Southern-Style Potato Salad

My grandma made the absolute best southern-style potato salad I have ever had in my life. I've been using her recipe for potato salad ever since I learned how to make it. I've never found potato salad that taste as good as this.

I pretty much just eye ball the measurements, but these measurements should be close. You can always add more of something if you want.

8-10 baking potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes

pinch of salt

1/2-3/4 cup mayo (I use olive oil mayo)

a few good squirts of yellow mustard (this wasn't in my grandma's recipe, but I like it in there)

1/4 cup plus a little more of dill relish

2-3 boiled eggs, diced fine

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a big pot of water to boil. Sprinkle a dash of salt in water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender (I add my eggs in with the potatoes to cook as well). Drain potatoes and put in large bowl. Combine all ingredients and stir until combined well. Serve hot or cold.

Classic Mozzarella Sticks

These will seriously melt in your mouth. They are so beyond good it's insane!

oil for frying

1 (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1/4 cup water

2/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

1. Pour oil into medium-size heavy saucepan or deep skillet to depth of 1 inch. Over medium heat, bring oil to 365 degrees on cooking thermometer, about 12 minutes. If oil is hot before cheese sticks are ready, turnoff heat and bring back to temperature when ready to fry.

2. Meanwhile, cut cheese into strips 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. Line baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Place flour on paper plate. Roll roll cheese strips in flour to coat.

3. In shallow bowl, combine egg and water. In another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.

4. Once stick at a time, coat cheese sticks in egg wash, then in bread crumbs. Repeat process to coat each stick. Place sticks in single layer on paper plate.

5. Frying in small batches, carefully place sticks in hot oil. Cook until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoot to line baking sheet. Let oil return to 365 degrees between batches.

*Where this recipe was found is unknown.

Apple Crisp

I absolutely love apple crisp. I found this recipe awhile back and it has become one of my favorites, although I have no clue where I found it!

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 cup white sugar

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Individual Chicken Pot Pie Pockets

I saw this on Rachel Ray a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with the genius idea of making chicken pot pie so you can hold it in your hand! My family and friends love this oh-so-yummo meal.

2 tbsp. butter, plus additional to grease baking sheet

2 tbsp. flour, plus additional for rolling out pie dough

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 cup finely chopped chicken, cooked

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup frozen tiny green peas

1 small carrots, grated and finely chopped (I use match sticks carrots and chop them)

2 tbsp dill

2 sheets prepared pie dough (in the refrigerated section)

1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water

YEILD: 8 appetizers or serves 4 as entree, 2 pockets per person, witha green salad.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat with 2 tbsp. butter. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the stock and milk and season with salt and pepper. Cook the sauce, whisking often, for a couple of minutes until it is thickened up, then stir in the Dijon and remove pan from heat. Add in the chicken, green onions, peas, carrot and dill and give it a good stir to combine everything. Set this mixture aside while you prepare your pie dough.

Grease a baking sheet lightly with butter. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and lay out the pie dough. Cut the dough into eight evenly sized triangles (just like you're cutting a pie). Transfer the triangles to the baking sheet and repeat the rolling and cutting with the remaining dough.

Divide the filling among the triangles on the baking sheet leaving a little at the edges to seal the pockets. Brush the edges of each triangle with some beaten egg and then top each triangle with the remaining wedges of dough, pressing lightly around the perimeter to seal the filling inside. If you like, you can take a fork and lightly press the very ends of the tines into the border of each pocket to give it a fancy finish.

Brush the tops of the pockets with the remaining egg wash and cut a small x in the top of each one with a paring knife to let the steam escape. Bake the pockets until they're deep golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1873

Texas Caviar

1 can blackeyed peas (drained)

1 can shoepeg corn (drained)

1 green pepper (chopped)

1 red or purple onion (chopped)

1 tomato (diced)

1 or 2 avocados (diced)

3 limes (juiced)

2 Tbs white vinegar

Fresh cilantro to taste

Combine the first 6 ingredients. Mix together the lime juice and vinegar, pour over the vegetables and lightly mix. Add cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips. This is best when made right before serving.

