Cranberry Sauce

I like craisins and cranberry juice so why not cranberry sauce. I kept seeing recipes for homemade sauce so I gave it a whirl. I didn't have the exact ingredients, like an orange, can you believe that they didn't have an orange at the store they had tangerines but no oranges, so I did my own thing.

3/4 cup water

1/4 orange juice

2/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste

12-16 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries

Combine the water, orange zest and juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cranberries and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer uncovered, about 15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.

Sweetened Condensed Milk Substitute

1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter

Coconut Cream Pie

Thanksgiving is the only time I make this because Steve is the only one in my immediate family that will eat it. It is one of his favorites, it ranks right up there with banana cream.  I have also included the proportions for mini pies.

1 (9-inch) baked pastry shell
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 2/3 cups water
1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (7 oz.) sweetened, shredded coconut
Whipping cream or Cool Whip

In heavy medium sauce pan, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir in sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; add margarine and vanilla. Cool slightly. Stir in coconut. Pour filling into pie shell. Chill 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipping cream.

4 mini pie crusts
1 T cornstarch
9 T water
4.67 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
2 t butter
1/4 t vanilla
coconut

Buttermilk Substitute

1 tablespoon white vinegar
Milk enough to equal 1 cup

Let sit for 5 minutes.

Baking Bacon

I had heard about baking bacon but never tried it. Baking bacon is an easy, mess-proof way to prepare this pork product. You don't have to turn it or deal with spatters.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with sides with heavy-duty foil. Arrange the bacon on the pan, side-by side, being sure not to overlap the pieces. In fact, leave a little space between the bacon slices so they have room to brown and crisp.
Don wrote me and said that to give the bacon that pretty 'ridged' look he wads and unfolds the foil first so it is wavy, then puts the bacon on it. That gives the fat somewhere to go so the bacon isn't sitting in the fat as it cooks and shapes the bacon while baking.

Bake the bacon for 10-17 minutes for thin-cut, or until desired doneness. I myself like my bacon very crisp, so I bake it 16-18 minutes. For thick bacon, add another 4-6 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, drain on paper towels, and use.

Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie

I was told that Robert and Jen would eat a chocolate cream pie so I went searching the internet. When I found this recipe by Emeril I knew that it had to be good. I cheated and used a pre-made chocolate crust, it was half the price of Oreos, but it was really tasty. Very rich!

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
4 egg yolks
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (9-inch) Chocolate Cookie Crust, baked, recipe follows.

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Place 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie.

When ready to serve, top the pie with the remaining sweetened whipped cream and serve immediately.

Graham crackers to yield 2 cups crumbs
Chocolate sandwich cookies (white centers removed) to yield 1 1/2 cups crumbs (recommended: Oreo)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the graham crackers and chocolate cookies to make crumbs.

In a bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. (It will seem like an excessive amount of crumbs, but will compress down quite a bit with pressure.) Cover the crust with plastic wrap and top with another 9-inch pan, pressing quite firmly to make a smooth surface. Remove the pan and the plastic wrap from the pressed crust prior to placing it into the preheated oven. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before filling.
Yield: 1 (9-inch) crust

Chicken Fettuccine Casserole

I get emails from Pillsbury all the time with meal ideas. Beau and I tried this one and really liked it!

1 Package (9 oz) fettuccine
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 C half-and-half
1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes
2 Slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled (I used bacon bits)
3 T shredded parmasan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches, with cooking spray. Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package.

While fettuccine is cooking, melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and bacon.

Add fettuccine to chicken mixture; toss gently to mix well. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot in center.

Feather Light Overnight Rolls

This recipe is from a family cookbook that was given to me by Lorraine Thompson. I like this recipe because it is one that can be mixed up a day before and refrigerated or frozen after formed for later use. When I used this recipe before it didn't take 4 hours for the dough to rise, could be my house was too warm from all the cooking. Jamie and I made two batches today and we are going to freeze them so it will make life a little easier on Thanksgiving.

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold water
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs, beaten
7 1/2 cups flour

Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add butter, sugar and salt. Remove from heat. Pour into a large Tupperware bowl that has a good lid. Add 1 cup cold water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. When the butter mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture and eggs. Stir briefly. Add flour and stir together. put greased lid on bowl and refrigerate over night. When ready to toll out, divide in thirds. Flour surface of breadboard. Roll dough out in a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread dough lightly with butter. Cut dough down the middle. Cut each half into about 6 triangles using a pizza cutter. Roll each up beginning at the wide end to form crescent shape. Oil baking sheet. Put on 3 baking sheets, about 12 rolls per sheet. Let rise about 4 hours. Bake at 400 for 10 - 12 minutes.

