CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

Yum!!! this is really good on a cold fall day, nothing warms u up better then a good bowl of chowder. :))

6 tbsp. butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cans corn
1 1/2-2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I used 3 chicken breasts.)
3 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk (12oz)
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned; set aside to cool to room temperature. I poured the mixture into a glass bowl so it would cool faster. Then used the unwashed pot for the next step.

While roux is cooling, combine the corn, chicken, and chicken broth in saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour roux into the corn and chicken mixture(a little at a time), whisking briskly so it doesn't lump. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick.

Stir evaporated milk into the thick corn mixture. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Return to boil and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with homemade french bread.

NUTELLA HOT COCOA

love this :))

2 c. 2% milk
3 tbsp. Nutella
1 tsp. Hershey's Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Mini Marshmallows or Whipped Cream, optional

In a small sauce pan over low heat, warm milk.
Once warm, whisk in Nutella and stir until smooth. Add cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Continue to whisk until it comes to a boil.
Pour into mugs and top w/ marshmallows or whipped cream.

RAISIN BRAN MUFFINS

1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk (sub 1 cup milk and 1 cup plain yogurt)
4 cups Raisin Bran cereal
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt

Mix in order and bake in muffin tin at 400 degrees for 12-20 minutes, depending on pan size. (My large muffin tin took about 18 minutes).
Let cool at least 10 minutes.
Top with butter and honey.

CREAMSICLE CAKE

nice and easy and yummy!!! :))

1 orange cake mix
8 oz. cool whip
1 /2 C powdered sugar
16 oz. sour cream
1 small box orange jello

Prepare cake mix as directed. I use two (2) round cake pans when I make mine.
Mix powdered sugar and sour cream and ice middle of the cake.
To the remaining icing mix, add the jello and frost the remainder of the cake.
Keep icing cool, will soften up very quickly. Enjoy

JAVA CREAM PUFFS

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Mocha Cream Filling:
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
24 large marshmallows
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

In a large saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in pecans.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove to a wire rack. Immediately split puffs open; remove tops and set aside. Discard soft dough from inside. Cool puffs.
For filling, in a large saucepan, combine coffee and marshmallows. Cook over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from the heat.
Transfer to a bowl; cover and chill just until thickened.
In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Whisk chilled coffee mixture until light in color; fold in whipped cream.
Just before serving, fill each puff with about 1/3 cup filling.
Replace tops and drizzle with fudge topping.
Yield: 8 servings.

ULTIMATE COFFEE CAKE

(This recipe and pic is from Paula Deen, I tried it the other day and it was simply HEAVEN in a pan.) :))

16-24 frozen dinner rolls (I put in 18 rolls in the bundt pan)
1 (3 oz.) butterscotch pudding mix NOT INSTANT
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans chopped if want
1/2 cup melted butter

The night before place rolls in greased bundt pan and sprinkle pudding mix over the rolls evenly, then the sugar, the pecans and then pour melted butter over it all. Cover with a damp cloth or towel and let it rise for 8-10 hours. Place in a pre heated 350 oven for 30 mins......HEAVEN

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE SPOONS

(recipe from Barbary Denham Sulz)

These Christmas candies are chocolate-covered spoons sprinkled with crushed candy canes. They’re delicious when used to stir coffee or hot cocoa, and make a great holiday gift. This recipe yields about 20 spoons.

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
5 candy canes
20 plastic spoons

Preparation:
1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil.

2. Crush the candy canes by placing them in a blender or food processor, and pulsing it on/off until the candy is in small pieces. Alternately, you can place the canes in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to finely crush them. Separate out the large pieces for another use, and place the small shards in a bowl. The crushed candy pieces will get sticky if left for a long time at room temperature, so if you are not going to immediately use them, place them in a Ziploc bag to protect it.

3. Place the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring after every minute to prevent overheating.

4. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, begin dipping the spoons in the chocolate. Hold a spoon by the tip of the handle and dip it 2/3 of the way into the chocolate. Depending on the shape of your bowl, you may want to use another spoon to ladle chocolate over the back of the spoon, ensuring even coverage. Tap the spoon against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, then hold the spoon over the bowl of candy canes pieces. Sprinkle the pieces in a light layer over the front and back of the spoon. Place the spoon bowl-up on the baking sheet, then repeat with remaining candy and spoons.

5. Place the spoons in the refrigerator to set the chocolate for 15 minutes. Once set, the spoons can be packaged and given as gifts. The spoons should be fine in most room temperature environments, but they will start to melt if they get warm. They can be stored for over a month in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

GRILLED SALMON

A simple soy sauce and brown sugar marinade makes the perfect salty-sweet combination for those salmon fillets. :))

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
Lemon pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Salt to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved.
Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat grill for medium heat. Lightly oil grill grate.
Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade.
Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

CHICKEN OR FISH BALLS BATTER

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk
Chicken, uncooked and cut into bite-size pieces

Mix together the dry ingredients, add egg and milk. Mix all together well.
Dip chicken or fish pieces into batter to coat.  Fry in hot cooking oil until browned on all sides.
Serve with Chicken Ball Red Sauce.

CHICKEN FRIED RICE

love this recipe... :))

1 1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup soya sauce
1/4 cup oil
1 env. onion soup mix
Celery, cut up
Onion, cut up
Green pepper, cut up
1 cup chicken, cubed
3 1/2 cups boiling water
1 can mushroom, drained

Place ingredients in over dish. Stir.
Bake covered at 350'F for an hour.

M & M'S COOKIES IN A JAR

(RECIPE POSTED BY BARBARA DENHAM SULZ)

Cookies in a jar are easy to do. Almost any cookie mix will work, just adjust the recipe. For example, the M&M's recipe could be changed easily to a chocolate chip recipe by substituting chocolate chips for M&M's and adding a layer of nuts. Just remember that a quart Mason jar will hold about 4 cups.

3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups M&M's
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Pack firmly in the bottom of the jar. Add the brown sugar and pack down firmly. Add the white sugar. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the sugar layer and push down firmly. Allow the plastic to extend up the side of the jar a little. Now put the M&M's in the jar and put the cover on. You can cover the metal cover with a round cut from pretty cotton fabric if you like.

Attach the following instructions:
1. Remove M&M's carefully from jar and set aside.
2. Empty jar of remaining cookie mix into a bowl.
3. Add 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 beaten egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla.
4. Mix until blended.
5. Stir in M&M's.
6. Roll into 1-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 375 degrees about 12 to 14 minutes. Do not overcook.
8. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to rack to cool completely.
9. Makes about 2 dozen cookies

DRIED BEAN SOUP MIX (Gifts in a Jar)

(RECIPE POSTED BY BARBARA DENHAM SULZ)

Again, almost any dry soup ingredients will work as a jar mix. Try to layer the ingredients in an interesting and appealing way.

To a quart Mason jar add ½ cup of each of the following in the order given:

Split green peas
Red lentils
Split yellow peas
Small red beans
Black beans
Kidney beans

Place seasoning mix in a small, snack sized zip-loc bag. Lay on top of the soup mix before putting the cover on.

SEASONING MIX:
1 tablespoon dried sweet pepper flakes
2 squares chicken bouillon cubes, unwrapped
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions (Print up and attach to the jar)
SEASONED BEAN SOUP:
Dried Bean Mix
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup Seasoning Mix 

Rinse beans and place in a large stock pot. Cover with water and allow to soak overnight.
Next day, drain the beans and rinse. Return to the pot and add water to cover. Place pan lid on top and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Add tomatoes and seasoning mix. Cover and simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until beans are tender.
Makes 10 cups

ORANGE AND SPICE BATH SALTS (Gifts in a Jar)

(RECIPE POSTED BY BARBARA DENHAM SULZ)

Part 1
1 cup of Epsom salt
3 Tbsp. Baking soda
3 drops of orange essential oil
2-3 drops orange food coloring

Part 2
1 cup Epsom salt
3 Tbs Baking soda
3 Drops Clove essential oil

Mix the first four ingredients in one jar, cover and allow to sand over night.
Mix the next three ingredients in a jar, cover, and allow to stand overnight.
The next day place one layer of the orange scented salts on the bottom of the jar. Follow with a layer of the clove scented salts. Repeat layers.

Add a printed tag with these instructions:

Place a handful of the salts under warm, running water.

If you prefer, buy a small scoop to attach to the jar and use the word scoop in place of handful.

DOG BISCUITS MIX (Gifts in a jar)

(RECIPE POSTED BY BARBARA DENHAM SULZ)

If you have an animal lover on your list this makes a great gift.

1 dog biscuit cookie cutter

1 1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch of salt

Layer the ingredients in the jar in the order given. Close jar and tie cookie cutter on the outside with raffia. Type and print the following instructions and attach to the jar:

Dog Biscuits:
Pour ingredients in jar into a bowl. Add:
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 cup hot beef broth or hot water.

Knead well until the dough is heavy but not sticky. You may need to add a bit more flour.
Knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is very elastic. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Roll 1/2 inch thick and cut with cutter.
Bake for 1 ½ hours. Cool completely.

PIZZA JOES

(made those sloppy joes for supper last night... nice and easy meal.  Gr8 with a nice salad)

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 lg onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 med green bell pepper, coarsley chopped (1 cup)
2 cups pizza sauce (2 - 7.5 oz cans)
8 burger buns, split, toasted
1 cup shredded mozzarella chesse

Heat over med - high heat. Add beef, onion & bell pepper; cook 7 to 9 mins, stir until beef is thoroughly cooked.
Stir in pizza sauce. Redue to med heat; simmer uncovered 5 mins
Fill buns with beef mixture & cheese

CARAMEL APPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

YUMMY!!! very good cake :))

Caramel & Apples:
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1 lb. apples (2 to 3), peeled, sliced (1/4 inch)

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk

Heat oven to 350°F.
Spray 9x2-inch round baking pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment paper.
Heat brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and honey in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into pan.
Arrange apple slices over caramel mixture in 2 overlapping concentric circles to cover bottom of pan, starting on outside edge.
Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Beat 3/4 cup butter and sugar in large bowl at medium speed 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. At low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk just until incorporated and smooth, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Carefully spread batter over apple slices.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until cake is golden brown and pulls slightly away from sides and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Invert onto wire rack; remove parchment.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

*ONION SOUP MIX (COPYCAT)*

I use a lot of Onion Soup mix in my recipes.... I came across this recipes a while back. I have to admit.... it’s pretty close to the real stuff, it’s cheaper and with spices u have on hand. :))

3/4 cup dried minced onion
1/3 cup beef bouillon granules
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. celery seed

Combine the first five ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 1 year.
Five tablespoons of Classic Onion Soup mix equals 1 env. of store bought Onion Soup Mix
Yield: 4 batches (20 tablespoons total).

CINNAMON ORNAMENTS

3/4 cup applesauce

1 bottle (4.12 ounces) McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground (or 1 cup plus 1 TBSP generic cinnamon- go to H&H near Somerset or a bulk foods place)

Supplies needed:
Cookie cutters
Drinking straw
Colorful ribbon

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Mix applesauce and cinnamon in small bowl until a smooth ball of dough is formed. (You may need use your hands to incorporate all of the cinnamon.) Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off top sheet of plastic wrap. Cut dough into desired shapes with 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters. Make a hole at top of ornament with drinking straw or skewer. Place ornaments on baking sheet.

2. Bake 2 1/2 hours. Cool ornaments on wire rack. (Or, to dry ornaments at room temperature, carefully place them on wire rack. Let stand 1 to 2 days or until thoroughly dry, turning occasionally.)

3. Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang. Decorate with opaque paint markers, found in arts and crafts stores, if desired.

OREO PEANUT BUTTER DIP

Ok... don't shoot the messenger... LOL!!! :)) this is for the times when u get those chocolate cravings... it's very satisfying, very good and so easy to make. Love it... ENJOY!!! :))

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white chocolate morsels
1/2 cup Nutella
12 Oreos, crushed

In microwave, mix peanut butter, nutella and white chocolate morsels.
Microwave on medium heat for 1 minute.
Stir and heat by 15 second intervals until white chocolate is completely melted.
Fold in Oreos and store in glass jar, completely sealed.
Serve with crackers and fruit, enjoy!
Also great with Pretzel Crisps!

FAVORITE ORANGE JULIUS

My daughter Julie couldn't understand why I would want to mix orange juice and milk together in this drink.... so I tried the recipe without telling her :)) and the verdict is... she thought it was the best thing around.... taste like a creamsicle. It quite refreshing in the morning. :)) YUMMY!!! :))

6 oz. orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
6 ice cubes

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until mixed and ice is crushed. Serve in glasses right away. Makes 3-4 servings.