Potato Chip Cookies

Found these here...love the sweet and salty taste http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/129316/potato_chip_cookies


Makes 30 cookies.

Ingredients:

•1 cup butter or margarine, softened
•1/2 cup sugar
•3/4 cup crushed ridged potato chips
•1/2 cup ground pecans
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:

•In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Stir in potato chips and pecans. Add vanilla; mix well.
•Stir in flour just until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
•Shape into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in flour.
•Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
For extra fun, drizzle melted chocolate on the finished product or sprinkle with powered sugar. Yum yum yum!

The Party Apricot Bars

1 C. Dried Apricots
1 C. Sifted All Purpose Flour
1/3 C. Granulated Sugar
1/2 C. Uncooked Rolled Oats
1/2 Butter
1/3 Sifted Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs well beaten
1 C. Packed Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Almond Extract
1 C. Flaked Coconut and Extra Coconut for topping

In saucepan simmer apricots in water to cover for 10 mins. Drain and set aside to cool.

Combine sugar, 1 C. Flour and the rolled oats. With pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Press the mixture into a greased 9x9x2 inch pan making sure mixture comes up on sides as well as bottom. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cut apricots into small pieces. Shift the 1/3 cup flour with baking powder and salt. Into well beaten eggs gradually blend in the brown sugar and almond extract. Stir in the flour mixture, aprictos and cocoanut. Spread this mixture carefully over the hot baked shell and sprinkle top with extra cocoanut. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes more and let cool and cut into bars.

I usually let the bars get almost completely cold before cutting. If cut too soon the filling tends to fall apart.

Cream Cheese Pastry Dough

found this on the Martha Stewart site... http://www.marthastewart.com/341164/cream-cheese-pastry-dough

For a novice baker, this is the most forgiving dough to work with. The cream cheese allows this pastry some elasticity but still produces tender and flaky results.

Yield: Makes 10 pocket pies or 1 double-crusted 10-inch pie

Ingredients
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons, plus more for rolling out the dough
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Directions
1.Process the butter, cream cheese, and cream in a food processor, electric mixer, or by hand to thoroughly combine.

2.Add the flour and salt. Process just until combined and the dough holds together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 2 pieces. Flatten into disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. If the dough is chilled overnight, take it out 15 minutes before rolling out.

3.Rub flour all over a rolling pin. Working with one dough disk at a time, place the disk on a clean, well-floured surface. Applying some pressure with the rolling pin, roll gently from the center of the dough to the top and bottom edges. Rotate the disk and roll to the top and bottom edges again. Reflour the work surface and rolling pin, turn the dough over, and continue to roll the dough from the center out to the edges. Turn over and roll again, rotating the disk to ensure even rolling until the dough is about 12 inches in diameter, thin but not transparent.

7UP Biscuits (Just like Popeye's chicken biscuits)

Found this recipe here and I have made them they are WONDERFUL!!!

http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/04/7up-biscuits.html

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up (or any lemon lime soda)
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.
Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out about 1"thick, don't work the dough very much. Cut biscuits with a sharp biscuit cutter or cookie cutter don't use a glass or the biscuits won't rise very well. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pineapple and Cheese Casserole

Pineapple and Cheese Casserole


Drain 2 20oz. cans of chunk pineapple reserving the juice
Place pineapple in a bowl add half the reserved juice
Add 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese and mix together.
In seperate bowl mix 1 cup sugar and 6 Tbsp. Self rising four. Add to pineapple and mix
Place in a 2 qt. casserole dish.
Top with 1 1/2 cups of crushed Ritz
Melt 1 stick of butter and pour over casserole
Cook for 30 min. in a preheated oven at 350*

Pumpkin Pie Bars

I have had this recipe since the early 70's. I was pregnant with my son the first time I made it...I just found it again in my recipe box, I might have to make this for Thanksgiving!!

1 box of yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter
3 eggs
3 cups canned pumpkin pie filling
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teasp Cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease bottom of a 9x13 cake pan

Pour 1 cup of dry cake mix into a medium bowl and set aside

Combine remaining cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 egg, Mix well and press into the bottom of the 9x13 pan

Combine pumpkin pie filling, 2 eggs and milk in a medium bowl, mix until smooth. Pour evenly over crust in the 9x13 pan.

pour the sugar and cinnamon into the bowl containing the 1 cup of cake mix, cut in the butter until mixture looks crumbly, Sprinkle over the pumpkin filling

Bake for 45to 50 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Let cool before cutting
serve with whipped cream!!

Bread for Dummies: Super Easy Yeast Bread Recipe

found this here...might have to try this for Thanksgiving!http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/bread-for-dummies/

Seriously, this is a bread recipe that you can’t goof! As long as your yeast is good you can add something extra, take something away only use a partial amount of an ingredient, make substitutions, this bread tastes good no matter what! There is nothing I love more than yummy fresh baked bread.



Ingredients:

■2 cups of water (warm, it should feel like the bath tub)
■2/3 cups of oil
■1/2 cup of sugar
■1 tablespoon of yeast
— let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

■1 egg
■6 cups of flour
— knead until elastic.

■1/2 teaspoon of salt
— knead a tiny bit more, then cover the dough ball with plastic wrap. Let rise to double in size, then form into rolls, loaves, pizza dough, whatever. Start the oven at 350-400, while it is preheating let the bread re-rise. Bake till golden brown.

Variations:

■Add a knife-full of molasses to the warm water. Your bread will have a fuller flavor.
■Roll the bread out like a square pizza and coat with butter and then sprinkle heavily with cinnamon and sugar, or garlic, or grated some cheddar cheese over the dough, or even layer with lunch meat and onion, roll the dough and slice for rolls.
■Substitute a cup of potato flakes in the flour. Yummy, potato bread.

Pierogi Casserole

"Full of flavor, this pierogi-layered casserole is nothing short of rich and hearty. It's a wonderful change from the usual humdrum casserole."

Original Recipe Yield 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients

5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place the potatoes in a large pot with water to cover over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, drain, then combine with the milk and 6 tablespoons of butter, mash and set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the bacon, onion and garlic in the butter for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon is fully cooked.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions and cool under running water.

Place 1/2 of the mashed potatoes into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top this with 1/3 of the cheese, followed by a layer of lasagna noodles. Repeat this with the remaining potatoes, another 1/3 of the cheese and a layer of noodles. Then arrange the bacon, onion and garlic over the noodles, then another layer of noodles, and finally top all with the remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh chives.