Spaghetti Salad

                                                                              

Summertime Favorite!

Refreshing, fun, and satisfying too!

1 pound box Spaghetti cooked as per package directions, drained and cooled

1/4 Pound Hard Salami Sliced thin & cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 of a Red Onion, peeled and diced

1 Cucumber partially peeled & sliced thin

3 Tomatoes cored and diced

1 Large Green Pepper  cored & diced

1, 16 Ounce Canned Sliced Mushrooms drained

4 Ounces Black Olives Pitted Sliced thin

16 Ounces your Favorite Italian Dressing

Parmesan Cheese to sprinkle over when served

In large bowl place the cooked drained spaghetti. Add the remaining prepared ingredients except the cheese. Combine well and chill. Best made 1When ready to serve place parmesan cheese with salad to people can sprinkle  on as much or as little as they like. Easy to double this recipe for larger events. Feel free to change ingredients to suit your tastes. This is a great salad and a good change from potato & or macaroni salads. Enjoy 

Quick And Easy Fruity Angel Food Cake with a Cream Cheese Topping

                                                                       

This is the 2 Ingredient Angel Food Cake you have been hearing so much about. I tried it and all I can say is WOW! You will not believe how fast & easy this is!

1 Box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 Can of Fruit Pie Filling, this one pictured above was a can of Blueberry Filling

Spray your 9x13 pan Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees

In a large deep bowl dump in your cake mix, I used Duncan Hines. Next dump in the pie filling. Now fold and stir in the pie filling until all is combined. No mixer needed. Pour into your prepared pan and pop it into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or so until cake test done! Remove from oven and let cool. Next the Cream Cheese topping!

Cream Cheese Topping

1 Small box of Instant Vanilla Pudding

1Cup Milk 

8 Ounces of Cream Cheese softened

8 Ounce Tub of Cool Whip Thawed.

In a bowl using a whisk mix the pudding and the 1 cup of milk until well combined and set. 

In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Now beat in the pudding. Once combined beat in the Cool Whip. Once this is all mixed well spoon it over your cooled cake. Refrigerate until serving.

The picture above was a double batch & you just double all of the ingredients. I baked this in a 11 x16 deep pan for about 50 minutes& it made a cake large enough for forty square pieces to serve. It was delicious! I have tried Strawberry too and that was very good as well. This is a great cake & would be fun to make with children as it is so easy. ENJOY!

Kevin's Chewy & Fudgy Brownies

                                                                        

Easy and Oh So Good! Thank you Kevin Holliday! The Best Son In Law Ever!

2 Boxes of your favorite Brownie Mix

Follow the directions on the box BUT add the following,

1 Cup of your favorite Chocolate Syrup, I used Hershey's

1, 12 ounce bag of Chocolate Chips

 

Stir the syrup & chocolate chips in after the brownies are mixed as per package directions.

Prepare pan as per package instructions but use a 11x15 Lasagna sized pan.  The pan could be a little but larger if you do not have the 11x15. Bake as directed but these will take between 45 to 50 minutes, Test at the 45 minute mark. If the batter is wet continue to bake. Fudgy batter is great but wet batter is a no no. Let brownies cool and cut into squares. These are really great brownies! 

If you wish you may cut the recipe in half bake in a 9x13 pan for about 30 minutes, but these are so good I really suggest the large batch!  

Strawberry Sticky Cake

                                                                            

Delicious Strawberry Sticky Cake! 

3 & 1/2  Cups Flour

1 Cup Butter Softened

1 & 1/2 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

1 & 1/2 TSP. Baking Soda

1 TSP. Salt

1 Cup Plain Yogurt

2 TSP. Vanilla

3 Cups Finely Chopped Strawberries fresh or frozen both will work

1 Cup Strawberry Jam to spread over the top

Stir all the dry ingredients together & mix well. In your mixing bowl, beat the butter fluffy. Now beat in the sugar again beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla & beat until fluffy. Now add 1/3 of your flour mixture &beat well. Add 1/3 of the yogurt & beat until combined. Rotate using 1/3 of the flour mixture & then the yogurt until all is incorporated and mixed well. Now stir in your chopped berries. Spray a 10x15 Baking pan with Baking Spray & then pour in your batter, Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes test to be sure batter is not wet. As soon as your cake is baked & hot out of the oven, heat the Strawberry Jam in your microwave until it is hot 1 to 2 minutes or heat in a small saucepan on your stove top. Spread hot jam over the cake & then let cool. Scrumptious cake! ENJOY!

Chocolate Filled Cupcakes

 

These time I made these Chocolate Filled Cupcakes for Easter! But they are great anytime! 

Decorate or just frost with that delicious Buttercream Frosting!

Chocolate Filling:

In a deep sauce pan add 1 Cup Flour, 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, 1/4 tsp. Salt & stir it all together. Cut in 1TBS shortening until you have fine crumbs. Remove 3/4 cup and freeze to use for crumbs on a later baking like you would use for pie or crumb cake. To the remaining mixture stir in 1 Cup Corn syrup & 2 tsp. Vanilla. In a separate large bowl stir together 1 Cup Very Hot Water OR Coffee, since these were for the grandkids I used water, but coffee adds a great choice. Into the hot beverage add 6 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate& stir until melted & smooth. Now add 1 tsp. Baking Soda & it will foam up. Stir. Now stir in 1 beaten egg & beat it with a whisk or fork until well combines. Now whisk this mixture into your flour mixture & cook over medium high heat stirring the entire time until it is thick & bubbling. Remove from heat & chill well. You may cover this & refrigerate over night. Then bake your cupcakes the next day!

Cupcakes:

1/8 Cup Soft Butter

1/8 Cup Shortening

3/4 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 & 1/2 Cup Flour

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Dash of Salt

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Beat the butter & shortening fluffy. Add sugar & beat again until fluffy. Add eggs & vanilla & beat again. Stir together in a separate bowl the remaining dry ingredients. Slowly beat 1/3 of the dry ingredients into your butter mixture. Now beat in 1/3 of the sour cream. Rotate between the dry & the sour cream until all is combined well. Now Preheat your oven to 350. Line a 12 well cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of batter in each well. Now add 1 heaping tablespoon of your chocolate mixture over the batter in each well. Now cover the chocolate filling with cupcake batter. Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25minutes. Remove from oven & let cool. Once cool remove from the pan & frost with your favorite frosting. I use the following Buttercream Frosting.

Buttercream Frosting:

In deep sauce pan add the following:

1 Cup Milk, stir in dash of salt & 1/4 Cup Flour. Cook over medium, high heat stirring the entire time until it get thick. Let cool. In a large mixing bowl beat1 Cup softened butter with 1 Cup Sugar & 2 tsp. Vanilla. Beat fluffy, Now beat in your cooled thickened milk mixture. Beat well. Now frost those cupcakes & decorate however you desire. These are great cupcakes!

Crockpot Chicken Dinner

 

Scrumptious Chicken Dinner!

3 LBS, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

6 Large Peeled Potatoes

4 Large Carrots Peeled and cut into 4 pieces

1 Onion peeled & Quartered

10 Ounces Chicken Broth

10 Ounces Cream Of Chicken Soup

1 TBS Parsley Flakes

1 TBS crushed Garlic

2 Heaping TBS Cornstarch

1 Cup Water

Place peeled & cut vegetables in the bottom of your crockpot. Lay chicken breast over vegetables. Stir together the broth, soup, parsley, & garlic then pour over the chicken. Cook on low 6 hours. Now remove the liquid & place in a deep saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir together the cornstarch & water until smooth. Stir in the cornstarch  & water just enough until you get a thick gravy. Pour this over the chicken. Continue to cook on low 1 more hour. Serve! Scrumptious eating! 

Super Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

These are amazing! Super chewy and packed with chocolate chunks! Recipe makes 7 dozen.

3 & 1/2 Sticks of butter melted = 28 Tablespoons of butter

2 Cups Brown Sugar use light or dark. I used light for this recipe.

2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar

4 Eggs

4 Teaspoons Vanilla

4 Cups + 2 Tablespoons of Flour

1 & 1/3 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

2, 11 Ounce Bags of Nestles Chocolate Chunk Baking Morsels

      Beat the melted butter with the sugars until fluffy. let that sit a few minutes. In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, & baking soda. Go back to your butter mixture that has been sitting for about 3 minutes. Beat this again then add the vanilla & eggs & beat until fluffy. Now slowly beat in your flour mixture a little at a time until all is incorporated & well combined. Now with a large heavy spoon stir in those chocolate chunks!  Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight. The batch shown above was at the 3 hour chill time.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of dough and shape into a ball. Slightly flatten each dough ball until you have a thick round circle. Bake about 10 minutes. Mine were brown on the bottom. You do not want to overbake. These are a very chewy & packed with chocolate cookie! Just amazing!