Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just have to tell you about this wonderful store that I've been shopping at for almost two years now. It's called The Prepared Pantry. They have a wonderful assortment of things to buy - pots and pans, gadgets, jams, syrups, gormet food, mixes of all kinds like cookies, breads, pancakes, muffins, and on and on and on! I love it!! Everything that I've tried from them has been wonderful so I buy things for my family members from the Prepared Pantry and they have loved them.

One of the best parts about their company is that they package their mixes in mylar bags so that they will last a long time and will still be good if there's a flood, for instance. Anyway, you'll have to check out their website at http://www.preparedpantry.com/ and just browse their wide variety of things that they sell. You can also sign up for their emails and cooking classes, which I do and find very informative!

This past Christmas, I gave all of my family cookie mixes. There is such a fun and unique variety I think I bought about 10 different kinds and then several of their most popular cookie, which is what I want to talk about today. Their best selling cookie is their Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Cookie. I had heard so many good things about them that I decided to try them out myself.

Now it is very rare that I will make cookies, or many other things, from a mix. But one thing I liked about this mix was that they actually are like homemade, from scratch, cookies. And they are very simple to make. You just follow the instructions on the bag and you have freshly baked cookies in no time! IDEAL FOR MAKING WITH KIDS!!!!

Here's what I did...

Super easy and fast! Love that!! And if I remember right, all you have to add are the eggs and butter. Now about the flavor and texture - not what I had expected. There is oatmeal in the mix that give these cookies a nice and slightly chewy texture to it. I don't normal like oatmeal in my cookies (unless they are oatmeal cookies), but it worked very well and I really liked it.

But it was the flavor that got me the most. These cookies are so different, different from any cookie I've ever tried, that I kept going back for more to enjoy the combination of white chocolate and raspberry. The comment that I got from everyone that I shared them with was, "Wow, what is that?!" Give them a try if you want something a little different and unexpected!

Pioneer Eggs

I've eaten this breakfast ever since I was a little girl and like to think it came from my pioneer ancestors as they crossed the plains. It's a fun and different way to eat eggs and toast, and super easy to make!

Here's what you'll need:

Bread
Butter or margarine
Eggs
Salt
Pepper
Syrup (opt.)

Butter both sides of your bread slices and use something circular to cut a round hole in the center of each slice. You can use a biscuit cutter or a cup, like I did. You'll just want to make sure that it's a big hole that will take up most of the bread slice.

Place buttered bread slices and circles on a heated frying pan or griddle. Break an egg in the hole of each bread slice and salt and pepper the eggs only.

Cook until golden then flip over to finish cooking.

You can eat these plain or with a little syrup drizzled over them.

A yummy way to eat toast and eggs!

Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Do any of you ever get tempted by watching TV commercials around dinner time? I don't know if it's because I'm pregnant or not, but, boy howdy, almost any commercial I see that has food in it makes me start to think of when I'll be making it!

The commercial that has gotten to me the most is that Subway one with the Meatball sub sandwich. I'm not quite sure why that commercial over so many others; I think maybe it has to do with me thinking, "Why would I go and pay someone to make that for me when I can do just as good of a job at home?"

Just looking at it on TV, it looks so simple to make, so I decided to give it a try. I found that, yep, it is that simple!!

Here's what you'll need:

Basic Meatballs:

2 lbs. ground beef

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 C. dry bread crumbs

4 T. dried minced onion

1/4 C. Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients, except the ground beef, and mix well.

Add the ground beef and mix well again.

Using a 1/4 cup of meat, form into a large ball and place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.

Or if you want to use this recipe for regular meatballs in any other recipe, use a Tablespoon of meat and form into a small ball. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes for the large meatballs or about 15-20 minutes for the small meatballs, or until cooked through.

Now for the rest of the sub sandwich directions, simmer a pan of spaghetti or marinara sauce and place cooked meatballs in pan and cover with sauce. Cut open Bolillo rolls or any other sub sandwich bread rolls, butter each side and place sauce-covered meatballs (about three large meatballs per sandwich) in rolls. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and broil until cheese melts and bread is toasty. You can spread more sauce over your meatballs before you serve them if you like them saucy, like I do.Take that, Subway! Super easy, really yummy, and it'll save you some money too!!

Heart-Shaped Brownie Bites

Editor's note: If you like these Brownie Bites, check out my improvements HERE!

I remembered at about midnight last night that my daughter needed a Valentine present to give to her preschool teacher in the morning. So early this morning, I started making this brownie recipe that my sister-in-law, Valerie, gave me years ago. I normally make these brownies to feed a large crowd. They are baked in a jellyroll pan, so not too thick, and are nice and moist and chewy - perfect for cutting into shapes! Since it's for Valentine's Day, we obviously went with hearts. They turned out so cute! I was so excited and her teacher really enjoyed them.

