Garlic Fridge Pickles

 

Ingredients:
2 whole cucumbers
2 cloves garlic
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp dill, dried
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch corriander
6 whole peppercorns

Directions:
Use cucumbers with no wax residue on the peels. Slice cucumbers in 1/4-1/8 inch slices. Cut garlic cloves in quarters, then smash them a bit. Put cucumbers and garlic in a bowl. Heat vinegar, water, sugar, salt, dill, red pepper flakes, corriander, and peppercorns in a small sauce pan until sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and garlic. Cover and let marinate in refrigerator. Serve cold.

Egg Rolls

 It's very important that you choose the right egg roll wrappers. Apparently the type of wrappers in regular grocery stores are thicker than the ones you can get at Asian grocery stores. So the thinner the better.

Ingredients:
5 potatoes diced
1+ cups finely chopped cabbage
4-5 carrots diced
4 stalks celery finely chopped
5 green onions sliced
2 1/2 cups bean sprouts
dash of pepper
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp canola oil + more for frying the egg rolls
Thin egg roll wrappers
Optional: cooked ground beef


Directions:
Heat 2-3 Tbsp of oil in large frying pan. Add the potatoes, cabbage, carrots, celery, green onion, and bean sprouts. Add a couple tablespoons of soy sauce and a few dashes of pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. It doesn't need to be cooked completely because it will cook more when you fry and bake the rolled egg rolls. Take the filling and prepare to wrap the egg rolls. Have a small amount of water handy. Place an egg roll wrapper in front of you so it looks like a diamond in front of you--with a point toward you. Put about 1/4 cup of the filling on the egg roll wrapper on the end closest to you. Then dip your finger in the water and put a drop of water on the tip of the wrapper closest to you. Take that end and wrap it over the filling and the water will make the wrapper stick to itself.
Take the right point of the wrapper and fold it to the left so that no filling is coming through and do the same with the other side. Now roll it as tightly as you can. When you come to the end get another drop of water to seal the wrapper shut. Once they are all rolled up it is time to fry them.

Heat about a half in layer of oil in a frying pan. It needs to be hot enough that it will fry the egg rolls quickly. This step is just to get them crispy not to cook them completely. Just put the egg rolls in for a couple minutes on each side. Place them on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Once that is done you can put some aside to freeze and eat later. When you want to eat them you take them and do the next step which is to bake them in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Flip them over halfway through baking. These were so good. My sister in law also adds ground beef to hers which is very good too.

Monster Cookies

I think my mom found this recipe in the newspaper years ago. These cookies are so good, they immediately became a family favorite. The recipe makes a huge batch of cookies. If you aren't making cookies for a crowd this recipe should be cut in half.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter flavored shortening
2 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups crunchy peanut butter
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
4 tsp baking soda
9 cups quick oats
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine shortening and sugars; beat until blended. Add eggs, peanut butter, corn syrup, baking soda, vanilla. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Fill ice cream scoop that holds 1/4 cup dough or use 1/4 cup measure. Drop 3 inches apart on un-greased baking sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes or until barely browned. Cool 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. Note: this recipe contains no flour.

Hot German Potato Salad

Ingredients:
9 potatoes peeled
6 slices bacon
3/4 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar

Directions:
Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes that have been sliced thin and cook until tender but still firm, abt 30 min. Drain.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillett. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside, reserving drippings.
Saute onions in bacon drippings until they are golden brown. In small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, celery seed, and pepper. Add to the sauteed onions and cook and stir until bubbly, then remove from heat. Stir in water and vinegar, then return to the stove and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Carefully stir bacon and sliced potatoes into the vinegar/water mixture, stirring gently until potatoes are heated through.

Quick and Easy Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1 can roast beef
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
~1/2 cup Yoshida's marinade and cooking sauce (Costco)
Veggies of your choice--red pepper, green pepper, onions, carrots, etc
Raman Noodles (without spice packet)

Directions:
Heat saucepan of water for Raman noodles. Chop of vegetables of choice and saute with sesame oil. Add in drained can of roast beef (I'm sure chicken would be good too---it's also good without meat). Pour in 1/2 cup of Yoshida's cooking sauce. Cook the raman noodles for 3 minutes in pan of water. Add noodles to stir fry mixture. Add more Yoshida's sauce to taste.

