Next Christmas Cookie Recipes Coming!

The next Christmas Cookie Recipe on the way after today's Mocha Hazelnut Whoopie Pie Recipes will be An Old Fashion Sugar Cake & these are a very OLD recipe passed down for generations & my Dads Favorite and Shoofly Pie Whoopie Pie ! I am in HOLIDAY BAKING MODE!

Italian Chicken in Cream

1LB of Boneless Skinless Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 TSP Minced Garlic
1 Onion Chopped
1 4OZ Can Mushrooms sliced & Drained
1 Bag Frozen Broccoli, Cauliflower & Carrots
1, 14 & 1/2 OZ Can Chopped Tomatoes DO NOT DRAIN
2 TBS Olive Oil
1 Cup Cream ( I used Half in Half)
2 TBS Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
1 TSP Italian Seasonings
Parmesan Cheese to sprinkle on top
1/2 LB Rotini Noodles Cooked

Saute onion & chicken in oil. Add frozen vegetables & cook another 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, tomatoes with their juice & garlic. Let simmer stirring every so often. Cook 10 minutes. Lower heat to low & stir in cream & Mozzarella cheese. Let cook on low stirring so cheese does not stick. Cook about 15 minutes. Stir in cooked noodles, seasonings & parsley. Cover & let heat through stirring every now & then. Heat about 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese ! Great with crusty bread & salad ! Serves 5 to 6 LARGE PORTIONS!


                                                                          

Mocha, Hazelnut Whoopie Pies & The recipe for Chocolate Whoopie Pies is at the end of Mocha Hazelnut Whoopie Pie Recipe!

A Lancaster County Favorite with a GROWN-UP BOOST!  Extra Dark Chocolate with a hint of coffee in the cake & a delightful hazelnut filling !

Whoopie Cookie
4 Cups Heaping Flour
1 Cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
2 TSP Baking Soda
2 TSP Salt
2 Eggs
2 TSP Vanilla
1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Sour Milk (if you do not have sour milk add 1 TBS Vinegar to milk = sour milk)
1 Cup HOT water  
1/2 Cup Instant Coffee Granulated Powder
Cream Shortening & sugar. Add eggs & beat. Add sour milk & vanilla beat well. Sift flour, cocoa, salt & beat into the batter. Stir instant coffee into the hot water & add baking soda. This will foam up, stir & add to batter & beat well. Chill dough. Make Whoopie Pie filling & chill that too. After dough has chilled (overnight or at least 4 hours) preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls & bake 8 minutes. Cookie should be raised & spring back to the touch. DO NOT GREASE SHEETS  if you do the dough will spread out .
Remove from cookie sheets & let cool completely before filling ! Makes 5 Dozen Whoopie Pies!

Whoopie Pie Filling:
2 Egg Whites ( must be commercial eggs for health reasons)
1 TBS Vanilla
4 Heaping TBS Flour
4 TBS Milk
8 Cups Powdered Sugar
3 Dashes of Salt
1 Cup Crushed Hazelnuts (if desired)!
2 Cups Shortening
1 Cup Hazelnut Syrup ( found in the coffee aisle of your store)

Cream egg whites, vanilla, flour, milk, hazelnut syrup & 2 cups of the sugar. Beat well. Add shortening, salt & the rest of the sugar a little of the sugar at a time only add enough sugar to make a spreadable soft but stiff filling. Sometimes is takes all of the sugar & sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on the eggs. If you feel filling is to soft add more sugar. The texture should be soft but not RUNNY ! Chill filling it will be firmer once chilled. Place a good dollop between cookie halves. Dip edges in the crushed Hazelnuts if desired! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or a cool place. These FREEZE VERY WELL & I do not like to freeze cookies but these you can. Then you only need to take out as many as you need at a time. Just make sure you have a GOOD airtight container. If you store in refrigerator or a cool place lay a slice of commercial white bread on wax paper on the top layer of whoopie pies. Change bread as it gets hard. These cookies will keep for weeks if you do this !
TO MAKE a Chocolate Whoopie Pie with Vanilla Filling do the above filling with everything the same EXCEPT:
For the cookie part DO NOT ADD COFFEE to the hot water just the baking soda & use regular cocoa !
For the filling do the following :
Use 6 Cups Powdered Sugar
Use 1 Cup Shortening
Do NOT use Hazelnut Syrup ! Use ll of the rest of the filling ingredients like listed above Mix up like the above filling directs !
For edges of Whoopie Pies: Traditionally the edges are left plain but at Christmas time I like to decorate every other Whoopie Pie with Christmas Jimmies or Sprinkles so half are plain & half are decorated!



              

Another RECIPE coming today!

Mocha Hazelnut Whoopie Pie will be my next venture in the Christmas Cookie baking. Mixed up & chilling right now ! Dark Chocolate Cookie with coffee & then to make it even better a Hazelnut Cream Filling takes Whoopie Pies into the adult class of Whoopie Pies! I plan on baking these & posting the recipe TODAY! I wish I could give everyone a taste but YOU can have a whole batch if you bake up these Lancaster County FAVORITES only with a Grown-Up TWIST!

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies or Chocolate Cherry Winks !

 Same recipe but your choice of two types of cookie ! I make a double batch of the cookie dough & bake up both at the same time ! These are a very fudgie cookie with a rich chocolate base that takes on the cherry or marshmallow topping in a perfect match ! This recipe makes 3 & 1/2 dozen cookies but you will want to double your ingedients so you have 3 & 1/2 dozen of each ! This original recipe was in  The Postman's Cookbook credited to Bernice Ferguson of Nebraska who called them Marshmallow Fudge Cookies ! THANK YOU BERNICE because this is one GREAT cookie that turned into two !

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Shortning
1 Egg
1 TSP Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Salt
1/2 Cup Milk
Marshmallows cut in 1/2 OR I used Kraft Jet Puffed Snowman French Vanilla Snowman Marshmallows & left them whole , they are small ! If using large marshmallows cut in half put cut side down into the cookie!

1 Jar Maraschino  Cherries Drained well & cut cherries in half, press cut side down in the cookie!
Remember in halving cherries or marshmallows you only need enough for 3 & 1/2 Dozen.


Sift all the dry ingredients together & set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream shortening with the sugar. Beat well. Add egg & vanilla & beat again . Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk starting with dry & ending with the dry. Chill dough. When chilled drop on lightly greased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes ( again my slow oven has these perfect at 8 minutes, you want these to have loss their glossy tops & slightly puffed up). Remove from oven & gently  but firmly push marshmallow or cherry into the cookie. Return to the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from sheets & let cool. Store in an airtight container with layers of wax paper between layers!

