No Bake Cookies

No Bake Cookies are so good for lots of reasons. 1-chocolate 2-peanut butter 3-oatmeal 4-no baking...need I say more?? They are full of sugar, but so good. I remember making these cookies in Jr. High home ec class....and we totally messed them up. Anyway, don't cut the sugar of else they won't really set up-trust me, I've tried. :) Enjoy!

No Bake Cookies

2 C sugar
1/2 C butter

1/2 C milk

1/4 C cocoa

1/2 C peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 C quick rolled oats

Combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a sauce pan. Bring to a complete, rolling boil and boil for at least one minute. Remove from heat and then add peanut butter, vanilla and rolled oats. Stir until well-mixed. Drop onto waxed paper and let cool. Can place cookies onto a cookie sheet and place in refridgerater to speed up the cooling process.

*Tip: If you don't measure the ingredients EXACTLY, especially the sugar, they won't set up well. Also, if you don't let the mixture boil long or hot enough, it won't set up. Make sure you do these two things to get a good, solid cookie at the end!

Photo Source: here

Frog Eye Salad/Hawaiian Salad

About a week ago, I was having a sugar craving. I turned to my husband and asked him what I should make. This salad was his reply. I have good memories of my Grandma Diane making this for me every summer when I would go swimming out at their pool. It is super sweet, but is good for big parties or potlucks. Yum!

Frog Eye Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 C sugar
2 TBS flour
½ tsp salt
1 ¾ C pineapple juice
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBS lemon juice
1 package (16 oz) Acini de pepe pasta
3 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges, drained
2 cans (20 oz each) pineapple chunks, drained (reserve juice)
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (9 oz) Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine sugar, flour and ½ tsp salt.

2. Gradually stir in pineapple juice and eggs.

3. Cook over moderate heat, stirring until thickened.

4. Add lemon juice. Cool mixture to room temperature.

5. Boil pasta in salted, oiled water. Cook until done and drain. Rinse with water, drain again and cool to room temperature.

6. Combine egg mixture and pasta. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container.

7. Add remaining ingredients. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Refrigerate until chilled in airtight container.


**TIP**Make salad the day before planning to serve because it needs suffient time to set up. Otherwise, it will be runny.



*Salad may be refrigerated for as long as a week in airtight container. It may be frozen, though freezing somewhat alters the texture. Makes 25 servings.

Photo Source: All Recipes

Potato Salad

Do your best to make this at least a few hours a head of time and let it chill in the fridge. 

Potato Salad
INGREDIENTS:
5 potatos
4 eggs, boiled and chopped
¼ C onion
½ C relish
celery (1 stalk is sufficient)

Dressing:
1 C mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
2 TBS sugar
¼ C milk
1 tsp salt
few turns of freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix ingredients for dressing. Refrigerate.

2. Peel (optional) and cut potatoes into small bite-sized pieces. Boil until tender.

3. Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl.

4. When potatoes are cooked, drain and put them into the large bowl and mix.

5. Add dressing and refrigerate. Best when given at least a few hours to chill and set up.

Photo Source: Please Your Man In The Kitchen....Yes, that is really the name of the website.....

Tasty Taco Salad

:) I love taco salad because its EASY, can feed large groups and is fabulously fresh. For those out there familiar with TVP (textured vegetable protein), I used this in place of the ground beef. I added a can of chilies, some tomatoes and beans. Yum :) This dish is so versatile. You can throw whatever 'Mexican-like' food items on there that ya want.

Tasty Taco Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef.
2-3 C beans (kidney, pinto, black etc)
1 TBS taco seasoning
½ C water

Toppings:
fresh onion, diced
lettuce, shredded
tomato, chopped
green pepper, diced
olives, sliced
cheddar cheese, grated
tortilla chips or Fritos, broken in bite sized pieces

Dressing:
½ C mayonnaise
¼ C ketchup
1TBS sweet pickle relish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fry and drain ground beef.

2. Add beans, taco seasoning and ½ C water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a couple of minutes.

3. Prepare toppings. Line plate with chips.

4. Add toppings are desired with dressing on top. Enjoy!

Photo Source: Kraft

Banana Bread with Streusel-Nut Topping

There was a bake sale going on in my city today and I was wracking my brain trying to come up with something that people would want to buy. People want to buy what looks good. Hmmm....what can I make that looks AND tastes good?? I'm not good at decorating with frosting, so cupcakes or frosted cookies were out. I then thought to make this yummy banana bread with streusel topping. I'll be honest-I NEVER make sweet breads according to recipe. Usually I substitute whole wheat flour and cut the sugar and oil. After all, I don't want to feel high as a kite after breakfast (which by the way, if you do eat sweet breads for breakfast, you might as well have a piece of cake-same thing without the frosting!!) Anyway, I made this recipe just as it said-after all, I wanted it to sell! haha. I LOVED how it turned out. I will use this recipe again if I'm ever hosting a baby shower or something like that. I sliced the pieces thick and with the steusel topping, it looked incredible!