One big reason why I love this brownie recipe is because you just dump all of your ingredients together, mix it up, scrape it into the pan, and bake it. It just doesn't get much easier than that when it comes to making brownies from scratch. Sometimes I top the baked brownies with powdered sugar, but the best way to eat these is with marshmallows baked into a gooey mess then topped with fudge frosting! You could add chopped almonds to make them Rocky Road Brownies, but since I don't like nuts, I don't. But for today's project, marshmallows and frosting just weren't going to work. Try this out for your chocolate lovers for Valentine's Day!

Here's what you'll need:

3 C. sugar

6 eggs

3 1/2 C. flour

3 1/2 cubes butter, softened or melted

1 C. cocoa powder

1/2 C. corn syrup

1 T. vanilla

Dump everything together and mix well.

Seriously, you just dump everything together!

Scrape into a greased and floured 15x18 inch jellyroll pan. Spread to fill pan evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. When they have cooled you can use a little heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut up your brownies.You can also cover with mini marshmallows and bake another 3 minutes or just until marshmallows puff. Allow to cool, then frost with your favorite fudge frosting. Or you can dust your plain brownies with powdered sugar.

How cute are these?!

Creamy Noodle Casserole

I made this dish last week using leftover ham. When we sat down to eat, I didn't hear any objections at all! My daughter ate her serving in no time at all and then asked for more, and then more. When she finally had her fill, she said, "Mom, thank you for making that dinner; it was so good!" Now how often do you hear that from your children? For me, it's not very often. So when I do, I know that recipe is a keeper!

It's also nice that this is a one-pot-dinner. You just make this dish and you're set for dinner! And it comes together in about 15 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight.

Here's what you'll need:

1 (12 oz) pkg. egg noodles
1 (16 oz) pkg. frozen broccoli cuts
3 C. cubed or shredded ham
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 C. butter or margarine
1/2 C. half-and-half cream
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large pot, cook noodles in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and ham; cook another 3-5 minutes. Drain; return to pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture is heated through.

Quick, easy, delicious, and your kids just might thank you for making this too!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

When one of my sisters came to visit, we wanted to make a treat. So I brought out my new cookbook and we carefully read through each recipe in the cookie section until we came across this recipe.

To be honest, I don't like peanut butter cookies. They are always crisp and crunchy - not what I like in a cookie! So when she said that she wanted to make this recipe, I just figured that I could send them home with her and my brother.

When they had finished baking, I tried one just to confirm the fact that I don't like peanut butter cookies. I was HUGELY suprised!!! These cookies were so good, the best peanut butter cookies I'd ever had and suspect will ever have. You MUST try these!!

Here's what you'll need:

Cookie Dough:
3/4 C. butter, softened
1 C. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
2 1/2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 C. mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 C. mini Reeses Pieces for baking (found by the chocolate chips in the store) or you can chop up peanut butter cup candies

Filling:
3/4 C. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 C. sweetened condensed milk
2 T. light corn syrup
1/4 C. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars; blend well. Fold in eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to make a soft dough. Fold in chocolate chips and mini Reeses Pieces.

For the filling, cream together all ingredients for 2-3 minutes until you make a paste that holds together.

Form a ball of dough; gently press on the cookie balls to flatten slightly. Place a large spoonful of filling on top. Bake until just set, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Wow, these are so amazingly good!! Everyone that ate them LOVED them! Do try!!!

Oven Roasted Herb Potatoes

This has to be one of my favorite potato recipes. It is the reason I've grown and will grow red potatoes in my garden. And everyone that's tried these have to agree, they are REALLY good!! They go fabulously with steak or ham. Give them a try!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C. olive oil
1/4 C. butter or magarine, melted
1 envelope dried onion soup mix
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

In a large bowl or a gallon ziplock bag, combine the first six ingredients. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Place in a single layer in a greased baking pan. Drizzle with remaining oil mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. You can sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Baked Ham

When I had found those recipes that my great grandmother had written down, this recipe was included. I made it the other night and was very happy with how good it turned out. It's a very simple recipe, it just takes time to roast.

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 C. orange juice

1/4 C. honey

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Whole cloves

Score the ham. Pour glaze over ham. Put cloves in scores. Bake, uncovered, in a roasting pan at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Mine baked for about 1 1/2 hours and it was probably a 5 or 6 pound ham.
Nice and moist and flavorful - perfect!

Chicken Chimichangas

This recipe came from my sister-in-law, Val. When I made it for the first time, I was amazed at how good and restaurant-like they turned out. The best part about them is that they are really easy to make.