Breadsticks

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 c. all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
2 T. unsalted butter, softened
2 T. sugar
1 T. fine salt

For the Topping:
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of oregano

Directions:1. Make the dough: Place 1/4 c. warm water in the bowl of a mixer, sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt, and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 T. warm water; mix with the paddle attachment until slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes
2. Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very soft and smooth, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2 foot long log; cut into 16 1 1/2 inch long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7 inch breadstick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400 F. Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 tsp salt with garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with flavored salt.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 pkg frozen chopped broccoli

42 oz chicken broth (I just used water to make it vegetarian friendly)

6 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 1/2 lbs Velveeta, cubed

1 pinch ground white pepper

Directions:

In a large pot over medium heat, simmer the broccoli in the broth for 15 minutes. In a separate skillet over medium heat, melt the butter or margarine, add the onions and saute for 5 minutes, or to desired tenderness. Add the flour to the onions and stir well, forming a pasty substance. Gradually add the milk and stir until thick. Add this mixture to the broccoli mixture in the pot and stir well. Then add the cheese, stirring until melted. Finally add the pepper. Be careful not to let the soup boil, or the cheese will break down.

Brownie Pillow Cookies

Ingredients:
1 package brownie mix

1 cup butter, room temp
1 1 /2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 oz bag mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Make brownies according to package and let cool. Cut about ten 1 inch squares. Enjoy the remaining brownies.
For the chocolate chip cookie dough, beat butter with mixer until creamy. Add brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a medium bowl and stir together with a wire whisk. Add flour to butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in mini chips. Let dough chill covered in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Use a measuring cup to scoop batter by the 1/2 cup. Since it's chilled, you may need to pack it with a spoon. Then use the spoon to remove the dough from the cup and place it on parchment paper. Work quickly so the dough remains chilled or either prepare one cookie at a time so the rest of the dough remains cold. After the dough is on the parchment paper, make an indention and place a 1 inch square brownie in the center. Press the brownie down gently and work the remaining dough around the brownie. You can use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. If your dough gets too soft, you can chill the rolled dough balls for a few minutes right before baking. Prepare six cookies at a time using a large baking sheet (15x20) and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Return the remaining dough to the fridge until time to bake the second batch. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 10 cookies.

Oreo Fudge Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8oz) cool whip topping thawed, divided
1 pkg (3.9oz) chocolate pudding
8 Oreo cookies, chopped ---I like to chop up additional cookies to cover the outside
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

Directions:
Pour fudge topping into med. bowl. Whisk in 1 cup cool whip. Add dry pudding mix, stir 2 min. Stir in chopped cookies.
Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches, side by side on 24 inch long piece of foil; top with half the cool whip mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sandwiches. Frost top and sides with remaining cool whip. Cover with additional chopped up oreos. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet. Freeze 4 hours or until firm.

Layered Summer Fruits with Creamy Lime Dressing

Ingredients:
3 cups cut up cantaloupe
1 quart strawberries, quartered
2 ripe medium mangoes, seed removed, peeled and cut up
2 cups blueberries
2 cups cut up honeydew melon


Dressing:
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream whipped (I used cool whip when the whipping cream I had was unusable)



Directions:
For dressing: beat cream cheese, limeade concentrate and powdered sugar with electric mixer on med-high speed about 3 minutes until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Set aside.

In trifle bowl layer cantaloupe and strawberries. Spread half the cream cheese mixture over the strawberries. Layer mangoes, blueberries and honeydew over cream cheese mixture. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture on top. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

Zucchini Patties

Ingredients:
2 cups grated zucchini
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt to taste
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:
In medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir well enough to distribute ingredients evenly. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Drop zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.

Marinated cucumbers

Ingredients:
4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
2 Tbsp chopped dill
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper

Directions:
Combine sliced cucumbers with all other ingredients; cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving.

Fudge Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, stir dry cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla, using spoon until dough forms. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.