Creamy Mashed Potatoes

5-7 medium russet potatoes
2 TBSP butter or margarine
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
Cheese (I used Colby Jack)

Peel potatoes, wash them, chop into medium sized chunks. Boil potatoes in water until tender, drain. Add margarine, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mash potatoes with a fork as you mix the other ingredients in. Don't mash potatoes completely, keep some chunks. Grate cheese on top. Reheat if necessary.

Cupcakes

These were super easy to make. They didn't take near as long as I thought they would. Here's the link with the instructions, and a much better picture of them.

http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

Waffle Cookies

1 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp salt

pinch of baking soda

Mix all ingredients together and cook on hot waffle iron. Frost with butter cream frosting ( see recipe below)

Butter Cream Frosting

6 Tbs butter

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

4 Tbs cocoa powder

In a small bowl mix butter and half the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually beat in remaining sugar. then add additional milk if necessary.

Chicken stir fry

1 package of Yakisoba stir fry noodles (next to the toffu)
1 cup of fresh snow peas
1 cup of broccoli slaw
1/2 cup of Mr. Yoshidas sweet & savory sauce (can add more if you like it stronger)
2 cups of cube chicken (about 5 chicken strips)
white rice

In a pan fry chicken with one tablespoon of the Yoshidas sauce. When chicken is done cooking add noodles heat noodles on low until warm. Once noodles and your rice is done cooking add vegetables and remaining Yoshidas sauce. Heat until vegetables are warm, don't over cook you want the vegetables to remain crisp. Serve over rice

Celebration Cookies (Best sugar cookies ever, thanks to Mandy!)

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup dairy sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tsp baking powder

4 1/2 cups flower

1/2 tsp salt

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add sour cream and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Place on buttered cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 14-17 minutes or until lightly brown. Cookies should be large, soft and thick.

Butter Frosting:

6 Tbsp butter

4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate: Add 4 Tbsp of coco powder.

Mix together.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease or line 12 muffin cups. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Pizzaria Style Pizza - Chicken Alfredo

Dough

(makes enough for 1- 16” pizza, although I did mine on a smaller pan and it just had a thicker crust.)

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½ cup warm water

½ tsp yeast

1 ¼ tsp sugar

¾ cup cool water

1 ¼ tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp olive oil (or veggie or canola oil)

3-4 cups flour

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Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. Mix in sugar to dissolve. Add ¾ cup cool water. Add about 1 ½ cups flour. Mix in the salt and olive oil. Work in the rest of the flour to make a stiff dough. Knead in by hand the last ½ cup or so of flour. Dough should be very firm, it should relax but not lose shape.

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Oil and cover dough and let it rise until double (2 hours or so).

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I also help it rise more quickly by turning my oven to 150, once it heats up I turn it off, then I put the dough in there to rise. Just make sure the oven is off before you put it in there and also oil it and cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn't get a thin crust on it.
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Sauce
(makes enough to cover 2 pizzas)

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½ cup Parmesan cheese (and extra for sprinkling on top)
½ cup butter
1 cup milk
¼ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
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In a small pan heat milk and butter on low heat. Do not boil. Add spices and cheese. Heat through.

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Toppings
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
about ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
¼ cup fresh tomatoes, diced (optional)
green onions, chopped (optional)
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Boil chicken. Once it is done shred it into small pieces.

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Assemble
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread dough into circle on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Pour half of the sauce on the dough and spread to about ½ inch from edge (will be thin sauce). Place mozzarella cheese, shredded chicken, tomatoes, onions, and parsley on pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
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Place pizza in oven and bake for 3-4 minutes. If you get air bubbles, prick them with a fork and push toppings back into place. Rotate the pizza and check the bottom for browning. Bake for another 3-4 minutes and check the bottom for browning again. Depending on the thickness the total cooking time should be 7-12 minutes.

Pizzaria Style Pizza (Simplified)

SIMPLIFIED VERSION...VERY GOOD


Dough
½ cup warm water
½ tsp yeast
1 ¼ tsp sugar
¾ cup cool water
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp olive oil (or veggie or canola oil)
3-4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. Mix in sugar to dissolve. Add ¾ cup cool water. Add about 1 ½ cups flour. Mix in the salt and olive oil. Work in the rest of the flour to make a stiff dough. Knead in by hand the last ½ cup or so of flour. Dough should be very firm, it should relax but not lose shape.

Oil and cover dough and let it rise until double (2 hours or so).

Sauce (You can also just use a can of Hunts Spaghetti Sauce, or any other pizza sauce.)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste

Slightly heat sauce as you make it. Add spices in small amounts and taste as you go along.

¼ - ¾ tsp salt
¼ - ½ tsp sugar
¼ - ½ tsp black pepper
1/16 – 1/8 tsp red pepper (cayenne)
1/16 – 1/8 tsp garlic powder
¼ - ½ tsp basil leaves (if using fresh, use 3x the dry amount)
1/8 - ¼ tsp oregano leaves (if using fresh, use 3x the dry amount)
1/16 – 1/8 tsp fennel (optional)

Cheese Blend
Use your favorite cheese(s).

Assemble the Pizza
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Shape dough into circle on lightly oiled cookie sheet, or round pizza sheet. Keep the outer edges a little thicker than the inside of the pizza.

Spread the sauce on the dough to about ½ inch from edge. Make sure it isn't too thick in the center.

Put any desired toppings on.

Place pizza in oven and bake for 3-4 minutes. If you get air bubbles, prick them with a fork and push toppings back into place. Rotate the pizza and check the bottom for browning. Bake for another 3-4 minutes and check the bottom for browning again. Depending on the thickness the total cooking time should be 7-12 minutes.

The Most Amazing PIZZA Ever! (Pizzaria Style Pizza)

Dough
½ cup warm water
½ tsp yeast
1 ¼ tsp sugar
¾ cup cool water
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp olive oil
3-4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. Mix in sugar to dissolve. Add ¾ cup cool water. Add about 1 ½ cups flour to make thick batter. Mix in the salt and olive oil. Work in the rest of the flour to make a stiff dough. Knead in by hand the last ½ cup or so of flour. Amount of flour will vary depending on humidity, and temperature of dough and type of flour used. The dough should be very firm, but not unyielding like a rock. It should relax but not lose shape.

Oil or spray dough ball and put it in a zip lock bag and refrigerate for 2 or more days, untouched. By doing it ahead and letting it rise low and slow, it develops a little bit different taste in the dough. Or if you don't plan ahead, let it rise until double (2 hours or so).

Sauce (this makes about 4 cups)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste

*(I only had diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, so I tried those instead and it worked fine. The sauce was just a little thinner.)

The spices can be adjusted to your taste. The spice amounts listed are for 1 cup of sauce, so if you want to do the whole batch at once, times the amount by 4, or use less if you don't like your sauce as spicy. (The full amounts of red and black pepper give it quite a kick.)

¼ - ¾ tsp salt
¼ - ½ tsp sugar
¼ - ½ tsp black pepper
1/16 – 1/8 tsp red pepper (cayenne) (don't multiply)
1/16 – 1/8 tsp garlic powder
¼ - ½ tsp basil leaves (if using fresh, use 3x the dry amount)
1/8 - ¼ tsp oregano leaves (if using fresh, use 3x the dry amount)
1/16 – 1/8 tsp fennel (optional)

Mix tomatoes and paste together. Slightly heat the sauce so the spices can blend flavors. Start with a small amount and taste between each spice so you can see if you want to add more. Crush the basil, oregano leaves, and fennel in your hands before adding. You can let the sauce blend for a day while the dough is rising, but you may need to add more seasonings after is has been sitting. Just warm it a little, taste it, and add more spices if needed.

Cheese Blend (I have used straight Mozzarella before and it turned out great)

Equal amounts of mozzarella and monterey jack. Smaller amounts of other cheeses. You can add muenster, parmesan, and romano. Or if you like stronger cheese, use asiago, white chedder, provolone, etc. Either grate all of the cheese or put it in the food processor until crumbled. Mix all cheeses together before placing on pizza.

Assemble the Pizza

Put pizza stone* on the bottom shelf of oven and pre-heat oven and stone to 550 degrees. (If it doesn't go that high, put it as high as it will go.)

**If you do NOT have a pizza stone: Preheat oven to 425 degrees and follow baking times at the bottom of the recipe.

Place dough on counter top. You can use corn meal on the bottom of your pizza if you would like that effect. Place palm centered on the dough and press down firmly. From the outer area of your palm print, start pressing outward with knuckles. Work to about ½ inch from the edge. Don't flatten the edge. Thin out close to the edge by gently stretching around the circumference of the pizza. Pick up the dough and slap it from hand to hand, gently stretching toward your elbow. You should rotate the dough with each slap. (About 5-6 slaps is usually enough.)

If you want to show off and twirl the dough, put the dough over your hands and put your right hand at 10 o'clock and your left hand at 4 o'clock and toss it upward in a clockwise motion. Be careful not to let the dough get too thin in the middle.

Lay the stretched dough on your screen*. Stretch to make fit if necessary. Don't push it into the screen or it will stick in the holes while cooking.

**If you do NOT have a pizza stone: Shape dough into circle on lightly oiled cookie sheet, or round pizza sheet.

Spread the sauce on the dough (1 – 1 ½ cups for a 16” pizza, more or less if you desire.) Spread it out to ½ inch of edge. Make sure it isn't too thick in the center.

Put any desired toppings on.

Place pizza on stone (or place cookie sheet in oven) and bake for 3-4 minutes. If you get air bubbles, prick them with a long handled fork and push toppings back into place. Rotate the pizza and check the bottom for browning. Bake for another 3-4 minutes and check the bottom for browning again. Depending on the thickness the total cooking time should be 7-10 minutes.

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 3/4 cups cold milk
1 large package Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding (can also use vanilla or banana*)
1 container (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed
1 prepared chocolate cookie crumb crust or graham cracker crust, 9-inch

Pour cold milk into large mixing bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk until well mixed. (Mixture will be thick.) Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust.

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Refrigerate the pie for 4 hours or until set. Top with whipped topping.

(Can also freeze and eat frozen.)

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**If you do a Banana Cream pie, slice bananas into small rounds and place in the bottom of your crust before spooning pudding into crust.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

1 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt (I use vanilla, but any flavor works)
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 banana frozen in chunks
1 - 1 & 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

(If it is too tart you can add a little sugar, 1/8 to 1/4 cup or so)

Place in blender and blend well until smooth. Will make 2 full glasses.

Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup
1/2 cup Salsa
1/2 cup water
6 flour tortillas (6"), cut into 1" pieces. (I just use tortilla chips. It's a lot easier)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook beef in skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat. Stir in soup, salsa, water and tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 min. Top with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Parmesan Chicken

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1 Egg
1 Tb. Milk
1/4 cup butter/melted
6-9 chicken strips

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix cheese, flour, seasonings in a bowl. Mix egg and milk in a separate bowl. Dip chicken in egg mix then in cheese mix. Put in 9x13 pan. Pour butter all over it. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pork Chop Bake

3-5 Medium Red Potatoes
2 Carrots Chopped
1/2 Onion (optional)
4 Pork chops
1 Can Cream of Chicken soup
1 Tb. Butter
1/4 cup Water


In skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add pork chops and brown 3 minutes each side. Add potatoes, carrots, and onions. Combine soup and water together in separate bowl. Pour over the top. Cover, and let simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Orange Rolls

2 large oranges
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 TBSP yeast
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour

Frosting:
Juice from 1 orange
2 TBSP butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Put warm water in mixer and add the yeast. Add the zest from one of the orange rinds (I actually would probably zest both oranges next time) and 1/4 cup of juice from the orange. Add eggs, sugar, salt, and flour. Knead well. Let stand 10 min. Knead again. Let rise for 2 hours. Make dough into ropes (from 6-8 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch thick) and TIE INTO A KNOT. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden on top.

