Stuffed Mushrooms

These are another holiday favorite of my husbands, his Mom makes them for Christmas or New Years. Even my boys who are not usually mushrooms eaters can't skip these.

24 mushrooms cleaned with stems removed
1 lb country sausage, browned and drained
1 pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Blend cream cheese and sausage. Fill mushrooms. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.

Christmas Brunch

Brunch on Christmas Morning is a big deal at our house. Preparations begin a few days in advance to ensure it's delicious, but not a stress the day of. I like things I can prepare in advance and just pop in the oven to make the house smell wonderful & Christmas(ee).

This year is no different, on the menu are the croissants my husband has enjoyed every year since he was child, they are flaky, warm and delicious. ( you can't mess with tradition) The baked french toast I made two years ago is fabulous sweet gooeyness. The egg casserole is the recipe we tried camping this summer. Instead of using a dutch oven we'll be baking it in the traditional oven. Add a little orange juice, egg nog and the cocoa latte machine & I think we're set. I would love to hear what some of your traditions and favorite Christmas dishes are, please share the recipes so I can try them.Mountain Man Egg Casserole

Baked French Toast

Baked Ham & Cheese Croissants

Cream Cookies

These are flash back to my childhood and dear family friends Enoch, Emmy & Becky whom we would visit each year at Christmas time with my Grannie. They always had these scrumptious little tart shells filled with raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream. Yummy. You can't eat just one I promise. You'll have to get a mini tart/pastry pan, they come in all shapes and sizes. These are perfect to impress a group and not that hard to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 c. flour
1 1/8 c. sugar
1/4 lb ground almonds
1/2 lb butter

1 jar fruit preserves
Whipped cream prepared

Mix the first four ingredients & knead for 10 minutes. Grease thin pastry molds -press dough into tins. (1/8") Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool at least 5 minutes. Turn out of shell. (tip outside down-tap shell.) Put 1 tsp jam in bottom of shell and fill with whipped cream. (Or visa versa)

Cheese Ball

My mom is not a dairy lover. Cheese is low on her list and cheese balls with lots of different cheese in them are not her style. This recipe is simple but packed full with delicious flavors. We enjoy both of the cheese balls posted on Christmas Eve. You can use thinly sliced ham instead of budding chipped beef and it tastes just as good.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese-softened
1/4 c. mayo
1/4 tsp season salt
1 Tbsp. Worcester
1-2 drops Tabasco
1/4-1/2 tsp liquid smoke
3 green onions- minced
1 package chipped beef

Blend all ingredients together. Shape into a ball and refrigerate until serving.

Cheese Ball

This cheese-ball is my Grannie Williams Recipe. Every year around Christmas/New Years we enjoyed it growing up. We still devour one each year at my parents on Christmas Eve. I can't open a box of Wheat Thins without memories of this cheese-ball and my childhood enveloping me.

Ingredients

2 -8oz packages of Cream Cheese

1 jar Kraft American Cheese Spread

1 Jar Kraft Pimento Cheese Spread

1/3 Jar Kraft Blue Cheese Spread

3/4 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Soften cream cheese until room temperature, combine all ingredients except nuts until smooth. Chop nuts of your choice and line saran wrap in nuts. Place cheese mixture onto saran wrap and shape into a ball, refrigerate until firm. Serve with crackers.

Divinity

Divinity is one of those treats I remember from my childhood. This is the recipe my mom used to make for us. It is actually quite simple and a fun thing to try if you are looking for something new.

4 C. Sugar
1 C. Karo Syrup
3/4 C. Water
3 Egg Whites
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Chopped Nuts

Combine sugar, Karo and water and cook in a pan to the hard ball stage. Beat egg white until stiff, while mixer is running pour sugar mixture in a fine stream into the egg whites. Continue mixing until mixture holds it's shape and looses it's gloss. Add vanilla and nuts. (Nuts are optional) Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool completely.

Bath Salts

Ok so this isn't food, but I had to share because it is a fun, quick and inexpensive gift idea for friends and neighbors. My sister, Mom and I made these a few times growing up to give away and who doesn't' love a good excuse to take a nice hot bath. Most of the fun comes in deciding the color, scent of bath gel and container you put them in. Add a touch of beautiful ribbon on the outside to make them the perfect homemade gift.

