Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

I don't know how people don't like Peanut butter cookies. The only reason I can see why one shouldn't eat p.b. cookies is because they have a nut allergy.

Ingredients

3/4 C Jiff or Skippy Peanut butter
12 C butter
1 1/4 C brown sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 C flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

to make:

pre-heat oven 375 degrees

combine peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at med speed until well blended. Add egg.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. add to creamed mixture at low speed.
drop spoon full on cookie sheet 2" apart. Flatten slightly with fork

bake 375 degrees for 7-8 min or until beginning to look brown. cool 2 min on baking sheet before removal.

to make kiss blossoms:
make the same all the way down to the "flatten slightly with fork" part of the recipe. Instead of that, just pop in the oven and bake for 6 min. While baking unwrap Hersey kisses. place on center of cookie and gently push down. Cook for 1 more minute.

to make peanut butter cup cookies:
make the same all the way down to "drop spoon full on cookie sheet 2" apart. flatten slightly..." Instead of that, make round balls and place one ball in small muffin tin slots. Bake for 6 min. While baking unwrap peanut butter cups. Push p.b cup down in center of baked cookie and cook for 1 more minute. These have to completely cool before you dump them out of the tin.

Banana Nut Bread

I love Banana bread. yum! But I have a hard time making it come out without gooey middle. This one works pretty good!

Ingredients:
1/2 C butter
1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1 ripe banana
1 1/4 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp yogurt
3/4 C chopped walnuts

How to make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lour petite loaf pan cavities or use baking papers.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and banana. Add flour, yogurt and soda. Blend thoroughly but do not over mix. Fold in nuts. Divide equally into 9 pans. Bake for 20 - 25 min. Cool in pan for 10 min and remove.

TODIEFOR JELLO SALAD

I don't know what category this goes in... We eat it every Thanksgiving. Mum makes it best! Loyd thinks its dessert. The rest of us think its salad. Whatever it is, it is TO DIE FOR! Please note... mum makes it because she is the only one with the patience to do it. It takes 2 days! No shortcuts or it doesn't taste as good.

This is what you need and how to make it... all in one!

Step 1
2 3oz pkgs raspberry jello
2Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/4 C boiling water
2 pkgs frozen raspberries
mix together and set aside.

step 2
2 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp powder sugar
1/2 C melted butter
Mix together and set aside

Step 3
1 pint cool whip
1/4 C milk
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 C powder sugar

Beat cream cheese w milk until smooth. Add cool whip and pwd sugar. Cream together.
Step 4 Layer 2/3 crumbs in bottom of 9x13 dish. add 1/2 cream mixture. Pour on jello and let it set up firm.
Next day add rest of cream mixture (smoothing it over jello) sprinkle on top the remaining crumbs.

You might make 2 pans of this. 1 is never enough!

Aunt Linda's chilllleeee yum

So here is the skinny. Linda makes good chili. This recipe is an estimated amounts of ingredients because you only ever make one round of chili. You don't want leftovers if you know what i mean! However, when you want chili you want chili. And this recipe won't disappoint... But you have to decide amounts for yourself. Its not hard.

Ingredients:

1 bag pinto beans
1 large white onions
1 lb hamburger
chili spice (To desired hotness)
ketchup (to desired sweetness)
1 Tbsp honey
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1 can tomato paste

How to make;
soak pinto beans over night. They double or triple in size.
Boil soaked beans until soft. Drain
Brown hamburger
Dice White onion and add to burger
add remaining ingredients to cooked burger. warm through and add to beans.

Easy rolls

Ingredients:

2 C scalded milk
6Tbsp Butter
6 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp yeast
6-7 C Flour

How to Create:

Stir together milk, butter, sugar and salt. Let cool to luke warm in mixing bowl (10-15 min). Add eggs, yeast and flour. (close to sticky stage) Knead dough.

Let rise double about 1 hour. Punch down. Roll out. Cut in strips about 2 in wide with pizza cutter. dip ends in butter. fold in half. Place on cookie sheet. Let rise 25-30 min. Bake 375 degrees for 15 min or until golden brown.

Dr. and Mrs. Honing Cookies

Mrs. Honing was one of my favorite people to work with at the orthopedic surgery center. Her hubs, Eric (Dr. Honing), looked like a real life Eric from Little Mermaid! Mrs. Honing doesn't look like she ever eats cookies but she gave me this recipe which is from Neiman Marcus. Hope you enjoy them. You may want to 1/2 this recipe unless you want 112 cookies!

Ingredients:
2 C butter
4 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 C sugar
**5 C blended oatmeal
24 oz Chocolate chips
2 C brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 8oz Hershey Bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
3 C chopped nuts (your choice)

**measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder

How to create:
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake 10 min at 375 degrees.

