Molasses Crinkles

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or 2 eggs)
1/2 cup molasses

4 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon + 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together the first 4 ingredients
2. Stir in remaining ingredients
3. Chill dough for 2-3 hours.
4. Roll into cookie balls and cover with sugar.
5. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until cracked on top.

Daley Jello Salad

NOTE: This is a food tradition on my husband's side of the family. Uncle Roger makes it the best. This is his "verbal" recipe written down. You can play with the flavors. Some of our favorites are raspberry flavored Jell-O with frozen raspberries mixed in; lime Jell-O with pineapple; and (our personal favorite) strawberry flavored Jell-O with fresh cut up strawberries (sliced bananas may also be added). Feel free to experiment and try out different combinations of your favorite fruit. 

INGREDIENTS: 
16 oz Original Cool Whip
24 oz Small Curd Cottage Cheese, 4% milk fat
6 oz Jell-O Gelatin Dessert, Strawberry flavored
2-3 cups of strawberries, sliced or 2-3 cups frozen raspberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Mix with a rubber scraper until there are no white spots remaining.
2. Add fruit and mix in. 
3. May serve immediately, which we like to do if there's frozen raspberries in it!

Serves: 8

Favorite Egg-Free/Dairy Free Cut Out Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 1/3 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening OR 1 and 1/3 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening 
• 1 and 1/2 cup sugar 
• 2 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon vanilla flavored soy milk (if you don't have an allergy, cow's milk works fine here)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup applesauce (this is your "1 large egg")
• 4 cups All Purpose Flour 
• 3 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. COMBINE shortening, sugar, milk and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer; beat at medium speed until well blended. Beat in applesauce.
2. COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Mix into creamed mixture at low speed until well blended. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. 
3. HEAT oven to 375ºF. 
4. ROLL out 1/2 dough at a time to about 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut out with cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars and decors or leave plain and frost when cooled. 
5. BAKE 11 to 13 minutes, or until set. Remove immediately to cooling rack. (*Lower the baking time to 7-10 minutes if you roll out your dough is 1/8-inch thickness-I like my cookies thicker, thus the longer baking time.)

Cheree's Alfredo

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint of heavy cream
1 stick of butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste (I do a good 10 turns of salt and 10 turns of pepper out of my salt and pepper grinders) 

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese over low to medium heat, stirring often. Simmer this until all is melted, and mixed well. 
2.  Add the Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and nutmeg. Simmer this for 15 - 20 minutes on low. Serve over cooked pasta.
3. Will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat, warm in a saucepan and add milk as needed to thin.

Cheree's Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1-2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
5 medium carrots, sliced
1, 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth or 2 cups water and 2 beef bullion cubes
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary


DIRECTIONS:

1. Place flour, garlic powder, thyme, basil, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Add meat pieces, a few at a time, shaking to coat. In a large skillet, brown meat, half at a time in hot oil; drain fat.
   
2. In a 5 quart crockery cooker layer meat, onion, potatoes, and carrots. Add garlic, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and rosemary.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10-12 hours or on high heat setting for 5-6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.
   

Michelle's Corn Bread

This is yummo! I made up my own corn bread recipe a while back, but this beats it hands down. My old recipe tastes more like yellow cake, and this recipe tastes like the corn bread I remember being served at Frontier Pies (they've since gone out of business where I live). It's sweet, dense, and delicious! It also worked well with my substitutes for my allergic kid.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, melted
1 1/3 cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten (I used the Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk (for my allergic kid, I used 2 cups goat milk + 2 tablespoons lemon juice, let it sit for 5 minutes before incorporating into the recipe)
2 cups yellow corn meal
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter.
2. Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt. Stir well.
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and sugar.
4. In a 4 cup glass measuring cup, combine the 2 cups of buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Set aside.
5. Add eggs to the butter and sugar mixture. Stir. Add buttermilk mixture to egg and sugar mixture. Stir.
   
6. With a wooden spoon add flour/cornmeal/salt to wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. The mixture should be lumpy.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30-40 minutes.
   

