Thanksgiving Leftover's Casserole

So, I haven't been around lately. But I have just made a pretty darn good dish made of Turkey Day leftovers. I would have taken pictures, but I didn't. Maybe next year. Anyway. You'll see that I didn't use cranberry sauce but that's because I don't really like it. Here is my version:

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped turkey pieces
1 1/2 cups stuffing
1/2 to 1 cup cheese (I used mozzarella, it's not over powering like a cheddar. Muenster might work as well)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold all of it. Place mixture in a 8"x8", 9"x9", or 13"x9" pan. Cover with foil. Bake at 350dF for 20 mins.

==AndersenGirlie's Tips==
-I actually added cooked, crispy bacon to the top of my casserole.
-If you want to add Cranberry sauce, cut back on the sour cream and/or mayo. However much sauce you add, take away the same amount of the cream/mayo.
-Don't add any extra seasonings until after the Casserole has baked. It may already be packed with flavor and that last seasoning may make it gross.


If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Ok! So I was going to make some toast and I wanted chocolate. So, I decided to make my own version of Nutella. And it turned out freaking AWESOME!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread
1/2 cup Peanut Butter (I used Skippy because thats the only kind we get :) )
1 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup (I used Nesquik because it's my favorite)
2 or more slices of bread

1. Warm the peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl for 15-20 seconds.
2. Stir the peanut butter. Add in the chocolate syrup and stir until mixed to your liking.
3. Add about 1 Tbsp or more to each slice and spread around until fully or mostly covered, to your liking.

Enjoy!

Next: Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Cheater Pizza Dippers

Ok, so I was looking on this one website and it had a bunch of different ideas on it. This is originally called Crack Bread but when I tried it, I didn't really care for the recipe. But while I tried it, I added a different ingredient and took one out. But that process is a bit much to explain so I'll just give you a recipe that I know will work for pretty much any pizza lover.

1 French Loaf Bread
Pepperoni Slices (cut into 1/4's)
Various Pizza Toppings of your choice (optional)
Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced or Shredded (I think sliced will work better, but whichever is easier for you)
1/2 cup butter, melted.
Marinara (Spaghetti Sauce)

First, cut the bread diagonally in both directions without cutting all the way through the bread's bottom.
Second, add the cheese between the cuts.
Third, add Pepperoni and other toppings above the cheese, in between the cuts.
Fourth, drizzle the melted butter all over the bread. I used a spoon to scoop and drizzle.
Fifth, cover the bread entirely in foil and bake for 15 mins at 350dF. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.
Lastly, heat the marinara. You can either dip the pieces into the marinara or spread the sauce over the bread.

Enjoy!!!!

Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Warning: This is actually 2 cookies put together with filling in the middle. Don't worry, it's delicious!

I first saw this little cookie...its actually not that little...on one of the Bobby Flay Showdown episodes...I think thats what the show was called...not sure. Anyway, I tried this cookie first on...maybe it was Thursday? No, it was Wednesday. Maybe. I can't remember anymore. Anywho. I forgot to take pictures of the end result. Sorry. But here is the recipe:

Filling:

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup +1tsp granulated sugar

1-8oz tub cool whip (the creamier the better)

With an electric hand mixer, or stand-up mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar until well blended and smooth.

After the mixture is smooth, use a spoon or rubber spatula to stir in the cool whip.

Cover with plastic wrap (optional), and place in refrigerator.

Cookie:

1 box (18.25 oz) chocolate cake mix (you can actually use anything but white and yellow, funfetti may not even work)

2 eggs (if eggs are small, use 3)

1/3 cup oil (canola or vegetable)

Combine cake mix, eggs and oil with a strong fork. It'll look too wet, then too dry but it will turn out fine. While mixing, the dough should turn into somewhat of a ball. If necessary, add 1 egg.

Preheat oven to 335dF. Line cookie sheets with wax paper. 

Roll dough into little 1in balls and place approximately 2-3in apart. Place another sheet of wax paper over cookies.

Using a flat surface (like a lid on peanut butter or a little can of chicken), flatten cookies to about 1/8in. Reuse the sheet of wax paper for flattening other cookie.