Make ahead
Freeze after dough has been shaped into crescent rolls and placed on cookie sheets. Once frozen, put rolls in freezer bags. When ready to use, return them to cookie sheets, cover lightly with Pam-coated plastic wrap and let rise 6 hours or until light. Bake.

Lasagna

This recipe came to me from one of my Young Women's leaders. Steve loves this recipe and it freezes nicely.

1 lb hamburger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon whole basil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large can tomatoes
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
lasagna noodles
2 eggs
3 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 lb mozzarella cheese

Brown meat slowly; spoon off excess fat. Add next five ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook noodles in large amount of boiling salter water until tender; drain; rinse. Beat eggs; add remaining ingredients except mozzarella.

Layer half the noodles in 13x9x2 inch baking dish; spread with half the cottage cheese filling; add half the mozzarella cheese and half the meat sauce. Repeat. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. If assembled early and refrigerated bake 45 minutes. If assembled early and frozen bake 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Eclair Cake

As I was looking for recipes that I thought might work well for our family reunion I remembered that Becky had given us this recipe. As I was rummaging through my recipe cards I found a piece of paper with the same recipe and remembered making it along time ago. One way I found to speed up the process was to buy a container of Milk Chocolate Frosting and microwave it until it was melted and then spread on top. I thought it was just as good but maybe the ease made it tasty to me.

Graham Crackers
3 cups Milk
1 9 oz. Cool Whip
2 small pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding

Butter bottom of an 8" x 12" dripper. Put 1 layer of graham crackers. Cover with 1/2 of pudding mixture. Repeat with crackers and pudding. Cover with another layer of graham crackers. Beat ingredients of frosting together and spread over last layer of crackers. This is better after it is refrigerated for 4 to 6 hours.

Frosting
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 squares Unsweetened Chocolate
3 tablespoons Milk
2 teaspoons Corn Syrup
2 teaspoons Butter or Margarine

Dreamsicle Fruit Salad

I found this recipe and made it as a last minute take-a-long to a ward activity. I didn't even chill it. They were having a best side dish contest, and I won! I thought I would share it :)

1 (1oz) package sugar free-fat free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
3/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 (20oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (15oz) can sliced peaches, drained
1 (11oz) can mandarin orange segments, drained
2 bananas, sliced
1 apple - peeled, cored and sliced

In a medium mixing bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, and orange juice. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Mix in sour cream. In a large salad bowl, combine fruits. Gently mix in orange dressing. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

One thing that I did add: I took Nature Valley Oats & Honey Granola Bars and crumbled them on top! 

Lemon Dreams

My Mother-in-law loves lemon (Lemon Chicken, Lemon Meringue Pie, etc.) and when I ran across this lemon recipe on Your Homebased Mom I thought I would make them for her. I found them to be very sweet and the lemon should be tangy so I have altered the recipe to match my taste buds.

1 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 2/3 cup flour

Filling:

2/3 cup sugar - I used ultrafine because I had it

1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon margarine

1/4 – 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add flour and mix until smooth. Roll out with powdered sugar about 1/4” thick. Cut out with 1 ½” cookie cutter. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

For filling:

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel and salt. Stir in egg, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Cool. Add powdered sugar. Put a spoonful of filling on one cookie and top with another cookie. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes approx. 1 ½ dozen.

Lemons

Lemon Basics:
After salt and pepper, lemon may be the most commonly used flavoring ingredient in the culinary arts.Used in everything from baking to sauce making to meat and vegetable cookery, lemons bring their own tangy flavor and bright aroma, while actually enhancing a dish's other flavors. Lemon is said to be a "flavor catalyst," meaning that it interacts with the taste buds so that the flavors that follow are more pronounced.

Lemon Varieties:
The most common lemon variety is the Eureka lemon. Its slightly smaller, smoother cousin, called the Lisbon, is more likely to be available in the winter. Flavorwise, there's not much difference between the two.Another variety, called the Meyer lemon, is quite small and significantly sweeter than the ordinary lemon varieties. In addition to being smaller, the Meyer lemon is also more fragile, making it unsuitable for large-scale commercial distribution. They tend to be found at farmers' markets — and in people's yards.

