Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle

Ingredients:
10 oz angel food cake, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 pints strawberries, sliced
2 pints blueberries
for cream filling:
6 Tb fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups cold water (I used milk)
1 pkg sugar free white chocolate pudding mix
12 oz fat-free frozen whipped topping

Directions:
Whisk the condensed milk and water in a bowl. Whisk in the pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; fold in the whipped topping.
Arrange half of the cake in the bottom of a 14 cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Spread half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then add more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a pretty pattern. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Sweet Potato Burritos

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Ingredients
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•1 onion, chopped
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
•2 cups water
•2.5(ish) tablespoons chili powder
•2 teaspoons ground cumin
•4 teaspoons prepared mustard
•1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
•3 tablespoons soy sauce
•4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
•12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
•8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm (it's going to seem really watery). Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce. Mix in mashed sweet potatoes.
3.Divide bean and sweet potato mixture evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4.Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:
9 cups corn or rice chex
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Into a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside. In 1 quart microwavable bow. microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon re-sealable food storage plastic bags. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Easy Sour Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients:
1 prepared graham cracker crust
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, blending well. Add vanilla and sour cream. Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes in oven until cake jiggles evenly across the top when lightly shaken. Let cool on counter, then place in regrigerator. Remove from pan when completely chilled, and serve.

Strawberry-Lime Cupcakes

My niece suggested we try this recipe. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to try it out and I am so glad I did. These were soo delicious. The lime cupcake was good by itself but when the strawberry was added, oh my--I was in heaven. I adapted the recipe a little bit because I didn't like some of the reviews for the original recipe so this is a combination of the food network recipe with a recipe off of Allrecipes. Also feel free to make lemon cupcakes by replacing all things lime with all things lemon.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream
Strawberries

Frosting:
3 Tbsp butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lime zest
1 Tbsp milk

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lime peel and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups with 1/4 of batter. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add lime juice, vanilla, lime peel and milk; beat until smooth.

To assemble: Cut and remove a strawberry (coned) shape portion of cupcake from the top of each cupcake, leaving abotu 1/2 to 1 inch of cake in the bottom. Stuff each cake with a strawberry and cover with a little piece of cake. Frost.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

Ingredients:For the cake:
1½ cups (4½ oz.) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. espresso powder
1½ cups boiling water
¾ cup sour cream
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 sticks (12 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups plus 2 tbsp. (18¼ oz.) sugar
3 large eggs
1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp. (9¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
1¼ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt

For the raspberry filling:
16 oz. frozen raspberries, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice

For the ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the raspberry frosting:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
21 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup strained raspberry puree*
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Pink gel icing color (optional)

For the chocolate glaze:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Additional fresh raspberries

*For best flavor, use fresh organic raspberries.

Directions:To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease and flour the edges of three 9-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Combine the cocoa and espresso powder in a small bowl. Add in the boiling water and whisk together until smooth. Let cool slightly. Whisk in the sour cream.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; stir together to combine. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in three additions, alternating with the cocoa-sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans about 15 minutes, then transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the raspberry filling, drain the thawed berries, reserving the juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water so that the total liquid equals 1¼ cups. Add the liquid to a medium saucepan with the sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Continue whisking so no lumps form. Once thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Fold in the drained berries with a spatula. Cover and chill until ready to use. (The filling will continue to thicken as it chills.)

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand 1-2 minutes, then whisk together until a smooth, thick ganache is formed. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated. Let the ganache sit to thicken a bit so that it is suitable for spreading and piping. (To speed thickening, place the bowl in the fridge or freezer and whisk every 10 minutes to ensure even cooling until the desired consistency is reached.) Transfer about ½ cup of the thickened ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip about ½-inch in diameter. Reserve another ½ cup of ganache in a small bowl or container. (This can be used later for decorative detailing, if desired.)

To assemble the cake, place one of the cooled cake layers on a cake board or serving platter. Spread ½ cup of the ganache in an even layer over the cake. Using the reserved ganache in the pastry bag, pipe a border around the perimeter of the cake layer. This will act as a well to help hold in the raspberry filling. Spoon some of the raspberry filling inside the ganache border in an even layer. Top with another layer of cake and repeat this process, layering with another ½ cup of ganache and additional raspberry filling. Top with the remaining cake layer.

To make the raspberry frosting, combine the sugar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. (I use my mixer bowl here to dirty one less dish.) Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.) Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the raspberry puree and vanilla until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. If desired, tint with pink icing gel to achieve your desired shade.

Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake with the raspberry buttercream, smoothing the surface as much as possible. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

To make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit 1-2 minutes. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. Blend in the corn syrup and vanilla. Pour the glaze into a pitcher or measuring cup and let cool for 10 minutes. (Do not let the glaze cool longer or it may become difficult to pour over the cake.) Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, ensuring that the top is covered and the glaze drips over the sides. Let the glaze set about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the remaining reserved ganache to a consistency for piping. (You can microwave in 5 second intervals on low power – it won’t take long to rewarm. If you overshoot and the ganache becomes too thin, simply chill again in the fridge or freezer until it is thick enough to pipe.) Transfer the ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe swirls of ganache around the edge of the top of the cake and top each swirl with a fresh raspberry. Chill the cake until ready to serve

Balsamic Chicken

I found this recipe on Melissa's bargain blog. I love all things balsamic and I love food cooked in the slow cooker because it makes dinner time so much less stressful. Everyone in my family loved this chicken. This will definitely become a regular at our house.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves – approx. 1.5 to 2 lbs.
½ C. Olive Oil
½ – 1 C. Balsamic Vinegar – depending on how tangy you like the recipe
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
2 t. crushed dry oregano

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and serve chicken and sauce over rice or angel hair pasta. The consistency and taste of the sauce is sweet and tangy like an Italian barbeque sauce.

Strawberries n Cream mini muffins

I saw this recipe in People magazine and immediately wanted to try them. They were in an article that went along with Will and Kate's Royal wedding and included English recipes. So when my niece and I decided to have a Royal wedding viewing party this is what I wanted to contribute. They were very good. I don't know if it's an issue with all mini muffins or this recipe but half the muffin stuck to the muffin cup. I'd like to try these as full size in the future.

Ingredients:1 cup strawberries diced into quarter-inch pieces
1 squeeze of lemon juice
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 tsp. powdered sugar

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper baking cups.
Put diced strawberries into a bowl, spritz lemon juice on them and stir gently to combine.
In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder.
In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, vanilla and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon. Fold in strawberries.
Divide batter evenly among the paper cups in the mini-muffin tin. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Place tin on a wire rack and leave for 5 minutes. Take out the muffins and continue cooling them in the paper cups on the wire rack. When muffins are completely cool, place the powdered sugar in a small sieve. Shake sieve lightly to dust the muffins with sugar. Serve.

Note: If making regular sized muffins it makes 12 and will have to bake for about 17 minutes

Pani Popo (Hawaiian rolls)

My niece, Lia, made these roll for our Hawaiian themed New Year's party. I don't like coconut but all the food at that party seemed to have a bit of coconut in it so I gave it all a try. Even though these rolls are covered in coconut milk, they were sweet enough that I still loved them. When a friend of mine had her own Hawaiian themed party I knew just what to bring! The best thing about them is how completely simple they are to make.

Ingredients:
Rhodes Rolls (or any dinner roll recipe)
1 can coconut milk
3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:You can just use any dinner roll recipe you want, or use the frozen rhodes rolls (but thaw them and let them rise). Once the rolls are risen to how you would usually bake them, mix 1 can coconut milk, 3 tablespoons sweeten condensed milk, and 3/4 cup sugar, and then pour this mixture over the rolls and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. (I found that my rolls only needed about 20 min to bake)

Hawaiian Haystacks

We recently had these at a church activity. Super easy to make and tasty too. It's easy to customize to everyone's taste with the different toppings you can put on top. My favorite toppings are the chow mein noodles, green onions, cheese, and pineapple. Yum.

Ingredients:1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sliced mushrooms
6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

Directions:Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and salt and stir. Add milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Serve over sticky, white rice with the following toppings:

grated cheddar cheese
chopped celery
chowmein noodles
pineapple tidbits
chopped tomatoes
coconut
toasted sliced almonds
chopped green onions
soy sauce

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
optional: chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together. If you want chocolate--I always do add the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Easy.

Sesame Green Beans

Ingredients
8 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon miso paste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions1.Place the green beans into a steamer insert and set in a pot over one inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover and steam for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer beans to a serving bowl.
2.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, miso paste, red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger. Pour over the green beans and toss to coat. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2.Combine the flour, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.
3.Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly golden. While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot crust.
4.Return to the preheated oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

Sweet Potatoes

I've been trying to figure out how to make a healthy sweet potato french fry. I have yet to figure out how to make crispy baked sweet potatoes. Even though these weren't crispy, they were delicious and I couldn't get enough of them.

