Chocolate mint cookies

¾ cup margarine or butter

1 ½ C dark brown sugar

2 eggs

2T water

2 C semi sweet chocolate chips

2 ½ C flour

½ t salt

1 ¼ t baking soda

Green mint chips (or peppermint flavored, green colored melted white chocolate)

In a saucepan melt butter, add sugar and water; stir. Add chocolate chips and remove from heat. Stir until melted and cool in a large bowl. Once cooled beat on high; add eggs one at a time. Add dry mix. Chill one hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes until they crack. While cookies are hot spoon melted mint chips onto the top of the cookies.

Swedish teacakes

1 C butter

½ C powdered sugar

2 t vanilla

2 C flour

¼ t salt

1 C finely chopped pecans

Powdered sugar for coating

Roll into 1 inch balls and Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and roll in powdered sugar, then cool completely; roll in powdered sugar again.

Snicker-peanut butter cookies

1 ¾ C flour

½ C sugar

½ t baking soda

¼ t salt

½ C butter

½ C peanut butter

¼ C honey

1 T milk

Mini Snickers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter and peanut butter. Mix milk and honey add to mixture and stir until combined. Take 1 T of dough, flatten and wrap around unwrapped mini snickers. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Banana bread

2 C flour

1 t baking soda

¼ t salt

½ C butter

¾ C brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 C mashed overripe bananas (can use some applesauce if you are short some bananas)

Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients, in a separate bowl cream together butter and sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Add dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 60-65 minutes until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

24 hour salad

½ pound red seedless grapes, halved

1 large can of crushed pineapple

½ package mini marshmallows

1 large container of cool whip

Sauce

Juice from crushed pineapple

Squirt of lemon juice

½ C sugar

3 eggs

Drain pineapple and squeeze out juice reserving for sauce. Cook sauce until thickens and coats the back of a spoon and cool. Mix cool whip into sauce poor over rest of ingredients, reserving a small amount to smooth over the top. Garnish with quartered grapes shaped into a flower. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight to 1 day and serve chilled.

Artichoke dip

1 C mayonnaise

1 C grated parmesan cheese

1 can artichoke hearts, cut into bite size pieces

3 T cream cheese

3 T sour cream

1 4 oz can of green chilies

1 loaf of baguette bread, sliced

Mix all ingredients and put in an oven safe dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and then broil for 4-5 minutes. Serve on toasted slices of baguette bread.

Chili Reano casserole

Monterey jack cheese, grated

Cheddar cheese, grated

Green chilies (whole, roasted, skinned and seeded)

5 eggs

1 ½ C milk

¼ C flour

½ t salt

Mix everything except cheese and chilies. Layer cheeses and chilies in a casserole dish and pour egg mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Potato casserole

10 med potatoes boiled and grated (or 2 small packages hash browns)

1 cube butter

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 C grated cheese

½ C grated onion

2 C sour cream

Grease a 9x13 pan. Put grated potatoes in the pan. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over potatoes. Bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees until heated through.

Chili

2 lbs ground beef

2 C chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 T chili powder

1 t salt

1 t paprika

1 t oregano

1 t ground cumin

½ t cayenne pepper

½ C beef stock

1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes (I use diced)

3 10 oz cans red kidney beans

½ t sugar (I omit when using wild game)

Brown meat, onions, and garlic and drain. Place all ingredients in the cock pot and cook 8-10 hours on low or 5 hours on high.

Broccoli cheese soup

Dissolve yeast in water, stir in vegetable oil and egg. Add 3 C hot roll mix and stir. Add enough hot roll mix to make dough stiff. Knead and place in a greased bowl and let rise 1-1 ½ hours. Grease the bottoms and outside of oven safe custard cups. Divide dough into 8 pieces and shape into balls. Roll out into 6 inch circles and cover custard cups with dough, place cups upside down on a cookie sheet so they are not touching and let rise 10 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, brush with the egg wash and bake another 5 minutes. Turn right side up and remove cups, egg wash and bake another 10 minutes.

Hot roll mix

5 lbs flour

1 ¼ C sugar

4 t salt

1 C nonfat dry milk

Mix and store in an airtight container.

