*CHEESECAKE STUFFED STRAWBERRIES*

 

(RECIPE SHARED BY LINDA MORIN)

1 lb large strawberries
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3-4 tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out with a paring knife, if necessary (some of them are hollow already. Prep all of the strawberries and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill the strawberries with cheesecake mixture.
3. Once strawberries are filled, sprinkle or dip the tops with graham cracker crumbs. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

*GRADUATION CAPS*

Just came across these adorable no-bake candy desserts - a very creative graduation party food idea. Simply use Reese's peanut butter cups, Andes thin mints, an M&M and some cake decorating icing to match your school colors. :))

24 miniature peanut butter cups
1 tube (6 ounces) decorating frosting in color of your choice
24 After Eight thin mints
24 milk chocolate M&M's in color of your choice or 24 semisweet chocolate chips

Remove paper liners from peanut butter cups; place upside down on waxed paper.
Place a small amount of frosting on each peanut butter cup; center a mint on each.
Using frosting, make a loop for each cap's tassel.
Place an M&M on top of each loop.

Yield: 2 dozen.

Nutritional Facts
1 serving (1 each) equals 92 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 136 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein.

*HERBED VEGETABLE BROTH POWDER (COPYCAT)*

This vegetable bouillon powder is made with real ingredients and only has half the sodium the store bought brand has. Awesome for soup. :))

1/4 cup dried mushrooms
1/4 cup dried mixed vegetables
1 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. dried lemon zest
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried marjoram

Place dried vegetables in a blender and pulsing until smaller.
Add remaining ingredients and mix.
Store in a closed container in a cool, dry place.
Use 1 teaspoon per one cup water to make 1 cup broth.

*SASKATCHEWANIAN WEINY ROAST*

*BASIL PESTO*

(RECIPE POSTED BY ANGELA BEADLE CORCORAN)

2-3 fresh garlic cloves
1/4 cup Walnuts,, Pine Nuts are best,, but pricey!
4 cups fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese; grated
Salt And Pepper to taste

I freeze my pesto in icecube trays,,, it seems to work best with recipes,,,
just put the bottom of the icecube trays into a bit of hot water in the sink, pop them out and into the ziploc and into the freezer!
a different way to serve pesto is to spread some onto some tortillia chips , top with some smoked mozzarella, and melt the cheese,,, mmmm.

*PUDDING CHOMEUR*

(also known as "Poor Man’s Pudding Cake)
recipe from my mom
A syrupy "pudding" with a cakey topping. It’s very sweet but very good.

ingredients for syrup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp butter or 3 tablespoons margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla

ingredients for batter
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder

In a saucepan melt butter or margarine; stir in brown sugar.
Add water and vanilla.
Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, make the dough.
Cream butter or margarine; add sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Add to butter mixture alternately with milk.
Pour syrup into a 9 X 13 baking dish.
Drop dough by teaspoons over syrup.
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

*JUCY LUCY BURGERS*

Amazing and juicy just like the title says. It was one of the best burgers me and my daughter have ever had...
It is critical that you leave enough room on the edges to get a good seal. If the cheese runs out, it’s not near as good... if the cheese does start to run out, its done! Get it off the grill or pan before you lose your cheese!
These are super good with grilled onions and mushrooms on top!!! and there is no such thing as too much cheese so we also added a slice of cheese on top of the burger. It’s a great alternative to the regular hamburger and easy to make! YUMMY!!! :))

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning
4 slices American cheese (such as Kraft)
4 hamburger buns, split

Combine ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning in a large bowl; mix well.
Form 8, thin patties from the beef. Each patty should be slightly larger than a slice of cheese.
Cut each slice of American cheese into 4 equal pieces; stack the pieces.
Sandwich one stack of cheese between 2 ground beef patties.
Tightly pinch edges together tightly seal the cheese within the meat.
Repeat with the remaining cheese and patties.
Cook or barbecue burgers until well browned, about 4 minutes.
It is common for burgers to puff up due to steam from the melting cheese.
Turn burgers and prick the top of each to allow steam to escape; cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside; about 4 minutes.
Serve on hamburger buns with your favourite toppings.

*MONSTER SANDWICH*

(be creative with this one... anything works) the kids will love this in their lunch box.... it’s a nice surprise.

-refrigerated biscuit that has been rolled out
-middle filling can be anything you want... shredded bee...f, tuna salad, hot dog, hamburger, cheese, turkey,meatballs, bbq of some kind, use your imagination - options are limitless

Follow the biscuit cooking directions, but keep a close eye on them as they probably will cook faster since they have been rolled flatter and thinner. Don't forget to put the filling in before baking. Let the sandwich cool a little so it will be easier to glue the eyes on.

