Company Casserole

8 ounces egg noodles

1 lb lean ground beef

1 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (8 ounce) packages fat free cream cheese

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup chopped green onion

2 tablespoons chopped green peppers

2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

Cook noodles; drain and set aside.

Brown meat; drain.

Add tomato sauce to beef; remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, onions and peppers.

Butter a casserole dish and spread 1/2 the noodles in the bottom.

Cover noodles with 1/2 the cheese mixture, then 1/2 the meat mixture, then 1 more layer of noodles, then cheese mixture and then meat mixture.

Pour 2 tablespoons butter over top; press down slightly.

Bake at 375° for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minute.

If drier casserole is desired, cook 15 minutes longer.

Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes

1 package of smoked sausage, sliced into rounds

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½ inch cubes

olive oil

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

sweet paprika

dried thyme

a handful of greated strong cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400*F. 

Line a large baking tray (with sides) with several sheets of foil, and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Put the sausage rounds, onions, and potatoes into a large bowl. Drizzle with a couple TBS of olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and dried thyme. Toss together with your hands until everything is evenly distributed. Pour this out onto the baking tray, and spread it out as much as you can.

Place into the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender. Turn off the oven. 

Scatter the cheese over top of the cooked meat and potatoes, Pop back into the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Cheese Bars

What You Need:

For the Crust/Topping:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

1 cup Butter, chilled

For the Filling:

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1- 3 oz. pkg. strawberry jello*

2- 8 oz. brick cream cheese (at room temperature)

2 cups sugar (divided)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

*Note: If you wanted to substitute fresh strawberries for the jello, I would take out the jello, decrease the rhubarb to 3 cups, add 1-2 cups of chopped fresh strawberries, and add 3 Tbsp. of corn starch in place of the jello. Coat the rhubarb-strawberry mixture with the corn starch and the sugar before layering it on.

Yield: 24-30 bars

Make the Crust/Topping:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees (F).

In a mixer bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and pecans on low. Add cut butter and mix on low until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs.

About pea to marble-sized, like you see above.

Pour half of the mixture into the bottom of a parchment-lined 9x13" pan. Press it down to create the crust.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until it just starts to be a tiny bit golden on the edges.

Make the Filling:

In a medium-sized bowl, coat the rhubarb with the jello and 1/2 cup of the sugar. (See note above if you want to substitute fresh strawberries.)

For the cream cheese mixture, I used the same one that I'd used for the crust, pouring the reserved half of the crust into another, smaller bowl. No need to wipe it down, it's all getting mixed up anyway.

In the mixer bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well-blended.

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the partially-baked crust, and spread it evenly.

Sprinkle the coated rhubarb/strawberry mixture over the cream cheese (be aware that the cream cheese mixture is soft, so you won't be able to do a lot of spreading without getting it all mixed up).

Top with the remaining crust mixture.

Bake at 350-degrees (F) for 40-45 minutes. Until the edges are brown and bubbling, and the center is still kind of wobbly when you shake it, but not too wobbly.

Cool on a cooling rack for about an hour, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Cool Angel Cake

Ingredients

1 angel food cake

1 (8 ounce) packages soft cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (8 ounce) cartons frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (21 ounce) cans pie filling

Directions

Cut the cake into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

Mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer.

Use a large spoon to gently mix in the shipped topping and cake cubes.

Spread into a 9 x 13 pan.

Pour the pie filling on top.

Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until set.

for pie filling use either blueberry, cherry, or strawberry.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

Ingredient

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 (1-oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 cups sifted cake flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. vinegar

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 (1-oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Half-and-half (if necessary)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.

In large bowl or standing mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate.

In separate bowl, combine four and salt. Add buttermilk and chocolate mixture, alternating. Stir in vanilla.

In small bowl, dissolve baking soda in vinegar. Slowly add this to the chocolate mixture. Mix just until blended. Do not over-mix.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove from pans. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

In large mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well between additions. Stir in chocolate and vanilla. If necessary, thin frosting with 1-2 tsps. half-and-half.