Make sure you have an even amount of cookies.

After the cookies have cooled, get out filling. You can either pipe on the filling on one cookie or use a rubber spatula to add the filling to a cookie.

After adding filling to one cookie, take another cookie and smush it onto the filling to make your Whoopie Pie.

==Andersen Girlie's Tip(s)==

--For best results, refrigerate over night, with the cookies assembled. Making them at least 1 day in advance makes the cookies soft and yummy.

--To soften Cream Cheese: place cheese in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 seconds. Stir it with a fork. Replace back in microwave for 15 seconds. Stir again with fork. If it still isn't that soft, microwave again for 15 seconds. Do as many times necessary, but it shouldn't take more than 1 minute.

If you have any questions about making these, just ask! I'm completely willing to explain anything that might now make sense.

Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

So, last night we had Burgers and Fries. I added some seasoning to the fries which I thought would be too salty, but it turned out great!! So, here it goes:

French Fry Seasoning

Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Sugar (granulated/table sugar)

Preheat oven as directed. Sprinkle a single layer of the seasoning salt and pepper onto the layer of fries.. Shake the pan and toss (like you would with the veggies in a frying pan, you know, like Bobby Flay...). Then, add a second layer of the seasoning salt and pepper. Only the second time, you are going to sprinkle about 1-2 Tbsp of sugar along with the salt and pepper.
Bake fries as directed. If you want crispier fries after you have allotted the normal baking time, put the fries back in for a few more minutes until the desired crisp.


==Andersen Girlie Tip==
This seasoning could also be used on Onion Rings or Fried Zucchini. YUM!!



Next: Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Homemade Twix Bars

So, I was perusing a site, you know, because I can, and I came upon this recipe and I was like, "COOKIE!!!!" because I LOVE the twix cookie part more than the rest of it. There's no doubt that Twix is freakin' delicious, but to have the recipe for just the cookie part...well...my life is complete. Now your life can be complete. You know why? Because I'm going to share the recipe with you, thanks to Amanda at The Sweet Details. Amanda, I don't know you, but THANK YOU for this recipe. Now, straight from her page, the recipe:

Base:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (4Tbsp or 2oz)

Filling:
1/2 cup butter
2Tbsp Corn Syrup
1/2 cup condensed milk (not evaporated milk. they are 2 completely different milks.)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping:
100g Milk chocolate (I think that the more silky milk chocolate is better. it's going to be melted anyway, but it'll probably just be better.)

-Oven 325dF
-mix together base until crumbly. pour into 9x9 pan. Press down and bake for 20 minutes.
-Combine filling in pot or saucepan. Stir constantly until boiling. Reduce heat, and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Pour over the hot base.
-Melt the chocolate and pour over filling. Cool and let set before cutting.

==Amanda's Tip==
After I put the filling in, I usually put it in the fridge for about an hour and then I melt the chocolate and pour it over the caramel. Then I still let it sit for about an hour for the chocolate to set before cutting it.

==Andersen Girlie's Tip==
There are a couple of different ways to melt the chocolate. I think the best way would be, if you don't have a double boiler or know how to make your own double boiler, is to have a glass bowl. Cut or break up the chocolate into small chunks/pieces, and place in the glass bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir. Repeat until chocolate is completely melted. If you want to thin out the chocolate a little bit, add 1 Tbsp shortening (Crisco), not butter.

Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

French Bread Sticks

So, over the Fourth of July weekend, I had griddled up some french bread that turned out fantastic. So, to make your Wednesdays less boring...and you know, less SSSLLLOOOOOOOOWW... Here is how I made the bread. Of course, this will be pretty general. You could make these during Brunch time and eat them throughout the day.

1 or 2 loafs of store bought French Bread (preferably the ones around 2ft)
Olive Oil / Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Salt

Directions:


Slice the bread diagonally, to get longer pieces.
Heat up your pan/griddle to med-high heat. Possible medium heat.
Brush oil lightly onto both sides and place either side down on the pan. Repeat until pan is full, but do this quickly so bread doesn't burn, but is a golden brown or crunchy. After the pan is full, lighlty sprinkle seasoning and salt onto the bread. Flip slices over to cook 2nd side. If the first or either side isnt as good looking as you think it should be or want it to be, flip it and continue cooking.



