Linda's Truffles

MELT in double boiler pan:
1-12 oz. pkg. REAL milk chocolate chips (like Hershey's)
3 Tbls.milk

BEAT with mixer and add:
3 yolks...one and a time.

REMOVE pan from hot water. Beat in butter (3/4 cup-no substitutes) cut in pieces.

ADD 1/2 Tsp. vanilla..beat 2-3 minutes

CHILL in frig. When workable roll into balls the size of marbles in roll in chocolate shot (sprinkles) or nuts. Serve well chilled in tiny nut cups (foil ones).

Makes approx. 50. These look really cute on a silver platter at X-mas time to take to a party or to neighbors.

Corn Salsa Dip

Step one-

1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can black eyed peas drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 can mexi corn
1 jar diced pimentos
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green peppers
1 medium onion diced
2 jalapenos diced

Mix in bowl and set aside.

Step two
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Bring to boil and then pour over bean mixture. Refrigerate at least two hours. Use slotted spoon to serve. Eat with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Artichoke dip

1 1/2 cups mayo
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cans of artichokes hearts drained and chopped
1 small can green chili's
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Blend all ingredients and spread in a 9 x 13 dish. Sprinkle with paprika on top. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Peanut Butter Fingers

Creme together-
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

add:
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats

Mix until smooth. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and then spread with frosting.

Frosting:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
3/4 stick for butter
5 Tbsp milk
Cook over medium heat until really smooth. Pour over peanut butter bars.

Barbequed ham sandwiches

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup celery
1 onion chopped

fry until soft then add:

5 pounds ham (crumbled)
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worshire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
2 Tbsp dry mustard
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 can tomato soup

Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve on hard rolls. This is great for a family dinner.

Cream cheese sugar cookies

Creme together-
2 cups sugar
2 cups butter
6 oz. cream cheese
add-
1 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks
add- 4 1/2 cups flour

Chill dough for 2 hours. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and cook at 375 degrees for 7 -10 minutes.

Frosting-
3 egg whites
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Whip in mixer

These are honestly my very favorite cookies. This recipe is from a friend who got it from a caterer.

Hortense Loosli's carmel corn

Boil-
4 cups brown sugar
2 cups light karo syrup

after boiling add-
2 cubes butter
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

Stir constantly. Cook to firm ball. Pour over a huge bowl of popcorn.

Honey Baked Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry

Mix and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, basting every 15 minutes.

Butterscotch Rolls

24 frozen Rhodes Rolls
Layer in a bundt cake pan 2 levels (grease the bundt pan) sprinkle 1/2 pkg (3 oz) butterscotch pudding (not instant) over rolls. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar over rolls. Let rise 3 -4 hours. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Ron's EZ Chili & beans

These ingredients can be varied to suit your taste; don't be afraid to use too much seasonings. Amounts depend on size of pot you're making. . . it's fun to experiment with and difficult to have it turn out anything but good.
1. lean ground chuck / ground turkey @ 2 lbs
2. whole white onion / chop up 2-3 stalks of celery ~ optional
3. canned kidney, white and black beans & chili beans (use at least three different types)
4. bacon - if desired
5. canned mushroom halves (small can)
6. stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce & tomato paste (at least two stewed, one sauce & paste)
7. brown sugar @ 1/4 cup
8. seasonings ~ chili powder, black pepper, sweet basil, parsley flakes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar (can use Splenda and even molasses) I taste chili after it's made and add what I think it needs. I've even sprinkled nutmeg in the mixture. I never add salt, the other ingredients have plenty.

a. Cut @ 1/4 lb of bacon in 1" chunks and start in medium heat. *When half cooked, add celery, onion and meat. Sprinkle generously with black pepper and chili powder.
b. *If bacon not used, saute this mixture in at least 2 Tbls of olive oil (leave some 1/2" size chunks for great meaty bites when it's eaten) Drain excess fat.
c. Add beans with its juice, but not the canned Chili Beans - has too much of canned chili flavor -drain & rinse these beans first.
d. Add @ two cans of stewed tomatoes and one small can tomato paste. Stir well.
e. Add mushrooms and seasonings. Be careful of too much Worcestershire sauce & sweeteners at first; *add as desired at next step, and yes, add more chili powder.
f. simmer on low heat at least an hour, stirring often to avoid bottom burning; *season to taste.
g. shredded cheddar cheese for top and have someone else make cornbread. Viola!