Storing Lemons:
Lemons will keep for several days at room temperature, and interestingly, a room temperature lemon will yield more juice than one that is cold. However, lemons left at room temperature for too long are susceptible to mold. The best way to store lemons is in the refrigerator, either in one of the crisper drawers or in a plastic bag.While the fruits themselves do not do well when frozen, the lemon peel can be removed and frozen, then used later in recipes that call for lemon zest.

Squeezing Lemons:
The average lemon contains three tablespoons of juice. To get the maximum amount of juice, roll a room-temperature lemon on the counter before cutting it open. Applying light pressure with your hand as you roll it. This bursts the tiny juice-filled cells in the lemon's flesh, allowing more of the juice to be extracted. Zest is the shiny, yellow outermost layer of the peel, which contains powerful flavor compounds. The white part of the peel just beneath the zest is quite bitter and shouldn't be used.

Cooking with Lemons:
Lemons are highly acidic, and this acid will react with different foods in different ways.For example, the acid will help dissolve connective tissues in meat, which is why lemon juice is commonly used in marinades — it helps tenderize tougher cuts of meat. But be careful not to overdo it: too much acid, or marinating for too long, can have the opposite effect, causing the muscle fibers to get tougher.The acid in lemon juice can also curdle milk, and while it can cause green vegetables to turn a drab olive color, it will help vegetables such as potatoes and turnips maintain their white color.

Information taken from All About Lemons by Danilo Alfaro

Photo from Sell Your Used Cellphones

Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

This was a recipe attached to the meat package. I used a skillet that I could place in the oven so I bypassed the baking dish, one less pan to clean.

4 Pork Loin Chops, 3/4 - 1-inch thick
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Honey
Nonstick Cooking Spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Coat large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops. Cook until brown, turning once. Remove chops. Place in 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine brown sugar and honey in small bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds; stir to combine. Spoon half of honey mixture over tops of chops, spreading evenly. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Turn chops; spoon remaining honey mixture over shops, spreading evenly. Bake until internal temperature is 160 degrees F., 15 - 20 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

I found this Campbell's recipe in a magazine. Beau and I really like it! I altered it a little...

1 can Cream of Chicken
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 C Pace Picante Sauce
2 t Chili Powder
2 C Shredded Chicken, cooked
1/2 C Shredded Cheese
6 Tortillas

Cook the chicken and then shred it. Heat soup, sour cream, picante sauce, chili powder and chicken in sauce pan. Scoop some into tortilla and add cheese then roll and place in greased glass casserole dish. After all tortillas are rolled put remaining chicken mixture on top and bake @ 350 for 20 mins. Add cheese and bake for another 5 mintues.

Blueberry Scones

My mom introduced Beau and I to blueberry scones w/frosting from Great Harvest...well I found a recipe that I actually like better than theirs! :)

Scones:

2 C Flour

1/4 C Brown Sugar

1 T Baking Power

1/4 t Salt

1/4 C Butter, chilled

1 C Fresh Blueberries

3/4 C Half and Half

1 Egg

Mix flour, sugar, powder, salt in a bowl.

Cut butter into mixture, fold in berries.

In separate bowl beat cream and egg.

Add to flour mixture and mix with spatula until dough forms.

Cut dough in half and for into two 6 inch rounds and cut into 6 wedges.

(I just scooped some out onto a cookie sheet about 3 inches round)

Bake @ 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

(Mine were done after 15, but it could be the junky 50 year old oven I have)

Frosting:

8 oz C Strawberry Cream Cheese

1/4 C Butter, soft

1 C Powder Sugar

1/2 t Vanilla

Cream cheese and butter. Mix in vanilla and gradually add sugar.

Homemade Pizza

This recipe is Tami's. She said you can use all white flour if you prefer. She also recommends using a pizza stone, it cooks the pizza more evenly.
Dough:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

Sauce:
2 - 3 tablespoon olive oil
2 large clove garlic
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
salt
pepper

Mix dough together, knead well and let rise 30 minutes. While dough is rising mix sauce ingredients together and refigerate until dough is ready.

Roll out dough, spread sauce and top with your favorite toppings. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes. Makes 1 large pizza.

Cowboy Caviar

This is Tami's recipe. Any other veggies (olives, celery, etc.) that your family might like can be added.

1 cup whole corn, drained - frozen or canned
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 2 green onions, chopped
bell pepper, chopped
red onion, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
garlic
cumin
pepper
cilantro, chopped (optional)
Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing
fresh lime

Combine all ingredients, adding according to your family's taste, except the dressing. Add juice of lime and dressing to taste. Best served after ingredients have mingled for a couple hours. Serve cold with chips.

