O'Henry Bars

When we were little kids Mom would make these. They were always a hit. We hadn't had these in a long time and we made them again recently. They did not disappoint and are a new favorite with my kids.  I have put in the doubled recipe that goes in a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan). If this is too much for your occasion, just cut the recipe in half, use a 9x13 pan and bake for about 2 minutes less.

Ingredients & Directions:

Cream together:

1 1/3 cups butter
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Add:

1 cup Karo Syrup (light corn syrup)
6 tsp vanilla - I know it sounds like a lot, but it is correct.
8 cups quick oatmeal

Spread into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 16 - 18 minutes.  

Remove from oven as soon as the edges start turning golden.  
Melt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips in microwave.Add 1 cup cup peanut butter to chocolate.
Spread on top of bars.
Cut into desired sized squares while still warm. YUM.

LaRue's Cheese Ball

Need a holiday cheese ball that is easy to make and simply delicious? One your guests will devour because hard as they try, they just can't stop eating it? Okay then, here it is. This is a recipe Lisa got from her friend at a recipe exchange.

Ingredients:

2 – 8 ounce pkg cream cheese at room temperature

1/3 cup dried onion

1/4 cup green pepper chopped

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon accent

1 teaspoon tobasco sauce

1 teaspoon worcestershire

2 tablespoons pimento cheese

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a bowl with a spoon or hand mixer

Spoon onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover completely with plastic wrap and mold into a big ball with hands.

Refrigerate overnight. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Mayonnaise & Parmesan Chicken

This recipe is one I borrowed from Scott's Mom. This baked chicken is simple and delicious.  My entire family loves it. The next time you need to whip something up and throw it into the oven give this a try.

Ingredients
4-5 large chicken breasts
2 cups mayonnaise (I used light)
1 cup shredded  parmesan cheese
about 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, (I think I may use a little more)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. *Cut each chicken breast into 3 or 4 pieces. Place all chicken in bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a bowl mix together mayonnaise and parmesan cheese.  Spread mixture evenly over all of the chicken.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the mayo and cheese mixture.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.  Yum


*You do not have to cut your chicken into smaller pieces like this, I just prefer to because it is easier to serve my children and I think each little piece gets a little more sauce than when you leave them whole. 
 

Peach Pie

We have a peach tree in our backyard. This spring there was a huge windstorm that knocked off most of the tiny fruit.  We went out this weekend and picked all of the remaining peaches and I wanted to use some of them to make something different and yummy.  This is what I came up with. I adapted it from a couple of different recipes. If you have peaches to use and you like pie, give this a try, it is super easy!

Ingredients
 Your Favorite Pie Crust Recipe - you will need 2 crusts, one for the bottom of the pie and one for the top
(I used Marie Callendar's Frozen Pie Crust.) 

6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar plus 1 Tbsp for sprinkling on the top
3 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Salted Butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 Tablespoon Milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and move your baking rack down to the bottom 1/3 of the oven. This will allow the pie to bake without browning the top too quickly.

Prepare your pie pan with the crust. Don't forget to poke holes in the bottom crust with a fork before adding your filling.  In a bowl mix together sliced peaches, 1/3 cup sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and butter.  Gently stir until combined.  Pour into bottom crust.  Prepare top crust, lay over filling and seal edges.  With a sharp knife cut three or four - 2 inch slits in the top - from the center toward the outer edge to allow steam to escape. Brush the top with the milk and sprinkle the 1 Tbsp of sugar over the top.

Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and the juices are thick and bubbly. Let cool for at least an hour.  

Fudge Filled Squares

This recipe has been a family favorite since I was a child.  These cookie bars are rich, chewy and delicious! They are also pretty simple to make which is an added bonus. 

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar 
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups quick oats


2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 - 14 ounce can  sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine butter and sugar. Mix well. Add egg, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Add flour and oatmeal. Mix until combined. Press 1/2 to 2/3 of cookie mixture into bottom of 9 x 13 pan.  Set aside remaining cookie mixture for later.


Melt chocolate chips (I do this in the microwave using a microwave safe dish.  Heat for 1 minute, stir and heat for another 45 seconds to 1 minute. Be sure to stir or the chocolate can burn.)  When melted add the can of sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. Pour over cookie dough in the 9 x 13 pan. Spread out evenly.


