Peppermint Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies

Source: Becca

Serves: About 6 Dozen

Ingredients: 

• 1 large egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 4 candy canes

Directions:  

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
2. Mix eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add egg mixture and blend until incorporated. Add the flours and blend on low until a dough is formed.
3. Divide the dough in half. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and put half of the dough on it. Using a floured hand, shape the dough into a 9" long roll. Cover with the wax paper and chill for a minimum of 45 minutes (the longer the better), or until dough is firm. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
4. Slice dough into 1/4" thick pieces. Bake for approximately 14 minutes. Cool on a rack.
5. Melt the chocolate chips. Crush the candy canes by placing in a Ziploc bag and lightly hitting with a rolling pin. Spread the melted chocolate over the top of the cookie and sprinkle a small amount of crushed peppermint on top.

**I really liked these cookies, but the cookie part was a little bland. Next time I'll try adding some kind of artificial flavoring. The combination of  melted chocolate and peppermint is delicious though!

Cherry Tea Cakes

Source: Robin

Serves: About 5 Dozen

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry liquid
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 drops red food coloring
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries, chopped
• 1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips (I omitted)

Directions:  

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract and food coloring on medium speed until blended. On low speed, beat in flour and salt. Stir in cherries.
3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. On a cookie sheet, place balls 2 inches apart.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are light golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets, and put on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes.
5. Place baking chips in a 1 quart freezer bag. Microwave on high for 35-50 seconds, squeezing chips in bag every 15 seconds, until chips are melted and smooth. Cut a small tip from bottom corner of bag and drizzle over cookies.

Ribbon Salad

Picture from Robin

Source: Robin

Ingredients: 

• 1 box cherry (or other red colored) jello
• 1 box lime (or other green colored) jello
• 16 oz container sour cream
• 4 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
• 4 cups water

Directions:  

1. In large bowls, prepare jello (add two cups of boiling water to each bowl and stir until completely dissolved).
2. Add two cups of frozen yogurt to each bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Pour half of the green jello into a 9x13 glass pan. Place in refrigerator for 30-40 (or more) minutes, or until completely set. Spread a thin layer of sour cream across the entire pan. Pour half of the red jello on top and put in refrigerator for 30-40 minutes, or until set. Repeat with the rest of the jello.

**I omitted the sour cream when I made this and it was a disaster. When I would pour the next layer of jello it would ruin the previous layer. There wasn't anything to keep all of the layers together. A good dairy-free substitution would be dairy-free whipped cream or frosting. It tasted really good, but just wasn't very presentable :)

Baked Scallops with Bacon

Source: Life123

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds bay scallops
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup crumbled bacon

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°.
2. Pat scallops with a paper towel until as dry as possible.
3. Place scallops in a baking pan. Pour the melted butter into the baking pan.
4. Combine the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, bread crumbs and bacon in a bowl. Mix well.
5. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over scallops.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Carrot Muffins with Frosting (For Dogs)

Source: The Good Treats Cookbook for Dogs

Serves: 9 large dogs (one muffin may be too much for a smaller dog at one time)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup whole rolled oats
• 3 cups flour
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 300°.
2. Lightly grease 9 muffin cups.
3. Combine carrots, eggs, and oil until well blended.
4. Slowly add cinnamon, oats, and flour to mixture until well blended.
5. Shape muffins with hands and place in muffin pans.
6. Bake 25 minutes.
7. Cool completely before frosting.
8. To make frosting, blend cream cheese and shortening with a hand mixer until well blended.
9. Place frosting in a pastry bag with a star tip, and pipe a large circle on the perimeter, coming closer to the center in three concentric circles on the top of the muffin. You can also spread frosting on the muffins with a spatula.
10. If desired, garnish with a cookie.

I omitted the frosting because our dog seems to have an issue with dairy products. She absolutely loved these muffins though! I've never seen her get so excited about a treat!

