Homemade Ranch (Quick and Easy)

This was fast and yummy!  All of my family even the kids liked it!

1 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried chives
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt (I used kosher salt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 C. unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk or watered down heavy cream (I used milk)

Whisk all ingredients together except milk.  Add milk gradually until you reach you desired consistency.  Ideally refrigerate for an hour before serving.  But if that is not possible do at least 10 minutes.

Recipe taken from here https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/low-carb-keto-ranch-dressing/

Amy's Fruit Dip

Amy G. made this wonderful fruit dip for the Progressive Dinner Appetizer 2018.

1 C. Brown Sugar
8 Oz softened cream cheese

Mix and serve.

Monster Pancakes / Hootenannies / German Pancakes

I had these once when I was a tween or a young teenager when I slept over at my Aunt's house.  I had forgotten about them until I dreamed about them the other day...hahahahah.  So I googled a recipe and made them for dinner tonight.  They were a hit...everyone gave them 4 out of 5 stars...even the hubby...I mean...even the kids.  Hahahahaha.  (Both hubby and kids and myself gave them 4 out of 5 stars).

They were super easy.  Really fast.  Quite cheap.  Not very many ingredients.  Very filling.

Win, win, win, win, win!

They get really big in the oven and then fall when you pull them out of the oven.

Other reviewers thought they tasted "eggy", but no one in my family thought so.

I did warm my family before we ate that even though they are called pancakes, they do not taste like pancakes, that they need to expect a whole new food.

I got the recipe from Real Mom Kitchen.
https://www.realmomkitchen.com/73/hootenannies-otherwise-known-as-german-pancakes/

1/4-1/2 C. butter (some people even use up to 1 cup) (I used 1/2 and it was great...I would try 1/4 next time just to see if they still turned out good)
1 C. milk
6 eggs
1 C. flour
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
1.  While oven is preheating to 425 degrees, melt butter in a 9 X 13 pan.
2.  Mix remaining ingredients in a blender.
3.  Remove hot pan from oven and pour batter into melted butter
4.  Bake 15-20 minutes (They will rise, but won't overflow)
5.  Cut into squares and serve with normal french toast toppings.  One traditional topping is lemon juice and powdered sugar on top.  (We really liked the lemon juice and powdered sugar, they almost tasted like lemon squares.)

Serves 8 (I only needed 1 pan for my family of 6 eaters and we had leftovers).

Peanut Butter Bites

Submitted by Sister Jan L.
She brought these for the girls on the last morning of Girls Camp 2018

2 C. Peanut Butter
1 C. Honey

Blend honey and PB.

Add 7 C. Rolled Oats.
(Jan says...I don't like it real sweet or real soft, so I usually add more oats (about a cup or so).)

Then she adds whatever add-ins she wants.  For girls camp she did...
1 small bag unsweetened coconut
1 bag of mini M &M's
1 C. of trail mix (to taste)
1 C. craisins (to taste)
Sunflower seeds

You can really add whatever you want.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoons place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or in cupcake papers.  She puts hers in the freezer, then after they are frozen she puts them in baggies.  They will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks or in the freezer for about 6 months.

Marinara Sauce

My go-to recipe for meatless spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, and eggplant parmesan with ingredients I always have on-hand.

Marinara Sauce

Makes 1 3/4 cups

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14oz) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
In medium saucepan, heat oil over med. heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring 1 min.
Stir in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, sugar, oregano, basil, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer with lid ajar for 30 min, stirring occasionally. Season with more herbs to taste, if desired.

*I have used cans of whole tomatoes and diced tomatoes. As the sauce simmers I just used a potato masher to stir and crush up the tomatoes while they're really soft.

Homemade Mayo

Submitted by Sister M. Stans

Recipe originally from
From "Well Fed" and "It Starts with Food"

1 1/4 C. light olive oil (it must be light), DIVIDED
1 egg @ room temp (or 3 minutes in warm water)
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 lemon, juiced @ room temp (it takes several hours to overnight)

1.  Place the egg, 1/4 C. oil (NOT ALL) and spices in blender
2.  Blend thoroughly
3.  Slowly drizzle in remaining oil, while mixing
4.  After thoroughly mixed, add lemon juice to taste

Baked Fries

I got this recipe from Sister Amy G.

Makes 2 large servings or 4 small servings

4 small potatoes (or 1 large sweet potato)
2 T. EVOO
Garlic Salt or Sea Salt
Cayenne

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  Wash and Cut potatoes in 1/4" strips (like fries), peel first if desired
3.  Put fries and oil in a bag and toss to coat
4.  Line pan with parchment paper
5.  Put fries on pan
6.  Sprinkle with garlic salt (pretty liberally) and cayenne (as little as possible)
7.  Bake 20 minutes, then turn fries
8.  Bake another 15 minutes.

Easier garlic bread

Rather than cutting up your whole loaf of french bread and buttering each piece individually, this is how I do it...(and yes, I learned it from my Mom...thanks Mom!)...