Punch

4 C sugar

2 gallons water

1- 12 oz can orange juice concentrate

1 ½ T vanilla

1 ½ T almond extract

½ C lemon juice

2 T fruit fresh

7-UP to taste

Jalapeño cornbread

1 C cornmeal

1 C buttermilk

2 eggs

¾ t baking soda

1 t salt

1 chopped onion

1 can cream style corn

2-3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced

½ - 1 pound grated sharp cheddar cheese

½ C vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients except cheese. Pour ½ the mixture into a greased 9x9 pan. Cover with cheese ad pour remaining mixture on top, sprinkle with a little cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Monkey Bread

2 C water, lukewarm

½ C sugar

1 pkg yeast

2 eggs, beaten

4 T butter, melted and cooled

7 C flour

2 t salt

½ C butter melted

Mix water and sugar in a bowl, add yeast and let bloom for 5 minutes. Add eggs and sift in 3 cups of flour and beat well. Add cooled butter and stir in salt and remaining flour.

Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down. Melt butter and divide between two Bundt pans. Divide dough in half and roll out. Cut 2 inch circles and lay in pan standing up, cover and let rise until double. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Turn upside down on a plate and remove Bundt pan to serve.

Cheesecake

Crust:

1 C flour

¼ C sugar

1 t grated lemon peel

½ C butter

1 slightly beaten egg yolk

¼ t vanilla

Mix and pat 1/3of dough into the bottom of a spring form pan. Bake at 400 for 8 min. Cool. Butter sides of spring form pan and pat remainder in sides.

Filing:

5- 8oz. packages of cream cheese

1 ¾ C sugar

3 T flour

¾ t grated lemon peel

¼ t salt

¼ t vanilla

5 eggs

¼ C heavy cream

Mix and pour into pan, bake at 500 for 5 minutes then reduce heat to 200 degrees for 1 hour.

Raspberry pretzel salad

2 ½ -3 C crushed pretzels

¾ C butter, melted

3 T sugar

1 large cool whip

8oz. cream cheese

¾ C sugar

1 large raspberry Jell-O

2 C boiling water

Small package of fresh raspberries

Melt butter and mix with pretzels and 3 T sugar. Pat into a 9X13 pan bake at 350 degrees or 10 minutes and let cool. Mix cool whip, cream cheese and sugar and spread over pretzel crust and cool in fridge. Mix Jell-O with 2 C boiling water , cool slightly and pour over the top sprinkle with fresh raspberries and cool.

Pecan Tassies

Dough:

1 C butter

8 oz. cream cheese

2 C flour

¼ t salt

Blend together and chill. Roll into balls and press into tassie pan.

Filling:

2 C brown sugar

½ t salt

2 eggs

4 T karo syrup

1 t vanilla

2 t butter (melted)

10 oz. pecan halves

(Needs a Tassie pan; it’s like a mini muffin tin.) Mix together filling and put in an empty honey bear. Put pecan halves in cups and fill ¾ of the way with filling. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Brownies

¾ C cocoa

2 eggs

½ t baking soda

1 1/3 C flour

2/3 C oil

1 T vanilla

½ C boiling water

¼ t salt

2 C sugar

Hershey’s syrup up to 1/3 C

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X13 pan. Mix cocoa, baking soda, and 1/3 C oil. Add boiling water and stir until thickens. Add sugar, the rest of the oil and eggs and stir until well blended. Add flour, vanilla, and salt and stir until moistened. Pour into pan and swirl in Hershey’s syrup to taste. Using none for more cake like brownies, or 1/3 C for fudgy brownies.

Browned butter sugar cookies

3 sticks butter

2 C sugar

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

Pinch of salt

3 T milk

3 C flour

Place butter in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly, and brown until golden and nutty smelling. (It will foam and then settle and when it foams a second time its done.) Place in mixing bowl and cool until hard. Beat butter until light and then cream butter with the sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, salt and milk and stir until blended. Add flour, roll into a log and chill dough for one hour. Remove and slice to bake. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Iced pumpkin cookies

Cook bacon until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, crumble and set aside in a Crock pot. Cook the onion and garlic in the reserved drippings until onion is tender; drain excess grease and transfer to the crock pot with the bacon. To the bacon and onions add pinto beans, northern beans, baked beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans. Stir in ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper. Mix well, cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.

Peanut Butter Icing

1 C powdered sugar

1 C peanut Butter

5 T butter, room temperature

1 t vanilla

¼ t salt

1/3 c heavy cream

Cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and salt and stir until mixed. Beat in cream until light and fluffy. Great on Chocolate cupcakes!