This chili is even better heated and poured over scrambled eggs the next morning. Try it! I learned this from my dad, or a variation of it, and have experimented with it over the years.

Homemade Mac n' Cheese

4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar
1/2 pound velveeta
1 cup mozzarella
1 (16 oz) box elbow macaroni (al dente)
Plain bread crumbs

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, mustard, and pepper until smooth. Stir in milk until smooth. Stir constantly for 10 minutes until thick. Stir in all but 1/2 cup cheddar, velveeta and mozzarella cheese until melted. Take off heat. Pour the cooked macaroni into cheese sauce, mix well. Then pour into greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle leftover cheddar cheese on top. Then add bread crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes-cheese sauce will be bubbly.

Chicken Lasagne

Ingredients:
1 pkg. lasagna noodles, uncooked
4-5 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
4 cups broccoli, chopped
4-5 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce (small jar)

Thin white sauce:
8 tbsp. butter or margarine
8 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
5 cups milk
2 tsp. dehydrated onion

Spray pan (foil pans make for easy clean-up) with vegetable spray.

Layer ingredients in the following order:
uncooked lasagna noodles
cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
chopped broccoli
chopped cauliflower (opt)
cooked and shredded chicken
Thin white sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese

Repeat layers until close to the top (it should be about 3 layers of ingredients.)
Spoon all of the ricotta cheese or cottage cheese over the top layer.
Top with another layer of uncooked lasagna noodles.
Pour jar of spaghetti sauce over top and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Pour ½ cup water over top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (till bubbly.)
Let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Lotsa-Lotsa Meals: Follow the directions above, but do not pour water over the top or bake. Cover and freeze. To serve: Pour ½ cup water over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (till bubbly) if thawed or 1 to 1½ hours if frozen. Let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Chicken Rolls

2 cups chicken, cooked and deboned
1(8 oz.) cream cheese
1-2 green onions, chopped
2 pkgs. Pillsbury Croissant Rolls (or homemade dough rolled flat and cut in circles or triangles)
Optional gravy: diluted Cream of Chicken Soup

Mix cooked chicken, cream cheese, and green onions together. Form into golf-ball sized balls. Place one ball in the middle of one dough triangle and close dough around chicken mixture. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees. Pour a spoonful of warm, diluted Cream of Chicken Soup over the top, if desired.

If you're feeling lazy, use pre-baked croissants and tuck a ball of the chicken mixture inside. Bake and serve as above. The leftovers are even good cold.

Lotsa-Lotsa Meals: Mix cooked chicken, cream cheese, and green onions together. Form into golf-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze. When frozen, remove balls from cookie sheet and place in freezer bag. To serve: Place one frozen chicken ball in the middle of dough or croissant roll. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Chicken And Rice Casserole

2-3 cups chicken, cooked and deboned
3-4 cups rice, cooked
1 16 oz. broccoli, frozen and chopped
2 cups cheese, cubed
2-3 cups chicken broth

Lightly mix all ingredients, pour into baking dish, and cover with foil. Heat until cheese is melted, approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Lotsa-Lotsa Meals: Lightly toss all ingredients. Pour in freezer bag. Freeze. To serve: Thaw, pour in baking dish, cover w/foil. Heat until cheese is melted, approx. 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Freeze-It Chicken

10 lbs. chicken, deboned, skinned
4 cubes chicken bouillon
water (enough to cover chicken)

COOKING METHOD #1: Put all pieces of chicken in Crock Pot. Cover chicken with water and add bouillon cubes. Cook on low overnight or 7-8 hours.

COOKING METHOD #2: Put all pieces of chicken in a big pot. Cover chicken with water and add bouillon cubes. Cook for 1¼ hour on low heat or until chicken is done.

Cool chicken. Cut into cubes or shred. Put approximately 2 cups of chicken in approximately five freezer bags, (to use later in your favorite recipes, tacos or burritos) and freeze.

