Author Archive
Magic Cookie Bars
I got this recipe from my Mom, Joann, and she clipped it from a magazine 10-20 years ago, and it does sound good. I made these on 26 Sep 2021, and they are good! And easy to make!
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, (1 stick / ½ block)
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk, (14 oz / 396 g)
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, (just a 12 oz bag is good)
- 1⅓ cups flaked coconut
- 1 cup nuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F) or 160° (325° F) when using a glass baking pan. Get out a 9x13 inch baking pan, add the butter to the pan and melt in the pan while the oven is preheating.
- Spread melted butter in pan, sprinkle crumbs over the butter.
- Evenly pour the condensed milk over the crumbs.
- In a bowl, toss together the coconut, chips, and nuts.
- Sprinkle the coconut mixture over the condensed milk. Firmly press down with a fork.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Feel free to chill in the fridge until set firm.
- Cut into bars or squares, serve and enjoy. Can store covered at room temperature.
Sour Cream Corn Bread
I got this recipe from my Mom, Joann, and she clipped it from a magazine 10-20 years ago, and it does sound good. On my to make and taste list. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (8x8 inch)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons bsaking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup sour cream, Shortcut
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons pimento, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F), get out a 8x8 inch baking pan and grease with butter or cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, add the first 5 ingredients, whisk together.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix until just moistened.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cut into squares, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Oat-rageous Chocolate Chip Cookies
I got this recipe from my Mom, Joann, and she clipped it from a magazine 10-20 years ago, and it does sound good. On my to make and taste list.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup quick cooking rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out 1-2 baking sheets, line with parchment paper for easy cleanup or just leave ungreased.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars using an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- In another mixing bowl, add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix together well.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 or until they are lightly browned. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy.
Ginger Bars
I got this recipe from my Mom, Joann, and she clipped it from a magazine 10-20 years ago, and it does sound good. On my to make and taste list.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup molasses
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar, for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 9x13 baking pan and grease with butter or cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, add the shortening and sugar, cream together with an electric mixture until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs until well mixed. Beat in the water and molasses.
- In another mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt. Whisk together.
- Add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture, stir together well.
- Spread in the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1-2 hours.
- Cut into bars or squares, dust each with powdered sugar if desired.
- Serve and enjoy.
Cherry Dream Pie
This is a recipe on the packaging of a graham cracker crust, and it sounds easy, and good. On my to make and taste list.
Equipment
- Oven
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk, (14 oz / 396 g)
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 1 graham cracker pie crust, ready made
- 1 can cherry pie filling, chilled, (21 oz / 1 lb 5 oz / 595 g)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160° C (325° F), get out a ready made graham cracker crust.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and beat with an electric mixture until pale yellow.
- Stir in the condensed milk and lemon juice.
- Pour mixture into the pie crust.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.
- Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or until set.
- When set, top with pie filling. Place back in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Slice, plate, and top with whipped cream as desired. Serve and enjoy.
Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
This recipe is from a friend on social media and it is excellent chili! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 package cream cheese, cut into quarters, (8 oz / 226 g)
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder, or as desired
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 can whole kernel corn, undrained, (15 oz / 425 g)
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies, undrained, (10 oz / 283 g)
- 1 can black beans, undrained, (15 oz / 425 g)
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- add the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir together. Cover and set to Low setting for 6 hours, quickly stir after about 3 hours to mix in the cream cheese.
- Remove chicken breast to a cutting board, shred or dice, return to the pot and stir in.
- Cover and cook for another 15 minutes. Stir to mix everything together.
- Serve and enjoy. Feel free to use chili toppings as you desire.
Notes
Fair cost per serving based on the Rotel, but I am looking at making a shortcut for that and I will update the recipe with that shortcut.
Shortcut: Ranch Dressing Mix.
Seasoned Pork Belly (Pressure Cooker)
This recipe is from a friend on social media and is a make as much as you want recipe and seasoned to taste, keeping in mind the limits of your pressure cooker. When I make this, I will come up with some basic measurements. I will be using my 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker with a pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), so this will work equally well with electric pressure cookers. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Timer
Ingredients
- fresh pork belly
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- garlic, minced
- onion, diced
- soy sauce
- Chinese 5 Spice powder
- water, (I will say 1 cup as a starting amount)
- rice wine, (I will use Shaoxing when I test this)
- palm sugar
- star anise
- hot cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly into 1 to 1½ cubes.
