Broccoli (side)

Broccoli (approx 1/2 c per person)
Olive Oil for drizzling
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven 350. Cut up broccoli into bit size pieces, place on cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil over broccoli, sprinkle salt and pepper and place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes depending on your preferred tenderness. Can also mix all ingredients in a bowl before putting on the cookie sheet, but who wants to wash that many things?

Potato Soup

Ingredients

·         5 (2 ½ ) lbs russet potatoes, diced, NOT peeled

·         5 (2) tablespoons garlic

·         1 ( ½ )large yellow onion, chopped

·         64 (4C)  ounces chicken broth or stock

·         16 (8oz or 1 stick ) ounces cream cheese

·         bacon, sour cream, chives or shredded cheese for garnish

Instructions

1.     Combine potatoes, garlic, onions and chicken broth in your crock pot.

2.     Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 5 hours. Last  half hour to an hour I put the cream cheese in the pot

3.     Purée soup in food processor with cream cheese.

4.     Serve warm topped with bacon, sour cream, shredded cheese & chives.

Half portions are shown in parenthesis

Tristi's Enchiladas

Cinnamon and Sugar Toast

8 Slices of Bread

1 stick of Salted Butter (softened)

1/2 C of Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Vanilla or Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 350. Mash butter with a fork (or if you are lazy like me put it all in the kitchenaid). Then add sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla or Almond extract (I prefer it with Almond, so yum!) Spread cinnamon butter on bread. Place bread on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turn on the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the cinnamon mixture starts to bubble just a little bit. (Be sure to watch, they burn easily) ENJOY! So yummy!

Leigh Ann's Yummy Stirfry

1 lbs Ground Beef (I add more)

1 C Chopped Onion

2 Beef Flavored Ichi Ban

2 C Broccoli

1 C Shredded Carrots

Brown ground beef and one cup of chopped onion in a large skillet. Add 2 ½ cups of water and bring to a boil. Place two beef flavored ramen noodles and seasoning packets into the boiling mixture. Add two cups of chopped broccoli, 1 cup of shredded carrots, stir to mix and coat noodles. Cover and simmer 7 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone and noodles are tender.

Orange Crush Cake

Kelson's Banana Chip Muffins

about 8 large, very ripe bananas
2 C Sugar
1 stick melted butter
2 eggs
3 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt

1 c walnuts (optional)
chocolate chips to taste 

bake at 325. Muffins take 29 minutes, Mini loafs take 40-45 minutes, and large loafs takes 1 hour

Pita Bread : Greek

Had a hankering for some pita bread this last weekend and found this recipe, SO good homemade, even if it takes three hours to make!

3 cups flour, plus 1/2-3/4 cup more as needed
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar or honey
1 packet instant yeast
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups water, roughly at room temperature
2 tbsp. olive oil, vegetable oil, butter or shortening

Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar.  Add the olive oil and 1 ¼ cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon.  All of the ingredients should form a ball.  If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water.
Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. If you are using an electric mixer, mix it at low speed for 10 minutes.  As the dough is mixing, continue to add flour, a tablespoon or two at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky.  (I add a significant amount of flour, so don’t be afraid to keep adding more until you reach the right consistency.)
When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the dough around so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.
When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it will be easier to shape.
While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450°. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while it is preheating. This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.
After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between ¼ – 1/8” thick – 6 inches in diameter. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently, you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5-10 minutes before trying again.
Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment paper and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.
Open the oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, but it isn’t necessary.


Such a great recipe, the pita bread was really good, and I am a mess when it comes to making bread! Only one of my eight 'popped' up like it was supposed to, but they still tasted great!

Perogies

When I was in University I had a friend who's Grandma (who was actually from Poland) made THE best perogies in the whole world! These aren't nearly as good as hers, but they are way better than the store bought and will do if you can't get the real deal! Original recipe found here

Perogie Shells

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cups sour cream

1 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoons vegetable oil (more if the dough is crumbly)

Perogie Filling

5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Bacon pieces (optional)

In your mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sour cream, egg, egg yolk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. If crumbly add a bit more oil until it forms a nice dough. Cover the bowl with a towel/plastic wrap, and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

While dough is sitting place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash with shredded cheese, cream cheese and bacon pieces while still hot. Season with, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. It is a really tough dough, so you will need some elbow grease to roll it out. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.

To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! I have overcooked them many a time and they were soggy. Remove with a slotted spoon. I finished mine by frying them with a small amount of butter, so yummy!!

Tony Long’s No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

1 C. Sugar
1 C. Karo Syrup (light)

Bring to a Boil

Add: 1 1/2 C peanut butter
Stir until blended

Add: 5 C corn flakes

Stir until well blended, drop on wax paper.

*these are my favorest treat! I refuse to make them,
 because I will eat all of them!