Mixed Berry Empanadas

This was an experiment and I thought it worked quite nicely. Quick and easy and you could use any flavor canned pie filling your family likes. They taste great the next day as well.

16 oz. mixed berries - mine were frozen
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
8 - 10 flour tortillas
butter

Place berries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. While berries are thawing, mix cornstarch into the cold water. After cornstarch is dissolved add to berries and cook until berry mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.

Butter the top of each tortilla, stacking them and placing them between two damp paper towels. Heat in the microwave until softened.

Scoop 1/4 cup berry mixture into the middle of a tortilla and fold like a burrito and place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet with the seams down. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream.

Water Punch

This is the punch that we served at Jamie and Beau's wedding reception.

5 quarts water
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon citric acid
1 tablespoon lemon extract

Stir.  Add sliced oranges, lemons, limes or any other citric fruit.

Whole Wheat Waffles

I used applesauce (70 calories) instead of oil (960 calories) and that is a 890 calorie per recipe of savings.  I made Belguim waffles and this recipe made 9 squares so this recipe is roughly 132calories per square as compared to 231.

1 3/4 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon flaxseed, ground
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce or oil
2 eggs

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Mix all wet ingredients together and stir into dry ingredients.  The batter will be slightly lumpy.  Pour into a preheated, lightly greased waffle iron and bake for approximately 5 minutes.

Lucky Leprechaun Cookie Bark

This recipe is from Your Homebased Mom with my own alterations.  I started out with her suggestion of buying a bag of multi-colored M&Ms and picking out the green and brown ones but I only ended up with 1/2 cup so I opted for the Andes baking chips.  I was also thinking of using mint chips, like a chocolate chip but mint, but there were not any at the store and I wasn't in the mood to check every store in town.

1/2 package mint Oreos
1 1/2 cups stick pretzels, broken into pieces
1 pound chocolate almond bark
1/2 package Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips
green and white sprinkles

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Spread broken cookes, pretzels and 1/2 of the Andes baking chips onto the waxed paper. Place chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Do not overcook.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining Andes chips and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet. Do not let it harden. Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and gently break bark into small pieces. Store in air tight container.

Chocolate Decadence

From Cooking Light  This is their description of the recipe - Antioxidant-rich chocolate makes three appearances here―as cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and semisweet morsels. If you don't have ramekins, use muffin pans. The best part about this dessert: utter indulgence for a perfectly reasonable 315 calories. (Before we lightened it, this recipe contained 546.) 

The recipe says to invert the dessert and there was no way it was coming out so we ate them out of the ramekins sprinkled with powdered sugar.  The comments around the dinner table were that it tasted great but would also be good with nuts and/or vanilla ice cream.

Cooking spray
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
8 teaspoons semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly coat 4 (2-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray, and sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon sugar into each of the ramekins, shaking and turning to coat.  Set prepared ramekins aside.

Combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, milk, and cocoa in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 30 seconds or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; add the butter and 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.  Cool chocolate mixture 10 minutes.

Add flour, vanilla, salt, and egg white to chocolate mixture, stirring with a whisk just until blended.  Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate mixture into each prepared ramekin, and top each with 2 teaspoons chocolate chips.  Divide the remaining chocolate mixture evenly among ramekins, spreading to cover the chocolate chips.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until barely set.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Invert onto dessert plates.  Serve warm.

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti

Adapted from Eat Better America.  I placed the chicken in a ziploc bag with the milk and egg and allowed it to soak while we were at church.  I also prepared the breading in another ziploc bag so that when we got home it would be easy to assemble.  I found that the cereal was hard to crush so I put it into my Magic Bullet and it was done in no time.

1/2 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 egg white
2 teaspoons fat-free milk
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-thick strips
6 oz uncooked whole grain spaghetti
2 cups favorite pasta sauce
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Heat oven to 400°F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and finely crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or finely crush in food processor).

In shallow bowl, mix cereal, cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. In another shallow bowl, mix egg white and milk until blended. Dip chicken pieces in egg white mixture, then coat well with cereal mixture; place in pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and chicken is no longer pink in center.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as directed on package; drain. In 2-quart saucepan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat until hot.

Place drained spaghetti on serving platter; top with pasta sauce and chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Granola Bars

After much testing I think that we finally have a "Granola Bar". Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted from King Arthur Flour. Makes about 30 servings, 228 calories per serving.