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions
1.Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2.Place the sweet potato chunks into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle the brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, chili powder, and cayenne pepper overtop. Toss until the potatoes are evenly coated with the seasoning. Spread onto a baking sheet.
3.Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn the potatoes over with a spatula, and continue baking until the sweet potatoes are golden and tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Bunny Buns

My 11 yr old wanted to make these as soon as she saw them in The Friend magazine at the beginning of the month. On Easter weekend we finally got around to it. Actually she finally got around to it, she made them mostly by herself and they turned out great. I love that my kids cook.

Ingredients:
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp grated orange peel
5 1/2 cups flour, sifted
Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 tsp butter

Directions:
Sprinkle yeast in warm water and set aside. In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes. Knead dough 5-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover with a clean towel and put in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hand to rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long and roll into balls. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. PLace one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on the top of the bottom loop. Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes until nearly doubled in size.
Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

For the glaze stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.

Butter Toffee

My daughter got this recipe off of the Pioneer Woman's website. Heath and Skor bars happen to be my favorite candy bars so this was definitely a favorite of mine. Soo yummy. My picture is after they were a couple days old, they actually looked a lot more appetizing in real life. No matter how hard I tried to resist overindulging in these, I could not. Yum!

Ingredients:
16 oz butter, melted
16 oz. granulated sugar
3 oz. fluid water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
16 oz chopped topping (nuts, candy canes, sea salt)
24 oz, weight tempered dark chocolate for coating, melted *need a candy thermometer

Directions:
Combine butter, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook over moderate heat, stirring gently, until candy thermometer registers 298 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla until well combined. Pour the mixture onto a silicone baking mat or good parchment paper. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to offset spatula to spread quickly before the toffee sets. Spread thin. Allow toffee to cool completely. Blot to remove excess oil from the surface. Coat surface with half of the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with topping. When chocolate has totally set, carefully flip over and coate the other side with the rest of the chocolate. Sprinkle o topping. Allow to set, then break into bite-size pieces. Store in airtight container.

Hawaiian Chicken Bowl

I found this recipe on On my Menu (and stole her picture too :) It was a hit at my house. It was one of those rare meals that everyone loved. Surprisingly they even all tried it with the ranch and loved the ranch dressing on top. Besides tasting good, I loved that it was soo simple to make and put together.

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple

1 bottle (16 oz) barbecue sauce

4-6 cups rice, cooked

Steamed broccoli

Ranch dressing

Directions:

Place meat in 3 1/2-5 quart slow cooker. Combine pineapple and barbecue sauce and pour over meat. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Layer in bowls: rice, chicken, broccoli, and a little ranch dressing. Makes 4-6 servings.

Vegetable Potstickers

Ingredients:
1 red onion sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup white cabbage, shredded
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup chopped garlic chives or chives
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 package round dumpling skins, also called gyoza (preferably twin dragon brand) Salt to taste
Canola oil

Directions
In a wok or large saute pan, add a little oil and saute onions and ginger. Add the mushrooms and stir. Add the cabbage, carrots and chives. Season. When mixture is soft, place in colander to drain. Add the sesame oil and cilantro when mixture is cooled. Check for seasoning. Using the gyoza skins, make half moon dumplings keeping the bottom flat. In a hot non-stick pan, coat with oil and place dumplings. When bottom gets brown, add 1/4 cup of water and immediately cover. This will steam the dumplings. Carefully watch the dumplings and completely evaporate the water so that the bottom gets crispy again and sticks to the pot. Serve with dipping sauce. SPICY SOY DIPPING SAUCE:
1/3 cup thin soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup sliced scallions
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Combine all.

Strawberry Shortcake

I had these at a friends house and immediately fell in love. This is my new favorite strawberry shortcake recipe. These little shortcakes are soo good and soo easy to make. My daughter took a shortcake to school to eat as her snack without any toppings, she liked them so much.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3 TB sugar
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/8 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 qt strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
more cream for whipping (at least 1 cup to serve 6, probably more)