My brother also likes to add this to chicken fajitas but I have never tried it.

Recipe from my mom.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin....

I buy my pork tenderloin at Sams Club. It is a skinny tenderloin with hardly any fat and it comes in a 2 pack.

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
a few dashes of minced onion

Combine ingredients and whisk to combine. Put pork into a ziplock bag with marinade and marinade for 5 hours to 24 hours. Put into a shallow baking dish with a little bit of marinade and bake for 1 hour on 365 degrees. Turn pork tenderloin over after 30 minutes of baking and add a little more of the marinade. Check pork with a baking thermometer after an hour and make sure it has reached 160 degrees. Let sit for 5 minutes after baking. Use and electric knife and slice thinly.

***my findings...This was amazing. I would have liked to be able to taste a little more of the orange juice and the Dijon mustard. I will add more next time.

* found recipe in my grandma's recipe file

Hawaiian Haystacks

My mom made these a couple times growing up and I had totally forgotten about them until my BFF was feeding my kids and me dinner one night while my husband was away. The fun thing about these is that you can dress them any way that you'd like! That and they're super quick and super easy!

Here are a few things I like to use!

For the sauce/gravy:

1-2 Shredded chicken breasts or a large can of chicken

1 Can of cream of chicken soup

1 Cup chicken broth

1/2 Cup sour cream

Salt/Pepper to taste (optional)

3-4 Cups cooked rice of your choice (or however much will feed your family)

Combine the soup and broth and stir. Add chicken and simmer ten minutes. Then add the sour cream and heat another couple minutes until warm. Serve rice with gravy over it and add garnishes.

Garnishes (use any or all):

Chow mein noodles

Diced tomatoes

Sliced olives

Chopped celery

Chopped green onions

Chopped green peppers

Pineapple tidbits

Grated cheese

Slivered almonds

Salt/Pepper to taste

Soy or Teriyaki sauce

Add all the desired garnishes to your rice and gravy and enjoy!

Wingers' Sticky Fingers!

So, I was strolling through a new blog I found the other night and came across these bad boys. If you've never heard of Wingers, I'm so sorry. Their sticky fingers are about the most amazing thing I've tasted.... ever. That is how much I love them. Now that I no longer live in Utah, I was sad I couldn't feast on them at will any longer. I saw this recipe and thought what the heck... and super glad I did. These taste EXACTLY like Wingers. It's uncanny. I accidentally bought pre-breaded chicken nuggets instead of chicken fingers and it was still so yummy that I couldn't even handle it. You're about to have a party in your mouth.

For the sauce (covers about 8-10 fingers):

3 TBSP Franks Red Hot Sauce (apparently no other sauce works, it must be Franks - found it in the BBQ sauce aisle no problem)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBSP water

Heat up all sauce ingredients until sugar dissolves. Keep on low/warm until chicken has been cooked.

For the chicken fingers:

1 cup oil

1 package frozen breaded chicken fingers (nuggets worked fine, but I'd definitely get fingers next time)

In frying pan, heat oil and cook frozen fingers until crispy, browned and warm. Place on paper towel to remove some of the excess oil and then coat in sauce. I found it easiest to pour the sauce in some tupperware and shake the chicken up in it. Serve with ranch or bleu cheese dipping sauce and enjoy!

*Adapted from original recipe found here

(In case you need help finding Franks hot sauce, I posted a link on it's name in the ingredients)

Garlic Potatoes and Ham

8 small red potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tbs oil
About 3 cups broccoli
1 smoked sausage cut into bite size pieces
1 envelope herb with garlic soup mix

In a large skillet cook potatoes in oil for 10 minuets or till lightly brown. Stir in sausage, broccoli and soup mix. Cover and cook about 25 minuets or till potatoes are tender.
Recipe calls for cubed ham but I like the smoked sausage better.

Recipe and picture from Taste of Home

Lasagna Soup

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pkg lasagna hamburger helper
5 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
2 tbs Parmesan cheese
1 small zucchini

Brown ground beef, drain. Add all ingredients. Bring to a boil, simmer till noodles and zucchini are tender. Serve immediately. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired. (Next time I will wait to add the zucchini till the noodles are almost done. They were a little too soft for me.)

Recipe and picture from Taste of Home.

Greek Turkey Burgers w/Yogurt Sauce

Yogurt Sauce:

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped cucumber

Burger:

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 whole wheat buns

In sauce bowl, mix yogurt sauce ingredients and set in fridge until burgers are ready.

The original recipe says to broil the burgers. I thought I'd save time by using our George Foreman grill. Although it did save time, it was slightly on the dry side. So, I'm sure broiling probably holds in much more of the moisture...

Set oven control to broil. In another bowl, mix all the burger ingredients. Shape mixture into four even patties. Broil burgers with tops about 6 inches from the heat for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping patties after 5 minutes. Place burgers on buns and top with yogurt sauce.

Although ours turned out slightly more dry than I would have liked, they were still very delicious! The sauce added the perfect touch! My husband said it tasted almost like a gyro, so if you like gyros... you're set! Enjoy!

* Orignal recipe found here

Chicken Parmesan

This is by far the best Chicken Parmesan I've ever had, but I can't remember where I found it! It's a favorite that my family eats up every time.

Tomato Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped basil leaves

Chicken:

cooking spray

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half

salt to taste

2 large egg whites

8 tablespoons dry Italian bread crumbs

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4-5 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Your favorite whole wheat pasta

TOMATO SAUCE:

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the flavors are blended and the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in basil.

CHICKEN:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle the cutlets with the salt. Lightly beat the egg whites in a medium bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan on sheet of waxed paper. Spread the flour on another sheet of waxed paper. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip in egg, then flour, egg again, then press both sides into the breading to coat.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (in batches, if necessary) and cook until browned, 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken, in 1 layer, to the baking dish. Spoon the sauce over the chicken then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake, covered loosely with a tent of foil, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.

3. While chicken is cooking in oven, cook your favorite pasta according to package directions.

4. Put pasta on a plate and spoon sauce and chicken over top.

Southwest Chicken Hasbrowns

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1 large red potato, shredded (I used a baking potato, it worked fine!)

4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

Salsa & Sour Cream for garnish

1. In medium bowl, mix chicken and onion. Rinse shredded potatoes with cold water; drain on paper towels (be sure to drain them well; I didn't and mine were a slight bit on the soggy side). Add to chicken mixture. Stir in cilantro and salt.

2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Spread potato mixture evenly in skillet. Cook, without stirring, 6 to 9 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and bottom of potato mixture is golden brown and crisp.

3. Place large plate over skillet; turn potato mixture upside down onto plate. Add remaining teaspoon oil to skillet. Slip potato mixture back into skillet, browned side up; cook 5 to 7 minutes, pressing lightly with pancake turner, until golden brown and crisp.

4. With pancake turner, divide chicken mixture in half; place on 2 plates. Top each with sour cream and salsa.

*Recipe found here

Soft Molasses Cookies

If you've ever been to Ben's cookies at the Gateway mall in Utah you know how amazing their cookies are. Every cookie they make there uses Kodiak Cakes mixes:
The last time I was there I went for one of their molasses cookies. I was an instant fan! They are perfectly soft and tasty. They offered me the recipe that I am now sharing with you. Make them as soon as you can. They are so easy and not just a holiday cookie.



Ingredients:

2 C Kodiak Cakes Flapjack Fix (you can find their mixes at popular grocery stores in almost every state. I got mine at Smith's here in Utah. I know they have them at Fresh Market, Fry's, Albertson's, Safeway,)
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 C + 1 t vegetable oil
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C molasses
1 egg

Mix oil, sugar, molasses and egg until smooth. Blend the spices and Kodiak Cakes Flapjack Mix, then add to the sugar and oil mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about six minutes. Do not over bake. They are better if a little on the soft side.

* I replaced the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil with the same amount of plain greek yogurt. We thought it was healthier and very good.

