Chicken Salad(don't be scared of the grapes)

 2 Large Chicken breasts

3-4 stalks celery
1/3 lb red grapes halved
1/2 can cashew pieces (optional)
A couple TB of Hellman's mayonnaise (GF) -- be sure to use real mayo. salad dressing won't work
Season with black pepper and garlic powder

Serves 4 with some leftovers

Cut the chicken into strips and boil them till cooked through I usually check them when the pieces are floating. Chop up everything else and mix it with enough mayo to coat everything. Season it at will.

Try adding peppers, cold pasta, tomatoes, etc.

Eat it by itself or on toasted croissants.

Cornbread

 Beat Until Stiff: 4 egg whites

Blend Together:
4 egg yolks
1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk
3/4 C melted butter
1 1/2 C white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 C cornmeal

Sift together:
2 C white flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add flour mix to cornmeal mix
Fold in egg whites
Pour into greased jelly roll pan (10 or 11x15 in)
Bake at 325 for 20-25 min
Done when center is firm but sticky on top

Crepes(glorified pancakes)

 

Big Batch	Normal Batch	Ingredient
3 Tbsp	3 Tbsp	sugar
4 ½	3	eggs
3/8 C	¼ C	melted butter
2 tsp	2 tsp	vanilla
2 ¼ C	1 ½ C	flour
¼ tsp	¼ tsp	salt
¾ tsp	½ tsp	baking powder
¼ tsp	¼ tsp	baking soda
4 ½ C	3 C	milk

Mix sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla together in blender

Mix dry ingredients together

Add dry ingredients alternating with milk while blender is continuously running

Cook over medium- med/high heat

Oreo Truffles

 Prep Time:

30 min

Total Time:
1 hr 30 min

Makes:
3-1/2 doz. or 42 servings, one truffle each

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

You can make them with other kinds of Oreos too, like mint Oreos. 

Cheese Crispies

After making a grilled cheese sandwich (Have you made the sandwich yet? No? Go do that. Then come back.), turn the heat off and sprinkle the pan with shredded cheese. Let the heat of the pan almost burn the cheese. When there is no more heat, scrape the crispies off. Eat them. 

Peanut Butter Crispies

1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups crushed graham crackers

Melt the sugar into the corn syrup, molasses and salt over low heat. Mix in the peanut butter. Pour over crushed graham crackers. Stir until it all clumps up. If it's still sticky, add more graham crackers. If it's crumbly, take graham crackers out.

Tastes delicious with chocolate melted on top or mixed into a good brand of vanilla ice cream.

Brookies

 Ingredients:

Make a batch of brownie batter, OR 1 pkg whatever brownie mix you want, Ghirardelli is my fav

Make a batch of cookie dough, OR 1 pkg premade cookie dough

Chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 by 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Pour the brownie batter into the pan. Put on some chocolate chips. Then put globs of cookie dough on top. Put on s'more chocolate chips. Laugh at my funny joke. Now you may proceed. Put pan in the oven and cook for 30 min. 

For a special twist: Put caramel on it because why the heck not. 

White Bean Chili

7 Servings

1 lb cubed chicken (or 2 lbs)-- any left over chicken, especially rotisserie is good
1 med onion, chopped
1.5 tsp garlic powder-- we use fresh garlic
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans (15.5 oz) Great Northern Beans-- any white bean will work. we use 2 different sizes for variety
1 can of chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
.5 tsp pepper
.25 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
.5 cup whipping cream

Directions
Sautee chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil
Add beans, broth, seasonings, and boil
Simmer down for 30 minutes

Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and whipping cream 

This cannot be good for you

 Crust:

1 stick butter, melted

1 1/2 C crushed Oreos

1/2 C flour

Bake at 350 for 10 min

Layer 1:

1 8 0z. pkg. cream cheese (softened to room temp)

1 C powdered sugar
1 C cool whip (from 8 oz tub)

Layer 2:

1 large box chocolate instant pudding, prepared according to box directions

Layer 3:
the rest of the cool whip from the 8 oz tub

Banana Bread

 

• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C oil
• 3-4 bananas, roughly mashed
• 1/4 C buttermilk (or 2 TBSP sour cream)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 335°F.
Sift together first four ingredients.
Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy. At least 3 min, if not more.
Drizzle in oil.
Add bananas (make sure they're not pureed- some good chunks of banana are part of what make this bread so good), buttermilk, and vanilla.
Fold in flour mixture and chocolate chips. 
Pour batter into a greased 9" x 4" loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Or in 4 mini loaf pans for 35-40 min. 

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

 

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup (8 tablespoons | 4 oz | 113 g ) unsalted butter, room temperature
• zest from 1 large lemon
• 1 cup (214 g)  sugar (set aside 1 tablespoon for sprinkling)
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt (I like 1.25 tsp)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over
• ½ cup buttermilk

• INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream the butter with the lemon zest and the 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter, and stir with spatula to incorporate. Add all of the buttermilk. Stir. Add remaining flour, and stir until flour is absorbed. Fold in the blueberries. (Leave excess flour from the blueberry bowl behind.)
  4. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar—I prefer this 8-inch pan because I like the thicker pieces) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. If you have parchment paper on hand, line the pan with parchment on top of the butter. Spread the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes — a 9-inch pan will be done in closer to 35 minutes; an 8-inch pan usually needs 40 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary, especially if you’re using a smaller pan such as an 8×8-inch. It’s not unusual for this cake to take 50 minutes, so just be patient.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

This is so happening thx Uncle Doug

 For a Halloween-themed dessert:

Ingredients:
1 20 oz. bag of assorted Mars candy bars
1 10 oz. bag of M&Ms

Unwrap all the candy bars. Dump them unceremoniously into a heavily buttered 8-inch cake pan. Create the top crust by dumping all the M&Ms on top. Bake at 110 F for 30 minutes. Allow the dessert to rest at room temperature until solid. Serve with a garnish of Karo syrup (optional).

