French Toast Casserole

My friend made this and I had it this morning...it was divine!  So fluffy and yummy, I could have had it for all three meals.  I'm thinking, you could easily make this in the crock-pot or the dutch oven while camping.  Thanks Mel for sharing the recipe...though I really wasn't going to leave your house without it ;-).


ingredients:
1 loaf french bread, cut diagonally into 1" pieces
8 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups half & half
1 cup milk (or you can take the half & half and milk, and sub it out for 2 1/2 c milk and 1 can sweetened cond milk)
cinnamon, to taste
nutmeg, to taste

topping:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup brown sugar

directions:
1.  Place cut bread in 9x13 baking dish.

2.  Mix remaining ingredients together.  Pour over bread and in between pieces.  Let sit in fridge overnight for at least a few hours.

3.  Cream together topping ingredients and spread on bread.

4.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 

*Garnish with powdered sugar (optional) and serve with syrup or macerated berries.

Read More

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are delicious!  Chewy and soft.  It's hard to not eat the whole batch.  I honestly don't know how they are the day after they are made, as they are so yummy we gobbled them right up.  Stop looking for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe--this is it!

ingredients: (you can easily 1/2 this recipe)
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups flour
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray cookie sheet(s) with non-stick spray.

2.  In mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.

3.  In large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add in dry ingredients into mixer.

4.  Add in chocolate chips.

5.  Use a medium scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.  Then remove cookies to cool further. 

Makes apx. 72 cookies (6 dozen).

Read More

Six Week Bran Muffin Mix

A friend of mine passed this recipe along. It is great to make this up, put it in the fridge, and have it to make up anytime you need it (over the next six weeks).  My kids love muffins for breakfast, or in their lunches in lieu of a sandwich (or in addition to).  These are healthy and full of good-tasting-fiber!  Thanks Shauna!

ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
6 cups bran cereal (use all plain bran, or a combination of All-Bran and Raisin Bran)
1 cup margarine or oil
2 - 3 cups sugar
5 cups flour (can use part whole wheat flour)
5 tsp. baking soda
1tsp. salt
4 eggs beaten
1 quart buttermilk*

optional:
raisins, dates, nuts

directions:
1.  Pour boiling water over cereal and let cool.  Cream together margarine/oil and sugar.  Then add cooled bran mixture and mix well.

2.  Sift together flour, soda, salt and add alternately with eggs and buttermilk.
Makes 1 gallon of mix. 

3.  Bake as need arises in muffin tins for 20-25 minutes in 350 oven.

personal note: 
I mix with a hand mixer in a LARGE bowl that also has a lid (for storage).  You can store this in your refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.  Figure out the "good until" date and write it on some masking tape and put that on the bowl.  Then you ALWAYS know, how long it is good for!  I bake the muffins in a stone muffin pan sprayed with Pam and used my Pampered Chef Large Scoop to put the perfect amount of batter in the muffins.

variations:
1.  Use only 2 cups All Bran cereal and add 4 cups Bran Flakes with the flour (or Raisin Bran).

2.  You can substitute ½ cup molasses & 8 Tbsp. sugar for the sugar.

3.  You can ½ the recipe.

 *buttermilk:  4 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar.  Then add enough whole milk for 4 cups (1 qt).  Let stand 5 minutes.

Read More

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

I found a variation of this on a fun Facebook page "Crock Pot Girls" and I tweaked it just slightly.  It's very easy and delicious.  I kept thinking "my mom would really like this" and her chicken and dumplings were my favorite. 

ingredients:
5-6 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (or 2 cans canned chicken)
2 cans cream of chicken (I used 98% fat-free)
1 can cream of celery (I used 98% fat-free)
3 1/2 c. chicken broth or stock
1/2 onion finely chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 tsp. chicken bouillon or 2 cubes
salt (several shakes)
pepper (several shakes)

2 pkgs. refrigerated Jumbo biscuits (like Grands), cut into fourths


directions:
1.  Place all the ingredients into your LARGE crock pot, except the biscuits.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4 hours. 

2.  1 hour before serving, open the crock pot and shred up the chicken.

3.  For the last hour before serving, put in the cut up biscuits, making sure they are dunked into the broth/soup.  Cook on HIGH for 1 more hour.

Read More

Fresh Peach Pie

We got us some peaches.  Actually, 40 lbs!  They are the best, most delicious peaches I've ever had.  We ate several, canned most of them, but we saved a few out for desserts.  My sister-in-law gave me a recipe and I had also found one online that people raved about.  This is a conglomeration of both recipes.  Very easy, and after this, you'll never need to look for another fresh peach pie recipe.  YUM!  Thanks Summer and the WWW for this fabulous recipe!

ingredients:
1 baked pie crust, single layered

GLAZE
2 fresh peaches, skinned, pitted and mashed/pureed
3/4 to 1 cup sugar (less sugar for peaches that are more ripe)
1/2 cup water
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 dash nutmeg
2 dashes cinnamon

4 fresh peaches, skinned, pitted and sliced into 8ths

directions:
1.  Cook the pie crust, docking well to avoid bubbles.  Let cool.

2.  In a medium saucepan, add peaches, water, butter, sugar and cornstarch.  Bring to boil and cook for apx. 5 minutes.  Stir in vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.

3.  Refrigerate glaze until cool.  It will get to a gelatinous consistency. 

4.  Spread the glaze in the bottom of the cooked pie crust.  Arrange freshly sliced peaches over the glaze.

5.  Serve with whipped cream (optional).

Read More

Sweet & Sour Sauce

This tastes great over chicken or meatballs (I use ready made meatballs when I need a quick dinner), served on rice.  I think I found this recipe in my sister-in-law's ward cookbook...if so, thanks Summer! 

ingredients:
1 c. packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. distilled white vinegar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

directions:
1.  In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, flour, water, white vinegar and soy sauce.  Mix thoroughly. 

2.  Bring to a boil and simmer until it thickens to desired consistency (about 5 minutes)

3.  Pour over meatballs and serve. 

I put the frozen meatballs in a mini-crock-pot, pour the sauce over the meatballs, and let simmer for a few hours. 

Serve with rice or noodles.  We love this with broccoli!

Read More

Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole

We actually just had this for dinner, and it was delicious.  VERY easy to make, and SUPER yummy.  For dinner, or breakfast...this was a hit with the family.  The kids even asked for seconds (a sure sign of acceptance)!

ingredients:
4-5 cups tater tots
1 lb. sausage (I used turkey sausage)
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese (your favorite: Swiss, cheddar, jack mix)
salt
pepper

directions:
1.  Cook tater tots according to package directions.  Set aside.

2.  Chunk up sausage and brown/cook through.  Drain off fat.

3.  Mix together eggs with milk. 

3.  Spray a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick spray.  Evenly spread the sausage on the bottom of the baking dish.  Sprinkle cheese over sausage.  Pour the egg mixture gently and evenly over the sausage and cheese.

4.  Salt and pepper lightly. Place tater tots over the top. 

5.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Read More