Abby's Party Salsa

Abby's Party Salsa
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (or 2 cups fresh)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
8 oz (1/2 bottle) of Zesty Italian Dressing
2 avocados, diced

Mix, chill, and  serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy! (That's not a suggestion, it's a premonition.)

*D: I recently had a baby. Truth be told, I had two babies, but my little Eli was stillborn. There were many complications with my pregnancy and I was put on bed rest for 3 months. The result? I missed my own baby shower! Luckily I have amazing friends who rescheduled the whole thing for 2 months later, a few weeks after Abigail was born.

One of the things served at my baby shower was this AMAZING salsa/dip. I stood by the bowl and ate as much as I could, and I even pilfered the leftovers without asking. I called my friend the next day and demanded the recipe. When she gave it to me, I made a batch that night. This stuff is so good.

I didn't know what to call it, but dubbed in Abby's Party Salsa in honor of my baby girl. If you share the recipe, do you mind keeping the name? That'd be awesome. Thanks. (And chances are you will want to share the recipe.)

I am not a big fan of black-eyed peas, so I don't like to put the whole can in. They add a good flavor base to the salsa, but if you get too much in there, it tastes a bit grainy and muddy (to me). Be careful of flavored diced tomatoes. I have a bunch of cans of diced tomatoes in my food storage, but not a single can is plain old tomatoes. They're all Italian seasoned or with sweet onion or with celery and jalapeno. They've all been good, but I think the plain has been the best.

The recipe makes a lot, which is good because I eat a lot of it. It's fairly healthy, so I feel pretty good about it when I eat it.

This might be fun to throw in some chunked chicken and couple with white rice in a tortilla for a new twist on burritos.Would that make it a twisted burrito...?  Pin It

Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars

AKA Jam Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup margarine or butter
Raisin Filling, Apple-cinnamon Filling, Apricot-Coconut Filling, 10 oz (1 1/4 cup) preserves

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Cut in margarine or butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour mixture. Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9x3 inch baking pan. Spread with desired filling. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture.

Bake at 350* for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 25.

Raisin Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 water, 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Add 1 cup raisins. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.

Apple-Cinnamon Filling: Peel, core and chop 2 medium apples (about 10 oz). In a medium saucepan, combine apples, 2 TBSP sugar, 2 TBSP water, 1 TBSP lemon juice, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and a dash ground cloves. Bring apple mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or till apples are very tender.

Apricot-Coconut Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup snipped dried apricots and 2/4 cup water. Bring apricot mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 TBSP all-purpose flour. Stir into apricot mixture. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or til very thick. Stir in 1/4 cup coconut.

*D: If you skip making a filling and just use your favorite jam, this is about the easiest recipe in the world.

A few modifications: I greased the bottom of my pan! I also reserved about 3/4 of a cup of topping, and it worked out great.

About 2 years ago I made like a million half pints of plum jam, and I still have about 50 jars (not joking) left in my basement. This was a great way to use those! So I've had this recipe with strawberry jam and plum jam, both ways are delicious. I'm considering making a peach version as well.

Seriously, this is really easy and very delicious. It's not to heavy, so I don't feel guilty going back for seconds. :) Pin It

Amish Cookies

1 cup white sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup cooking oil
4 scant cups flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Cream all wet ingredients. Addy dry ingredients. Add flour until it doesn't stick to the bowl. Chill. Roll into balls, dip in sugar and softly press with fork. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. They will be very light, as if they are not done.

*D: Disclaimer: I have NO idea why these are called Amish Cookies. They might as well be called Almond cookies. Don't ask me, I just write the recipes as they come.

I made these last night and Tyler loves them. They have the consistency of a snickerdoodle, but the light cherry type flavor of almonds.

I got this recipe from a fellow volunteer in Ecuador, so this recipe is exactly how she gave it to me. I followed it, but I have a few notes. If you cream all the wet ingredients you get clumps of butter that don't cream in because the eggs and such are too slippery. What I will probably do in the future is cream the granulated sugar and butter, then add the rest of the wet ingredients, and then the dry. I added the flour last, but I don't think it's really all that necessary. I didn't add any more or less flour. Just the 4 cups, regardless of how it reacted to the edge of the bowl.

I used the cooking oil, but if someone wants to be brave and use applesauce and tell me how it is, I'd be interested to know.

I baked them for 10 minutes and pulled them out even though they didn't look done. I think 11 minutes is better, though.

Don't use too much dough. These are better smaller. They do plump a lot in the oven. Pin It

Pistachio Salad

1 package instant pistachio pudding mix (4 serving size)
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup small marshmallows
1/2 container of frozen whipped topping

Remember me telling you how you can say "Salad" in any recipe and it instantly sounds healthy? Yeah...this is one of those.

In a bowl mix pistachio pudding mix (NOT PREPARED PUDDING) and the crushed pineapple and juice. Fold in whipped topping. And marshmallows and gently mix.

Optional ingredients: chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds. Sliced bananas.