Creamy Chicken And Veggies

10 chicken pieces uncooked (deboned are best)
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup water
1 bag vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower)
Lawry seasoning salt

Lightly mix all ingredients and place in a 9x13 dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 1 hour.

Lotsa-Lotsa Meals:  Place vegetables at the bottom of a freezer bag. Mix soup and water. Pour vegetables in freezer bag. Sprinkle chicken w/Lawry salt. Place chicken on top. Freeze. To serve: Pour in casserole dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 1½ hour if frozen, 1 hour if thawed.

Erma's Original Lefse Recipe

4 cups mashed potatoes-no skins
3 Tbls. butter
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup milk or cream
2 tsp. salt
Mix all the ingredients above and cool the dough.

Add flour just before rolling out.
1 cup flour to bind the dough and to roll out very thin.
Bake on griddle until golden brown, turning often to prevent scorching. When baked, place between cloth to keep from drying out.

Sweet Dough

This recipe is from the Sunday Baker:

Family Recipe Sweet Dough
2 pkgs. dry active yeast (not quick rise)
1 T. sugar
1 c. lukewarm water (instructions below!)
1 c. milk
3/4 c. sugar
2 t. salt
7 c. flour
3 beaten eggs
1/2 c. real butter (or shortening)

Dissolve the yeast and 1 T. sugar in lukewarm water. This is an important step because if the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it's too cold, it won't activate the yeast. To make sure it's just right, use a candy thermometer. It should be about 115 degrees:

Set the yeast water aside. In a medium saucepan, scald the milk. To do this, heat on a medium heat until it almost comes to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat and add butter, sugar, and salt. Cool to the lukewarm temp. of 115 degrees. Make sure it's the right temp before going on:

When the temp is right, add two cups of flour and beat with your mixer with a dough hook (or by hand until a nice batter forms) By now the yeast should be foaming and look like this:

Add the yeast and 3 beaten eggs to the batter. Beat well with dough hook. Continue to add flour until you get a soft dough. It'll be slightly sticky to the touch, but still somewhat shape-able:

Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Knead it lightly adding flour until it's no longer sticky. It should be smooth and elastic feeling:

Grease a bowl with cooking oil. Turn out the dough into the bowl and turn it to coat all sides. Cover tightly. Put into the oven (should not be turned on!) and place a pan of boiling water beneath the bowl. Shut the oven and let it rise for at least an hour, or until double in size:

It will start out like this:

And end up like this:

While still in bowl, give it two or three punches right in the middle. This will deflate it and release the gases that have built up. Pour it onto a floured surface once again:

Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll one out into a 15x9 rectangle. Spread it with 2 T. melted butter. Then sprinkle it with 1/2 c. sugar mixed with 2-3 t. cinnamon:


Starting at the wide end, slowly roll up the dough, making sure it's even. Pinch together the seams to seal it:


It's time to cut them into rolls. The easiest way is to take a piece of dental floss and put it under the end of the roll. Bring up the sides and criss-cross to cut out the roll. It makes a nice clean cut every time!:


Lay out the rolls in a well-greased baking pan (I use pie tins) and cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. I use the same stove method as before. They'll look like this:

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown:

You can cover these with a variety of flavored glazes and icings. The net is full of recipes for cream cheese or powdered sugar icings, orange glazes, and ones that include nuts and raisins. I like this glaze:
Melt on stovetop:
2 T. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 T. real Maple Syrup
1/2 c. milk
Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 1 t. vanilla extract. Let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Pour over hot rolls:

Chicken Tamale Casserole

I made this the other night & it's super yummy!!!!!!

Yield
8 servings

Ingredients
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained

Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Risë Minton, Smyrna, GA, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2008

Cake Pops by BAKERELLA

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

1 can frosting (16 oz.)Wax paperYellow candy melts

(1 lb. pkg.)Lollipop sticksEdible ink pens

After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don't tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.
Place in a styrofoam block to dry.
Once dry, draw faces with an edible ink pen and allow ink to dry!

You can use this recipe if you don't want to use canned frosting:

Cream Cheese Buttercream frosting

1 stick butter (softened)8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

4 cups confectioner's sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended.

Add sugar and vanilla until creamy.