for this one)
3 T vinegar
1/2 c. ketchup
3/4 c. brown sugar

Brown meat and onion. Drain well. Add vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar and mix well. Add all beans and stir gently. Bake at 350° for one hour.

The last time I made this dish, I added a canned of seasoned, diced tomatoes. I didn't like it as well but my family did, so it was two against one. (Hence me adding the footnote here.)

Granny's Peach Cobbler

When I was growing up, I lived next door to my grandmother, a.k.a Granny.  She tried her best to teach me to cook but I was too interested in other things - climbing trees, going fishing, trying out make-up, mooning over boys. I really should have listened to her more. Oh well... Here is one of my childhood favorites.

Ingredients:

6 peaches, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

3/4 c. sugar plus another 3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter (when I use margarine it's never as good)

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. milk

2 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

Put diced peaches in a bowl and stir in 3/4 cup sugar. Separately, combine flour, the other 3/4 c. sugar, baking powder, salt and milk. Stir well. Melt butter in 9 x 13 casserole dish while oven is preheating at 350°. Add fruit and distribute evenly. Pour batter over fruit but do not stir. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. 

You can serve this warm if you want but your ice cream or Cool Whip will melt. I put them in the same bowl but don't let them touch. I am so 3rd grade that way! 

Classic Lemonade

These days my lemonade usually comes from Chick-fil-a or Crystal Light, but I used to make this homemade version every summer. It is tart but also sweet enough to hurt your teeth; Equal measure could be used instead of sugar.

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. fresh lemon juice
5 c. water
rind of 2 lemons, scrubbed and cut in pieces

Mix sugar with one cup of water and lemon rinds. Heat to boil and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool and strain. Mix sugar syrup, remaining 4 cups of water and lemon juice. Pour over ice. Add cherry juice for pink lemonade. Makes 6 glasses.

You can make lemonade popsicles out of this recipe or just leave in the freezer long enough to make it slushy. (This is called Lemon Ice at the fair and costs a fortune per serving.)

Easy Chicken Stroganoff

You will be seeing a lot of recipes that have Easy in the title. That is the only way I can succeed in the kitchen. I have heard folks say that cooking ain't rocket science, but it might as well be to me. I thought this recipe was going to be too hard (in spite of the title) but it wasn't. So if even I can do it... get out your casserole dish and let's go!

Ingredients:
2 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 T. minced onion (or 1/2 diced real thing)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/c. c. plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 c. water
4 c. hot cooked medium egg noodles
Dash paprika

Heat 1 T. oil. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often. Set chicken aside. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil and cook onion until tender. Add soup, yogurt and water. Heat to a boil. Return chicken to pan and heat through. Serve over noodles. Sprinkle with paprika to make it pretty.

This dish was a huge hit with my hubby! It warms up nicely too; was not dry.

Swissy French Green Beans

My daughter loves the traditional green bean casserole, which I will post later in her honor. This one is different but just as good, I think.

Ingredients:
1 can French-style green beans, drained
1/2 c. chopped onion (I used a 1/2 t. of minced from a jar)
1 T. margarine
2 oz. Swiss cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. bread crumbs

Saute onions in margarine. Melt in swiss cheese. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Add in green beans, gently. Place in casserole and top with bread crumbs. Baks 30 minutes at 450°.

Okay, maybe not AS good as the other green bean casserole, but close.

My Party Mix

Back in the day, this snack was called "trash party mix."  I would make a ton of it and store in containers shaped like garbage cans. This recipe is one that I fiddled with over the years.

Ingredients:
1 box Nabisco Mixers traditional (I used to use Doo Dads but they don't make them anymore)
1/2 box Chex rice cereal
1/2 box Crispix cereal
1 can mixed nuts
the "squeeze" kind of margarine (or just melt some)

Mix all together. On cookie sheet spread mix and squeeze margarine over it. Broil for just a few seconds, until brown.

I haven't made this in awhile because Chex came along with a pre-made version so I just buy that now instead. But ah, nostalgia.

Islander Sub

Back in the 80s, I worked at an office that was across the street from a small restaurant.  A couple of times a week, I would tag along with some other ladies and have lunch there. My favorite thing on the menu was the Islander Sub sandwich.  I still make this at home sometimes; it's a lot less expensive too!

Ingredients:
thinly sliced deli ham
pineapple slice
provolone cheese
sub roll
mayo
lettuce

Assemble the ham, cheese and pineapple on the split roll and broil in hot oven until cheese is melted. Top with mayo, lettuce, etc. I don't like tomatoes - or maters as we call them down here - so I don't even list them on the card.  But if you like the slimy, disgusting things, please feel free to add. (LOL)