Next: Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Grilled Chicken Pineapple Sliders

Another recipe brought to you by allrecipes.com. These are pretty great. I mean, grilled pineapple is great with pretty much any grilled sandwich.

Ingredients
1 lemon, juice
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut in half
6 pineapple rings
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
6 Hawaiian bread rolls - split and toasted
6 lettuce leaves - rinsed and dried
6 red onion slices

Directions:

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice, cider vinegar, salt and pepper in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and marinate in the regrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for med-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes each side, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Grill pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side, or until heated through and grill marks appear.
4. Spread 1 tsp teriyaki sauce on the bottom half of a toasted roll; next add a lettuce leaf, a piece of chicken, a pineapple ring and an onion slice. Replace the top of roll and repeat with the remaining rolls.


==Andersen Girlie's Tips==

-It doesn't actually matter what kind of bowl you use.
- When you cut the chicken, lay it on your (non-wood) cutting board. Cut it in half, vertically. Now, since you have a thin piece and a big chunky piece, stand the chicken up on it's cut side, carefully use a knife to cut it  down the middle. This way, you can probably feed more people.
-For a less onion-y taste you can also grill the onions while grilling the pineapple.
-Grill the pineapple (and onions) during the last couple minutes of cooking the chicken. You don't have to, but grilling the pineapple (and onions) brings out a sweeter flavor, and cuts some of the citrus from the pineapple (and some of the 'bite' of the onion)
-If you don't have boneless, skinless chicken, that's ok. Do everything the same, but before serving it, shred the chicken into chunky pieces. Throw out the bone and skins. Then in the bowl with your chicken, this is where you can add the teriyaki instead of putting it on the bun. It'll either taste exactly the same, or really close. As long as you have the flavor you want, that's all that matters.
-It doesn't actually matter how you stack your sandwich. However, you want to stack your ingredients so that the base flavor is on the bottom, and other ingredients add to the flavor as you eat.

         For example:

These are how I layered my sandwich, whether chicken is a whole piece or shredded.

top bun

lettuce

teriyaki sauce

[grilled] onion

[shredded] chicken

grilled pineapple ring

mayo

bottom bun

See? Doesn't that look sooo freaking delicious? I thought so.

    

Cheesy Nacho Bake

Brought to you by Kraftfoods.com.

These are pretty great and very easy to make.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup water
1 pkg (1 1/4 oz) taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup Sour Cream, divided
6 oz tortilla chips (7 cups)
1 1/2 cups Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 green onion, sliced

Directions:
HEAT oven to 350dF
BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Return meat to skillet. Add tomatoes, water and seasoning mix; stir. Cook 10 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 cup sour cream.
PLACE half the chips in 13x9in baking dish; cover with layers of half each of the meat mixture and cheese. Repeat layers.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Top with onion and remaining sour cream.

==Andersen Girlie's Cooking Tips==

-You can also make this on a baking sheet, but only one layer.
-You don't have to have the green onions.
-You don't have to have the sour cream either, it just adds better flavor.
-You can substitute the cheddar cheese with different kinds of cheese. For example, I'm sure Pepper Jack would taste great and it would add a little spice.
-If you don't have taco seasoning but you do have black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and ground cumin, then use that instead. Just make sure you taste every time you add more seasoning to it. Don't add too much pepper, it will probably over power the mexican flavor you are looking for.


==Kraft's Cooking Tips==

Serving Suggestion:
Serve with a crisp mixed green salad

Substitute:
Omit water. Substitute 2 1/4 cups chopped cooked chicken for the browned ground beef.

Variation:
Prepare as directed, using Reduced Fat or Light Sour Cream and 2%Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese.

Fast French Baguettes

I follow a couple of different food blogs. They are mostly based on bread. This one, girlversusdough.com, is fantastic. She not only make a bunch of different breads, but she takes awesome pictures of her process. It's amazing.

