Caramel Pecan Rolls

From the kitchen of Nancy Lamothe (I believe originally sourced to Southern Living)

1 pkg Active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. margarine or butter (softened)
1 egg
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup margarine/butter (melted)
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 tbsp. corn syrup
2/3 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar, salt, softened margarine, egg and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth. With spoon or by hand, work in enough remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Place greased-side-up in greased bowl: cover tightly & refrigerate overnight.

Combine melted margarine, brown sugar, corn syrup and pecan halves. Pour into greased casserole pan. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. On floured board, roll dough into 15X9" oblong. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll up tightly, beginning at wide side. Seal edge well. Cut into 1" slices and place in prepared pan. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 1/2 hours). Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Should make about 15 rolls.

Enjoy, they are delicious!

White Dove Bird Nests

White Dove Bird Nests (inspired by Cara McNeany):

*2 12oz bags of white chocolate chips

*La Choy Chow Mein Noodles – 2 1/2 cups

*Mixed nuts (approx. 1 lb.)

Melt white chocolate chips in a double burner. When melted, add noodles and nuts. Mix thoroughly and scoop with a spoon onto a cookie sheet. Cool in the fridge. ENJOY!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose lour

And to make the cookies really delicious add 1 cup peanut butter chips and 1 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels.

Mix pb and butter on high speed w/ and electric mixer. Add sugars, baking soda and powder and beat until well mixed. Add egg and vanilla till combined and then beat in flour. Bake at 375 degrees for exactly 7 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.

The cookies can also be rolled and put into mini muffin pans (no muffin cup needed), bake for 7-9 minutes. As soon as they come out press mini reesces pb cups into the "muffin" and allow to cool before you remove. Another variation is to cook the pb cookie on a cookie sheet and then press a hershey kiss into the center upon removal from the oven.

ENJOY!! (Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cook book)

Chicken Pot Pie

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can chx. broth (undiluted)
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cooked chicken cut into cubes
1 10 oz package of frozen mixed vegetables
Jiffy box pie crust

Melt butter and cook onions until glossy. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Stir in broth & milk; heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken and thawed frozen vegetables.

Line 11" square casserole dish with 1/2 pie crust. Pour mixture into crust & cover with the second layer of crust. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape. Cook uncovered at 425 degrees until crust is brown and interior is bubbling, (approximately 35 minutes).

Spanish Rice

1 lb hamburg
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper (can substitute zucchini), chopped
1 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
1 tsp sea salt (can substitute regular salt)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 can stewed tomatoes w/ juice
1 3/4 cup chicken broth

Brown hamburg and add garlic and vegetables. Cook until vegetables are tender. Stir in rice and seasonings. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Heat to a boiling; cover and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes, (until rice is tender and the flavors have run together). Adjust seasoning to taste.

Note: this is a meal that the entire family actually eats happily :)

Baking Powder Biscuits

These are Easy & Delicious. They are good with beef stew or for breakfast and I like them most w/ butter and jelly or a sausage patty and eggs :)

2 cups flour, sifted
1 tblsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening. Combine milk and eggs and mix into flour mixture. Turn dough on a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Roll dough to a 3/4 inch thickness. I usually form the shape with a cookie cutter or a glass... Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy :)

Beef Stew

From Volume II: Cooking with Mickey

2lbs stew meat cubed
4 tblsp. oil
4 tblsp flour
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup of carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 tblsp. tomato paste
4 beef bullion cubes
2 cups water
3 cups brown gravy
1 tsp. paprika
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. garlic, granulated
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup of frozen peas

Dust stew meat in flour. Heat oil in a stew pot and sear the meat on high heat until meat is browned. Add vegetables and water and simmer 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, (except peas). Mix well and simmer on low until meat is tender and vegetables are cooked. Remove bay leaf and adjust seasoning if necessary. 20 minutes before serving, add the peas.

The meal is delicious served with Baking Powder Biscuits, (see recipe on above). This can also be done in a crock pot; in which case I skip the searing part and just throw the meat in raw and add all the ingedients, (except the peas), immediately. Then I let it slow cook for 6 or 7 hours before serving. An good addition is a can of stewed tomatoes... but you may want to adjust the amount of water for the addition.

Enjoy :)

Crepes

This is another Lamothe breakfast favorite:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tblsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tblsp. butter, (melted)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together with a spoon. Heat a fry pan and spray well with cooking spray. Put ladle of batter into the pan and roll the pan so that the batter spreads throughout the pan. The crepe will cook quickly. Lift the edges with a spatula and flip. Let the second side cook briefly.