Baked Pizza Pasta

Source: My version of a recipe by Paved with Good Intentions

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 box of pasta (we used rigatoni)
• 1 tub of ricotta (optional... we omitted)
• 1 egg
• Italian Seasoning (garlic, oregano, basil, etc) 
• A LOT of tomato sauce (at least 5 cups)
• Pizza toppings (we used Italian seasoned chicken, sausage (which was in the sauce), pepperoni and broccoli)
• 2 1/2 cups Mozzarella (optional)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan (plus some to sprinkle) (optional)  
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
2. Cook the pasta.
3. While the pasta is cooking, prepare any necessary pizza toppings (broccoli, eggplant, sausage, ground beef, etc).
4. In the words of Paved with Good Intentions, spray the crap out of a 9x13 baking pan. (Because I had to make one with cheese and one without, I used two smaller CorningWare pans.)
5. Mix the entire pan of pasta with one egg, the tub of ricotta and the seasonings of your choice. (I didn't have any ricotta, so I added 2/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan to the pasta/egg mixture.)
6. Spread 2 cups of sauce in the bottom of the baking pan, being sure to cover the entire bottom.
7. Layer half of the pasta on top of the sauce.
8. The next layer is the pizza toppings layer. Put as many, or as few, pizza toppings as you'd like.
9. On top of the pizza toppings add 2 cups of mozzarella. (I only used about 1/2 cup of mozzarella on the cheese one because it was in a smaller pan.)
10. Pour another 2 cups of sauce on top of the cheese layer.
11. Then repeat (another layer of pasta and another layer of pizza toppings).
12. Top it off with another layer of mozzarella and some sprinkled Parmesan. On the cheese free version, top it off with another layer of sauce. I also put some more pepperoni, just because I loove crunchy pepperoni.
13. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.

Cocktail Kielbasa

Source: Me

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 kielbasa (I use Hillshire Farms)
• 1/2 jar of grape jelly
• 1/2 bottle of ketchup
  

Directions: 

1. Slice kielbasa into 1/4" thick slices.
2. Put all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours. 

• We usually eat half of this for dinner and freeze the rest. It is delicious! 
• It also makes a great appetizer for parties, especially cookouts.

Herb Seasoned Beets and Carrots

Source: Me

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 4 carrots
• 1 can of sliced beets (I prefer canned beets to fresh because there is so much work involved in cooking fresh beets and I don't notice a taste difference)
• Parsley 
• Rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
2. Peel the carrots and cut them into thirds or quarters (so the pieces are approximately 2" long).
3. Drain a can of beets.
4. Add the beets and carrots to a greased jelly roll pan. Add the olive oil and spices, and toss until the vegetables are coated.
5. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Potato Bundles

 Picture from The Pioneer Woman

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• Chopped Onion (we omitted)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tablespoon parsley  
  

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Chop the potatoes into cubes. 
3. Create two bowls out of tin foil. Put the cubes from one potato in each tin foil bowl.
4. On top of the potatoes, add 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2 tablespoon of parsley.
5. Wrap the bundles very tightly (or else you'll end up with melted butter and cream all over the bottom of your oven.. said from experience).
6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tender. I have a horrible oven and they cooked for over an hour and still weren't as soft as I would have liked. So, in other words, this time isn't set in stone.

Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake - Happy Mother's Day!

Source: Beantown Baker

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 box of lemon cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed
• 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice
• Frosting
  

Directions: 

1. Prepare the cake according to the box. Bake in 2 9" round pans.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. 
3. Add the raspberries, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Cook, mashing the berries and stirring frequently at first and then constantly at the end, until thickened (about 10 minutes).
4. Pour the mixture through a coarse strainer set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. 
5. Cool the raspberry curd to room temperature. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools, so don't worry if it appears too watery at first.
6. Stir in the lemon juice to taste.
7. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to use.
8. Once the cake is completely cooled, slice each cake in half horizontally so that you have 4 9" cakes. 
9. On a cake dish, put a little bit of frosting to secure the first layer. Put one of the cakes down, and using a frosting bag, pipe frosting around the edge of the top. This will help keep the curd from escaping out the sides.
10. Spread 1/3 of the curd on top, being sure that it won't overflow the frosting edge.
11. Add another layer, and repeat.
12. Frost the cake and arrange fresh raspberries on the top.

Roasted Carrots

Picture from The Pioneer Woman

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 6 carrots, peeled
  
• Thyme
  
• 1/8 cup olive oil

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°.
2. Slice carrots down the middle, so they are all approximately the same thickness.
3. Arrange the carrots on a cookie sheet side by side.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the carrots, then sprinkle thyme, salt and pepper.
5. Toss the carrots until they are well coated.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes. (Mine were slightly burnt at the ends, which were very thin. However, this gave them a very sweet taste, and the burnt ends were actually delicious.)