1 tsp Bath Gel
2 tsp Baby oil
2-3 drops food coloring
2 c. Rock Salt

Stir together in a big bowl until mixed well. You can decide into smaller bowls and add the color seperatly if you want different colors. Put in bags or jars for gifting.

Cheese Dressing (or Stuffing)

This is another one of Dena's recipes. She tells me her family are not generally stuffing eating folk, but this cheesy recipe is devoured and she's asked to bring it year after year! I can't wait to try it.

2 boxes Mrs. Cubbins Herbed Dressing (do not use the crumbs at the bottom)
2 cups hot water (use just enough to moisten bread)
5 eggs (stir in bowl to break up yolks)
1 large onion (diced small)
1 1/2 lbs cubed mild cheddar cheese
2 cans evaporated milk
1 lb melted butter

Moisten boxed dressing, fold in the rest of the ingredients until mixed. Bake in a 9x13 baking dish at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Do not cover so the top will be crunchy.

Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

Dena brought a delicious pasta salad to work a few weeks ago so I made it to take to a family gathering. ( I added grapes to her recipe since the dressing is sweet and I had them on hand) My hubby and kids taste tested in small bowls and asked for more. I told them they'd have to wait for the party. Enjoy!

1 16 oz. Package Bow Tie Pasta
2 cups cooked diced chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 1/2 cups broccoli cut in bite size pieces
1 cucumber peeled and diced in bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups purple grapes halved
1 jar Briannas Poppy Seed Dressing (with the peach on the front)

Stir all ingredients together and serve. It makes a good sized salad.

Wilted Lettuce

Wilted Lettuce or Swiss Lettuce is a family dish passed down since my ancestors were in Switzerland. Every year at thanksgiving we enjoy this salad. When I asked my mom for the recipe she told me it was one that my Grannie had taught she and my aunt Jonna Lu to make and that as far as she knew there was no formal recipe written down. So here is what we came up with.


1/2 lb bacon sliced into bite size pieces and cooked
1 head iceberg lettuce shredded
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup flour

Cut up and fry bacon in a pan. Pour off half of the fat and add flour to make a roux. Add salt, pepper, garlic salt and onion salt. Add apple cider vinegar and water to the bacon/flour mixture slowly and bring to a boil to make the thick sauce. Taste the sauce you want the roux to taste salty because the plain lettuce will need lots of flavor. (The salt measurements above are only estimations. Taste it as you go and add more as needed it is a very tangy sauce that thickens a little upon standing) The sauce is poured over the broken up lettuce and mixed thoroughly. Add sauce to lettuce right before serving.

Sugar Cookies

Friday my kids and their friends decorated turkey cookies. I made the cookies with my Mom's recipie, but I cheated and bought the frosting. I got home with the yellow squeeze tub and had forgotten to buy the tip that goes with it, we improvised with a ziploc baggie.

1 c. margarine
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. milk

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs & flavorings. Stir in dry ingredients and milk. Chill mixture in fridge at least 1 hour. Roll dough out to 1/4-1/2 inch and cut cookies to desired shape. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Sweet Potatoes

My aunt Lisa has the best recipe ever for Sweet Potatoes, its more like a dessert and I promise you can't resist going back for another spoonful. She gets assigned to bring them to our thanksgiving feast every year because no one can top them, they're divine. When I asked her for the recipe this was her response. "You mean the quadrupled recipe for luscious pecan/buttery topping with the single recipe of sweet potatoes underneath?"

Ingredients for Potatoes:

3 C. Sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (4-6 small sweet potatoes, about 2-2.5 lbs.)

1 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 C. Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/3 C. Milk

Mix ingredients and pour into shallow (9 x 13-in) pan. (The shallower the pan, the better because then you end up with fewer potatoes and more topping.)

Ingredients for Topping

1/2 C. Butter

1/2 C. Flour

1 C. Light brown sugar

1 C. chopped pecans

(NOTE: You might as well just double the topping ingredients because if you don't, you'll wish you had. In fact, in all honesty, I'd go as far as to triple or quadruple the topping ingredients, although at that point, you could probably just leave the sweet potatoes out altogether. Why bother with a vegetable at all?)

