Magic Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1 1/2-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350. In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9 inch baking pan.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store leftovers vocered at room temperature.

Baked Caramel Corn

6 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat Oven to 250 °. Coat the bottom and sides of a large foil roasting pan, or other pan, with nonstick vegetable spray. Place popped popcorn in the pan. In a heavy pan, slowly melt butter and stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and THEN add the baking soda and vanilla. Gradually pour over popcorn, mixing well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Break apart.

Curry Snick Snack

6 English Muffins
1 c. Black Olives, chopped
1/2 c. Green onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. Grated Sharp cheddar Cheese
1/2 c. Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Curry Powder

1. Split english muffins in halves, then cut each half into quarters.
2. Mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Put a tablespoon of the mixture in each muffin quarter.
4. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Serve hot.

Recipe note: the original author of this recipe was unknown to my family, although we knew she had passed on. Thus, these easy appetizers became known affectionately to us as "Dead Ladies". Feel free to call them that - it makes it more fun.

Oven Fried Sweet Potato Wedges

2 lbs. sweet potatoes - cut in wedges

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. canola oil

Combine seasonings and oil in a plastic bag or large bowl and mix together. Add sweet potato wedges and shake or stir until the wedges are covered.

Spread on sprayed cookie sheets and roast until potatoes are tender and brown. Bake for20-25 minutes at 450 degrees.

Easy and delicious!

CONFETTI BEANS AND RICE

One 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed.

One 11-ounce can of Mexi-corn, drained.

Four green onions, thinly sliced.

Two teaspoons of Dijon-style mustard

1/2 cup of Caesar salad dressing.

One bag Success Boil-in-a-bag Brown Rice

1. Prepare one bag of SUCCESS Boil-in-a-bag Brown Rice according to directions.

2.Add cooked SUCCESS brown rice to other ingredients and toss together.

3. Chill or serve at room temperature. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Serves 4.

Variations:

~Add cooked frozen corn and more chopped onions and green peppers (or red, yellow or orange) to taste.

~Use Italian Dressing or Raspberry Vinaigrette salad dressing in place of Caesar salad dressing.

~Add 1 cup Sunflower seeds and ½ cup Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas) and use the following method:

~Soak the Sunflower Seeds and Pumpkin Seeds in water for several hours. You can also add some chopped walnuts and soak them with the seeds.

Apple Pie Tarts

1 can apple pie filling

pie crust dough (either homemade or store bought)

cinnamon and sugar

Use large circle cookie cutter and cut circles of pie crust dough. Add pie filling. Fold half over and use fork to seal edges of crust. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of little tarts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 mins or until browned.

Super Duper Chocolate Kisses

1 16 1/2 oz package refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa power

2/3 c chocolate-flavor sprinkles

2 Tbsp milk

about 40 Hershey's kisses

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine cookie dough and cocoa powder. Seal bag; knead with your hands until dough is well mixed. Remove dough from bag.

2. Place chocolate sprinkles in a shallow dish or small bowl. Place milk in another bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip balls in milk to moisten, then roll in chocolate sprinkles to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven about 8 minutes or until edges are firm. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Makes about 40 cookies.

Banana Nut Muffins

1 Cup Flour

½ Cup Sugar

2 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

¾ cup oats (quick or regular)

1 egg beaten

½ cup milk

3 tbs oil

½ cup mashed banana

1/3 cup chopped nuts opt.

Prepare dry and wet ingredients. Combine and mix together until moistened. Stir in nuts. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full (I probably do more). Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (too long in my oven especially would be if you made them smaller).

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1 ½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ t. instant yeast
1 ¼ t. salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat over to 450 degrees. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered post (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide you hand under towel and turn dough over into pat, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is okay. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack.

Yield: One 1 ½ pound loaf.

