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.