Mix topping ingredients together. Spread on top of potatoes and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes (maybe longer).

Chicken Parmigiano Alfredo

A friend at work told me about one of her families favorite recipes so I adapted it and made it for my hubby and kiddos to try out in the crockpot one night last week while I was at work. They called me at work and told me it was one of their favorites, ever!

1 lb chicken cooked and shredded or cut into bit size pieces

1 package linguine noodles cooked

1 jar marinara

1 jar Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella

I started by grilling chicken tenders on my george foreman while boiling the noodles. Cut up chicken and drain noodles. Spray crockpot with cooking spray they add half the noodles, chicken and sauces to crockpot and sprinkle with half of the Parmesan cheese on top. Make one more layer with the other half of ingredients and cover with Mozzarella. Cook on low until cheese is melted and pasta is warmed through.

3 Rhodes Recipes for Halloween!

If you love rhodes rolls like I do these treats are sure to please. I nabbed these three recipes because I plan to try them but check out all the others on the Rhodes site, they have some fun ideas!! By the way, what's brewing on the menu at your place for Halloween? Please share!

http://www.rhodesbread.com/recipes/

Spooky Spiders

Ingredients:

Rhodes™ Cinnamon Roll or Rhodes Anytime!™ Cinnamon Roll
icing, included with rolls
black sugar sprinkles
candy eyes
black gum drop
corn syrup
black licorice laces

Directions:

Microwave or bake roll following instructions on package. Let cool 2 minutes. Spread icing over roll and sprinkle with black sugar sprinkles. Place gum drop by the side of the roll and secure with a toothpick. Press eyes into gum drop with corn syrup. Cut 8 licorice legs 3-4-inches long. Poke holes in both sides of roll and press licorice legs in them.

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Mummy Mini Pizzas

Ingredients:

8 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
1/3 cup pizza sauce
8 string cheese
sliced olives

Directions:

Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Flatten each roll into a 3-4-inch circle. Place on a sprayed baking sheet. Top each one with about 2 teaspoons pizza sauce. Poke each one several times with a fork to prevent bubbles from forming. Bake at 350°F 8-10 minutes. While pizzas are baking tear 1 string cheese for each pizza into thin strips. Remove pizzas from oven and place 2 olive slices on each for eyes. Layer cheese strips in random fashion to resemble mummy bandages. Trim any strips that are too long. Return to oven and bake an additional 1-2 minutes to melt cheese slightly.

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Yummy Mummy Dogs

Ingredients:

Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
bun length hot dogs
mustard

Directions:

For each Mummy Dog, cut one dinner roll in half. Roll each half into a 22-24-inch rope. Wrap one rope around hot dog from bottom up 4 1/2 inches. Cut a 1 1/2 inch piece off of the second rope and set aside. Wrap the second rope around the hot dog from the bottom up 4 1/2 inches going the opposite way. Wrap the 1 1/2 inch piece around the top of the hot dog.
Place Mummy Dogs on a sprayed baking sheet and bake at 350°F 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool slightly and add mustard eyes. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard.

Apple Betty Pie

This super simple recipie is one my mom always made when I was growing up. You can throw it together in a few minutes and the apples are in season right now!

4 c. sliced apples
2-3 Tbsp Orange Juice
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. butter

Put apples in pie pan. Sprinkle with orange juice. For topping combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Scatter over the apples. Bake at 370 for 45 minutes. Serve warm. Top with vanilla ice cream.

South of the Border Casserole

This one is delicious, my kids gobbled it up!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups salsa

Cooking spray

6 cups cooked rice

16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Directions

In medium bowl, combine sour cream and salsa; set aside.

Coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer bottom of dish with 3 cups rice.

Top with half of the sour cream mixture, then with 1-1/2 cups cheese. Add layer of beans, remaining rice, and remaining sour cream mixture. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes; remove from oven.

Mix remaining cheese with chips and sprinkle on lasagna. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Gingerbread Cookies

This recipe comes from the Scovil Bakery in Nauvoo Illinois, it is an old traditional gingerbread recipe. It is delicious! And a fun thing to do with kids, especially when the cookies are done and they get to decorate them however they want!