So, here is to her. This is her recipe of French Baguettes.

Yields: Two foot-long baguettes

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk yeast into 1 cup water and let sit 5 minutes. Add 3 cups flour and salt and mix, using paddle attachment, until just combined. Switch to dough hook (or remove dough from bowl and knead by hand) and knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes (10 minutes if kneading by hand), until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch down risen dough and divide in two pieces. Roll each piece into a foot-long rope and place side by side, about 3-4 inches apart, on a pizza stone or baking sheet lined with lightly floured parchment paper. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Once oven is preheated and dough has risen slightly (about 20-30 minutes), remove plastic wrap and slash each baguette a couple times using a very sharp knife. Place baguettes in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. The bread should read about 210 degrees F with a thermometer when done. Remove from oven, spritz with water and allow to cool on cooling rack.

Fantastic Focaccia Bread

So, for the past week, I've been on a bread-baking kick. It's alot of work but as long as the bread tastes good, I guess I'm ok with it. Well, I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. It's pretty amazing.

This bread is usually flavored with rosemary or some kind of herb(s). So, I was reading one of the reviews for one of the Focaccia (foh-kah-chuh) bread recipes I was looking at and it said to try Mozzarella Cheese. Deal. Great idea. So, what I did, since this is an italian bread, is brush/drizzle Olive Oil on it and added a sprinkling of italian seasoning, garlic powder, and top with the Mozzarella Cheese.

Also, when kneading the dough, make sure it's not too dry, leaving it quite airy-like and a little sticky, but not enough that it'll stick to your hands when trying to shape it into a ball before letting it rise the 1st time.

When you shape the bread into the rectangle, just shape it in your pan with your hands. Make sure it's an even and flat surface, around 1/2 inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfectly rectangle just an even, flat surface. Before covering the bread to let it rise the 2nd time, (what I did was) poke it with your fingers. You can do the same thing after it rises, a few pokes here and there, but if you want the bread to be as thick as it rises, then don't poke it as much. This is when you would add the seasoning.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve honey and yeast in warm water (110 degrees F). Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add 1 cup flour, salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil to the yeast mixture. Stir until combined and then work in the last cup of flour. Knead the dough until smooth, elastic, and soft, about 7 minutes. Add only enough flour to keep the dough from being sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Place in greased 9x13 inch pan or baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Poke dimples in the bread and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

==Andersen Girlie's Tip==

To make this bread a pizza:

       After adding the Olive Oil, add Mozzarella Cheese and any other toppings that you want for a pizza. If you used a liberal ammount of cheese and liberal amounts of other toppings, you may want to add 5-10 minutes because of the weight of the toppings.

          (If the pizza is still a little dough-y after actually taking a bite, No Problem. just put it back into the oven for another 5-10 mins but this shouldnt be necessary.)

    After the pizza is done, or while it's cooking (the last 2 minutes) heat up your favorite Marinara (Spaghetti Sauce) and use it as a dip for the pizza. 

Grilled Cheese

So, I know I get bored of regular old cheddar cheese in my Grilled Cheese. One day, I decided to use some white cheeses. The first non-Cheddar cheese Grilled Cheese I remember making had 3 different kinds of cheese slices. Provolone, Meunster and Mozzerella. Delicious!! I even kicked it up a notch and dipped it in Marinara/Spaghetti Sauce. EVEN BETTER!!

To get that perfect crunch on My Grilled Cheese, I get a pastry brush and lightly paint Olive Oil/Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I also have an over-the-stove griddle that covers 2 burners (not necessary but very effective.) Before I add the cheese, I put the Cheese-side of the bread down first to toast it and start melting the cheese a little faster. After about 2-3 minutes, or whenever you are ready, flip the slice of bread so that now the oil-side is cooking. Layer your cheeses so that every inch can be covered...or close to it. If you have room in your pan, do the same to the 2nd slice of bread that you did to the 1st. Then, when you are ready to flip, just flip it. If the cheese is melted to the 1st slice and not the 2nd, but the 1st is the golden color you like, then carefully flip it, using the spatula to pick up the sandwich and your free hand to hold the sandwich together so it won't fall apart as you are flipping it.