**recipe from Kodiak Cakes Kitchen

Bourbon Chicken

What you need:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Olive Oil Cooking Spray (or 1 tbsp. olive oil)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1/3 cup reduce sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespooon cornstarch/1 Tablespoon water (optional)

Spray a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray (or use the 1 tbsp. olive oil). Add chicken and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet.

Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine 1 tbsp. water and 1 tbsp. cornstarch in a separate bowl and add a little at at time to reach desired consistency. Serve with rice... enjoy!

* Recipe found here

Cream Cheese Danish Dip

We found a new kind of Ritz crackers at the store and decided to try them out recently. They're Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz and they're delicious! While snacking on them one day, I was scoping out the box and noticed a recipe for this dip on the back. I love anything with cream cheese and decided to give this a try. It's just what I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth without going wild on chocolate! I loved it; I hope you will too!

What you need:

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

1 apple, chopped

2 TBSP seedless raspberry jam

1/3 cup granola

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ritz (or cracker of your choice)

Heat oven to 350. Spread the softened cream cheese along the bottom of a 9" pie plate or 1 qt. casserole dish. Combine the apples and the jam; spread over cream cheese. Then top with granola. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Spread on crackers and enjoy!

Tomato Basil Linguine with Chicken

What you need:

5 oz linguine

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

2 teaspoons garlic

1 can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs

1 1/2 teaspoons basil

Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Cook linguine as directed on package. Drain and cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and garlic and cook until chicken is no longer pink.

3. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Gently stir in linguine. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

* Recipe found here

Basil Quiche

3 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
grated cheese
turkey chunks (or whatever meat you desire; I used bacon)
tomato slices (I didn't have any, but used red onion)
basil (chopped)

Whisk together eggs, milk, powders, salt, and pepper. Layer cheese, turkey, and basil (however much you want of each) in pie crust. I didn't have a pie crust on hand, so I just greased a pie plate. Gently pour in egg mixture. Place thinly sliced tomato on top for decoration. If desired, cut tomato into small pieces and include in layers instead. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Done when the center of quiche doesn’t wiggle. You want it to have a little give, but not be squishy.

The fun thing about quiche is you can put whatever you want in it; add what you like. Broccoli, spinach, ham, olives, etc. ENJOY!

* Recipe from best friend

Safe to eat raw cookie dough

Who doesn't *LOVE* to eat raw chocolate chip cookie dough?

It's a delicacy at our house!

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 (3 1/2 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
1/4 cup milk
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

In large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pudding and stir well. Add milk, vanilla and baking soda. Slowly mix in flour until smooth. Dough will be slightly sticky. Stir in chocolate chips and chill. DO NOT BAKE!


I modified the original recipe slightly by increasing the vanilla to 1/2 T and the flour by an additional 1/2 cup. Here's a few ideas for you... eat it plain, dip it like I did above, mix it into ice-cream or spread it like frosting onto a chocolate cupcake! The possibility are endless.

French Toast Casserole

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with pam. Cut the crust off about 16 pieces of bread. You should fit about 8 pieces in the bottom of your pan.
Mix 1 softened cream cheese package and 1/3 cup of maple syrup. Spread this mixture over the bread, then put your last layer of bread on top of that.
Mix 6 Eggs and 1 Cup of Milk; pour this mixture evenly over the top of the bread
Best if you make the night before and refrigerate.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes (or till golden brown) Serve with homemade syrup below!

Homemade Syrup

2 TBS Butter
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Sugar
3 TBS Karo Syrup

Bring the above to a boil, and then add 1 tsp. Baking Soda and 1 tsp Vanilla, and stir. Put this in a large stock type pot because when you add the soda it make boil over if your pan isn't big enough. Once combined and heated, pour on top of casserole! Enjoy!

*Recipe from cousin

Creamy Fudge

3 – (6.8 oz) Symphony Bars

4 cups Sugar

2 Cups Cream

2 sticks of real butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

Stir together Cream and sugar in large heavy buttered pot. Place over medium heat and stir constantly just until it comes to a rolling boil. Once it starts to boil, DO NOT STIR, and put the lid on for ONE minute and then remove the lid.

Continue Cooking to a soft ball stage, and Do not Stir: Use your Candy Thermometer.

