Heath Bar Cake

Here is another recipe I found while waiting in the doctor's office. It is moist, rich and delicious. I found that the longer it sat in the refrigerator, the better it was. So when you make this, be sure to make it at least a couple of days before you serve it.

Heath Bar Cake

1 German chocolate cake mix

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 jar caramel ice cream topping

1 container of Cool Whip

1 bag Heath chocolate toffee bits (you can use 6 Heath or Skor bars, crushed)

Prepare and bake cake according to directions in a 9 x 13 pan. After removing from the oven, poke holes all over cake with a fork. Pour condensed milk over the holes and pour caramel topping over holes. Let stand until the cake cools. Cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle chocolate Heath bits on top. Put in refrigerator and chill.

Beef and Mushroom Lasagna

The best part about waiting in the doctor's office is finding a great recipe in a magazine. I found this in a Woman's Day magazine and decided to make it for my family. Of course, I changed it just a little bit--have to add Nana's touch. We really liked this lasagna. As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I made it for a friend for her family to enjoy.

Beef and Mushroom Lasagna

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk

1 pound ground beef

small onion, chopped

2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

9 cooked lasagna noodles

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together soup and milk and set aside.

Cook ground beef in a skillet. Add onions and salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste. Cook until meat is browned and onions are tender. Remove any grease from the skillet and stir in spaghetti sauce.

In a 9x13 baking dish layer 1/2 beef mixture, 3 noodles and 1 cup soup mixture. Top with 3 more noodles, remaining beef mixture, remaining noodles and remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and cover baking dish.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until hot. Then, uncover and broil 2 - 4 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

Are you having a holiday party? This easy and delicious cheese ball, served with crackers, will be a hit. Better have some recipe cards made up, because everyone will be asking for the recipe. Enjoy!

Pineapple Cheese Ball

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well (I even use a paper towel to dry it more)

1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper

2 tablespoons of chopped onion

1 tablespoon of seasoned salt

2 cups of chopped pecans

Combine the first three ingredients, add 1 cup nuts and mix well. Refrigerate until firm and shape into a ball. Roll the ball in the other cup of nuts. Serve with crackers of your choice.

Chocolate Truffle Candy

Brandi has one more delicious candy recipe that I hope she doesn't mind me sharing. It's her mom's chocolate truffle recipe. Once again Brandi makes these at Christmas for friends and family. Are you one of the lucky ones that receive a plate of her goodies at Christmas?

Chocolate Truffle Candy

6 oz. cream cheese

4 cups powdered sugar (1 box)

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted (broil lightly) and chopped

1 tablespoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted in microwave

Mix together all ingredients except the chocolate chips. (You can use a spoon or a hand mixer.) Shape into balls and put on wax paper or plastic wrap, on a cookie tray. Refrigerate balls for a couple of hours before dipping. Dip each ball, one at a time, using a spoon in the melted chocolate chips. You can decorate with white chocolate drizzles. Serve in mini-muffin paper cups.

**You can use any kind of chocolate. As you can see in the picture I even dipped a few in the white chocolate with dark chocolate drizzles. Well, some didn't drizzle--they plopped! Brandi uses milk chocolate, too.

Brandi's Mom's Peanut Butter Fudge

Well, I may as well share some more of Brandi's famous recipes. Her peanut butter fudge is the out of this world. She makes it every Christmas to give to family and friends. It's the best! You've got to make some. I know you'll agree.

**You'll need a candy thermometer for this one.

Brandi's Mom's Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk (5 oz. can)

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook sugar and evaporated mild in a pot until 234 degrees (soft ball). Stir constantly. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Pour into a buttered 8x8 glass pan. Let cool.

Cut and enjoy! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Oreo Cookies

My daughter-in-law, Brandi, is a great cook. I'd like to say she gets it from her mother-in-law (ME!), but I can't take the credit. Here is another of her delicious, creative recipes that the family enjoys.