Eat the Grilled Cheese alone, or for some extra flavor, warm up some marinara.

Pizza Casserole

Ok, people. So this recipe sounds weird but it is totally the bomb diggity. lol. anyway. Here are the pictures I remembered to take, and the recipe follows. I owe this recipe to one of my friends, Sydney.

 

3 1/3 cup bisquick (or pancake mix)

1 cup milk (have some extra just in case)

16 oz pizza sauce (2 cups, separated)

16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups, separated)

Favorite pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, canadian bacon

-Heat oven to 375d F. Spray 9x13 pan (glass is better) with non-stick cooking spray.

-In medium bowl, stir bisquick and milk until a soft dough forms. 

-Drop half of dough in spoonfuls evenly over bottom of baking dish (dough will not completely cover bottom).

-Drizzle 8oz of pizza sauce over dough. Scatter half of the selected toppings over sauce and sprinkle 8oz of cheese. Repeat with rest of ingredients.

-Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden  brown.

Not Cooking but Still Fun

So I was looking on Twitter today and I follow FueledByRamen and they were talking about Hayley from Paramore's favorite things, so I looked and found this page. ThingsOrganizedNeatly.tumblr.com
Hayley's description of the page is completely accurate. If you have Organization OCD, THIS is the blog for you. It's so crazy! It's a picture blog. So I was looking at it and found a few awesome pictures.

This one is probably one of my favorites.

Here are a few more...or you know, 8 more haha

 

  

And here is the best one:

Ok. Ok. So it's not food, but it is a bunch of recycled cups and I think it looks totally awesome.

Chicken Enchiladas

So, this recipe may be a little confusing but it's only because I've never actually had a recipe card for it and neither has my mom. So here we go. Let's see if everyone understands. Pictures to come later.

3 chicken breasts
1 can (28 oz) Enchilada Sauce (I use Rosarita)
10-12 (8-12in) flour tortillas
Cheese - cheddar or Mexican Blend

-Boil and shred chicken.
-Toss shredded chicken with fair amount of cheese and enough enchilada sauce to make the mixture moist.
-Add small amount of chicken to edge of tortilla and roll tightly. Place in 13x9 pan.
-Pour rest of enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas, making sure all of the torillas are covered with sauce. -Spread/Sprinkle cheese over the enchiladas, to your liking.
-Bake foil covered enchiladas at 350dF for 25 minutes. If the cheese is not melted, put enchiladas back in the oven, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes.

Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Leftover Chicken? Turkey? Shred it! Heat it up on the stove and add some barbeque sauce. Make them into sandwiches or tacos. Personally, I like the tacos. If you add some parmesan while cooking, it tastes even better! As for the barbeque sauce, my dad gets Sweet Baby Ray's and ever since, we never get any other kind. Once you try it, nothing else is good enough. Enjoy!


Next: Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Try adding a little seasoning salt to your meal. A little goes a long way.


Next: Word for the -Bland Wednesday-

Homemade Lasagna

Ok, so I'm doing this from memory because it is just a memory recipe, so if there are any questions, just ask and i'll answer and edit the recipe for more understanding.

Yield: This recipe makes 2- 13X9 pans of Lasagna (or thereabouts)

1 box Lasagna noodles
1 tub Ricotta Cheese
2 1lb tube Ground Beef/Meat (or 1 3lb tube)
1 large jar of [Prego] Spaghetti Sauce
1 large bag Mozzerella (or large block to grate)
1 egg
2-3 Tbsp sugar


-Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain, do not rinse. (Never rinse pasta. this will cause the starch to wash away and will cause sauce to not stick to pasta)

-Brown the ground beef/meat. Once browned, drain and rinse. Restore back to cooking pot/pan, add spaghetti sauce and warm.
-Mix Ricotta Cheese, egg and sugar. Chill until meat and noodles are done.

-In 13"X9" pan, lay 3 noodles side by side. Add Ricotta mixture in little blobs, see picture. (Normally, add ricotta to all of noodles, but for this picture I was making a special side for my sister who does Not like ricotta.)

