Apple Crisp*

INGREDIENTS:

10 cups thinly sliced apples

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.    Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

3.    Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

4.    Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes.

"Dump" Bars£

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.    "Dump" all ingredients except chocolate chips together in a bowl. Mix with spoon until all ingredients are moistened.

3.    Spread in greased 9 X13 pan.

4.   Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. (Don't stir)

5.    Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and Cut.

Fat Emma Bars †

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups quick cooking oats

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.

2.      To prepare Filling: In a heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and chocolate chips. Add the evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of the white sugar. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and cool.

3.      To prepare cookie base: Cream 1 1/2 cups of the butter and the brown sugar together. Add the vanilla and the egg, and beat until light and fluffy.

4.      Add the flour, baking soda, and 1 3/4 cups of the oats and blend well.

5.      Press 2/3 of this mixture into the bottom of the greased pan. Spread the cooled filling on top of the cookie crust.

6.      Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of oats with the remainder of the cookie base, and crumble over the filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  

Seven Layer Bar ♫

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick of butter, melt in cake pan at 350 degrees

Add layers in this order:

1 cup graham crackers, crushed

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup coconut

1 cup walnuts or pecans

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Special K ♫

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup white syrup

1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter

6 cups Special K

1 cup butterscotch chips

2 cups chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

1.        In a large bowl beat add sugar and white syrup,  Microwave for 1:30.

2.        Mix in Peanut Butter and add Special K.

3.        Pat into a 9x13 pan and cool.

4.       In a medium bowl, add butterscotch, chocolate chips and milk, microwave for 1:30, Stir until smooth and pour over cooled bar, Refrigerate.

Sweet Corn Cake*

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup masa harina (corn flour)

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

1.        In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the Mexican corn flour and water and beat until well mixed.

2.        Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.

3.        In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water.

4.        Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.

Monster Cookies £

INGREDIENTS:

Mix in order in a large bowl (I use a soup kettle)

6 eggs

3 cups brown sugar

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons corn syrup

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup butter

3 cup peanut butter

9 cups oatmeal

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups M&Ms (or more...I use more!)

DIRECTIONS:

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.        Use an ice cream scoop to put on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies †

INGREDIENTS:

1/2  cup shortening

1/2  cup peanut butter

1/2  cup granulated sugar

1/2  cup packed brown sugar

1  teaspoon baking powder

1/8  teaspoon baking soda

1   egg

2  tablespoons milk

1  teaspoon vanilla

1-3/4  cup all-purpose flour

1/4  cup granulated sugar

54   milk chocolate kisses or stars

DIRECTIONS:

1.      In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of bowl. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

2.      Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree F oven 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie's center. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Makes about 54 cookies.

Bananas Foster*

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup butter

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons rum (or milk)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake †

INGREDIENTS:

24 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In small bowl, combine crushed cookies and melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of 9 inch pie pan. Place in freezer.

2.      In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth, add egg and 3 Tbsp. lemon juice; mix well.

3.      Pour half the batter into the crust.  Combine remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice with preserves in a small bowl. Spoon half the preserves over batter.

4.  Pour remaining batter top. Using a knife, swirl remaining preserves into a decorative pattern.  Bake at 300 degrees for 55 minutes. Cool.

Turtle Cheesecake*

INGREDIENTS:

24 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup caramel topping

1/2 cup chocolate fudge topping

1/2 cup pecan halves

Mom's Chocolate Frosting ♫

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup cocoa

3 cups powder sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Coffee or milk

DIRECTIONS:

1.        In a large bowl melt butter and cocoa together in the microwave for 1:30.

2.      Gradually stir in 3 cups of powder sugar, vanilla. Add coffee until thick and smooth.

Marc's Coffee Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter

4 teaspoons of instant coffee

2 tablespoons milk

Half a bag powder sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.        Soften one stick of butter - in the microwave so it is almost liquid but not quite.

2.      In a separate cup, add 4 teaspoons of instant coffee to "a little" milk probably about 2 tablespoons of milk. Stir vigorously to try to dissolve the instant coffee in the milk. It won't completely dissolve since the milk is not hot.

3.      Add the milk/coffee solution to the butter. Mix together a little. You don't have to completely dissolve the butter at this point. It won't completely meld together.

4.      Now add powdered sugar to the mixture until the texture is smooth and creamy  If you want a little more frosting, just add more milk and then more powdered sugar to keep the consistency. You can keep doing that as long as you want to increase the quantity.

