Cranberry Coleslaw Salad

1 bag of coleslaw
1 bag of baby spinach
1 jar of honey roasted peanuts
1 small bag of craisens
1 jar of Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing

Combine all ingredients and serve immediately.
This is really so yummy.  The coleslaw adds such a great texture and crunch to this already amazing combo!

Orange Jello Salad

This is Tommy's favorite!

1 can pineapple
2 cans mandarin oranges
1 4 oz box orange jello
1 tall carton of fat free cottage cheese
1 container of fat free whip cream

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Meleece's Apple Pie

Crust:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup of shortening (or butter at room temperature)

8 to 10 tblsp. or more of cold water

Pie Filling:

6 cups of thinly sliced and peeled apples (about 2 1/4 pounds)

3/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 Tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Milk

Sugar

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt, using a pastry blender (or two wooden spoons), cut in shortening/butter until pieces are pea-size.

2. Sprinkle water over flour mixture. Add enough water for flour to be workable but not too much that it's way sticky. Take a little more than half of the dough and spread it on floured surface (adding more flour if it's too sticky) and roll it out into a circle big enough for your pie dish. Transfer to pie dish, pushing down around edges so there's no air beneath. Leave the remainder of the dough mixture in the bowl and set aside.

3. The key to a good apple pie, I heard, is that all the slices are roughly the same size. I like to use 4 to 5 green apples but any tart, not-soft apple will work. In a large bowl mix together apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until the apples are coated with the spices. Transfer mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate.

4. Add extra water if needed to the left-over dough. Roll out in a circle just large enough to cover your pie. Place the dough over the apple filling and seal the two crusts with your fingers and then a fork (this is called crimpining, who knew! :-)

5. Brush the top of the pastry with milk and then sprinkle with sugar. Cut slits at the very top or peak with a butter knife. Bake at 375 for 50 to 60 minutes or until crust is golden and the filling bubbles.

Mom's Gone All Day Stew

1 can tomato soup (or can of tomato sauce)

1 cup water

2 pounds stew meat

carrots

onions

potatoes

celery chunks

2 beef boullion cubes

1 tablespoon italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

Mix all ingredients in roasting pan. Bake at 275 for 4 - 5 hours or more.

You can use a bag of baby carrots or cut up brown potatoes but I find it a lot more flavorful to cut up whole carrots and use small red potatoes.

This recipe always reminds me of Sundays in Mendon! So good!

Chicken Divan

2-3 large chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups of cooked broccoli (I just buy a bag of frozen and steam it in the micro)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayo (I've used miracle whip and it's still good)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
bread crumbs or crumbled Ritz crackers
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl except for the crumbs.  Then pour into a casserole dish and then sprinkle bread crumbs or Ritz on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Serve over rice.
We're having this for dinner tonight!  Really yummy!

Coffee Cake

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
Cinnamon topping

Combine vegetable oil, egg, and milk. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to milk mixture. Mix well. Pour into greased 9/13 pan. Sprinkle with Cinnamon topping. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

Cinnamon Topping: Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp melted butter.

This is Liz's recipe. We LOVE it:)

Mom's Italian Casserole

8 ounces mostaccioli (or penne regate)

1.5 lbs. ground beef (or ground turkey)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 8 0z. can tomato sauce

1 4 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

1 Bay Leaf

6 oz. mozzarella cheese

Cook ground beef, onion, and green pepper in a large pot on the stove until meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, salt, sugar, pepper, dried basil, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 30 min.

Cook mostaccioli in boiling water for about 14 min. Drain and set aside.

Once meat and tomato mixture is done remove bay leaf and stir in mastaccioli. Turn mixture into a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 min. Remove foil, place mozzorella on top, and bake for 5 minutes more.

One of our favorite recipes. Thanks, Mom!

Pizza Crust (From Pioneer Woman)

This Pizza Crust has become the foundation of a weekly tradition here at our house - Pizza & Movie Night.
It is super easy and even more delicious!

Pizza Crust

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon or 1/2 packet dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Pour warm water into bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. With a mixer on low speed, mix in the olive oil into flour and salt until just incorporated.
4. Gently stir the yeast/water mixture and pour into flour/oil mixture until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix my hand until the dough comes together.)
5. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 1 to 2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 2 days.
8. To prepare pizza, preheat oven to 500 degrees.
9. Divide the dough in half.  Spray cooking spray onto two cookie sheets.
10. Using your hands (if it's super sticky, coat your hands with flour and knead the dough a bit) stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing the dough into the pan with your fingers.  You can do it as thick or thin as you like.  A lumpy surface is perfectly fine.
11. Lay the desired toppings over the dough and bake the pizza for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

The other half of the dough may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days before use, or frozen for up to six months.  We always make two pizzas on pizza night so I've never stored it.

This really is delicious and we look forward to it every week!

Oven-Fried Chicken

This is what we're having for dinner tonight and boy does it smell good!

1 Beaten Egg

3 Tbls. Milk

1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs (or crushed saltine crackers or rich round crackers with 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. of paprika and 1/8 tsp. of black pepper.)

Chicken Pieces with bone in (breast halves, thighs, and/or drumsticks)

2 Tbls. or more of melted butter

1. In a small bowl combine egg and milk. Put the bread crumbs (or cracker mixture) in another bowl. Skin chicken. Dip chicken pieces, 1 at a time, into egg mixture; coat with crumb mixture. (I've also tried putting the bread crumbs in a ziploc bag and shaking the chicken to cover, both ways work.)

2. In a greased baking pan (big enough to fit chicken pieces) arrange chicken, bone side down. Drizzle chicken with butter.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 45 to 60 minutes or until chicken pieces are no longer pink. Do not turn chicken while baking.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Fudgies

3 cups quick oats 2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour 4 teaspoons vanilla

1 tsp baking soda 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup butter 1 bag chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups brown sugar

Beat one cup butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until well blended. In a sauce pan, heat chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter and salt. Stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Press 2/3 dough into 9x13 pan. spread chocolate mixture over top, dot top with remaining dough. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Let's Get Cooking!

Hi girls,

I am excited for what this blog is going to become-a place where all of our very favorite and most wanted recipes can be found in one place!  Thanks for being excited too :)

I just created this pretty quickly so I think I may improve it here and there as we go along.  -The look of it, any way.  Let me know if you have any suggestions.

So, no holding back!  Let's get cooking!

Oh and I love you all.  And miss you like crazy.

Love,
Carolyn