Heavenly Pieces

Oh. My. Melt in your mouth!

These cookies always remind me of Christmas (I think it's thanks to Elliott's back room Christmas parties)! I decided to make some to take to school tomorrow, soI thought I may as well post them while I was at it! This recipe is from my Aunt Lynette--my mom and all of her sisters have the best recipes!

Beat together:
2 cubes of butter (softened)
3/4 C. Cornstarch
1 C. flour
1/2 C. powdered sugar

Dough should be smooth and creamy

*Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.
(More like scrape off teaspoon and then I smoothed the tops of mine a little bit with my fingers)
*Bake at 350* for 13-15 minutes

I made mine fairly small and they puffed up just a little bit.

The bottoms should just be starting to brown when they're done!
The picture doesn't really help.

Frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

P.S. My sisters and I may or may not have a small obsession with cream cheese! :)

Crepes

When we were little we love, love, LOVED going to our Aunt Mary's house to sleep over. First of all, she is the BOMB aunt and second of all, she always made us her famous (at least in our family) crepes for breakfast! They are simple and sweet, but we adore them!

Now whenever we get together at my mom's house the making of breakfast usually falls on my shoulders and everyone's vote is usually crepes. So here is our easy crepe recipe with a few pictures of some of the steps.

In a liquid measuring cup combine:
3 eggs
1 C. milk
1 C. flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

*Whisk together--I usually add a little bit more milk once I have it mixed up because you'll want your batter thin enough to spread it around your pan.

*Heat a frying pan (or a crepe pan) on medium low heat.
*Pam the pan when warm.
*Pour a small amount of batter (about 1/4 the size of your pan) in the middle or to one side.
*Roll the pan around spreading your batter evenly across the pan.
*When the edges start to curl, flip it over and cook it for 30 seconds to a minute.
*Put on a plate, spread butter, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar (pre-mixed), roll up, and EAT!

**We also love to add warm apple sauce to these and eat them with a fork.
**Also delicious with bavarian cream & fruit!

Pour the batter into a pammed pan.

Roll the pan around by the handle spreading out the batter evenly.
Flip it over when the edges start to curl (this one has just been flipped)
Spread butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar

Fold over one edge...

Roll it up and VOILA!

Stuffed Mushrooms

I shouldn't take the credit for these because this weekend was actually the first time I've ever made them. This recipe comes from a family friend, Linda Wintch. She used to make these for us when we worked at Elliott's, and for the past couple years we've made them for nearly every get-together. Seriously.We always have these with Christmas dinner, so add them to your list of appetizers for this Christmas! They are delish. And super easy! (Our fave).

Ingredients

2-3 cartons fresh, whole mushrooms

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (have you noticed yet we love cream cheese?)

4-5 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled)

Some diced onion. I don't know how much. I'd say we chopped up less than 1/4 of a small onion. Maybe 4-5 tablespoons. I know this isn't an exact measurement. But it's not a big deal.

Melted butter

Bread crumbs

De-stem and wash all mushrooms.

Pat mushrooms dry.

In a sauce pan, saute the onion in olive oil.

In a bowl, mix cream cheese, onion, and bacon with a hand-mixer.

Fill mushrooms with cream cheese mixture.

Dip each mushroom in butter then bread crumbs and place on baking sheet.

  

Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until mushroom is soft.

Yum! I want to make more just looking at these pictures (and sorry there aren't pictures of every step).

Enjoy!

--Mindy

Coconut Cream Pie

This was my first attempt at a homemade pie that didn't need a graham cracker crust and/or require the use of Cool Whip!  I got this recipe from my friend Marnie's mom, Carla.  Whenever she makes pie and invites us over (or brings it to Marnie's) I just can't get enough!  So when I was asked to make a pie for Thanksgiving dinner with Matt's parents, and since I hate pumpkin pie, I decided to give this a whirl.  As Mindy said, "This pie is to die for!"

Coconut Cream Pie Filling

In a 3 qt. sauce pan combine and stir:

5 Tbs. corn starch

1 C. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

Add: 2 1/2 C. milk

3/4 C. half & half

*Cook over medium heat until smooth and thick--stirring constantly.

Whisk together:

3 egg yolks (in separate bowl)

(Temper the eggs by pouring some of the warm mixture (about 4 Tbs.) into the egg yolks) 

Pour tempered egg yolks into saucepan

*Cook 2-3 minutes

*Remove from heat

Add:

2 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

*When butter is melted add 3/4 to1 C. coconut (or more to taste)

**Pour into pie crust and refigerate until cool.

*Top with whipped cream and more coconut!
(Makes 2 pies)

ENJOY!

~~Kim

Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes

I got this recipe today from here.  I decided to come home and make it since I knew I had everything I would need.  As soon as it was in the oven my mouth started watering, it smelled so good!  Matt couldn't get enough and even Brynlie gobbled down almost a half of a chicken breast--which is a miracle! 

Mmmmmm.....

 2 tsp. Paprika

1 1/4 tsp. crushed Rosemary leaves

1 tsp. Minced Garlic (I pressed 2 fresh cloves)

1/2 tsp. black pepper (I would use 1/4 next time, it was pretty peppery)

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

4-5 chicken breasts (I used 2 of the huge Costco ones and cut them in half)

1 1/2 lb. red potatoes--cubed

*Mix oil and first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.

*Add chicken and potatoes; toss and coat well in oil/spice mixture.

*Arrange potatoes and chicken in a single layer on a foil-lined and greased 9x13 pan.

*Roast in oven at 425 for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked and potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

~~Kim

Chicken/Broccoli/Stuffing Casserole

I'm not a huge casserole fan, but this one always hits the spot!  It's very simple and it's the perfect dinner to make with that left over Thanksgiving turkey & stuffing!

