5-Star Copycat Cornbread from food.com

This was the best cornbread!  I just googled Copycat Marie Callendar's cornbread and found this recipe on food.com.  I usually don't copy others' recipes without permission but I have to keep this one here so I can make it again!

Copycat Cornbread:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk (I've used low fat, and even skim milk and they work fine, but the best is the whole milk!)
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 egg

Honey Butter

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in medium bowl.
3. Add the milk, shortening, and egg and mix only until all the ingredients are well combined.
4. Do not overmix.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 8x8-inch pan.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
7. Let cool slightly before slicing.
8. Slice with sharp knife into 9 pieces.
9. Serve warm with honey butter, if desired.
10. For the honey butter, use a mixer on high speed to whip the butter and honey together until smooth and fluffy.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/marie-callenders-famous-golden-cornbread-copycat-and-honey-b-40844#ixzz1Md2husdY

Ice Cream Crepes

This is another recipe from dating...only I use my family's recipe for the crepes.  This must be eaten right away because the ice cream melts, but it is SOOO yummy.

Ice Cream Crepes

1 1/2 c. flour
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 TBSP margarine, melted

Put liquids into a blender, then add dry ingredients and blend until smooth.  Cook on a medium heat skillet, then cool.  Fill with ice cream and hot fudge sauce.

Sarah's Chili

This is a variation on our traditional Brunson Chili.  It's sweet but spicy :)

Sarah's Chili

2 c. dry anasazi beans
30 oz. tomato sauce (2 15-oz cans or 4 8-oz cans)
1 c. water
1/2 c. sugar

A shy 2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 lb ground beef, cooked (I use less)
1/2 c. chopped green pepper  (half of a large)
1/4-1/2 c. chopped onion (1 medium)

Soak beans overnight (12-20 hours).  In the morning, drain and put in crock pot on LOW with the rest of the ingredients until dinner time.

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

This is great for when you don't know when you'll eat, and makes good leftovers.

1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can tomatoes with green chilis
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (or two little cans)
1/2 lb. ground hamburger, cooked
1/2 can black beans, optional
1 TBSP taco seasoning (I add more if I used 2 cans tomatoes instead of one with green chilis)
2 TBSP dried onions, or some fresh onion that I've diced and grilled

Put everything in a pot and simmer for half an hour.  Not as yummy but 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.  OR put on low in a crock pot or simmer on the stove for an hour if you don't know when the guests are coming.

Serve with tortilla chips and cheese and maybe sour cream.



Easy Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips

1 tortilla per person
oil
garlic salt or regular salt
pizza cutter

Rub oil and sprinkle salt onto tortillas, cut with a pizza cutter.  Bake 10 minutes on each side at 325 degrees, preferably on a oven-safe rack.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

It doesn't get any easier or healthier or faster than this, and it doesn't use anything fresh so you can have the supplies on hand always.  I make this through a big batch of Costco tortellini (quality tortellini is important), then we take a break for a while.  We eat it with crackers and lots of parmesan cheese on top.  The only downside is price.

Spinach Tortellini Soup


2 cups chicken broth
1 can italian style diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen spinach
2 c tortellini

Bring broth, tomatoes and spinach to a boil. Add tortellini and simmer 10 min. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Ham/Turkey Stuffing Rollups

Ham or Turkey Stuffing Rollups

6 peices of Ham or Turkey.

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

1 box of stove top stuffing, cooked according to package

leftover swiss, provolone or mozerella slices

Roll the stuffing up in the slices of ham or turkey.  Combine sour cream and cream of chicken soup and pour over rolls.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for half an hour.

Oreo Cookies

This recipe comes with a short story.  I had tried chocolate chip cookies in a pie pan (for a bar cookie...it didn't work) and happened to have it with me while I was studying for my spring term class 5 years ago.  I remember we were doing homework at the whiteboard - a typical engineer's setting - and I shared it with my study buddy.  The next day in class, a bag of these oreo cookies plopped on my desk in return.  I think that's when I figured he must like me.  They were marvelous and amazing.  Later we got married I adopted this recipe as my own.  I understand now why it's a good recipe for a guy: with 3 ingredients and one is a cake mix, you can't go wrong!