Slice your loaf open the long way (into 2 big pieces).  Butter both sides and garlic salt.  Then broil with the butter facing up.

After toasting (broiling), put the loaf back together...

Now cut them into as wide of slices as you desire (these ones were thin).  (You will be cutting 2 slices at he same time)...

There you go...faster easier...practically the same result...

Spaghetti Squash Yum!

This recipe was sitting out on the RS table...I don't know where it came from, but thought I'd share it with you!

1 spaghetti squash
2 T. olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 1/2 C. chopped vine tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 feta cheese
3 T. black olives
2 T. chopped fresh basil

Cook squash in oven with water until tender (350 degrees).

Heat oil in skillet and cook onions until tender.  Add garlic and cook for 3 more minutes.  Stir in tomatoes.

Put everything together in a large bowl and toss.

Serve warm.

Teriyaki Sauce

This is a nice thick teriyaki sauce. 

1/4 C. soy sauce
1 c. water
1/2 tsp ground ginger (I used the dried spice kind...not fresh)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
5 Tablespoons packed brown sugar (I reduced it to 1/4 C. which is 4 T just to lower the sugar content and it tasted great)
1-2 T. honey (I missed this when I was reading the recipe---So I didn't add this either)
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 C. cold water

Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4 C. cold water.  Heat until boiling.  Reduce heat.  Mix cornstarch and water separately.  Add corstarch to 1st mixture and heat until thick.

Onion Soup

p. 29 in my new crockpot cookbook.

3 cups thinly sliced onions (I did 1 1/2 white onions) (Next time I will do yellow...I think the white ones made it too sweet. Or I will do white, but omit the sugar)

half a stick butter

3 T. sugar

2 T. flour

1 qt beef broth (I did 4 cups water and 4 beef boillion cubes)

Cook onions in butter in frying pan. Cover and saute 15 minutes stirring frequently. Add sugar and flour mixing well.

While onions are cooking, put broth in crockpot on high. Add onion mixture to broth.

Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

Serve topped with toasted bread and grated parmesan cheese (we broke untoasted french bread and grated swiss cheese into ours).

I doubled the recipe for my family of 5 eaters and had a lot left over, I probably shouldn't have doubled.

I gave it 4/5 stars.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is one of my favorite soup recipes:

Boil in unsalted water (about 15 min, or until tender)

4 carrots finely chopped or 1/2 bag of shredded carrots (from Maceys)

4 green onions, chopped (all but roots)

4 stalks of broccoli (chopped, heads only)

SAVE THE WATER YOU BOIL THEM IN!!! (Put colander over a bowl to catch water)

Melt in separate saucepan:

1/4 C. butter (I used real, but you can use margarine)

Stir in 1/3 C. flour with a whisk

Using a whisk stir in:

2 1/2 C. half and half (purchase 2 pints or 1 quart---then measure at home)

1 1/2 C. of your vegetable water (saved from above)

5 chicken boullion cubes

Stir sauce until smooth and thick. Add cooked veggies. When serving, you can top with cheese, but it is good without it also. One recipe (as listed above) will fit in a small crockpot (is that 5 qt?) if you double it, it will fit in a large crockpot (8 qt?).

Pretzel Jello

This is what I took to Thanksgiving this year. I will post 2 variations of the recipe. The one with pineapple is the one I tend to make and the one with just strawberries is from my sis-in-law. They are both good.

Pretzels, crushed (not to a powder, but into pieces). Measuring 2 2/3 C. after crushed.

3/4 C. melted margarine or butter

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 C. white sugar

12 oz. coolwhip, divided (I do Fat Free)

2 C. boiling water

6 oz strawberry jello

10 oz. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed (save juice)

20 oz can crushed pineapple (drained well)

Put pretzels in the bottom of a cake pan. Pour melted butter over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely (at least 1 hour).

Blend softened cream cheese, sugar and 8 oz. coolwhip (not all 12 oz). Spread over cooled pretzels.

Mix water and gelatin until dissolved. Add strawberries with juice and drained pineapple. Pour carefully over cream cheese layer. Let set in fridge.

Once set. Spread the remaining coolwhip over the top.

Version #2

2 C. crushed pretzels

3T. sugar

3/4 C. melted butter

8 oz cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 C. sugar

small carton cool whip

20 oz frozen sliced strawberries, or 1 qt. fresh (sliced)

6 oz. strawberry jello

2 C. boiling water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the pretzels, 3 T. sugar and melted butter. Put into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 7-8 min until toasty. Set aside to cool.

Beat together cream cheese, cool whip and 1/2 C. sugar. Spread over cooled crust.

Combine strawberries, jello and boiling water until jello is dissolved. Let stand in refrigerator until partially jelled, then pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.

Bean and Bacon on Toast

This is one of those "I usually have all of the ingredients on hand that is good, cheap and filling...but I really wouldn't serve it to company".  You can have the whole dinner on the table in less than 5 minutes.