Decorator's Frosting

Source: My mom

Serves: Enough to frost roughly 1-1/2 cake mixes

Ingredients:

• 1 2 lb. bag of confectioners sugar (it's better if it doesn't have cornstarch in it)
  
• 2 cups Crisco
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
  
• 1 teaspoon flavoring (butter, lemon, almond, etc.)
• 4 tablespoons of WARM water (amount could vary. Add water until frosting is correct consistency)
  

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients using a mixer until it is very smooth.
2. Add food coloring until it is your desired color.

Tips:

• To easily measure Crisco, get a large glass measuring cup. Fill it with water to the 2 cup line (or how ever much Crisco you need). Then add spoonfuls of Crisco until the water line rises to double the amount you need (4 cups in this case). Dump out the water, and then spoon the Crisco into your mixing bowl. It is easier and neater than using a metal/plastic measuring cup.
  
• Frosting can be refrigerated for quite some time, and can be frozen for even longer.

Cookie Dough Brownies

Source: Beantown Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 box brownie mix (or any other recipe) I use Duncan Hines Brownie Mix
• 1 cup butter
  
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 8 teaspoons water (or however many it takes to give the dough the correct consistency)
  

Directions: 

1. Prepare brownies as indicated in recipe or on box.  Bake accordingly, in a 13x9 pan.
2. Allow brownies to cool completely (I put them in the freezer for a little bit).
3. While the brownies are cooling, combine all of the cookie dough ingredients, except the flour. Add the flour 1 cup at a time.
4. Using a knife, spread the cookie dough over the top of the brownies.
5. I put the brownies in the freezer to harden the dough a little bit, which made them easier (and neater) to cut.

Cod Francais

Source: My mom

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 12 small peeled potatoes
• 1 lb center cut cod
• Margarine
• Thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• 12 small white onions or 2 yellow onions, cut into wedges (we omitted)
• 1/4 teaspoon tarragon
• Paprika
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. Parboil potatoes and onions, separately.
3. Grease a shallow oven dish with margarine and place the cod in the center.
4. Arrange the onions and potatoes around the fish and sprinkle with the herbs.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, basting frequently with melted margarine (the more the better).
6. Sprinkle with paprika 10 minutes before removing from the oven.

Surprise Cookies

Source: My version of a recipe by Martha Stewart

Serves: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 large marshmallows, cut horizontally (or 12 maraschino cherries, cut horizontally)
• Chocolate frosting
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat until well combined. (I didn't have any vanilla extract, so I used vanilla flavored soy milk... 1/2 cup and 1 teaspoon of soy milk total.)
5. Add reserved flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
6. Using a tablespoon, drop dough onto un-greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies begin to spread and become firm.
8. Take cookie sheets out of oven and put one marshmallow (cut-side down) on the top of each cookie. Return cookie sheets to oven and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt (about 2 - 2 1/2 minutes). (This got very messy and I only used marshmallows on about 1/4 of the batch. For the other 3/4 I put a cherry on top of the cookie. I preferred this version.)
9. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Frost cookies with your choice of chocolate frosting. Because I didn't have time to make any home-made frosting I used Duncan Hines chocolate frosting. This is the recipe Martha Stewart suggested using. Chocolate Frosting for Surprise Cookies
11. Top with sprinkles, if you want. I used cute piggy sprinkles because I made these for my cousin's birthday party. 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

(picture from Beantown Baker)

Source: Me

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops
• 1 bottle of barbecue sauce (I used Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce)
  
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
  

Directions: 

1. Spray bottom and sides of slow cooker with non-stick spray.
2. Fill bottom of slow cooker with water, just until the bottom is covered.
3. Place uncooked pork chops in bottom of slow cooker. (I didn't cut the fat off)
4. Cover pork chops with barbecue sauce, salt and brown sugar.
5. Cook on high for 4 hours.
6. Remove pork chops from slow cooker. Cut off the fat. 
7. Using a fork, pull the pork apart, and put it back in the slow cooker.
8. Cook for another 30 minutes or so, until all of the liquid has been soaked up.

Orange Stir-Fried Chicken

Source: Betty Crocker

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  
• 1 teaspoon grated gingerroot or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I used ground ginger)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped (I used 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
  
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4" strips
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups (8 ounces) thinly sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded (I cut into thin slices)
• 4 cups hot cooked rice
  

Directions: 

1. Mix soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ginger and garlic in a medium bowl. Stir in chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  If you don't have time, only refrigerating for 5 or 10 minutes works as well.
2. Mix orange juice and 2 teaspoons cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add chicken and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink (approximately 4-6 minutes).  Remove chicken from skillet.
4. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and carrots and stir fry until vegetables are tender (approximately 3 minutes). Stir in chicken and orange juice mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir about 30 seconds or until thickened. Serve over rice.
   

