Ranch Oyster Crackers

Ranch Oyster Crackers

12-16 oz. Plain oyster crackers
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (buttermilk recipe)
¼ tsp. Lemon pepper
½ to 1 tsp. dill weed
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¾ to 1 cup salad oil

Combine Ranch dressing mix and oil. Add dill weed, garlic powder and lemon pepper. Mix well. Pour over crackers. Stir to coat. Place in warm oven for 15 to 20 minutes. (Stir once in a while in oven).

Serve.
This works well with pretzels also.

Mom's Best Bite-size Meatballs

2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing mix for chicken
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 bottle (16 oz.) Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
1 can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

Heat oven to 400
Line 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans with foil, spray with cooking spray. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and eggs until blended. Shape into 50 (1 1/2 inch) meatballs; place on prepared pans.
Bake 16 min. or until done. Meanwhile, bring barbecue sauce and cranberry sauce to boil in large saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add meatballs to sauce; stir to evenly coat.
Prep 20 min. Total 36 min. Makes 25 servings, 2 meatballs each

For main dish we made the meatballs larger and cooked for 20 min.

Saucy Mexican Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken halves (4 small breasts)
1 jar chunky salsa
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook chicken in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 4 min. on each side or until browned on both sides. Add salsa and beans. Bring to boil; cover. Simmer on medium-high heat 5 min. or until chicken is done. Top with cheese. Remove from heat. Let stand covered 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Sausage & Cheese-stuffed Mushrooms

24 fresh mushrooms (1 lb.)
1/2 Italian dressing
1/2 cup cooked crumbled Italian sausage
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Heat broiler. Remove and discard stems from mushrooms. Brush mushroom caps with dressing; place, top sides down on rack of broiler pan. Broil 5 min. Press sausage into mushroom caps, adding about 1 t sausage to each cap. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.
Prep: 15 min. total 25 min. Makes 12 servings 2 mushrooms each

Snowball Cake

1 pkg. (2 layer size) devil's food cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese softened
1 egg
2 T. granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla flavor instant pudding
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cold milk
2 cups thawed Cool Whip whipped topping
1 cup flake coconut

Heat oven to 350. Prepare cake batter, in 2 1/2 qt., ovenproof bowl as directed on package; scrape side of bowl (to keep from sticking during baking). Beat cream cheese, egg and granulated sugar until well blended; spoon into center of batter in bowl. Bake 1 hr. 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in bowl 10- min. Loosen cake from bowl with knife; using potholders if necessary, invert onto wire rack. Remove from bowl with knife; using potholders if necessary, invert onto wire rack. Remove from bowl. Cool cake completely. Meanwhile beat dry pudding mix, powdered sugar and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in cool whip. Refrigerate until ready to use. Place cake on plate, frost with pudding mixture. Cover with coconut. Keep refrigerated.
Prep 15 min. total 2 hrs. 20 min. Makes 16 servings

Lolita MacAfee's Prize winning Pumpking Custard Crunch

olita McAfee's First-Prize-Winning Pumpkin Custard Crunch
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Today at 12:00am
Here it is! It is more of a pudding than a custard, but this is what I want to call it!

Let me know if you make it and what you think of my creation.

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1/2 c. half and half
1/4 c. corn starch
1/4 t. salt
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 t. pumpkin spice (I use Trader Joe's!) : )
2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saucepan combine cornstarch and salt. Gradually add evaporated milk and half and half. Add sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin and egg yolks. Stir in pumpkin pie spice. Stirring constantly bring to a boil over medium heat and boil one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a buttered 2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled. Enjoy!

Crumb Crunch Topping
1 cup flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. butter, softened
Mix all ingredients well with a pastry blender.

Kooky Cookies

Kooky Cookies

1 box yellow cake mix (not butter recipe)
2 eggs
½ c. oil or margarine melted
2 T. water
½ c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients and spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees until brown on bottom.

Oklahoma Slaw

Chop 1 medium head of cabbage
2-3 bunches green onions (depending on taste)
Add: 2 oz. pkg. slivered almonds
4 oz. pkg. sunflower seeds

Take 2 pkg. chicken flavored Ramen noodles. Chop dry noodles into small pieces and add to vegetables.

Dressing:
2 ramen seasoning packets
6 tablespoons sugar
1 cup oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 c. water

or

for lower fat dressing:
2 ramen seasong packets
9 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup oil
6 tablespoons vinegar
2/3 c. water

I wait until just before serving to add the ramen so it will be crunchy. I also like the lower fat dressing better.

I got this recipe from a good friend, Debbie Proctor, when my kids were young. It's a great dish for larger groups or church dinners.

Italian Cream Cake

Italian Cream Cake


1 stick oleo
½ c. oil
2 c. sugar
2 c. plain flour
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. soda
1 5. Vanilla
1 c. coconut
1 c. nuts
5 eggs


Cream oleo, oil and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks and beat well. Add flour and soda to creamed mixture, add buttermilk and vanilla, coconuts and nuts. Fold in stiffly beaten egg white. Bake in 3 layers at 300 degrees until done.

