Dinner in a Foil Packet

     I love this recipe because it is so easy and there are no dishes to wash when you are done!  My kids always enjoyed making these because they could use the ingredients they liked, so they could personalized each one.  I find children are more likely to eat something they help prepare!

     I usually use ground beef, but you can use chicken breast also.  The possible toppings include potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, or any other vegetables you like.  They can be different every time you make them.  Experiment and see which one you like best!

Dinner in a Foil Packet

Ground beef or chicken breast
Potatoes-sliced
Onions-sliced
Carrots-sliced
Any other vegetables you like

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season beef in mixing bowl and make into patties.   Tear foil sheet and put on baking pan.  Put one ground beef patty in center of foil.  Start piling on the potatoes, onions, carrots or other vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper.  Close foil.  Bake for about 1 hour.  (Chicken takes about 45 minutes.)

 

 

A pretty healthy meal for everyone-  I hope you enjoy these too! 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies

     Sometimes, you just need a quick cookie recipe!  As much as I LOVE to bake, I don't always feel like getting out all of the ingredients like sugar, flour, soda, baking powder, etc. to make them completely from scratch.  So, on days like today, I use this recipe instead.  

     I got this recipe when I was in school.  Does anyone remember home economics class?  Okay, I am giving away my age with that one!

    Today, I was hungry for chocolate and peanut butter, so here goes...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies

1 box chocolate cake mix *
1 cup chunky peanut butter*
1/2  cup cooking oil
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Combine all ingredients and mix well with mixer.  Drop by teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute.  Move cookies to wire rack to cool.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

**You could use white or yellow cake mix and creamy peanut butter if you'd like a different version.


Start with these:

Mix all ingredients with mixer

Drop by teaspoons and bake

These cookies are chewy and almost cake-like.  I wish you could smell them!

Veteran's Day

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED AND ARE STILL SERVING TODAY!!!!

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND KEEP YOU SAFE!

Christmas Cards for the Military

        
  

           I saw a Red Cross website on face book that talked about sending Christmas Cards to our military and thought it would be a wonderful way to spread some Christmas cheer!  Many of our service men and women have no mail or packages delivered to them.  I cannot imagine standing in line for mail call and not getting anything!  How sad is that?

    So, with that in mind, I will be sending some cards.  Below is a link to the Red Cross website with instructions.  If you are like me, you have plenty of Christmas cards that you've bought over the years and didn't send out.  This is a way to use them and bring some holiday cheer to our service members! 

    Get the kids involved in this!


http://www.redcross.org/support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes


 It's so easy- here are a few of the instructions in a nutshell:

1-    sign all cards
2-   Address it to "Dear Service Member"
3-   only cards, no letters
4-   no email or home address
5-   no photos, etc.
6-   no cards with glitter
7-   no envelope required for each card

*Deadline is December 6th

The best part is that you can send all of the cards in one large envelope or flat rate postal shipping box!

Here's the address:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

I hope you will consider this a way to get into the holiday spirit... As a mom of two in the military, I Thank You!!!

http://www.redcross.org/support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes

Cake Bites



     My sister-in-law and I recently went to a cake decorating class for petit fours and had a great time.   One thing we both realized was how time consuming the real petit fours are to make! 

 

     Petit fours are really delicious, but you can only eat a couple at a time because they are SO sweet!   I didn't know why until the class.  The instructor's recipe said to put butter cream icing on the bottom of the petit fours, THEN add fondant to the top of them!  After they were dry, she then decorated the tops of them...more sugar!  Oh my goodness....can anyone say sugar coma?

 

     So, with that in mind, I came up with an easier solution.  I am calling them CAKE BITES.   They still have some of the sweetness, but not as much as hers.  One thing I want to warn you about is- these take a couple of days before they are ready to eat!  By the time you bake the cake, let it cool, freeze it overnight, cut it into squares, make fondant and  pour over each square and let dry all day, it's a long process!  Not hard, just takes awhile before you can eat them....

 

So, lets get started!

 

 

Cake

 

1 box chocolate cake mix

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs 

 

 

Blend all ingredients together at medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Pour into greased pan that is 11 x 15 inches.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Cover well and freeze cake overnight.  In morning, cut into approximately 1 inch squares while still frozen.  Makes about 80.

 

**Note:  You can make these with just about any cake mix.  Leave out the cocoa in the fondant if you don't want chocolate.



 

Fondant

1 cup half and half
dash salt
1/4 cup cocoa
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon butter
2 Tablespoons shortening

In double boiler, mix shortening, milk and salt.   Heat until shortening melts.  Remove from heat and add vanilla, butter, cocoa and powdered sugar.  Mix well with mixer.   I put three bite size pieces of cake on a spatula and pour the fondant on them with a spoon.  (See below.)

Put them on a wire rack with a cookie sheet under it to catch the dripping fondant.  Let air dry approx. 18-24 hours until set.

The hard part is trying NOT to eat them while they are drying!


These just melt in your mouth!  The great thing is, this recipe makes quite a bit and can last on the counter for 5-7 days.  They probably won't, because you can't eat just 1 or 2.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Beignets - The Cajun Donut

     This morning I was hungry for donuts, so I decided to make beignets.  They are what I like to call the Cajun donut.  I'll admit that they aren't exactly like Cafe Du Monde's in New Orleans.

     I do have a couple of recipes for beignets.  This one was in my moms recipe box, so I thought I'd make these first.  I'll make the other recipe another time.  You can help me decide which one is best!

Mom's Beignets

1 cup flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup powdered sugar for coating

Mix first 5 ingredients together and drop by spoonfuls into hot grease.  Batter will be a little thick.  Fry on each side 2-3 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.  Let cool a few minutes.  Put 1 cup powdered sugar in Ziploc bag.  Drop beignets in and shake well to coat.  Makes about 12 beignets.

***You could even make little ones like donut holes- the kids would love them! Putting them in the bag and shaking it up is something they can do to help-just make sure they are cool first.




           Mix all ingredients together except powdered sugar

 

 

 

                                             Fry 2-3 minutes on each side

      Put powdered sugar in Ziploc bag - add beignets and shake

 

 

 

These beignets are a good substitute for the donuts you buy at the bakery.  Especially if you don't want to leave home to pick them up...

 

Let me know what you think!

Easy Buttery Biscuits

     These are my go to biscuits when I need something in a hurry,  because they are so easy!  I am sure some of you have seen some version of this recipe.  They are a lot like Popeye's biscuits...buttery!

Easy Buttery Biscuits

2 cups Pioneer Biscuit Mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7up or sprite
3/4 stick of melted butter


Mix biscuit mix, sour cream and 7up in large bowl.  Stir until combined.  Batter will be sticky.  Sprinkle extra biscuit mix on counter or chopping block.  Cover batter in biscuit mix on floured surface.   Roll out into large rectangle.  Cut into biscuits and put on baking pan that is sprayed with cooking spray.  Brush biscuit tops with melted butter.  Whatever butter is left, pour it over the biscuits.  It will end up on the bottom of the baking pan.  Cook at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.   Makes 15-20 depending on size and thickness.


I love these with blackberry jelly, but you could use whatever you have on hand. They also make a good side to go with dinner.  Delicious!


                            Start with these three ingredients

Mix them all together in large bowl

 

Batter is sticky!

Roll into biscuits.....

Brush tops with butter - pour rest of it over them!

 

 

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

Done!