Quick Chickpea Curry

I got this out of the Everyday Food Magazine this month (thanks, Angela for the AWESOME Christmas gift again!). I wanted to try it for 2 reasons. 1. I love Indian food, and 2. It was allergy-kid friendly. It was delicious and very filling! My husband said this is a definite do-over. The other reason I like this meal is because it's inexpensive. You can buy the two cans of chickpeas for roughly $1.40. Add that plus an onion, rice, and what you use of your spices and you can feed your entire family for under $3.00! I served this over rice (1 and 1/2 -2 cups rice to 3-4 cups water). I also buttered and sprinkled garlic salt over pita bread and warmed that in the oven on 350 for 10 minutes. The pita bread is a nice side to use for scooping the curry!

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches (I substituted this with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1 pinch of ground cloves
2 cans (15 ounces each) no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon course salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups water
chopped cilantro and lemon wedges (optional), for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium0high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown around edges, about 6 minutes.
2. Add garlic, curry, cinnamon, and pinch of cloves and cook, stirring until fragrant, 30 seconds.
3. Add chickpeas, ketchup, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 2 cups of water.
4. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes.
   
5. Uncover and increase heat to medium0high; cook until sauce is slightly reduced, 5 minutes.
6. Serve topped with cilantro, with lemon wedges along side if desired.
   

Roberta's Rolls

Thanks to my friend Jody of Something Good for writing this all down for me :-). Roberta is my mother and she makes the best rolls. Due to my kiddo's egg allergies, it may be a while before I make these (like when I'm totally bored and have nothing else to do OR he's on his mission or something). Anyhow, I had to copy Jody's post to put in my blog for posterity. The photo is from Jody :-). Thanks, again, Jody!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup really warm water
1 Tb sugar
2 Tb active dry yeast

Mix this together in small bowl--set aside for at least 5 min. or until nice and foamy.

2 cups scalded milk
1 cube butter-cut into pieces
1/2 cup
3 beaten eggs
2 tsp salt
7 1/4 cups flour (give or take)

In microwave scald milk for 3 to 5 min. Pour hot milk in your mixer attached with dough hook and add cut up butter. Allow butter to melt. Add beaten eggs and 2 cups flour, mix then add yeast mixture scraping the sides. Add 1 cup flour and salt mix, then gradually add additional flour. Total cups of flour about 7 1/2 cups. Beat until well incorporated. The dough will be pretty sticky. That's normal. If it looks a too soupy, sticky you can add no more than 1/2 cup to 1 cup more flour especially if you live in an area with high humidity.

Remove dough and place in a large well oiled bowl, cover and let rise 2 hours. If you have the time, you can add an extra hour.

Punch down dough and dump onto lightly floured counter. Prepare into desired roll shape. Lightly dust with flour when needed. Be careful not to add to much flour or your rolls won't turn out as light and fluffy as they should be.

Let rolls rise on pans until double in size. A good hour.

Bake at 420 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Or until they are nice and brown on top. The most important step is to brush each roll with melted butter after they are baked. Don't hold back!*

Michelle's Imitation Bajio Sweet Rice

I served this with Michelle's enchiladas—it was heaven. I love this rice!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon cooking oil (not olive oil)
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped-no big stems
1 and 1/3 cup white rice
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add oil to large skillet and warm on medium high.
2. Saute onion until translucent
3. Add cilantro. Saute a minute more.
4. Add rice cooking till light brown but not burned.
5. In a separate pot, take the chicken broth and add sugar, stirring and warming until the sugar dissolves.
6. Stir broth sugar mixture into the rice. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low for 25-35 minutes.
7. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Michelle's "Not Your Mother's" Enchiladas

Hands down, this is the best enchilada recipe I've ever had. It's my new favorite recipe. If you like sweet and spicy, you'll love these. Thank you Michelle, for sharing!

