Oatmeal Crispies

Oatmeal Cripsies


1 Cup shortening (Crisco)
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp baking soda
3 Cups quick oats
1/2 Cup finely chopped pecans

Cream shortening with both sugars until well combined.
Stir eggs with vanilla, add mixture to butter/sugar mixture. Mix together well.
in a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Stir together.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture, mix to combine well.
Add oats and chopped walnuts and mix.
Divide dough in half. Place each half on a separate piece of waxed paper and form into a log 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator or freezer.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap dough and slice to desired thickness. Place slices on a cookie sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden.

Hamburger Casserole

2 Lbs Ground Beef (you can use 1 1/2 lbs ground beef if you want)
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
3 Cups Cheddar Cheese (I use Extra Sharp)
1 Bag Tater Tots

Brown meat. Mix in soup. Scoup into bottom of casserole dish. Layer cheese then tater tots.

Bake at 350 for an hour.

Teriyaki Chicken with Rice

Teriyaki Chicken with Rice

1C Honey (melted for easy mixing)

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Ketchup

1 Garlic Clove Minced

Mix sauce together, pour over 4-8 chicken pieces (thighs, breasts, legs) and cook UNCOVERED at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

**Notes I used chicken thighs and cooked it for the specified time and it burnt the skin a little on the top. Next time I will cook the chicken for less time and keep an eye on it while it cooks. My co-worker made this with a chicken breast and pan fried it until the chicken cooked through and she said it tasted wonderful like that.

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

**Warning... these cookies are HUGE. They are almost the size of Gabby's head... no lie.

My Taquitos

First Fry the corn tortillas just enough so you are able to roll them up. Make them a *little* crispy but not too crispy:

Take the chicken and sharp cheddar cheese put an even amount of chicken and cheese in the tortilla. Note: You MUST use the Roasted Sticky Chicken recipe. Make it in the crockpot and put 1 cup of water with the chicken when cooking. You also MUST use Sharp Cheddar Cheese.
Roll the chicken and cheese in the tortilla and pour salt over them. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes (basically when the tortilla's look crispy)

And Enjoy!

Roast Sticky Chicken

Roast Sticky Chicken

1 large roasting chicken

4 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine spices in small bowl.Clean cavity well & pat dry with paper towels.Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out. Make sure it is evenly distributed & down deep into the skin.Place chicken in sprayed crockpot.Start on high, then turn to low & continue to cook for 8 hours. Chicken can also be rubbed and placed in a plastic bag, sealed & refrigerated overnight. When ready to roast in oven, place in a shallow baking pan. Roast uncovered at 250 degrees for 5 hours. After the first hour, baste every half our with pan juices.

This chicken is WONDERFUL however I have a couple of recommendations. I would put 1-2 cups of water and 1-2 chicken buillon cubes in the chicken to keep it juicy and moist.

Refried Beans

Refried Beans

Rinse beans and drain until water is clear. Add 6-8 cups of water to 1 pound of beanis in large pot. Let stand overnight. Drain water and add:

6 Cups water

1 cup Chicken Broth - I use the broth from Roasted Chicken leftover from the crockpot.

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

Pieces of uncooked bacon or cooked ham

Simmer for 1 1/2 hours on stovetop. You can also cook in the crockpot on low for 5 hours.

Sweet Party Mix

Sweet Party Mix

INGREDIENTS

1 (12 ounce) package crispy corn and rice cereal
5 ounces slivered almonds
6 ounces toasted, chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a large roasting pan.
In a large bowl, mix crispy corn and rice cereal, slivered almonds and toasted, chopped pecans.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and mix with dark corn syrup and light brown sugar. Pour the mixture over the crispy corn and rice cereal mixture. Stir and shake to coat all the nuts and cereal.
Pour the coated mixture into the prepared roasting pan. Stirring approximately every 15 minutes, cook 1 hour in the preheated oven. Cool on wax paper, and store in airtight containers.

Notes that I took from AllRecipes.com: I put in a half box of Corn Chex and a half box of Cheerios, subsituted walnuts for slivered almonds and I added M&M's to the mix after it cooled. It made for a great snack for our zoo trip!

Playgroup Granola Bars

Playgroup Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

My notes: I did everything on this recipe except that I substituted Whole Wheat Flour for White Flour to make the snack healthier. I also only cooked the granola for 21 minutes (My stove cooks slow) the reviewers said that if you cook it for 30-35 minutes the granola bars were too crunchy.

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

1 Cup Cooked Chicken (I make it with one chicken breast)
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Beaten Eggs
2 Cups Cooked Rice
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
2 Chop fine green onions (optional)
1/2 Cup Fresh/cooked peas or leftover vegtable (optional) - I hate peas so I cook frozen broccoli and carrots and dice it with my PC food chopper)

Cut meat into small pieces. Melt butter in frying pan or wok. Add beaten eggs and stir to keep cooked egg pieces small. Stir in rice and meat mixing it thoroughly. Add soy sauce and stir until color of rice is fairly uniform. Add vegtables and continue to cook until heated through. Meat and vegetables are optional. You may add several kinds or leave out all together.

**My notes: I cook the chicken frozen in the skillet with butter and one minced garlic clove. I cut the chicken in pieces while it is cooking then I take the chicken out and chop the chicken with my Pampered Chef food chopper after the chicken has cooled for a few minutes. After that I add the butter and cook the eggs in the same skillet as the chicken. It gives it more flavor. Then I continue with the other steps.