Mandarin Crush Cake

This light and citrus flavored cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

This easy recipe is sure to please the cook as well.
Prep Time: approximately 10 minutes.
Total Time: approximately 40 minutes.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Ingredients:

Box of Yellow Cake Mix

12 ounces Crush soda

11 ounce can  Mandarin Oranges

1 tub vanilla icing

1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Direction:

1. Stir Crush soda into cake mix.

2. Bake about 35 minutes or until done. 

3. Let cake set 5-10 minutes. 

4. Poke holes in cake and pour juice from oranges onto cake.

5. Let cake cool completely.

6. Whip icing and vanilla until very fluffy and cover cake.

7. Place orange segments on top of cake.

Enjoy!

Jellied Cranberry Salad

If you're getting ready for the cranberries,

you might be ready for Cranberry Salad.

This is a super simple recipe made of only three ingredients.

So let's gather up and get started.

You'll want a 2-quart square or rectangle baking dish.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Jellied Cranberry Sauce(16 oz.)
1 Can Whole berry Cranberry Sauce(16 oz.)

2 cups of boiling water

2 packages Jell-O Raspberry Flavor Gelatin

1 tub of sour cream (16 oz.)

Directions:

1. Whisk together cranberry sauce and 1 cup of the boiling water; set aside.

2. Dissolve gelatin in the remaining cup of boiling water.

3. Stir gelatin mixture into cranberry mixture.

4. Pour half the cranberry mixture into you baking dish and half can of whole berry cranberry sauce into mixture. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours or until set. Save the remaining cranberry mixture 

at room temperature.

5. Spread sour cream evenly over set cranberry mixture.

6. Pour the remaining cranberry mixture over sour cream.

7. Cover and chill  for 2-24 hours. 
8. Pour remaining whole berry cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Salad is a fun addition to a holiday meal.

It also looks nice with a little extra garnish;

a sprig of green or a dash of crushed nuts on top

gives a nice touch.

Dreamy Peppermint Coffee Creamer

Adding that special winter touch to your coffee is easy with your own

Dreamy Peppermint Creamer.

Let's Gather our Ingredients:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 can Evaporated Milk

1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

6 good drops of Peppermint essential oil

 or 

Peppermint oil -Which oil and how much you use will depend on 

how strongly you want your peppermint flavor.

I poured all my ingredients except my peppermint oil into my bowl 

and

Whipped with a hand mixer until frothy.

Add peppermint a drop or two at a time, tasting between your drops.

When you reach the flavor you prefer whip again until nice and bubbly.

Add a pretty touch with a dash of nutmeg.

Do enjoy a warm cup of coffee!

Chicken, Pineapple, Pepperoni~Semi Homemade Pizza

I never met a pizza I didn't like!

Honestly, I don't know what can be done to ruin a pizza. 

I can't tell you how many times I have grabbed a pizza while on the run from the kids softball, baseball, piano, etc....you get the picture .

but....

It's hard to beat pizza straight out of the oven 

and 

It's not a chore do make, It's fun!

Crust courtesy of the dough boy  himself.

I simply followed the direction except for seasoning the crust before putting it in the oven. You can season it how you like and as heavy as you like. I put the garlic, pepper, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to it. 

I do not use pizza sauce. Instead, I use a spaghetti sauce that I like.

We never eat one pizza and I like it saucy.

I sauteed onions and mushrooms in a pan to themselves and in another pan I sauteed some of those onions and mushrooms with some canned chunked white chicken and chunked pineapple.

I served up one pepperoni and one chicken & pineapple pizza.

*Note about purchasing pepperoni-check both side counter and dairy/deli section of your grocery store. The price may vary and weight of pepperoni pack.

After I have baked the crust for 5 minute at suggested heat I take my crust and crank the heat in the oven to 425 degree. 

Put your pizza together how you like it

then

Bake it until it's pretty!

You can't go wrong with semi-homemade pizza!