INGREDIENTS:

CHICKEN MARINADE
2-3 boneless skinless breasts, cooked and shredded (I cooked mine in 6 cups of water, with 1 chopped onion and 4-6 cloves of garlic, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/4 teaspoons fresh ground pepper. After the water came to a boil, I covered the pot and let it simmer on medium-low for 1-2 hours until it was tender. Then, I drained the chicken and when it was cool enough to handle, I shredded it. I did this the night before, and stuck it in the fridge sitting in some of the juices in a covered container.)
6 tablespoons of honey
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice (roughly the juice of 2 large limes or 3 small limes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

REMAINING INGREDIENTS
flour tortillas (I used the taco size)
2 lbs mexican blend shredded cheese (I used a combination of shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese)
1 lg can green chili enchilada sauce
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine chicken marinade ingredients, place in a ziploc bag or covered container and let marinade for 1/2 hour to 3 hours (but at least 1/2 hour).
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together green chili enchilada sauce with sour cream and milk/heavy cream on medium. Stir until combined. Remove from heat.
   
3. Pour 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of pan
4. Warm flour tortillas 6 at a time in damp paper towels in your microwave for 45 seconds. This makes them easier to roll.
   
5. Place cheese, chicken and sauce in each tortilla. Roll tightly and place seam side down in 9X13 casserole dish (this may fill another 9X9 pan-it makes a lot). Fill your pan(s) then pour remaining sauce (reserving some to serve on the side later) over the enchiladas. Place remaining cheese on top.
6. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes.
7. Serve with sweet rice.
   

Lazy Lasagna

This post is for my most favorite and faithful follower, my husband, Devlin. When I asked him what he wanted to eat while I was visiting my sister, he answered Lazy Lasagna! Of course he would pick a dairy infested meal when our allergic son was vacationing with me :-). Enjoy every minute of it babe!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb rigatoni noodles

1 garlic clove
1/2 cup minced onion
1 lb hamburger or sausage

1 can spaghetti sauce (can add 3 Tbsp sugar if desired)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (set aside 1/2 cup) I usually grate more! I like a lot of cheese!
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook noodles, set aside
   
2. In a large skillet, cook hamburger with garlic and onion. Season with salt, pepper, and a generous amount of Italian seasoning
3. Add sauce, sour cream, and cottage cheese.
   
4. Pour meat sauce, and remaining ingredients (except 1/2 cup cheddar cheese) in a large bowl. Mix ingredients with a large spatula or wooden spoon until combined
   
5. Spread into a 9X13 casserole dish
6. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top
7. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1/2 hour or until bubbly
   

Cheree's Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad up since most boxed pasta salads have some trace of egg or milk. Not only do they not work for my son because of his allergies, but they're usually severely overpriced. You can't really mess this pasta salad up. Feel free to add the vegetables you enjoy the most. However, I'd at least stick with the tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. Whenever I make this at our house it's gone pretty fast!

NOTE FOR EGG ALLERGIES: If you're looking for egg-free pasta, I usually purchase mine at Costco.

INGREDIENTS:
1 packet Good Season's Italian Dressing, prepared (I use olive oil and red wine vinegar)
1 lb cooked pasta (your favorite kind, I've used rotini and radiatori) drained (you can rinse it or not, I've done it both ways and it doesn't really matter)
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch radishes, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 can sliced olives, drained
1 large cucumber, deseeded and chopped
1/2 bag matchstick carrots
1/2 cup-1 cup chopped broccoli (optional)
1 can artichokes, chopped (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix cooked pasta with prepared Good Season's Italian Dressing
2. Cover and let sit overnight
3. Add vegetables
4. Top with Parmesan cheese

NOTE: If you're looking to make this into a lunch, add some cooked chicken or kidney beans.

Chicken Almond Pita Sandwiches

The Saturday before Mother's Day, me and my siblings make a lunch for my Mom. It's a time when we are able to sit down without our spouses or kids and reminisce about old times. This has been a requested main dish year after year.

INGREDIENTS:
1 8-ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1/3 cup red pepper, chopped
1/3 cup green pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup slivered almonds
4 large pieces pita bread, halved
alfalfa sprouts

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, mayonnaise, milk and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in cooked chicken, red and green peppers, green onion, mustard, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate.
2. Just before serving, stir in almonds. Spoon about 1/2 to 3/4 cup filling into each pita half. Top with sprouts, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
   

Easy Roasted (crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside) Potatoes

I got this recipe out of a Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book and altered it. It's great as a side dish for a dinner or for a hearty breakfast with eggs and sausage.

