Homemade cookie mixes

I tried the top three recipes and made the chocolate chip and sugar cookies the other day for a library party we went too. They were both very good. I would definitely not melt the butter as they were way too runny when I did that.....Just soften it. I haven't made the oatmeal ones yet, but I'm sure they will be yummy too. Fake Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies: 1 Cup Flour 1/4 Cup White Sugar 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Salt 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag. Write instructions on the bag to add: 1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract. Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes Fake Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies: 1 1/2 Cups Flour 3/4 Cup White Sugar 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Salt Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag. Write instructions on the bag to add: 1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract. Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes Fake Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookies: 1 Cup Flour 1/2 Cup White Sugar 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar 1 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Optional: 1/2 Cup Raisins and/or Nuts Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag. Write instructions on the bag to add: 1 Stick Melted Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract. Mix, Refrigerate for 30 Minutes & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Fake Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookies: 1 3/4 Cup Flour 3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1/2 Tablespoon Ground Ginger 1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag. Write instructions on the bag to add: 1/2 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/8 Cup Molasses. Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes

Shake and Pour Pancakes

I loved the idea of this recipe. Combine most ingredients for pancakes in a quart jar, add some eggs and water in the morning, shake, and bake. Fresh, hot pancakes in a matter of minutes. Very doable for a school day--even for lazy people like us who like to sleep in until the last minute. I'm sad to say that it hasn't worked out for us perfectly yet. The boys have made them and they have a hard time getting all the powder incorporated and so they usually end up using a bowl anyway, but they say they are yummy and I'll probably still make them. Maybe they'll have to start lifting weights so they can shake harder or something! Ingredients 9 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup double-acting baking powder 4 tsp. salt 1 3/4 cups shortening—which does not require refrigeration 1 3/4 cups non-fat dry milk Directions Stir baking powder, non-fat dry milk, and salt into the flour. Cut shortening into flour mixture until all particles of shortening are thoroughly coated and the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. This can be done with a food processor, blender, electric mixer, pastry cutter, whisk, or fork. (I had the pleasure of using my new Blendtec blender for this process…and it worked like a dream!). Store in a tightly covered container, at room temperature for up to six weeks. You can also freeze it. Once you have your ready-quick mix put together, then you can proceed to make your “shake and pour” pancakes! To assemble your Shake and Pour Pancake Mix: Add 2 cups Ready-Quick Mix and 1 teaspoon of sugar to a 1 quart mason jar, put the lid on the jar, and shake the contents until it’s well-combined. Slap a label of some kind on it with these simple instructions: Add 1 cup water and 1 egg, replace lid, and shake vigorously! Makes about 6-7 jars.

Applesauce Bread

This is my new favorite bread recipe (for now). It is moist and very yummy. I haven't tried muffins yet. I sprinkled brown sugar on top just before baking. It gave it a nice top crust. Applesauce Quickbread Mix 2 C shortening 4 C sugar 7 C flour 4 teaspoons salt 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons nutmeg Combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed and seal in ziploc or vacuum seal bag. Makes about 4-5 mixes. To Make the Applesauce Loaf or Muffins: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine 3 1/3 c. Mix 2 eggs 1 c. applesauce. Blend well, (Add up to 2/3 c. chopped nuts, if desired). For Loaf: (greased & floured pan) Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes For Muffins: Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes Combine all ingredients and seal in ziploc or vacuum seal bag (or jar).

Homemade chocolate syrup

We (or I should say Matt) go through a lot of Hershey's syrup at our house, so this was one at the top of my list to try. It was a little runnier than I like, so I will probably add less water next time. Simply delicious! Homemade Chocolate Syrup at GloriousTreats.blogspot.com 1 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli) 1 cup water dash of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla In a small saucepan, add sugar, cocoa, and salt. Whisk together gently. Add water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool. Store in the refrigerator. For chocolate milk, add 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup to 8 oz. of milk. Heat for hot chocolate. For milk shakes, combine 1 cup cold milk, 1/4 cup chocolate syrup and 2 cups (1 pint) of vanilla ice cream to a blender. Blend. This syrup would also make a delicious dessert garnish or ice cream topping. Recipe source- Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1968.

So excited about mixes

A week or two ago I decided to start trying some recipes I have pinned on Pinterest. I have been listening to lots of videos for a government class I am trying to pass, and I've had lots of time to pin things while trying to stay awake learning about Marbury vs. Madison, arnicue curiae, and other fun things. I have pinned a million mixes you can make ahead of time. I love making stuff from scratch because it's healthier and cheaper (normally). In just a couple of hours I made cookie mixes, ranch dressing mix, apple bread mix, pancake batter mix, cream of mushroom soup mix, homemade chocolate syrup, a brownie mix, and some brown sugar/cinnamon oatmeal packets. I think that's all. During the week, I've had to try them all to make sure they were good! YUM!!!! They have all been delicious except for the ranch dressing. I CANNOT make a good ranch dressing no matter how hard I try. Anyone have a recipe to share? Over the next couple of weeks, I will share the recipes I used to the two or three of you who read this blog! HA! I will definitely be making more.