I used a regular bread pan and look how high the bread got! It would have been bad news had I used a narrow and smaller loaf pan. I'm pretty sure it would have overflowed for sure.

Banana Bread with Streusel-Nut Topping
Source: Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

2 C all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I used 1/2 tsp)

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (I used 1/4 tsp)

1/4 tsp salt

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 C mashed bananas (5 medium)

1 C sugar

1/2 C cooking oil or melted butter or margarine

1/4 C chopped walnuts (I didn't add these)

1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping (optional)

1. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3 or two 7 1/2 x3 1/2 x 2 inch loaf pans; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened, batter should be lumpy. Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes for a 9x5x3 inch pan, or 40-45 minutes for 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 inch pan, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Cool in pan on a wire rack for ten minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. (Make sure you check the bread and that the toothpick comes out clean. Nothing worse and cutting into bread and realizing its not cooked all the way!! I'm pretty sure mine had to cook at least 20 minutes over the stated 60 minutes cooking time, so be prepared to check the bread often and to let it cook longer if needed. If it would have needed any more cooking time, I would have had to cover the top with foil to prevent it from burning).

Streusel-Nut Topping

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 C packed brown sugar and 3 TBS all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 TBS room-temperature butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 C chopped walnuts. *I didn't have a pastry blender so I just used 2 knives to cut the butter in. When I got tired of that, I used my fingers to mix the rest of the way. :)

Authentic Mexican Tortillas

About two months ago, a woman in our ward offered to teach whoever wanted to learn how to make homemade tortillas. Now, I have tried making tortillas SEVERAL times over the past few years. I had tried several homemade recipes all of which ended up thick, gross and nasty. Then I tried making tortillas from a mix I got at the store-another HUGE failure. Oh well, I'm not Mexican and I had to come to terms with the fact that Cafe Rio was the only way I would ever eat simply delicious tortillas. I had to face that I couldn't make homemade tortillas-period.....until NOW! These are simple to make and taste great. They are a lot like the uncooked ones you can buy at Costco or Walmart, but there are zero preservatives in it and come out so fresh. So, I'm here to say: IT CAN BE DONE!

Homemade Tortillas

by Tonya L.

Makes 8 tortillas

Ingredients:
2 cups white all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
¾ cup warm water


Directions:

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut in shortening. Stir in water, mixing with fork until dough leaves sides of bowl and a ball forms. Turn out on to floured surface, sprinkle with flour, knead 10-11 times. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Pinch off section of dough little bigger than a golf ball. Pat or slap into circle shape. Roll out into thin tortillas, use plenty of flour so dough doesn’t stick or tear. (Plenty of flour is the key to making the tortillas thin enough). Cook on a dry griddle, heavy cast iron skillet, or Teflon pan. Cook just until bubbles appear, flip once. Keep cooked tortillas warm and soft by covering them with a clean kitchen towel until ready to serve.

Tuna Gravy on Toast

So, I know what you are thinking. "What??!! Tuna Gravy on Toast?? Weird." Trust me, I thought it was so weird too.....until I actually tried it. It is so good! Simple, but good :) And I stole the picture above from the site I got this recipe from. My tuna gravy is darker because I use whole wheat flour in it and also whole wheat bread, but you get the idea.

This is something I've also picked up on the first few years I was married: There are a few meals I've learned that my husband LOVES. Those meals include grilled cheese with tomato soup along with this tuna creation. I've learned that the meals he loves are the ones his mom used to make for him....which generally are pretty simple-so I'm thrilled about this :) I first had this dish at my in-laws for breakfast, but we had it for dinner. So, I don't know what you should serve it as but it was yummy as both.

Tuna Gravy On Toast

Source:

http://ldylvbgr.blogspot.com/2007/12/moms-tuna-gravy-on-toast.html

*Note: I halve the following recipe and it works out perfect for 2 people, plus some leftovers.


4 cans tuna, drained
1/2 Cup butter
4 Cups milk
1/2 Cup flour (I use whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder


Melt butter in large skillet, gradually add flour, cook 1 minute, wisk in milk and seasoning. When thickened, add tuna. Serve over broken toast.