 Top view--gold and bubbly!

4 Chicken Breasts (chunked and cooked)

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 pkg. dry Brown Gravy mix

2 heads of broccoli (washed, cut, and steamed)

2 pkgs. Chicken Stove Top (follow directions on box)

Grated cheddar cheese

*Combine soup and gravy mix in a bowl--mix well

*Stir in chicken

*Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan

*Layer cooked broccoli over the top of the chicken/soup mixture

*Spread cooked stuffing over the top of the broccoli

*Sprinkle with cheese

*Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until cheese is melting and soup is bubbling!

**I half this recipe for my little family and just put it in a 9x9 pan!

~~Kim

Cheesy Pig

image from here

Cold days like today make me want soup. This is one of our very favorite soup recipes. I think it has a more technical name like "Cheesy Ham Chowder" or something, but my brother-in-law, Mark, renamed it Cheesy Pig, and the name stuck.

It looks like a lot of steps, but it's actually really simple.

Ingredients

10 slices bacon

1 C. diced carrots

1 onion (I just use some dehydrated onions)

3 Tbsp. flour

3 C. milk

1.5 C. water

2.5 C. diced potatoes

1 can corn-drained

3 C. cheese

2 C. diced ham

How to make this deliciousness we call soup:

-Cut the bacon into little pieces and fry it.

-Remove bacon from pan and cook onions and carrots in the grease.

-When carrots are cooked, add the flour and stir it in until it's smooth.

-Put carrots, onions, and flour in a pot.

-Add milk and water---stir.

-Add potatoes and simmer until they are soft.

-Add corn, bacon, ham, and cheese.

-Heat until cheese is melted.

Yum! It's even better in bread bowls!

--Mindy

Craisin Salad

I just HAD to have this recipe after attending a baby blessing where it was served.  Since then, I have taken it to many a family party and it's another one of those things that everyone wants the recipe for.  I have been asked to bring this to Thanksgiving Dinner, so I thought I'd share it in case anyone else needs a yummy salad to take with them!

(This isn't a picture of MY actual salad, I borrowed it from here)

In a large bowl toss:
1 head of green leaf lettuce
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 lb. bacon cooked and crumbled
1 C. mozzarella Cheese
1C. shredded Paremsan Cheese
8 oz. toasted, sliced almonds
8 oz. Craisins

Dressing:
In blender mix:
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. mustard
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Then add:
1 c. vegetable oil and blend again.

Shake well before serving!

(I like to serve it on the side, but you can toss it into the salad if you want!)

~~Kim

Pumpkin Cake Roll

This recipe comes from my mom and is another holiday favorite in our family. I know Kim just posted a pumpkin dessert but I figured that since it is Thanksgiving week it would be OK to post another one (and this one is MY favorite). It may look a little intimidating but it really isn't hard.

And mine does not look as good as my moms does (I may or may not have dropped it on the floor) but the taste is what matters right?

Combine:
3 eggs
beat for 5 min. or until fluffy (I probably only beat mine for about 3).
1 C. sugar
2/3 C. pumpkin
1 t. lemon juice

In a separate bowl combine:
3/4 C. flour
1 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt

Stir dry ingredients together with the pumpkin mixture.
Next, take a jelly roll pan, (I couldn't find one so I just bought an 11X16 cookie sheet at Walmart)
and Pam well. Then line the pan with wax paper. Grease and flour the wax paper well and
then pour in your mixture.
Bake @ 375 degrees for 14 minutes
(my pan is that darker metal so I turn my oven down to 350)

Turn out onto a flour sack (or any thin) dish cloth sprinkled with powder sugar. I sprinkle it on generously to prevent any sticking. Fold the end of the cloth up over the edge of the cake before you start rolling. Roll the cake up tight and let cool for about an hour.

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 C. powder sugar
4 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix together and spread onto unrolled cake.
Then roll it back up and cut into slices.
This is soooo yummy, I promise you and your family will love it!

Pumpkin Cake Dessert

This is one of my favorite fallish/Thanksgiving desserts.  Not all of the Howe Girls like it, but it's something my mom always made when we were younger.  I hate pumpkin pie, but give me some warm pumpkin dessert topped with whipped cream and I'm in heaven!

First:

1 yellow cake mix--reserve 1 cup of dry mix

1 egg

1 cube butter (softened)

**Cut together and press into a greased 9x13 pan

Next:

2 eggs (beaten together)

2/3 C. milk

1/2 C. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 quart of pumpkin

**Mix together and pour over cake layer

Last:

1 C. cake mix (reserved from above)

1/2 C. sugar

3 T. butter

**Cut together and sprinkle over the top of the pumpkin mixture.

**Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes

**Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or Cool Whip

~~Kim

Black Bean Salsa

I got this recipe from my friend Amy (who got it at a workshop) and every time I take this to a family party it is a major hit and everyone asks for the recipe.  Mindy has put it on her blog before, but we'll share it again.

2 cans of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can of shoepeg corn (find it in the corn aisle)

3 avocados (diced)

3 roma tomatoes (diced)

cilantro--to taste (chopped)

Italian Salad Dressing--to taste

Mix and serve with chips!

Cream Cheese Chicken

I'm posting this recipe because it is the first recipe that comes to mind when I think about things my sisters and I cook. This recipe is a staple in all of our homes, and has even become a traditional Sunday dinner at my house. We love it, and we really love that it's so easy. Enjoy.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 pkg. dry italian dressing mix

1 pkg. cream cheese

Throw everything in the crock-pot and cook on low all day. Serve over rice. I've also had it over egg noodles, and it's not too bad!

-Mindy