Mix frosting ingredients and brush onto warm rolls.

Barbecue Chicken

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups rice

Boil the chicken in water until it is almost done, drain most of the water (so you have about a cup left in the pot with the chicken). Pour the barbecue sauce on the chicken. Boil down until the barbecue sauce becomes thicker (when most of the water boils out). Shred the chicken in the sauce and let it cook into it for another 5-10 min (keep temp on high). Stir constantly.

Cook rice. Serve chicken with rice.

** Can also be done in crock pot, just add barbecue sauce and enough water to cover the chicken right away. Cook for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. (Shred chicken when it is tender.)

Granola

6 c rolled oats (I used quick oats)
½ c wheat germ or flax (optional)
1 c unsweetened coconut
1 c coconut (or just 2 cups of whatever coconut you have)
¼ c sesame seeds
1 c mixed nuts (walnut, pecan, peanut, almond, pumpkin, etc…or whatever you have)
½ c sunflower seeds

Sauce:

½ c vegetable oil
1 cup honey

Heat oil & honey together. Remove from heat and add:

1 t almond extract (optional)
2 T vanilla

Pour sauce over all ingredients.
Spread on lightly oiled cookie sheet.

Bake at 300 for 30 minutes (or until golden brown).
Stir frequently.

Serve with milk, yogurt, and/or fruit.

Pizza Pasta

1/2 lb - 1 lb Rotini pasta (other pasta will work also)
1-3 cup Spaghetti Sauce (I used Hunts Traditional Spaghetti Sauce)
1 can olives
1/2 can pineapple tidbits
1/2 pkg sliced pepperoni
Colby jack cheese
Parmesan cheese

*You can put any of your favorite pizza toppings in this! (hamburger, sausage, Canadian bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomato, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil your pasta until tender. Pour in 9x13 casserole dish. Pour spaghetti sauce in. Mix in all of your toppings, except your cheese. Sprinkle desired amount of cheese on top (use any combination of cheese). Heat for 20-30 min until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted on top.

Hamburger Buns

1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Water
2 Tb. butter
1 Tb. white sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. salt
5 1/2 Cups flour
1 Tb. yeast
1 Egg yolk

Heat milk, water, and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients. Let raise, punch down, then shape into balls. Place on cookie sheet, and flatten each ball with your hand. Let raise until double in size. Brush rolls with egg yolk, and bake at 350 fo4 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Roast Beef Sandwhiches

2 cups beef broth

2 packages Au Jus

1 Pot Roast

Place ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add additional liquid if needed throughout cooking time.

I used the Honey Sweet French Bread recipe to make the rolls. Turned out delicious!

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

4-6 pieces of chicken (thawed or frozen)

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

¼ cup lemon/lime soda

2-3 TBSP minced garlic

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 tsp. Pepper

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Place chicken in crockpot. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-4 hours.
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Can serve with mashed potatoes:

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Peel potatoes, cut into large chunks, boil in water until soft. Drain water, add a couple TBSP butter and milk. Blend everything together. Salt and pepper to taste.

French Bread Rolls

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth (or plastic wrap), and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

TIP: To help with dough rising-
(Sometimes I set my oven to the lowest setting it will go, about 170 degrees, once it warms up to that I turn it OFF and OPEN the oven door while I am kneading the dough. {because I don't want it too warm} Then when the dough is ready to sit and rise I place it in the slightly warm oven. It makes the rising time much quicker.)

After it has risen, deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.