Buttercream Icing . . .

Buttercream Icing

2 egg whites (large eggs)
3 tbsp. water (omit water when using food coloring)
1 1/2 c. Crisco shortening
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar

Mix well with a mixer on low. You can add Karo or Corn Syrup to make it a bit more fluid, but I did not need to.

Poppers!

I always like to try something new for family gatherings. The kicker is that it has to be EASY! I hate long and involved recipes with items that you don't normally purchase. These looked awesome on Pinterest and I gave them a shot . . .

Seperate crescent rolls and add a dollop of cream cheese to the middle of the triangle.

Add bacon and jalapeno pepper slices.

pick up three corners and twist together then pinch the sides together so the ooey goodness does not leak out.



Bake on a slightly sprayed cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cream Cheese Icing

Cream Cheese Icing

1 8oz cream cheese
3 cup of confectioners sugar
3/4 stick of butter
1 T Milk (or cream)
1t almond extract


Mix with hand mixer until smooth



I used the method in this video to fill my icing bags. I will NEVER do it any other way. This is genius!


(The chocolate icing in the photo above is a simple confectioners sugar, cocoa, butter and milk frosting. I wing it. )

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

I have seen this floating around Pinterest and thought I would give it a try! It is amazing!

5 pounds of potatoes
1 medium size onion
32 oz of chicken stock
6 cloves of garlic

Cube potatoes and put in the crock pot with chicken stock, onion and garlic.

Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours

Remove 2/3 of cooked potato soup and puree. Add back to crock pot. Add 2 packages of cream cheese cut into cubes. Continue cooking until cream cheese is melted.

Garnish with cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.

(Don't freak out in the initial 6 hours, it smells REALLY garlic-y. I thought for sure it was ruined and was already thinking I would try it without soon, but once it is pureed and the cream cheese is added, it is not so harsh)

Totally gluten free peanut butter cookies

Totally gluten free peanut butter cookies.

1 c of peanut butter
1/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 t baking soda
1/2 t of vanilla

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove cookies from oven but leave on cookie sheet to cool.

Stuffed Peppers . . .

4 Large green peppers
1.5 pounds of hamburger
2 cups of brown rice
half a diced onion
garlic powder
salt & pepper
2 cans of tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Brown hamburger and onions. Drain grease. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 cups of brown rice cooked. mix with 1 1/2 cans of tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Cut green peppers in half top to bottom and clean out seeds. Lay peppers in a 9x13 baking dish. Scoop the mixture into the peppers and top with remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 45 minutes to hour.

Bean Salad . . .

2 cans of Cannellini beans rinsed
Grape Tomatoes cut in half
Thinly sliced green onions
Juice from half a lemon
2 T olive oil
salt and paper to taste


Mix all together and refrigerate. It only lasts about a day, but it is yummy good!

Bubble Up Pizza . . .

I have seen this several places around the web, so I decided to try it. It was a winner!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2 cans of flaky biscuits - cut biscuits into quarters

Toss into a large bowl and add a can of pizza sauce, pepperoni, sausage, green olives, mushrooms (or any toppings of your choice) and stir together.

Dump into a glass casserole dish. Top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes



I think there could be so many variations of this. I thought about doing chicken and fettucine sauce with some garlic and mushrooms. My hubby wants to try a Hawaiian pizza version. I also think it could be good with eggs, sausage and bacon.

Roasted Chick Peas . . .

I saw this over on Aiming Low and decided to give it a shot. They were pretty good!

I rinsed my chick peas (garbanzos) in my colander. I used 2 cans. Then put them on a paper towel to dry a bit. I put the in a bowl with a bit of olive oil, about 3 tablespoons. I sprinkled with cayenne pepper, salt, garlic, and black pepper. I spread them on a cookie sheet and baked them for 50-60 minutes. I stirred them three times over the cooking time to keep them pretty uniformly roasted.

They are yummy! They kind of remind me of corn-nuts, but not so hard.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

I decided today was the day to make sour cream enchiladas. I searched for a couple of easy recipes and I combined them into a recipe of my own.

2 boneless chicken breasts
white corn tortillas
sour cream
can of green chili enchilada sauce
can of green chilis
shredded mexican blend cheese

Here's what I did. I boiled and shredded a couple chicken breasts. (my favorite way to shred chicken)



I combined almost a full can of green chili enchilada sauce (reserving a bit for the top after they were wrapped), 2 cups of mexican shredded cheese, half a can of green chilis, and about 8 ounces of sour cream.


I heated the corn tortilla shells in the microwave with a wet papertowel in order to soften them up. I spooned in the filling and rolled them up, placing them in a slightly oiled 9x13 glass dish.



I topped these with some left over green chili sauce mixed with a few chilis and a couple spoonfuls of sour cream and finally about another cup of mexican shredded cheese.




I covered the dish with foil and baked them on 350 degree for 40 minutes. Yum!

Grandma Driver's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs

Add 1 tsp of baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp of water.

Mix in 2 1/4 flour, followed by 12 oz of chocolate chips.

Grease cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until golden.

Lemon Cream Pasta with Capers

Pasta With Lemon Cream and Capers

4 servings

PASTA

1 tablespoon table salt

2 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked

1 teaspoon canola oil

LEMON CREAM SAUCE

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon chicken base (see note)

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons capers

For the pasta: In a pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a full boil. Add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, until al dente. Immediately drain pasta and cool in cold water. Drain water completely. Coat pasta with canola oil to prevent sticking.

For the Lemon Cream Sauce: In a stock pot, make a roux by melting the butter and stirring in the flour. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning.

To the stock pot, add the heavy cream, lemon juice, chicken base, lemon zest, kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk or blend to dissolve the roux. Heat to 200 degrees and simmer 15 minutes, or until thickened. Stir often to prevent burning.

Combine cooked penne with Lemon Cream Sauce and capers. Eat way too much!!!

(Adapted from Souplantation)