Jello Cookies

These were a quick easy cookie my mom use to throw together when we were young. We always loved them as kids and loved that they could come out with all different colors each time we made them, they are super simple and kids love them!

3/4 C. Shortening
1 tsp. Vanilla
3/4 C. Sugar
3 Eggs
1 3oz pkg of Jello
3/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 3/4 C. Flour

Cream Butter and Sugar together, then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls, then flatten balls using the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Caramel Walnut Bars

This is a recipie my mom found on the back of a can of Eagle Brand condensed milk years ago. They are gooey and delicious.

2 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg-beaten
3/4 cup margarine or butter
3/4 c walnuts-chopped
24 caramels-unwrapped
1 can sweet condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl combine flour, sugar and egg. Cut in 1/2 cup margarine until crumbly. Stir in walnuts, reserving 2 cups crumb mixture, press remainder firmly on bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes. In saucepan, over low heat melt caramels with sweet condensed milk and remaining margarine. Pour over prepared crust. Top with reserve crumb mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Cool. Cut into bars.

Rainbow Cupcakes

I have seen different renditions of this posted all over the many cooking blogs I follow, I've seen the diet version for Weight Watchers, and the cake form, but when I first saw these adorable cupcakes over at The Girl Who Ate Everything, I knew I would need to try them out. And so today for pre-school/playgroup we made a round of them, and the kids absolutely loved them! They thought it was so cool that all of the colors were there, that was the talk around the table.

Rainbow Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

2 eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes.

Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color.

Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity. Gel colors have the brightest colors and wont thin your batter. They can be found at Walmart or Michaels in the cake decorating section.

I found a number of ways to spread the batter out some used a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won't spread on it's own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you're working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn't stick to your fingers. However I chose to use the Ziplock bag method, by putting the colors into Ziplocks and then piping the colors into the liners. It worked out great. Layer each color on top of the next.

Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry.

Frost with your favorite frosting. Fancy it up by putting the frosting in a ziplock bag, cut off the corner of the side of the bag and you have an instant frosting decorating bag. You could top with some fun rainbow sprinkles on top of your frosting.

The only thing I didn't love was that 1- they were really crumbly when the kids ate them. I think it has to do with the ingredients I used. I only ended up getting 12 cupcakes out of all of the batter, perhaps because I added to much to each cupcake? I think I would try either adding a little more liquid to thing them out or making the cupcakes as specified on the box, or per your usual white cake recipe. Though the sour cream makes them moist, they were super thick to spread! I love the colors and ideas of these cupcakes, and I think that is what drew me to them initially, they are just happy!

4-H Waffles

This is the recipie my mom used for waffles growing up. It comes right from my old 4H book. They take a little more time than a mix you just add water to, but they are worth the couple extra steps! My mom would cook and crumble bacon right into the batter making them even more tasty. They are light, fluffy & delicious. The next time you have a slow Saturday morning try them out, you won't be disappointed.

2 C. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Eggs separated
1 1/2 C. Milk
4 Tbsp. Oil

Pre-heat Waffle Iron. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Combine egg yolks, milk and oil and mix well. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold beaten egg whites into batter. Pour batter into the center of a hot waffle iron. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until steam stops escaping.

Cook and crumble 8 strips of bacon and add to batter right before cooking, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are a favorite after school snack at our house.  Very quick and easy!

2 cups all-purpose flour,
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.  Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, vanilla and egg; blend well.  Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.) 

Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with a combination of 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoon brown sugar. 

Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan. Serve warm.

Baking Powder Biscuits

Growing up we each had a night of the week that we were responsible to cook dinner on. My mom helped us of course, but this allowed us to learn to cook and plan meals. My older brother loved making these simple but delicious biscuits when it was his turn.

3 C. Flour
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp shortening
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 c. milk

Mix flour, salt & baking powder in bowl. Mix shortening into flour mixture with hands. Add milk quickly until dough cannot move with a spoon. Roll out on a floured surface, cut using a round cutter. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Pork

This is another great recipie we did growing up on Chinese night.

1 lb pork cubes

A-

1 tsp Cornstarch

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

B-

1 large Green pepper diced
1 medium yellow onion diced

2 sliced Carrotts

1 clove garlic

2 Tb oil

1 C. Chicken Broth

1/2 C. Sugar

1/3 C. Red Wine Vinegar

2 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. chopped Ginger

1 can Pineapple Chunks

C-

1/4 C. Cold water

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

D-

2 Eggs -beaten

2 Tbsp Flour

4 Tbsp Cornstarch

Combine pork with ingredients in group A and let it sit for 30 minutes or more to marinade. Then bread meat using ingredients in group D, doing an egg dip and then into the flour and cornstarch. Fry meat in a deep fryer or in a small amount of oil in a frying pan, then drain meat after frying. Stir fry the carrots, garlic and ginger until carrots are starting to get soft, add the rest of the ingredients in group B except green peppers and pineapple. Once combined add group C to veggies and boil mixture until thick and bubbly. Add green peppers and meat till warm. Add Pineapple just before serving. Serve over rice.

Broccoli Salad

This dandy gets devoured at 3-4 family parties every summer.
I get special requests for it from my father in law. It's delish!

1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
4 C. finely chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 c. chopped red onions
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. mayo
1 Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp vinegar

The first four ingredients are the salad makings. Mix the second four together for the dressing. Toss salad and dressing together and enjoy!!

Ham Cheese Ball

This one is a family Tradition for us on Christmas Eve, and often times on New Years as well. it's delicious and oh so easy.

8oz Cream Cheese (at room Temp.)
1/4 C. Mayo (not light)
1/4 tsp. hickory Smoke
1/2 tsp. Season Salt
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 green onions chopped fine
1/4-1/2 C. Finely Chopped Thin Sliced Ham

Mix all ingredients well, then place mixture into the center of a piece of saran wrap and place it in a cup or small bowl to shape. Place in refrigerator for several hours. Unwrap and place on serving tray. Serve with crackers.

Egg Rolls

When I was a kid we often had oriental night at my Grannies house. The adults went to town preparing all sorts of dishes from scratch, egg rolls being one of them. I loved helping roll them up tight, like an envelope before they were fried. My kids enjoy doing that now too. They are good, very good in fact, especially when dunked in a little sweet and sour sauce. This is the recipie we've used for generations.

1 C. Chopped Shrimp(optional)
1/2 lb ground sausage/pork
2 C. Chopped Cabbage
1 small can shredded bamboo shoots
2 small cans Water Chestnuts - diced
1/2 bunch Green onions Chopped
2 Carrots grated

1 Egg beaten
2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp. Ginger
2 Cloves Garlic chopped
1 Package Egg Roll Wrappers

Fry sausage, garlic and ginger until cooked, then drain. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Roll 1-2 Tbsp of mixture inside each egg roll wrapper, seal according to package directions. Deep fry until golden brown. Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce.