No Bake Cookies

 

Bring the following ingredients to a full boil in a medium saucepan for 1 minute:

1/2 cube margarine or butter

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

After boiling for 1 full minute, remove chocolate mixture from heat.

Have the following ingredients set aside and ready to immediately add into the chocolate mixture:

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup peanut butter -

(I like crunchy, but you can use smooth too.)

3 cups uncooked oats

(I like the instant oats because they are a finer texture, but you can use old-fashioned whole oats too.)

Mix well and drop onto wax paper.

Let cool at least 20 minutes for cookies to set up.

Quick Southwest Salsa

Quick and Easy Southwest Salsa

ONE 14.5 ounce can Basil, Garlic, & Oregano diced tomatoes

ONE 14.5 ounce can Fire Roasted diced tomatoes

ONE 10 ounce can Ro-Tel brand Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies

ONE bunch green onions (about 5 or 6)

a dash (about 1/8 tsp.) dry minced garlic

1/4 tsp. salt

(omit the salt if eating with salty corn chips)

Pour all 3 cans of tomatoes into a blender.

Chop green onions up into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.

Add the onions, salt, and dry minced garlic to the tomatoes.

"Puree" until everything is mixed well.

If you would like a little spicier salsa, add 1/4 tsp. black pepper.

Is better chilled, but can be eaten right away.

Eat plain with corn chips or use as a topping for tacos or tostadas.

Pinto Beans

How to make a good pot of pinto beans:

This recipe is for the crock pot.

Plan ahead - they need to soak overnight.

The first thing to do is measure how many cups your crock pot will hold.

The general rule is 1 part beans, 2 parts water. Example:  for 2 cups dried beans - add 4 cups water.

1 cup of dried beans will yield about 3 cups of cooked beans.

You will want a little room at the top for extra water and for extra items to add at the end.

Instructions:

1.  Sort your beans and check to make sure there aren't any little rocks or anything in the beans.

2.  Rinse your beans well.  I usually rinse mine 2 or 3 times until the water runs clear.  Use a colander.

3.  After your beans are rinsed and clean, pour them into a large plastic bowl and cover with water -

just enough water to completely cover them and a little more.

4.  Do this in the evening.  Let them soak overnight.  This helps to soften them and they will cook faster.  Newer beans will cook faster as well.  Older beans will require a little more cooking time.

5.  In the morning, pour your beans back into your colander and rinse them again.

6.  Pour the beans into a large pot and cover with hot water with about an inch of water above the beans.

7.  Cook over high heat until the beans get really foamy - they will need to boil to get there (Picture 3).

8.  After they get to this foamy point, rinse them again using your colander.  This step of boiling and foaming and then rinsing helps make your beans not be so gassy.

9.  After you rinse all of the foam off, pour your beans back into your pot and cover with hot water again with an inch or two above the beans.  Place back on the stove over high heat again and let them come to a boil.  Turn on your crock pot so it will begin to warm up.

10.  At this point you can add your seasonings.  For a 6 quart crock pot:

ADD:

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

a dash of garlic salt

10.  As soon as they begin to boil you can pour them into your crock pot - water and all.

Let them cook on low for 7 to 9 hours - until they are no longer crunchy.

At the end of the cooking process I like to add some ground sausage with green chili.

If you want to do this:

ADD:

1/2 pound sausage

2 chopped green chiles or 1 can diced green chile.

Brown them together, drain the grease off, and add to your beans.

This give the beans a really good flavor.

If you would rather, you can add a piece of ham or uncooked bacon pieces at the beginning of the cooking process of your beans.  I prefer the sausage and green chile, but the ham or bacon is good also.

Now your done!  You can serve immediately or turn the heat off the crock pot and serve within an hour or two.  I like to make a large crock pot full at a time and freeze the leftover beans in 1 quart plastic containers to use later.  Just take the lid off your crock pot and let them cool completely before freezing.  The frozen beans will stay good in your freezer for several months.

Easy Pie Crust

*Note* - I like to use Butter Crisco, but you can use regular white shortening if you want too.

Also:  the colder your water, the easier the crust is to work with - use ice water preferrably.

You need to poke holes in the crust after you get it into the pie dish with a fork before you bake it if you are baking it by itself.  You don't need to poke holes in it if you are cooking the filling in with the crust like a fruit pie.

The baked crust:

 I like to sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on the leftover ends and bake on the rack just below the pie crust at the same time.

Easy Lasagna

This recipe is a good, easy lasagna recipe that is kid friendly.