Repeat until the batter is gone :)

Of course you can fill a crepe with many different things. However, we enjoy a tablespoon of brown sugar spread over the crepe and then roll the crepe and enjoy :)

Corn Bread

Buttery Corn Bread from "Allrecipes.com" posted by Nicole Callen
Hannah's new favorite!

2/3 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups milk
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture, (or if your like me, just toss it all in and mix it up good!!).

Pour into a greased 13*9inch baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

This recipe is great with Chili or Mexican rice or just as a snack!

Ham & Potato Casserole

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1 chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
dash of pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 cups cooked, cubed potatoes
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 cups of cooked cubed ham

Sautee onion and butter until tender; add flour and seasonings until thick. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Add 1 1/2 cups of cheese stirring until cheese melts. Add potatoes and ham and cook on low heat for about ten minutes. Spoon mixture into a shallow casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer. Enjoy!

Stir Fry Beef & Broccoli with Oriental Sauce

This is a great way to make a second meal with left over steak...

From Volume II of Cooking With Mickey:

approx. 1 lb steak sliced against the grain into 1/2 inch slices
approx. 2 cups of broccoli tops
1 cup mushrooms (optional)
2 tsp. sesame oil
Oriental Sauce (see recipe below)
1 tblsp. toasted sesame seeds

As you are preparing the oriental sauce, heat oil in a skillet or wok. Add sliced beef if uncooked or broccoli 1st if using leftover beef. Beef should be browned on all sides. Vegetables should be cooked until hot. Add oriental sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds (optional).

Oriental Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tblsp. honey
1 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 chx bouillon cube
3 tblsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tblsp. water

Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan, except cornstarch. Bring to a simmer on low heat. Whisk cornstarch into simmering sauce. Continue simmering until sauce thickens, plus an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Nice if served over white rice... Enjoy!

Chili

Paul's favorite Chili:

Approximately 2 cups of New England Baked Beans (see recipe below).
2 cans of kidney beans, rinsed thoroughly, (one can can be substituted with black beans)
28 oz can of whole tomatoes (this can be substituted for stewed tomatoes)
12 oz tomato paste
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tblsp. worchestshire sauce
1 lb of hamberg browned with one chopped onion

(Measurements are estimations and to taste, use as a guide only...)

Mix all ingredients together in a crock pot and let the flavors run together for several hours. If you like it spicy, as Paul does, add a few hot cherry peppers (halved) and a bit of the juice...

Yummy with shredded cheddar cheese over the top! Enjoy!

Carolyn's New England Baked Beans

This recipe is my combination of several recipes. The measurements are an estimation, as I don't measure and the beans always come out differently, so think of this as more of a "guide." The key to good baked beans is slow cooking and an old fashioned bean pot.

1 lb dry, small white navy beans soaked overnight
1 chopped onion
2 tsp. butter
1 clove minced garlic
4 strips uncooked bacon
2 tblsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 tblsp. molasses
1/2 cup ketsup
1 tblsp. dry or prepared mustard
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup maple syrup

Boil soaked beans with onion on low rolling boil for 1 hour. When beans are soft, strain most of the excess water. You want to keep some so that the beans don't dry out while they bake and it's smart to keep a reserve to add to the pot if the beans do start to dry out. Next add all the other ingredients into the bean pot. Bake at 275 degrees for 5-7hrs. Check occasionally and stir. If drying, add reserve broth. If they are cooking too slowly, raise the temperature as the time to serve gets closer. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Better Homes and Gardens

1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Beat shortening and butter together w/ an electric mixer. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar and baking soda; beat until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add flour and beat again. Once flour is well blended, add chocolate chips. Bake for 8 minutes at 375 degrees.

Hint: Even if the cookies don't look done after 8 min. THEY ARE!!. Take them out. They continue to bake as they cool. If you over cook them they will become crispier, (still delicious)!

Banana Bread

Banana Bread as modified from Volume II Cooking with Mickey:

2 sticks of butter
2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. water
2 cups of mashed bananas
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift together flour, salt and baking soda.
Melt butter on stove. Mix butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add bananas and vanilla. Mix in flour until well blended.

Grease two loaf pans and divide batter equally. Bake for one hour or until center is firm. Allow to cool for about ten minutes & then glaze the top with vanilla frosting. Enjoy!