Apple Pie

 1 hour 30 minutes, plus cooling time to prepare serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS
1(9-inch) pie crust
Pie filling:
6 large baking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced,1/2 inch thick
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For streusel topping:
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation: is
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press pie crust into a 9-inch round baking dish.
Prepare streusel topping. Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar,1/2 cup flour,1teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, salt, cubed butter. Mix with clean fingers until crumbly. Set aside.
Mix 1 cup sugar,2 TB flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg, in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat egg, heavy cream, and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Add sugar mixture to egg mixture and whisk to combine. Evenly distribute apple slices around pie shell. Pour liquid mixture over top of apples.
Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and evenly spread streusel mixture over top of pie. Return pie to oven and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. Let pie cool completely before slicing.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

• 1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies (or 1/2 pkg family size oreos or 2/3 pkg regular size oreos)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup + 2 TBSP sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
• Rich Chocolate Ganache, for topping
• 1/2 C heavy ceam
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate
• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Assemble a 9-inch springform pan with the raised side of the bottom facing down.
• 2. In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground. Add butter, and pulse to moisten. Transfer to prepared pan, and press crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet; bake 10 minutes, and set aside.
• 3. Wipe out bowl and blade of food processor. Add cream cheese, sugar, and salt; blend until smooth. With motor running, add eggs, then sour cream, and finally chocolate; blend filling until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• 4. Wrap bottom half of springform pan in foil, using one long piece, the length of the circumference of the pan. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Place roasting pan in oven. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform pan. Bake just until set, 1 hour. Turn oven off, and let cheesecake sit 1 hour in oven, without opening (this helps prevent cracking).
• 5. Remove foil. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan (this helps prevent cracking, too); leave in pan, and cool completely on wire rack. (After 1 hour of cooling, gently loosen pan edges to release any trapped water. Cover loosely and refrigerate, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
• 6. Prepare Chocolate Ganache: Mix cream and chocolate in glass measuring cup. Heat in microwave at 10 second intervals stirring after each heating, until smooth and melted, about 1-2 min.
• 7.Unmold cheesecake. Spread ganache in center of cheesecake; let set before serving.

Pizza Toppings

• Mozzarella and Mexican Blend cheese and pepperoni 
• Alfredo sauce and chicken
• Pesto sauce and chicken/bacon/sausage/meatballs or all or some
• Ricotta cheese, bacon bits, thin potato slices, and onion stringy things
• Cream cheese covered in a layer of apples, covered in cinnamon and sugar
• Ranch sauce, chicken, bacon bits and jalapeños

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza (from Double Dave's)

 

Crust

Use pizza dough recipe, bake pizza dough for 6 min at 400-450 degrees F

• “Sauce”

• 
  

• 1/2 stick (4 T) butter softened

• 1 TBSP white sugar
       1 TBSP brown sugar
  

       3 TBSP flour

• 
  

• Streusel

• 
  

• 3 Tablespoons cold butter

• 
  

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 
  

• ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (50g)

• 
  

• ⅓ cup sugar (66g)

• 
  

• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar tightly packed

• Powdered Sugar Glaze

• Ingredients

  2

  cups powdered sugar

  2

  tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

  1

  teaspoon vanilla

  3

  to 4 tablespoons milk or half-and-half
• Mix all ingredients until well combined.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400-500F (260C) and line a pizza pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Prepare your “sauce” by mixing ingredients thoroughly. Spread on crust nearly to edges

3. Grate cold butter with cheese grater. Add other streusel ingredients. Mash together with a fork or fingers until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the sauce.

4. Bake for 5-10 min till streusel starts to brown.

5. Remove from oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly overtop and drizzle with powdered sugar glaze if desired

Yummywuelos (like buñuelos but different)

Ingredients:

Cinnamon

Sugar

Butter

Flour tortilla

Turn on stove to low. Butter tortilla heavily, and then place it on the pan. When tortilla gets hot (I just use my hand to test) use spoon to sprinkle on cinnamon. And sugar. And more cinnamon. And more sugar. Then, when you’ve finished, turn off stove. Enjoy! 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

 It's pretty easy to make. Get a glass or aluminum pan, and cover the bottom with a mixture of melted butter and brown sugar. Maybe half a cup? It should be about a quarter inch thick on the bottom of the pan. Lay canned pineapple slices in a symmetric arrangement over the brown sugar. If you have maraschino cherries you can put those in the middle of each ring.

Then make up a yellow cake mix from a box (the kind where you add eggs, oil, and water. Betty Crocker or something like that.) But instead of using water, use the liquid from the pineapple can. Pour the batter over the pineapples and sugar. Then bake it how it says on the cake box. I'm guessing 350 degrees for 25 minutes? I guess it depends whether you made a short fat cake or used the biggest glass pan you have and made it really flat.

It tastes best when you eat it hot, maybe with a little vanilla ice cream or a glass of milk.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

 Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)

2 cups milk (not skim)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Pinch cayenne

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.

2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.

3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Best Chocolate Cake Ever

 Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup canola oil

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8″ cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter again. I just buttered and floured my pans well and had no problem getting the cakes out. Also, I used 9" pans since that's what I had and it turned out fine.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the oil and sour cream, then gradually beat in the water. Add the vinegar and vanilla and mix to combine, and finally beat in the eggs until the batter is well combined. Divide among the three cake pans.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and peel off the parchment paper, letting the cakes cool completely. These cakes are very soft, and it helps to freeze them for 15 minutes at this point.

Peanut Butter Frosting

 

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.