French Toast Fingers

Mix 8 oz cream cheese, 1 egg yolk and 1/4 cup of sugar until smooth. Set aside.

Cut the crusts off 24 slices of packaged white bread.(Save the crusts and heels for stuffing or bread pudding!)

Roll out each piece of bread as thin as you can with a rolling pin. Not too thin or it will tear.

Spread each piece of bread with a bit of the cream cheese mixture (and I also added a little strawberry jam).

Roll them up jelly roll style and put 'em on a cookie sheet.Mix up 3/4 c sugar and 1 TBS of cinnamon. Put in a shallow bowl.

Melt 3 TBS of butter and brush on rolls. Then roll them in the cinnamon and sugar mixture until thoroughly coated.

Cover and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to two months. If you opt for the longer than overnight, remove them once they're frozen and put them in a freezer container. When you get ready to eat them, remove them from the freezer and bake for 15-20 minutes in 400° oven until golden brown. Serve warm with a little powdered sugar dusted over the top.

Yum!

Note: There aren't 24 slices of bread in a loaf. You'll need two. I realized this too late and substituted light wheat bread. They tasted fine, but they had too much texture.

Yummy Apple Dumplings

Peel and core 2 medium size Grannie Smith apples. Cut into 8 wedges. Wrap each wedge in refridgerated crescent roll (2 tubes). Cover and seal completely

Put dumplings in greased 9x13 pan.

Mix 1/3 c melted butter and 1 cup sugar. Pour over dumplings.

Carefully pour 3/4 c Sprite, 7Up or Sierra Mist (not diet) around dumplings (not on).

Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Great served warm with vanilla ice cream!

Asian Cole Slaw

Put a 16 oz bag of cole slaw mix (I like the tri colored kind) in a bowl. Add:

2 pkg Oriental flavor ramen noodles (crunched up) (save the flavor packets for dressing)
1 can Mandarin oranges (save 1/4 c of liquid)
2/3 c toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 c chopped green onions
4 oz slivered almonds

(In the past I have also added finely chopped Craisins, shredded carrots and chopped chicken to make it a complete meal)

Dressing:
2/3 c veg oil
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/3 c sugar
2 flavor packets from the soup
2 TBS soy sauce

Since you don't add the dressing until just before you serve it, I make the dressing in a little container and take it with me if I'm going to someone else's house or if I make it ahead at home.

Molly Bees Caramel Banana Bread

Mix together:
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In another bowl mix:
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter

Then add:
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c mashed ripe bananas

Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Add 1 package of Kraft caramel bits (they're in the choc chip aisle) and stir well.

Divide batter into 2 well-greased loaf pans.
Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes in pan and then remove to wire rack.

Lemon Chicken Bake

Lemon Chicken Bake

Put in 9x 13 pan:
1.5# chicken legs and thighs
1# potatoes (baby ones or fingerlings are good but I used a mix of white and sweet that I had on hand) chunked up
5 peeled garlic cloves -whole

Mix:
1/4 c Kraft Spicy Italian Salad Dressing (I suspect any italian would work)
1/2 c chicken stock (I just melted a bullion cube in 1/2 c hot water)
1 TBS honey

Drizzle over stuff in the pan. Top with a lemon cut into 8 wedges.

Bake at 400° for an hour or until the chicken and potatoes are tender. EASY AND YUM x 1000!

Before

After

(I mashed the roasted garlic cloves up with my potatoes and garnished with roasted lemon!)

Oreo Truffles

36 whole Oreos (finely ground in the food processor)

1/2 c of EITHER cream cheese or creamy peanut butter

Mix until it all comes together into a dough.*

Roll into balls and refrigerate until firm.

Dip in chocolate or dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder.

*Don't lose heart! You're going to think you did something wrong, that's it's too dry, and that there's not enough cream cheese/peanut butter in there, but just have faith and keep going. All at once it will just happen!

Pasta Fagioli

Brown until onions are translucent:

1 # ground beef or turkey

1 small chopped onion-finely chopped

3 large garlic cloves-minced

1 TBS oregano

2 TBS parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

red pepper flakes (Optional. I don't use them)

Add and bring to a boil:

2 reg sized cans of Italian Stewed tomatoes that you've run through the blender

1 reg sized can of beef broth

Add and cook until pasta is done:

1 can kidney beans (or white beans)-drained

1-2 c of dry elbow macaroni

When pasta is done, add 1/2 bag fresh spinach (optional) and simmer for up to an hour. It's good then but it's even better the next night and the next!

Serve with liberal amounts of FRESH Parmesan (not Kraft in the can, the stuff you have to grate yourself. It's worth it!), crusty bread and a salad! YUM!