Toast your bread.  Top with Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup.  On top of that add grated cheese, sour cream salsa and lettuce (I didn't have any lettuce last night for the picture).

Notes:  I like Campbells a lot better than generic bean n bacon.

I only add 1/2 can of water to the soup instead of a full can.

I add a T or 2 of brown sugar to the bean and bacon

It is also really good wrapped in a tortilla.

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!

Hawaiian Haystacks (Chinese Sundaes)

Well yesterday for our MEATLESS MONDAY we had hawaiian haystacks.

On your plate first you place chinese crunchy noodles.  Then cooked rice.  Then whatever toppings you want such as...olives, pineapple, green onions, celery, raisins, coconut, grated yellow or colby jack cheese, tomatoes, slivered or sliced almonds, etc...

I left the chicken out for my meatless monday.  But normally I add boiled chicken.  You can either cube it and have it in a little bowl for people to add on or you can mix the cooked cubes into the gravy.  You will use less chicken if you mix it into the gravy, otherwise people pile it on. But it depends...If you think you might have left over chicken then you might want to leave it on the side so you could add it in a casserole or something.  It's harder to reuse it once it's in the gravy and I have a harder time throwing out chicken than I do 33 Cent gravy.  It's up to you!!!

Top with gravy.  Either packaged chicken gravy (you know the ones that are 3 for $1) or cream of chicken soup mixed with 1 C. of milk.  For my family of 6 I need 3 of the packages for 1 meal or 2 cans of soup.

Don't worry about having all of the ingredients...just go with whatever you have.  My kids like to microwave theirs once it is on the plate to melt the cheese.  Of course then they have to put it in the freezer to cool it down...SILLY KIDS!!!

I always make double the rice so I can make ham fried rice later in the week....YUM!!!

Peach Puree

Whenever my family made cheese grilled sandwiches we always had peach puree.

Take 1 bottle of homemade peaches (I have done it with canned and it is OK---but not quite as good).  Pour into a blender (Juice and peaches).  Blend until smooth.  Add ice and blend until no large chunks of ice.

Yum!  You don't have to add sugar or anything because there is already sugar in the juice/syrup.

Cheese grilled sandwiches and tomato soup

Tuesday we had good old cheese grilled sandwiches and tomato soup.  And I never thought about it...but I could so that for one of my Meatless Mondays!!!

(I know there are different levels of vegetarians...some that don't eat cheese, dairy, eggs, etc...but we are going strictly for no meat for our Meatless Mondays)!!!

Navajo Tacos

Tonight I am planning on Navajo Tacos.

To make the scones...Buy Rhoades white bread dough.  Let thaw.  Pull off a small blob.  Roll with rolling pin.  Heat oil on Med-high heat in a large pan.  You need about an inch and a half or two inches of oil in the pan.  Try 1 blob first (not a full scone...just a little blob of dough).  If dough rises to the top of the oil then your oil is hot enough.  If it sinks then oil is not hot enough.  When oil is hot enough, place one of the rolled out dough in the grease.  It doesn't take long.  When brown on bottom, flip over with a fork or tongs to brown on other side.  When done...remove from oil with tongs or fork and place on a plate covered with paper towels for a few minutes until oil drips off.

Top with canned chili, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, (tomatoes if you like them), etc...

I like Cattledrive chili the best...but it is pricey so usually I just have western family!!!

Today for my meatless monday I am going to buy the vegetarian chili.  It is really not too bad.

Since you'll have extra dough you can make more scones and top with honeybutter or cinnamon-sugar for a good family night treat or dessert!

Note after I made this tonight...I did one of the loaves (out of 3 that come in the pkg.).  It made 3 medium size scones and 2 small scones.  It was not enough for my family of 6 and definitely not enough to have scones with honeybutter for dessert.  Next time I would do 2 loaves for dinner and 1 loaf for treats.

Pasta Bolognese

From Jennica R...


Here is that recipe my husband loves. I do agree it is super yummy. Not the cheapest recipe i've ever made due to the Gouda cheese, but the gouda cheese is a must in this recipe, I buy the big wedge of gouda at costco and I can usually use it in 4 to 5 different meals. Here is the original recipe

2Tbsp olive oil
1Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried basil
Dash crushed red chili pepper
3 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
dash of salt
3 - 29 oz cans tomato sauce
7 oz Gouda cheese, grated
1 pint heavy cream

In olive oil and butter saute basil, chili pepper, onlion, garlic, and salt until onion is tender. Add tomato sauce and cook until flavors combine (at least 20 minutes, but the longer the better). Add Gouda cheese and stir until melted. Add heavy cream and remove from heat (cream should not be cooked). Serve over pasta.

*This is the original recipe, when I made it I changed it up a bit and our family liked it a lot. I only used 2 onions. and i replaced the heavy cream with half a pint of half and half so it wasn't so rich. I added italian sausage for meat. 
Enjoy!