Take remaining cookie mixture and crumble it over the top of the chocolate mixture.  The amount of dough on top depends on how much of the cookie dough was consumed by family members while making the chocolate. It doesn't matter, it is good with a little, good with a lot.


Bake at 350 for 22-26 minutes, until top in golden brown.  These are best if they are not under-baked, so make sure the top is starting to brown.  Let cool, cut, serve and enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie

My husband and my Dad both LOVE Banana Cream Pie. Lucky for me this is a delicious pie that is simple to make and one recipe makes 2 pies. I made them each one for Fathers Day.  Next time you are in the mood for pie give this one try.

Ingredients

2 frozen pie crusts, baked according to package directions (or if you are ambitious you can make your own)
1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 small pkg instant banana cream pudding
2 3/4 cups milk
2 small containers of cool whip (or you can whip your own cream)
4 bananas

Directions

Bake pie crusts and allow to cool.
In a mixer whip up the cream cheese, add milk and puddings and mix until mostly smooth. There may be some really small lumps, that's okay.
With a large spoon gently fold in one container of cool whip.
Remember this makes 2 pies, so for each pie: Pour a small amount of pudding in bottom of crust, slice a banana  into pieces and layer over pudding mixture.  Add more pudding, another layer of bananas, more pudding and then top with 1/2 of the other container of cool whip.  It is best if it can be chilled for an hour or two, but can also be eaten immediately.  Enjoy.

Vegetable Confetti

This is a very unique recipe I got from a neighbor (Kerri McBride) about 8 years ago.  It is savory and tastes so fresh with all of the vegetables. It may seem a bit strange, but we really like it and when it is around we have a hard time not eating too much.  My 10 and 12 year old daughters love it too. 

Ingredients
2 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
2 - 8 ounce pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise

2-3 stalks celery, chopped small
1/2 green pepper, diced small
5-6 green onions, chopped
2 large carrots, shredded
1/2 bunch radishes, shredded

Directions
Press crescent dough into jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) and bake according to package directions. Let cool.  Mix together cream cheese and mayonnaise. Spread over cooled crust.  Prepare vegetables as listed above and sprinkle evenly over cream cheese and mayo mixture.  Cut into squares and chill for 2-4 hours.  Enjoy!

Veggie Dip

This is my FAVORITE vegetable dip ever. The recipe is from my Mother-In-Law and it is super easy and so tasty. I like it so much better than the regular dips you can make from the packages or that you buy ready made. Next time you need a veggie tray, try this! You will love it too.
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon Bon Appetit seasoning
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
Directions
Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to use.
I have used regular and light mayo and sour cream and both work great.

Three Cheese Lasagne

I saw this recipe on Everyday Food on PBS and thought it sounded simple enough. I have never made lasagne before so I was hoping for the best. I actually changed up the recipe a little to make a 9X13 pan. Their recipe only served 4, the original is on their site. I have to say it was pretty easy and my family really liked. it. I will try it again, maybe the next time I will add a little meat.

Ingredients:

Tomato Puree (2-28 ounce cans)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 onion finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

1 large egg

2 cups cups part-skim ricotta cheese, room temperature

*1 and 1/2 box oven ready (no-boil) lasagne noodles

1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dice garlic and onion. Saute in a large skillet in the olive oil. Add tomato puree, sugar, and salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce to medium and cook about 12 minutes, just so the tomatoes thicken a bit.

In a bowl mix together ricotta cheese, egg, and salt and pepper. If you like your cheese a little less thick you can add an additional egg.


Pour enough sauce to just coat the bottom of the 9x13 pan. (about 3/4 to 1 cup)
Add a single layer of noodles. *(Remember these are the oven ready noodles, no need to boil them).Top with thin layer of cheese, add another layer of noodles, then a good amount of sauce to cover noodles. Another layer of noodles, cheese, noodles and sauce.
So basically, sauce, noodles, cheese, noodles, sauce, noodles, cheese, noodles, etc.
After your last layer of sauce top with the mozerella and parmesan cheese.

Bake in 400 degree oven 30-35 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach Asian Chicken Salad with Bowtie Pasta

Lisa made this salad a couple of years ago and brought it to an event at my house. I have wanted it ever since, so I finally got the recipe from her. You will not be sorry if you make this, it is perhaps my favorite salad ever.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz package bowtie pasta
1 large bag spinach
4 chicken breasts

almonds- 1 small package, maybe 8-12 ounces - the bags that hang on the shelf.
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Dressing:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

In a small saucepan put almonds, butter and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture begins to stick together. Set aside, let cool. When cool, the nuts can be broken apart.

