French Silk Pie

1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter (I have used margarine but like the butter taste and texture better)
3 squares (3 oz. ) unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Beat sugar and butter on medium speed for 4 minutes or until fluffy. Stir in chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on high, scrape side of bowl constantly. Put in pie shell. Chill 5-24 hours. Top with whipped chream (the real stuff) and chocolate curls!

Another delicious recipe from Jessica Bybee.
** 3 TBS cocoa + 1 TBS oil = 1 square of unsweetened baking chocolate

Self-Frosting Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp soda
2 1/2 c. flour
4-6 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. sour milk (I just use milk and lemon juice)
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. finely grated zucchini

Topping:
3/4 c. chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)
3/4 c. brown sugar

Mix margarine, oil, and sugar well. add eggs. Set aside. Sift together soda, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder. add dry ingredients alternately with cup sour milk. Add vanilla. Blend well. Add zucchini. Stir. grease and flour 9x13 inch pan. Pour batter into pan. Add topping. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Garlicky Ginger Lime marinade

1 cup lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 TBS Ginger root
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup oil


Combine ingredients in a zipper-top bag. Add up to 3lbs of white meat such as chicken or pork.

*fyi, ginger root can be grated or pressed in a garlic press. To press, just cut off a chunk of fresh root in a size that fits in your garlic press hopper and press. Grating, about 1 inch= 1 TBS

Salmon with pecan-butter glaze

4-6 salmon fillets
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 TBS butter, softened
1 TBS parsley
1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with oil and lay out salmon fillets.
Combine pecans, butter, lemon juice and parsley; spoon and spread over fish. Bake uncovered for about 12-15 minutes, or until fish is flaky and pecans are nicely toasted.
Serve with steamed spinach and couscous.

This is a modified recipe from Leanne Ely (with FlyLady) I got years ago! She has some WONDERFUL cookbooks out. I'd HIGHLY recommend purchasing one or several. You won't be disappointed. Just google 'saving dinner'.

Teryaki Crock Pot Chicken

6-8 chicken thighs (I like to use boneless/skinless, but bone in works too)
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger powder (or 1 inch fresh grated ginger root)

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with rice and stir-fry veggies.

Oatmeal Waffles (gluten free)

1 egg, room temperature, separated
1 1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup milk
4 tbsp of butter or margarine, melted, cooled
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp brown sugar

Beat egg white in a small bowl until stiff and set
aside. Mix together the dry ingredients and sent
aside. Combine egg yolk, milk and melted butter. Add
to dry ingredients, mixing until just blended. Fold in
beaten egg white until just mixed. Do not over beat
battter. Cook waffles a little longer for extra
crispness.

Thanks, Jessica Bybee, for sharing this recipe.

Oatmeal Cowboy Cookies

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Angie, for sharing this yummy recipe!

OATMEAL COWBOY COOKIES

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups chocolate chips (I only used one bag of milk)
3 cups oats
2 cups flaked coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (optional, I didn't use)

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt;
set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy.
Gradually beat in sugars and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. Add
flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips,
oats, coconut and pecans. Drop dough by 1/4 cup measurements onto
greased baking sheet, 3 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for about
12 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen large cookies.
I just use my cookie scoop, it's not 1/4 cup.

Granola Bars

1/4 c butter/margarine(I use less some times of the
1/4 c veg. oil oil and butter.)
1-16 oz bag of marshmallows
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. peanut butter
5 c. oatmeal
4 1/2 c. crisp rice cereal (or left over bits and crumbles of any breakfast cereal)
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. crushed peanuts or other nuts
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Melt and heat butter and oil. Add marshmallows and
stir until melted. Turn off heat. Add honey and
peanut butter and stir until melted. Then add all other
ingredients and stir until coated. Spray a cookie
sheet and press granola in. Let cool, then cut into
serving sizes.

Thanks Jessica Bybee for sharing this recipe! They're delicious.

Hillbilly Housewife shakes

1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water
1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare
2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purposes
Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4's full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. Makes 4 - 12oz servings. For preparation tips please see below.

I love this recipe because it makes very rich milk shakes without any ice cream. I don't always have ice cream in the house because the kids eat it so fast. With this recipe we can have delicious frosty milk shakes for a fraction of the cost of those using ice cream. And all the ingredients are on the pantry shelf.

*I got this from the Hillybilly Housewife blog. The authors have some amazing options for cutting food costs and still eating well. Check out the Hillbilly Housewife here. http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/

crunchy honey mustard chicken fingers

4 small chicken breast or 8 chicken tenders
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup cornflake crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray cookie sheet.
Mix honey and mustard in a bowl. Put cornflake crumbs in a separate bowl. Cut chicken into strips. Dip chicken in mustard/honey misture, then in crushed crumbs and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes

Scotcheroos

I love butterscotch! This is one of my favorite desserts or 'cookies'.

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I recommend creamy)
6 cups rice cereal such as Special K or Rice Krispies
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pkg butterscotch chips

Cook corn syrup and sugar over meadum heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and syrup begins to boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Mix well and add rice cereal. Press into greased or sprayed 9X13 pan and let cool or set.
Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips. (use a double boiler if you have one, or in a microwave safe dish, heat for 1 minute and stir, then 30 seconds and stir. Repeat in 30 second increments if needed until smooth.)Spead evenly over cereal mixture, let stand until firm. Cut into bars when cool.

Butter Cake

Many of you know, I used to work in a most wonderful dental office in Ogden (Thank you, Dr Mark Geddes and team!) This is a recipe from someone I knew in that office. Thanks for sharing, Sue (and Camisha).