What you need for a 9x13 glass baking dish:

10-12 lasagna noodles

1 bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I use a 10 oz. Ragu Traditional because my kids are picky.)

1/2 to 1 pound sausage or hamburger

1 pound shredded mozzarella or monterey jack cheese - (you may not use the whole pound, but it will be close.)

cooking spray

The first thing you want to do is get your water boiling for your noodles.  After you get your water heating, brown your sausage or hamburger (I prefer sausage).  As soon as your water starts to simmer you can put the noodles in to start softening them.  You don't need to cook them all the way.  If they are only half cooked that is ok - they will finish cooking in the oven.

Drain the grease from your meat and then add the spaghetti sauce to the meat.  You don't need to warm the sauce up since it will cook in the oven. 

Spray your glass baking pan with cooking spray.  Then put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan.  This helps keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom.  Then add your first layer of noodles. 

After your first layer of noodles, add about 1/3 of your sauce and spread over the noodles.  Then generously sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce.  Add noodles again.  The picture below is my second layer of noodles.  If your family likes cottage cheese in their lasagna you can add that here.  My kids don't like cottage cheese so I don't add it.

Below is my second layer of sauce.  This is to show you about how much I put on each layer. 

You should end up with 3 layers total.  You don't want to go any higher than that unless you have a deeper dish.  3 layers is just right and won't overflow your pan.  After your 3rd layer of noodles, sauce, and cheese cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.  

You can also freeze the uncooked lasagna and cook later.  Just make sure to cook it until the center is bubbly.  My family of 5 will eat about 1/2 of the pan.  So a full pan should serve 10 if you have bread and a vegetable to go with it. 

Soft Sugar Cookies

*Note* - I am at 6,500 feet elevation.  If you are at a lower elevation, you may need less flour.

Combine:

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Butter Crisco

2 Eggs

Mix together:

3 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

4 tsps. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

Add last:

1/2 cup Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine eggs, sugar, & shortening.  Beat well, until creamy.

Then add the flour, salt, baking powder, & soda.

Don’t mix yet. Put dry ingredients in one side of the bowl.

Add milk & vanilla on the other side at the same time.

Mix all together.

Chill for 30 minutes if desired to firm up dough.

Cut out with cookie cutters & bake for approx. 10 minutes at 350* F.

Take out of the oven just as soon as the outer cookies just start to brown on the edges.

Frost with cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar (sprinkle cinnamon & sugar before you bake the dough if you decide to do that instead of frosting) - the cinnamon/sugar sprinkled cookies taste very similar to Snickerdoodles.

Store in an air-tight container & cookies will stay soft.

Sugar, Shortening, Egg mixture. 

 Soon after adding dry mixture, milk, & vanilla.

Final mixture.

Bake cookies approximately 10 minutes.  Take them out just as soon as the outer cookies just start to brown around the edges.  Taking them out this soon helps them to be soft.  I like to bake them on an AirBake cookie sheet.

Easy Fruit Salad

This fruit salad is SO easy and SO yummy!

You can eat it as a side dish or as a dessert.

I'll give you the ingredients first and then you can scroll through the photos for the order to add everything.

Easy Fruit Salad

2 - 15 oz. cans fruit cocktail with juice

1 - 8 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

1 - 5.1 oz. (lrg. box) instant pudding

2 - bananas

2 - cups marshmallows

1 - 8 oz. tub whipped topping

Optional items:

Slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans, mandarin oranges

Just mix it all together as shown below.

Try changing out different cans of mixed fruits

and different flavors of pudding -

some flavors we like:

vanilla, french vanilla (used here), banana, pistachio.

1.  Pour in fruit cocktail and pineapple with the juice.

 2.  Stir in the instant pudding.

 3.  Add bananas, marshmallows, and (optional) nuts. (I didn't add nuts this time.)
You can use more or less marshmallows or omit them altogether.
This is also where you would add the mandarin oranges (any can up to 15 oz.),
but if you do add the oranges make sure to drain the juice or it will be too thin.

 4.  Stir in whipped topping.  (I like to use the "Lite", but you can use whatever kind you want.)
A whole 8 oz. tub is almost too much so you might want to start with 1/2 tub and add more up to the whole 8 oz. tub until you get the amount your family likes.
I used the whole tub here.

 5.  Can be served immediately, but will set up a little firmer if refrigerated ahead of time.  I would serve within 3 hours of mixing up.  It's still good the 2nd day, but not great the 3rd day.

Store in covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.