Good Morning Raisin Cinnamon Muffins

Hey..why not get your morning really started?

Putting a smile on the families faces is quite easy if your greet them with this 

warm & yummy 

Good Morning Raisin Cinnamon Muffin.

Let's preheat out oven:

While we gather our ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of water

2 cups cornflakes lightly crushed

1 cup raisin

You'll want your margarine or butter and a squeeze from the honey bear

as they come out of the oven piping hot.

Directions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients(first 4 ingredient) in a large mixing bowl. 

Whisking as you add each ingredient.

2. Add your 3 heaping spoons of mayonnaise and vanilla, and 2 cups of water

continue stirring with your whisk.

3. Fold-in raisins and then fold-in corn flakes.

4. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until they are a nice golden color.

Add your pat of butter and a squeeze from the little honey bear.

Southern Fried Apple Pies

If you take a drive along our beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway

and start getting a craving for something yummy it won't take you

long to find yourself a

Fried Apple Pie.

The best things in life are simple and so is this little treat. 

You will get a good taste of southern home cookin' with a Fried Apple Pie. 

Let's make ourselves some Fried Pies.

To get started you will want to make a batch of pie crust.

Flaky Pie Crust

Set your crust aside and will fry up our apples.

Now we need to fry up some apples.

When I fry apples:

1. I  peel & slice my apples into thin discs.

2.  I prefer a iron skillet when frying apples. I just cover the bottom of my skillet with water place my apples in skillet, add a sprinkle of salt, dob butter or margarine all a top my apples, 

cover with brown sugar and cinnamon. I really don't measure; I just eyeball it. 

3. Cook apples medium-high heat. Stirring often until apples are cooked down.

By that I mean cooked down tender and syrupy but not turned to 

applesauce or mush.

It's time to put this together and fry 'em up.

1. Roll out you pie crust. I'm going to use a large biscuit cutter

 but you can cut out you discs with a large cup or saucer

2. Heat 1/2 inch to 1 inch of oil in a pan on medium-high heat.

3. Take one pie crust, roll a little thinner, add about 2 heaping spoons of apples.

Fold over and mash ends together. 

If your crust is a little dry wet it with your finger.

You can also use a fork to really close it good.

4. Place in hot oil.

Turn in about 1-2 minutes. Cook another minute or two.

Remove and repeat until you're out of apples and crust.

YeeHaw! 

That's all she wrote.

Fried Ice Cream Cake

Nothing goes along with you southwestern meal more than fried ice cream.

So in my quest to have all the flavor with out actually frying ice cream;

I'm making Fried Ice Cream Cake.

Oh yeah....

Fried Ice Cream Cake!

Let's gather our ingredients and get started.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of Corn Flakes (crushed)

1 quart vanilla ice cream~I prefer French Vanilla Ice cream.(Soften to room temperature)

1~8 ounce tub of frozen whipped topping(Cool Whip)

3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Honey for the drizzling.

Direction:

1. Heat butter, sugar, and salt over medium heat.Stirring continually being careful not to burn your sugar. Heat until mixture reaches a bubbling state.

2. Add corn flakes to mixture. Stirring until corn flakes are slightly caramelized.

3. Layer half your corn flake mixture in bottom of baking dish. Pat down to "set" your flakes.

4. Mix together ice cream,  whip topping, and cinnamon.

5. Pour into your baking dish.

6. Top with remaining corn flake mixture.

7. Freeze for 4-5 hours.

Drizzle with honey and serve.

Black Bean Salad

Black Bean Salad is the perfect combination of  color, taste and quick.

 It is also a great side dish to compliment most any southwestern meal.

I'll be serving mine up to compliment our taco night.

Let's get started and gather our ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 each red, green and yellow bell pepper(chopped)

1 can whole kernel corn (drained)

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 clove garlic(minced)

1 teaspoon fresh cilantro(chopped)

4-5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice 

1 can of Black Beans(rinsed and drained)

ground black pepper

salt 

lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. Combine peppers, corn, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a large bowl.

2. Add vinegar, oil, and lime juice. Toss to coat.

3. Add black beans and toss gently. 

4. Season with pepper and salt.

You're ready to serve up on crisp lettuce leaves with you tortilla chips.

That's it!

Enjoy!

Ravioli Bake

Smack dab in the middle of the work week and after school commitments are so often the trap that we so easily will fall into. Compromising, ourselves we run through the drive-thru, pick the pizza, or maybe we open the beloved can of spagehettio's. 

Yes..everyone is fed

but

 making this the norm will make a family extremely unsatisfied.

I'd like to share my middle of the week Go-To.

Ravioli Bake!

You can also do yourself a Quick Ravioli right on top of the stove.

Quick Ravioli

Ingredients: 

2 bags of frozen ravioli~They are usually found in your freezer section of the grocery store 

                                     near the frozen breads. As a norm, they come beef or cheese filled.

                                     My family loves the cheese filled. I use a pound of sausage in 

                                     my cheesy raviolis but if I'm using the beef raviolis I omit the sausage.

1 pound sausage~Jimmy Dean makes a pretty good Italian flavor that goes great.

2 cans of spaghetti sauce~24 ounce

bag of grated cheese or block of cheese, grated~About any cheese work just fine.

Seasoning~use what you have on hand~I give it a bit of black pepper, a little more garlic powder,

                                     a little basil, a dash of parsley.

Directions:

1. Cook frozen ravioli according to directions on package and drain.

2. Brown Sausage.

3. In a large pot, put your spaghetti sauce in pot bring to a simmer while adding your browned

                                      sausage, seasonings. 

4. Add raviolis to sauce.

5. Stir-in 1/3 of your cheese.

6. Top with remaining cheese immediately before serving.

Ravioli Bake

Ingredients:

Ravioli~cooked in sauce or leftover quick ravioli.

1 can diced tomatoes

small can of sliced mushroom

small onion diced

green pepper

pepperoni

Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. In a 9 X 13 casserole dish, place ravioli and can of tomatoes.

2. Saute onion, green pepper, and mushrooms.

3. Stir sauteed vegetables,pepperoni, and 1/3 cheese evenly through ravioli.

4. Bake at 350 degrees covered with tin foil for about 20 minutes.

       Uncover for 5-10 minutes giving it that nice browned look.

5. Cover with cheese.

Oh Yum...it's a crowd pleaser.

   

Grandma Dorothy's Sliced Apple Pie

My Grandma Dorothy loved what she called a sliced apple pie. This is the first pie I learned to make and I believe it is the perfect pie for young child or a beginning cook to start with. 

It is almost to simple to call a recipe.

I've got all these leftover apples I purchased for our apple bobbing so I''m going to start with washing and peeling my apples. 

If your apples are small, you may need about 10 apple; if they are large 6-8 apples.

I'm baking my pie in a 9 inch pie pan. You will want enough apple so that they are quite heaped up before you put you pie in the oven because your apples will bake down a lot.

Preheat oven 400 degrees

Ingredients:

8-12 apples 

1 pie shell uncooked

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

Cinnamon

All-spice

Directions:

1. I start by putting a bit(1/4 cup) of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon in the bottom of my pie shell.

Grandma Dorothy would put cinnamon sugar instead of regular cinnamon and all-spice. You can really use whatever you like.

2. Slice apples directly into pie shell. Thin discs is what you really want.

3. Drop dollops of butter all along with you sliced apples.

4. Sprinkle cinnamon and all-spice across top of apples.
5. Cover with brown sugar and dollops of butter.

6. Place in preheated oven for about 45 minutes. You'll know when it's right when your crust is golden and your pie is browned.

The pie looks a little dry on top but should be moist throughout. 

Best topped with vanilla ice cream.