Directions:
Grease baking sheet with spray. Preheat oven to 450. Whisk together flour, 3 Tb sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk in cream to make soft dough (the dough is really sticky, it will clump your whisk, I just use my hands to mix). Drop dough in 6 mounds and flatten to 2 1/2 - 3 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops with sugar. Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 425. Cook 15-17 min (10 was enough for me--so be sure to check). Cool on racks 5 min to 2 hours. Crush 1/3 of the strawberries in food processor (or use potato masher) with 1/3 cup sugar. Slice remaining berries and stir into crushed berries. Let stand at room temp for at least 20 min. Berries can be made up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Whip cream into soft peaks, sweeten and add a little vanilla. Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon 1/2 the strawberry mixture on bottoms, then replace tops. Spoon remaining berries over tops and add spoonfuls of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Beef Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 leftover pot roast, chopped up into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 potatoes, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 carrots, sliced
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 packages brown gravy mix
2 cups water
1/2 tsp marjorum
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 9 inch pie crusts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Place chopped up vegetables (onion, celery, potatoes, carrots) into frying pan with oil. Cook until onion is translucent. Add 2 brown gravy mixes, 2 cups of water, and frozen peas. Cover and let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Add the chopped up pot roast. Add marjorum, thyme, salt and pepper and mix through. Let simmer until everything is heated through (won't take long). Place pie crust in pie pan. Add in the pot pie filling and top with pie crust. Follow directions for pie crust but I cooked this for 20 minutes at 425

Donut Muffins

These muffins were super delicious. They are basically cinnamon muffins made in a mini muffin pan. My daughter got the recipe off of allrecipes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup margarine, melted
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 mini-muffin cups.
Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup margarine, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full.
Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
While muffins are baking, place 1/4 cup of melted margarine in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Remove muffins from their cups, dip each muffin in the melted margarine, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.

Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can white beans
1 can pinto beans
Or any other types of beans you like
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped or shredded
bundle of parsley, chopped
bottle of balsamic dressing, any type

Rinse beans. Mix all ingredients together. Enjoy!

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

My mom used to make these cookies when I was a kid. The recipe comes from one of the Relief Society cookbooks, my favorite type of cookbook. . All my boys LOVED this cookie. Another bonus, it is super fast and super easy to make.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Karo syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

4 cups corn flake cereal

Directions:

Boil the karo syrup and sugar together until syrupy. Turn off the heat. Add the vanilla and peanut butter to the syrup and mix thoroughly. Add the cornflakes and mix. Press into an 8x8 inch pan and cool, cut into squares.

Apple Dumplings

My daughter was anxious to try these apple dumplings that she found on allrecipes. They were delicious. They didn't last the afternoon at my house.

Ingredients:
2 large Granny smith apples, peeled and cored
2 (10oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
12oz of sprite

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 inch baking dish. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Sprite over the dumplings. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Strawberry Cake

I've been wanting to find a good strawberry cake recipe. This was the top rated recipe on allrecipes. It was very good but like many of the reviews said, it was a little dense. The denseness didn't bother me but it did bother my kids. The cool whip frosting was very good.

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 (3oz) pkg strawberry flavored gelatin
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs (room temp) separated
2 3/4 sifted cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup whole milk, room temp
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries
1 cup strawberry puree to put between layers of cake

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each. Take the egg whites and whip them unitl soft peaks form. Fold them in the batter at the end. Conbine the flour and baking powder, stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Fold in the egg whites. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Alow cakes to cool in their pans for at least 10 minutes before tapping out to cool completely.

Cool Whip Frosting
Ingredients:
8 oz cool whip, thawed
1 3.5 oz vanilla pudding mix
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

In medium bowl combine pudding mix with milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth, gently fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over cake.

Meatballs

My next door neighbor is in incredible shape. I could only dream of looking like her. So when she tells me something I listen. For instance when I found out she eats the egg rolls Wal-mart sells, you better bet I went out and bought them for myself. So when I ran a half marathon recently she gave me advice on what to eat to prepare for the race. She gave me a bean salad to eat 2 days before and these meatballs to eat the afternoon before the race. She said they would both give me so much energy--and I think they did. I got the recipe from her so I can make them for myself. It may be my new ritual for long distance races.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs lean (93/7) ground beef
3-4 stalks celery chopped up fine
1 small yellow onion, chopped up fine
bundle of parsley chopped up
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 cups wheat germ

Directions:
Put the first 4 ingredients in a big bowl. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, and wheat germ and mash it all together. Place water in a big pot and bring to a boil. Make meatballs and add them to the water to boil. Boil for about 40 minutes until done. Boiling the meatballs draws all of the fat away from the meatball so they are healthier.

Potato Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
5 cups diced potatoes
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cups water
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3 cubes chicken bouillon
4 cups milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
In large pot boil potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and water. Boil about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. DO NOT DRAIN.
In a separate large pot, melt butter, flour, chicken bouillon, milk, and cheese. Stir this mixture with a whisk the whole time it is cooking to keep it from getting lumpy or burned. Cook at medium heat to thicken. Add to other pot with potatoes and vegetables. Cook 10 more minutes.