Hot Berry Sauce

This recipe happened on accident while I was trying to get my picky 3 year old to eat blueberries.  But it turned out really yummy and even healthy!  And the best part is my kids eat it!!!  It's so yummy on pancakes.  You can add a little whipped cream on top but it's definitely super tasty on it's own.  Pour it over ice cream, too.

Hot Berry Sauce
1 cup frozen (or fresh) strawberries
1 cup mixed berries (any berries-blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 packets truvia, spenda or just 2 tsp of sugar

Place in a small sauce pan and cook it on medium-medium high until the berries are very mushy, hot and cooked.  Puree in the pan with a hand mixer or my favorite-a hand food processor.  See picture below.  Or just mash away with a fork or potato masher.  Pour small amounts (it's sweet and a little goes a LONG way) on pancakes, french toast, waffles or pour over cold vanilla ice cream.  YUM!!!!!!

Momma Kimmy's Pancakes

My kids LOVE these pancakes.  They are almost whole grain and the oatmeal adds almost a nutty texture.  I make it with this berry recipe that has hardly any sugar and it so tasty.   It makes a very large batch which make great leftovers for lunch, snacks or breakfast the next day.  One less meal to worry about.  We love making PBJ's with them instead of bread.

3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 cups milk
In a small bowl, measure these together, lemon juice first, and let set for 5 minutes

In a large bowl, beat these together:
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup oil, I use canola

Add these to the egg mixture and then add the milk:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup quick oats (or rolled oats)

Combine and cook on a hot skillet sprayed every once in a while with butter or pam.  Try this wonderful hot berry sauce on top or just serve with homemade maple syrup or creamy cinnamon pancake syrup.

Baked French Toast

This is an EASY PEASY breakfast.  You can prepare it the night before and cover it in the refrigerator and throw it in the oven first thing in the morning.  It can also be made right before you bake it.  Choose your preference but either way, it's awesome!

Baked French Toast
5 cups cubed bread (I love using french bread-and I cube it with my electric knife:)
6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt (I love using kosher salt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp sugar 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Place cubed bread in baking dish.  In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 2 tbsp sugar, salt and vanilla.  Carefully and evenly pour over bread.  Dot the top with small pieces of the butter.  Let soak-I use a spoon to push the bread down and around to soak up the egg mixture.  Combine cinnamon and last 2 Tbsp sugar and sprinkle on the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until egg is set and done and golden on top.  Serve with fresh hot maple syrup or with my favorite creamy cinnamon pancake syrup.

Shredded BBQ Sandwiches

This is an awesome and simple recipe for BBQ Sandwiches.   Just use any meat you'd like-chicken, pork roast, or beef roast.  It sounds a little weird to put BBQ sauce and Italian dressing together, but it is so tasty!  And it's easy because you prepare it in the crock pot.  Bonus!  I LOVE using a pork loin roast or chicken. I even throw the chicken breasts in frozen and cook them on low and it's so easy!

BBQ Sandwiches
3 lbs
1-12 oz bottle BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays-the more quality the sauce, the yummier the meat)
1 cup Italian salad dressing (I used Zesty Italian)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Place meat in slow cooker.  Put water in to cover half of the meat.  Cook until tender.  In a small bowl, mix BBQ Sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.  Before adding sauce, drain the meat.  Shred meat and add sauce to the meat the last 30 min-1 hr.  You CAN cook the meat in the sauce from the beginning without adding water.  I think it saturates the meat too much but it's still yummy.  Enjoy!!

Peach Cobbler Muffins

I have a lot of jars of canned peaches and was in the mood to experiment.  We love muffins so I wanted to combine the two.  I found a few recipes online but ended up making my own.  They are so moist and yummy.  In the future, I might experiment and use applesauce instead of so much butter and use some wheat flour.  But for now, these are so yummy how they are.  They taste just like Peach Cobbler in a muffin!


Peach Cobbler Muffins
3 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together in a large bowl.  Then, in a smaller bowl, beat together the following:
3 eggs
3/4 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups sugar

Gently add egg mixture to flour until combined with a wooden spoon.  Fold in:
2 cups peaches, chopped up (with juice)

Place in greased muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Makes about 18-20 muffins

Poppyseed Cake

My sister Annie gave me this recipe. I LOVE it! You could probably make it into cupcakes, too, or I've made it into bread. It's all the same and yummy just as well!

