Cream Puff Cake

I remember my mom making this recipe as a kid and I made it this weekend... yep, still love it.  It got high ratings from my guests this weekend as well.  It is pretty simple to make. 

Crust-

1 c. Water

1/2 c. butter

1 c. flour

Heat water and butter until melted.  Add flour and mix well.  Let cool until warm (room temp).  Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Spread into greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.  Cool.

Filling:

3 small boxes of vanilla instant pudding.

1 - 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

4 c. milk

1 tub of cool whip

Beat 3 together and spread over crust.  Spread cool whip over the pudding mix and chill.

Pick Apart Rolls

I loved when my mom would make this for us in the mornings.  It is so yummy.  I recently tried making this recipe at your cabin and needless to say I used to make dinner rolls and by morning you couldn't even see the pan.  The rolls have risen out of the pan and were all over the cookie sheet.  It was pretty comical but I made due. 

24 frozen dinner rolls (dough)

1 - 3 5/8 oz pkg of butterscotch pudding (not instant)

1/4c. melted butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

Place frozen rolls in a greased bundt pan.  Sprinkle pudding over rolls.  Pour melted butter on rolls.  Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on the rolls.  Let rise overnight uncovered.  In the morning bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins.  Take out of the over and turn upside down on a large plate or cookie sheet with sides.  Enjoy!

Pasta Salad

This is a classic recipe in our family.  It is my aunt Cindy's pasta salad.  It is really easy to make and even more easy to travel with.  It is great for showers and potlucks.  You can add or remove any of the ingredients to cater to your tastes.  It is a dressed up Ceasar Salad.  Enjoy, we do!

8 oz. uncooked pasta salad
2 c. shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 c. sliced sun dried tomatoes
1/3 c. shredded Parmesan (fresh is better)
1 - 2.25 oz can sliced black olives
1 - 8oz Ceasar dressing
3 chicken breasts, cubed

Grill or bake chicken breasts and cube them.  Cook pasta while chicken cools (if it is warm it will make the lettuce wilty).  Mix all ingredients together and put the dressing on right before you serve it.

Cheesy Brat Stew

I randomly found this recipe on a website during college and thought hey college kids like free food so if it tastes bad they can't complain... it was free right!  Turns out it was a huge success... It is popular among college kids and the hunter folk.  I have made it several time over the last few years for the the deer hunters in my life and it is loved by all.  It is pretty simple and you cook it in a crock pot... can't get much better than that.  My suggestion would be to serve it with a lighter bread or dinner rolls.  It is a hearty stew so you don't need a big side dish to go with it.  I have also tried substituting venison brats but they got to dried out.  You could probably try turkey brats also.  I have also added a can of mushrooms and chopped onions.

6 brats, cut in 1/2 in slices
4 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 tbsp minced onion
1 - 15oz can of green beans (drained)
1 small red bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 -10.75oz can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 c. water

Place all ingredients in slow cooker; cover and cook on medium for 3 hrs or until potatoes are fork-tender.  Stir occasionally.

Baked French Toast

This is a super sweet breakfast but if you like french toast... you will love this recipe.

1 1/2 sticks butter (or 3/4c.)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 c. maple syrup

Boil these three ingredients together, pour into bottom of 9x13 pan.

12 slices of English Muffin Bread

Cream cheese

Spread with cream cheese "sandwich style".  Place over caramel mix.

6 eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

Beat together and pour over bread.  Refrigerate overnight (or at least for 1 hour).  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I found this in my cooking light magazine.  It is yummy.  My bread got a little too done when I left it in for the full 65 minutes.  I would check on it at 45 minutes and if it is getting too done cover it with tin foil while if finishes baking.  I plan on making another loaf and a batch of mini loaves to give as fall gifts.  If the bread isn't going to be eaten all in one day I would store the glaze in a air tight container and put it on the bread as you eat it.  You may also have to play with the ingredient amounts of the glaze until it is the right consistency.

INGREDIENTS:
BREAD
1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana
1/3  cup  plain fat-free yogurt
1/3  cup  creamy peanut butter
3  tablespoons  butter, melted
2  large eggs
1/2  cup  granulated sugar
1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
6.75  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4  cup  ground flaxseed
3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1/8  teaspoon  ground allspice
2  tablespoons  chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Cooking spray
GLAZE:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon 1% lowfat milk
1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.
4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Yield:  16 slices

Montrey Chicken and Potatoes

I needed to find something for dinner last night and all I had was chicken and potatoes.  So I went in search of a recipes.  I found this recipe and I had everything else on hand... yes even the cilantro but you could leave it out if you didn't have it and I used regular cheddar cheese.  It was a really easy recipe.  I also cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients

• 6 medium red potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and divided
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with aluminum foil.
2. Toss potatoes with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter until coated. Arrange in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove pan from oven, and push potatoes out to the sides of the dish. Place the chicken breast halves in the dish. Stir together the remaining butter and lime juice. Brush onto chicken. Return to the oven.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear. In a small bowl, toss together the cheese, cilantro and salsa. Sprinkle over the chicken and potatoes. Return to the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve with lime wedges.

Favorite recipe website

One of my favorite recipe websites is http://www.allrecipes.com/


I love this site... there is such a variety of recipes.  My favorite thing on this site is the ingredient search.  You enter the ingredients you have and it find recipes with all those ingredients in it.  You can also key word search and ingredients that you don't want.