1 c. Sugar
1 C. Molasses
3/4 C. Oil
1/2 C. Hot water
2 Eggs
1 tsp Soda
1 heaping tsp. ground Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
6-7 C. Flour

Cream sugar, shortening, molasses and water. Add Eggs, then dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. Roll out to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness and cut with desired cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

JELLOween Poke Brownies

These are such a quick and easy recipe to do with kids. Perfect for a Halloween party or a treat to give to friends.

Ingredients

1 (19 oz) Fudge Brownie Mix

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 (4-serving size) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

few drops red food coloring

few drops yellow food coloring

Directions

Prepare and bake brownie mix as directed on package for 8 or 9-inch square baking pan. Remove from oven. ( You want them thick) Immediately poke holes down through brownies to pan, 1-inch apart with wooden spoon handle. Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in a few drops of food coloring to tint mixture orange. Quickly pour about 1/2 of the thin pudding evenly over warm brownies and into holes. Tap pan lightly to fill holes. Let remaining pudding mixture stand to thicken slightly. Spread remaining pudding over top of brownies to frost. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Cut into 2-inch squares. Cut each square diagonally into triangles.

Pizzokies

Thanks to Dena for sharing this great recipe!

1 package pre-made cookie dough (Pillsbury is great)
1/2 gallon ice cream (choose your favorite)
caramel sauce
hot fudge sauce

Preheat oven to about 375.
Fill four (3 or 4") ramekins halfway with cookie dough.
Bake 12-18 minutes till golden brown, but still a little soft in the center. Don't overcook/burn.
Do not remove from ramekins. Top with a scoop of ice cream while they are still warm.
Drizzle with chocolate syrup/caramel... and dig in.

Maddox 1,000 Island Dressing

For any of you locals that like Maddox Resuraunt here is a greast Thousand Island dressing recipie my mom made for us all the time growing up. It's always nice to shake up the ranch routine a little.

2 C. Miracle Whip
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 tsp. Minced Dry Onion
1/4 tsp. Paprika
1/3 C. Vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 C. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2/3 C. Salad Oil

Mix together with beaters. Makes 1 quart of dressing.

Cheesy Bacon and Egg Brunch Casserole

This morning the kids and I made a new breakfast casserole. I had unexpected surgery on my knee last weekend so we have not been cooking much this week, but today since we were not in a hurry to get anyone out the door decided to try something new. The kids were great helpers and Taylor (my 8 year old) took pictures of the finished product. It was delicious and we'll be making this one again!

Ingredients

8 bacon

2 green onion, diced

1 (8 oz.) Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

8 eggs

1 1/2 milk

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Drain bacon on paper towels; crumble and set aside. Add onion to drippings in skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes or until softened.

Spread 1/2 of the bread cubes in 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer with 1/2 each of the onion, bacon, Cheddar cheese. Top with remaining bread cubes, onion, bacon, Cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Beat eggs in medium bowl until foamy. Add milk, mustard, salt and pepper; beat until blended. Pour evenly over top. Press bread cubes lightly into egg mixture until completely covered. Let stand 10 minutes. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown.

Make Ahead Tip: Casserole can be assembled 1 day ahead. Prepare as directed, increasing milk by 1/2 cup.

Chocolate Nutella Cookies Recipe

I found this recipe awhile back and tried it with my eight year old for a homework project where he had to find and make a new recipie. They were good. If you've never tried Nutella before, this is a great place to start.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature


• 3/4 cup of brown sugar


• 3/4 cup of white sugar


• 1 cup of Nutella


• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla


• 2 eggs


• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour


• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa


• 1/2 tsp baking soda


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 cup of chocolate chips


• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella then mix well, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda Add to the butter mixture, fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes. Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Popcorn Balls

1/2 C. margarine
2 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Karo Syrup
1 Can Condensed Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/2 gallons of Popcorn

Combine butter, sugar and syrup in a sauce pan, stir well and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir in milk and simmer stirring constantly until it comes to a "soft ball" stage. The pour over popcorn and still well, the form into balls, and wrap in plastic wrap to keep soft.