Boter Koek
By: Sue Peterson, "Butter Cake" from Holland

2 cubes real butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp pure almond ext
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups unbleached flour
2 egg whites

Cut butter (at room temperature) into small cubes, with sugar, & almond extract. Mix into paste.

Add 3 cups flour & 2 teaspoons baking powder, mix well, but gently.

Separate dough in ½ and punch down into 2 eight or nine inch round cake pans, until smooth.

Glaze top of dough with the egg white on each cake, then top with chopped almonds.

Be very careful not to overcook. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, or 350 for 25 minutes, depending on your oven. Cake should still be very soft when cooked.

Gingerbread Cookies

1 c butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
3 Tbls molasses
1 egg
2 Tbls water or milk (I usually do 1 Tbls of each)
MIX
3 1/4 c flour
2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
MIX

Refrigerate covered dough for at least a couple of hours. Then roll out on a
floured surface, and cut out cookies. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. (Dough
will look golden around edges. If you cook too long, the cookies will taste
fine, but they'll be crunchy instead of soft.)

(just got this recipe from Tammie Springer. She made these cookies and they were absolutely delish!!!! I think they're even better than Nauvoo's Skovil Bakery gingerbread cookies)

Crepes

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 TBS oil
1/4 tsp salt

Mix eggs and milk in a bowl using a wire whisk or electric mixer. Add oil, flour and salt and continue whisking until batter is smooth.
I don't have a crepe pan. I use a large omlet pan....Heat crepe pan or skillet. Lightly grease before each crepe. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto pan. Roll to cover pan (spread the crepe to the edge of the pan) Crepes are supposed to be cooked on one side only. I flip them and cook them like pancakes. You decide how you want to do it.

Oven pancakes (german pancakes)

1/4 cup butter
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt

(I use a pampered chef bar pan for this, but if you cut the recipe in half, it will fit in a smaller pan such as a pie plate or round cake pan) Put the butter in the pan and place in the oven set at 400 degrees for about 2-3 minutes (or until butter is melted). In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, flour, and salt using a wire whisk until well blended. Pour immediately into hot pan (over the melted butter) and bake 20-25 minutes or until puffed and lightly brown. Remove from oven, cut into portions and serve.

Serve with fresh fruit, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, or fruit syrup

Blender pancakes

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup whole wheat berries
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 TBS baking powder
2 TBS sugar (or 1 TBS honey)
1 tsp salt

In a blender on highest setting, blend 1 cup of milk with wheat for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the milk and blend another 2-3 miutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Cook on a hot skillet or griddle.

Basic pancakes

1 cup flour
1 TBS sugar
2 tsp baiking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 TBS oil

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix milk, oil, and egg. Pour all at once into flour mixture and stir just till blended (still lumpy, but not dry). Pour or spoon batter onto hot, greased griddle or skillet.

Bread Basics

3 cups hot water
1/4 cup honey
2 TBS dry active yeast
Mix these together in a large bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes. When it gets foamy, then add:
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS gluten (if you have it. It can be omitted, but bread tastes--and cuts--much better WITH)
3 cups flour
Stir with a strong spoon (I use a good wire whisk to blend the flour and gluten into the liquid, then I use a bamboo spoon to stir) until smooth. Add an additional 3-4 cups flour. (I dump 3 cups in right away, but add just enough of the fourth cup to keep the dough from being too sticky to handle. If you add too much flour, bread is dry--not enought flour, bread doesn't rise good) I start out with a spoon, but by the last cup of flour, I shove up my sleeves and start kneading with my hands. Knead to a soft dough. Dough should stick together in a ball in the bowl, not stick to the sides of the bowl and not be too sticky to handle.
Cover and allow dough to rise to double the size. (about 30-60 minutes) Dump dough out of bowl and cut into three portions. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Again, allow dough to rise to double its size--usually an inch above the top of the pan. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from pans immediately and let cool completely before 'bagging' to avoid soggy bread.


A whole wheat alternative, I've found, can be made using your blender. I use 1 cup of water to disolve the yeast, and I mix 1 cup of COOL(not hot, but not ice cold either) water with 1 cup whole wheat berries in my blender; Process for 2-3 minutes, then then add 1/2 cup water and continue to process for another 2-3 minutes. Then I rinse out the blender with the remaining 1/2 cup of water. It should look light brown, but smooth. Pour in the 'foamy water' with the oil, salt, and flour. This replaces ONE cup of flour and makes the bread much more nutritious, but still edibile!!! Email me if you have questions.

Chicken Roll-ups

1 cup chopped or shredded chicken
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2-3 chopped green onions
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans crescent rolls
1 can cream of chicken soup
*melted butter and cracker crumbs

Cream cheese, add chicken, mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper. Spoon onto crescent rolls, roll dough around and over the top to cover. Bake as directed for the rolls (usually about 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees).
* if you're not concerned with calories, after you fill and roll the dough, dip the top in melted butter then in cracker crumbs. Bake as directed.
Mix the cream of chicken soup with enough milk to make a thick gravy sauce. Serve rolls with sauce ladled over the top. Add your choice of green or orange veggies (green beans, broccoli, or sweet potatoes/yams or carrots are a tasty side)

Apricot Chicken

3-5 boneless, skinless pieces of chicken (thighs and breasts work great)
1 cup apricot preserves
1 cup catalina dressing
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Place chicken in a 9X13 baking pan or crock pot. Mix preserves, dressing and soup mix in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over chicken. Cover with foil or lid and bake for 40-50 minutes. (Crock pot- cook 4-6 hours) Serve with rice and your favorite green veggies