Texas Sheet Cake

This is super tasty--I made it for a Ward party & took 2 big platefuls & they were gone in no time--it was a big hit!

Texas Sheet Cake


2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. (heaping) cocoa

1 C. butter

1 C. boiling water

1/2 C. buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, do 1/2 C. milk plus 2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. vanilla





Frosting

1 3/4 stick butter (I just did 1 cube & it worked great)

4 Tbsp. (heaping) cocoa

6 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1/2 C. finely chopped pecans (optional)





In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, & salt. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water & allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture and stir lightly to cool. In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk & add beaten eggs, soda, & vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. While cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, & powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together & pour over warm cake.








recipe from Pioneer Woman

Ambrosia Salad or 5 Cup Salad

This is really fast, easy, & tasty!

Ambrosia Salad or 5 Cup Salad


1 can mandarin oranges

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained (tidbits would work too)

1 C. coconut

1 C. mini marshmallows

1 C. sour cream

1 banana, cut up into small slices (add right before serving)





Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Let chill for an hour or so before serving (add in the banana right before serving, otherwise it will be brown). Store leftovers in the fridge.





recipe from Mom

Microwave 3-Minute Fudge

This fudge is seriously SO GOOD & SO EASY! I took this to a party & they couldn't believe that is was microwave fudge--you must try this!

Microwave 3-Minute Fudge


2 pkg. milk chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 C. butter

1 tsp. vanilla



Put all ingredients (except vanilla) in a microwaveable bowl & microwave for 3 minutes. Take out & stir until creamy. Add vanilla. Put in a buttered 8x8 pan & refrigerate until stiff.



*You can also make cookies & cream fudge, just use white chocolate chips (instead of the chocolate) and stir in some crushed Oreos at the end with the vanilla.



*You can also make mint fudge with this recipe!  Just use 1 bag of milk chocolate chips and 1 bag of the Nestle dark chocolate & mint morsels (picture below).  Everything else is the same.

Sometimes these chips can be hard to find, so buy a few if you see them!  They are seasonal (during Thanksgiving & Christmas) and I usually get them at Walmart.

recipe from Barb

Chex Mix

We love Chex mix! It's so tasty & smells SO GOOD while you bake it! Homemade is so much better than the stuff that you can buy--it's a must try!

Chex Mix


3 C. corn Chex

3 C. rice Chex

3 C. wheat Chex

1 C. mixed nuts

1 C. bite-sized pretzels

1 C. garlic bite-sized bagel chips (I couldn't find the small ones, so I just broke-up the big one's into little pieces)

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder



Put chex, nuts, pretzels, & bagel chips in a big bowl. Add spices & Worcestershire sauce to melted butter & mix together. Pour over cereal & stir really well so everything gets evenly coated. Pour everything onto a jelly roll pan & bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour (stirring every 15 minutes). Take out of oven & let cool completely & then store in an air-tight container.





recipe from Mom

Sugar Cookies & Frosting

I absolutely LOVE these sugar cookies--they're so good! I love to use red hots when I make them for Christmas or Valentine's Day...

..and candy corns when I make them for Halloween!

Sugar Cookies

2/3 C. butter, softened

3/4 C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

4 tsp. milk

2 C. sifted flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt




Thoroughly cream butter, sugar, & vanilla. Add egg & beat until light & fluffy. Stir in milk. Sift together dry ingredients & blend into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half & wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour. On lightly floured surface, roll to about 1/8 inch thickness (or however thick you desire). Cut in shapes with cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 5 to 8 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Cool slightly & remove from pan. Makes 2 dozen cookies. Frost the cookies after they are completely cooled.




*I always double the recipe so that I have some to share :)




Frosting 

1 C. softened butter

4 C. powdered sugar (this is just an estimate--I always just dump some in & add more if needed)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. milk (again, I just dump some in until it's the right consistency)



Beat until it's well mixed and smooth.






recipe from my Mom

French Dips

These are seriously so easy & SO GOOD! Definitely a must try!

French Dips

3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast (I think mine was a rump roast & it worked great)

1 can beef consomme (I used Campbell's)

1 can beef broth

2 cubes beef bouillon

1/2 to 3/4 pkg. (of a 1 oz. pkg.) onion soup mix

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

onion powder, to taste

garlic powder, to taste

buns or rolls





Place roast in crock pot & season with salt, pepper, onion powder, & garlic powder. Mix beef consomme, broth, & onion soup mix. Pour over roast. Place bouillon cubes on opposite sides of the roast. Cover & cook on low for 7-8 hours (I used a frozen roast, so I did mine for a little longer--or you can turn it on high for a while). Take out the meat & slice or shred it & put it back in the juice for 1/2 to 1 hour before serving. Serve on rolls or buns & dip in the au jus.




*You can also put mozzarella or provolone cheese on these, but we liked ours just as well without the cheese.




recipe from Megan on Tasty Kitchen

Shepherd's Breakfast

We like to have breakfast dinners quite often & this goes great with pancakes or muffins!

Shepherd's Breakfast

1-2 cups frozen potatoes, enough to cover bottom of pan (I use southern style--it's also really good with leftover baked potatoes cut up into small chunks)

1-2 Tbsp. butter

eggs (I usually use 4)

milk (about 1/4 C.)

cheese

bacon or ham (optional--I don't use it, but it's really good)

salt (I like to use seasoned salt)

pepper




Melt butter in bottom of pan. Put in potatoes & season with salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat until browned & heated through. Mix eggs & milk in a small bowl & pour over potatoes. Stir with spatula so that the eggs scramble. After the eggs are all cooked, sprinkle some cheese on top & turn off heat & put on the lid so the cheese will melt. Serve with ketchup, hot sauce, or salsa.



*If you're using bacon or ham, you can add it in with the potatoes or eggs--whichever you prefer.






recipe from Mom

Baked Apple Steel Cut Oats

This was such a yummy breakfast! Definitely a must try & I'm not even a huge oatmeal fan :)

Baked Apple Steel Cut Oats


2 apples (cut into small chunks)

3/4 C. steel cut oats

1 1/2 C. milk (I do 3/4 C. water and 3/4 C. milk)

cinnamon (to taste)

brown sugar (to taste)

peanut butter (to taste)



Put apple chunks into bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle steel cut oats on top & then pour on milk. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until it's bubbly & the oats have soaked up the milk. Top each serving with cinnamon, brown sugar, & peanut butter, or whatever you want. Can also serve with cold milk if desired.



*This also works great in the crockpot! The cooking time will just depend on your crockpot, but mine takes just over an hour to cook if I do it on high (I haven't tried it on low yet). Also, I always like to spray my crockpot with Pam--it makes clean-up a little easier.






*I'm pretty sure that you can buy the steel cut oats in bulk at Winco--I just get Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats at Giant Eagle since we don't have a Winco :(






recipe from eastcolomom

Pasta Salad

This is really easy & yummy!

Pasta Salad


1 (16 oz.) pkg. tricolor spiral pasta

1 (16 oz.) bottle Italian dressing (I use fat free and you can use more or less--depending how strong you want the flavor to be.  I usually use about 2 bottles.)

broccoli (cut-up)

cauliflower (cut-up)

carrots (cut-up)

sliced olives



Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain & let cool for a few minutes. Put everything together in a big bowl & let sit for a few hours in the fridge.  The pasta will soak up the dressing, so I always add some more before serving it.




*You can add whatever veggies you want--that's just what I like to use.






recipe from Mom