Here's what you'll need:

Cooked chicken, diced or shredded

1/4 package chicken taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

grated cheese

flour tortillas

Toppings:

lettuce

tomatoes

olives

salsa

sour cream

guacamole

Season chicken with 1/4 package chicken taco seasoning. On a flour tortilla, spread refried beans in a row, chicken, and top with cheese. Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Fry in a deep fat fryer until golden and crispy. Allow to cool slightly on a paper towel. Don't forget to take out the toothpicks! Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Serve with any or all toppings.

Doesn't that look like something you would order at your favorite Mexican restaurant?!

Baby-Back Ribs

I love ribs! I love ribs! I love ribs!! I have a recipe in my white recipe box (I have a white one, a blue one, and a red one) for baby-back ribs. I have no idea where I got it, but we absolutely love it! I've tried several other recipes and there just hasn't been one that's been able to beat today's recipe. The dry rub is perfect and the sauce is perfect. It just can't be beat!

I usually make this recipe in the oven and they turn out fabulously. But this last time, I thought I'd try them in the crockpot. They also turned out great. The difference, however, was that the sauce from the crockpot was thinner than when I've made it in the oven. When it's cooked in the oven, the sauce gets a more caramalized, gooey texture to it. But one way to get that same sauce texture using the crockpot is by baking the crockpot cooked ribs for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees to set the sauce on them. Any way you do it, they still tasted REALLY GOOD!!

Here's what you'll need:

4 lbs. pork baby-back ribs

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. seasoned salt

1 t. pepper

1 medium onion, sliced

1 C. ketchup

1 C. chili sauce (not hot sauce, like I used the first time I made this - chili sauce, it is usually sold by the coctail sauce or ketchup in grocery stores)

1/4 C. packed brown sugar

1 T. dried minced onion

1 T. liquid smoke

1 T. molasses

To cook in the oven:

Combine garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper; sprinkle over ribs. Place ribs bone-side down in a large roasting pan. Top with sliced onion. Cover tightly and bake @ 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drain fat from pan; discard sliced onion. Brush ribs with half of the BBQ sauce and reserve the other half to eat with, or smother with all the BBQ sauce, like I do. Cover & bake 30 minutes longer or until ribs are tender.

To cook in a crockpot:

Combine garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and an extra Tablespoon of dried minced onion;

sprinkle over ribs.

Arrange ribs in crockpot. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and pour over ribs.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 3 1/2-4 hours.

As you may be able to see, the meat just falls right off the bones! Oh, so good!!!

Taco Soup

My friend, Mandy, that I go walking with, told me this morning that she likes to check my blog to get ideas of what to make for dinner. So that has inspired me to post some yummy dinner recipes this week.

One of our family's favorite soups is taco soup. I got this recipe from my oldest sister and I LOVE this recipe because it is so easy and really good too!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef, browned with minced dried onion, garlic powder, and salt for seasoning
1 can corn with liquid
1 can kidney beans with liquid
1 can stewed diced tomatoes with liquid (you can get the diced tomatoes with chilies for more of a kick)
1 can tomato sauce
1 corn can of water
1 packet of taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients, not draining any of the cans, and cook on medium high until hot; simmer until ready to eat. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese and eat with corn chips. You can crush corn chips or Fritos and sprinkle them in your soup. Or you can eat your soup with those corn chip scoops or Fritos scoops - that's our favorite! Yummy, easy, and quick - perfect for those cold winter nights!!

You can also use this recipe as a freezer meal.  Just combine all of the ingredients into a gallon freezer bag and freeze.  To serve, thaw and heat through.

Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies

At Christmas time, I had made my list of people that I wanted to deliver goodies to, made the goodies, and delivered them. A couple of days later, I realized that I had forgotten someone from my list. I was NOT going to make sugar cookies again for just one family. (Making them the last time was such a horrible experience, I'm not so sure I'll ever make them again.) I wanted to make something that they, and their five young kids, would all enjoy getting and eating.

So when I came across this recipe for these super huge chocolate chip cookies, I thought they'd be perfect. I mean really, who wouldn't like to get gigantic cookies to eat?! So we tried out this recipe and loved it as did our friends and their kids!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 C. butter, softened

1 1/2 C. brown sugar, packed

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1 T. vanilla

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 C. flour

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 C. chocolate chunks (you can buy them in a bag or just cut up a candy bar)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Move oven rack to upper third portion of the oven. In a mixer bowl, cream butter with sugars until well blended. Add the vanilla, eggs, and yolk. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks; blend well until you make a thick batter. Chill batter for at least 10 minutes, if possible. Using a 1 cup measuring cup, form 2 large balls and place on a baking sheet, spacing about 2 or 3 inches apart. Bake 20-24 mintutes or until cookies are nicely browned on top and just set up. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet 15 to 20 minutes before removing. When removing, use two large spatulas so cookies won't break apart. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

How fun is that?! Although, next time, I think I'll use 1/2 cup of cookie dough if it's just for my little family, just to make handling a little easier. Try it out. Your kids will LOVE you!!