-cream cheese mix with a little mayonnaise as a binder or you can use a dip to assemble the eye together.
-cut cherry or grape tomatoes eyeballs in half and black olive for the eyes
-green hair is cut up lettuce or green pepper
-teeth is sliced garlic, rice or pine nuts.... you can also use slivered almonds.

*SOURDOUGH STARTER*

(RECIPE POSTED BY THEODORE ALTON MCELROY)

 2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
 16 ounces of warm water
 2 cups all purpose flour

In a 2 or 3 quart glass bowl, using a wooden or nylon spoon, mix yeast and warm water, let stand 10 minutes.
Add flour, mix until thick batter forms. Batter need not be smooth.
Cover loosely with cheesecloth, lightweight kitchen towel or plastic wrap; let stand in warm place for 24 hours.
Stir, cover loosely.
Place starter in a warm place for 2 to 3 days or until it bubbles and smells sour; stir once a day.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap or plastic cover; refrigerate.

*To replenish starter:
 After using a portion of starter, replenish with equal amounts of flour and warm water.
For example, if 10 ounces (1-1/4 cups) of starter were removed to make bread, replenish with 10 ounces warm water and 10 ounces flour.
Stir well to blen, cover and let stand in warm place until bubbly, 3 to 5 hours.
Store starter in loosely covered glass container in refrigerator.

*TEDDY'S KILLER SOURDOUGH*

(RECIPE POSTED BY THEODORE ALTON MCELROY)

With store bought bread approaching $3.00 a loaf and good fresh bakery bread going as high as $6.00 I exclusively bake my own bread in my Regal Kitchen Pro that I bought years ago for like $60.00.
Here are some tips and my killer recipe for sour dough French, my personal favorite.
TIPS:
-Buy your yeast in the 4 oz jars (check the price per ounce compared to individual packets and you will see why).
-Always "prove" your yeast by putting the amount your recipe calls for in a measuring cup along with the amount of sugar called for and add very warm water and let it stand for 10 minutes. If it bubbles up you are good to go. If not, your yeast is too old and no longer active.
-Buy the cheapest generic flour you can find and buy it in bulk, but make sure you have a seal able plastic or ceramic container to store it in.
-USE 4 teaspoons of GLUTEN in your recipe unless you are allergic to it. This will make your bread rise better and restores the product to your flour that was removed.
-After you add all of the ingredients to your bread machine monitor it with a large wooden spoon, If your dough does not completely form up and there is a lot of dry dough still in the bottom, gradually add more warm water and scrape the bread maker to get it to all mix up until you have one nice complete dough ball thrashing around.

CAUTION:
-Do not use any implements other that wood spoons and glass measuring cups. Metal will react with yeast!!

*TEDDY'S KILLER SOURDOUGH*
10 ounces of sour dough starter (you need to make this about a week before hand)
5 - 6 ounces of warm water (use this in the measuring cup with your yeast and sugar)
1-3/4 tsp. salt (important for controlling rise and rate of rise)
4 cups of flour (put this in the bread machine first)
3 tbsp. sugar (in the yeast proofing measuring cup)
2 tsp. active dry yeast (in the yeast proofing measuring cup)
4 tsp. of Gluten (you can get this in the bakery section of Walmart along with the 4 oz jars of yeast)
2 tbsp. of corn meal (optional: this adds some texture and crunch to your bread, my personal favorite)

Set your bread maker to "Basic - usually 3 hours and crust to medium)
Enjoy!

*TARTE AU OEUFS*

*EGG CUSTARD PIE*
My mom use to make this all the time when I was growing up.... and as soon as my brother Serge would see the pie, it was gone. Even to this day... it’s one of his favorite... pie. :)) Egg custard pie is a dessert pie, not a quiche. :))

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg white
2 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Mix together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir well. Blend in the scalded milk.
Line pie pan with pastry, and brush inside bottom and sides of shell with egg white to help prevent a soggy crust.
Pour custard mixture into piecrust. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.
Cool on rack.

*TARTE AU SUCRE*

And again... my mom would make this sugar pie quite often when I was growing up. it’s really good, but it’s veeeeery sweet. So I normally just have a little piece with a little... whip cream on top... and you have the world’s best pie. :))

1 pie crust, unbaked
6 tbsp. flour
2 cups packed brown sugar (or half brown sugar, half maple sugar is you have / can afford it)
1 1/2 cups low fat evaporated milk
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla or maple ext

Preheat oven to 400F
In a saucepan, combine flour and sugar and mix.
Stir in milk slowly to avoid lumps, then add butter and salt.
Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
Remove from heat, add vanilla or maple extract.
Pour into an unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 400F for 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool in a rack.
Serve cooled in small wedges, with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.