-Next, add meat/sauce, see picture.
-Add mozzerella cheese.
-Repeat 2 more times to make 3 layers.

Bake at 350degrees. Cover with foil and bake for 40 mins. If the mozzerella is not melted, put back it the oven for 5-10 minutes, uncovered, or until cheese is completely melted and a light golden color.

Enjoy!

Fruit Pizza

So, this recipe is pretty fun for the kids....and adults. ;)

1 or 2 pkg refrigerated sugar cookie dough (18-20oz)
1 8oz pkg cream cheese (softened*)
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups thawed Cool Whip
1-2Tbsp Maraschino Cherry Juice (for color, optional)
Assorted Fruits, preferably fresh.
     -kiwi, grapes, berries, pineapple tidbits (canned ok), mandarin oranges (canned ok), etc.

-Oven 350degrees

-Now, here is where you can do what you want:
     -It's easier to just cut the dough into the normal cookies so the kids can handle it better and decorate their own little pizza. Bake according to package instructions.
     -Otherwise, roll out the dough into a 12-inch pizza pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan or wire rack.

-Beat softened cream cheese and sugar until well blended, Gently stir in Cool Whip (with rubber spatula) and Maraschino Cherry Juice. Chill in fridge until pizza time. The cherry juice also gives it a little flavor but it's more for the coloring so its totally optional. If you don't want pink, just use food coloring for the desired color.

-Spread Cream Cheese mixture over crust; top with fruit.

 1st: mess of ingredient for the pizzas
2nd: just the cookies instead of the whole pizza
3rd: cream cheese mixture with the cherry juice
4th: end product

Boiled Cookies, No-Bake Cookies

********UPDATED********

So these are Chocolate cookies. They could probably make a good Ice Cream topping. You never know.

Ingredients:

2 cups Sugar

½ cup Milk

½ cup Butter/Margarine

3 Tbsp Cocoa

½ cup Peanut Butter

3 cups Oatmeal

1 tsp Vanilla

½ cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

Directions:

Mix first 4 ingredients (sugar, milk, butter, cocoa) in saucepan; Bring to boil. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add remaining ingredients; mix well.

Drop by Tbsp onto wax paper. Let stand until firm.

Chocolate Frosting

********UPDATED********

I found this recipe on a review for this cupcake that I want to make.


1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar. 


In a large bowl, beat margarine and cocoa together until combined. 
Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. 
Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until desired consistency is achieved. 


Adjust with more milk or confectioners' sugar if necessary.

 So here are the pictures: (makes as much or more than the little store frosting can)


1st: margarine and cocoa combined
2nd, milk and vanilla added
3rd: smooth mixture
4th: end product.


SO GOOD!!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Filled-Cupcakes/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Meringue Cookies Pt. 2

Here is the page for the recipe: http://icookdoyou.blogspot.com/2011/03/so-i-made-these-cookies-and-just-looked.html

Ok. Part 2 = Redo. I figured I would try to make them correctly this time and it worked. Yay!

 ok so after you finish with the egg 

mixture and the peaks are Very firm, add the sugar. However, after every time you add the sugar, mix it into the egg mixture for at least 2 minutes. After you have mixed the sugar for 2 minutes, make sure you check for Very peaks each time. If you don't do this, then your cookies may end up looking like the first batch I made, check out the recipe to see pictures. Also, make sure you fold in the Chocolate Chips in, if you even want them, Milk Chocolate Chips would probably taste better. Or any other kind of cookie chips you want to use.

Ok, so now that your cookie mix is as firm as it should be, drop little blobs of it like this onto wax paper-lined cookie sheets. 

And the end result is Awesome!

 

Meringue Cookies

So, I made these cookies and just looked back at the review from allrecipes.com (because that's where I found this recipe) and found a couple of different helps. So, if you aren't getting them to look like they should, just look at the reviews.

 Ingredients: 

2 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). To prevent burning you can bake on an air cushion baking sheet or put parchment paper on a regular cookie sheet. 

Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla until very firm. Gradually add sugar and mix. Fold in chocolate chips.  

