Buckeye Bars

Being from Ohio, Buckeyes are of course my absolute favorite treat. Unfortunatly making buckeyes can be a bit of work. Rolling the peanut butter mix, diping in chocolate etc etc. So intstead of going through all that work I just make Buckeye Bars. Taste just as yummy with much less work!

Buckeye Bars
1 cup margarine
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter, divided
16 oz pkg. powdered sugar
8 oz milk chocolate candy bar, broken up

Melt together margarine and one cup peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl on high setting for about 1-1/2 minutes. Mix well. Stir in powdered sugar; pat into a lightly greased 13x9 baking pan.
Melt together chocolate and remaining peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl on high setting for about 1-1/2 minutes; stir untl well blended. Pour chocolate mixture over peanut butter mixture. Chill in refrigerator until firm; cut into squares. Makes about 5 dozen.

Waikiki Meatballs

1 bag meatballs (or make your own)
1 tablespoon shortning
2 tablesppons corn starch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can (13 oz) pinapple tidbits, drain and reserve the juice
1/3 cup vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Melt shortening in large skillet; brown and cook meatballs. Remove meatballs; keep warm. Pour fat from skillet.
Mix cornstarch and sugar. Stir in reserverd pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add meatballs, pineapple tidbits and green pepper, heat through.
Serve over rice.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

I started giggling with excitment and drooling when I found this recipe. It sounds soooo good! I still giggle in anticipation every time I think about this recipe!
It is from Paula Deen and can be found here.

I'll be back to tell you if it lives up to all the excitment! :-) This sounds so good, I don't know what to make as side dishes.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Waikiki Meatballs, Broccoli, Jell-O

Tuesday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bubble Loaf, Green Salad

Wednsday: Chicken Broccoli Casserole, Crusty Bread, Green Salad

Thursday: General Tso Chicken, Pot Stickers, Broccoli

Friday: Pizza, Green Salad, Cottage Cheese, Pineapple

Saturday: Tomato Soup, Grill Cheese Sandwiches, Apple Slices

Sunday: Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

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Crusty Bread

This is another recipe from the King Arthur Flour Company. They really do have the best bread recipes.
The end result of this recipe is some really delicious rolls but it does take a bit of time and work to get there. The starter has to be made the night before and then the dough has to rise for 3 hours before being refrigerated for several more hours. So if you want to make these make sure you plan ahead.
Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=R364

Mock Thanksgiving Dinner

This meal is kind of like Thanksgiving only much more simple. Since it is not the real Thanksgiving I make lots of shortcuts.
I buy some Turkey Slices from the Deli. I just tell them to cut me some nice thick pieces. I usually get 4 slices for my family.
I use Stove-Top (or any other boxed stuffing) and I use gravy from a jar.
The only things I make for this meal are the cornbread and cinnamon apples.

Cornbread Bread Muffins(after trying about half a dozen recipes this is the one that made it into my files.)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil or melted shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups. In medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt, mix well. Stir in remaning ingrediants just unitl smooth. Spoon Batter into muffin cups.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Immediatly remove from muffin cups.

Cinnamon Apples
10 apples, cored, peeled and sliced thin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 dash salt
1 dash nutmeg

Gently mix all the ingrediants together in a baking dish.
Cover and cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.
Stir at least once every 15 minutes
Once they are soft, continue cookng for a few minutes to thicken up the cinnamon sauce.

Note: This make a lot of Cinnamon Apples but it is an easy recipe to reduce. I usually half it for my family but you could also easily only make this with 2-3 apples. Just be sure to watch the cooking time if you do reduce the recipe.
We like to eat these just as they are but they also go great with vanilla ice cream or with waffles and pancakes.

Carmel Corn

Carmel Corn is a favorite Family Home Evening treat and is pretty easy to make.

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Karo syrup
1 1-pound package brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large bowl popped corn

Combine all ingrediants in a heavy saucepan and cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches the softball stage (around 240 on candy thermometer). Pour over popped corn.

Menu Plan Monday

I just looked at my menu and realized we are having chicken three nights in a row. I could change it up a bit but I probably won't. I usaully plan a little better than that.

Monday: Hawaiin Chicken, rice, veggie

Tuesday: Cheddar Broccoli Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, green salad, rolls

Wednesday: Easy Chicken Bake, fruit salad, veggie tray

Thursday: Valentines Day!! Seasoned Steak with Wild Rice, heart shaped Biscuits, veggie, Pink Lemonade and Strawberry Cake

Friday: Taco Salad

Saturday: Chicken Sandwiches, French Fries and Applesauce

Sunday: Sliced Turkey and Stuffing with Gravy, Cornbread and Cinnamon Apples

Hope everyone has a wonderful week filled with good recipes and yummy food!

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Parmesan Ranch Chicken

1/2 cup cornflake crumbs or bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 oz dry ranch dressing mix
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
26 oz marinara sauce
cooked bow tie pasta

Combine cornflake or bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and ranch mix. Coat both sides of chicken with mix. Place in 9x13 inch pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray tops of chicken with nonstick cooking spray to keep moist. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Just prior to serving sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Heat marinara sauce and serve over cooked bow tie pasta and chicken.

Note: I like to toss some butter and parsley in with the pasta.