Tip: Add a few drops of food coloring to make the balls perfect for any occasion.

Ande's Mint Cookies

These are a fun new cookie to try if you like mint. I love getting the Ande's mints when you leave Olive Garden and melted on these cookies they are really good too.

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat ingredients in a small saucepan until chocolate chips are melted, then add:

2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Shape rounded tablespoons into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Lightly press each ball to flatten. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Right when removing from the oven, while still hot, place an Ande's Mint on top of each cookie. When they melt smooth the chocolate evenly over the top. Cool completely before serving.

Strawberry Peach Crisp

Tonight we picked the last few peaches off our trees and made a yummy crisp for dessert. It was divine. Especially with a little vanilla ice cream melting on top. Good stuff!

6-8 medium peaches
12 strawberries (cut in fourths)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups oats
vanilla ice cream

Peel and slice peaches, mix lemon juice and almond extract pour over peaches and stir. Add the strawberries to the peaches. In a separate bowl melt butter and add flour, brown sugar and oats, mix well then drop mixture over fruit. Bake in 350 oven for 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Cookie Dough Truffles

The verdict is still out at our house on whether the cookie dough or the cookie itself is the best part. These truffles take that debate to a whole new level. Yummo! Thanks Paula Dean.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate morsels
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 pounds chocolate bark candy coating, melted

Directions

In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and add milk. Add chocolate morsels and pecans, mixing well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on waxed paper; chill 2 hours.

*Cook's Note: Since the dough is sticky, roll your fingers into flour. This will make it easier to roll.

Melt chocolate bark candy coating in a double boiler. Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Place on waxed paper and chill to set. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 our.

Letter Pretzels

These are such a fun and easy snack to make after school. The kids love making them into their initials. You can eat them with plain salt or go the cinnamon sugar route, both are super yummy.

1 T yeast

1 ½ c warm water

1 t salt

1 T sugar

4 c white flour

Egg

Coarse salt

Dissolve yeast in water and add sugar and salt. Stir flour into mixture. Knead and roll dough and cut into small pieces. Shape into letters.

Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with coarse salt and place on foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I am constantly trying to find ways to use my abundance of zucchini (or yellow squash this year) this is one sweet way to use them.

1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Oil
1 3/4 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 C. Sour Milk or Buttermilk (I used sour cream and added some milk to make it thinner)
2 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 C. Shredded Zucchini
1 1/2 C. Chocolate Chips
1/2 - 1 C. Chopped Walnuts (optional)

In a mixer, cream Butter, oil and sugar. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Then add the Zucchini and dry ingredients along with 1/2 C. chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 9X13 pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts and remaining 1 C. of chocolate chips on top of the cake. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes.

Personally I prefer it without the chocolate chips and without any glaze, but you could easily make a glaze out of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. It really just tastes the best with vanilla ice cream, that's not just my opinion that is a fact :)

Ginger Snaps

These are fabulous, and easy to make, not to mention they will make your house smell great! I love how soft these are compared to the store bought kind. This is one recipe you won't be sorry you tried. Thanks mom for yet another great recipe!

3/4 C. White Sugar
2 1/4 C. Shortening
3/4 C. Molasses
3 Eggs
6 C Flour
1 tsp. Salt
3 Tsp. Cinnamon
3 tsp. Cloves
3 tsp. Ginger
6tsp. Soda

Cream Sugar and Shortening and Molasses well. The mix in remaining ingredients and mix well. Mold into balls approximately 1 inch around, then roll in sugar. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Mountain Man Omelete

We made this Tuesday morning for breakfast and it was delicious. I did precook the bacon and sausage at home so I only warmed them when I got the veggies soft, it just made for quicker prep and with small children that is essential. We had enough left overs to throw in the cooler and reheat the next morning.