Italian Baked Bruschetta Chicken and Pastina

Source: Lauren's Kitchen

Serves: 4ish

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pastina pasta (I used 1/2 box of small shells and about 1/4 box of pastina)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1 onion, diced (I omitted)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella (we only used 1 cup because only half had cheese)
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (14-1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 pkg. stuffing mix (I made my own because I haven't been able to find any stuffing mix that I can have)**
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain pasta and put in a large mixing bowl.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 more minutes.
5. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta.
6. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
7. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish (we used smaller dishes because we had to split the recipe in half).
8. In a small bowl, mix the other can of tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until the stuffing mix is moistened. Layer the stuffing mix on top of the pasta.
9. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes.
   

Our Reviews:

Shelley: Good, but there was something missing. I think next time I'll try sausage instead of chicken. There either wasn't enough chicken, or it didn't add enough flavor. You hardly noticed it was in there.

Ryan: Amazing.

** My "Stuffing" Recipe **

This probably doesn't taste anything like regular stuffing (which I've never had), but it worked for this recipe. It is more like small pieces of bruschetta.

• 6 slices of bread, toasted
• Olive oil
• Italian Seasoning
• Parsley
• Any other spices you think might work

1. Crumble toasted bread with your hands until it is in small pieces.
2. Add desired seasonings and olive oil, mixing until bread is coated.

Beef Stew

Source: My mom

Ingredients:

• Stew Meat
• Flour
  
• Ground Pepper
• 2 segments of Garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes
• 2 or 3 Bay Leaves
• Potatoes, cubed
• Carrots, sliced
• Peas

**The amount of stew meat, potatoes, and vegetables all depends on how much stew you want to make. I use fresh carrots, but frozen peas.**

**Start cooking the meat approximately 3 hours before serving time**

  Directions: 

1. Cut meat into 1" or 2" cubes, if not pre-cut.
2. Coat meat in a flour and pepper mixture.
3. Fry the meat with the chopped garlic until it is crusty and brown, but not fully cooked.
4. Fill a large pot with about 2" of water (basically just enough to cover the meat).  
5. Add the meat, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon cubes, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pot.
6. Simmer on medium heat until the meat is done.
7. When the meat is done, add more water, potatoes, and carrots.  
8. Add the peas at the very end.
9. In a glass bowl, mix ice cold water and flour with a fork until thick.  Pour flour mixture into the pot using a strainer, and stir the stew immediately.
10. Cook a little while longer, until everything is fully cooked and the stew has a good consistency.

Italian Meatballs

Source: My Aunt Janice

Ingredients:

• Ground beef (amount varies.. I usually use about 4 lbs)
• 5 eggs
• Bread crumbs
  

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. In a large glass bowl combine ground beef, eggs and bread crumbs. Using your hands. That's the only way to make it come out correctly.
3. Form the mixture into balls. You can make them as large or as small as you want.
4. Bake for 15 minutes... or until they are almost cooked completely (this will depend on the size of the meatballs). 
5. Add the meatballs to a saucepan with sauce. They will finish cooking in there and will also absorb some of the sauce.

• I often put the uncooked meatballs in the freezer. They're great for lazy dinner nights. 15 minutes in the oven and they're ready to eat!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Source: Me (adopted from the Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole)

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/3 bag of Egg Noodles
• 4 tbsp. Unsalted Margarine
  
• 1 can of Tuna 
• 2 Carrots, shredded
  
• Assorted vegetables (beans, peas, etc.)
• 4 tbsp. Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup (approx.) Bread Crumbs (I use 4C Salt Free Seasoned Bread Crumbs. They have to be the Salt Free ones, as the regular 4C Bread Crumbs have cheese).
  

Directions: 

1. Cook noodles in lightly salted boiling water.  Drain and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet.
3. Add grated carrots and vegetable(s).
4. Cook until tender, and until the vegetables have soaked up most of the butter.
5. Stir in flour, salt and pepper.
6. Add chicken broth and stir until bubbly and thick.
7. Add noodles and stir until they are coated.
8. Spoon into a baking dish.
9. Mix in the tuna.
   
10. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.
11. Bake at 400° for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top has browned slightly and the casserole is bubbly.
    

Our Reviews:

Shelley: This started off as a mistake (I got all the way until the end and realized I forgot to make the chicken). But I think it tasted even better than the chicken version!


Ryan: Wait.. that was tuna?