*D: This little salad has great flavor and color. It's very green which is festive for Christmas or St. Patrick's day. Let the pudding and pineapple juice thicken a little before adding the rest of the ingredients, and make sure it has a chance to set up in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Also, I use probably 2 cups of marshmallows when I make it. Pin It

Snicker's Salad

5 red apples
2 bananas
3 Snicker's bars
1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz)
1 1/3 cup cold milk
1 container Cool Whip, thawed

 Cut snickers bars into small pieces (cut the bars lengthwise, and thin into 1/4" chunks) and put in freezer for an hour. Mix milk and pudding mix; whip until smooth. Fold pudding and whipped topping together. Chop fruit and blot apples on a paper towel. Add fruits to pudding mix and chill. Add candy before serving.


*D: Have you noticed you can put "salad" on the end of anything and it instantly makes it a health food? Snicker's salad, cookie salad, Jello salad (which is full of whipped cream and cream cheese). I'm just sayin'.

I LOVE Snicker's salad! Mmmm. This is a mishmash of a few different recipes and my personal preferences. My sister-in-law says her recipe calls for strawberry yogurt instead of pudding. That's probably the more healthy option. :)

Freezing the candy pieces is not necessary, but I think it helps them stay chunky instead of mushy and gooey. The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can add all kinds of fruits! Peaches, nectarines, blueberries, etc. I'd say stick with the basics if that's what you have, but if you've got other fruits, go wild!

This is always a crowd pleaser. Pin It

Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 bananas (mashed)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/3 cup butter (melted)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease 10 muffin cups (or line with muffin papers). In a large bowl mix 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moist and combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

To make streusel - in a large brown mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and ground cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon of butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle streusel over the top of the muffins.

Place into the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*D: I love these muffins! Anything with streusel is great, but these are fabulous. In all seriousness, don't over mix. You'll get whole-y tunnel-y muffins. Lumps are ok in the batter. These muffins do lack the crunch you get when you add nuts, so if you want to go ahead and put them in. But please, if you use anything other than almonds, don't tell me. Almonds are my nut of choice, and I couldn't bare to hear you put walnuts in this recipe. Shudder. Pin It

Strawberry Rhubarb Dessert Bars

Filling Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Drizzle Ingredients:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Combine rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in 2-quart saucepan. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender (8 to 12 minutes).

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Stir into fruit mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil (about 1 minute). Continue boiling until thickened (1 minute). Remove from heat. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Combine all drizzle ingredients in small bowl. Drizzle over cooled bars. Cut into bars.

*D: Rhubarb is a low maintenance plant that produces tart, fresh stalks (like celery) and poisonous leaves. :) We have a huge plant in our yard and you want to know how it got so big? Me too. Because we didn't do anything but water it once in a while. When the plant gets too big, we cut some stalks and freeze them.


So, this is a great rhubarb recipe for us to use all our rhubarb, both fresh and frozen. If you've ever had rhubarb you know it can be very tart. This recipe, although it doesn't call for a ton of sugar, is surprisingly sweet. I was almost a tad disappointed that it was so sweet and hardly tart. If you want more tart and less sweet, try cutting the sugar to a 1/3 of a cup.


We followed the directions to a "T"...because Tyler was baking :) The ONLY thing I would suggest is to follow the drizzle recipe and instructions. Tyler dumped a bunch of sugar in a bowl and added some milk. What we got was sugary milk that soggy-ed up our crumble top. So either follow the directions or don't do it at all. That might be another reason ours was so sweet, actually.


This is a great recipe! Enjoy!


PS. That is the picture from the recipe at http://www.landolakes.com/mealIdeas/ViewRecipe.cfm?RecipeID=11158 but our dessert bars looked exactly the same except our icing was just a layer of sugary milk on top :) Pin It

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Brownie Base
1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box

Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Topping

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter


1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.)

2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

3. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For brownies, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions for 13x9-inch pan on brownie mix box

*D: I got this message right off of the Betty Crocker website. I love it because it's easy and takes ingredients I usually have on hand. That makes it nice when I get called to bring a dessert to a dinner party or something. However, this recipe is not a quick one. You have to wait for the brownies to completely cool before to you top them with peanut butter goodness. I used a regular brownie mix but added an extra egg to make them "cake-like." Also, if you use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet, be aware that because there is more fat in them they don't harden as well. I don't know if the butter helps with that or not, so you might just end up with a gooey topped brownie...and no one minds gooey brownies! Pin It

Scotcheroos

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
6 cups crisp rice cereal
6 oz chocolate chips
6 oz butterscotch chips

Combine sugar and corn syrup. Heat to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Pour over cereal. Press mixture into a buttered 9X13 dish. Melt chips together (approximately 3 minutes in the microwave). Pour over mixture in dish. Spread smooth. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Cut and serve.

*D: I also have another recipe that has you just put the first three ingredients in a pan together and heat until the sugar has dissolved. I have done it both ways and it works just fine. If you don't refrigerate, the chocolate will continue to be gooey/runny. If you cool the scotcheroos, the chocolate topping will be firm and delicious. These are my favorite treat! I could eat a whole pan if I had the stomach for it.


6 cups of rice cereal is about half a box, just FYI. Pin It

Chocolate Mint Brownies

1 cup white sugar (*D - I use 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups chocolate syrup
1 cup flour
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened - again
2 TBSP creme de menthe liqueur - or 1 1/2 tsp mint extract and some green food coloring
6 tablespoons butter - again
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 X 13 dish.

In a large bowl, cream white sugar and 1/2 cup butter until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in chocolate syrup. Stir in flour until just blended. Spread evenly into greased dish.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely in pan.

In small bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter or margarine and mint until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies, then chill until set.

In a small bowl over simmering water, or in microwave, melt remaining 6 TBSP of butter and chocolate chips, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then spread over the mint layer.

Cover and chill for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

*D - I follow this recipe almost exactly (using the mint extract instead of liqueur, of course). It's not very rich on the whole, but in my opinion the mint part is the richest. I melt my chocolate chips in the microwave, starting at 30 seconds and then going 20 second increments after that, stirring each time.


Very delicious! Pin It

Yummy Rolls

Mix together: 1 cup margarine - melted
2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs

Add & Mix: 2 TBSP yeast - then let it sit until it bubbles up (around 7 - 10 minutes) See picture:



Mix, add, and mix again: 1 tsp baking powder

Mix in gradually: 6 1/2 cups flour


Let rise until dough doubles (about an hour). Divide dough into thirds, or if you want smaller rolls you can do fourths. Roll out into a circle. Cut into 12 equal triangles. Start at the top and roll as tight as you can. Put on a pan, about three rows of six rolls. Let rise for a little bit but not too much. About 15 minutes. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees F or until golden brown.

Rolls are soft and fluffy, not flaky like a croissant.


Fun Varieties: Still bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees F or until golden brown.

Almond Rolls: (note by Deborah: This is the only way I make these rolls. They are to die for. You will crave them for days afterwards.) Mix together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle.

Spread about 4 TBSP of melted butter on dough (note from D: I don't bother with melted butter. It's too messy to me. I just spread regular butter and it melts in the oven.)

Then sprinkle with mixture.

Follow directions from original recipe. Cut into triangles. Starting from fat end, roll tightly.

Put on a pan (note from D: I've never sprayed the pan for fear of making the rolls soggy on the bottom, but I think you probably could) and let rise for 30 - 40 minutes. (Note from D: Yeah right! As soon as I get those puppies on the pan they go in the oven! They'd probably be bigger and fluffier if I let them rise, but I can't wait that long.)

You can sprinkle a little sugar, or the mixture, on top to give it a little extra something. Or you can frost it while the rolls are still hot.

Eat these with dinner, for breakfast, or as a snack. Eat them, and you'll always want more. Mmmmmm.

Cinnamon rolls: Instead of using almond roll mixture, put butter and then sprinkle whatever toppings you want inside: brown sugar, cinnamon sugar, nuts, raisins, craisins, coconut. Let rise for 30 - 40 minutes. Bake and frost while hot.

Chicken roll-ups: Mix together 4 oz softened cream cheese, 2 cups cooked and cubed turkey or chicken, 1 can of mushrooms drained and diced, and chopped onions. Roll out half the dough into a rectangle, cut so that the pieces are in smaller rectangles (about a dozen of them). Put some of the mixture onto the dough, fold over and pinch the edges. These don't have to rise. After they are done baking, serve with a hot gravy made from cream of chicken soup and milk.

This dough can also be used for scones or pizza dough (just roll out onto sprinkled dry corn meal).

Pin It

Mom's Five Chip Cookies

1 cup Crisco shortening or butter
2 eggs
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c white sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
chips: butterscotch, milk chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, white chocolate, mini kisses or peanut butter or swirls or vanilla.

Beat together shortening and eggs. Add flour, salt and banking soda and mix. Add sugars and vanilla and mix. Stir in chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes.



These cookies are absolutely a favorite in our house! My mom sent them to me while I was in Ecuador. Every time we go on a family trip Tyler says, "Are you going to make your mom's cookies?" I think there would be mutiny if I ever tried to make a different kind.


If you notice, there are no measurements for the chips. That's because I don't know how much is supposed to go in. I usually just pour in a bit of all the chips until it looks like there are enough. Maybe a fourth to a half a cup of each. And I usually just use whatever I have in my freezer for variety. That means my cookies are usually four chip: milk, semi-sweet, and white chocolate and butterscotch. Yes, I always have those kinds of chips on hand because Tyler loves cookies, and he loves these cookies.


The recipe says to bake for 8 - 10 minutes. I pull them out right at 8 minutes because I've found that even at 9 minutes they flatten out and turn crispy. So if you like flat, crispy cookies (and some people do!) then you can let them go for a little longer.


Enjoy! Pin It