Camperoons

This is a recipe from Madelyn. These are really good and super easy to make! Thanks Madelyn! 

Camperoons

From: Madelyn

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa


Mix all 3 together and boil for 3 minutes. 
Add: 
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats 


Stir and add: 
1 cup of peanut butter


Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper inside a pan and let sit to harden. 

Angel Lush with Pineapple

I haven't made this yet, but it came with an add for Dole Pineapple in my coupons this week and it looks yummy. I may have to make it next week. Have any of you tried this one yet? 

Angel Lush with Pineapple

From: Dole/Jello-O Ad

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Jello Vanilla flavored Instant pudding & pie filling
1 cup thawed cool-whip
1 pkg. (10 oz) round angel food cake, cut into 3 layers
Seasonal berries optional.


Mix pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl, gently stir in cool whip
stack cake layers on plate, spreading pudding mixture between layers and on top of cake.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Garnish with your favorite seasonal berries. Serves 10. 


Update: I made this for a party yesterday and to make it easier for guests to dip out I chunked up the angel food cake and put a layer of chunks in the bottom of a glass bowl, then a layer of the pineapple mixture, and one more layer of each, ending with the pineapple mixture. That way I just stuck a spoon in and people could dip out what they wanted. It was the first time I had made this and it was REALLY good. Definitely one I will be making again! 

Philly Cream cheese Cooking Cream

OK So this isn't really a NEW recipe, it's a variation of my Alfredo. Last night I made my normal homemade sauce with some spaghetti noodles I already had. Only I decided to try the new Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Cream.   It was sooo good! I will definitely be trying the other flavors very soon. I just mixed the container into my finished sauce while it was hot then tossed it with the pasta, I also added some sliced Italian sausage I got at Sam's that was Garlic flavor and stuffed with cheese. Yum! Oh! The Cooking Cream flavor I tried first was the savory garlic. For those of you, like myself, that do not like a lot of garlic flavor- this is a good one to use. It is very mild and doesn't have an overwhelming GARLIC taste to it, especially after mixing it with the sauce. I would definitely try these if you haven't already. Here is what I plan to try next time I make this....

Pasta Noodles
Homemade Alfredo Sauce (or canned if you like)
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Cream (Garlic flavor)
Crumbled Cooked Bacon
Cooked Fresh Spinach

Prepare all ingredients as directed. Mix all well and serve while hot. Enjoy!
Obviously the variations are endless. You can mix any meat - seafood or chicken- and any veggie you like with the pasta, sauce, and cooking cream and keep it different or to use up what you have on hand already.

Ridiculously Easy Apple Dumplings

Thanks Trina for the new recipe! It looks so good!! Can't wait to try it!! 

Ridiculously easy Apple Dumplings

From: Trina 

Ingredients
2 (8-count) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 16 wedges
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can Mountain Dew
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla extract

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Wrap each apple slice in crescent dough. Place in 9X13 pan.
Pour melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla over the top. pour mountain dew in on sides of pan. Use the entire can!
Bake at 350°F. for 35 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Scoop sauce out of sides of pan and pour over the top when finished baking. Serve warm. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

Cooking with kids- Painted toast and snails

A couple of weeks ago Mom and I attended a class for daycare called "cooking in the classroom". Usually we dread daycare classes but this one was actually fun. There were a couple of things we made that were really cute and easy for even little bitty kids to do. I think it is a great idea to cook with your kids, or let them help you cook. That is where I learned to love cooking. 


  The first thing we did was PAINTED TOAST. This came out way cuter than we thought it would.
You will need:


3 or 4 cups
white bread
food coloring
paint brushes
milk


Pour about half a cup of milk into each of your cups. Add drops of food coloring to the milk until it is the shade you want. (obviously, don't mix the colors.. think dying Easter eggs) Then using the paint brushes paint anything you want on your pieces of bread. Make sure you use separate brushes for each color. Once you bread is painted toast it in the toaster like you usually would. What is so neat is when the bread comes out of the toaster- the painted parts are brighter and stand out. It looks really neat! Then the kids can eat their artwork! :-) 




The second thing we did was SNAILS. This was also really easy. 
You will need:


bread
cream cheese, softened
cinnamon
sugar
raisins
melted butter (or spray butter works best)


Mix some cinnamon and sugar together (I don't have any measurements..) Take the crust off your slice of bread. Spread a fairly thin layer of cream cheese on the bread and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mix. roll the bread into a roll lengthwise, but leave a "tail" sticking out (just a tiny piece of the end of the bread unrolled)   Cut the rolled bread into 3 pieces. Lay the bread pieces on a cookie sheet with the unrolled edge on the bottom side. Spray the tops with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Place 2 raisins (for eyes) on the unrolled part of the bread. Place them in a toaster oven or the regular oven under the broiler long enough for the bread to toast. When they come out- you have little snails! And they are actually pretty good too. :-) 


Sorry I don't have any measurements. You can eyeball it and guess how much you will need of each thing. It isn't much for either one of these. 

Olive Oil for Bread

One of my favorite parts of going to Bella Italia is the olive oil and bread they put on the table. (Like most Italian restaurants). It's SO yummy. So I decided to make some to have with my pasta at home. I found that regular Extra Virgin Olive Oil is too strong. So here is what I use: 


Sourdough French Bread, sliced
Mild (or light) Olive Oil
Freshly Grated Parmesan (you can use bagged, but fresh is MUCH better)
A dash of freshly cracked pepper


In a small dipping bowl, start with a couple Tablespoons of the olive oil, add the pepper, and then the cheese. All of these are just tiny amounts. It is SO good. You can also add Balsamic Vinegar if you would like, but I like it without it better. 

