Graham Cracker Pie

Crust:

1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

Mix all crust ingredients together and pack into a 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool.

Filling:

2 egg yolks (save whites)

4 cups milk

1 cup sugar

½ cup cornstarch

Dash of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon butter

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Then add ½ cup milk and egg yolks. Stir well. Heat 3 ½ cups milk. When warm, slowly stir in egg yolk mix. Cook until thick (slow boil). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into the crust.

Meringue:

2 egg whites

½ cup sugar

Dash of cream of tartar

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, while slowly adding sugar and cream of tartar. Spread over filling, sealing edges. Bake at 425 degrees until brown. Cool before slicing.

Tuxedo Brownie Hug Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

60 Hugs Chocolates

1 package brownie mix

¼ cup Hershey’s Cocoa

¼ cup water

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

Remove foil wrappers from hugs. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cookie sheet.

Stir brownie mix, cocoa, water, oil, and eggs until well-blended. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheets.

Bake 8 minutes or until set. Cool one minute. Press the hug into the center of each cookie. Remove to wire rack.

Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water

1 stick butter

2 cups minute rice, uncooked

1 jar cheese whiz

2 cans mushroom soup

Dehydrated onion

2 10-ounce package chopped broccoli

Spray baking 9x12 baking dish. Combine ingredients; cook at 325 degrees for one hour.

Pepperoni Rolls

Ingredients:

4 ¼ to 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup milk

 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter or shortening

¾ teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

2 sticks pepperoni, peeled and cut into 3- or 4-inch sticks

Stir together 2 cups of flour and the yeast. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (120-130 degrees) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly. Beat on high three minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is sloth and elastic (6-8 minutes total) Shape the dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover, let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour)

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease baking sheets.

Shape the dough into small balls and wrap around a stick of pepperoni. Place rolls on prepared baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes).

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Remove from pans. Cool on wire racks.

Cheez-It Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cup cheddar cheez-it crackers

¾ teaspoon black pepper

1 ¼ pound chicken tenders

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

Put oven rack in lower 1/3 of oven and preheat to 475 degrees. Spray baking dish.

Pulse crackers in a food processor, add pepper. Toss tenders with mustard and dredge in cracker mixture. Arrange in one layer without crowding. Bake, flipping once, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Party Pizzas

Ingredients:

1 can tomato soup

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon curry powder

Party rye bread

Sharp cheddar cheese

Sliced pepperoni

Parsley

Parmesan cheese

Mix together soup, paste, salt, oregano, and curry powder. Brush party rye with Wesson oil. Cover with sauce. Press grated sharp cheddar cheese on top. Place slice of pepperoni on top. Sprinkle with parsley, oregano, and Parmesan cheese. Freeze. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Homemade Rolls

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups water

½ cup Crisco

2 packages of yeast

2 beaten eggs

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

6-7 cups flour

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add ½ cup Crisco. Add 1 cup cold water when the Crisco melts. Dissolve two packages of yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.

When water and Crisco mixture gets cold, add 2 beaten eggs, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, and yeast mixture. Stir in 6 to 7 cups of flour. Cover and let rise. May be refrigerated at this point.

Remove from refrigerator and let rise again. Form into balls; put three in each muffin cup. Let rise again. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Grilled Parmesan Corn

Ingredients:

2 medium ears sweet corn, shucked

2 teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Spread butter over corn. Place each ear on a piece of foil. Sprinkle cheese and salt and pepper to taste over corn. Wrap foil around corn. Place on frill for 10 minutes. Turn and grill 5 minutes.

Brownies

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup flour

Pinch of salt

1 cup melted butter

1 cup nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream eggs and sugar. Blend cocoa and flour. Blend it with eggs and sugar mixture. Add salt and butter. Mix well. Add nuts and vanilla. Bake in greased and floured pan for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients:

½ cup diced onions

½ cup diced green bell peppers

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Vegetable oil

1 pound chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 8-ounce jar of salsa

1 14-ounce can kernel corn, drained

1 14-ounce can hominy

1 16-ounce can ranch style beans or kidney beans, drained

1 6-ounce can of tomato paste

46 ounces of chicken broth

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese

Sauté onions, green peppers, and garlic in vegetable oil. Add chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, vegetables, beans, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Bring to a slow simmer for 20 minutes.

Place cream cheese in a separate bowl- spoon hot soup over to melt it. Add back to soup. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes.

Candied Pecans

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pound whole pecan halves

1 large egg white, at room temperature

1 tablespoon water

In a bowl, mix sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Beat egg white with water until frothy, but not stiff. Add pecans and stir until well-coated.

Add sugar mixture, mixing pecans until well-coated.

Spread evenly onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove from oven and separate as they cool.

My Grandmother's Brownies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter and 3 squares baking chocolate, melted together

2 cups sugar and 4 eggs, beaten together well

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

Mix dry ingredients into sugar and egg mixture. Add chocolate mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting:

½ stick butter and 1 square melted chocolate, combine.

Add 1 box of confectionery sugar with a little milk.

Spread on brownies while still hot.

Tortilla Roll-Ups

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients:

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese

1 package Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing mix

2 green onions, minced

4 12-inch tortillas

½ cup diced red pepper

½ cup chopped celery

1 cup sliced black olives, drained

Mix cream cheese, ranch mix, and onions. Spread on tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Roll up and wrap tightly. Chill 2 hours. Cut rolls into 1-inch slices.

Cheese Puffs

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

¾ teaspoon grated onion

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Party rye bread

In mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, onion, mayo, chives, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Spread on party rye break. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until done.

These can be assembled and frozen. They can go directly from the freezer to the oven!

Chicken in the Limelight

Ingredients:

3 pounds of chicken breasts (or 8 boneless halves)

1 lime

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ cup butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup white wine

Pat chicken pieces dry. Zest lime; set aside.

Squeeze lime over each piece of chicken. Shake chicken in a bag containing mixture of flour, salt, and paprika. Brown chicken in butter.

Arrange chicken in a single layer of baking dish. Combine lime zest and brown sugar. Sprinkle over chicken. Combine broth and wine. Pour over chicken.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

2 16-ounce cans pitted tart cherries

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

½ teaspoon almond extract

Pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup of the juice; set cherries aside.

Combine ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan; stir mixture to remove lumps. Stir cherry juice into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat, stir in cherries, ½ cup sugar, butter, and almond extract.

Line a 9-inch pie plate with half of pastry. Pour cherry mixture into pastry shell. Cover with top crust. Trim edges, seal and crimp. Cut slits in top for steam. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Dried Beef Cheeseball

Ingredients:

5 ounces packaged dried beef (chopped)

2 8-ounce bars of cream cheese

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons accent (optional)

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

Mix together and shape. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:

1 package (4 ounces) Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

3 ½ cups or 8 ounces cool whip

8-inch graham cracker crumb crust

Heat chocolate and 2 tablespoons of milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. Beat sugar into cream cheese; add remaining milk and chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust, freeze until firm (about 4 hours). Store in the freezer.

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck

1 cup chopped onion

1 jar mushrooms

4 cans tomato sauce

2 cans (total 12 ounces) of tomato paste

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ cup granulated sugar

Brown beef. Cook onions and mushrooms with beef. Add all other ingredients. Cook in covered pot 1 ½ hours on low heat. Stir occasionally and add water as necessary. 

My Grandmother's Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups canned pumpkin

¾ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger (optional)

3 beaten eggs

1 ½ cups milk

½ cup of half and half

Combine and stir pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.

Add eggs, milk, and half and half.

Bake at 450 degrees 10 minutes and turn down to 325 degrees for 45 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.