Martha's Casserole

This is a recipe I grew up with. When I was a kid I refused to eat it so mom would save some of the egg noodles and make me a hamburger patty to eat. Once I grew up a little and actually tried it I loved it. This casserole is one of the first things I made that did not come from a box.

8 oz wide egg noodles
1 lb ground beef
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 8oz pkg. soft cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup snipped scallions
1 tablespoon minced green pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook noodles as package directs; drain
Cook ground beef, remove from heat, drain fat and stir in tomato sauce.
Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, scallions, and green pepper.
In a 2 quart casserole dish spread half the noodles, cover with cheese mixture; then cover with rest of noodles. Pour on melted butter, then meat mixture.
Bake uncovered, 30 minutes.

Baked Ziti

This is simple and yummy and a good alternative to the same ol' same ol' spaghetti. Serve it with a salad and some form of garlic bread for a quick and easy meal.

1 box Ziti Pasta, cooked and drained
2 jars Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
3-4 cups shredded Mozzarella Chesse

Combine ziti, spaghetti sauce, ground beef and 2-3 cups cheese.
Place mixture in a 9x13 pan and top with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Uncover about 1/2 way to brown the cheese a bit.

Deleted Recipe

I had to delete the recipe for Fried Beef Stakes because I made them last night and found them to be very unappetizing to put it politely. I think I will refrain from posting recipes that I have not actually tried yet. :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Since we were sick for so much of last week I did not stick to the planned menu. We opted for more soup than was planned. So some of the meals this week are being pulled from last week.

I should have the recipes for Thursday, Friday and Sunday up later today.

Monday: Tikki Chicken, Wild Rice, Green Beans

Tuesday: Fried Beef Steaks, Potatoes, Country Gravy, Veggie and Rolls

Wednesday: Beef Enchiladas, Green Salad, Rolls

Thursday: Parmesan Ranch Chicken, Crusty Bread,Vegtable

Friday: Baked Ziti, Garlic Bubble Loaf, Green Salad

Saturday: Tomato Soup, Grill Cheese Sandwich, Apple Slices

Sunday: Martha's Casserole, Green Salad, Garlic Bread

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Beef Enchiladas

Beef Enchiladas
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
2/3 cup water
1 Tbls chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
8 corn tortillas

Heat oven to 350 F
Cook beef until brown, drain. Stir in onion, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, parsley and pepper. Cover and remove from heat.
Heat bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chilies, garlic and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Pour into ungreased 9 inch pie plate.
Dip each tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture onto each tortilla; roll tortilla around filling. Place seam side down in ungreased 11 x 7 inch glass baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.
Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly
Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onions if desired.

Tikki Chicken

Tikki Chicken is another family favorite. One of the few times I will actually use cornflakes in my cooking.

¼ cup honey
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tbs. Soy sauce
2 tsp. Grated ginger
6-8 pieces chicken tenderloins
3 cups cornflakes, crushed to crumbs
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
1/8 tsp. Salt

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking pan with foil.
2. In a large bowl, combine honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and ginger. Transfer 2 Tbs. of sauce to a small bowl. Add chicken to the large bowl of sauce, and toss to coat well. Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow bowl, coat chicken with crumbs and place in prepared baking pan. Spray chicken with vegetable cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes.
3. Add pineapple to reserved sauce in the small bowl; stir in salt. Serve with baked chicken.

I'll usually serve this with some fresh green beans and wild rice.

Superbowl Dinner

I wanted to make something fun and footballish for dinner tonight. We had bratwurst, Garlic -Herb mashed potatoes and Hot Pretzels.

I actaully used two new recipes tonight. I had a really good recipe for Hot Pretzels but they never kept well. If you did not eat them right away they became really soggy and gross. So I turned to one of my new favorite places to find recipes. The King Arthur Flour Company.

Here is the link to the Pretzels we made tonight. They turned out super yummy and were pretty easy to make.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=R259

I also tried a new potato recipe. In the past when I wanted garlic mashed potatoes I would just toss some garlic cloves in with the potatoes while they were cooking. I decided to try something a little more this time. Here is the recipe:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Garlic-Herb-Mashed-Potatoes

I added a splash of milk to get a more preferable texture but that was the only change I made.

Cookbook Junkie

I love cookbooks. I love reading them and I love trying new recipes. I had to stop buying them so I currently have 8 checked out from the library.
Expert gave me The Amish Cook for Christmas and I love it! It is a wonderful story with recipes throughout. I have not tried any of the recipes yet but plan to very soon. He also gave me Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving because I want to learn how to can and preserve food from the garden we are going to plant this spring.
I probably use this Betty Crocker cookbook the most. I also really like this one. There are two cookbooks that I really really really want to add to my collection. (Valentine's day is coming up. Maybe I'll get one).
The first is The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. This is an amazing cookbook. The recipes are fantastic but I really love it because it is a practical guide for home cooks who want to make really good quality baked goods and it teaches the how and why of great tasting home baked goods. I've learned a lot about baking from this book. The other one I really want is The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I have not been able to get this one from the library but have looked at it at the bookstore on a number of occasions and am pretty sure I would use it a lot if I owned it.
I've also started collecting vintage cookbooks but I'll write more about that later.
What are some of your favorite or most often used cookbooks? Leave a comment and let me know. (Come on! Help feed my obsession with cookbooks!)