7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1 cup (6 oz.) milk chocolate chips

1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup (3 oz.) white chocolate chips

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F if using a glass pan).

2. ln a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press the crumb mixture firmly onto the bottom of a 13-x-9-inch baking pan.

3. Pour condensed milk evenly over the crumb mixture.

4. Layer remaining ingredients evenly in the order listed. Press down firmly with a fork.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool. Chill if desired.

6. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store leftovers covered at room temperature.

Go-To Crock Pot Chicken

Who doesn't need another go-to chicken recipe? Can't get enough of those! This one is quick-promise....and super yummy. Kids eat it-need I say more?


2-3 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 packet onion soup mix

Cut chicken in bite size pieces (before you put in the cp, or after it has cooked for a bit) and place all ingredients in the crockpot. Let cook for about 3-5 hours (depending on high or low cook setting) and Serve over pasta or rice (whichever your kids will eat better).

Caramel Popcorn

This recipe is probably familiar to a lot of you, but I think, from talking to others, that our version has a few small changes to the family one.  We love it!  We had a bowl of it and a bowl of buttered popcorn every Sunday night growing up and would watch of movie together. 

I usually pop about two batches of popcorn per recipe of caramel because we like it sticky and gooey!

 

Boil for one minute:

1/2 C butter or margarine (I prefer butter….)

1/4 C Corn Syrup

1 C Brown Sugar

2 Tbs liquid (I usually us milk, but sometimes water or even evaporated milk.  I’ve even tried sweetened condensed milk!  Creamier = Yummier! The liquid also helps keep it a little softer.)

You can also add vanilla if you want.

I usually boil it  just under a minute, again, to keep it a softer.  I don’t really like hard caramel popcorn.

Just before pouring onto popcorn, add a pinch of baking soda and stir it in.  This makes it foam up a little and easier to coat the popcorn. 

We like to add marshmallows.  You can add them before the caramel and they will melt and make it really gooey, but we usually add them after and just have marshmallows in it.  You can also add nuts, chocolate chips, etc. 

I always like to eat the caramel out of the bottom of the bowl after the popcorn is gone!  Hope you like it!

Banana Cream Pie Trifle

Banana Cream Pie Trifle

This was SO yummy! Pretty much consists of layers of crumbly pie crust, instant banana pudding, bananas, and cool whip. Easy! (Don't let the length of the recipe scare you, it really is easy!)

Crumble pie crust - 2 Crusts

 (If you want you can just double either Crust 1 or Crust 2 if you don't want to do both types of crust.)

Crust 1:

1            cup all-purpose flour

1/4         cup packed brown sugar

1/2         cup firm butter or margarine

Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, mix flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter, using pastry blender, until mixture is crumbly (or use hands to mix, I just used a gallon-sized baggie to protect my hands from getting messy). Press evenly on the bottom of half an ungreased 9x13 pan.

Crust 2:

1 box of vanilla wafers (crush to small to medium chunks and crumbs)

½ firm butter or margarine

In medium bowl, mix crushed vanilla wafers and butter. Press evenly on the bottom of the other half of the ungreased 9x13 pan.  Bake about 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Stir to break up into chunks and crumbs. Mix both types of crumb crusts together. Cool completely, about 1 hour (or put in freezer to cool quickly).

2*        boxes (4-serving size) banana instant pudding and pie filling mix

*(I had extra, so start with 1 box, it may be all you need)

2          cups cold milk (per box of instant pudding)

3-4       ripe medium bananas, sliced***

2**      containers (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

**(I had extra, so you may only need 1)

In large bowl, make pudding mix as directed on box, using 2 cups milk. In Trifle dish (or 2-quart serving bowl), layer 1/3 of the crumb mixture, pudding, bananas and whipped topping; repeat layers. My top set of layers I only had the crumb mixture and bananas. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Top with peanuts if desired. Store in refrigerator. 

You really can’t go wrong with this, just layer until your bowl  is full!

