Categories
Cakes Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Cherry or Blueberry Coffee Cake

Betty, a co-worker of mine, brought this coffee cake into work one day when her church told her they had enough desserts for a funeral that day. Boy did they make a mistake, it was still warm when she brought it in. Don’t tell anybody at work, but I think I ate a whole row of this stuff. It was delicious!

Cherry or Blueberry Coffee Cake

Cherry or Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 C. sugar
4 eggs
1 C. cooking oil (Betty uses Smart Balance)
2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla or almond flavoring (Betty uses almond)
1 can pie filling (21 oz.)

  1. Beat eggs, add sugar, oil and flour which have been sifted together with baking powder and salt.
  2. Spread 1/2 of batter into 9 x 13″ pan.
  3. Spread 1 can of pie filling (or other pie filling).
  4. Drop remaining batter over pie filling. (Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon if desired, Betty does not)
  5. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.
  6. Drizzle powdered sugar frosting on top (Betty flavors with almond)
Categories
Recipes with Pictures Salads Side Dishes

Potato Salad

This recipe comes from Carol, a friend of mine at work. Carol doesn’t share just any old thing when it comes to work-lunch potlucks. Last time around she brought this stellar potato salad. Everyone loved it! Which is why I am posting on the site. Thanks Carol!

CAROL’S NOTES:
My mother made the best potato salad. However, when I tried to make it her way, it never tasted the same so…
I decided I would experiment with my own recipe until it tasted like hers. My father-in-law wanted me to package and market my potato salad… that isn’t going to happen 🙂

Potato Salad

5 lbs. of (white) Idaho potatoes cooked with skins on
1 dozen large (white) eggs – hard boiled
1 jar of “Spin Blend” salad dressing (add more salad dressing for a moist salad)
2 C. chopped onions (white)
1/2 C. chopped chive greens (for color)

  1. Cook white potatoes with the jackets on until you can inset a fork in them, but they do not fall apart
  2. Cool, peel and dice in a large bowl
  3. Boil eggs (in the shell) until done. Cool in cold water (or ice water). Remove shells and dice, add to potatoes
  4. Add onions and chopped chives
  5. Mix in one jar of Spin Blend salad dressing depending on the amount of potatoes and eggs (Spin Blend can be found at the grocery store in the same isle as Mayo)
  6. Mix well
  7. Salt and Pepper to taste
Categories
Beef Chicken Fish & Seafood Miscellaneous Pork Vegetables

Grilling Times

For all you folks who like to grill, I found this great little website called “GrillingTimes.com” that gives detailed grilling times for all kinds of meat, fish seafood and vegetables. It also tells you how to determine grilling temperatures. Click the icon below and take a gander for yourself . . .

Grilling Times Website

Categories
Bars Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Zucchini Brownies

I found this recipe on the All Recipes website. These are absolutely the best brownies I have ever had.

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 1/2 C. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 C. shredded zucchini
1/2 C. chopped walnuts

FROSTING:
6 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 C. margarine
2 C. confectioners’ sugar
1/4 C. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Grease and flour a 9×13″ baking pan
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended
  4. Combine the flour 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture
  5. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts
  6. Spread evenly into pan
  7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

FROSTING

  1. Melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool
  2. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  3. Stir in the cocoa mixture, spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24

Categories
Breads & Rolls Breakfast Recipes with Pictures

Easy Homemade Donuts (Doughnuts)

I was craving donuts one evening, so I started “Googling” different donut recipes. I’m not a big fan of spending hours in the kitchen, especially in the summer. So, I modified my search to “Easy Donuts” and toppled upon this recipe. I ran to the store the next morning and picked up a few tubes of buttermilk biscuits – as the recipe calls for – and in no time we had delicious donuts. It’s as easy as the title says. My wife said they used to make these all the time as kids and they used the cap from the vanilla bottle to cut out the centers.

Donuts with toppings - ready to eat

Tube(s) of buttermilk biscuits
Oil
Toppings

  • powdered sugar
  • cinnamon and sugar
  • chocolate
  • chopped nuts
  • caramel
  • sprinkles
  • whatever you want

Directions

  1. Pour oil into a large pan, enough to cover the bottom about a half an inch
  2. Heat oil on medium
  3. Cut a hole in the middle of each biscuit (I used a cap from a vanilla bottle)
  4. Once you have all the biscuits ready and the oil is hot, drop the biscuits into the oil
  5. They should fry quickly on the first side and then you can flip them over with tongs
  6. Once the second side is brown remove from oil and drain on paper towels
  7. The biscuits will puff up to look like donuts. Do the same for the holes that you cut out
  8. Once the donuts are drained add your favorite toppings

One tube makes 10 donuts and 10 small donut holes.