INGREDIENTS:
5 pounds red or medley potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

SEASONING OPTION 1:

Combine everything below 

1/4 cup + 2 TBSP olive oil

2 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

5/8 teaspoon paprika

SEASONING OPTION 2:

Olive oil drizzled over potatoes

Freshly ground salt & pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil potatoes, starting with cold salted water – counting 8 minutes from the boiling point
2. Drain and cut the potatoes into quarters and place them onto a parchment lined sheet pan.
3. Top with one of the seasoning options above.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. 

Amber's Caramel Popcorn

I'm not a fan of crunchy caramel popcorn. This recipe is soft and chewy!! It keeps well in a covered container for a couple of days and stays chewy. It's so simple and easy, it's going to be difficult for me to NOT make this every day. Thanks for the scrumptious recipe, Amber!

My kids now affectionately call this "sticky popcorn."

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 pkg marshmallows
6 quarts popped popcorn

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat.
   
2. Add marshmallows, stirring constantly until melted through. Do not boil.
   
3. Pour mixture in layers over popped corn. Use a large wooden spoon to coat evenly.
   

Michelle's Brownie Trifle

This is by far one of my favorite desserts. I'm a sucker for brownies and toffee. The combination will leave you wanting for more. Thanks, Michelle for another great recipe!

INGREDIENTS:
1, 9X13 pan of brownies, cut into bite size pieces
1 made up box of chocolate pudding (1 large box or 2 small boxes)
1 large container of Cool Whip
1 pkg bits o' brickle (or 10 oz. crushed toffee bar such as Skor or Heath)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a trifle bowl layer 1/2 brownies, then 1/2 of the pudding, then 1/2 of the Cool Whip, then 1/2 of the toffee.
2. Repeat layers. If desired rearrange the layers to end with Cool Whip on top, then complete with chocolate shavings.
   

Kip's Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from my my friend Kip. In his words: "It's kind of a nice variation on your standard chocolate chip cookie. It's a soft cookie rather than a crispy one. And I like the somewhat subtle banana flavoring. By the way, I don't usually make the frosting for these cookies. They are good enough by themselves. But if you think they need some extra sweetness, go ahead. Of course, I like to tell myself that because there is banana in these cookies, they must be healthy."

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening (Crisco butter flavor is my favorite)
2 eggs (can use Ener-G egg replacer)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas (2 or 3 medium very ripe bananas)
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 package (6-oz) chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat together sugar and shortening until fluffy.
   
2. Blend in eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
   
3. Add mashed bananas alternately with mixture of flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; mix well.
   
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
   
5. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees. for about 10 minutes. Cool on rack.
   
6. Makes 3-4 dozen soft cookies. If desired, top with frosting.
   

Frosting:

1 stick butter or margarine, softened
1 package. confectioner’s sugar (4 cups)
Dash of salt
Milk (may use goat milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter, sugar, and salt until thoroughly blended. Add milk (about 1/4 cup) and vanilla. Add more milk as needed.

Almond Butter Frosting

This is my favorite frosting for cut-out cookies!

INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup milk (goat milk works great if you're allergic to cow's milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 - 2 teaspoons imitation almond extract (do it to taste!)
Milk
Food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, beat well. Add the milk, vanilla, and almond extract.
2. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar. Add milk to desired spreading consistency. Add food coloring.
   

NOTE: This will frost a 9X13" cake. Double the recipe to frost two 8- or 9-inch cakes.

Baked Seasoned Chicken

This is my "go-to" lazy recipe. It takes almost zero preparation, and tastes delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
Frozen chicken tender's or breasts
Olive Oil
Onion Salt
Garlic Powder
Marjoram
Paprika
Thyme

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Place chicken in casserole dish
3. Drizzle olive oil over chicken
4. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings
5. Bake uncovered for 20-40 minutes or until done.
   

Basil Rice

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 teaspoons lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken broth and butter in a stock pot.
2. Cover and bring to a boil.
3. Add rice and reduce heat to low. Cook covered for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in seasonings and serve.