Poppyseed Cake
1 box Yellow Butter Cake Mix (don't follow the directions)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/8-1/4 cup poppyseeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Grease bundt pan and dust with sugar. Pour in batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes (test for doneness). When done let cool 5 minutes then turn out of pan onto a plate. Glaze with icing while warm.

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp oil
1 tsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla or other flavoring (sometimes I use almond or lemon extract)

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Here is a yummy recipe similar to Texas Roadhouse's Cinnamon Honey Butter. It is SOOO yummy on cornbread, rolls, toast, muffins, etc. So tasty!

Cinnamon Honey Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. honey

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Whip the room temperature butter with whisk attachment for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon and beat until completely combined and very smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and turn up speed and whip for a minute or two or until really light and fluffy. Yield: about 3/4 cup.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

I think this is one of the biggest reasons I even go to Texas Roadhouse. I LOVE their rolls. Wow, they are to die for! The last time I went to Texas Roadhouse, I saw a lady in the front making the rolls and I asked her if she could give me the recipe. She smiled and said no, of course. I came across this recipe just last week from this website and have tried it out twice. It is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I even made them square. There's also a recipe for cinnamon honey butter similar to the butter you get at TRH. Now I don't have to go to Texas Roadhouse just for their rolls;) I can have 'em at home! Enjoy!

Texas Roadhouse Rolls
adapted from: www.eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com
2 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
3 Tbl. of melted butter, slightly cooled

4 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water

1/2 c. sugar

2 quarts all purpose flour (7-8 cups)

2 whole eggs

2 tsp. salt
Scald milk in a microwavable bowl for 2 minutes in the microwave. Add butter and cook for 2 more minutes. Let cool until warm (not scalding hot).

While that cools, add yeast, warm water and a tsp of sugar to the mixing bowl. I use my Bosch but you can use a kitchen aid or no mixer at all. Let set until frothy. As soon as the milk is not too hot, add to yeast mixture with the 1/2 cup of sugar. Add about 4 cups of flour and mix in mixer for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and satiny. Let set in bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs and salt and the rest of the flour (I just use a little over 7 cups) until the flour doesn't stick to the sides while mixing. Mix for 4-5 minutes. Place dough in large GREASED bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down and roll out on floured surface into a big rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Fold in half and roll ever so slightly just to seal the two halves. With a pizza cutter or dough cutter, cut into rectangles as big as desired. **Keep in mind, they grow quite a bit!

Place on a greased baking sheet until doubled in size and bake at 350 degrees for 10-16 minutes depending on the size of the rolls. Take out when lightly golden on top and brush with butter. Eat with cinnamon honey butter;)

Yummy Zucchini Boats

I can't take any credit for this recipe. My mom and my sister, Annie, created it with all the yummy zucchini they are getting from their garden. Who doesn't have zucchini laying all over your kitchen counters when you have a garden? These are DELICIOUS!! Especially with the big zucchini that you can't do a whole lot with. My sister in law, Shera, took these out of the oven about half to 3/4 of the way done and put them on the grill with her meat to finish cooking. The smokey flavor made them so yummy!!


ZUCCHINI BOATS
2 large zucchini (at least 12 inch if possible)
1/2 onion
Garlic, minced
1 lb turkey or pork sausage
2 medium sized tomatoes
1/4 cup green, red or orange bell pepper (or all three)
Salt/pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (they are also really yummy with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top)
2 eggs
1/2 sleeve ritz crackers
2 Tbs butter

Sauté sausage. Try to break up into really small pieces. Combine with vegetable mixture. In the same pan, after sausage is removed, saute onions and garlic then add sausage back to the pan.

Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and spoon and throw out seeds. Carve out the rest until about 1/2 inch of zucchini is left in the "boat." Make sure to keep this part of the zucchini to put back into the veggie mixture. Rub a small amount of olive oil and salt and pepper and put on a cookie sheet in the oven on 375 degrees while you dice the rest of the veggies.

Dice tomatoes, bell pepper and rest of zucchini. Grate some cheese maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup and add to vegetable mixture. Add sausage, onion and garlic mixture. Whisk 2 to 3 eggs depending on how much vegetable mixture you have. Add in with vegetable/sausage mixture.

Remove boats from the oven and spread mixture evenly into prepared zucchini boats. Top with a little more cheese (cheddar or parmesan).

Lastly, crush ritz crackers in a gallon baggie and combine well with melted butter. Top each boat with these crumbs.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees or until zucchini boats are fork tender and topping is golden brown.

Pumpkin Pancakes

My dear, dear friend Mary gave me this recipe for pumpkin pancakes back in West Virginia. I thought it fit to post since fall is quickly approaching and I LOVE anything pumpkin in the fall. Well, I love anything pumpkin any time of the year, but especially in the fall. And these are pretty healthy, too, minus the chocolate chips. But so yummy!!! And it makes a HUGE batch, so half for a smaller family or just keep 'em for leftovers!! Keep in mind this is a recipe for 1 can of pumpkin.

4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups milk
6 eggs
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
chocolate chips, or anything else you want to add (craisins, raisins, nuts, white chocolate chips, etc)
Whisk everything together except the chocolate chips and then fold them in. Cook on a medium high, buttered griddle and serve with syrup. I have a great cinnamon syrup that is great with these

Poppyseed Chicken

I honestly have never heard of Poppyseed Chicken until our friends made it for us in the middle of our move. It was SOOOO yummy! I have made it often ever since. Most of the recipes out there are about the same but here's the recipe I have. It's incredibly easy and my kids love it!! And that's important ;)

POPPYSEED CHICKEN
6 chicken breasts (you can get away with 3 or 4 but I like a lot of chicken in mine)
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cups sour cream (I use light)
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 rolls Ritz crackers, crushed
2 tbsp poppyseeds
Boil and cube the chicken breasts and place in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Combine cream of chicken and sour cream over stove top in a pan. Pour over chicken. Melt butter and combine with crackers and poppyseeds. Sprinkle on top and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve with rice or over mashed potatoes or with quinoa.

Southern Peach Cobbler

I subscribed to the local newspaper for the Sunday papers for couponing. It comes all the other days as well. In each newspaper, there's a recipe of the day! I happened upon this one a few days ago and made it last night. LOVE IT!!!! Especially when my sister-in-law gives me free peaches from their peach tree! Thanks Shera!

SOUTHERN PEACH COBBLER
8 fresh peaches-peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (I used the store-bought refrigerated kind)
2 tsp cornstarch

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 2 qt baking dish, combine first round of ingredients. Toss to coat evenly and bake in oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined. Remove peaches from oven and drop spoonfuls of flour topping over them. Continue baking for about 20-25 minutes until slightly browned on the top. Let cool or a few minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Lemon Creme Cake

Here is a recipe I tried to make from another I found in the internet. I made it for my lovely niece, Kalina, while she was here visiting. She requested a lemon cake!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Lemon anything but I didn't have all the ingredients so I had to improvise. It turned out so yummy and moist, here it is:


1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs-separated
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream

Separate the egg yolks from whites. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until peaks are formed. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, yolks, lemon peel, vanilla and oil. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to wet ingredients. Mix well and add sour cream. Fold in egg whites. Grease and flour a 9X13 glass pan or 2-8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Put batter into pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Allow to cool. Spread lemon frosting or a cream cheese frosting is also yummy!

Lemon frosting
3 tbsp butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tbsp milk

Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com but changed it up just a little bit. They are really moist and yummy! I'm sure you could add blueberries, bananas, chocolate or cinnamon chips to change them up a little bit.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat or oat bran (if you don't have this, just use 1 cup oats)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or cinnamon chips)

The recipe says to soak oats in buttermilk for 15 minutes. It's a little coarser and nuttier if you don't. Add all wet ingredients to buttermilk and oats. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients until moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Cool in pan for 2 minutes and then remove onto a cooling rack.

The Fluffiest Pancakes EVER!

These are the yummiest fluffiest pancakes I've ever had. From my sister-in-law, Kira, who got the recipe from another sister-in-law, it's a recipe worth handing down!


Sour Cream Pancakes
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp (rounded) sour cream
2 tbsp melted, cooled butter
Blend together with a whisk or in the blender until a pretty runny batter forms. Cook on skillet until golden brown and serve hot!