Cook pasta, drain and set aside to cool.
Cook chicken, cut into bite sized pieces.
Rinse and dry spinach leaves.

Mix all dressing ingredients together, stir.

In a large bowl add spinach, pasta, chicken and almonds. When you are ready to serve, stir dressing again, pour it onto the salad and toss. Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken Wraps

This is a recipe that my sister in law Teresa made for us years ago. It is easy to make and one of my 4 year old's favorite dinners. It may sound strange, but we love it. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
32 ounces of your favorite salsa
3 cups cooked brown rice (approx)
your favorite ranch dressing
tortillas

optional:
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cook rice. In a large skillet cook chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Add salsa and heat until bubbly, simmer a few minutes. When rice and chicken are ready, warm tortilla and assemble as shown above. Rice, chicken, cheese if desired, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. The ranch and salsa flavors mix really well together. I believe the original recipe called for ranch to be stirred in, but I prefer to do it this way. It is quick and easy and a very hearty meal.

Poppyseed Chicken

I got this recipe years ago from a friend in Washington. It is simple to make and doesn't require too many ingredients. I serve it over brown rice and it is filling and delicious. I was low on poppy seeds when I made this, so yours should look different, with about 3 times the amount of poppy seeds. This is one of my family's favorite dinners.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (cooked and cut into bite sized pieces)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream (some people like it with more sauce)
1 sleeve Ritz or Town House crackers (crumbled)
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons Poppyseeds

Directions:

Cook and cut up chicken. Place into bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Mix together cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken. Melt butter, add crumbled crackers and poppy seeds. Stir to combine, then sprinkle over soup and sour cream mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly. Serve over rice.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

This is a recipe my family has had for years. It actually comes from the Hershey's website and can also be found on the back of the Reese's peanut butter chip bag. If you like chocolate and peanut butter you should give these a try. They are different and yummy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-10-oz. pkg. REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

These chicken nuggets are one of my family's favorite dinners. They don't last long around here. My daughter usually makes some fry sauce to go with them, but they are great with ketchup or just plain. Enjoy.

Ingredients:


Chicken Breast or Tenders (I usually do 3 - 4 pounds)
4 eggs (beaten)
Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Beat eggs in a bowl. In another bowl combine bread crumbs and cheese. (I used Panko style bread crumbs in this picture, they are what I had on hand, I usually just use regular. Either works fine.) Dip chicken into eggs, then place in bread crumbs and cheese mixture and coat the outside. Place on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes and then using a spatula flip the nuggets over and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes.

Sugar Rolls

I guess you could say the name says it all. This is a recipe straight from my husband's grandmother. She made rolls from scratch and then finished them off this way. We make these usually for Sunday dinner or any other special occasion. Instead of making my rolls from scratch, I usually use Rhodes frozen rolls and they work great. These will disappear right before your eyes. Enjoy! * A special thanks to Lisa for the picture she took of these at Thanksgiving.*

Directions:

Set out Rhodes Rolls on sprayed cookie sheet.
Cover with sprayed plastic wrap.
Let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in small bowl (I do this in the microwave).
In another bowl pour 1/2 to 1 cup granulated sugar.
Remove plastic wrap and gently pick up each roll, dip it upside down in the butter (about half way up the roll) and then gently dip in sugar, covering the butter with sugar.
Place back on cookie sheet, sugar side up, and let the rolls finish rising. Don't put plastic wrap back on after sugaring them.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Check the bottom of one to make sure they are finished.


HINT: For leftovers I do not recommend putting them in a plastic bag as the sugar turns sticky and wet. I put them in a paper bag or just cover them with a paper towel. They usually don't last more than the day anyway. Happy Baking!

Dinner In A Pumpkin

This dinner was brought to me by a sweet neighbor lady when Lily was born. I made it for the first time last night. We all enjoyed it and the children thought it was so cute, festive and fun for fall. It is a pretty simple recipe, but you must endure cleaning out a pumpkin (not one of my favorite things to do). My neighbor always doubles the recipe and makes an extra. My pumpkins were pretty small, so my doubled recipe actually made three. I think this would be a fun Halloween dinner.