Biscuits

Perhaps everyone knows how to make biscuits... However, I still need a recipe.

Ingredients:

2 C sifted Harvest Halo pancake mix
4 Tbsp shortening
3/4- 1 C milk

to make:

cut shortening into pancake mix, add milk to make soft dough. Knead lightly for a minute... add as little flour as possible while kneading... Roll out dough 1/2" to 3/4" thick and cut with biscuit cutter. Place on greased baking sheet 450 degress for 10- 12 min.

Jared and Jenette's Brownies

I am a sucker for a good home made brownie... That is why I keep adding postings of more brownie recipes!

Ingredients:

2 C sugar
2 C flour
1/2 C butter
1/2 C oil
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 C buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla

How to make:

1) sift together sugar and flour and set aside.
2) boil butter, oil and cocoa rapidly.
3) mix together above.
4) dissolve soda in buttermilk and add to above.
5) add eggs and vanilla to above and MIX WELL!

Bake in greased/floured jelly roll pan at 400 for 20-25 min

All brownies taste better with frosting!

Ingredients:

2 C powdered sugar
1/4 C butter
1-2 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp milk (may need to add more for thinner consistency)

How to make:

Mix all ingredients together.

Frost brownies while still hot... Can sprinkle nuts on top if desired!

Hip Builders

Ingredients:

2 C flour

2 1/2 C oatmeal

1 1/2 C brown sugar

1 1/2 C butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

*************************************************************************

1 C chopped pecans

1 C Mrs. Richardson's Caramel fudge or Smuckers Dulce de leche milk caramel topping

2 C choc. chips

How to Make:

Melt butter and mix with first ingredients (the ones before the ********). Set 1/3 or the mix aside and pat the rest in the bottom of a 9x13 "pam sprayed" dish. Bake @ 350 for 10 min.

While that is cooking: Chop pecans into small pieces. Melt (until runny) 1 C of fudge or caramel topping.

When the first 10 min is done baking remove it from the oven and immediately sprinkle 2 C chocolate chips on top of hot mixture. Sprinkle pecans on top of choc chips then pour the runny topping over that. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 of the mixture over the top of that. Bake 10- 15 min more. Cool and cut in to small squares because they really do build up those hips!

I am moving

I am moving to a far off place for a short time.
I can not take all my lovely recipe books with me. And so I will be uploading many many recipes so that I don't have to leave my cooking behind. After all, I am not so sure I will love all the food where I am going. And so I must know how to cook!
Perhaps I will find something foreign to me that I will share with you when I get there!

refried bean burritos

Tonight for dinner we ate bean and cheese burritos. The thought of just refried beans slapped into a tortilla shell smothered in cheese didn't completely set well with me... so I spiced up the idea with veggies and hid them in the beans so the Mr. McKay wouldn't feel obligated to remind me that he doesn't love to eat such green foods... The beans turned out amazing... I had kids and a husband eating bowls full... And so I never want to forget how I made such goodness. Here you go... I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 medium white onion

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1 small zucchini

2 small jalapenos

1/4 C chopped celantro

1- 2 C arugula

Celtic sea salt

pepper

olive oil

1 can great white northern beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

3 oz cream cheese

Begin your refried bean experience by:

chop all veggies small

in a fry pan, saute onions in 3 T olive oil until they become translucent. Add remaining ingredients and saute until soft! Pepper and salt to taste. (I have fallen in love with Celtic Sea Salt... I will never go back to regular salt... This stuff actually pulls flavor out of your food!)

Drain beans thoroughly! AS IN... NO LIQUID!!! (or you will have refried bean soup!)

In a separate pan, heat up beans with 3 oz cream cheese until cheese is melted.

in a blender pour veggie mix and puree. Pour hot beans on top and blend together. Not too long or the beans will turn into soupy mix. Though the flavor will be right, it is difficult to get the consistency right for burritos. However, if that happens, no biggy... just make cheese crisps and dip them into the bean dip!

pour refried beans back into the pan to keep warm while making burritos. I use whole wheat tortillas and sometimes put in a scoop of brown rice. YUMMY!

*Some reasonable garnishes would be celantro, Rosie's homemade salsa, a dobber of sour cream and fresh avacado. Is your mouth watering yet?

Yummiest pie crust EVER!

