Homemade Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or shortening
5-7 tablespoons cold water


Put flour into a mixing bowl with the butter. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour. Add salt and water. Mix until dough is formed. Roll out on flat surface. Move in to pie tin. Bake at 375 degrees until brown (7-10 minutes). Makes 2 pie crusts.

Peaches and Cream Pie Filling

I haven't tried this yet with fresh peaches, but I think it would make it even better.

1 pkg cream cheese
1/3-1/2 c. powdered sugar
5 peaches, diced (I used jarred peaches- make sure they are WELL DRAINED!!!)
1/2-2/3 container Cool Whip
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg


Cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese. Mix in peaches, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold in cool whip. Pour into prepared pie crust. Chill in fridge for atleast an hour to set.

Summer Sausage Zucchini

1 big any flavor sausage link (pre-cooked)
1 medium zucchini
1/2 white onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 C. sliced mushrooms
1 packet brown gravey mix
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 TB olive oil in frying pan. Add zucchini, onion, pepper, and mushrooms. Place lid over, stirring every so often. Meanwhile, slice sausage into bite-sized pieces. Add to stir-fry. After veggies have cooked down, there will be some juices in the pan. Stir the brown gravey mix a little at a time- if you want more sauce add a little water and more gravey mix. Let simmer for a few minutes. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve over rice or noodles.

Thai Peanut Stir-Fry Sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
dash cayenne pepper

Combine above ingredients and stir until creamy. Add sauce to the stir-fry during the last minute of cooking, stirring to coat food evenly. Make about 4 servings

Note: I cooked some chicken and set it aside. Then I put some oil and garlic in the fry pan for a couple minutes. Them, I added a mix of diced cabbage, mushrooms, peppers, and slivered carrots. While it was cooking I added a couple teaspoons of chili sauce and one packet of red pepper flakes. After it had cooked down I added the chicken and the stir-fry sauce. It was really yummy and not spicy at all- we could have made it spicier, but we like it just as it was!! Served over rice because we didnt have any rice noodles. YUMMMMMM!!!!

Jello Cake

1 box white or yellow cake mix (and everything else called for on the box)
1 (3 ounce) box any flavor Jello gelatin
1 cup boiling water

Prepare cake according to package instructions. Allow to cool completely in pans. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake through to the bottom. Boil the water then dissolve the jello packet in it. Pour jello slowly over the entire surface of the cooled cakes. Chill cakes until jello sets completely (several hours or over night). You can frost it with the Cool Whip and/or garnish with fruit pieces. Keep any uneaten cake covered and chilled.

Alfredo Lasagna

9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 well-beaten egg
1 container cottage cheese
1 TB italian seasoning
2 cups frozen broccoli, thawed
1/2 shredded carrots
1/2 lb ground beef (I actually used leftover meatballs)

Mix together egg, cottage cheese, and italian seasoning. I wanted the veggies to be not so noticable, so I blended the broccoli, carrots, and meatballs. Now, layer just like lasagna! I poured a little alfredo sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and then added three noodles. Next, add the egg mixture. Then the meat/veggie mixture. Then noodles, etc. End with noodles. Top with shredded cheese if desired. Cover with tinfoil. Bake at 350 for about and hour, maybe an hour and a half- until noodles are tender.

Garden Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. ground beef
1 small zucchini diced
1 small squash diced
1 green pepper diced
1 can italian diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoe paste
2 pkgs spaghetti seasoning packets
1 TB cajun
Salt and pepper to taste
Water

Brown and drain ground beef. Keep in skillet and add in zucchini, squash, and green pepper. Saute until soft. Add in tomatoes, tomatoes paste, seasoning packets, cajun, and salt & pepper. Mix together. Add about a 1-2 cups of water and mix again. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover and let simmer. Serve over noodles, top with cheese.

Note: I like it chunky and flavorful. If the flaver is too strong cut back on the cajun and add more water. If you dont it like it super chucky, blend up the veggies before you saute them.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilda Bake

3 tortillas
3-4 chicken tenderloins, cooked and cubed
1 can italian diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 pkg cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cream together the cream cheese and sour cream. Add chicken, tomatoes, chilies, and salt & pepper. Mix together thoroughly. I use an 8" corningware dish. Put a enough sauce to cover the bottom and shred one tortilla on top. Add half of the mixture on top. Layer another shredded tortilla and sauce mixture. Shred the last tortilla on top. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. It comes out hot but cools off quickly!

Peanut Butter Fingers

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels (6 ounces)

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 45 mins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Blend in egg, 1/3 cup peanut butter, soda, salt, and vanilla. Add flour and oats; mix well. Spread in buttered 13-inch by 9-inch inch pan. Bake 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Sprinkle immediately with chocolate morsels. Let stand 5 minutes to melt; spread chocolate over cookie crust.

Combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup peanut butter, and 2 TB milk to make an icing. Spread and eat!!

Easiest Chicken Dinner Ever

6-7 chicken tenders, raw
1 C. chicken broth
1 ( can italian diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 cup white rice, uncooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 to taste garlic powder
1 to taste salt & pepper
optional dash of cajun!

Using a large, deep skillet with a cover pour can of chicken broth and cans of tomatoes and chilies into skillet. Stir in cup of rice. Lay chicken tenders on top of rice and sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium high heat for 20 minutes or until chicken is opaque. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the cheese. Stir lightly until cheese melts slightly. Serve with a nice salad or green beans.

Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken

3 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 dash of cayanne pepper
1 dash of cajun
1 dash of onion powder
6 boneless skinless chicken tenderlions
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Combine all ingredients in the list before the chicken. Whisk together well. Add chicken pieces and stir. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Combine cornstarch and second amount of water in a small bowl; stir into slow cooker when above times have been reached. Serve over rice.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/4 C. ketchup
1 T soy sauce
1/4 C. vinegar
1/4 C. white sugar
3/4 C. water
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/2 bell pepper chopped into bite-size pieces
1/2 can diced pineapple

Saute bell pepper and pineapple in skillet. Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients in a bowl. (Note, I used about 1/2 C. pineapple juice and 1/4 C. water to make it a little sweeter. Also, if you dont like pineapple or peppers- leave them out! If you want more veggies, add them in!) Once all ingredients are combined thoroughly, pour into skillet with veggies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and saute for about 5 minutes. Let sit to thicken. Serve over rice or as a dipping sauce.

Yummy Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 small onion diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp oregeno
1 TB worchestershire sauce
1- 1 1/2 C. oats

Combine and roll into balls. Spray sheet with cooking spray. Cook at 350 for 20 minutes. For us it made about 30 meatballs.

Mom's Whole Wheat Pancakes or Waffles

1 1/4 C. sifted whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3 TB brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
(Sift together)

2 or 3 well-beaten egg yolks
1 1/4 C. milk
3 TB oil or melted shortening
(Combine and beat into flour mixture)

2 or 3 stiffly beaten egg whites
(Fold in to mixture)

Pour about a 1/4 C. onto a heated and greased skillet, griddle, or waffle maker.