Buckeyes

Ok, I'm getting ready for Christmas this year. I plan on making a lot of cookies/candy. I love thinking back to growing up and having those memories of making cookies with my mom. I think that I'm going to 'organize' my recipes on here, especially since most of the ones that I want to do are tried and true! That way, when I'm ready to make the treats, I will have them all in one place!

Buckeyes

Ingrediants:
1 jar creamy peanut butter (1lb. 14 oz.)
2 lbs. confectioners sugar
1 lb. butter
2 (12oz.) pkgs semi-sweet morsels
3/4 slab of canning wax

Directions:
Melt butter. Pour into large mixing bowl. Add peanut butter and confectioners sugar. Mix with hands until smooth. Mixutre should not be too dry. Place waxed paper on cookie sheet. Make 1 inch balls out of mixture. Cool balls for hours. (I froze them overnight and they were easier to work with!)
Next day, Mext wax and chocolate bits in double boiler (I just used the microwave.) With toothpick, dip each ball into hot chocolate, almost to the top, leaving enought uncovered to resemble a buckeye. Keep balls cool while waiting to be dipped. If necessary, you can reheat the chocolate when it get down tot he bottom or cools. Keep candies refrigerated or frozen. To cover the toothpick hole, gently press the back side of a small spoon over the buckeye.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Amy and Syd are visiting for the weekend and Amy brought the stuff for Pumpkin Pancakes. I'm so excited! Yum. As she is making them, I'm typing out the recipe. Every year, Amy makes these pancakes for her 1st graders... and then she tells me about them... and then I'm jealous. This year we get some also :)

In a bowl
1. Add 2 cups of Bisquick:.
2. Add 1/2 cup of pumpkin.
3. Add 2 eggs.
4. Add 2 TBS of brown sugar.
5. Add one teaspoon of allspice.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk.
7. Add 2 TBS of oil
8. Add 2 tsp of cinnamon.
9. Add 1 tsp of vanilla.
10. Mix all ingredients well.

If runny, add more Bisquick. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto a heated greased griddle. Cook until the edges are dry. Turn and cook until golden.

Summertime Bruchetta

*** Once again, this recipe was found on the Internet a few years back. I do not have the source though***

This is a great recipe for Bruchetta. I love it when I have basil in our 'garden' aka flowerbeds and I can make this with fresh ingredients.

Ingredients:

1. 4 plum tomatoes, diced
2. 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
3. 6 - 8 garlic cloves, finely minced
4. 1/4 cup basil, minced
5. 2 TBS Italian parsley, chopped
6. 1TBS olive oil
7. 1/2 TBS balsamic vinegar
8. 1 pinch crushed red pepper
9. 1/2 tsp salt/pepper
10. French Bread - sliced

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except for the french bread) and chill for 3 hours.

Before serving, grill Bread (I brush with a little olive oil first.) Top with the Bruchetta mixture.

**Chris and I like to reduce about a 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and drizzle over the bruchetta before eating.

WARNING - You will smell like garlic :) Very garlicky!

Cheddar and Beer Soup

I love to make soup. It was about a weekly thing this winter and I haven't made it in a while, so while I was grocery shopping tonight (while being extremely hungry), I thought of my Cheese soup and decided that was what I was going to have! This soup is very easy and usually I have everything in the house for it. It is great when I have extra carrots and celery that I need to use up. I usually buy them and then forget to use them! Chris and I both agree that it is better the next day, but I can tell you that I'm enjoying my bowl of soup right now! I did get this recipe off the Internet somewhere, but I didn't write down the website :(

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 6 cups chicken stock (I have used broth and soup base also... it always tastes good.)
• 1/2 lb Cheddar cheese, grated (I like sharp)
• 1/2 cup flour
• dash Tabasco sauce, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can (12 oz) beer

Preparation:

Saute onion and celery until soft and transparent. Saute the diced carrots until tender but still a little crisp. Place sauteed vegetables in a large stockpot or Dutch oven; add chicken stock. Place over medium heat. Combine Cheddar cheese with flour; stir mixture slowly into hot broth. Add Tabasco, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to simmer. Add beer; heat through and serve. Yum!

Wow, I haven't posted anything since April. I'm going to have to get a move on it! Does being pregnant and tired count as an excuse? I hope so :) I will try to add something new this week!

Stuffed Peppers

Ok, I admit it. I'm addicted to reading recipes... cookbooks, online, magazines... you name it... I could spend hours reading it. I recently purchased Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2004. We tried the recipe for Stuffed Peppers. It was great and very easy to make. Chris and I even ate leftovers... that says a lot!

Ingredients:

1 (3 1/2 oz) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice

4 red bell peppers

3/4 pound ground sirloin (I used ground turkey)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 ground allspice (I didn't have any in the house and it was still yummy w/o it!)

2 cups bottled tomato-and-basil pasta sauce, divided

1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup dry red wine

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Set aside.

3. While rice cooks, cut tops off bell peppers, reserve tops. Discard seeds and membranes. Place peppers, cut sides down, in an 8-inch square baking dish, cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender. Cool.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and next 5 ingredients, cook 4 minutes or until beef is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from heat. Add rice, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, and cheese to beef mixture stirring to combine.

5. While beef cooks, combine 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce and wine in a small saucepan, bring to a boil.

6. Spoon about 3/4 cup beef mixture into each pepper. Place peppers in a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, add wine mixture to dish. Cover with foil.

7. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Uncover, bake an additional 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve peppers with sauce. Garnish with pepper tops. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed pepper and 1/2 cup sauce)

Nutritional Information:

Calories 347

Fat 7.9g

Fiber 4.6g

Uncle Tom's Bread (Challah)

Uncle Tom's bread is a staple. It always goes over great at any and all events. He worked for days to make sure that Ryan and Sandra had a lot of loaves for there wedding.

Ingreadiants:
1 cup warm water (100 degrees - less than 130 degrees)
1 package instant dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
4 cups flour
1 egg (beaten to brush on challah)
Poppy or sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

Mix warm water and yeast together with wooden spoon. Add sugar, salt, oil and egg - mix well. Slowly incorporate the flour, mixing well until all flour is absorbed. Cover and let stand for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces and gently roll into 3 long strips (approximately 14 inches). Braid strips together, gently tucking under ends. (Dough may also be shaped into 2 smaller challahs). Cover with towel and let rise again in a warm place (1 to 2 hours); or you may bake at this point if you are short of time.

Before baking, brush challah with beaten egg and, if desired, sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

(**Uncle Tom orginally got this message our of the Grand Rapids Press. It was titled 'Judy Selig's Challah Bread'. I will alway think of it as Uncle Tom's bread.)