Strawberry Orange Salad With Glazed Almonds

Salad:

1 (9 oz. pkg.) romaine lettuce, torn in to bite size pieces
3 cups baby spinach leaves
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
20 strawberries, quartered or halved
6 green onions, chopped (I usually only use 3)

Dressing: (You only need 1/2 of this so reduce if you don't want leftovers) (You can also use any poppy seed dressing such as Litehouse brand)

3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 TBS. poppy seeds
1 tsp. dry mustard (I never have this so I always leave out)
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. finely minced onion (or use dehydrated minced)
1 cup canola oil

Almonds:

2 TBS butter, melted
1 egg white
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sliced almonds

Glazed Almonds:
1. Preheat oven to 325℉.

2. Pour butter in a 9-inch square baking pan. Combine egg white and sugar in a small bowl and beat with a whisk until frothy. Stir in almonds and coat well. Pour into pan.

3. Bake 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Spread almonds on wax paper to cool. When cool, break almonds apart.

4. Glazed almonds can be made a few days ahead. Just store in a Ziploc bag.

Dressing:
1. Blend sugar, poppy seeds, mustard, and salt with a mixer at low speed. Add vinegar and onion and beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Gradually add oil in a steady stream until mixture is thick. Pour in a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to serve shake to blend again.

Salad:
1. Combine romaine, spinach, oranges, strawberries and green onions in a large bowl.

2. Add almonds.

3. Shake dressing to blend. Pour half the dressing over the salad. Toss gently. Serve immediately.

Salad serves about 12

Crockpot Honey Glazed Chicken

adapted from Stephanie Cooks

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup soy sauce (regular or low sodium)
1 cup honey
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
6-8 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Place the chicken in the crockpot.

2. Stir the remaining ingredients together in a bowl, then pour over the chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours.

Sugar Cookie Bars

adapted from Tried and True Cooking With Heidi

Cookie:
1 cup butter--room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs **see note below
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 375℉. Grease a 13x18 inch cookie sheet and set aside.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet, until just combined.

3. Put into prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned (Mine took 14). Cool, frost, and cut into bars.

**for a variation only add 3 eggs and add a heaping 1/2 cup of sour cream

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
8 TBS milk (I use evaporated because it's more creamy but regular milk will work fine)
1 tsp. vanilla
food coloring, optional
sprinkles, optional

1. Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix well. Add enough milk to reach spreadable consistency. (it might take less than 8 or more). Add vanilla and food coloring and mix well. Frost cooled cookies. Add sprinkles if using.

Sour Cream Party Potatoes

2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup minced onion (I use dehydrated sometimes)
8 precooked potatoes--shredded or cubed (I use bagged hashbrowns too, 30 oz. or so, thawed)
cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup corn flakes, crushed small
salt and pepper to taste
paprika, optional

1. Combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream, milk, onion, potatoes, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix well.

2. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Top with cheese and crushed corn flakes.

3. Bake at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes.

Sour Cream Orange Rolls

From Studio 5

Dough:

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast (I used 1 TBS)
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
2 TBS butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
3- 1/2 cups flour

Filling:

Finely grate or zest peel (about 2 TBS zest) of 1 fresh orange. (Set orange aside to use in glaze.)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened


Glaze:

Juice from the orange you used for your zest (about 2 TBS orange juice)
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar

Dough:
1. Add yeast to lukewarm water, stir to dissolve.

2. Place water and yeast in large mixing bowl; beat in 1/3 cup sugar, beaten eggs, sour cream, softened butter and salt.

3. Add 2-cups flour and beat well. Gradually add enough more flour to make a soft dough (but not sticky). Knead fifteen times. Allow dough to rest 10 minutes while preparing filling.

Filling:

4. In small bowl mix orange zest and 1/3 cup sugar.

5. Divide dough in half; roll out each portion on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle.

6. Spread each circle with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Sprinkle circles equally with prepared orange sugar. Cut circles into 12 wedges. Starting at wide end of each wedge, roll up each wedge crescent roll fashion and place in buttered cookie sheet or 2-9x13in. pans.

7. Cover and allow rolls to rise until double in bulk. (I let mine raise about 1 hour).

8. Preheat oven to 350℉. Bake uncovered rolls 20 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from oven and spread with glaze while rolls are warm.

Glaze:

9. Combine all ingredients (sour cream, butter, sugar, and orange juice) in small saucepan. Stirring, over medium heat, bring to boil; boil 3 minutes stirring constantly. Pour glaze over warm rolls. They taste best when they are warm from oven.

Soda Pop Chicken

from Ashli J.

boneless skinless chicken breasts, as many as you need
soda pop (not diet) (Sprite and Squirt work good or experiment)

1. Put the pop in a frying pan or wok; bring to a boil. When pop is boiling add chicken breasts.

2. Turn chicken over ever five minutes until pop is evaporated and light brown coating covers chicken breasts.

3. Serve over rice or whatever you like.

Note: The original recipe called for 1 cup of pop per chicken breast but when you cook five chicken breasts 5 cups of pop is too much. So try two cans of pop for about 7-8 chicken breasts.

Baked Brown Rice

from My Kitchen Cafe

1-1/2 cups brown rice
2-1/2 cups chicken broth or water (add salt if you use water)

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Put rice and chicken broth in 3 quart oven safe dish. Cover tightly with tin foil.
2. Bake for 70 minutes. Remove from oven; wait 5 minutes before uncovering. Fluff with fork.

Yield: 3-1/2 cups cooked rice

Note: You can dice and saute a yellow onion before baking and add to rice and broth. I put a clove of garlic in with the onion also.

Berry Lemonade

from Studio 5

1-1/2 cups raspberries, strawberries, or other berry of your choice (sliced if using Strawberries)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (It took about 7-8 lemons juiced to get this much. Make sure no seeds are left)
1-1/4 cup sugar
4 cups cold water
lemon slices, optional
ice, optional

1. Blend together berries, lemon juice and sugar. (Use a blender or a hand blender. Can make it smooth or leave it a little chunky.)

2. Pour berry mixture in a pitcher and add water, lemon slices and ice. Stir well and enjoy.

I liked it better after it had sat in the fridge for a few hours.

Serves 6-8

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares

From The Mad Chemist

1/3 cup softened butter

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used cut up Reeses’ eggs this time)


1. Grease and line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper. (I didn’t use the parchment paper.) Preheat oven to 350℉.

2 Beat the butter and peanut butter at a medium speed until creamy, gradually adding the sugars. Beat well. Then add the eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Add the vanilla.

3 Combine the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture beating well.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.