Spiced Cranberry Sauce

I know what you're thinking - you don't like cranberries, right? I first tried this when my sister made them for thanksgiving, and I loved them so much, I made it for a ward relief society dinner. Most of the women claimed to not like cranberry anything, and most of them loved this!

Spiced Cranberries
1 (12 oz) bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 small can of manderine oranges

Directions: Drain oranges and set aside. In a 2 quart sauce pan, cook cranberries over medium high heat until they start to pop. Once they begin to pop, add 1 cup of sugar. After sugar is added and mixed in, cook and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, and add in vanilla and cinnamon. Cook until all cranberries have popped. Mixture will be thick. Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in manderine oranges. Chill for several hours or over night.

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

3 cups shredded zucchini
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour

Make sure your oven rack is on the lower level. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix zucchini, eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool in loaf pans for 30 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack and cool additional 30 minutes before slicing.

Do you want a healthier version? Trust me, your kids will still snarf it up!
* For the flour - use 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, and 1/2 cup of quick oats.
* Add 1/2 cup of ground flax seed.
* Decrease the sugar by a half cup, you won't miss it, I promise!

Easy Sweet n' Sour sauce

This is one of my favorite recipe's! It's so quick and SO easy!

1 small bottle of Russian Salad Dressing (french or catalina will work - but not the creamy version)
1 jar of apricot, apricot/pineapple, or peach jam
1 pkg. lipton onion soup mix.

Bake your chicken in this sauce and serve it over rice. Steamed Asparagus on the side is my favorite with this dish!

Great with meat balls too!

Cheese ball

If you haven't heard of Delectable Addictions, check them out! I love using their dip spice packets to make cheese balls and other yummy stuff. They are a huge hit every single time! Delectable Addictions is small Utah company. And if you are from Utah, you can find their products year round at The Quilted Bear in Ogden and Midvale. You can also find them at a boutique that happens a few times a year here in Utah, called Kottage Kupboard! And there, you get to sample all their yummy stuff, and they usually run specials that will save you a little $ when you stock up :) And of course, you can always order online!

Here's what you'll need:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1-2 TBSP. mayonaise
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
1 Scrumptious Spinach Dip mix

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and referigerate atleast 5 hours to soften the spices and to let the flavors blend. Enjoy with your favorite cracker (or my kids like pretzles with them).

Apple Pie Filling

For 1 Quart
3 1/2 cups fresh apples, washed, peeled & sliced
1/4 cup clear jel *
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. lemon juice



For 7 Quarts
6 quarts fresh apples, washed, peeled & sliced
5 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups clear jel *
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/4 cup water
5 cups apple juice
3/4 cup lemon juice

Soak the apples in water with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Combine sugar, clear jel, cinnamon, nutmeg in a large kettle with water and apple juice. Stir on med-med high heat until mixture starts to bubble and thinkens. Add lemon juice and continue stirring and boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, drain apples and fold them into sugar mixture.

Pour into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Adjust 2 piece lids and process - pints 25 minutes, quarts 30 minutes.

*Replace clear jel with tapioca. 1 jar - 2 tablespoons, 7 quarts - about 1 cup (it's like 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have had quite a few requests for this recipe. I don't know what makes it different than your normal recipe - but apparently, some of you think it's better - so - here you go!

In a large bowl combine and mix the following:
2 eggs
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Then add:
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour
1/2 - 1 full bag of your favorite chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate - but my husband likes using the semi-sweet mini's)

Put rounded spoonful dough onto UNGREASED cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 11 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for atleast 5 minutes before transfering to a cooling rack.

Apple Crisp

4-6 medium to large apples - washed, peeled, and cored

Lay slices in the bottom of an 8x8 lightly sprayed baking dish

Crumble topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter (soft, not melted)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Sprinkle ontop of sliced apples, bake at 375 for 30 minutes - serve with ice cream!

Pesto Sauce

Oh Pesto! How can you not just love it?

2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried off
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Put basil and garlic in food processor. Turn it on, and start drizzling in the olive oil. You want it pasty, but not too oily. You may not need the full amount, so just eyeball it to the consistancy you like. Mix with 12 - 16 oz. of hot pasta of your choice! My personal favorite is the small shell noodles. My kids prefer speghetti or fetticini.

This will compliment a breaded chicken or fish dish really well!

Lion House Dinner Rolls

These are my favorite rolls ever! I'm so glad i came across the recipe and can share it with you!

