Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies

1 dozen eggs
1 pound margarine or butter
2 pounds brown sugar
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup vanilla
3 pounds peanut butter
8 teaspoons baking soda
18 cups oatmeal
1 pound nuts
1 pound chocolate chips
1 pound M and Ms


Mix in order given.

Drop by tablespoons.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

 Leave on sheet for 2 mins or so before removing or they will fall apart. I like chewy not crunchy so I bake less than I think as they continue to cook a little after they are out. They look a little puffy but 'fall' after they are out of the oven. Dough freezes well or can be made into smaller batches.

I made a batch a little over 1/2 size for a bakesale and it made 45 medium scoop cookies and 18 large scoop cookies.
My medium scoop is between 1/4-1/3 cup and baked for 7 mins, turn pan, 5 mins, and then 2 more. Leave on sheet for 2 mins or so before removing or they will fall apart. If you use dough straight from fridge, it will need to be flattened a little bit with bottom of glass(wet with water in between) and will take a tiny bit longer to cook.


I prefer pecans for the nuts and milk chocolate mini Mand Ms (found in baking aisle) and milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet.


These cookies are easy to freeze if they make it that far! Bring to room temperature before serving.

Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding

8 slices bread, cubed
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Sauce:
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Place bread cubes in greased slow cooker. Beat together egss and milk. Stir in the sugar, butter, raisins, and cinnamon  Pour over bread and stir. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook another 3-4 hours or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.


Make sauce just before pudding is done baking. Begin by melting butter in saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add water, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to boil. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce over warm pudding.


If you omit the sauce the sugar level is not as high. My husband prefers his bread pudding dunked in milk.

Caramel Apple Pie

Caramel Apple Pie

1 pastry crust for a deep-dish pie 9-inch (homemade or store-bought)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups thinly-sliced peeled apples (I use Granny Smith)



1 recipe crumb topping (see below)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel topping


Ingredients for crumb topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup butter


Directions for Crumb Topping:
Stir together brown sugar, flour and rolled oats. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until topping is like course crumbs. Set aside.


Directions for pie:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated. Transfer apple mixture to the pie shell. 

Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture. (It will seem really high but it all sinks as it cooks. Place pie on a cookie sheet so the drippings don't drop into your oven. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil or pie crust shield.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 minutes. Then remove foil and put back in for another 25 to 30 minutes without foil. Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle with caramel on top. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature. We serve with ice cream or Cool Whip.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound whole mushrooms (white or baby portabellos are fine)

1/2 cup cooked bacon

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup bread crumbs

dash oregano

dash parsley

dash basil

dash salt

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Clean mushrooms, remove stems from mushrooms, chop stems and set aside. Arrange mushrooms, bottoms up in a baking dish. In medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together chopped mushroom stems, bacon, garlic and bread crumbs. Slowly cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes, or until bread crumbs start to brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.

Mix cream cheese and parmesan cheese into mushroom stem mixture.

 Stuff into mushroom caps.

Stuff into mushroom caps. Bake stuffed mushrooms in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until stuffing is lightly browned.

Chili Con Queso Dip

Chili Con Queso Dip

1 pound Velveeta
4 ounces sour cream
1 cup salsa


Melt cheese in double boiler or microwave, stirring often. Add sour cream and salsa and stir thoroughly. Briefly reheat to serving temperature. Serve with tortilla chips. Add milk as needed to keep from getting too thick.

Layered Taco Dip

Layered Taco Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces taco sauce (or picante)
shredded lettuce
chopped or diced tomato
shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1 bag tortilla chips


Blend cream cheese and sour cream until smooh. Spread into bottom of 9x13 dish. Layer taco sauce over sour cream, then lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Serve with tortilla chips. You can make the cream cheese mixture ahead but do not add the other parts until the party as the lettuce and cheese will get soggy.

Aloha Burgers

1 can (8 ounces) sliced pineapple

3/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 pound ground beef

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

4 lettuce leaves

4 sesame seed or onion buns, split and toasted

4 slices Swiss cheese

4 bacon strips, cooked

Drain pineapple juice into a small bowl; add teriyaki sauce. Place 3 tablespoons in a resealable plastic bag. Add pineapple; toss to coat and set aside. Shape beef into four patties; place in an 8-in. square baking dish. Pour the remaining teriyaki sauce mixture over patties; marinate for 5-10 minutes, turning once.

Drain and discard teriyaki marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-9 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute onion in butter until tender, about 5 minutes; set aside.