Ingredients:

1 onion (chopped)
1 small to medium pumpkin
2 tbs olive or vegetable oil
1-2 lbs ground beef
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms (chopped very small)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts (chopped very small

Directions:

Cut off top of pumpkin and clean out seeds and pulp. If you wish, paint face of pumpkins with markers or acrylic paint. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet saute onion with oil. Remove from pan. Brown ground beef, drain and then mix onions, brown sugar, mushrooms, soup and soy sauce. Simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts. Spoon mixture into cleaned pumpkin shell, replace pumpkin top, place on baking sheet or roasting pan and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until inside of pumpkin shell is tender. To serve scoop out cooked pumpkin with the rice mixture. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is so warm, delicious and satisfying on a cold and rainy or snowy day. Plus everyone in my family will happily eat this. It is easy and one of my favorite things to make. I always make a large pot so we have leftovers. I serve this with our favorite Baking Powder Biscuits. This is a recipe from my Mom, although she often made her own noodles, something I have yet to do. I buy the "Country Pasta, homemade style egg pasta". They sell it at Costco and around here you can also buy it at Dick's Market. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 onion diced
2 tsp olive oil (optional)
3-4 chicken breasts
4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced
4-5 stalks of celery, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)
soup base ( I use "Better than Bouillon Chicken Base) I find it at Costco or Dick's Market
If you prefer you could use bouillon or chicken stock and season to taste.
Noodles


Directions:

In a large pot saute onion in a little olive oil, if you have it.
Add 4-5 quarts water and bring to boil. Add chicken and cook on medium heat. While the chicken is cooking I cut up my vegetables and parsley and add them to the pot. When the chicken is cooked remove it and cut it into desired size pieces. Return chicken to pot and add 3-4 tablespoons of the soup base. Start with less and add until you like the flavor. Simmer on low for the amount of time you have, at least until veges are tender....when you are about 30 minutes from serving, bring to boil, add noodles and cook until tender. You may have to add more water as your noodles cook and absorb some of the liquid, depending the amount of broth you like.

*The ingredients are just a guideline, I use more or less of every ingredient depending on what I have available. * Happy Cooking!

Baking Powder Biscuits

These are the biscuits my Mom has made my entire life. I only recently began making them and learned how quick, easy and delicious they are. They are one of my family's favorite homemade items. I make them when I make this homemade soup or chili or on a night when I have very limited time, I make them and serve them with canned soup. Even when the soup is not homemade, these make the meal feel special.

I usually double the recipe and get about 25 biscuits.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/3 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar


Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until just combined. On a lightly floured surface pour dough out and knead lightly. Roll out until about 1/2 inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter. (I actually use a plastic cup that is a good size.) Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. They are good the next day warmed up as well. Enjoy!

Baked Parmesan Chicken

I found this recipe in a book I came across yesterday and I made it last night for my family. The sauce on top is optional and some liked it better with and some without. It was a hit with everyone and most people had seconds. That means a lot around here. The chicken breasts I had were quite large so I cut them in half and had to use a little extra of the coating ingredients. I am always looking for a good baked chicken recipe and I will definitely make this again. It is pretty easy and really yummy. Happy cooking!

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I used a little extra)
2 teaspoons garlic salt ( I accidentally left this out and sprinkled a tiny bit on top and I don't think it needed any more than that)
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted

1 recipe Sour Cream Chicken Sauce (Optional, recipe below)


Directions:

Combine cracker crumbs, cheese and garlic salt. Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt to coat and then in crumb mixture. Arrange in greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Top with Sour Cream Chicken Sauce, if desired.

SOUR CREAM CHICKEN SAUCE

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup sour cream

In a small sauce pan heat soup and sour cream together over low heat, stirring frequently. Serve over chicken.

Simple and Delicious Chicken Fajitas

We love these chicken fajitas. Not the greatest picture, but you get the idea. I actually got the recipe from my sister Leslie. There are very few ingredients required and it is a favorite with my family. Leslie does not put peppers or garlic in her recipe, so they are optional, and it is still delicious.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
bell peppers (any color, optional)

flour tortillas (we love the uncooked tortillas from Costco)

we like:
grated cheese
sour cream
diced tomatoes

Directions:

In a skillet saute chicken, onion and garlic in olive oil. Use enough olive oil to keep the items from sticking. You may have to add more as you go. When cooked through chop the chicken into small pieces. Return to pan and add peppers if you are using them. Continue to saute until peppers are desired tenderness.
Spoon onto tortillas and top with desired toppings.