2 cups warm water (115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tbsp. active dry yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 egg
5 to 5 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

In large bowl of an electric mixer, combine water and dry milk powder. Mix until milk is dissolved. Add yeast, sugar, salt, 1/3 cup butter, egg, and 2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Add 2 more cups of flour, mix on low until just mixed, then on medium for 2 minutes. Dough will be getting stiff at this point, so use your dough hook, or add remaining flour and mix by hand. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time and mix again until dough is soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. You do not need to use all the flour, just enough to get it to the right consistency.

In a large bowl, pour a couple of tablespoons of oil, and turn dough out into bowl, rolling it around as to get all sides of the dough - this will prevent the dough from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size - about 1 1/2 hours.

Sprinkle cutting board or counter top with flour and roll out and shape the dough as desired.

Place rolls on a greased baking pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove plastic wrap and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot. Makes 2-3 dozen depending on the size you make them.

Too Much Zucchini?

Maybe I'm the only one who had their zucchini plants explode this year! It seems like I couldn't keep up with the overwhleming amount coming off my vines each week. This summer, I froze over 40 cups of zucchini, that will be long gone by next spring! To freeze zucchini to use in recipe's, cut, remove seeds, and shred. Put in freezer bags. It's that easy!

Asside from Zucchini Bread, try these other yummy ideas to use up that shredded zucchini!

* Add 1 cup to your hamberger/turkey meat for burgers on the grill.
* Add 1 cup to your next meat loaf mixture
* Add 1 cup to the next batch of brownies you make
* Add 1 cup to your speghetti sauce
* Add 1 cup to your choclate cake batter
* Add 1 cup to your pancake batter
* Add to your cookie dough
* Add 1 cup to your muffin dough
* Add to any soup
* Add 1/2 cup to your pizza dough, or sprinkle over the top of your pizza


The sky really is the limit with shredded zucchini! If it's shredded small, it's less detectable by your children. And with it having virtually no flavor, it can be added to just about anything, and you have instant vitamins added.

Best Brownies!

I'm a sucker for a good brownie, and these - by far - are the best I've ever had! Thanks Cindy for sharing your recipe!

4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup cocoa
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup nuts (optional)

Mix well. Pour into a lightly sprayed 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes

Banana Cream Cheesecake

I found this on the Kraft Foods website! It was a big hit at our family gathering tonight, so I thought I'd post it here for you all too!

Banana Cream Cheesecake

1 White Cake Mix, divided
4 Eggs, divided
2/3 cup brown sugar, divided
3 tbsp. oil
2 banana's sliced
2- 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups milk
4 - 5 oz. cool whip

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix, set aside. Mix remaining cake mix with 1 egg, oil, 1/3 brown sugar with a hand mixer. Mixture will be crumbly. Press into bottom of 9x13 greased baking dish. Top with sliced bananas.

Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/3 brown sugar with mixer. Add in reserved 1 cup of dry cake mix. Add in remaining 3 eggs, one at a time, then add lemon juice. Mix for 1 minute. Add in milk slowly and continue to mix. Batter will be thin. Pour over crust & bananas.

Bake for 50 minutes or until brown spots start appearing on top. Remove from oven and let stand for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours. Spread on cool whip, cut and serve. Enjoy!

Breakfast Muffins

This is my FAVORITE muffin recipe!! My Aunt Chris shared it with me earlier this year, and we make them all the time!

Muffins - this recipe makes 12 muffins

1 egg
1 1/3 cups mashed banana
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 375. Combine egg, banana, brown sugar, apple sauce and vanilla. Mix well. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and oats. Mix well. Stir in blueberries.

Lightly spray a muffin pan, or use muffin papers. Fill 3/4 full and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool - enjoy

Additional Ideas for this recipe:

I use whole wheat flour in mine. It makes them a bit heartier and more filling. Instead of blueberries, try one of the following ideas: apricots, craisins, or nuts!

Optional Crumble Topping

2 tbsp. melted butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of muffins before you bake them.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

This is one of my favorite recipes, and so easy to make! If you like it spicy, add the cayenne pepper and keep a few of the pepper seeds in. If not, throw out all the seeds and don't add the cayenne pepper.

1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 tomatillo peppers, husks removed
1 serrano pepper, seeds and veins removed
Juice from 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 pckt. of ranch salad dressing mix
1 cup of milk
1 cup of mayonnaise

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well! That's it, so easy, so yummy!

Macaroni Salad

This recipe is a tasty one, and it feeds a lot of people! It's perfect for all the summer bbq's and get-togethers!

Macaroni Salad

2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, chopped fine
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 bunch of italian parsley, chopped fine
4 cups of red grapes, cut in half length wise
1 cup of frozen petite sweet green peas
1/2 lb. medium or sharp cheddar cheese, cubed to bite size
3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles - cook in lightly salted water, drain, and rinse in cold water.


