Hot Cocoa Mix

I got this recipe from a college room-mates grandma.  The grandma would send a cannery can full of the mix with her grand-daughter (my room-mate).  I remember it being super yummy, although I haven't made it myself.  Cocoa doesn't sound all that pleasant in this weather.  But I intend to this winter.

14 qt. powdered milk
1 large can Nestle Quick
1 lb powdered sugar
1 medium jar coffee mate

Mix well.

To make cocoa...1/3 C. mix to 1 C. hot water

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Philly 3 step No-bake Cheesecake

I fell in love with this recipe while I was in college and I still make it today.  It was off the back of a cream cheese container.  (Hence the reference to "philly" for Philadelphia cream cheese).  It is not like cheesecake from the cheesecake factory (it is not baked) so don't expect that.  But I think it's a fast yummy dessert.

Prep time: 10 Min
Baking time: none
Refrigeration time:  a few hours
Serves: 8

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. white granulated sugar
2 C. thawed cool whip
1 graham cracker crust (or make your own by crushing graham cracker, placing in bottom of pie tin and drizzling with melted better or margarine and baking for a bit)
1 can (20 oz) cherry pie filling (or I like raspberry---just personal preference)

Mix cream cheese and sugar.  Stir in cool whip.  Spoon into crust.  Top with pie filling.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. (probably want to give it an hour or two in the fridge before serving).

Homemade Icecream and Icecream maker

You can ignore the second video...it is basically the same...it won't let me delete it!!!?!?!!!?!!!

I have a cuisinart electric icecream maker.  I love it.  It makes 2 qts of homemade icecream in 25 minutes.  You can start it when you sit down to eat and you have fresh icecream when you are done eating dinner.  Or make a fast FHE treat.

Here are the advantages to the kind I use
Fast
Easy
No rock salt required
No ice required
The ice and bowl don't get stuck
Quiet

Here are the disadvantages to the kind I use
Smaller than traditional (still big enough to feed my family of 6 and have leftover)
Have to think ahead and freeze container (I just keep it in the freezer so it's ready to go)

Here are the different parts to it.

This is the base and the cord is stored in the bottom.

 The beater that mixes the icecream while it's freezing.  The beater does not move while mixing (the bowl does).

The lid. The lid does not move while mixing/freezing.

The bowl that you pour the icecream mixture into.  You freeze it for 24 hours before making icecream.  This is the part of the contraption that turns.

  The bowl sits in the base.

 All put together.

 Completed Ice cream!!!  Yummmmm!!

I can't find the main vanilla recipe I like.  I'll have to keep searching or resort to calling my Mom.

This one is good with fruit (this is for my 2 qt icecream maker---a traditional icecream maker would be double this amount).

1 pt. whipping cream
1 can (soup can size) evaporated milk
1 &1/2 C. white granulated sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 T. lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 C. fruit of any kind (optional) (chopped or pureed)

Mix all ingredients (except fruit) in a jar with lid (shake it up).  Pour into icecream maker.  Add fruit the last few minutes or it will be frozen chunks.

My Mom always said not to use icecream recipes with raw eggs (which this one DOES NOT have) just as a warning.

Quick Chili

Here is a recipe I made up.

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 qt. bottled tomatoes, pureed in blender
1 lb. cooked hamburger

2 pkgs taco seasoning
a little chili pwd
liquid smoke, original flavor (by spices)
pepper
garlic powder

Warm to boiling, allow to cool slightly before serving.

Here is an alternate I made last night


1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained


1 qt. bottled tomatoes, pureed in blender
1/2 lb leftover taco meat


1 pkg chili seasoning (mine was McCormick)
liquid smoke, original flavor (3 shakes)
3-5 shakes garlic powder
3-5 shakes onion powder

It needed pepper.

It really isn't as hard as I used to think.  It is really fast.  Almost as fast as warming up a can of chili (if hamburger is already cooked) and waaaaay better.  Just keep tossing in seasonings that go with chili until the sauce tastes good!

Easy Icecream (Sherbet style)

This is a fun icecream recipe to make.

2 liter bottle of pop (cold) ---minus 1 C.
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix together and freze in icecream maker or the tin can way that you roll.

It is pretty runny...but really good!

We need more recipes!

Life has been busy...so I haven't been posting myself.

We have 9 authors now!  Anyone who is currently or previously has been in our ward is welcome to be an author!  Just send mstans an email. (Ask around at church if you don't know my email).

Please keep (or start) posting.  Your recipes are great.  We want to hear from you!

If you have a cooking/recipe blog of your own.  Let me know and I will post a link on the sidebar.  Or if there is a blog (of someone else's) (cooking or recipe) that you like let me know too.

Keep up the good work.

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Crock Pot Chicken

The first six years of my marriage, I only used my crock pot once.  The last six months, though, I've become a bit obsessed with it (1:00 church may have something to do with it...).  My "go-to" dish is to throw in 3 pieces of chicken (you can do more, but that works for my little family), a can of cream of chicken soup, cubed red potatoes with the skin on (russet is fine, too), and carrots cut into bite size pieces.  I throw the chicken in still frozen and let it all sit for about 7 hours.  I've tried a new dish recently, though, and wanted to share it.  It's been crazy popular over on Pinterest and it's called Hawaiian Barbeque Crock Pot Chicken.  Here is the original link.  Basically, you take 4-6 pieces of (frozen) chicken, an entire bottle of BBQ sauce, and a 20 oz can of pineapple chunks...throw it all in the beautiful crock pot and let it sit for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.  Shred the chicken with two forks and stir it all up to get lots of saucy goodness, then serve over rice!  It's SUPER easy and SO delicious!

I forgot to take a picture, so I stole this from the original blog where I got the recipe.  :)  Enjoy!