Cabbage Fat-Burning Soup

INGREDIENTS :

5 carrots, chopped

3 onions, chopped

2 (16 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, with liquid

1 large head cabbage, chopped

1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix

1 (15 ounce) can cut green beans, drained

2 quarts tomato juice

2 green bell peppers, diced

10 stalks celery, chopped

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

INSTRUCTIONS :

Place carrots, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, peppers, and celery in a large pot. Add onion soup mix, tomato juice, beef broth, and enough water to cover vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender. May be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

THE SECRET TO CROCKPOT RIBS

Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. See my video for an easy demo. Just slide your fingers around the side to loosen it up and rip it right off.

Give the ribs a dry rub if you want. This step is optional. Some people like a good dry rub first for additional flavor.

Put your ribs in the crockpot. Lather them with barbecue sauce. You can use a homemade sauce like my Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce for ribs or a store-bought bottle. If you are going store-bought I recommend using Sweet Baby Ray’s. Just remember to save a little bit for later.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. The more racks in the pot, the longer you’ll need to cook.

Gently remove the racks and lay them out on a foil lined baking sheet. Add more barbecue sauce on top.

How to Make Perfect Ribs in the Slow Cooker

Broil under a broiler for 3-5 minutes until the barbecue sauce starts to bubble and caramelize. Alternately you could wrap them in foil and throw them on a heated grill for the same effect. I sometimes do this for crowds and picnics. This keep the ribs warm until ready to eat and makes it easy to pass out portions.

STRAWBERRY PIE

Crust:  

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces

approximately 4 tbsp ice cold water, plus more as needed

Filling: 

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 (3 oz) package strawberry gelatin

3 tbsp cornstarch

2 pounds fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

To make the crusts:  Combine flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to blend. You can also mix the dough by hand. Add the butter to the processor and pulse several times until it resembles coarse crumbs. Alternately, cut in the butter using a pastry blender. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and forms a ball.  You may need to add up to 4 additional tablespoons to get your dough to hold together, but be careful not to add too much.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces, flatten into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for about an hour.  

Remove the dough from the refrigerator five minutes before attempting to roll it out.  Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.  Gently roll the dough up on a rolling pin, transfer to a pie plate, and unroll.  Trim the edges, leaving enough dough to just hang over the edge of the pie plate.  Tuck the edges under and crimp the edges using your thumb and forefinger or a fork.  Repeat with the other crust and pie plate.  Place the crusts back in the refrigerator to chill another 30 minutes before baking to keep them from shrinking in the oven. 

To pre-bake the crusts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the crusts with foil filled with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake the lined crusts for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, remove the weights and foil, and continue baking 10-15 more minutes until golden brown.  Cool completely before filling.

To make the filling:  Combine the water, sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin in a saucepan on medium high heat.  Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.  Continue to whisk until the mixture is thickened and forms a thin coat on the back of a spoon.  When the filling it ready, you should be able to draw a line down the back of the coated spoon with your finger and the line will remain clean.  Cool the mixture until it is just warm.  

Place the strawberries in each of your two pie crusts, pointed end up, by starting in the middle and working your way out in circles.  Pour half the gelatin mixture over the strawberries in each pie and chill for at least two hours until the filling is set.  Serve alone or with whipped cream.  

Cheesecake Factory's White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs, such as crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed)

1/3 cup butter, melted (I used a 1/4 cup)

Filling

1/2 cup raspberry preserves (I used a raspberry pie filling)

1/4 cup water

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 eggs (I used 4 eggs)

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Optional Garnish

2 ounces shaved white chocolate (optional)

Fresh whipped cream

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 minsTotal Time: 1 1/2 hrs

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Create a water bath by placing a large pan filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats.

3. Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds, then let the strained preserves sit to the side to cool.

4. Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side.

5. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

6. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to incorporate the eggs.

7. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust.

8. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.

9. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color.

10. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

11. Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate.

Crazy-Easy DIY Dishwasher Detergent Tablets

1 cup borax

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup sea, kosher, or other coarse salt

1/2-3/4 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed or from a bottle

A couple things to note: Washing soda is not the same thing as baking soda. It’s in the laundry aisle, usually conveniently located next to the borax. As far as the salt, any coarse one will do. I used an off brand sea salt because it was cheaper, some of the recipes even used epsom salt, which would likely be even cheaper. I just chose what I happened to have onhand. The salt is used for the abrasive quality and to help soften hard water if that’s an issue where you live, so the type isn’t a deal-breaker.