Drain and discard pineapple marinade. Place pineapple on grill or under broiler to heat through. Layer lettuce and onion on bottom of buns. Top with burgers, cheese, pineapple and bacon. Replace tops; serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

**I mixed my beef 1/2 and 1/2 with ground turkey, still very good!

Sausage Gravy

Sausage Gravy

1 pound ground pork (or you can get ground sausage and skip the seasonings)
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup flour (or 1/3 cup oat flour for a GF version)
2 cups milk

Cook pork with sage, black pepper, cayenne, salt and water.  Drain some of the fat off. Add the flour, stir to incorporate and cook for about 1 minute. Add milk slowly so not to cause lumps.  Cook until thickened. Serve over biscuits, homemade or whopped*.



* Whopped means the kind from the store. After you peel off the paper from the package you then 'whop' it on the counter to break the seal.


Also great over a Breakfast Slam

and used in the Chuckwagon Breakast

Chicken or Beef Broth

I call it broth but it's really stock since it has the veggie and meat cooked with it.

Broth

4 chicken breasts with bones and skin (or pkg thighs or a beef roast or beef soup bones)
a handful or two of each: carrots, celery, onion, all chunked up
few grinds of sea salt
couple cracks of fresh pepper
up to 10 cups water

Grilled Pizza Dough

Grilled Pizza Dough                                                                    Printable Recipe

2-1/2 cups warm water
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons yeast
8-1/2 cups flour (I use 6 cups bread flour and 2-1/2 cups fine ground wheat)


Favorite pizza toppings and shredded cheese


Add  water, shortening, sugar, salt, eggs, and yeast in large bowl.
Mix with whisk until shortening is pulverized.

Add wheat flour and whisk.

Add rest of flour and mix. You will have "Hulk" fingers but soon it will....

all blend into a nice ball with a little bit of kneading. Place in greased bowl and cover.

Let rise for one hour. Will almost double in size.

Punch down and pinch off small balls. This one was about 5 ounces. Personal pizzas take less dough than larger ones. You won't want your pizza too large or the dough could rip when you flip it.

Roll as thick as you like. A thinner crust will be crispier.

You can freeze ahead uncooked with wax paper in between. Wrap well and take out as needed. Thaws quickly. You can also grill them all ahead and wrap in plastic wrap or get a large 2 gallon freezer bag (make sure you don't make your crust too big or it won't fit.) 

If you plan to use within a few days put in a greased gallon bag. This batch made at least 5 personals, 5 mediums and enough dough to do almost as much again. You can 1/2 the recipe to make less.

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TO GRILL PIZZA:
Making the completed grilled pizza takes some coordination. Take your cheese out ahead to take chill off or use a fresh mozzarella shredded for even better melting power. Add all of your toppings (except cheese), including sauce to a small pan to heat. Meanwhile, work on cooking dough.

Place dough right on grill grates. No need to grease. It won't stick.

After browned, but not burnt, flip with tongs being careful not to tear. Cooking for just a moment to take the 'wet' away from the other side. Transfer to a pizza peel or flat cookie sheet.

Add heated toppings, including cheese and return to grill. Grill pizza, turning as needed to keep from burning until yummy melted and crust is browned.

Remove from grill, cut, and enjoy!

This one was broccoli, cooked chicken with garlic cream sauce.

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TO USE PRE-GRILLED FROZEN DOUGH IN THE OVEN:
Add your sauce and toppings to the dough (straight from freezer is ok) and slide it onto a pizza stone that has been preheated in a 450 degree oven. Cook for about 9-10 minutes.  Perfecto! Here are some ideas to get you started.

Sausage Green Pepper Onion/BBQ Chicken

Rosso Verde Pizza

Try Garlic Cream Sauce instead of marinara

Tuscan Roma Pizza

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

Homemade Mozzarella

Mushroom Gravy

Mushroom Gravy 

2 Tablespoons butter
8 ounces sliced/cleaned mushrooms
few dashes of salt
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken or beef broth or milk (for cream of mushroom)
Dash or two of dried thyme


Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.


Add mushrooms and salt.
Stirring occasionally, cook for approximately 15 minutes or until soft. The salt will make them left off their juice and then it will evaporate. Allow to brown a little in the pan.

Add flour and mix well. Cook for about 1 minute.

Add broth a little at a time to incorporate without lumps. Add thyme.

Cook for another 15-20 minutes until thickened and everything is cooked through.

Serve over hamburgers, steak, potatoes. Anything your heart desires!  You can also use it to make tater tot casserole.