3 1/3 cups oats
1/3 cup demerara cane sugar
2/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup flaxseed, ground
1/2 cup craisins
3 cups almonds, chopped*
2/3 cup almond butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an cookie sheet with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or almond butter and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

If you want more control over portion size take a cookie cutter and scoop 1/3 cup of the granola into it. Press down the mixture until it is packed, remove the cookie cutter and repeat.

Bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack.

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried pples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes.

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

Jamie found this recipe and she adapted it to our diet.  I found it very tasty and would definitely make it again whether I was on a diet or not.  She prefers her soup to not be smooth so after pureeing the soup she adds two more cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes.

1 tablespoon I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, cilantro leaves or Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 teaspoon Splenda
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until onion is crisp-tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, 1 tablespoon of the basil, the sugar and pepper flakes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; pour mixture into large heatproof bowl; cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

In blender, place half of the mixture. Cover; blend until pureed. Return to saucepan. Repeat with remaining mixture. Heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon basil.

Ground Beef Spins

A recipe that Mom used to make when we were kids.

1 pound hamburger
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup bullion
1 can Crescent rolls or biscuit dough

Cook onions and celery with seasoned meat until meat is brown.  Stir in 2 tablespoons flour into 1/2 cup boullion* and then add to meat.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Roll biscuit dough to 1/4" thick in a rectangular shape.  Spread with ground beef mixture and roll up lengthwise.  Cut in 1" pieces.  Bake at 450 for 15 to 20 minutes.Serve with gravy made in the pan the meat was cooked in.

*1 bullion cube to 1 cup boiling water

Eggwiches

Mom and I have been cooking up a storm and then freezing it.  I found this recipe on Once A Month Mom and we

12 English Muffins, toasted

1 Dozen Eggs, scrambled
12 Cheddar Cheese Slices
12 Deli Ham Slices
butter (optional, smear the toasted muffins)

Scramble eggs; while eggs are cooking, split and toast muffins (adding smear of butter if you wish). Once eggs are cooked, set up an assembly line of muffins, eggs, cheese and ham; assemble and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze wrapped eggwiches in freezer bags or freezer boxes. To serve nuke for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Makes 12.

The beauty of the eggwich recipe above is that it is basic; you can spruce it up however you'd like with different cheeses, meats, veggies, and spices.

Razzleberry Pie

This recipe came from Becky with a few alterations. Maybe when she received this recipe it was for fresh berries but I had frozen berries and needed to change things up a bit. You could use any berries that you have, I used raspberries, marionberries and boysenberries.

5 cups water
3 1/3 cup sugar
2 cups blackberries
7/8 cup water
2/3 cup cornstarch
3 cups boysenberries
3 cups blackberries
2 cups raspberries

Combine water and sugar; bring to boil. Add blackberries; bring back to boil. Combine cornstarch and water; add to berry mixture and cook until thick. Fold in boysenberries and raspberries (DO NOT COOK). Cool and pour into 9" unbaked pie crust. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Makes 4 pies.

Make ahead
After putting into crust, do not cut vents and freeze overnight. Wrap in cellophane and foil.

To cook, cut slits for vents, cover with foil and bake at 450 for 15 minutes; reduce to 375 bake 15 minutes more. Uncover and continue baking for 55 to 60 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is Mom's recipe.  For some reason her cookies always look better than mine, I usually just have a pool across the cookie sheet.  I will have to give these a try at home.

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream shortening and sugars.  Add eggs.  Mix water, soda, salt and vanilla together, then add to sugar and egg mixture.  Add flour mixing thoroughly.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Thoroughly cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients; blend into creamed mixture.  Shape in 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Crisscross with fork tines.  Bake at 375 degrees fro 10 to 12 minutes.  Cool slightly; remove from pan.

Strawberries and Candied Nut Salad

Lettuce Greens - your favorite
Strawberries - quartered
Poppy Seed Dressing
1 1/2 cup Nuts - your choice, I used almonds but I have had walnuts before
1/2 cup sugar

Pour sugar into a medium saucepan with a thick bottom. Have nuts nearby, ready to quickly add to the pan at the right time. Cook sugar on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon as soon as the sugar begins to melt. Keep stirring until all the sugar has melted and the color is a medium amber. Add the nuts to the pan, quickly stirring and coating each piece with the sugar mixture.

When the nuts are coated with the sugar mixture, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use two forks to separate the nuts from each other, working very quickly. Let cool completely.

I served this salad with everything in separate bowls so they could make it to their liking but if you know everyone will love it mix everything together.