Frosting

Cream cheese frosting with nuts and coconut

8 oz. Cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar
vanilla
few drops of milk if too thick

Banana Bread

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
6 bananas, mashed
4 c. flour
2 tsp. soda (sifted in flour)
2 c. nuts
2 c. raisins
1 tbsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs 1 at a time. Then add bananas, sifted flour and soda; mix well
Add nut, raisins and vanilla. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutrs. This makes 2 loaf pans of banana bread.

Caribbean Pork Roast

1 can (8 oz. sliced pineapple, undrained
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 boneless rolled pork loin roast (about 3 pounds)
1 1/2 pounds peeled sweet potatoes (2-3 medium)
2 medium red onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice for marinade. Combine reserved juice, brown sugar, cumin, cinnamon, thyme and red pepper. Add garlic cloves, pressed

Place roast and juice mixture in resealable plastic food storage bad. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight to marinate.

Preheat oven to 35. Cut sweet potatoes into 2-inch slices; cut slices into quarters. Cut each onion in 8 wedges and pineapple rings into quaters.

Remove roast from amrinade and place in 9/13 pan. discard marinade. Place vegetables and pinapple aournd roast. Sprinkle roast, vegetables and pinapple with salt and black pepper. Cover, bake 1 hour.

Remove cover and continue baking 15-30 minutes longer or until 155 degrees for medium. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Hi, Melinda!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Strawberry Salad with Pretzel Salad

First layer:

2 Cups crushed pretzels (not too fine)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 stick margarine

Mix together and put in 9x13 pan. Bake 8 minutes at 400. Cool.

Second layer:

1- 8 oz. Package cream cheese
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons milk
1 small can crushed pineapple (not drained)
1- 8 oz. Carton Cool Whip

Mix these ingredients together & put in pan on top of pretzel layer.

Third layer:

1 large box jello (strawberry)
2 cups boiling water2-10 oz. Boxes frozen strawberries undrained

Mix together and let jell slightly before pouring on salad

Can be salad or dessert.

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 ounce red food coloring
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 12 ounces white chocolate
• 1 cup butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans.
2. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter with sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix food coloring with cocoa and add to mixture.
3. Add flour alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla and salt.
4. Mix baking soda with vinegar, and gently stir into mixture. Be careful not to over mix.
5. Divide batter into three prepared 8 inch round pans. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Allow to cool.
6. To make the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing: Melt the white chocolate and allow to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in melted white chocolate and softened butter. Beat until it is the consistency of whipped cream, then use to fill and frost the cake.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

1 Cup Butter
2 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs
6 Mashed Bananas
4 Cups Self- Rising Flour
2 Cups Nuts
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
2 Tsp. Baking Soda, sifted into flour

Cream sugar and butter. And eggs and vanilla. Add Bananas. Stir in flour and nuts. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Makes two loaves

Appetizer Meatballs

Tiffany introduced me to this recipe. Their family makes it at Christmas every year. The meatballs are in the oven right now, and they smell PHENOMINAL!!!


Appetizer Meatballs

2 Lbs. Ground Beef
1 Lb. Bulk Pork Sausage
1 Can Evaporated Milk
2 Cups Milk
2 Cups Oats
1/2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2-3 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion

Sauce:
4 Cups (one bottle) Ketchup
3 Cups Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 Chopped Onion

Combine first 10 ingredients and shape into 1 inch balls. Place in single layer in a baking pan (or two....it makes about 100 meatballs!!) Combine the sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Angel Food Cake from Scratch

Angel Food from Scratch

Is a Labor of Love

Sift 3 times—

1 cup cake flour 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 ½ cups egg whites – room temperature ¼ teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tarter

1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring 1 teaspoon almond flavoring

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed till frothy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Continue beating till holds a point. Add gradually, 1 cup granulated sugar and flavoring. Remove from beater.

Fold in very gently the flour and powdered sugar mixture. I use a rubber scraper. Pour in tube pan or angel food loaf pan. Bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Be sure all pieces used have been washed (soda is good) so no grease is around. I don’t use the pan that I use for Angel Food Cake for anything else.

The 1 ½ cups of egg whites whites is usually 1 dozen eggs. I surely hope you have a good cake. – Leona Glesler

Coffee Kuchen

Coffee Kuchen
3c. sifted all-purpose flour
3 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
1 c. sugar
1 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 T. instant coffee
½ c. butter or margarine
½ c. shortening
1 c. milk
1/8 t. baking soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a 9” tube pan (a 9x13 pan is all right). Into a large bowl, sift flour with baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugars and coffee. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, but butter and shortening into flour mixture until it resembles small peas. Set aside 1 c. for topping. Combine milk with baking soda and eggs; mix well. With wooden spoon, stir all at once into flour-fat mixture just until combined. Turn into prepared tube pan. Sprinkle evenly with reserved flour-fat mixture. Bake 55-60 min. or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool, in pan, on wire rack for 10 min. Remove from pan; serve warm.