Apple Spice Muffins*

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup applesauce

 DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degrees C). Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners.

2.      In a large bowl, cream together the butter or margarine and sugar. Add eggs, and beat until smooth. Blend in cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, and baking soda. Alternately add in a half cup of applesauce, one cup of flour, remaining applesauce, and remaining flour. Stir until just blended together. Pour batter into muffin cups 2/3's of the way full.

3.      Bake in preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 17 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins*

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

1 cup mashed bananas

 DIRECTIONS:

1.      Measure flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips into a large bowl. Mix thoroughly, and make a well in the center.

2.      Beat the egg in a small bowl until frothy. Mix in cooking oil, milk, and bananas. Pour mixture into the well. Stir only to moisten. Batter will be lumpy. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full.

3.      Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Chocolate Banana Bread£

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoons baking  soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1.        In a medium bowl beat butter and sugar until it is creamy. Add eggs, bananas, milk and vanilla.

2.        Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to the banana mixture and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

3.      Spoon in to 9x5x3 loaf pan. 

4.        Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F oven for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Garden Herb Loaf*

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 (.25 ounce) packages instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1 tablespoon butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1.      In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, and herbs.

2.      Heat milk, water, and 1/4 cup butter until very warm (120-130 degrees F); stir into dry ingredients. Stir in egg and enough remaining flour to make soft dough.

3.      Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.

4.      Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece to 30 inch rope. Braid ropes; pinch ends to seal. Tie knot in center of braid; wrap ends around knot, in opposite directions, and tuck under to make round loaf. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubles in size, about 20 to 40 minutes.

5.      Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 to 35 minutes or until done, covering with foil during last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Melt remaining butter; brush over loaf. Sprinkle with additional herbs, if desired. Remove from sheet; let cool on wire rack.

Monkey Bread ♫

INGREDIENTS:

Four 7.5 oz buttermilk biscuits

1 cup sugar

cinnamon to taste

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Cut up biscuits into quarters. Shake in a bag of sugar and cinnamon mix. Put into greased Bundt cake pan. Sprinkle pecans

2.      Boil butter and brown sugar - stir well - Pour over top of biscuits.

3.      Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes

Beef Potato House Casserole*

INGREDIENTS:

6 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 (8 ounce) package processed American cheese, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, then mash with milk and butter until smooth.

2.      In a large, deep skillet over medium high heat, combine ground beef, onion and green pepper. Cook until beef is evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Season with salt and pepper.

3.      In a deep casserole dish, spoon a layer of beef mixture. Spread a layer of mashed potato over the beef. Continue alternating layers until the dish is full. Top with cheese.

4.      Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Chicken Parmigianino*

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg, beaten

2 ounces dry bread crumbs

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

3/4 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.

2.      Pour egg into a small shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken into egg, then into the bread crumbs. Place coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until no longer pink and juices run clear.

3.      Pour 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce into a 7x11 inch baking dish. Place chicken over sauce, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top and return to the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Impossibly Easy Bacon Pie †

INGREDIENTS:

12 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/3 chopped onion

1.2 cup Bisquick mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1.        Heat over to 400 degrees. Grease 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in bottom of the dish.

2.      Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into dish.

3.      Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

It's Chili by George †

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice

1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.

2.      In a large pot over high heat combine the ground beef, tomato juice, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, onions, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar, oregano, ground black pepper, salt, cumin and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. (Note: If using a slow cooker, set on low, add ingredients and cook for 8 to 10 hours.)

Pizza Casserole*

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups uncooked egg noodles

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup sliced pepperoni sausage

16 ounces pizza sauce

4 tablespoons milk

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.      Cook noodles according to package directions.

3.      In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic and green bell pepper. Drain excess fat. Stir in the noodles, pepperoni, pizza sauce and milk, and mix well. Pour this mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish.

4.      Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, top with the cheese, then bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Potato Casserole*

INGREDIENTS:

1 (30 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 onion, chopped

1 cup butter

3 cups crushed corn flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2.      Pour the hash browns into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the cheese, sour cream and soup.

3.      In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion with 1 stick butter and saute for 5 minutes. Add this to the soup mixture and spread this over the potatoes in the dish.

4.      Next, arrange the crushed corn flakes over all in the dish. Melt the remaining stick of butter and pour this evenly over the corn flakes.

5.      Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 1 hour.