Mix them all together and it’ll be the consistency of soggy sand. Add the lemon juice slowly, and once you get it to the consistency where it’s easily sticking together, stop. It’ll still work if it’s too wet, but it’ll be messier and harder to form. Next, scoop out tablespoons of the mix. As I scooped it out, I thought I must’ve been doing something wrong because the little half-spheres I was scooping onto my sheet of tin foil seemed a bit crumbly, like they’d fall apart at a touch. Don’t fret, dear reader, your tablets will dry out and somehow become more stuck-together as they do.  I let it stay in the shape of the 1 tablespoon sized scoop and just plopped them out onto the foil, but you can form it into little blocks if you prefer. You might want it to be a different shape to fit just so into your compartment of your dishwasher, it’s up to your preference. I’ve seen several versions where people pressed it into different ice cube trays or even cookie cutter shapes, so go ahead and get creative if you want to. Have an old bachelorette party penis shaped ice mold? Who doesn’t want a little soapy penis to do their dishes? Just make sure there isn’t more than about a tablespoon of the mix in each tab, or you’ll risk having too much detergent, which means that you may end up with soapy film on your dishes. And that would be a bummer, because it defeats the whole purpose of a quick, cheap and easy tab if you have dirty dishes at the end. Who wants to re-run a rinse cycle or some other nonsense? Not this gal. Pay attention and save yourself the headache.

Once you have your own special little creations, let them dry. You can use it immediately but it’ll be mooshy, which means that you can’t store them without them all drying together, becoming one big hunk of hassle requiring an ice pick and a strong arm. If you’ve scooped them out like mine, it takes a few hours for them to dry out. If you put them into an enclosed mold such as an ice cube tray (of any shape, naughty or nice), it may be better to wait a full 24hrs. Let them sit until fully dried out, then place into an airtight container. I reused the container that my old store-bought tabs came in: take that, cascade! This recipe makes 36 tabs 🙂

When I used mine, I just tossed it into the bottom of the dishwasher, because the little compartment wasn’t quite deep enough to fit mine. In the future I could flatten them a bit, but realistically, I doubt I will. That extra few seconds per tab is really not going to matter since they work great the way I am using them, but if you’re the type that will want it to fit, you may want to check that yours do before they dry out.

Caramel Banana Upside Down Bread

Ingredients

½ cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces

About 2 bananas, sliced in ¼ inch rounds

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1½ cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup mashed overripe bananas

2 large eggs

⅓ cup coconut or vegetable oil

⅓ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Caramel Glaze:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

How to Make It

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan.

Spread the brown sugar on the bottom of the loaf pan. If using nuts, sprinkle them evenly over the sugar. Dot with the butter. Put it in the oven for about 8 minutes. Stir the mixture until dissolved and spread evenly on the bottom of the pan. Place a single layer of the banana slices on top of the sugar mixture along the entire bottom of the pan.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add all the remaining wet ingredients and beat just until combined. Do not over-beat.

Pour the batter over the sliced bananas in the pan.

In an oven preheated to 325 degrees F, bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean but moist.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it on a cake platter.

To prepare the Caramel Glaze, place the butter, brown sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan (you can also microwave the ingredients for a minute). Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit for a minute. Pour the glaze evenly over the cake (on the upside down side with the bananas on top).

Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. of salt

1/4 tsp. of baking soda

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature

1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 egg (beaten)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces

Preztel Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

White Chocolate and Macadamia Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups crushed Graham crackers

3 tbsp unsalted butter

Cheesecake

2½ packs cream cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

2½ cups thickened cream or whipped cream, chilled

4 tsp unflavoured gelatine

2 tbsp hot water

½ cup white chocolate chips

½ cup roasted unsalted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

Toppings

caramel sauce

roasted unsalted whole macadamias nuts

roughly chopped roasted unsalted macadamia nuts

Instructions

Crust

Combine all ingredients and make sure it’s mixed well and butter is evenly spread throughout the crushed crackers, press it in a 9 in pie pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 10 minutes (this makes the crust more firm, but you can omit this process if you wanted to)

Chill in fridge for around 20 minutes.

Cheesecake

Place softened cream cheese and sugar in a bowl together; using an electric mixer beat the cheese until thoroughly mixed and creamy.

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler then mix this together with the cream cheese mixture

Dissolve gelatine in hot water then let it cool for a while. Once cooled down add into the cream cheese mixture, continue to beat until mixture becomes fluffy.

Now add thickened cream and chopped roasted unsalted macadamia nuts then fold until it’s evenly mixed.

Pour over the prepared crust.

Top it with whole and chopped roasted unsalted macadamia. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

Before serving drizzle caramel sauce and chocolate shavings on top then serve.

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 Tablespoons lemon juice, divided

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 oz. plain or vanilla yogurt

12 oz. (about 2 cups), fresh, diced strawberries

1 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. 

Sift together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, blending until just incorporated. 

Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Gently fold them into the batter. 

Pour the batter evenly into the bundt pan. Bake in pre-heated oven for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Allow to cool 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely. Mix together the remaining 2 Tablespoons lemon juice with 1 cup powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup pecans

1 box German chocolate cake mix

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 13x9x2 inch baking pan very well.  Sprinkle coconut and pecans into the pan.  Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan.  In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until blended.  Add egg and blend.  Add powdered sugar, mixing one cup at a time.  When all is combined, beat until smooth.  Drop by tablespoons over the batter  to within 1 inch of edges.  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter.

Crispy Crunchy Oven-Baked Cod

1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

 4-6 (6 -8 ounce) cod fish fillets

 2 whole eggs, beaten

2 tsp lemon juice

Directions

 1. Preheat oven to 425°F Line your pan with aluminum foil and coat with a layer of cooking spray.

 2. Combine garlic, salt, flour and Panko breadcrumbs in a shallow plate or bowl.

 3. Beat egg and lemon juice together in small bowl and coat fish fillet,  then press fillet into the crumb mixture.

Place fillets on baking pan.

Coat each fillet with thin layer of cooking spray and bake until firm, about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Serve with lemon wedges, malt vinegar, and/or tartar sauce [mayo/relish/ and a bit of lemon juice]

German Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

DOUGH:

600g flour

250ml milk

125g butter

4 Tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

1 pack instant dry yeast (7 grams)

1 Tbsp lemon peel powder (Zitronenschalen Aroma)

1 egg

FILLING:

200g ground Hazelnuts or Almonds

2 Tbsp sugar

3 drops butter-rum flavor (rum aroma) or 1 shot of dark rum

200 ml all-purpose or heavy cream

GLAZE

3 Tbsp all -purpose cream

100g powdered sugar

Instructions

Warm butter in milk in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the milk with butter and egg. Mix well to form a dough. Transfer dough on countertop and knead until smooth for about 3-5 minutes. Place dough back in the bowl and cover with cloth. Let it rise for at least 30 minutes or until almost double in size.

While waiting, prepare the filling. Whip cream until stiff. Add the other ingredients and fold until well incorporated.

Roll out dough on top of a baking paper or baking mat forming a rectangle about 12"x15" in size. Spread the filling evenly on top of the dough. Roll up dough from the long side. Once completely rolled, cut the log into pieces about 2-3 cm thick. Lay each piece flat and slightly press them against the counter with your palm . Place them in a baking sheet lined with baking paper or mat with at least 3 inches of space in between each piece. Let them rise again for at least 20 minutes. Bake on preheated oven at 190°C/375°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

While waiting, prepare glaze by mixing the powder sugar and cream together. Add more powder sugar if too runny or cream if too stiff. Place the baked Schneckennudeln on a cooling rack and let them cool down a bit before glazing them. To glaze, just spoon some of the mixture and sprinkle on top and let it the excess drip.

Raw ONION on bottom of the feet to take away illness.

So last night Evan (11) was keeping everyone awake with his cough. I got up, went to the kitchen and sliced a purple, make me cry onion, at 3am. I got some snug socks and put it on the bottom of his feet. To boost my own immunity, I decided to try this too. During the rest of the night, I started feeling good. I mean really good! I felt tingly, like my blood was being cleansed. It was so cool! 