These are such pretty cookies but not only are they pretty they are PRETTY ADDICTIVE, who doesn'r love a fudgie chocolate cookie & then add that marshmallow or cherry , HARD TO BEAT!



                                                                

Keep a lookout for more Christmas Cookies Coming in the Days Ahead !

Hello Foodies ! Just a quick note ! In the days ahead keep checking in for NEW CHRISTMAS COOKIE IDEAS! I will be baking up batches & posting the recipes & pictures for you SOON !
Mocha Hazelnut Whoopie Pies! 
Chocolate Marshmallow & Chocolate Cherry Drops!
Shoofly Pie Whoopie Pies!
I can HARDLY WAIT to BAKE up THESE & MORE for the QUICKLY approaching HOLIDAYS!
SEE YOU SOON RIGHT HERE at JUDY'S FOODIES!   

Pancakes from a Cake Mix ? Yes, & the variety is endless!

Turn that cake mix sitting in your cupboard into a Pancake Breakfast ! This idea has been around for awhile & No, I did not come up with it on my own but I wanted to share this idea with you. This is GREAT for Youth Groups, Sleep Overs, Scout Breakfasts when the pack has a morning event OR GREAT for DESSERT Pancakes.

1 Cake Mix ( any flavor EXCEPT Angel Food)
2 Cups Milk
2 Eggs
ADD INS
 Dump mix into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs & milk & beat. Stir in your choice of add ins. 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips, 1/2 Cup Nuts just about anything you could imagine !

Heat your griddle or pan , add enough oil about 1 or 2 TBS & spoon in dollops of batter. Fry until batter is bubbling on the top. Flip & fry another couple of minutes until pancake is done! Serve with syrup or powdered sugar & butter !

Some varieties:

Red Velvet with White Chocolate Chips


Spice Cake Pancakes with apples or raisins

Marble Pancakes, just reserve the chocolate batter, dab a tsp or so on top of the pancake & swirl it through with the tip of a knife or a toothpick.

Funfetti Pancakes with the confetti cake mixes that are available.

Yellow Pancakes with Peanut Bitter Chips

Yellow Pancakes with blueberries or banana

Dessert Pancakes serve hot with ice cream, toppings & whipped cream

The types of pancakes you could make go on & on ! Have FUN with this one !

Turkey Salad

Choice chunks of turkey with the crisp celery and onion, eggs & mayo turn turkey into a sandwich DELIGHT!

2 Cups Cooked Turkey cut into with a large dice
1 Rib of Celery medium dice
2 TBS Onion minced
2 Hard Boiled Eggs Chopped
1 TBS Fresh Parsley Chopped ( Dried Parsley is OK)
1/4 Cup to 1/2 Cup Mayo ( add more or less as you like ) I like it creamy but not an over abundance of mayo.

Combine everything stirring well. Chill ! Serve heaping on a sandwich roll, on good bread or stuffed in a tomato! YUM!

Turkey Noodle Soup

        Wonderful Good Turkey Noodle Soup ! Cold nights call for a bowlful of this ! Don't you agree?


1 Turkey Carcass
2 Onions Chopped
3 Celery Ribs Chopped
4 Carrots Sliced into thin circles
3 TBS Parsley Chopped ( dried parsley is ok)
1 LB Kluski Noodles ( or any egg noodle you like )
Cooked Turkey picked from the Turkey Carcass

Place turkey carcass in a large pot of water & bring to a boil. Simmer 1 hour. Turn off heat & remove the carcass from the water place on a plate to cool. Strain broth for any bones  & then pour back into the pot. Bring broth up to a simmer & add all of the vegetables & parsley. Cook until carrots are for tender about 30 minutes. Stir in noodles and if you need more water add it to fill the pot and cook . Pick the meat from the bones dicing any large pieces of meat. You should have about 2 cups of meat. If you do not have that much the soup will be delicious as the rich broth and egg noodles are the stars that shine in this soup but if you have meat left from your dinner & want to dice some up to throw in go right ahead.  Add the meat you cleaned from the bones & any extra that you wish  to the soup & continue to cook about 1 hour. Check for seasoning & add salt & pepper as desired.  If you have any leftover gravy you could add it to make the broth even richer.
Many people from this area of Lancaster would now add 3 diced up hard boiled eggs to the soup but I never cared for the eggs in my soup. If you do add the eggs do not freeze any of your soup because the egg get very rubbery when frozen.  This soup will make about 1 & 1/2 Gallons of soup & I like to freeze some for later use !                                                       

Turkey Pie or use Chicken!

Homemade Turkey Pie from all those Thanksgiving leftovers! Such a treat to eat ! Plus this recipe is adaptable for chicken and beef too ! Go ahead whip one up you will LOVE this.  Those frozen Pot Pies that you can buy are no match for this pie stuffed full of turkey, vegetables and gravy ! When you want this to be Chicken Pie just substitute chicken for the turkey including the gravy!



Crust
2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup  cold butter
 4 to 5 tbs. cold water

Mix all dry together, cut in butter until you have fine crumbs. Add cold water & stir only until dough holds together. Turn out on flour surface & roll out to fit a nine inch pie pan. Fold dough gently in half & lift into pie pan. Unfold & fit dough into pan. Crimp edges of crust. Line crust with a sheet of foil. Fill with about 2 cups of raw rice. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to blind bake the crust. This allows crust to stay crisp & not get soggy for your finished pie. I do this with all my crusts & it makes a HUGE difference!

                                                                               

Once crust is baked for 10 minutes remove from oven & carefully remove foil  & rice. This should easily come out with foil cradling the rice. Now prepare filling & topping. SIDE NOTE : Rice used for blind baking may be saved & used for many blind bakings. Crust trimmings may be used to make Roly Polys found on this Blog & ALWAYS made with crust trimmings if you are a GOOD Pa Dutch Baker !

Filling :
4 Peeled Diced Potatoes
1 Onion Chopped
1 Rib Celery Chopped
1 TBS Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 Cups Diced Cooked Turkey
1 & 1/2 Cups Turkey Gravy

                                                                               
Place potatoes in a glass bowl add onion & celery & cover with water. Microwave for 18 minutes on high until potatoes are soft. Add 1 cup frozen peas & carrots and let sit in hot water for about 10 minutes then drain.