*HOMEMADE GLASS CLEANER*

 Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tbsp. white vinegar

*FURNITURE POLISH*

Mix in a sprayer bottle:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

Shake well and apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth.
Spread evenly over furniture surface.
Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.

COBB SALAD

Yummy is the word for this salad.... easy to make and very filling.

6 slices bacon
3 eggs
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled (I omit this, don't like blue cheese)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
3 green onions, chopped
1 (8 ounce) bottle Ranch-style salad dressing

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Divide shredded lettuce among individual plates.
Evenly divide and arrange chicken, eggs, tomatoes, blue cheese, bacon, avocado and green onions in a row on top of the lettuce.
Drizzle with your favorite dressing and enjoy.

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

This recipe is always a HUGE hit at potlucks and kids love it. :))

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
1 Can of Chedder Cheese soup
1 Can of Manwhich sauce.
1 pound frozen tater tots, 1 bag divided

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Brown ground beef in a heavy skillet; season to taste.
Drain excess grease.
Add onion to skillet and sauté until soft and lightly browned.
Throw in the frozen veggies to thaw out a little.
In a large bowl mix, cheese soup, manwhich, and half of the bag of tater tots. add the ground beef and veggie mixture.
Place the mixture in a prepared baking dish and cover with the other half bag of tater tots.
Bake 1-1/2 hours or until tater tots on top are nice and golden. ENJOY!!! :))

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS

These are rich bars that are easy to make because you start out with a cake mix. yum!!! :))

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
32 caramels
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (18 1/4 oz.) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup vanilla chocolate chips or 1 cup white chocolate chips
1 Heath candy bar, chopped (1.4 ounces)

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, caramels and milk; cook and stir over medium-low heat until smooth.
Cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, oil and eggs; mix well.
Stir in chips and chopped candy bar (dough will be stiff).
Press three-fourths into a greased 13 x 9 baking pan.
Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
Place on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Pour caramel mixture over the crust.
Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto caramel layer.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
Cool for 10 minutes; run a knife around edges of pan.
Cool 40 minutes longer; cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until serving.

CHEESY CREAM CORN WITH BACON

Came across this recipe the other day. Since bacon seem to be one of my favourite food group lately... other than chocolate... LOL!!! :)) I decide to make the recipe right away... that same day. The combination of corn, melted cheese and bacon is really amazing, it taste soooooooooo good. This side dish is now one of my favourite, and I will definitely make it again.

2 (10 ounce each) packages frozen corn
4 strips bacon, 1/2-inch diced and drippings
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup half and half cream
Salt and pepper
1/8 or 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove.
In drippings, sauté onions until soft but not brown. Add corn and cheese to onions. Cook, stirring about 10 minutes.
Add cream and seasonings. Top with bacon and heat until bubbly.

*FRENCH VANILLA COFFEE CREAMER (COPYCAT)*

 

Love liquid flavoured coffee creamer, this is my favourite one to add to my coffee in the morning.

1 cup whole milk (I used 1% milk and only put in 1/2 cup)
1 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients together and cook on medium, stirring gently, until the mix begins to steam.
Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
Seal tightly in a glass jar and refrigerate.
Shake before using.

CLASSIC REUBEN PANINI

I love Reuben sandwich... :)) they’re great for lunch or dinner, any day of the week! Just add some potato chips and a pickle and voilà, you have yourself an amazing grilled sandwich that is sure to please.

Butter, melted
Rye bread
Thousand Island dressing (I’m not really kin on Thousand Island dressing so I spread it on very lightly)
Sauerkraut, drained
Corned beef, thinly sliced
Swiss cheese

Preheat the Panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees). I put mine on high because I’m always hungry and can’t wait to dig in. LOL!!! :))

Brush melted butter onto two slices of bread.

On one slice (non-buttered side), spread a layer of Thousand Island dressing.

Top with a generous amount of sauerkraut (be sure to drain as much liquid as possible) and corned beef, and two slices of Swiss cheese.

Place the other slice of bread (buttered side up) on top to form the sandwich.

Grill sandwich for 5-6 minutes until cheese is melted and grill marks appear. Serve immediately and enjoy!

NOTE: this sandwich can easily be made in a frying pan if you don’t have a Panini machine, just like a grilled cheese.