Chicken Salad Habenera

2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced into strips (I marinate mine with Italian dressing)
1 avocado cut in crescents
½ c green pepper, cut in strips
¼ c red onion, finely chopped
Green or red lettuce

Dressing:

½ c salad oil
¼ c red wine vinegar
¼ c lemon juice
1 Tbsp sugar
1tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp minced garlic

Apple Cashew Salad

3 apples, your choice, cut in bite-size pieces
3 celery ribs, sliced small
1 can cashews
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. powdered sugar

Prepare and mix apples and celery. Separately mix mayo and powdered sugar. Right before serving, add cashews to apples and celery and then toss with mayo mixture.

Double for large crowds, or small ones - it goes fast!

Taco Salad

1 lb. ground chuck
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1/2 c. Cheddar cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced and chunked
1 sm. head lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 14 oz. can kidney beans
1 bag corn chips, crushed
1 8 oz. bottle Catalina salad dressing

Brown ground beef and drain excess grease. Add taco mix and make according to packet directions. Chill beef mixture completely in refrigerator. Mix remaining salad ingredients together. Add chilled beef mixture. Just before serving add corn chips (so they stay crunchy). Toss with Catalina salad dressing.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
dehydrated onions
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes (large can)
1 packet taco seasoning

Directions:
Brown ground beef with dehydrated onions (or you can use a small regular onion if you have one on hand). Drain.

In a slow cooker combine undrained beans, undrained corn, tomatoes, ground beef and taco seasoning. Mix well.

Let cook until heated through and seasoning has mixed with all ingredients. 4-6 hours.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, chips, or anything you would eat with tacos.

Black Bean Soup

From the Kids Around the World Cook! Book

2 15-19-oz cans black beans
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
½ t ground pepper
¼ t oregano
1 T sugar
½ - 1 cup water, optional
1-2 T olive oil

Heat the beans with the liquid from the cans in a large pot on low while chopping the vegetables. Saute the chopped onion, garlic, and green pepper in the 2 T. olive oil until onion is tender. Remove a few spoonfuls of the black beans and mash with a fork. Add to the vegetables and mix together. Add the vegetable mixture to the beans in the pot. Add the salt, ground pepper, oregano and sugar. Add the water only if the soup is too thick. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 30-45 min, stirring occasionally. When ready to serve, stir in the remaining olive oil (we skipped that part.) Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

From Melanie and Julia D.

Oriental Chicken Salad

2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
2 bags coleslaw mix or 1 head of cabbage, shredded
1 bunch green onions, diced
3 chicken top ramen noodles, crushed
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:
Spice packets from the ramen soup
5 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
1/4-1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil

Mix well then stir through salad just before serving.

Mexican Chicken Soup

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on

Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using.

5. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

6. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste.

7. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Originally by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Confetti Beans and Rice

1. Prepare one bag of boil-in-bag rice.
2. Add cooked rice to one 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed, 1 cup frozen corn, 1/4 c. minced onions, 1/4 c. chopped peppers, 2 tsp. dijon-style mustard, and 1/2 c. of salad dressing.
3. Toss together
4. Chill or serve at room temperature.
Easy and Fast!

Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups unsweetened raspberries

2 cups unsweetened blueberries

2 cups reduced-fat frozen vanilla yogurt, optional

In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thick). Spread batter evenly onto the bottom of a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine salt and remaining flour and sugar; add berries and toss to coat. Spread over batter. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into cobbler comes out without crumbs. Top each serving with 1/4 cup frozen yogurt if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 cup boiling water

Vanilla ice cream

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, flour and baking powder. In another bowl, combine the milk, peanut butter, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Spread evenly into a 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine the cocoa and remaining sugar; stir in boiling water. Pour into slow cooker (do not stir). Cover and cook on high for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream. Yield: 4 servings.

Stuffed Shells

Frozen stuffed shells (Costco sells these) – about 3 per person

½ onion, chopped

½ c. frozen diced green peppers

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.

Mozzarella Cheese (optional)

Put ½ jar sauce in crockpot. Put everything else in and top with the rest of the sauce. Can be topped with mozzarella cheese. Cook on low for 4+ hours