Easy Oreo Cookies

1 box milk chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

2/3 c. shortening

Filling

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 TBSP margarine

1 tsp vanilla

Mix cookie dough and form VERY small drop cookies with them.  Cook on a light cookie sheet for exactly 8 minutes at 375 degrees.  Cool on wire rack before frosting.  Keep in an airtight container and the next day the frosting will be harder and the cookies will be softer.  Yum!

Thai Lettuce Wraps

I love this recipe.  I got this recipe from a great cook and friend several years ago.  I hope she doesn't mind that I share it.  It is a real gem because it is so healthy and tasty.  The key to the tasty is the marinading.  I always skip the bean sprouts and the chow mein noodles because I don't keep them on-hand.  This is also one of the few recipes I make with brown rice every time because it actually tastes better.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup orange juice
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
2 chicken breasts

Mix all the ingredients (reserving about ½ of it and pour over the chicken in a plastic bag. Marinate for at least one hour, and grill the chicken until cooked through brushing often with marinade. With the rest of the liquid, pour into a pan. Heat up stirring constantly until hot. Thicken with cornstarch.

Romaine lettuce (I use green leaf)
Bean Sprouts (I skip this)
Onions soaked in basalmic vinegar mixed with a dash of oregano and basil
Steamed Rice
Grated Carrots
Crunchy chow mein noodles (I skip this)

Once the chicken is done, slice it into thin pieces. Pull off the lettuce leaves and put them out whole. Stuff a lettuce leaf with chicken, the leftover thickened sauce, rice, onions, bean sprouts and grated carrots and roll up like a burrito.

Nicole's Granola

Sorry for the picture being sideways.  I once ran an experiment for the best granola.  Every batch failed.  But this granola is fail-proof!  I think it is the amount of honey/butter/brown sugar.  You can also add raisins at the end, which I don't usually do.  But one thing I have done is add a spoonful of peanut butter (heated with the butter).  That tasted very good.

Half Batch of Nicole's Granola

5 cups quick oats
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. melted margarine

Mix together and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring at least once.

Poppyseed Glaze Bread with Strawberry Jam

I found this recipe on the internet years ago and I make it ALL the time. But I don't have the reference to give credit to. I've made a couple of changes.

Almond Poppyseed Cake


* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
* 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
* 3 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 2 1/4 cups white sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease bottoms of two 9-inch loaf pans. Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, oil, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and almond flavoring. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour. Poke holes in top of loaves and pour glaze over.

Glaze: Mix orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and sugar.

Cheesecake Favorite Recipes

I have TWO excellent baked cheesecake recipes: a fast, sweet, and creamy one and a slow, textured, tasty one. One takes about 15 minutes (plus an hour baking and 4 hours waiting), the other about an hour (plus 2-3 hours baking and 6 hours waiting).

White Chocolate Cheesecake

2 pkg. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2/3 c. melted white chocolate

1 graham cracker crumb crust

Mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla thoroughly, then add eggs one at a time. Stir in the white chocolate, pour into crust, and bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until center is almost set. Leave in oven to cool if you want to prevent cracking. Refrigerate before eating.

The second:

Oreo Cheesecake is beautiful and TOTALLY worth the wait.

 

Maple Syrup and Strawberry Syrup

I developed the strawberry syrup from our family recipe for maple syrup. You can use other kinds of berries instead of strawberry. The picture with the animal waffles is actually raspberry syrup.

Maple Syrup	Strawberry Syrup
2 Cups Sugar	2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Water	1 Cup Strawberry (Pureed)
Few Drops of Mapleine	Few Drops of Lemon Juice
Bring sugar and water to a slight boil, turn off and add maple.	Bring sugar and strawberry to a slight boil, simmer 10 minutes, turn off and add lemon juice.