This works in 2 ways. 

1.) Onions are known to absorb toxins. In fact, during the days of the Plague in England, folks would keep chopped onions around to absorb toxins and clean the air. This helped protect them, against getting the plague. 

NEVER SAVE AN ONION. It will absorb all the toxins in the air of your refrigerator. Eat that and you eat the toxins. Instead: Chop your left over onion, put it on a plate and keep it in your kitchen as a natural air purifier. I do this all the time! If someone is ill, place a chopped onion on the night stand, next to the bed. They'll be better in the morning. I placed the remaining onion, next to Evan last night.

Onions are toxin absorbers. Thus why they are great internal mops for the body. Eat plenty of onions! 

2.) The onion and garlic families are anti-microbial and anti-bacterial. Placing them on the bottom of the foot gives them access to your internal organs through meridians in your body. The onion can be directly delivered. Transdermal delivery (on the skin) is one of the best delivery mechanisms, as it will bypass the stomach acids and go directly into the blood. The bottom of the feet and the forearm are great places to put high powered foods and essential oils into the body. Sliced garlic on the bottom of the feet will work nicely too. 

Evan woke up cough free and hopped on the bus this morning. 

Beer Can Chicken (Oven Style)

1 4-5 lb. whole chicken

1 16oz. can of beer, room temperature (or your favorite, Soda, Sprite works well)

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. black pepper

1 T. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. olive oil

1 potato (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a roasting pan with tinfoil, pour about 1/2 C. of the beer in the bottom of the pan. Place the beer can in the center. Remove giblet packet from the inside of the chicken and rinse chicken inside and out. Carefully place the chicken over the beer can and slide the chicken down over the can and use the legs to prop the chicken up. Combine the spices in a bowl, rub the chicken with the olive oil and then rub with the seasonings. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 3 hours or until internal temp. reaches 165 degrees. Remove from oven and let chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Garlic & Honey Pork Chops!!

INGREDIENTS

4 pork chops

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce or 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon sherry wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS

1 Combine all ingredients in a plastic zipper bag and refrigerate for a day (quickly putting everything together first thing in the morning is easy and works well).

2 At cooking time, drain chops and reserve some of the marinade for basting, then either preheat a grill with medium-hot coals or preheat your broiler; depending on the thickness of your pork chops, total cooking time should take 12 to 15 minutes, turning once and basting with the reserved marinade a couple of times early on.

Granny Cake

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using self-rising flour)

1 tsp. baking soda (omit if using self-rising flour)

2 eggs

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple in its own juice (including juice)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

NEXT --

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the sugar, flour, salt, soda, eggs and pineapple together and pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle the top with one cup brown sugar and one cup chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Cook the milk, sugar, margarine and vanilla until mixture comes to a rolling boil.

AFTER THE CAKE HAS BAKED AND RIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN, pour the cooked milk mixture over the entire cake.

how to clean your oven

I tried something else just to see how it would work and I continue to be amazed with this cleaning solution! I have a self-cleaning oven (which I am SO thankful for), but I always remove the racks before cleaning. Well, yesterday I sprayed this wonderful solution over the racks and also inside the oven. I forgot to wipe it out after a few hours and it stayed on overnight! So I wiped it out this morning and you see the results. I had never really cleaned the racks and that baked on grease and food just flaked off! I think one of the secrets is to leave the mixture on the surface for awhile. In case you missed it, here is the mixture again...

Into a spray bottle mix:

2 oz. Dawn Dishwashing liquid

4 oz. Lemon Juice

8 oz. White Vinegar

10 oz. Water 

Now make your house sparkle! 

*Please test it first before using on delicate surfaces. This is powerful stuff! If your shower has a bad build-up of soap scum and crud it may take a time or two to get that shine.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

¾ cup creamy peanut butter

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups sugar

2 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

To make the filling, combine the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.  Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (at least 24) and set aside on a baking sheet.

To make the cake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; whisk together and set aside.  In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the sour cream, milk and vanilla extract.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix just until incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Place a ball of the peanut butter filling in each cupcake well and top with the remaining batter so that all the cups are filled.  Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.