***(After I sliced the bananas I dipped them in a bowl of watered down lemon juice to keep them from browning. 1-2 cups water 2-3 tsp lemon juice.)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Over the last couple of years several of my friends have sent me the link to this recipe. I've let one negative experience with corn tortillas turn me away for too long. I physicked myself up about making this recipe, dragged 4 kids with me to the store to grab a couple of ingredients, actually survived the trip to the store, came home and went to work on dinner! I am joining my friends in the opinion that this recipe needs to be shared. It's a keeper! Delicious and not hard to make. I doubled the recipe and took a pan to a friend as a thank you and she texted that they all loved them and agree that these should be on their menu weekly. And, for anyone counting those devil calories, good news-these are not too shabby!

http://ourbestbites.com/2009/04/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos/

Molten Lava Cake for 2

This cake is still gooey in the center and is really yummy. It is a lighter dessert than you would think too. Next time I am using milk chocolate chips to make it a little sweeter.

Molten Lava Cake for 2

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus a little more for the ramekins

1 Tbsp. flour, plus a little more for the ramekins

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips*

1 Large egg plus

1 Large egg yolk

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450F. Butter two 6-oz ramekins and dust the inside with flour.

2. Place the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high in 20-second intervals, stirring after each use, until melted and smooth.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg, egg yolk and sugar in a medium bowl until thick and lighter in color, about 1 minute. Add the melted chocolate mixture and flour and beat until fully incorporated and smooth.

4. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins. Bake until the edges are set and center still jiggles slightly, 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 15 seconds. Run a knife around the edge, and then invert each cake onto a plate. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve with fresh mint or berries, if desired. Serve immediately. (Or serve with chocolate syrup and ice cream)

Make-Ahead tip: Refrigerate the batter in the ramekins for up to 1 day. Before baking, bring to room temperature.

*Recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate chips, I used semisweet, and I plan on using milk chocolate chips next time.

Cream Puff Dessert

Cream Puff Dessert

Crust:

1 cube margarine
1 c. water
1 c. flour
4 eggs

Bring margarine and water to a rolling boil, slowly add flour while stirring. Stir until dough cleans sides of pan. Add one egg at a time, beating with a fork. Spread onto a jellyroll pan and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Push down the biggest bubbles while it's still hot.

Filling:

1 large pkg. instant vanilla pudding (or chocolate)
3 c. milk
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese; softened
1 tsp. almond flavoring (optional)

Mix together and spread on top of crust when cool.

Topping:

1 (8 oz.) container cool whip
chocolate syrup

Spread cool whip on top of pudding mixture, drizzle chocolate syrup on top.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup


4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c. fresh broccoli (or 1 bag of frozen broccoli)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 med onion; chopped
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix broth and soup in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add broccoli and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion. Saute until tender. Add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute longer. Gradually stir milk into skillet. Cook, stirring continually, until thickened. Add salt and pepper; mix well.

Stir milk mixture into broccoli mixture. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Ladle soup into a serving bowl. Top with cheddar cheese.

* To make a more hearty soup, first peel and dice 3-4 potatoes. Cook in a separate pan until soft while preparing the rest of the soup. Add when combining milk and broccoli mixtures.

** Can also add precooked and shredded chicken, or 1 can of precooked chicken.

$100 Cake

We mixed up the cake and frosting and added gummy worms to make a "dirt pile" with worms in  it for my son's birthday. Super yummy cake!

$100 Cake:


2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. cold water
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until well blended, but don't over stir. Pour in 9x13 pan and bake for 20 min at 350.

Chocolate Frosting:


1/3 c. butter
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 heaping TBSP cocoa
1/4 c. milk (up to that amount)

Mix all together, but only use enough milk to make it a nice smooth consistency.

Beef & Rice Soup

Beef & Rice Soup

Large pan of water

1 -  1 ½ lb beef stew meat

8 oz bag of snow peas

3-4 carrots (peeled and sliced)

1 medium white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup rice

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Bring water to boil, place all ingredients in pan. Simmer until meat is cooked through and carrots are tender.

Shredded Beef & Rootbeer Sandwiches

Shredded Beef & Rootbeer Sandwiches

3-4 lb extra lean boneless beef roast

1 (12 oz.) can rootbeer (do not use diet)

1 ½ cup barbecue sauce

Hamburger buns or whole wheat rolls

Place roast in greased 3.5 to 5 quart slow cooker. Mix rootbeer and BBQ sauce together in a bowl. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low heat 8-10 hours. Shred roast with 2 forks. Scoop onto toasted buns.

Poppy-Teriyaki Glazed Chicken

Poppy-Teriyaki Glazed Chicken

·         Vegetable oil for drizzling, plus 1 tablespoon

·         4 – 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         Salt and pepper

·         4 plums (optional)

·         1 2-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, chopped

·         About 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

·         1 1/2 cups chicken stock

·         1 cup plum preserves

·         2 tablespoons poppy seeds

·         4 scallions, whites and greens, thinly sliced

 

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and brown well. Remove and pour off the fat.

Halve and pit the plums and place them cut-side down in the skillet. Brown well, remove and reserve.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and sauté the ginger and garlic for a minute or two. Add the teriyaki sauce and stock and whisk in the plum preserves and poppy seeds. Simmer to thicken and combine. Once the sauce coats a spoon, add the chicken back and turn in the sauce to coat. Cover and simmer to cook through.

Serve the chicken with the plum halves and rice topped with lots of scallions alongside.

Orange Cookies

Orange Cookies

Ingredients

COOKIES

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter-flavored shortening

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons orange juice

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

FROSTING

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

3 to 4 Tablespoons orange juice

1 Tablespoon grated orange peel

2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Beat sugar, brown sugar and shortening in large bowl at medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons orange juice, vanilla and 1 teaspoon orange peel until blended.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in medium bowl. Beat into sugar mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in oats and coconut.

3. Drop 1 tablespoon dough per cookie 3 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown and set.

4. Meanwhile, combine butter, 3 tablespoons orange juice and 1 tablespoon orange peel in large bowl. Whisk in powdered sugar until of spreadable consistency, adding additional juice if needed. Spread each cookie with generous 1 teaspoon frosting. Cool completely on wire rack.

Oriental Green Beans

Oriental Green Beans

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. sugar

4-6 cloves garlic cloves, minced (medium)

1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Directions

1. In large pot of rapid boiling water, cook green beans until just tender, 4-5 minutes.

2. While beans are cooking, in small bowl combine soy sauce, oil, and sugar; set aside

3. Drain beans; set aside

4. Spray wok or 10” skillet with nonstick cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until softened, 20-30 seconds. Add green beans and almonds; cook, stirring and turning constantly, until well coated, about 2 minutes.

5. Add soy sauce mixture; continue to stir and turn until most of the liquid is absorbed, 1-2 minutes.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

21/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, plus some for frying

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients into a lumpy batter, being careful not to over mix, see Cook’s Note*.

Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet and sprinkle the top with some of the blueberries. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and maple syrup.

*Cook’s Note: Over mixed batter will result in flat, heavy pancakes.

Berry-licious Pomegranate Smoothie

Berry-licious Pomegranate Smoothie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups 1OO% Pomegranate Juice, chilled

1 cup mandarin oranges in light syrup, chilled

1 cup frozen blueberries

8 ounces low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt

1 cup ice cubes*

Directions

1. For best results, place pomegranate juice and mandarin oranges in the freezer for about 30 minutes before starting the recipe.

2. Place pomegranate juice, mandarin oranges, blueberries, frozen yogurt and ice in a blender and mix until smooth. More or less ice can be used for desired consistency.

3. Pour into tall glasses and enjoy

Tip: Plain yogurt and Cranberry Juice can be substituted for the frozen yogurt and pomegranate juice, if desired.

*Instead of ice you can put the blended mixture in your ice cream maker.

Creamy Veggie Soup

Creamy Veggie Soup

4 c. chicken or vegetable broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup water

1 – 1 ½ lbs. carrots (peeled and sliced into rounds)

1 – 8 oz. bag snow peas (chopped into thirds)

1 cup cooked shredded chicken

1 large white onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 TBSP olive oil

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Mix broth, soup, and water in a large saucepan.  Bring to boil over medium high heat. Add carrots and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are almost tender. Add snow peas and chicken just before carrots are tender.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until tender, 5-10 min.  Add flour.  Cook, stirring, 1 min longer. Gradually stir milk into skillet. Cook, stirring continually, until thickened. Add salt and pepper; mix well.

Stir milk mixture into carrot mixture. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Ladle soup into a serving bowl.