- With the lid off your pressure, add the oil and place the pressure cooker on medium heat, when hot, add the garlic and onion, sauté until tender.
- Add the pork belly and remaining ingredients, except the rice, stir together.
- Add the lid to the pressure cooker and lock in place, add the weight on the lid. Place on high heat until the weight (jiggler) starts venting and making some sound and moving a little. Reduce heat to low or medium low to just keep the jiggler venting and moving, set your timer for 20 minutes.
- At 20 minutes, turn off the heat and carefully move the pressure cooker to an unused burner and allow the pressure to release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
- When you have indications of zero pressure inside the cooker, carefully remove the weight, then remove the lid.
- Remove the pork belly to a serving bowl, and pour the liquid into another bowl.
- Serve pork belly with hot cooked rice, and spoon over liquid from the pot, as desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Basic Pork Belly (Pressure Cooker)
This recipe is from a friend on social media and is a make as much as you want recipe, keeping in mind the limits of your pressure cooker. I will be using my 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker with a pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), so this will work equally well with electric pressure cookers. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Timer
- Broiler
Ingredients
- fresh pork belly
- dipping sauces of your choice, as desired, for serving
- hot cooked rice, as desired, for serving
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly into strips about 2 inches wide.
- Place a rack in your pressure cooker and add 1½ cups of water, the rack should be above the water.
- Place the pork belly strips on the rack.
- Add the lid to the pressure cooker and lock in place, add the weight on the lid. Place on high heat until the weight (jiggler) starts venting and making some sound and moving a little. Reduce heat to low or medium low to just keep the jiggler venting and moving, set your timer for 22 minutes.
- At 22 minutes, turn off the heat and carefully move the pressure cooker to an unused burner and allow the pressure to release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
- When you have indications of zero pressure inside the cooker, carefully remove the weight, then remove the lid.
- Remove the pork belly to a cutting board to sit and dry out. I will verify the time when I prepare this.
- Lightly score the skin side of the pork belly with a knife.
- Now for crisping up the skin, I am going to use a broiler, but feel free to use an air fryer.
- Place the pork belly on a rack, skin side up, and broil until the skin is blistered and crispy. I will verify a time for this when I prepare this.
- Cut pork belly into 1 inch wide pieces.
- Serve with dipping sauces of your choice or simply with salt and pepper, and rice on the side if desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake
This recipe comes from a social media friend. And it is truly delicious! Only 5 ingredients and quick to put together. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
- 1 cup Chardonnay
- 1 box herbed stuffing mix, (6 oz / 170 g), Shortcut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 9x13 inch baking pan, and grease with butter or non stick spray. Arrange chicken breasts in pan.
- Place a slice of cheese on each chicken breast.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the soup and wine, whisk together. Pour mixture over the chicken.
- Sprinkle with the stuffing mix.
- Cover and bake for 40 minutes, then remove cover and continue baking for 20 more minutes or until the stuffing is browned and toasted. Test a piece of chicken for doneness, if using a thermometer, target temp is 74° C (165° F). I baked these for 1½ hours as I was using some large chicken breasts.
- Serve with sides of your choice, and don't forget to spoon the sauce and stuffing over the chicken, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Stuffing Mix.
Party Cheese Ball I
This recipe is from an extensive cookbook titled Favorite Recipes, compiled by the active and retired employees of Michigan Bell in 1981.
Ingredients
- 2 packages cream cheese, room temp, (8 oz / 226 g each)
- 226 grams sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz)
- 1 tablespoon pimento, chopped
- 1 tablespoon green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- dash cayenne pepper
- dash salt
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
- assorted crackers, for serving
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and cheddar. Mix together until well blended.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the pecans and crackers. Mix together well. Cover and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to firm up.
- When ready to serve, form cheese mixture into a ball. Place pecans in a shallow dish, roll cheese ball in pecans, then place on a serving tray.
- Serve with assorted crackers, and enjoy.