Oreo Cookies

1 package of chocolate cake mix (I use Duncan Hines Devil Food)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg

Mix all ingredients above and roll into 1 inch balls. Bake at 350 for about 7 - 8 minutes. Take our before it starts to crack on top.

Oreo Middle:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients together. Put a dollop in the middle of a cookie and put another cookie on top.

You've got homemade OREO Cookies! Yummy!

Cranberry Chicken

I saw this recipe for Cranberry Chicken in an old cook book and it sounded good. I decided to make it for the family and they loved it! It was very easy to make, just a few ingredients. Besides, Cranberry Chicken sounds so holidayish (if that's a word). So try it during the holidays.

Cranberry Chicken

6 - 8 chicken breasts

1 small bottle French dressing

1 package dry Lipton soup mix (it didn't say which kind, but I used onion)

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Mix salad dressing, dry soup mix, cranbery sauce and orange sections. Place chicken breast in baking dish and top each with the cranberry mix. Bake 45 - 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with rice.

Crock Pot Mushroom Swiss Chicken

Man, after all that Thanksgiving cooking, it's time for another crock pot recipe. My daughter-in-law, Brandi, posted this recipe on her blog. Since her blog is private and not everyone can go to it, I wanted to post it for everyone to enjoy. I love crock pot recipes and this is one I think your whole family will love.

Crock Pot Mushroom Swiss Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 slices Swiss Cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/4 cup milk

2 cups herb stuffing mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Arrange chicken breasts in crock pot. Top with cheese, layering cheese if necessary. combine soup and milk; stir well. Spoon over cheese and sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle melted butter over stuffing mix. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 - 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.

**Brandi used chicken broth rather than the butter. She's good about trying to make food more healthy with less fat.

Moma Cleo's Oatmeal Meatloaf

Here is another meatloaf recipe that my mother-in-law always made. It is so moist and delicious, and of course, I add a couple of scoops of Mila to it to make it more healthy.

Moma Cleo's Oatmeal Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 can tomato juice (about 10 - 12 ounces)

3/4 cup oatmeal, uncooked

1 egg, beaten

1 small onion chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Press firmly into an ungreased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes (uncovered). Mix together 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons mustard and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Spread over top of meatloaf and finish baking for about 15 more minutes (uncovered) until brown around edge.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Speaking of meatballs--my sister makes sweet and sour meatballs for her family and serves it as the main dish with rice. I've always used a this recipe as an appetizer, but decided to try it as a main dish. You know, it was pretty good. The sauce made a great gravy and my family loved it. Oh, and I put 2 scoops of Mila in the meatballs so I felt it was more healthy for everyone.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

In a pot, mix together:

2 jars of chili sauce

2 1/3 cups grape jelly or jam

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

Cook on stove top, stir until blended and let it come to a boil.

Mix together and shape into balls (about the size of a walnut):

2 pounds ground beef

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons dried minced onion

Add meatballs to pot and cook on low. Simmer for 1 - 1/2 hours. Serve on rice.

**You can cook this in a crock pot, too.

Meatballs and Rice

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. So, are you tired of eating turkey yet? Let's check out some beef recipes.

I was looking through an old cookbook and found this recipe for meatballs and rice that sounded interesting. It gave ingredients for making your own meatballs, but in this day and age you can go to the frozen food section of the grocery store and get meatballs already made.
Well, I had the frozen meatballs and I just followed the rest of the recipe and it was delicious! Even my picky grandchildren loved it.

Meatballs and Rice

Before you begin, you need to make some white rice. I put 2 cups of water with salt and a pat of butter in a pot on the stove and let it come to a boil. Add 1 cup of long grain rice, bring it back to a boil, put a lid on the pot and cook for 20 minutes (don't peek!) Set aside.

Frozen Meatballs (about 30)
1 - 2 slices of bacon
2 Tablespoons of chopped onion
2 Tablespoons of green bell pepper, chopped
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook bacon in a skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and saute' together for a few minutes. Add frozen meatballs, cover and cook until meatballs are done. Stir and turn meatballs occasionally. Remove the bacon. Add the tomato sauce, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add the precooked rice, mix well and bring to a boil. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes, fluffing the rice once or twice with a fork. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Turkey Pom Poms

So, what do you do with all the left-over turkey after Thanksgiving? If you're like our family, we never have any left-overs! But, it you do, here's a delicious recipe you should try.

Hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!


Turkey Pom Poms

3 cups cooked rice (that's about 1 cup uncooked rice)
1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups diced turkey
2 eggs
Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Form into balls (I usually use a 1/4 cup measure so the balls are about the same size.) You'll need to press firmly as you are making the turkey balls (pom poms) so they stick together well. Roll in bread crumbs and put on a pan. Bake (uncovered) at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
Bring to a boil and put on top of Pom Poms.

Lemon Bars

Here's a dessert recipe my sister-in-law always brings for holiday family gatherings like Thanksgiving. She makes them especially for our 96 year old mother-in-law who loves anything lemon. I think you'll love these, too.

Lemon Bars

1 box lemon cake mix

3 eggs

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 stick butter

1 box powdered sugar

Mix 1 egg and box of cake mix and press into greased 9x13 pan. Next mix cream cheese, butter, 2 eggs and powdered sugar and pour over the crust mixture. Bake 45 minutes at 325 until browned on top. (I had to bake mine a little longer.)

Mom's Sweet Potatoes

Our favorite food at Thanksgiving (besides the turkey) is sweet potatoes--especially the way I make them. We need to call them Sweet, Sweet Potatoes. But the Sweet is what makes them so good. Here is my recipe. I can taste them now!

Mom's Sweet Potatoes

Boil 4 - 6 sweet potatoes (with skin still on) until soft when pricked with a fork--about 30 - 45 minutes. Let the sweet potatoes cool, then peel and mash in a large bowl. Skins should peel off very easily.

Add and mix in the following ingredients:

(I use a hand mixer to mix it.)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

1/3 stick of butter melted

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Put mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Cover with mini-marshmallows. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until marshmallows are melted and browned. Then take a spoon and mix the marshmallows into the sweet potatoes. Put more marshmallows on the top and bake again (about 20 - 30 minutes) until marshmallows are melted and browned.

By the way, can anyone tell me why my picture turned out flipped like it is. I couldn't get it turned around. Does anyone know how I can correct this problem? Thanks!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Last Thanksgiving my daughter-in-law, Mandy, taught me how to make homemade cranberry sauce. It was so easy and sooooo good! And you gotta have cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz.)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour sauce into a bowl, cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time.

**By the way, the recipe is on the back of the bag of fresh cranberries. I always wondered what you did with those cranberries in the bag :-) Duh!

Giblet Gravy

You have the turkey and stuffing recipes, now you need the gravy--Giblet Gravy!

Giblet Gravy

Boil the giblets in salted water for about 45 - 60 minutes. Chop and set aside.

Put the broth from the turkey (add Swanson's chicken broth if needed), in a pot. Add the chopped giblets and 2 - 4 chopped hard boiled eggs. Heat and bring to a boil. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup gravy flour ( I use Wondra) to thicken. Stir and keep warm to serve with your turkey and stuffing and put some on your rice. Ummmm!

Turkey Stuffing and Dressing

Dressing? Stuffing? What's the difference? Well, dressing is made outside the turkey and stuffing is stuffed inside the turkey. I always do it both ways. My sister-in-law makes the best dressing, but every time I make it, it's just not as good as hers. But my stuffing is pretty good. My family likes it because it is so moist--after all it is baked inside the turkey with all those delicious turkey juices. Here are the recipes. Choose one or make both. See which one your family likes best.

Turkey Stuffing

1 small bag (8 oz) of Cornbread Stuffing (I use Pepperidge Farm)

2 - 3 Tablespoons butter

1 onion chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup dried cranberries

hot water

Put the cornbread stuffing in a large bowl. Saute the onion and celery in the butter until onions are clear. Add to the stuffing and toss together. Put in cranberries and toss again. Add salt and pepper and enough hot water to get the stuffing mixture to stick together (about 1-2 cups). Then stuff the mixture into the breast cavity of the turkey. Pack tightly. When your turkey is cooked, take out the stuffing and put in a serving bowl. You can microwave it before serving.

Aunt Elaine's Dressing

Make cornbread below:

2 cups self rising white cornmeal

1 cup self rising flour

1 egg

Milk (about 1 - 1 1/2 cups--consistency is a little thicker than pancake batter

Put some butter and cornmeal in skillet to prepare for baking. Heat 1/4 cup oil in an iron skillet. add cornbread mixture. Cook in oven at 400 degrees. When brown on top, flip over (take a plate to flip it) and brown other side.

In a large bowl, crumble cornbread and add 8 oz. package of herb stuffing mix. Saute 2 cups chopped celery and 2 cups chopped onion with a stick of butter. Add 1 raw egg. Add enough turkey broth (use Swanson Chicken broth if need extra) to make mixture moist so that it sticks together. Put in 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 until bubbly and brown (about 30 -45 minutes).

Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

Where did the time go? Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This past weekend I decided to make a Thanksgiving dinner so I could share some of my favorite recipes and have some pictures to share, too. The main thing about making a delicious turkey is seasoning, seasoning, seasoning! There is really no recipe I can give you, but I will give you directions on how you can make a delicious turkey for Thanksgiving, too.
Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

1. Thaw frozen turkey in refrigerator for about 5 days.

2. Remove the giblet packet and the neck, and rinse turkey with water. Undo turkey legs from the metal prongs, but leave the prongs in the turkey. I usually pull off any fat around the openings of the turkey and I cut off the little tail on the end (but you don't have to).

3. Place turkey on some paper towels and pat dry. Be sure to dry inside the turkey, too.

4. Season turkey really well, all over, with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then put Catalina French Dressing all over the turkey. You can also sprinkle a little paprika over the turkey, but I always forget to do that and it's still good. You can stuff the turkey (recipe to follow next post) if you'd like.

5. Take a whole onion and put it in the neck cavity. Put the legs back in the prongs.

6. Put the turkey in a roasting pan, add about 1/2 cup of water along the sides and cover with heavy duty aluminum foil. Make sure your roasting pan is deep enough. You don't want the juices to run out into your oven. Not only will it make a mess, but it could start a fire. (I always put enough foil to cover the bottom of the roaster as well as the turkey. This saves me some clean-up.)

7. Start baking the turkey at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes to get the turkey going. Then turn down to 275 degrees and bake about 30 minutes per pound. I usually put it in the oven before I go to bed (because I'm always up late the night before Thanksgiving getting everything ready anyway) and get up early to finish it. When it is done (juices run clear when pricked with a fork), uncover the turkey and brown at 325 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. Recover and let cool.

8. Remove the onion and throw it away. Save your turkey broth to make gravy (this recipe is going to be posted, too). Slice your turkey--actually it will almost fall apart it's so tender--and serve.

Be sure to keep looking on my blog for the rest of our Thanksgiving recipes. I plan to do the next several posts just on these recipes so you can use them for your family's turkey feast.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Now, what did you do with all those pumpkin seeds you dug out of your Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns? I bet you threw them away like I usually do. Well, this year I decided to try to roast them. My husband loves pumpkin seeds, so I made them especially for him. They were delicious. Saved me a lot of money, too--pumpkin seeds are about $5.00 a pound at the health food store.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 1/2 - 3 cups raw pumpkin seeds

3 Tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients above until pumpkin seeds are evenly coated. Spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until toasted. Cool completely on the baking sheet. Put in a serving dish and enjoy!

**Let the pumpkin seeds dry overnight before roasting. I rinse them off and then put them on a paper towel on a cookie pan to dry out. Thanks, Brandi, for reminding me to make note of this :-)

Turkey Chili

Well, if it's "soup" weather, then it's "chili" weather, too. This a the chili recipe that Brandi's mom makes. I add more beans than Brandi's mom does, but it is basically the same recipe. My husband loves for me to make this chili because it is made with turkey rather than beef. He always says, "I don't eat red meat because it's not good for me." Now, ask my kids if that is true--that he doesn't eat red meat. NOT! We're glad he says he doesn't eat it because if he said he did eat it, we would never get any. But you can make this with beef instead of chicken. Either way, it's our favorite chili!

Turkey Chili

1 pound of ground turkey

1 small onion chopped

2 cans petite diced tomatoes

1 heaping Tablespoon chili powder

1 heaping teaspoon sugar

1 heaping teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 - 3 cans pinto beans

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can dark red kidney beans

Brown turkey (I add salt, pepper and garlic powder to the turkey) and onions. Then add everything except the beans and simmer for 1 hour. Add the beans and warm thoroughly. I drain the juice from one can of pinto beans and the can of light red kidney beans. I leave the juice in the other beans. I just don't want my chili too soupy.

**We like to eat the chili with corn bread. Now, my friend Verlene, has a great corn bread recipe. It's real buttery and sweet like a cake. I will plan to post it in the future. In the meantime, it's so easy just to pull out a box of Jiffy corn bread mix. Some days I'm lazy--just plain lazy! By the way, this Jiffy mix makes really good corn bread.

Taco Soup

It's getting to be "soup" weather. Here is one of our favorites--Taco Soup!

Taco Soup

2 - 3 chicken breasts

1 can Mexi-corn

1 can black beans

1 small salsa or picante sauce (mild)

2 cups chicken broth

Boil the chicken in water with salt, a piece of celery and a small onion. Takes about 30 minutes to cook. Save 2 cups of broth and put into a pot. You can use canned or boxed chicken broth if you'd like, but I figure if you're boiling chicken anyway, you may as well use the broth. Right?

Cut chicken breasts into pieces and put into pot. Add 1 can of Mexi-corn. Drain beans and add to soup (you can rinse beans if you'd like or put the beans in, liquid and all). Pour in the small salsa or picante sauce. Mix together and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips. Delicious and Easy! We always double the recipe because everyone eats seconds or thirds--even fourths!.

My kids love to put sour cream and cheese in their soup before eating. Me--I'm just a plain Jane and eat it like it is. I always scoop it up with tortilla chips. I don't use my spoon until the very end so I can get every last drop!

Orange Pineapple Cake

For the fish fry, we were also asked to bring a dessert. I took this as an opportunity to try something new. I've had this recipe for Orange Pineapple Cake for quite a while, but have never had the chance to make it. Well, it was delicious--very moist. I will definitely make it again.

Orange Pineapple Cake

1 package of Butter Cake Mix ( I used Duncan Hines)

1 egg

1 can of mandarin orange sections

1 large can of crushed pineapple

1 container of Cool Whip

1 (3 oz.) package of instant vanilla pudding

Make cake mix using package directions plus the addition of 1 egg. Fold drained orange sections into the cake batter. Bake in 2 greased and floured 9 inch pans according to directions on cake mix. When cool, fill and frost with mixture of undrained pineapple and dry pudding mix stirred into the Cool Whip topping.

Creamy Cole Slaw

We had a fish fry at church and I was asked to bring some cole slaw. I was excited to make it because I have a delicious recipe for cole slaw. Everyone loved it and I hope you will too.

Cole Slaw

1 large head of cabbage, sliced and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

salt and pepper

Put cabbage and onion in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and sugar. Add mixture to the cabbage and onion. Blend together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it sit in refrigerator a couple of hours before serving.

**Since my husband doesn't like all the fat in mayonnaise, I will use Vegenaise instead.

Roast Brisket Recipes

My mom taught me how to make delicious brisket. I also use this same recipe when I make a sirloin tip roast. There are no measurements to give you, just the ingredients. But you really don't have to measure--just put everything together and let it bake. This is definitely a family favorite that is requested when Nana comes to visit the grands.

Moma Toby's Brisket

Brisket Roast (about 3 pounds)

Onion (sliced)

Carrots (I use the peeled bagged baby carrots)

Potatoes (how ever many you think your family will eat)

Ketchup

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

In a 9 x 13 pan, put a large sheet of aluminum foil--enough to bring up the sides to cover the roast. Put sliced onion on the bottom of pan. Place the roast on top of the onion. Put peeled potatoes and carrots around the roast. Sprinkle (I have a pretty heavy hand when I sprinkle) salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the roast, potatoes and carrots. Then put ketchup on top and rub all over the roast, potatoes and carrots. Add about 1/2 cup water (I usually pour it along the corners of the pan so it doesn't wash away the ketchup from everything). Cover (fold over the foil) and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes a pound.

**This is a great Sunday dinner. I usually start this before I go to church at 350 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes and then turn it down to about 275/300 degrees and let it bake until I get back from church (about 3 1/2 hours). I always make gravy from the cooked juices by adding 1 - 2 teaspoons of gravy maker (Kitchen Bouquet) or add a packet of brown gravy sauce. Slice the roast (opposite the grain) and put back in the pan of gravy. I usually stick it back in the oven to keep it hot. Then I serve it with rice.

The other brisket recipe I have is my sister Cathy's recipe. It is a sweet and sour brisket. Cathy usually makes this when the family gets together because it serves a lot of people. I must confess, this brisket is out-of-this-world!

Cathy's Sweet and Sour Brisket

In a roaster pan, cut 2 - 3 large onions. Mix together 2 cups of ketchup and 2 cups of brown sugar. Set this sauce aside.

Season a 5 - 6 pound brisket with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Put brisket in pan on top of onions. Put carrots around pan.

Peel potatoes and put salt, pepper and ketchup all over them. Put potatoes around pan.

Put 1 cup of water in pan. Take sauce and pour on top of brisket. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 4 hours.

Let cool. Slice brisket and put back in the gravy. You can darken the gravy with Kitchen Bouquet. Reheat before serving.

**My sister usually makes it the day before and heats it the next day before serving.

Carmel Apple Dip

This is a recipe I got from Brandi's sister. Now that it is apple season, I thought this would be a great recipe to share. It is so yummy! I know you'll like it, too.

Carmel Apple Dip

Mix with an electric mixer:

1 package cream cheese (softened)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Add by hand:

1 bag Skor bits or Heath bits with chocolate

Salty Bones

Here is one last Halloween treat for your family to enjoy--Salty Bones. This also came from the Family Fun website. Happy Haunting!

Salty Bones

1 tube of refrigerated bread stick dough

Coarse salt

Unroll a tube of refrigerated bread stick dough and separate the rectangular pieces. Working with one piece at a time, stretch the dough to lengthen it a bit and then use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut a 1 1/2 inch slit in the center of each end. Roll or shape the resulting four flaps of sough into knobs that look like the ends of a bone. Place the dough bones on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle a little coarse salt over each bone. Bake the bones until they are light golden brown, about 12 - 14 minutes.

Freaky Fingers and Monster Mouths

I found some really cute Halloween treats on the Family Fun website. They were called Cheese Finger Food and Apple Bites, but I think Freaky Fingers and Monster Mouths sound much more appetizing for Halloween!

Freaky Fingers

Mozzarella string cheese

Green bell pepper

Cream cheese

Cut each cheese stick in half (makes two fingers). Carve a shallow area for a fingernail just below the rounded end of each half. Carve out tiny horizontal wedges for joint (below the nail) and the knuckle joint. Slice green bell pepper into nail shapes and stick them in place at the ends of the fingers with dabs of cream cheese.

Monster Mouths

Apples

Slivered almonds

Quarter and core an apple. Cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter. Then press slivered almonds in place for teeth.

Tip: If you're not going to serve these right away, bast the apples with orange juice to keep them from browning.

"Mummy" Dogs

I thought this was such a great idea. My daughter-in-law, Brandi, made these last Halloween for her family. It's just hot dogs all wrapped up like mummies. Cute, huh?

"Mummy Dogs"

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

2 1/2 slices of American cheese, quartered

10 hot dogs

Cooking spray

Mustard and/or Ketchup (if desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough, separate at perforations, making 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters--the half slice of cheese, cut in half.

Put a slit lenghwise in hot dog and put slice of cheese on top of slit. Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog to look like bandages, stretching dough slightly to completely cover the hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog(not the cheese side), separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for a "face". On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs

(cheese side down), and spray dough slightly with cooking spray.

Bake 13 - 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard draw features on "face".

My granddaughter, Addy, helped me make them. I started them with one strand of dough (to secure the cheese) and then she finished wrapping them.I separated the bandages to make the face. We baked them, used mustard to put a face on them and ate them all up. (I put the mustard in a small baggie, snipped the corner and decorated the mummy's face. Brandi suggested doing this and it worked great!)

You can tell little McKinley loved them, too.

Witches Potion

Halloween is almost here. Here's a cool snack for the children to enjoy containing black bugs, vampire teeth, bat eyes, frog eggs, ghost teeth and witches warts. Doesn't that sound yummy?

Witches Potion

1 1/2 cups raisins (black bugs)

1 1/2 cups candy corn (vampire teeth)

1 1/2 cups M & Ms (bat eyes)

1 1/2 cups peanuts (frog eggs)

2 cups marshmallows (ghost teeth)

3 cups Corn Chex (witches warts)

Mix together and devour!

Crock Pot Country Steak

It's time for another crock pot recipe. This one is for country style steak and it's delicious. The meat is so tender it melts in your mouth. Serve it with mashed potatoes or rice. You can also serve it on top of egg noodles. No matter how you serve it, you're going to eat this one up!

Crock Pot Country Steak

6 pieces of cubed steak

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package of brown gravy mix

1 cup of water

Brown the cubed steak in a pan and put in the crock pot. In a small bowl mix the soup, gravy mix, and water. Pour this mixture on top of the steak in the crock pot and cook on low 6 - 8 hours.

**You can add a can of mushrooms if you'd like--and you know me, I love mushrooms!

Poor Man's Hash

When my children were young, I used to make a hamburger and rice casserole that they really loved. Hamburger was inexpensive back then, so we called it "Poor Man's Hash"--mainly because we were poor and it was a cheap dinner to make. I found the recipe a few weeks ago and decided to try it again. You know, it still makes a delicious meal. Next time I'm going to double it!

Poor Man's Hash

1 pound of hamburger

1 small onion chopped

1 small bell pepper chopped

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chili powder

1 (16 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger. Salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook until onion and bell pepper are clear and cooked. Add tomatoes, rice, and chili powder. Mix together and put in a covered casserole dish. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Tricia's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Last week I went to visit my son, Brandon, in Utah. His wife, Tricia, made these delicious pumpkin muffins. I couldn't stop eating them. Tricia cooks really healthy and she made the muffins using whole wheat flour, olive oil, real maple syrup and honey. Here's the recipe. I know your family is going to like these and they are healthy for you!

Tricia's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin

3/4 cup olive oil

2/3 cup real maple syrup

2/3 cup honey

2/3 cup soy milk

1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray or you can use the paper cup liners.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Mix in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins two-thirds full. Bake 20 - 25 minutes for regualr size muffins. Bake 12-15 minutes for mini muffin size. Cool 5 minutes in the tin and remove to a wire rack.