Carrot Cake

I made this today. My first cake from scratch EVER. Because baking scares me. I have so many terrible failures that I have stuck to the basics where dessert is concerned. But I decided I was gonna bake dang it! So I started with this. It was actually REALLY easy, and it came out delicious. I knew I had succeeded when Jeff took a bite and his immediate reaction was to close his eyes and take a deep breath. (ok so a little dramatic.. but that's Jeff) Very good. I suggest you make one.. like right now. YUM. 

Carrot Cake

From: Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
Cream Cheese Frosting


1. Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with shortening, lightly flour. 


2. Beat sugar, oil, and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds or until blended. Add remaining ingredients except carrots, nuts, and cream cheese frosting; beat on low speed 1 minutes. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan.


3. bake for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack completely, about 1 hour. 


4. When completely cooled, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting and store covered in refrigerator. 


*NOTES* I didn't have as many carrots as I thought I had (I bought a bag of pre-shredded carrots) so Mom suggested I add a jar of Zach's carrot baby food. I did, and I think that actually made the cake more moist. Kinda like when you add applesauce, or pudding mix to a cake. I will do this every time now. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this today for a carrot cake I made, and it came out ridiculously good. It was my first time making a homemade icing. Yay! It is actually super easy to make. Please read the notes first!

Cream Cheese Frosting 

From: Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter or stick margarine

3 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar


1.Beat cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. 


2. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. Frosts 9x13 inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9- inch two layer cake. Store frosted cake or any remaining icing in fridge. 


*NOTES* Be sure to add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and on the lowest speed on your mixer. I had it on medium low- which is still super slow and it threw powdered sugar all over me and my counter. LOL Also- if you are using a Kitchenaid mixer use the flat beater, not the wire whip. It just bunches all the butter and cream cheese in the middle and doesn't mix. :-)

King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken

From Nelline

3-4 chicken breast halves- boiled & deboned

1 large onion

1 bell pepper

1 large bag frito corn chips (wilted with 1 cup of chicken broth from the chicken)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can crema of chicken soup

1 can rotel tomatoes

¼ lb. Grated cheddar cheese

¼ tsp. Chile powder

½ tsp. Garlic powder

½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Pepper

After wilting chips in broth, spread in 8x12 baking dish. Spread shredded chicken on top, then onion, pepper, & ½ of the cheese.

In a saucepan heat soups, tomatoes and all seasonings.

Pour over casserole and top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Can make vegetatian by replacing:

-chicken with black or pinto beans

-chicken broth with veg broth

-cream of chicken soup with cream of celery soup

That's some serious cheese. Yum. 

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

From Nelline

2 Cups Cooked Macaroni Noodles

2 Eggs

1-2 Cups Milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 Cups Sharp Grated Cheddar Cheese (more if you want it real cheesy)

½ Cup Mozzarella Greated Cheese (I use a little more)

Mix eggs, milk, salt & pepper together.

Add Cheese & Stir.

Add cooked & drained noodles & stir

Pour in baking dish

dot top with butter and more shredded cheese

Cook 30-40 minutes at 350 (until it starts to brown)

- To make less half the recipe and use a smaller dish.  

Watergate Cake

From Nelline! Thanks!! :-) 

Watergate Cake

From Neline Via Debbie G.

Cake:

1 box White Cake Mix

1 Cup Canola Oil

1 Cup Club Soda

3 Eggs

1 Box Pistachio Instant Pudding

½ Cup Chopped Pecans

Beat the first 5 ingredients together for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake 30-40 minutes or until done at 325.

(Let cake cool completely before frosting)

Frosting:

1 Cup Milk

1 Box Pistachio Instant Pudding

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

An 8 or 9 ounce cool whip

1 Cup of Sour Cream

½ Cup Chopped Pecans

Beat all ingredients except pudding for 3-4 minutes. Add pudding and stir or beat until frosting stands in peaks. Frost cake and refigerate.

Better Than Potato Salad

This is another one emailed to me by Nelline. Thank you!! ;-) 
Nelline wrote- "This is a WONDERFUL cold salad"

Better Than Potato Salad

4 cups cooked long grain rice

8 radishes, sliced

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped

2 cups thinly sliced celery

½ cup chopped onion

1 ½ cups mayo

3 T prepared mustard

¾ tsp. Salt

In a large bowl, combine rice, radishes, eggs, cucumber, celery and onion. Combine mayo, mustard and salt and mix well. Pour over rice mixture and toss. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Yield: 12-14 servings.  

Mexican Corn Casserole

Emailed to me by Nelline. Thanks Nelline for all the recipes you sent! 

Mexican Corn Casserole

4 eggs

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can cream-style corn

1 ½ cups cornmeal

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 cand (4 ounces EACH) chopped green chilies

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tsp. Baking soda

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Jalapeno pepper and sweet red pepper rings, optional

Beat eggs in large bowl, add the next 8 ingredients and mix well. Stir in 2 cups of cheese. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 1 hour. Top with remaining cheese. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with peppers if desired.