I cook mine to about 230 degrees. Every thermometer is different, so test yours, or do the cold water test. Take off the heat, and add 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter that you have cut up in chunks, and the vanilla…. let sit in the hot candy mixture for ONE minute – WITHOUT STIRRING!

Now – Without scraping the pan, pour over 3 big (the 6.8 oz) symphony bars that you have broke up into a large bowl. Beat until very smooth with beaters. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Put in the fridge until nice and set up…preferably over night.

*I line mine with parchment paper, that way you can lift the entire slab of fudge from the pan, and cut them easily. This fudge rarely turns to sugar, and is very creamy and smooth. Nuts are optional. Makes a large batch. Once cut, put in a container with a sealed lid, and keep refrigerated. YUM!

*recipe from a neighbor

Peppermint Pound Cake

I’ve been on a peppermint roll lately! Recipes with peppermint have been sounding really good to me this holiday season. This recipe did not come from a cookbook or from the internet…it came from a Christmas kitchen towel a friend had given me. I added a glaze and crushed candy canes as a finishing touch. If you like peppermint, you’ll enjoy this, and even if you are not a big peppermint fan, I think you’ll still like this because the peppermint flavor is definitely on the lighter side.

PEPPERMINT POUND CAKE

• 3 cups sugar
• 3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups), softened
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract (just use one teaspoon for a light peppermint flavor, or 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons for a stronger peppermint flavor)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan (I used a 12-cup bundt pan, but I think it would work fine in a 10-cup pan, too–the baking time would be slightly longer).

In large bowl, blend sugar and softened butter. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Alternate adding flour and milk to mixture, blending well. Add peppermint and vanilla extracts, and stir until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes (for a 12-cup pan, baking time will be about 70-75 minutes; for a 10-cup pan, it will be more like 80 minutes). Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely. While cake is cooling, you can make the glaze…

CREAMY PEPPERMINT GLAZE

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup marshmallow creme (half of a 7-oz. container)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons milk or half and half
• 3 crushed candy canes, for garnish

Blend softened butter and marshmallow creme together until smooth, then add peppermint extract and mix well. Add in powdered sugar a cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Add milk or half and half and blend well.

Shortly before you are ready to serve the cake, spoon the glaze over the top, letting it run down the sides (you’ll have some glaze left over). Then sprinkle top of cake with crushed candy canes, and serve. (Note: this glaze is a little gooey because of the marshmallow creme, so you may need to wipe your knife occasionally as you’re slicing the cake).

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups peppermint bark, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Position the racks in the middle of the oven, and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until it is the consistency of a thick frosting. beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, stirring between each addition. At this point you should have a moist uniform dough. Stir in the peppermint bark by hand, mixing only until evenly distributed. Reserve a bit of the bark to sprinkle on top of the cookies after you have dropped them onto the baking sheets.

Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 - 14 minutes, until golden on bottom and top. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen medium-large cookies.

*recipe from a family cookbook

Impossible Cheesecake

I got this recipe from my mother in law. This happens to be my husband's favorite cheesecake ever... since he's had it for as long as he can remember. We made it for Thanksgiving to take to a friend's and it was a hit! I think it's called "impossible" because it's quite the contrary... easiest cheesecake ever! I hope you love it as much as we do.

Add all of the following to a blender:

3/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup bisquick

Blend in blender for 15 seconds. Then add two 8 oz cream cheese blocks, softened. Blend for 2 minutes.

Bake in 9 inch greased pie plate for 40-45 minutes at 350. Cool.

It will look like this just out of the oven. I left it in the fridge to cool overnight where it settled and looks more like a traditional cheesecake by morning.

Topping:

1 cup sour cream

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Blend together and spread on top of cool cheesecake. Serve with sweetened strawberries.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

One of my friends brought this to a luncheon yesterday and I just fell in LOVE with it!  And it's so easy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1/2 spinach leaves and 1/2 red leaf lettuce

Cucumbers quartered with skin on

strawberries sliced and quartered

almond slices

craisins

Dressing - Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing