Peach Dessert

Crust

2 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers

6 T. powdered sugar

1/2 c. melted butter

Press into bottom of 9x13 pan

Cream Layer

1/2 cup powdered sugar

8 oz. cool whip

8 oz. cream cheese

Beat until combined, spread over crust.

Peach Layer

2 small packages of Peach Jello

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

2 T. cornstarch (mixed with small amount of water, so it will blend into jello mixture without getting lumpy)

4 cups peaches

Mix jello, sugar and water. Bring to boil and add cornstarch. Let cool to soft gel and add peaches.

Pour on top of cream layer. Place in fridge until set. Can top with additional graham cracker crumbs.

Poppy Seed Dressing

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/4-1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

1 T. poppy seeds

I love this dressing over spinach with cranberries, strawberries and/or mandarin oranges.

Ramen Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce

4 green onions

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sesame seeds

3 oz. sliced almonds

2 packs ramen, broken (discard seasoning packs)

2 T. sugar

Melt butter in small skillet, add sugar, seeds, almonds and noodles.

Cook and stir until brown, about 5 min.

Pour on platter to cool completely before adding to salad.

Dressing:

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 T. soy sauce

Tear lettuce, add onions and noodle mixture.

Add dressing just before serving.

Spinach Salad

1 bag spinach

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 head lettuce, chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup swiss cheese, grated

1 red onion, sliced

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

candied almonds (optional)

candied almonds: 4 oz. slivered almonds + 6 T. sugar

heat sugar on low/med, until sugar melts, stirring constantly

add almonds and pour on plate to cool.

*I have never successfully made candied almonds and have never put them in this salad. :)

Dressing:

1 T. poppy seeds

1/3 cup vinegar

3/4 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar

3 T. diced onion

3/4 tsp. salt

2 T. mustard

whisk all ingredients together.

Feta Salami Salad

Salad, any combination of the following:

Spinach

Lettuce

Green Onions

Tomato

Cucumber

Feta cheese, crumbled

Salami

Mushrooms

Dressing:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/8-1/4 cup sugar

2 T. vinegar

1 tsp. Nature's Seasoning by Morton's

1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard (regular mustard works fine)

1 T. Mayo

pinch of pepper

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

3 stalks broccoli

1 head cauliflower

1 cup cashews (optional)

1 cup craisins

10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:

2 cup mayo

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

pour over salad just before serving.

Key Lime Pie

We just had our annual St. Patrick's Day party and this was my food assignment. It is super easy and really good!

1 graham craker crust

1 small lime jello

2 containers Key Lime Pie yogurt

1 8 oz. cool whip

1/4 cup boiling water

dissolve jello in water, stir in yogurt, fold in cool whip.

spoon into crust, refrigerate overnight.

I made two pies and used 3 yogurts and 1 cool whip, it made the perfect amount. I also used low fat yogurt and cool whip.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
cream together
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. soda
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 - 6 cups flour (may need to add more depending on how moist you like your dough)
roll out to 1/2 inch think
bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes (depending on how golden brown you like them)

Cream Cheese Frosting (from Oreo Cookies)
4 oz. soft cream cheese
1/2 cube soft butter
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Easy Cheesecake

8 oz. softened cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
beat until fluffy
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cool whip (I only used 2/3 of the bowl)
3/4 cup sour cream
beat until combined
spoon into graham cracker crust
refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight
YUMMY!!

Poppy Seed Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 large vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
5 eggs
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 cup water

1/4 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon
mix sugar and cinnamon and dust well greased bundt pan.
Heat oven to 350.
Combine all other ingredients and beat for 5 minutes.
Pour into bundt pan and bake for 35 minutes.
Let cool slightly, place plate or platter over top of bundt pan and invert to remove cake.

Cream Cheese Braid

Make bread recipe (2 loaves).

Once complete, divide into two equal loaves. You can make 2 cream cheese braids, or 1 braid and 1 something else!

Cream Cheese Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Frosting: (also cinnamon roll frosting)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 T water

I only use half of this recipe for one braid.

Spray cookie sheet with pam and roll out one loaf onto it. Using spatula cut every 1 inch along both sides of dough. Spread cream cheese filling down the middle of the dough. It should look like this.You may also add a couple tablespoons of jam on top of the cream cheese mixture. I have also added cinnamon to the cream cheese filling, then it tasted like a cinnamon roll.

Begin at one end and fold a little bit of dough over cream cheese, begin braiding dough.

Finish by tucking last pieces under the braid. Spray top with pam and cover with dish towel. Let raise for 25 minutes. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Check bottom to see if browned. Remove immediately to cooling rack, unless using stone. Cool slightly, then frost and devour!

Bread Recipe

* recipe by Jeannie Dayton http://www.pantrysecrets.net/ *

No one was more surprised than myself that I could make bread and actually enjoy doing it!

2 loaves

5 1/4 cups bread flour (Lehi Roller Mills Turkey Flour)

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 rounded T Saf-Instant yeast

1 1/2 T liquid lecithin (3 nickel size drops)

2 cups HOT tap water

4 loaves

10 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 T salt

3 rounded T Saf-Instant yeast

3 T liquid lecithin (3 quarter size drops)

4 cups HOT tap water

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water. If dough is too moist, add more flour. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add water or flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Spray counter and pans with cooking spray. Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel. Let rise for 25 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Bake times will vary with other items.

For whole wheat bread, use the same recipe but add 1 cup of applesauce as part of the hot tap water. Add an extra T of lecithin. Mix for 10 minutes.

TIPS:

-do not use all-purpose flour

-Lehi Roller Mills Turkey Flour is best

-you can use other sweeteners like honey or brown sugar

-do not measure lecithin, approximate amount is ok (it is super sticky)

-store your yeast in the freezer

-a 2 1/2 qt. pitcher is equal to 10 1/2 cups

-if mixing by hand, knead for 10 minutes

-put baked bread on a cooling rack ASAP (unless using a stone)

Use your loaves to make bread or:

Pizza crust

dinner rolls-16 per loaf

breadsticks

scones

cream cheese braid

orange rolls

cinnamon rolls

and more!

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

1 medium onion chopped
2 T. butter or marg.
4-6 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken (4-6 breasts)
1 1/2 cups picante sauce or enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheese
6-8 flour tortillas

Cook onion in butter on medium for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup picante sauce and cream cheese. Stir until combined. Remove from heat and add chicken. Spoon into tortillas and top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Enchilada Sauce

1 1/2 T. Butter
1 1/2 T. Flour
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans water
1 T. chili powder
1/3 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
Melt butter in sauce pan on low heat, add flour and mix until lump free. Add tomato sauce, water, and seasonings. Cook until thick.

Use with any meat for yummy enchiladas!

Long Grain Cream of Chicken Soup

6 cups water
1 package Long Grain Wild Rice Rice-A-Roni
1 envelope Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup
Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.

Add:
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
1/3 cup chopped onion
Simmer 10 minutes, or until veggies are tender. (If you like your veggies soft, I would recommend pre-cooking them or cooking the soup longer.)

Then add:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups diced COOKED chicken
1/2 can chicken broth or water and chicken bullion (8oz.)
Simmer 10 more minutes.

BBQ sauce for Beef or Pork

This recipe is from my Grandma Billie. She makes this every year for our giant Lehi Round-Up celebration.

2 1/2 cups water
5 cups ketchup
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup worchestershire sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 tsp. mustard
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced ( I use 1 tsp. of garlic powder)
2 T. chili powder
1 T. paprika

This is just the sauce that you put on the meat. It makes 2 quarts of sauce. When I make it I divide it up into 2 cup servings and freeze the extras. One of those servings is the perfect amount for a small roast or the leftovers from a sunday roast. If you make the full recipe you will use four 5 lb. roasts. Grandma uses beef and pork together, browned and cooked on low until meat falls apart.

Pumpkin Faces

This is a Halloween tradition in Josh's family, so it falls on me to make them. Mine never look like pumpkins, so I call them scary faces.

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 T. minced onion

1/4 c. mustard

4 oz shredded mozzarella

2 cans refrigerated biscuits

Brown ground beef, drain. Stir in onion, mustard and cheese. Cook over medium until cheese melts. Roll out biscuit into 3 inch circle. Spoon meat filling into 10 biscuits. Cut faces in remaining biscuits and place over meat, press edges together. Make stems out of left over dough.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

I always double this recipe, and when we eat them we dip them in more mustard.

Here is a cute picture of Owen helping me make them when he was little.

Halloween Eyeballs

Halloween Eyeball Recipe

I used M&M's instead of chocolate covered peanuts.

They look so cute but I haven't even eaten one yet. It makes me nauseous just looking at that much sugar.

Easy Pumpkin Cake

Sorry no picture, I forgot to take one before I ate it all. I made this dessert for the vice presidential debate. At least something was good that night.

1 box yellow cake mix, set aside 1 cup
1 cube soft margarine
1 egg
combine and press into bottom of 9x13 pan

mix:
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can pumpkin (around 14 oz. I think)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
pour over cake

crumble topping:
combine 1 cup cake mix (that you set aside) with
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecan (you can use less or leave them out)
1/4- 1/2 cube soft marg (I used 1/4 last time and I liked it better)
sprinkle over top

Bake at 350' for 50 minutes, cool 20 minutes so you don't burn your tongue off. It is really good topped with French Vanilla Cool Whip.

Banana Bread

This recipe came from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 medium bananas)
1/3 cup shortening, margarine, or butter (I've used marg and butter)
2 T. milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped nuts (no thanks!)

In large mixer bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add mashed banana; shortening, marg, or butter; and milk. Beat with an electric mixer on low till blended, then on high for 2 minutes. Add eggs and remaining flour; beat till blended. Stir in nuts.
Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350' for 55-60 minutes or till a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing (WHATEVER).