Meanwhile cut up about 2 cups of cooked meat ( for this recipe it is turkey). Add the drained vegetables and parsley. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add the gravy! Pour filling into your blind baked crust. Cover with the top crust or lattice crust whichever you prefer. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let pie sit for about 10 minutes then slice & serve ! As I said this is very good with chicken or beef too so just use each meats gravy. If you do not have gravy you could use bought gravy and one can of a cream soup that you like. It will not taste as homemade but still pretty good !                         




                                                                     

Mashed Potato Cakes

                                               


Fry up some of these to use up those leftover whipped potatoes from your holiday dinners ! Crispy potato crust on the outside, soft fluffy potatoes with a hint of onion in a potato cake ! So much better than reheated leftovers!

2 Cups leftover whipped ( mashed ) potatoes
1/4 cup flour
1/2 onion chopped
1 or 2 eggs beaten , depends on the consistency  of your potatoes.
1 TBS  Fresh parsley or dried parsley
1 TBS Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika

Saute onion & parsley in butter or put in microwave bowl & cook until onion is soft about 3 minutes on high.
Stir this into your cold potatoes stirring well. Now stir in the flour & salt & pepper mixing well. Start with one beaten egg mixing it through the potato mixture.You should have a nice thick mixture that you can shape into patties If potato mixture seems clumpy add the second beaten egg to the mix. Stir well.If you think this is to runny add more flour to thicken it up. With wet hands shape mixture into patties about 1 inch thick and 3 inches across. Sprinkle with paprika. Fry in olive oil or butter over medium heat until golden brown, flip over, sprinkle with paprika & fry the other side. Fry about 8 minutes per side. Serve hot ! Makes about 8 patties. If serving these with breakfast you could crumble crisp cooked bacon into the mixture . I use about 4 pieces of bacon fried crisp then crumbled into the potatoes & stir well to evenly mix. Use the bacon grease to fry your patties instead of the oil or butter !

Hold onto that Turkey Carcass !

Remember to KEEP THAT TURKEY CARCASS ! Refrigerate or Wrap in foil & Freeze it ! I will be posting an old time FAVORITE , Turkey Noodle Soup and you will need the turkey carcass for a thick hearty broth ! When we have large family turkey dinners we all try to get the one who cooked to give us the remains of THE BIRD for our soups ! Hot Rich Turkey Noodle Soup on cold winter days .... you can't beat that!

SAVE THAT LEFTOVER GRAVY , TURKEY & some vegetables for my Turkey Pie coming up in a day or so! Double Crust Turkey Pie, My Oh My  I LOVE that PIE !

Whipped Potatoes !

                                                                         

13 Large White potatoes pared
1/4 Cup which is 1/2 a stick of butter
1/2 to 3/4 of a  Cup of Half & Half or the same amount of Milk but the Half & Half is AWESOME!
1 TSP Salt
 Cold WATER to cover the potatoes

For variation:  to the pot of boiling potatoes add 2 or 3 cloves of garlic for a mild garlic flavor, just whip the cooked garlic right along with  the potatoes. OR add a peeled sliced onion to the boiling pot for an onion flavor, the onion will cook soft and whip into the potatoes  !

Stir the salt in  to the water in a large pot. As you pare each potato drop it into the salted water this will keep your potato from turning brown. Once all the potatoes are in the pot & covered with water, add more water if you need to. Bring to a boil in keep on a low boil until all potatoes are soft. This will take about 45 minutes. Turn off the stove burner &drain your potatoes, reserve 2 cups of the potato water for your gravy. Once drained put them back into the pot & place on the warm burner that you just turned off. If you use a gas stove the warm cooking pot will be enough heat to help dry off some of the moisture . While you leave the potatoes in the warm pot, melt the butter in the Half & Half. I do this in microwave in the glass measuring cup . Heat on medium heat about 3 minutes BUT do NOT let it boil you just want the butter to melt & cream to warm. Now Dump your potatoes into a large mixing bowl & beat on low until somewhat creamy. Slowly beat in the butter & Half & Half on high. Only add enough butter & cream until you have a nice thick creamy whipped texture. it will depend on your potatoes & may vary every time you make them. This should only take about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve in a pretty bowl ! Decadent Whipped Potatoes that you deserve not just on holidays but whenever you want to serve them !This will serve 8 people AMPLY !

Roast Turkey & Turkey Gravy

After much thought I have decided that my Thanksgiving Turkey was just not THE BEST that I could Blog! He fell apart when I took him from the pan . Usually that would not bother me as I would just carve him up and present him at the table arranged in slices already on the platter. I tried a new method of prepping the turkey that I saw on Americas' Test Kitchen and their recipes are usually very good. They use coarse sea salt & a baking powder mixture that they rub all over the skin of the turkey with butter tucked under the skin. I thought WOW your very own butterball version ! So I did that & roasted the turkey at 325 degrees for 4 hours then 350 degrees for the last 1/2 hour with the turkey covered & basted often for the first 4 hours then uncovered for the 1/2 hour. The turkey was a little to salty for me , not as brown as I like and some of the breast drier than I wished. Could have been the turkey I bought or could have been the baking powder mixture and I will have to go back to the kitchen & try this again. Now the GRAVY was PERFECT so if you need a GREAT GRAVY recipe the one below is NO FAIL every time!

GRAVY from all those flavorful juices.
Place all the juices into a deep saucepan. Add about 2 cups of water from your potatoes that you cooked for mashed potatoes. If you do not have potato water use water. Bring pot to the boil. Stir 3 TBS of cornstarch into 1 cup of cold water. Stir until completely smooth. Now whisk this into the boiling turkey juices that you had added water to. As soon as gravy is thick & clear turn heat to low. Add seasonings, checking FIRST to see if you need salt. I am so glad I did because my turkey had just enough salt in the juices and had I added more it would have been to much salt ! Add pepper, ground sage, onion powder & parsley flakes all to taste as you prefer. I use about 1 tsp each of onion powder, sage & parsley & taste to adjust the salt & pepper. You will have smooth perfect gravy ! This will make enough gravy for 10 people + but hold onto the leftover gravy for TURKEY PIE ! I'll be blogging that recipe in the next day or so . Save about 2 cups of turkey a cup and 1/2 of gravy & a cup of vegetables ( corn, peas & carrots or mixed veggies work best ) for a double crust Turkey Pie !

Cornbread

 Yum, Cornbread hot and fragrant right out of the oven , it is to good to not taste as soon as it is baked. Yes, I am guilty but I just had to have one piece ! As you can see I love my cornbread with butter & honey all sweet and salty melting over the top ! We like this for dinner or it is GREAT with fried eggs with all that wonderful cornbread to soak up that eggy goodness!

1 & 1/2 Cups Cornmeal ( I use yellow over white )
1 & 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
3 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Salt   
1 & 1/2 Cups Milk   
1/2 Cup Butter Melted
2 Eggs Beaten                     
1 TSP Vanilla

Stir together all of the dry ingredients mixing well & make sure the baking powder is not in lumps but sifted through the mix.
Melt butter and add to the dry ingredients but do not stir yet. Beat eggs & add to the batter do not stir yet. Mix milk & vanilla together & add to batter & now stir well until all ingredients are blended& you have a nice thick batter. This will not be completely smooth but it will not matter. Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray & smooth batter evenly in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Test to make sure batter is completely baked no wet batter should be on your toothpick or knife when you test. Cut & serve hot ! Good cold too but we love it best hot ! Use lots of butter & honey or jam or serve with butter & fried eggs to sop up the egg! Best BREAKFAST EVER, with BACON or HAM of course !   

Turkey Roasted For Thanksgiving & Cornbread Recipes

TODAY is THE DAY I am making THANKSGIVING for my children!

I will Blog photos & the recipe later tonight of THE GRAND ROASTED BIRD & my CORNBREAD recipes after our meal & evening are over. I can NOT WAIT for that JUICY turkey with all the trimmings. It has been a long time since I have made my cornbread and I am really wondering why. Cornbread is such an easy thing to make , you don't even need to break out your mixer and cornbread is OH SO GOOD! When I gave the kids their choice of my Potato Dinner Rolls or my Cornbread they all opted for Cornbread and silly kids, I would have made both ! I give THANKS that my children wanted to take time out of their busy lives to come break bread, and enjoy a Thanksgiving Feast and reconnect! Thank You Lord for these Holidays and the chance to sit down, feast and enjoy the day, the food, one another and most of all give THANKS for every  blessing that You have Graciously given to us !

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

A FOODIES thinking !

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
-Virginia Woolf

THANK YOU, FOODIES!

Thanks to each & everyone of you that stop by Recipes for Judys Foodies Blog!

This Blog is now in 10 countries ! I find that AMAZING ! Please feel free to ask for a recipe if you do not see it & you would like it! I probably have a recipe for you to fill your request. I have so many recipes that I will blog & I usually blog about 3 new recipes each week. As you know I LOVE to cook and sharing my recipes with you is such a BLESSING for me & I am happy that so many of you have found your way to Recipes For Judys Foodies ! Stop in often & tell your family friends about this site. We have a LOT of COOKING to DO!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING , FOODIES!

Fried Chicken a true Southern Favorite!

Who doesn't LOVE fried chicken ? Ok, so it isn't diet friendly but sometimes just sometimes you have to have a crispy, crunchy , juicy and spicy piece of down home southern fried chicken ! Plus it is a quick supper !

6 Pieces of Chicken with skin
1 & 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1 TSP Salt
1 TBS Parsley Flakes
1 TSP Onion Powder
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1/2 TSP Sage
1/2 TSP Savory
1/4 TSP Black or White Pepper ( I use white)
1/4 TSP Red Pepper , more if you like it very spicy
Shortening melted to 2 inch depth in a large deep skillet.

Wash chicken & leave wet. Mix all dry ingredients together mix well.  Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture until coated well on all sides. Heat shortening over medium high until melted in your large skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium high to medium temperature so chicken is frying with bubbles all around each piece. Do not cook so high that your shortening is smoking and spattering but not so low that the chicken is barely bubbling in the pan. You want it in between these. Place a lid over the pan a glass lid is best so you can keep a close eye on the chicken. Let this cook until chicken has a deep golden brown color as shown in the picture. Once the bottom side is brown, turn chicken over & continue to fry with lid on the pan until bottom side is brown too. Each side could take between 10 to 15 minutes but check often so you do not burn your chicken. The cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken too. I start my frying with very cold chicken too so starting temperature will also change the cooking time. Once all sides are brown pierce the thickest part of the chicken to see if juices run clear. If bloody or pink juices run then you need to fry a bit longer. Keep the lid on the pan to help hold heat in & cook the chicken through. Remove each piece that test done & place on a thick layer of paper towel & blot the tops to remove excess grease. CRISPY, CRUNCHY & FLAVOR FILLED GOODNESS in each bite ! Any extra left from dinner is good cold too !




                                                                        

Potato And Onion Au-gratin

                                                                          


4 Baking Potatoes, Pared & Sliced THIN
2 Large Onions peeled & sliced in thin rings
2 TBS Flour
2 TBS Butter
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup Mild Cheddar Cheese Shredded ( Use the cheese you like best ANY will work)
2 TSP Parsley Flakes
2 TSP Paprika
1 TSP White Pepper ( red or black work too)

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees
Grease a 2 Quart Baking Dish

In sauce pan on the stove over medium high heat melt butter. Whisk in flour to blend out lumps. Whisk in milk over medium heat,  adding slowly to keep out lumps . Stir in cheese & stir until cheese is melted & you have a nice thick sauce. Stir is pepper ( if using red pepper add a little & taste adding only until you have the desired heat you want  & 1 TSP Paprika ! Take off the heat & prepare your vegetables.
Once veggies are ready , remember to grease your casserole dish and layer the bottom with two of the sliced potatoes. Then layer one of the onions that you sliced . Sprinkle with 1 TSP Parsley Flakes . Now layer the remaining 2 potatoes that you sliced. Over the potatoes layer the last of the onion rings. Pour the cheese sauce over everything letting it sink down , then pour on some more until all is in the dish. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the parsley flakes & now sprinkle the rest of the paprika. Bake uncovered for 1 & then lower oven to 350 degrees & bake another1/2 hour.  A LOVELY dish to serve with any meat or fish !

Recipes for Judys' Foodies: Soft Molasses Cookies

Recipes for Judys' Foodies: Soft Molasses Cookies: 1 cup sugar 1 cup Crisco shortening  1 cup molasses ( I used Grandmas blackstrap) for milder taste use any mild molasses or Table syrup. ...

Snickerdoodles Pumpkin Cookies

PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLES? Yes a PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLE ! This has that much loved flavor of Snickerdoodle but with a touch of pumpkin the PERFECT COMBO in flavors! This is a SOFT cookie due to the pumpkin and just YUMMY! This recipe is a double batch and makes 8 dozen nice large cookies, you might want to cut the recipe in half but then again YOU MIGHT NOT because they are DELISH!

4 Sticks Butter
1 & 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 & 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Cups Pumpkin Puree
4 TSP Vanilla
7 & 1/2 Cups Flour
3 TSP. Baking Soda
1 TSP Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tsp Cream of Tartar

For Rolling cookies in to coat , 1 Cup granulated sugar with 2 TSP Cinnamon stirred in to mix well

Stir all dry ingredients together mixing well . In large mixing bowl cream butter until fluffy. Add eggs & beat again until fluffy then beat in pumpkin, beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in  dry ingredients until thoroughly blended. Chill dough.
After dough is chilled, take heaping teaspoons of dough shape into balls, roll ball in sugar cinnamon mixture coating all sides of cookie dough ball. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 10 to 14 minutes. VERY GOOD !





                                                                           

Christmas Cookie Tips

LESS STRESS, LESS MESS & MORE FUN ???? At Holiday time ? YES! Homemade TASTE BETTER, Makes more IMPACT on those you entertain & can be FUN for the WHOLE FAMILY! Plus they make GREAT GIFTS ! Here are some old time, passed down tips to help it all come together !

 1.Mix cookies up when you have some free time ( YES YOU DO HAVE SOME !) , freeze the cookie dough for baking later at your leisure ! Mix up 2 or 3 kinds while you have your ingredients out, equipment out, kitchen a mess from the first batch.

2. Stick with family favorites then add one or two new types for FUN !

3. You do not have to stick to the recipe when it comes to the extras, do not like nuts? Leave them out. Want chocolate chips instead of raisins ? Go right ahead switch them. Hate cloves but the recipe calls for them? Use nutmeg or cinnamon instead. Let children HELP ! Let them sprinkle colored sugar or jimmies on the unbaked cookies or frost the ones that need frosting. When my children were small I would call out, " I need someone to taste the chocolate chips to make sure they are GOOD!" They would come running ! Even as teens they would ask if I needed a taster of the chocolate chips ! Children could also help stir in the add ins like nuts, raisins and all those chocolate chips. Of course they are also good for being THE TASTERS of those cookies still warm from the oven just to make sure they are good too !

4. Storing, Use airtight containers! I use old tin popcorn cans that you get the 3 types of popcorn in at Christmas. I save them & friends who get them know to save them for me. Layer cookies in your container between wax paper one layer of cookies do not store cookies stacked without the wax paper on each other they will clump. One type of cookie per container DO NOT mix types they will change the flavor & texture of each other. For your SOFT cookies like sugar cookies & cake like cookies, lay one piece of white bread on the top of the last layer of cookies in your container. Switch with a new piece of bread every 4th day or so. This keeps your soft cookies soft & fresh baked. Store cookies in a cool place. I keep mine in the garage in their tins. When doing this you may bake cookies 4 weeks ahead & they keep like fresh baked cookies! Do not freeze cookies as it will DRY them out & change the taste! I have been baking for 40 years & this is a NO FAIL way of storing cookies !

5. When serving cookies arrange them on a pretty plate so colors & textures show off one another. DO NOT serve Sandtarts with any other cookie they will go soft & they should be crisp ! They deserve a pretty plate all by themselves !


6. HAVE FUN & best of all you get to try your cookies right out of the oven ! GOT MILK?



                                                                         

Chocolate Chip Cookies ( my cousin Debs' recipe)!

                                                                          


   Debs Chocolate Chip Cookies are EVERYTHING you could want in a chocolate chip cookie! Big & chewy full of flavor + these keep very well but don't last long because they are just SO GOOD ! One of my MUST BAKE cookies at Christmas !

1&1/3 Cup Crisco
1&1/3 Cup Butter
2 Cup Sugar
2 Cup Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
4 TSP Vanilla
6 Cups Flour
2 TSP Baking Soda
2 TSP Salt
2 Bags of Chocolate Chip ( I use 1 Bag Milk Chocolate & 1 Bag Semi-Sweet)

Sift flour, baking soda & salt together. In a LARGE mixing bowl cream Crisco & butter add eggs & beat until fluffy. Add vanilla & beat. Slowly add the dry a little add a time until mixed well. Chill dough at least 4 hours but overnight is best. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop on ungreased sheets  by heaping teaspoon full & bake 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from sheets & cool. store in air tight containers . Makes about 9 dozen. You may add nuts too but my son HATES nuts & chocolate together so I do not add them. I LOVE these with chopped pecans but I would eat TO MANY if I did ! But IF I did I would add 2 cups of chopped nuts ! 

Stir Fry Chicken with Chinese Noodle

Authentic Oriental Taste & Texture from your kitchen ? You bet & it is easy too! Forget running for takeout & reheating when you get home or WORSE eating lukewarm Chinese food ! So go ahead try making some it is not that hard , if this PA Dutch gal can do it SO CAN YOU ! Experiment, switch up the veggies using what you like & if you want beef or pork, make it with what you prefer . As I like to say , MAKE IT! OWN IT!

1 Lb Boneless Skinless chicken Breast, sliced thin & into bite sized pieces
1 Large Onion sliced into nice bite sized slices
2 Celery Ribs sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
6 White Mushrooms sliced
1 Bag Frozen Broccoli Cauliflower Carrot Medley
1 Garlic Clove Crushed
2 TBS Canola or Vegetable Oil
1, 14 oz. Asian Stir Fry Noodles ( cooked according to package)
Heat oil in Wok or large non stick skillet ( I use my huge black iron skillet)
Add chicken & fry on medium heat until no longer pink. Add celery, mushrooms & onion & stir fry for about 8 minutes. Add frozen vegetables & garlic & cook stirring every 5 minutes cooking for 15 minutes. While this is cooking start the noodles as package directs. Drain noodles .
Mix together the following
5 TBS Teriyaki Sauce
1 TBS Honey
2 TSP Worcestershire Sauce
5 TBS Soy Sauce
Pour into the chicken mixture, stir to combine.
Mix 2 TBS Cornstarch with 1/2 Cup water & add to the chicken mixture stirring to cook & thicken. Add 1 TSP 5 Spice Oriental Spice Powder. Stir. Add 2 TSP Sesame Oil Stir. Add noodles & cook & stir to heat thoroughly ! You now have a GREAT HOMEMADE Chinese Noodle Chicken Stir Fry.This recipe makes 5 HUGE servings could easily feed 6 to 7 !
We always have egg rolls with this. I have not made those yet. I buy our stores Seafood Dept. Shrimp Egg Rolls . Check your stores seafood or Deli Dept. for their own made egg rolls. Darrenkamps has them in their Seafood Dept. & they taste authentic ! If anyone has a good egg roll recipe PLEASE send me the recipe I would LOVE to make them !                                    

Thanksgiving Salted Caramel Yams or Sweet Potatoes!

                                                                       

6 Large Yams or use Sweet Potatoes.
1 & 1/2 stick butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 TSP Vanilla
1 TSP Sea Salt  
1 Cup 1/2 & 1/2 cream

Wash potatoes & place in a large pot. Cover with water & cook until fork tender this will depend on the size of your potatoes. My yams were large & it took about 45 minutes of boiling to get to fork tender stage. Remove from water, drain & let cool. Once cool enough to handle remove their jackets & slice into the  desired shapes & thickness that you wish.
In a large skillet melt 3/4 of a stick of butter & fry potato slices to get a nice brown crust. Remove potatoes from the skillet & place them in a large deep baking dish. Back in the skillet add remaining butter & the brown sugar, salt & vanilla. Cook & stir until sugar is melted & bubbling. Now whisk in the 1/2 & 1/2. Cook & whisk while bubbling about 8 minutes. Pour the mixture over potatoes. Let cool then freeze until needed OR pop into a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 1/2 through baking time spoon the sauce over the potatoes to give each one a nice salty caramel coating. If you freeze these let thaw in refrigerator then bake 350 degrees for about 1 hour coating potatoes, 1/2 an hour into the baking, with the sauce from the bottom  of the pan to give each slice a nice coating of caramel goodness. ENJOY !  

                                                                                                    

Focaccia Topped with Sauted Onions & Mushrooms

Different from Pizza but in a GOOD WAY!  Haven't tried FRESH MADE Focaccia? You have missed out!


1 Cup WARM water ( NOT HOT) !
1 Package Yeast
1/2 TSP Honey
2 & 1/2 Cups Flour ( use bread flour if you have some )
1/2 Cup Olive Oil ( you will divide this later)  
1 TSP Sea Salt or regular but I prefer Sea Salt
2 Onions sliced
6 Large White Mushrooms sliced    
1 Large Tomato sliced THIN      
1 Cup Fresh Spinach      
2 TSP Crushed Garlic in Olive Oil or crush the garlic & drizzle with a little oil
1 & 1/2  Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese       
3 TSP Italian Seasonings        

In bowl mix water, honey & yeast. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir to make sure yeast is dissolved. In a large bowl mix flour & sea salt. Add the yeast liquid & 1/4 of the olive oil. Stir until you have a nice stretchy dough. knead smooth. Place back in your large bowl, cover with a clean towel & let rise 1 hour.  After the hour is up, Pat & press dough into an oiled 9x13 pan with an edge. I used my Pampered Chef shown above & it worked fine.  The size is larger than I should have used so for thicker Focaccia use the 9x13 otherwise go ahead & use your Pampered chef pan ! The dough needs to rise for 20 minutes so while that is going on move on to your saute work. Place almost all of the 1/4 cup of remaining olive oil in a large skillet & heat on medium high. Add the sliced onions & mushrooms. Saute about 15 minutes or until onion is soft. Turn off heat & by now dough should be ready to layer with toppings. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. First press dimples down into the dough with your finger tips. Now take your garlic & the olive oil & smear it all over the surface of your bread. Next lay tomato over that. Now spread your onions & shrooms evenly over the bread surface.  Sprinkle the fresh spinach over the top & then the cheese over this. The last step is to sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes! Serve piping hot. All you need is a nice salad & a glass of wine you will feel like you are in Italy !    NOTE: any & all toppings are your personnel choice use or leave out or substitute anything you would like, MAKE IT & OWN IT !  

Kevin Hollidays Reeses Peanut Butter Temptations

 Peanut butter temptations
1/2 cup butter ( 1 stick) softened                                            
40 reeses cup miniatures
1/2cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar                                                    
1/2 reeses creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 half a teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375
remove candies from wrappers
Line small muffin pan with paper cups 1 3/4"
beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until fluffy I'n large bowl.
Stir together flour , baking soda, and salt. Then gradually add to butter mixture until well blended.
Shape into one inch balls and place into paper cups. Do not flatten.
Bake 10 to 12 mins until lightly puffed and light brown. Remove from oven and immediately add peanut butter cups into center of cookies.
Cool completely In muffin pan

 

Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Cookies

I have been going back into my photos and Blogging recipes that I have had back logged. I came across these wonderful cookies from Mrs. Fields and had to share them with you. Her recipe is the best I have ever tasted and you just won't want any other peanut butter cookie after making these. I mention them in the banana pudding I just posted so I thought I better post these too ! I thought I had blogged them a long time ago so sorry for the wait !

4 Cups Flour
1 TSP Baking Soda
2 & 1/2 Cups Dark Brown Sugar
2 & 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/2 TSP Salt
2 Cups Butter Softened
6 Eggs
2 Cups Peanut Butter ( I used Crunchy not my homemade)
2 TSP Vanilla

 Bake in a Preheated oven to 300 Degrees ( her secret to a perfect cookie) But chill your dough before baking.

Cream Butter & Peanut butter, add eggs beat until fluffy, Beat in sugar & beat fluffy & beat in vanilla. Stir all the dry together then slowly beat in to your creamed mixture beat until well combined. Chill mixture four hours best overnight !
 Spoon  out & roll into  balls onto ungreased baking sheets using heaping tablespoons for large cookies , heaped teaspoons for smaller cookies. Crisscross the tops of each cookie with the tines of a fork gently pressing down. Bake 19 to 22 minutes in your 300 degree oven. DO NOT OVERBAKE so you get that CHEWY texture! Cool & store in airtight container. These store very well ! makes about 5 dozen large cookies. 


                                                                         

Peanut Butter and Marshmallow, Banana Pudding

  This thick creamy pudding is a version that is a little different from the Nilla Wafer all vanilla and banana pudding that we grew up with as children. This pudding is homemade and very rich. The peanut butter adds a nice change. As for the marshmallows I had to switch from Cool Whip because my son hates Cool Whip, whose kid is he anyway , because I could eat Cool Whip as a dessert! So in this version I use mini marshmallows but if you want use Cool Whip instead but I think the marshmallows give it a fun twist from the same old same old Banana Pudding !

1 Heaping TBS Flour ( HUGE HEAPING ) !
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs beaten
Dash of Salt   
2 Cups Milk   
1 TBS Butter   
1 TSP Vanilla 
2/3 Cup Mini Marshmallows OR Cool Whip
About 24 Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies any you like.
2 Bananas

Stir together flour, sugar & dash of salt in a deep saucepan. Whisk in the beaten eggs. Now slowly whisk in milk over medium high heat. Whisk while cooking until mixture turns thick & bubbles about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat & whisk in butter & vanilla. Set aside & get ready to layer your dessert. Choose a pretty glass bowl that hold about 8 cups . Take about 24  sandwich cookies and take them apart. Lay pieces enough to cover the bottom & up the sides of the bowl. Now slice one banana into thin discs and lay them over the cookies. Sprinkle all but 1/4 cup of the marshmallows over the bananas. Now spoon about 1/2 of the pudding over the marshmallows. I do this while the pudding is hot so the cookies soften and marshmallows melt just a bit. Now take another layer of cookie pieces and lay them over the pudding. Slice your second banana and arrange slices over the cookies. Spoon remaining pudding over the bananas. Crush up the cookies you have left & sprinkle them over the pudding. Sprinkle the very top with the 1/4 cup of mini marshmallows. This is such a lush dessert and yet kiddies will dig in too!

                                                                     
                                                                           

FOR EASE use your favorite box instant pudding BUT it will not be as good as the pudding above. If you like use Nilla Wafer and Cool Whip for an OLD favorite. But this pudding is to good not to try & EASY! I have used my homemade peanut butter cookies that I will Blog and they are good too! This recipes makes 6 GENEROUS servings & can be made into individual parfaits if desired!                                                                                            

Coconut Cake loaded with Coconut!

This recipe is a version of America's Test Kitchen's recipe. They do not put the coconut inside the cake but toast the coconut and pat it onto the frosting. I wanted a white & beautiful cake to present with moist sweet coconut in the cake itself. I took a chance and put half of the coconut in the batter and it turned out exactly as I hoped. This pretty and old fashioned cake is stunning to present and moist and loaded with coconut. ENJOY!

CAKE BATTER:
Preheat oven to 325 Degrees. Prepare 2, 9 Inch pans by greasing and dusting with flour .
1 Large Egg
5 Large Egg Whites  
1/4 Cup Water
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp. Coconut Extract  
Mix all of these with a fork until combined. Set aside.
2 & 1/4 Cups Flour                  
1 Cup Sugar            
1 TBS. Baking Powder   
3/4 Tsp. Salt
1 & 1/2 Sticks Butter softened
1 Cup Coconut
Mix dry ingredients EXCEPT the coconut & the Butter, together. Now add the butter on low speed on your mixer a tablespoon at a time until you have fine crumbs. Now add the liquid slowly beating until you have all the ingredients combined  well. Fold in the coconut. Pour into prepared pans dividing equally. Bake 30 minutes or until cake test done with a toothpick coming out dry. Let cool 10 minutes then dump from pans to finish cooling. Frost with the following frosting.

FROSTING:
4 Large Egg Whites
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
Dash of Salt
1/4 Cup Cream Of Coconut
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Whisk egg whites, sugar & salt over a bowl of  boiling water until opaque & warm. Remove from heat & beat with a mixer on high speed until you lovely stiff glossy white frosting. Now add Cream Of Coconut & vanilla & beat . Frosting should be thick, glossy & white and TOO GOOD NOT TO TASTE!  Place one cake layer on serving platter & spread frosting on the top surface. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of coconut over the surface of frosting. Lay your to layer over the first. Now frost sides and top. Gently pat coconut over sides and top. You will have one spectacular cake to present ! FUN TO MAKE & SO OLD FASHION & SO VERY VERY GOOD!

Stuffing for Turkey or Chicken, Pennsylvania Dutch Style, My Moms Recipe!

This is my Moms' original PA Dutch Stuffing recipe ! So easy & so good it is not a holiday without it ! We always stuff our bird but for those who do not want the extra fuss or are worried about the safety of stuffing a turkey or chicken and not dealing with possible food born illness I am blogging this stuffing in a 9x13 pan. We have never had anyone get sick from eating a dinner with the stuffing already in the bird so we stuff them. We always wait until right before the bird goes in the oven to stuff so go ahead and stuff that turkey and chicken with this recipe just do it right before you roast your poultry!

 I just tried the following recipe in the crock-pot for the first time , IT WAS DELICIOUS!  To make it in the crock-pot just spray the crock with cooking spray , or butter the crock. Pile in the stuffing loosely . Cook on low 4 to 4 & 1/2 hours. Mine was nice & brown on the sides & top but light & fluffy inside . It was if I had roasted it in the bird ! CAREFULLY watch your crock-pot as many vary on cooking times !

1 Loaf of plain white bread cut into cubes to make 8 Cups. Precut bread cubes are fine I just like to do it myself!
1 Large Onion Chopped
3 Ribs of Celery Chopped
6 Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 TBS Parsley
1 TSP Ground Sage
1 TSP Savory ( if you can find it) if not just use poultry seasoning & leave out the sage
1 TSP Onion Powder
IF using this for chicken I add 1 TSP Garlic Powder leave out if making Turkey
3/4 of a Stick of Butter ( may use margarine but why when there is butter)

In large glass bowl put onion, celery and butter, cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir and cover and cook another 3 minutes. Meanwhile cut up bread into cubes and dump into a large mixing bowl. Add the celery, onion & butter mixture and stir well mixing it through the bread coating all . Break eggs into bread mixture and stir well getting it through all the bread. Now stir in seasonings and add milk. Stir again to mix well !                                                                     

Spray your 9x13 pan with baking spray or butter bottom and sides of pan. Spoon stuffing mixture into pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour ! Or stuff in your bird and roast according to directions on your poultry packaging !   As you can see from the picture above this is a moist stuffing with a crispy crust & that is how we LOVE it ! Pour some gravy on this serving and call it done !                                    



                                                                        

Split Pea and Ham Soup

THICK, SMOKEY CHUNKY this soup is so warming and so filling it is perfect for serving on a cold wintery day or evening. The funny thing is I HATED pea soup growing up and I never made it until both my children in their teen years asked me to give it a try. They loved the canned soup & thought I would love it too. I did not but I thought I should at least make them some , after all they are my kids! So I bought the ingredients and added some of my own and came up with this bowl of hearty split pea soup. I hope you try it you too just might like it!


1 & 1/2 lb or so of Shank Bone in Ham portion
1 lb Dried Split Peas
1 Large Onion
3 Medium Carrots
4 Large Potatoes
Couple Dashes of Pepper ( I use White Pepper)
1 TBS Parsley Flakes

Place ham in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer 1 hour. Meanwhile place the dried split peas in a bowl and cover them with water. Use a spoon and stir slowly looking for anything that is not a pea! Sometimes a pebble or piece of plant can get in with the peas. I have never had this happen but about the time you do not do this that is when someone would get a stone in their soup.  After ham has cooked for an hour remove the ham and set aside to cool. In your simmering broth add the clean split peas and all the water they had soaked. Bring to a simmer and cook stirring often making sure you stir from the bottom of the pot, they have a tendency to stick. Stir every 10 minutes or so. After the peas have cooked an hour add your onion that you peeled and chopped and the carrots peeled and chopped in a small dice. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes stirring every 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile peel and chop the potatoes and add to the soup. Continue to cook on simmer stirring every 10 minutes. Chop ham into bite size pieces removing any fat . Stir into the soup. Cook on a low simmer for one more hour. Taste soup to see if you need to add salt , usually you do not need salt because the ham adds enough but taste and add if needed. You will have thick, delicious Split Pea and Ham Soup! Serve with crusty bread and salad or a grilled cheese sandwich .

IF you wish to make this in the crock pot just do the following: cut the ham  into bite size pieces. Soak peas & clean ! Put all ingredients in your crock pot using water to fill the pot. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours, on high for 5! Good, thick soup by the time you are ready for dinner! If you need to make the soup thicker just stir 2 TBS cornstarch into 1/2 cup cold water & stir into the soup. It will thicken right up! The photo below is a picture of the soup done in the crock pot on high for 5 hours!

                                                                             

                                                                         

Apple and Sausage Stuffed Baked French Toast

                                                                       


Oh the wonderfulness of French Toast ! So thick & custardy with sausage and apples in a warm cinnamon, brown sugar sauce tucked in the middle of each mouthwatering piece.Each piece is crispy top & bottom too! Oh so good on cold mornings or like I am having, in the evening for dinner. This rustic, hearty, comfort food is so good for holiday breakfasts or brunches too! You could mix this up the night before and pop it in the oven in the morning to have ready for your hungry family.

                               The warm savory sweet apple and sausage filling!                                         

1 Lb Sausage ( I used Darrenkamps Apple Sausage Link ) but any mild breakfast sausage will do.
3 Baking Apples
8 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
2 TSP Vanilla
3 Dashes of Salt
1 TSP. Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar Divided
3 TBS Butter
8 Slices of nice thick bread. I use home made bread but Texas Toast white bread or your favorite bread is fine!

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.
Slice sausage into 1 inch slices OR remove casing & crumble . Start to fry sausage to brown. Peel & core the apples. Slice like you would for pie in nice thin slices. Add to sausage & brown. If you have a lot of grease off your sausage remove all but a couple of tablespoons. Once sausage is no longer pink & apples are slightly soft add 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1 TSP cinnamon. Stir together until sugar melts and you have a nice thick syrup. Turn off heat.

Now whisk eggs & slowly whisk in milk, vanilla & salt. In a large black iron skillet melt 2 TBS butter & cover the bottom & sides with the melted butter. Take off heat. If you do not have a big skillet use a deep glass baking pan & coat the sides & bottom with the melted butter. Now dip four slices of the bread coating both sides and smooshing them down into the batter. Lay the four slices into the cast iron skillet or your baking pan. Spoon about 1/4 cup of apple sausage filling into the center of each piece of bread. Scoop up any of the syrup & drizzle it over the filling. Now dip the other four pieces the same way you did the first four, don't forget to SMOOSH & lay them over the first pieces laying in the pan. Any egg mixture left pour over the center of each piece of bread dividing it equally between the four servings. Now cut up 1 TBS. of butter & dot the top of the bread with the pieces giving each piece at least 3 dots of butter. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over each piece of bread & sprinkle the top with more cinnamon. Bake one hour . Slice & serve hot with maple syrup or your favorite pancake syrup! This makes HUGE servings & if you have fruit & other side dishes this will easily serve 8 people. But if you have HEARTY eaters or serving this by itself then allow 1 piece person but I bet you can't finish one piece by yourself !

                                                                           
                  This is half of one piece of the toast so you can see how STUFFED it is!

Fiber & Fruit Yogurt

Why pay extra money for a fiber yogurt that doctors have said contains so little or so fine a fiber that it just is not worth the extra money? This easy and inexpensive do it yourself yogurt add in taste so great and is so much better for you , I believe you  will wonder how you even ate that OTHER yogurt!

1 Serving of your favorite yogurt with or without fruit JUST NOT with added fiber!
1 TBS. of Milled Flax ( I use Hodgson Mill ) brand found in the baking aisle at Darrenkamps grocery store.
Couple dashes of cinnamon if you wish I use cinnamon it is so good for you !
Stir into your yogurt & you have a GREAT TASTING GREAT FOR YOU yogurt! The flax is a super fiber + it helps you feel full longer to stave off those hunger pangs! Flax has SO MANY BENEFITS and is cost effective you will wonder why you haven't tried it before this! I bake with flax, put it in yogurt, my oatmeal, stir into cereal and even sprinkle it on ice cream . Do not use more than 1 TBS. at first but as you get use to adding it to your diet you may eat up to 2 TBS a day . But like that YOGURT commercial says it helps you GO ! But unlike the commercial this taste really great , keeps you from getting hungry and truly works!                                                  

Old Tyme Strep Throat & Sore Throat Remedy

                                                                         

This recipe was given to me by an old friend's mother that had been passed down through the years. Yes it really does work & will cure your strep throat in just a few doses. I have used this myself and on my children and it has worked EVERY time ! I have shared this with a lot of friends since I have used it and it has worked for them too! Quick, EASY & not costly so I am sharing it with you ! WARNING : YES IT TASTE AWFUL but if you ever had STREP or a very sore throat you will not mind the taste !
1 TBS Ground Sage ( find in the grocery store with spices)
1/2 TSP Alum ( white powder used for pickling also with spices)
1/2 Cup water
Put everything in a glass mixing cup or bowl. put in microwave & bring to a boil. Use stove top & a pan if you wish. Once mixture is boiling remove from heat & let cool to room temp. Use as a gargle, gargling as long as you can. Spit & rinse DO NOT SWALLOW ! Even if you do not swallow you might ( PUKE) from the taste but do not let it alarm you most people do at the first time using this BUT your throat will feel much better in just a few hours. Use this about 3 times a day until the pain is gone. It will not seem so bad after the first time because you know what to expect. This is an old Indian cure THAT WORKS!  After your first gargle save the remaining mixture & store in the refrigerator until the next gargle time.