Buttermilk Biscuit Tubes

Buiscuits ready for the deep fry

Donuts frying - finished on one side

Donuts frying - ready to be taken out

Donuts with toppings - ready to eat

Categories
Bars Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Rich Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

We got this recipe from our neighbor’s parents. Our kids call them Grandma Lynn  and Grandpa Tom. They dropped a plate of these babies off one day and we devoured them. The combination of flavors make these delicious!

Rich Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

2 1/3 C. all-purpose flour
2/3 C. packed light brown sugar
3/4 C. (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 C. (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 C. coarsely chopped nuts
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 3/4 C. (10 oz. pkg.) SKOR English Toffee Bits, divided

  1. Heat oven to 350º
  2. Grease 13x9x2″ baking pan
  3. In large bowl, stir together flour and brown sugar
  4. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
  5. Add egg; mix well
  6. Stir in 1 1/2 C. chocolate chip and nuts
  7. Reserve 1 1/2 C. mixture
  8. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan
  9. Bake 10 minutes
  10. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over hot crust; top with 1 1/2 C. toffee bits
  11. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 C. chips over top
  12. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown
  13. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C. toffee bits

Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes about 48 bars.

Categories
Breads & Rolls Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Rhubarb Bread

A friend of mine surprised me with a loaf of this TASTY rhubarb bread. He and his wife have replaced the rhubarb with apples and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon as a recipe alternative. He brought in a couple slices to share and that too was excellent. I asked him for the recipe he handed me a print-out from the All Recipes.com website. Enjoy!

Rhubarb Bread

1 C. milk
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. brown sugar
2/3 C. vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 C. chopped rhubarb
1/2 C. chopped walnuts

TOPPING:
1/4 brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T. butter, melted

  1. Preheat oven to 340º F.
  2. Lightly grease two 9×5″ loaf pans
  3. In a small bowl, stir together milk, lemon juice, and vanilla; let stand for 10 minutes
  4. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil and egg. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture just until combined. Fold rhubarb and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
  5. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.
Categories
Bars Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Rocky Road Squares

I first tried these at my cousin Gina’s house. The recipe is so easy, her kids made them before our annual Twins vs. Brewers weekend. They were sooo tasty. I think I ate half a pan. YIKES!

Rocky Road Squares

1 – 12 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 – 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. margarine
2 C. dry roasted peanuts
1 – 10 oz. pkg miniature marshmallows

  1. Melt chocolate morsels, margarine and condensed milk in a double boiler or over low heat.
  2. Remove from heat and fold peanuts and marshmallows into chocolate mixture until evenly coated.
  3. Spread into a wax paper lined 9×13 pan.
  4. Chill until firm.
  5. Remove from pan and peel off wax paper.
  6. Cut into squares.
Categories
Beef Main Dishes Pasta Recipes with Pictures

Spaghetti Hotdish

A friend of ours from church shared this delicious recipe with us. I am not a big leftover fan, but this dish was excellent heated up the next day, and the day after that!!!

Spaghetti Hotdish

12 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 – 1 1/2 lb. hamburger
16 oz. sour cream
Large jar spaghetti sauce
2 C. Mozzarella cheese
3/4 C. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs

  1. Spray 9×13″ pan
  2. Put spaghetti in pan
  3. Mix eggs and Parmesan cheese
  4. Pour egg and Parmesan cheese mixture into spaghetti
  5. Layer hamburger, sour cream and then spaghetti sauce
  6. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top

Bake 350º for 30-40 minutes.

Categories
Main Dishes Pasta Recipes with Pictures Vegetarian

Tortellini with Peas and Tarragon

I got this recipe in the magazine Real Simple. It was fabulous!

Tortellini With Peas and Tarragon

1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 T. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 C. frozen peas
Kosher salt and pepper
2 T. chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 C. grated Parmesan

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the butter and cook until it turns golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tortellini, tarragon, and half the Parmesan and toss. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.