Crêpes (translated from French)

3 eggs

2/3 C milk

2/3 C water

¼ t salt

3 T oil

1 C flour

Butter for cooking

Toppings:

Jam, jelly, nutella, whipped cream

Mix all ingredients together VERY well in a blender. Batter will be smooth and thin. Let it rest overnight or at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat a fry pan or skillet on med-high heat. Grease pan by rubbing with butter on a paper towel. Drop 3 T batter in the center of the pan and IMMEDIATELY swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, lift at the edge to see if golden brown. When cooked turn over in the pan and slip ¼ t butter underneath and cook for about 15 seconds.

Remove the crêpe from pan and rill with jam, jelly, nutella or powdered sugar with lemon juice, roll and top with whipped cream.

Makes 20 5” crêpes.

Gâteau Breton (translated from French)

2 ½ C flour

1 1/3 C sugar

4 eggs

1 ¼ C softened butter

1 t diluted orange juice

1 t vanilla

Top with:

1 egg yoke

1 t milk

½ t sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8” spring form pan. Mix flour and sugar in a bowl, add eggs, butter and vanilla in a well in the center and stir until mixed. Batter will be sticky. Put in pan. Dip a knife in cold water and smooth the top of the batter. Score with a fork and top with mixture from above. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Cake will be golden, crumbly and very dense. Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Creamy Butternut Bisque

4 T butter

2 leeks, white only coarsely chopped

1 C celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in cubes

4 c chicken stock

½ C cream or half and half

Pecans to garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and toast pecans for 5 minutes and set aside. In a large soup pot on medium heat, melt butter. Sauté celery, carrots, leeks, ginger and jalapeño for about 15 minutes. Stir in squash and stock, bring to a boil them reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Blend in batches until smooth. Return to pot; add cream and heat. Garnish with toasted pecans.

Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs. beef tenderloin or round steak

¼ C butter

1 pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms

2 cans beef broth

¼ C ketchup

1 ½ t garlic powder

1/3 C minced onion

1/3 C flour

2 C sour cream

8- 10 oz. Medium egg noodles

3 T butter

Cut meat across grain in ¾” strips. Melt butter and sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes. Remove, brown meat in same pan. Add broth reserving ¾ C. Add onion, ketchup, and garlic powder. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend remaining broth and flour, slowly stir into meat mixture and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute, add sour cream and stir to heat. Add mushrooms and serve over noodles.

Smoked Turkey Tamales

Preheat oven to broil. In a large pot put olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, add the mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Slice polenta into ¼ inch disks. Halve the mozzarella and slice into ¼ inch half moons and reserve both.

Sprinkle flour into veggies, and cook for another few minutes. Add chicken stock and cream and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove all meat from the chickens, tear or cut into bite sized pieces discarding the skin. Add meat to pot. Add tomatoes and peas and cook for 2 minutes. Add basil and parsley and season to taste.

Transfer to one large or two 9x13 inch casserole dishes. Layer polenta and mozzarella cheese on top like shingles. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and broil until cheese is melted and polenta is browned.

Note: She says this will serve 8 people; I’ve served 8-10 with half the recipe! It is BIG. Also, she’s crazy; I couldn’t make it in 30 minutes with all the chopping. But it was good and very different! It was too spicy for the kids the first time I made it, so now I use less red pepper flakes.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (given to me by Tawna Allred)

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 box of wild rice (I’ve used Uncle Ben’s and Zatarain’s-any kind is great)

1/2 cup onion

2 cans cream of potato soup

6 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped or grated carrots

1 pint of heavy cream or half-and-half

Place the chicken in the crock pot and cover with chicken broth. (You can cube the chicken and leave it, or cook the chicken breasts whole on high until they are easy to shred). Add rice (with its flavor pack), canned soup, onion, and carrot. Stir a couple of times throughout cooking so rice doesn’t stick on the bottom of the crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or 4-5 hours on high. Stir in cream right before serving! Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spring Fling Cake

2 ½ C Shredded Zucchini

5 eggs

1 ¼ C sugar

¼ C oil

1C sour cream

½ T vanilla

3 ½ C flour

½ t baking soda

½ t baking powder

Pinch of salt

Combine Zucchini, eggs, sugar, oil, sour cream and vanilla. When thoroughly mixed combine all dry ingredients and add to bowl. Mix until incorporated. Bake @ 350 degrees for 50-70 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Frosting:

1 t vanilla

¾ c cream cheese

½ C butter

2 C powdered sugar

½ C heavy whipping cream

Whip cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well. In a separate bowl whip cream until stiff fold in vanilla then fold into cream cheese mixture.

To assemble cake cut cooled cake into layers. Layer cake frosting and cut fresh fruit. Frost and top with fresh fruit.