I've never been a lover of pie. It is simply because mum made wonderful cake... and since the pie crust always tastes like cardboard, I opted to pass over the pie and head straight for the cake. But, my service in the Young Women program pushed me to learn how to make pie one day... that was so I could teach the girls how to make them! I was determined to make a pie that was worth eating! If this was their beginning of good pies then by golly!... it better be worth the calories and also taste good to their future wee ones and manly husbands! So I made up this little recipe by joining a few cookie and pie crust recipes which landed in taste bud delight. If I do say so myself, it was the best pie crust I've ever eaten... Hope you'll enjoy every last flaky bite! This recipe is dedicated to all my lovely young women in the Lazona ward. Because I love them with all my heart I would do anything in the world for them. ANYTHING! Even learn to make pie.

Ingredients:

1/2 C Cornstarch

1 C powder sugar

2 3/4 C flour

1tsp salt

2/3 C oil

1 C butter (melted)

3Tbsp water

1tsp vanilla

To make pie dough:

mix all dry ingredients: cornstarch, powder sugar, flour, salt.

then add all wet ingredients and stir: butter, water, oil, vanilla.

Let pie crust sit for an hour. At this point if the dough isn't formed enough to roll out, then add another 1/4 C of flour.

Dough will make one closed pie and one open pie.

Split into 3 balls. Roll ball between wax paper. Bake according to pie directions.

Artichoke parmesan sourdough stuffing

Debbie gave me this recipe. 'nuf said! Honestly... don't put it in the bird! I believe this originated in Sunset magazine (Nov 2008). I made it last year for my fabulous husband's parents when they joined us for dinner. It was delish! serves 12 (makes 10 C) Time 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

1Lb mushrooms, rinsed, ends trimmed, and sliced
1 Tbsp butter
2 onions (3/4 lb. total), chopped
1 C chopped celery
2 Tbsp minced garlic (fresh)
About 2 C reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 loaf (1lb) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-in cubes
2 jars (6 oz each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves or 3/4 tsp crumbled dried rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lg egg

Steps to Prepare:

1) In a 12-in frying pan over high heat, cook mushrooms, butter, onions, celery, and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 min. Pour into a large bow. Add a bit of broth to pan and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add to bowl.

2) pour 2 C broth into bowl and add bread, artichoke hearts, and Parmesan, poultry seasoning, and rosemary; mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make a well in stuffing. Add egg and beat with a fork to blend; mix egg with stuffing.

3) Preheat oven to 325 degrees to 350 degrees. Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3 qrt (0x13 dish) casserole. For moist stuffing, cover with foil; for crusty stuffing,k do not cover. Bake until hot or lightly browned, about 50 min.

Make ahead: up to 1 day ahead, make stuffing, put in casserole, cover, and chill. Allow about 1 hour to bake.

Don't forget the potatoes...

Don't forget garlic mashed potato delights. These beauties are HEAVENLY!

WARNING:

If you make these you will be invited to re-make them next year for your food assignment also.

Aunt Sherry's yams

As young children we couldn't even wash down candied yams with sparkiling apple cider... they just never tasted right. No offense to those of you who look forward to marshmallows on your yams... Needless to say, there was always a left over pan of yams on the Thanksgiving table. Every year mum talked us into trying "just one bite". How could she ask us to eat them when she didn't even eat them herself? Then one year Aunt Sherry had the assignment for yams. Ever since then, there are just not enough. They are a family favorite, even among the wee ones... The only other recipe that even rivals is Rosie's yams and quinoa... I'll try to coax her into posting them before the big feast! Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

5-7 yams (peeled and cut to boil)

chicken bullion

brown sugar

salt

1/2- 3/4 C walnuts

1 C butter (melted)

To Make:

boil peeled and cut yams in chicken bullion water until soft (about 10-15 min)

place in a 9X13 dish

sprinkle with brown sugar (more or less for sweet taste)

lightly salt over top

sprinkle chopped walnuts over entire top of yams (again, to taste)

drizzle butter over the top and watch them yams begin to soak in such delight!

* Preheat oven 325 degrees F

Bake @ 325 degrees F for 20 min

Lettuce Wraps

I got this recipe from the Internet and changed it up a little bit! It was sooooo good.....move over PF CHANG!


To start with:


Grill 2 or 3 Chicken Breasts

(The recipe said to cook them in a pan on the stove. Chicken RARELY tastes good like this. If you grill your chicken until it is cooked but NOT overcooked it is so much better on the grill. Be careful though.....you can also get DRY chicken from overcooking it on the grill.)


After I cooked it I cut it into some big chunks and then got out my chopper. You know what a chopper is ...... right? Here you go.... Chop the chicken until it looks like chicken in a lettuce wrap! Don't chop it to much or it will turn to MUSH!

Stir Fry Sauce

1/4 c. water
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. chili oil (I got this at Fresh & Easy because it was so much cheaper there)
1/2 tsp. minced ginger

Put all ingredients in a pan except for water and cornstarch. While heating mix together water and cornstarch and then add while stirring.