Drop by teaspoonfuls on (wax paper-lined) pan. Bake 300 degrees for 25 minutes. They should only be lightly browned.  

 So, as I was reading one of the reviews, I realized that after you add the sugar, it is supposed to still look like the egg mixture (first bowl picture) because one of the reviews said to never use a plastic bowl. Well, I only have plastic bowls. It doesn't actually matter what kind of bowls you use to make cookies. Just make sure your bowl is completely clean. :)

Green Slime

My mom got this recipe from her aunt a loooong time ago. This recipe makes a lot. So you could probably cut half the cottage cheese.

1 small Cool Whip (8 or 12 oz, depending on how creamy you want it)
1 Can Crushed Pineapple (20oz)
2 Cottage Cheese (32 oz)
1  box Lime Jello (6 oz)

Drain Pineapple. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Serve.

Chicken Flautas

Ingredients
Chicken
Tortillas (corn or small flour)
Oil (canola, vegetable, any kind will work)
toothpicks
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Shredded Lettuce
Tomatoes
Salsa
Hot Sauce
Shredded Cheese

Boil and shred chicken. Take small handful of shredded chicken and place it, spread out, along the edge of a tortilla. If you are using Corn Tortillas, cooking in a little bit of oil will help to keep the tortilla from breaking.

Wrap the tortilla around the chicken, tight enough that it doesn't unravel before you stick a toothpick in it (diagonally works best) to keep it from unraveling. After all the chicken and tortillas are wrapped, heat about a 1/4 inch of oil. After oil is heated, cook the flautas to your desired Crunchiness, but no less than it being able to stay closed by itself.

After all of the flautas are cooked, place a couple of them on a plate and top with Guacamole, Sour Cream, Shredded Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cheese, Salsa and/or Hot Sauce.

Pasta Salad

I don't particularly care for this salad, but the rest of my family likes/loves it. So here is the recipe:

Italian Dressing
Rotelle Pasta
Cucumber
Chopped Olives

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Rinse in water, let drain.

Chop up the cucumber into small pieces.

Drain the olive juice*.
Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well.

*To drain the Olives:

After opening the can, push the can lid into the olives and flip it over into the sink, make sure most or all of the olive juice is drained.

Biscuits and Gravy

Ok. So the other night I made Biscuits and Gravy. The biscuits were from a can but only because I haven't ever made biscuits. So that will be something I will have to try. But for now, I can give you a recipe for Gravy. Delicious! This is a sausage gravy, but I'm sure if you would rather have bacon then that should work as well.

Ingredients:
1 Sausage Tube (12 oz.)
1 Gallon of Milk
Flour
Cornstarch (thickening agent)
Water

Cook Sausage thoroughly. While cooking, chop sausage into small pieces. After sausage is finished cooking, remove sausage from pan, leaving grease in the pan. Turn heat to low, adding 1Tbsp Flour and 1Tbsp Cornstarch at a time, alternating the two. After grease is absorbed, add Milk. Add about 6-8 Cups of Milk. Stir Flour mixture while adding Milk. Turn Heat to medium. Mix about 4 Tbsp Cornstarch to about 1 1/2 Cups Water. Add 1/2 of the Cornstarch mixture. If Gravy is not as thick as you like, add the rest of the Cornstarch mixture. You should be able to cut down the middle of the pan with a big spoon and be able to see the bottom of the pan for a second or two.

Beginning of Cooking

End of cooking...Can you see the swirl?

Brownies!!

So, yesterday, I tried something that I have wanted to try for a while but never did it. I added milk instead of water. I don't know if there was much of a difference. Maybe I should make two batches and use milk in one and water in the other. Of course, these brownies were not from scratch. They were from a box. Duncan Hines is the best brownie mix ever! Of course, that is just my opinion.

Sweet n Sour Chicken

Pictures!! for recipe, click here: http://icookdoyou.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweet-n-sour-chicken.html

1-Frying the Chicken, Place on foil lined pan

2-Melting down the sauce for the chicken

3-Sauce poored over the chicken
4-Chicken over rice