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

Prepare all ingredients in a bowl:

4 c. cooked and diced chicken

1 c. grapes

1 c. celery

1 small can pineapple tidbits (drained)

1 c. sliced almonds

½ c. sliced water chestnuts

¼ c. green onion (chopped)

Mix together dressing:

1 ½ c. mayonnaise

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP lemon juice

Fold in dressing to above ingredients.

Chill for a few hours.

Serve on a lettuce leaf, a croissant bun, or stuff a pita.

Cowboy Caviar

1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15.5 oz) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ green pepper, finely chopped
½ cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
½ tsp garlic salt
1 cup Italian salad dressing
¾ cup cilantro, chopped

Mix beans, peas, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno peppers in a large bowl. Season with garlic salt. Add dressing and cilantro; toss to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until ready to serve. Serve with chips.

Cowboy Cookies

A western twist on chocolate chip cookies

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups butter
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups chocolate chips
3 cups oats
2 cups flaked coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugars and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour mixture and stir just until combine. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans. Drop dough onto greased cookie sheet using a very large cookie scoop, place 2-3 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen large cookies.

* I made smaller cookies and probably got a couple more dozen :)
* I didn't put the pecans in mine
* I added about 1/2 cup extra flour becuase my first batch came out a bit flat

These were yummy!

Munchie Mix

I got this recipe from Aunt Kaye.  It can be kind of pricey to put together so watch for the crackers to come on sale!

1 bag of Nacho Cheese Bugles or Ranch
1 bag of Plain Bugles
1 bag of Fish crackers
1 box of Cheese crackers
2 boxes Ritz bits with cheese
3 pounds of pretzels
Nuts-almonds, pecans, whatever you want!
Stir:

2 packages Ranch dressing mix
1 bottle popcorn oil, Orville Redenbacher’s
2 T dill weed

Pour over crackers until well coated. 
(I had to make this in a few large bowls!)

Put on cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 45 minutes.

Stir every 15 minutes (I don't do this...)

This recipe will fill 4 cookie sheets!
Store in gallon size ziploc bags or tupperware. 
It will last a while!

Chicken Fajitas

1 onion
1 green bell pepper
1 tomato
1 lb chicken (2-3 chicken breasts)
1 pkg Fajita Seasoning Mix (Western Family)
Vegetable oil (canola)
Tortillas

Optional:
Salsa
Sour Cream
Guacamole

In large skillet, heat 1 T vegetable oil, sauté 1 chopped onion and 1 green bell pepper cut into thin strips, until tender. (Remove from skillet and set aside)

In another large skillet, heat 1 T vegetable (canola) oil and brown boneless, skinless chicken cut into strips.

Add Fajita Seasoning Mix and ¼ cup water to cooked chicken, blend well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sautéed vegetables to chicken mixture, to heat. Add 1 tomato cut into thin wedges.

Serve on warm tortilla.

Optional: serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

This recipe came from the Western Family Fajita Seasoning Mix

Luke's hamburger stroganoff

I could not get a clear picture and got tired of trying, so this is what you get.
But trust me, even if the picture isn't appetizing, the food is!

1 pound hamburger, browned
2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 cups corn (we all like the frozen white corn from Costco)

1 pound of pasta (penne, egg noodles, etc)

Simmer browned hamburger, cream of mushroom soup, milk and corn until warmed through.
Serve over pasta. 

Toppings:  Mrs. Dash (really yummy on this meal!), cheese, tomatoes

***Luke - please edit if I have anything wrong! :)

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c Peanut Butter
1 c sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer. Form into 1" balls, set balls on cookie sheet, then press with a fork to get the traditional look of peanut butter cookies. Bake 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool for at least 3 minutes before removing to cooling racks. Makes 15-20 cookies.

Found recipe HERE

Three cheese chicken penne pasta bake

This was delicious!!! I found it in one of my Kraft Food magazines. I did make some variations.

1 1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked (I used more and I didn't have multigrain)
1 pkg (9oz.) fresh spinach leaves (I used 6 oz.)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves (I didn't have any)

1 jar (14 1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes drained (I used 4 fresh tomatoes)

2 oz (1/4 of 8 oz. pkg) cream cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375 F. Cook pasta, adding spinach to boiling water for last 1 min. Cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer 3 min or until chicken is done. Stir in cream cheese.

Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 minutes.