In a skillet saute: 3 green onions, 2/3 cup shredded carrots (I bought them already shredded), and 1 can water chestnuts (chopped with chopper) for about 5 minutes. Then add the chopped chicken and stir fry sauce and 1/4 c. sliced almonds.

Serve on head lettuce or butter lettuce.

Dipping Sauce

1/4 c. water
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sesame seed
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 dash red pepper flakes
1 dash parsley

Prepare this exactly the same way as the Stir Fry Sauce.

Veggie and Tofu lo mein with Teriyaki

This little ditty is soooo tasty. I dare you to make it... your taste buds will par-tay and your heart will thank you. This, my friend, is brain food!Teriyaki sauce:

(to mix up and set aside for later)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon black strap molasses
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
5 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Lo Mein/ Stir Fry

1 medium white/yellow onion -sliced thin

1 red bell pepper- sliced into thin strip about 1/2" long

1 1/2 C chopped purple cabbage

4 carrots- peeled and sliced

1 zucchini- peeled and sliced into small sticks

2 celery sticks- cut small

6 mushrooms- sliced

1/2 bunch fresh spinach-washed and chopped (large)

Saute veggies in 1/4 C olive oil while Adding 1 pkg. Tofu Lo mein noodles and 3/4 of Teriyaki sauce and 2 eggs. Cook over Medium heat for 10-15 min.

Serve with brown rice. You can use the remaining sauce to pour over dish if you don't have enough.

The world's Greatest Chocolate Chip Cookies, "filled with Joy and Deliciousness"

This delicious recipe came from here. If you don't typically read {A*lovely*Lifestyle} I would very much encourage you to. You might find that the lovely ladie's life is as delicious as her cookies. These cookies should be in every home... they are to die for!Ingredients:

2 C. Butter

2 C. Sugar

2 C. Brown Sugar

4 Eggs2 TSP Vanilla

4 C. Flour (I use home ground wheat flour)

*5 C. Oatmeal(Blend in blender until powdery)

1 TSP Salt

2 TSP Baking Powder

2 TSP Baking Soda

24 oz chocolate chips (I use milk choc.)

** 1 8oz Hershey’s bar (grated)***

3 C. chopped nuts (I omit the last two)

Directions:

Cream together butter & sugars Add eggs & vanilla Mix together flour, oats, salt, baking powder & baking soda Mix all together Stir in chips & grated Hershey’s bar & nuts if you are using them.

Bake on ungreased baking sheet Place 2 inches apart Bake for 6 minutes @ 375****

Louisa's hot fuge sauce

As previously noted... If it's Louisa's it is good. Some may think hot fudge is used to drizzle as a light topping to enhance the flavor of vanilla ice cream. Well... that is because they haven't yet made this recipe. As per the request of the lovely Andrea in far away lands, I give the hot fudge recipe that will make you re think what to drizzle and if there really is a need to drizzle anything at all.... because sometimes a spoon in the hot fudge isn't a bad idea!

Enjoy your next batch... drink some for me!

How to create:

1 1/2 cubes butter (melt)

Add to melted butter:

1/2 C cocoa

2 C sugar

1 can evaporated milk

1tsp vanilla

Bring to ingredients to boil stirring constantly.

Then blend in a electric blender while HOT.

Serve HOT!

Rosie's salsa

As far as we're concerned, salsa isn't salsa unless it is fresh! And this is definitely fresh... Though Rose just began putting things together (and she does makes it best) we talked her into guessing amounts so that we could try to duplicate! Sure hope it is tasty for you... this is (BY FAR) the most requested recipe we have!

So... with Cinco De Mayo around the corner, we hope you'll celebrate in style!

Ingredients:

8- 10 Roma tomatoes (actually any tomatoes will do...)

1 bunch cilantro (depending on how much you like cilantro, a huge bunch will work as will a small bunch!)

1 large white or yellow onion

1 jalapeno

1 Anaheim pepper

1 lime

1 can crushed tomatoes (home canned tomatoes crushed in the food processor are amazing!)

garlic salt

We food process all the salsa veggies. But if you don't have a food processor, chop up small...

DO NOT PUREE them though... you want them to be a little chunky!

so... to recap...

tomatoes (food process- fp-) chunky... and dump into bowl.

onion, jalapeno, pepper and cilantro (fp) add to bowl.

squeeze juice from lime into salsa and stir together.

add the canned tomatoes and stir well...

garlic salt to taste... WE GO HEAVY but not too salty (especially with salty chips!)

It makes lots... you'll eat lots! ENJOY!