Scalloped Potatoes

Here's another spectacular recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. I made it for Easter dinner and they were amazing! I changed the recipe a little. There was no cheese in the original recipe. Who makes scalloped potatoes without cheese?! I also forgot the onions, but we aren't huge onion people. The sauce you make could be used for MANY other things: gravy, base for a creamy chicken noodle soup, chicken 'n dumplings. Here's my version of the recipe:

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
7 large baking potatoes
2 cups cheddar cheese (or more if you'd like)
6 tbsp butter (you can use margarine)
1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
paprika

Peel and slice potatoes 1/4 inch thick. In a 3 quart baking dish, layer potatoes and cheese making sure you separate potatoes after slicing. In a sauce pan, melt butter on medium high; whisk in flour until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add broth, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 2-4 minutes until smooth and bubbly. Pour over potatoes and slightly stir into pan. Sprinkle desired amount of paprika on top. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375 degrees for at least 1 1/2 hours or until desired tenderness. It may take longer than that depending on your oven. They are SOOO easy and so yummy!!

Cashew Chicken Salad

Oh WOW! I had these at a baby shower recently and had to get the recipe. Thanks Kim!=) It's a little bit different than other Chicken Salad I've had. I LOVE the orzo and cashews in it! I put it on small croissants but rolls would probably do fine, too.

Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 tbsp finely chopped onion (I don't always put this in)
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's Light)
salt and pepper (white pepper)
2 cups halved seedless red grapes
1 cup cooked orzo

Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix. You can use canned chicken for faster preparation. Enjoy!!! Don't eat TOO many=)

Loaded Baked Potato Chowder

This is another really simple delicious soup. It's actually a Pampered Chef recipe, which means it's GOTTA be good! If you have a deep dish baker stone with a lid, you can actually make this in the microwave!!! Even better! If not, just cook it in a pan. Just make sure you cook the potatoes slower than in the microwave or you'll burn it (I know from experience=).

Loaded Baked Potato Chowder

2 1/2 lbs potatoes (scrubbed or peeled, whichever you prefer)
3 1/2 cups milk
4 oz cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat), softened
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Optional toppings: cooked, chopped bacon, sour cream, steamed broccoli florets, grated cheese for the top, green onions for the top

1. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise; place in Deep Covered Baker. Pour 1/2 cup of the milk over potatoes. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 11 minutes. Remove baker from microwave. Move center potatoes to ends of baker and outer potatoes to center. Cover; microwave on HIGH 8-11 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Remove baker from microwave. Coarsely mash potatoes with Mix ‘N Chop or pastry blender.

2. Meanwhile, whisk cream cheese until smooth in a medium sized bowl. Slowly add remaining 3 cups milk (I put in microwave for 30 sec-1 min for better blending), whisk until smooth.
Add cream cheese mixture and butter to potatoes. Microwave, covered, on high 3-5 minutes or until mixture is hot.

3. Carefully remove baker from microwave. Add cheddar cheese to chowder and stir until melted. Stir in green onions, salt and pepper. Serve with toppings, if desired.

Yields 6 servings (8 cups)

Cream Cheese/Potato soup

This recipe is from one of my friends. She made it for us quite a while ago and they have since moved but I've been in a soupy mood lately. I guess that's one thing winter is good for! Try this easy, yummy soup!


Cream Cheese Soup

4 C chicken broth

2 C sliced carrots

1/2 small white onion, finely chopped

4 C potatoes, diced

1/2 t white pepper

16 oz cream cheese, softened

4 C milk

4 T butter

4 T flour

Yummy Cornbread

This is a recipe from my SIL Nicole and I think she called the recipe yummy cornbread. My HH thought it should be called cornbread cake. So delicious. It's so awesome that you don't even have to smother it with honeybutter (but you still do). It is super easy too. Here goes:

1 Package of Jiffy Cornbread mix

*Add ingredients as directed
1 egg
1/3 C. Milk

1/2 Package of Yellow Cake Mix

*Add 1/2 ingredients as directed

½ C. Water
Half 1/3 C. of Oil
1 egg

Mix well and pour in 9X13 pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Devour! Enjoy! If your on a diet...use portion control, but still devour! Enjoy!