Chocolate Milk Powder Mix

Someone posted this recipe on Pinching Your Pennies. My kids have been drinking lots of chocolate milk lately, so I decided to try it. It got great reviews from everyone (even one neighbor kid) except Spencer (imagine that!). I tried it with semi-sweet chocolate chips at first. That was very sweet. White chocolate chips are better, I think. I also use only 1/4 c of mix per 1 c of milk, and I think that is plenty. I'm interested to see how the cost of this compares to Nesquik or something like that. I'll have to figure it out one day. Best-Ever Hot Cocoa Mix Cooks Country Magazine Makes about 20 servings 3 cups nonfat dry milk 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips 1/4 teaspoon Salt Combine ingredients in large bowl. Working in two batches, pulse ingredients in food processor until chocolate is finely ground. Store in airtight container for up to 3 months. To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 cup of this mix into 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or mini marshmallows.

Strawberry-Lemonade Concentrate

I thought this was really interesting--making your own juice concentrate. I have bottled a lot of things, but I have never even considered this even though we drink tons and tons of juice. I tried this a couple of weeks ago and decided that it cost way too much money to do it on a big scale. I haven't decided if it's my favorite juice yet. I need to tweak it a little bit. The recipe says to mix with water on a 1:1 ratio, and I thought it needed a lot more water. Has anyone else tried something like this? The lady says she does blackberries and limes and all different combinations. Think I may try that if I can find some cheap fruit somewhere. I thinking neighbor Christmas gifts if I can figure it out. (See more of this lady's canning recipes here: http://www.sbcanning.com/) Makes 6-8 pints or 3 quarts of canned concentrate 6 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled 4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice 6 cups sugar In a food processor, blender or bullet puree strawberries in batches. Transfer strawberry puree to a stainless steel saucepan over medium-high heat. DO NOT BOIL. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine. Using a thermometer heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Because this recipe has sugar it will get to temperature rather quickly so keep your eye on the thermometer. Remove from heat. Ladle mixture into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim, add hot lids and tighten rings just finger tight. Process in water bath canner at a boil for 15 minutes. To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water or ginger ale. Adjust concentrate to suit your taste. **If you do not want to process this concentrate in canning jars, freeze the concentrate in 1 to 2 cup portions. Isn't it pretty?

Best Broccoli Ever

Another recipe from Pinterest. I don't know if it's the best ever, but it's pretty good nad problaby healthier than bathing it in ranch dressing which is what I normally do. Preheat the oven to 425. Cut 4-5 pounds broccoli into florets (relatively big) Wash and dry them thoroughly. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too. Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned. I stirred them around every so often. Remove from oven. Zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil (I didn't do that), 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts (I left those out), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and 2 T julienned fresh basil (I left that out too).

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

I've been eyeing this recipe on Pinterest for a while, went and bought all the stuff to make it, changed my mind and decided it would probably be gross, and then changed my mind tonight when I couldn't find anything else to make. It was actually pretty good. I'll definitely be making it again. Matt thought it was just okay (of course). Spencer hated it and threw a fit which is all he does lately. Trayton and his friend both liked it (I feed a lot of friends lately and I told him he could eat over any time if he was going to say nice things about my cooking!). It was soooo fast and easy too, a definite bonus. 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (I used chicken from the cannery--quick and easy.) 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice (I used instant--Uncle Ben's because I was in a hurry) ¾ cups Frozen Corn 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)--I had Greek yogurt but I couldn't bring myself to use it. I hate yogurt!!!!! and I didn't want to ruin it. 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis ½ cups Salsa 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, garnish, optional Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Roasted Cabbage

I was excited to try this recipe because it seems like any vegetable that you roast like this is YUMmy! It is amazing what a little bit of olive oil and salt can do to things. I was very unpleased with the flavor the fennel seeds added, though, and so most of it was wasted (yuck, yuck, yuck). The parts that I could salvage without fennel on was delicious, so I'll definitely make it again without those. Have any of you tried fennel? What do you think about it?

Yield: Serves 6

1 tablespoon plus 2 more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Place 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds, in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds. Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40 to 45 minutes.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I thought this was pretty good considering it's made from cauliflower. I don't think it tastes like cauliflower. Trayton thought it was okay, Matt thought it was "surprisingly good" (which isn't saying much for Matt other than he didn't have to spit it out), and Spencer sat at the table for hours and hours trying to choke down three small bites because he thought it was so horrible.

Serves 2

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower (see below)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
½ teaspoon garlic salt
olive oil (optional)
pizza sauce, shredded cheese and choice of your toppings*
Instructions

To "rice" the Cauliflower: Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself. One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella or mixed cheeses from Publix that include parmesan, Asiago, Fontino, Ramano, and mozzarella, . Add oregano or basil (I used basil), crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven.

To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).
*Note: Toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

Chocolate Muffins

These are supposedly a healthier chocolate chocolate-chip muffin. I made them tonight. They were pretty good. I found it here: http://abigailfix.blogspot.com/2011/10/low-cal-double-choc-chip-muffins-116.html The recipe I'll post next week is also from this same site.

Triple Chocolate Muffins
1 3/4 c oats
3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water
1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate or peanut butter chips!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.
Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top!Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!

Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin or 58 Calories Per Muffin

Jessica's Bread and a bread-rising tip

A good friend gave me this recipe a couple of weeks ago. I got my mixer fixed finally (what a nightmare), and this was the first thing I made with it. It is so delicious. The whole family raved about it. I made it for the second time tonight. The pictures are actually mine for the first time!

Put in bowl: 1 TBsp yeast
1/4C warm water
About 3/4 T sugar
Wait until frothy.

Add: 1/2 C mashed potatoes (leftovers or instant)
1 C warm milk
1/4 C bean puree (white beans)
1/4 C Sugar
1 tsp Salt
Add: 1 egg
1 c white flour (from 2 c)
1 C wheat flour (from 2 c)
1/4 C Vital wheat gluten
1 T honey, optional

Add: The rest of the flour (1 c each) or more until it doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.

Knead for about 6 minutes. Let rise for an hour. Put into pans or shape into rolls. Let rise another hour or until doubled. Bake at 350/375 for about 20/25 minutes. (Jessica covers her after about 17 minutes so it doesn't get too brown.)

A couple of other notes (from Jessica).....
You do not need the gluten if you are doing all white flour.
On the second rise time, I set the microwave to 2 minutes and run it empty....then put my loaf pans into the warmed microwave to rise there. **I've never heard of this before. I tried it and it worked great. Didn't take long to rise at all.**

Meatball and Cheese Bake

I've had this in my recipe book forver and finally decided to try it. Matt says it's his new favorite. Trayton likes it. Spencer hates it, of course. Don't know what he has against meat.... It is very rich(?). Don't know if you can say that about a main dish. I would probably do less cheese cream mixture next time or more meatballs and noodles to make the sauce go further.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. milk
3 tbsp. cooking oil
3 tbsp. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. water
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
3/4 c. sour cream
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/8 tsp. salt
8 oz. wide egg noodles, cooked & drained
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons parsley, Parmesan cheese, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano, pepper, eggs and milk. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 20 meatballs. Brown in hot oil and remove from pan.
Remove all but 3 tablespoons oil from pan. Add onion and garlic clove; saute until tender (do not brown). Stir in tomato sauce, sugar and water. Add meatballs; simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, 1 tablespoon parsley and 1/8 teaspoon salt; blend well.

Spoon some sauce into bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Top with noodles. Spread cream cheese mixture over noodles. Top with sauce, then place meatballs in rows on top. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Makes 8-10 servings.

Chocolate Mash

I have to post this "recipe" because it's something I eat quite often but I haven't found anyone else who appreciates it nearly like I do yet.

I mix this up when I need a quick treat and am too lazy to make anything else. I tell myself it's okay to have quite often because it's healthy.

I swear my dad used to make this when I was little, but he says he doesn't remember.

Put some chocolate chips into a bowl and add some peanut butter. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 20 seconds or so until melted. Stir again.


Add:
Quick Oats
Chopped nuts
Wheat Germ
Wheat Bran
Anything else you can find that looks good (toffee chips, etc)

You'll need to have a glass of water handy.

The boys think it's nasty because it gets stuck in your throat. Matt won't even try it and came up with the name. I think it's yummy!

Chicken Roll-Ups

These are similar to chicken pillows, but yummier (and more fattening)

Pillows:
2 cans Reduced Fat Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (10 3/4 oz) can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese or swiss cheese (or any cheese of choice)
1/2 cup milk

Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
2 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion flakes
2 cup cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or cooked turkey)
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 Tbsp. milk
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Set oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Mix together milk, 3/4 cup cheese and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).

Mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder. Add in the chopped chicken, onion, and cheddar cheese. Mix well until combined. Add in 2 tablespoons milk; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry). Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste. Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole. Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don't have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Spencer saw this on Pinterest and claims that he found this wonderful recipe. It has since become one of his favorites.

Baked Fried Chicken

I found this on Pinterest. I thought it was delicious. Spencer isn't really a meat person, so he's the only one that wasn't quite so sure about it.

Place thawed chicken breast (about 2 pounds) strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 min.

Mix in a Gallon Size Ziploc or Large Bowl:
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 T Season All
3/4 tsp Pepper
1 c. Flour
2 tsp. Paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven. Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated. Place each piece of chicken in the pan. Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

Meatballs

My sister made these for our annual New Year's party. We dipped them in sweet and sour sauce or cheese. Very yummy. You can also make a soup with them. Here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/italian-wedding-soup-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
3/4 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook in chicken broth for 8 minutes (for small ones).