1	lb. country sausage	2	cups chopped; mushrooms
1	lb.bacon	18	eggs
1	large yellow onion; diced	3/4	cup milk
3	cloves garlic; minced		salt and pepper to taste
1	green bell pepper; chopped	3	cups grated Cheddar cheese
1	red bell pepper; diced		picante sauce

Heat a 12" Dutch oven using 20-22 briquettes bottom until hot. Add sausage to oven and fry until brown. Remove sausage from oven. Cut bacon into 1 inch slices. Add to Dutch oven and fry until brown. Add sausage, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Saute until vegetables are tender. Whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over vegetable mixture. Cover and bake using 8 briquettes bottom and 14-16 briquettes top for 20 minutes until eggs are set up. Cover top with cheese and replace lid. Let stand until cheese is melted.

Serve topped with picante sauce.

Pocket Bread

My mom used the make these when I was a kid. They are great with almost any sandwich fixings and sooo much better than anything you can buy at the store.

2 Pkgs Yeast

1/2 C. Warm Water

4 C. Warm Milk

1/3 C. Oil

1 Tbsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Sugar

10 C. Flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water, add all ingredients to mixer along with 6 of the cups of flour and beat until smooth. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until you get a good consistency. Raise for 1 hour then divide into 16 balls. Allow balls to rise on counter for 30 minutes more. Roll each ball out into a 8-9" circle and place on cookie sheets 2 at a time and allow to rise for 30 minutes more then bake at 450 for 10 minutes.

Campfire Eclairs

The pictures are rough but it was dark outside around a campfire this week. The eclairs were delicious, we enjoyed them two nights we were there.

2 cans croissant rolls
1 package(4) pre-made vanilla pudding
1 container chocolate frosting
1 can whipped topping

You will need a 1 inch wood dowel. Rub the end of the dowel with cooking oil or spray with pam. Wrap croissant around the end of the dowel and cook over coals/campfire for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and no longer gooey. Let cool for a minute or two then gently pull off the dowel. Fill 3/4 full with vanilla pudding then squirt whipped topping in open end. Spread chocolate frosting on the outside of the eclair, enjoy!!

Chex Treat Mix

One handful is never enough of this good stuff.

3 cubes of butter - 1 1/2 cups (no margarine)

2 cups sugar

2 cups light Karo Syrup

Place all ingredients into a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil for 4-6 minutes.

1 large box of Golden Grahams Cereal

1 large box of Corn Chex

1/4 package coconut (optional)

1 package sliced almonds (optional)

Mix all dry cereal, nuts and coconut in large bowl. Pour cooked butter mixture over cereal. Gently mix and pour onto 3-4 lightly greased jelly roll pans. When completely cooled, place in cellophane bags to give away, or put into serving bowls.

Won Ton Salad

This salad is a light and delicious. My mom made it for us growing up. It's perfect for a girls night in.

1 lb. Chicken, cooked & diced
1 head lettuce-chopped
4 green onions-chopped
1/2 C. sunflower seeds or 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 cucumber-diced
1 avocado-diced
1 pkg won tons-fried

Dressing
1/4- 1/2 c sugar (to taste)
4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. Olive oil
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. cider vinegar

Assemble salad, right before serving pour dressing and toss. Add won tons. Serve.

Fruit Pizza

It was raining outside today so the kids and I made a treat together.
I've never done fruit pizza before, but we will definitely do it again! That bite I took was as good as it looks, trust me!

Crust:
Depending on the size pan you're using and how thick you like your crust you'll need 1-2 rolls of sugar cookie dough. We used a cookie sheet and 1 large roll was perfect, two smaller 16 ounce would work as well. Press the dough onto your baking pan. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Mine was done at 11. Let cool completely.For the "sauce" as the kids called it, mix one 8 ounce package cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, one 8 ounce carton whipped topping and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Make sure the cream cheese is softened, beat it first then slowly add sugar and whipped topping.Decide what fruit you want to decorate with. We chose grapes, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, kiwi & mandarin oranges. I cut our pizza into pieces, slathered on some "sauce" and let the kids go to town. They all agreed it was delicious.Crust:

Two 16 ounce pre-made rolls of sugar cookie dough.
Bake in preheated oven @ 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes.

Sauce:
One 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
One 8 ounce container whipped topping
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese and slowly add sugar and whipped topping so the sauce is smooth.

Toppings:
Your favorite fruit

Grapes
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Bananas
Kiwi
Mandarin Oranges