Best Snickerdoodles

Doesn't everybody love a snickerdoodle?

Ingredients

1 Cup Shortening

1 1/2 Cups White Sugar

2 Eggs

2 3/4 Cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Cream of Tarter
1/4 tsp Salt

Cinnamon Sugar Coating
4 Tbsp White Sugar                          
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon

Or you can add the cinnamon in the batter itself and roll the cookies with colored sugar sprinkles for a more fun look like I did in the picture above
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BAKE 400 Degrees for 8-10 minutes

Zucchini Fettuccini

This is a recipe I got from my friend Emily

It looks so fancy and tastes so delicious
(but maybe not so much in my picture)

4 ½ t. butter                              4 ½ t. olive oil

2 t. pressed garlic                      ½ large sliced onion

½ lb. Sliced fresh mushrooms    1 c. cream

¾ c. fresh parmesan cheese       Fettuccini noodles

½ lb. Bacon sliced thin and browned

4-5 julienne cut small zucchini squash

-Saute 3 minutes:  oil, butter , garlic, onion and mushrooms.  Add squash and bacon, cook just a few minutes.  Don’t overcook.  Add cream and cheese, stir and blend.  Serve over cooked noodles.

*  I always add my noodles to the finished dish and stir it together.  Let it sit for a few minutes, too.  It thickens up a little bit. It's even better the next day :)

BEST Sloppy Joes

It's not hard to say that these are the BEST sloppy joes out there!

Plus they are so simple - what more can you ask for?

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2 lbs Ground Beef or Turkey (I like Turkey best)

1 Can Chicken Gumbo Condensed Soup

1 Can French Onion Condensed Soup

1/3 Cup Ketchup

2 Tbsp Mustard

Brown meat until all cooked and drain fat

Add rest of ingredients and simmer until all juices absorbed

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Enjoy inside of a nice hamburger bun

Freeze left overs for an easy dinner later!

Pizza Crust

This recipe is so easy and makes a yummy pizza crust.

1 Cup Warm Water

1 Envelope Yeast (2 1/2 tsp)

2 Tbsp Italian Salad Dressing

3 1/4 Cups Flour

Dash Salt

Mix ingredients together and let rise until double

Roll out onto pizza pan

Bake 5 minutes at 400 degress

Add pizza sauce & toppings

Bake for 20 more minutes at 400 degrees

Spinach Pear Salad

Honey-Sesame Vinaigrette: 

3 T white-wine vinegar
3 T Dijon Mustard
2T honey
3 T seame seeds, toasted
1 t minced garlic
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c vegetable oil

Curried Cashews:
3/4 c cashews (3 oz.)
1 T unsalted butter
1 t chopped fresh rosemary
1 t curry powder
1 t dark brown sugar
1/2 t coarse salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
Toast cashews in 400 degree oven 8 to 10 minutes.
Mix other ingredients. Add cashews while still hot. Stir well.

Add:
1/2 lb. cooked bacon (broken up or small slices)
12 c spinach leaves
6 c spring mix lettuce
1/2 c thinly sliced red onions
3 small pears, thinly sliced
6 small bunches of red grapes

Yummy Sugar Cookies

They may not be the healthiest cookies, but hey if you are going to eat something not good for you, it might as well taste good right?  And who doesn't love sugar cookies.

(green stars with rainbow sprinkles for St. Pattys Day)

1 lb margarine (softened)

2 cups Sugar

2 tsp Almond Extract

1 tsp Baking Soda

3 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp Salt

6 cups flour

Cream sugar and margarine, add eggs and flavoring and mix together.  Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Chill for 1 hour.   Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick then cut into shapes. 

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Once cookies are cooled, frost them.

VANILLA BUTTER FROSTING

1/3 cup Softened Butter

1/2 Tbsp Vanilla

3 cups Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp Milk

Blend butter and sugar, stir in vanilla and milk.  Beat until the frosting is smooth.

Baked Potato Soup

I made this once, and my kids beg for it now

8-10 cubed potatos

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

6 cups milk

1 12oz can Chicken Broth

3 Bullion Cubes

2 tsp Onion Powder

Peel and cut potatos in cubes.  Microwave for about 8 minutes to slightly cook the potatos.

While the potatos are microwaving, melt the butter in large saucepan and then add the flour.  Whisk together then slowly add the milk, broth, bullion and onion powder.  Last add the potatos and cook until potatos are done.

Top with chopped green onions, grated cheese and REAL bacon bits!  ENJOY!

Cinnamon Roll Popcorn

 I got this recipe from  Our Best Bites which is my favorite recipe blog right now.  This is a very yummy popcorn that looks all fancy yet it's pretty easy to make.  Click { HERE } to watch her make it live on Studio 5

12 cups Popped Popcorn (about 1/2 cup popcorn kernals)

1 cup Pecan Halves, roughly chopped

1 cup Brown Sugar

3/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 cup Karo Syrup

1 stick Real Butter (1/2 cup)

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

3 squares almond bark (about 4 oz)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place popcorn & chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a 2 liter capacity microwave safe bowl.  Mix well.  Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture.  Pour corn syrup over the top of everything.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds and then stir to combine.  Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes.  Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more. 

Remove from microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.  Stir to combine.  Mixture will foam and rise.  Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pecans and stir very well so that everything is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. 

Remove from oven and spread out on a large piece of parchment, waxed paper or foil. 

Melt almond bark according to package instructions.  Drizzle over popcorn mixture.  When almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and enjoy!

Lentils & Rice

Lentils are so yummy and full of fiber too!

This makes a good side dish for any meal.

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1/2 cup lentils

1/2 cup white long grain rice

2 1/3 cups water

2 Chicken Bullion Cubes

1 heaping tsp chopped garlic

I combine all ingredients in my rice cooker. Or you can just cook them over the stove top, by bringing them to a boil and then simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

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Very simple but my husband and kids love it!

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If you want to cook the lentils with brown rice, then add them in after the rice is half way cooked. Brown rice takes longer to cook and you don't want mushy lentils.

Sausage Dip

This is a holiday dip that I grew up with. Every Christmas my Grandma Jane would make this. Its one of those traditional foods we have around the holidays. But yummy any time of the year.

1 lb ground sausage (low fat)

1 chopped onion

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Cook together until sausage is browned.

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Put in crockpot with:

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2 cans Chopped Tomatoes

2 cans Diced Green Chillies

8 oz Cream Cheese

8 oz Sour Cream

Garlic Salt to Taste

Cheesy Artichoke Bread

1 14oz can Artichoke Hearts
1 cup Parmesean Cheese - grated
1 small can chopped Olives
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2/3 Cup Mayo
1 Clove Garlic - minced
Sliced Mushrooms
1 Loaf French Bread

Saute mushrooms in olive oil

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, then add the sauted mushrooms.

Slice bread in half length wise and spread on bread.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes - Yummy!

(Recipe from Jamie Richards)

15 Bean Soup

1 Pkg of 15 Beans
1 Onion Chopped
1 Can Stewed Tomatos (15oz)
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Chicken Bullion Cubes
1 Polska Kielbasa Sausage cut up in cubes.
1 Ham pkt mix (inside 15 beans bag)


Cook the beans by following directions on bag. You can either first soak them overnight and then cook them for about 2 hours or there is a quick cook method. I think its best to cook my beans with the chopped onion, it helps to bring out the flavor into the beans and guarantee no crunchy onions.

Once the beans are cooked add your tomatos, Garlic, Bullion & Sausage. Let the juices cook out of the sausage and into the soup. Then add the Ham Pkt for more flavor. Yummy. And full of fiber.