DRESSING
3/4 of a regular size jar of mayonnaise. Light will work, but don't use fat free
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Chop and combine celery, bell pepper, green onions, grapes, and parsley. Add frozen peas. Mix and let sit to blend flavors while you cook the noodles.

Rinse noodles under cold water until noodles are cold to the touch. Drain well. Add noodles into vegetable mixture. Add dressing, and mix well. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours or over night. Before serving, add in cubed cheddar cheese. Mix, serve, and enjoy!

Add-in ideas

* 1/4 cup of slivered almonds
* 1-2 lbs. of grilled and seasoned chicken breasts, chopped
* 1/2 carrot grated fine
* 1/2 cucumber, chopped

Cherry Vanilla Syrup

I searched the internet trying to find a recipe for cherry syrup for our pancakes and waffles and such. I had a really hard time finding one that I liked. But I found a couple that looked easy, and decided to combine them to make my own. Too bad I forgot to save the sites where I found them, and write down my version!! This will be a vague recipe, I'll try and remember all my steps! It's tasty, but still a work in progress for sure! Good think I have unlimited access to more cherries eh?

Cherry Syrup

Fill your steamer/juicer basket nearly full of cherries - stems removed.
Steam them a long time - about an hour or so. You should have some juice to extract now - start dripping into a large stock pot - bigger than 6 qts. Continue steaming for another hour - squeezing the pulp occasionally and mixing it around to let more juice come out.

After you've extracted all the juice you can, put your potful of juice onto the stove and add 11 cups of sugar. Yes, you read that right - 11 cups! Holy tooth ache, I know. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 10-15 minutes, still stirring constantly. Turn temp. down to a simmer and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla. Ladle into prepared jars and wipe clean before placing your lid and rings onto your jars. Let sit over night - as they cool, they will seal, making it great for storage.

Use your syrup for pancakes, waffles, french toast, milkshakes, snow cones, slushies, etc.!

Wheat Bread - Bosch Mixer

This seriously is the best wheat bread recipe I have ever had! Thank you Cindy for sharing it, and teaching me how to do it. I hope with time and lots of practice, I can be good at this!

This recipe makes makes 5 loaves!

Put 6 cups warm water in Bosch Mixer. Sprinkle 2 rounded tablespoons active dry yeast over warm water. Sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar over yeast. Add 2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, and 3/4 cup oil. Add 6 cups of wheat flour and mix on level 1 until it's blended (about 2 minutes).

Then add 2000 mg. crushed vitamin c, 2 cups quick oats, and 1/4 cup ground (milled) flax seed. Turn back on level 1 and begin adding white flour one cup at a time. Add enough to clean the sides of the bowl (about 6 to 8 cups). Continue to knead on level 1 for 10 minutes.

Put into 5 greased loaf pans and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 and bake approximately 30 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

2 - 3 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

My Bread Crumb Mixture:
2 cups bran flakes, crushed to desired consistency
2 TBSP flax seed, ground with coffee grinder
1 TBSP wheat germ
Seasoning Suggestions: onion powder, garlic powder, celery salt, paprika, and italian seasoning (I use all of these in this recipe).

Wash chicken and cut into desired size pieces. Combine egg and milk, and whisk until you're heart's content. Dip chicken in egg/milk mixture, and then into bread crumb mixture. Lay on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

3 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

This is a recipe every girl should have handy! It's quick, it's easy, and it's so yummy!! It can serve 2 people if you are feeling generous :)

3 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! ENJOY!

Root Beer Cookies

This is one of our favorite recipe's for large gatherings! I have found in my experience, that the dehydrated buttermilk does not work well for this recipe, you need the real stuff! Also, using real butter instead of margarine in the frosting really does make it better. I've used margarine in the cookie batter, and I can't tell a big difference.

Root beer Cookies
2 sticks (1 cup) butter (soft - not melted)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. root beer extract
2 eggs
1 ts. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour

Cream butter, sugar, and buttermilk. Add root beer extract and eggs, cream again. Add salt and soda, and mix again. Add flour 1 cup at a time mixing well each time, scraping the sides of the bowl often.

Spoon onto cookie sheet (do not grease or spray!) and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting (about 30 minutes).


Frosting
1 stick of butter
3 cups powder sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. root beer extract

Cabbage Salsa

This was a recipe that was shared with us a few years ago. It is super yummy, and different than your normal tomato based fresh salsa's. It's not a very wet salsa, but it is full of flavor! If you like more moisture in it, add more orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time.

1 small head of green cabbage, finely chopped
1/2 of a small red onion, finely chopped
1 serrano pepper, remove seeds and veins
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
5 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice
5 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Mix all ingredients, refrigerate for 2-3 hours to let flavors blend. Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!