Scrumptious Sunday ~ Cookies ~ Majestic Cookie Bars ~ 5th Edition 2nd Issue

If you’d like to play along, see other entries and share recipes please visit
Meredith at Mercedes Rocks who hosts Scrumptious Sunday

Magic Cookie Bars – my way – Majestically

Eagle brand has a recipe for magic cookie bars on their can that sounds yummy, but I changed years ago to reflect my families preferences and called them Majestic Cookie Bars.

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup ground ginger snaps and vanilla wafers*
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butterscotch chips**
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips**
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup minced walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter in the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish.
Sprinkle cookie crumbs over butter evenly.
Pour milk over crumbs evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining ingredients in order listed over milk evenly pressing down slightly with the spatula so they sink slightly into the milk base.
Bake until lightly browned – about 25 minutes.
Store tightly at room temperature.

*I have also used the remaining crumbs from whatever was in the cookie jar last with great success.

**I sometimes substitute 1 1/4 cup raspberry jam instead of the peanut butter and butterscotch chips for fruity taste. If using the jam, chill the baking dish after adding the milk for 10-15 minutes before adding remaining ingredients and baking. Chilling the milk gives a firmer base to be able to evenly spread the jam over it. Also be sure to add the jam on top of the milk before the chunky ingredients.

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Freezer Food Friday ~ Chicken Pot Pies

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

6 cups shredded chicken (2 rotisserie chickens)*
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 celery stalks
1 small bag baby carrots
1 small bag frozen green beans or 1/2 pound fresh, cleaned and cut
2 cups chicken broth
12 oz. evaporated milk
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Wondra flour
3/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1/8 cup parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Separate chicken from fat and bones and set aside. Heat oil in dutch oven. Saute’ onions and celery until just tender. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with chicken. Mix together chicken broth and milk and microwave until steamy, 2-3 minutes. In a large sauce pan melt butter. When foamy stir in flour, parsley and thyme until golden. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick. Turn off heat and stir in sherry, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chicken mixture and vegetables. Divide into 6-8 small French white Pyrex round baking dishes. Cover with lids and freeze.

When ready to bake, thaw and bring to room temperature. Cover with pie crust** and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. With this recipe you don’t end up with a bottom crust, but just think of how many calories you’re saving.

*I usually make this when my local market has a buy one get one free on the rotisserie chickens.

**Pillsbury pie crust from the dairy section will make 2 pot pies with left over pieces for decorative leaves. Unfold a sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out gently. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls, and cut out dough rounds that are slightly larger in diameter. Repeat until you have made all the necessary tops. Whisk an egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pies. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 head shredded red cabbage
2 bunches green onions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 pound bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar*

In a large mixing bowl toss the broccoli, red cabbage, onions, seeds, raisins and bacon together. In a small mixing bowl, blend the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Pour over the vegetable mix. Toss well and chill 24-48 hours before serving.

*can use pineapple juice instead

Favorite Ingredient Friday ~Easter Edition~Heavenly Hash

My entry is actually for after Easter, what do do with those leftover ham scraps.
hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy

1 – 2 pound package frozen diced hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup
2 cups diced ham
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups grated sharp or longhorn cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1 cup sour cream
1 bunch green onions, finely diced
1 cup crushed potato chips

Mix soup, sour cream and thyme until smooth. Add the ham and green onions. Add in the cheese and blend well. Fold in the hash brown potatoes. Bake until top is slightly golden, about 1 hour. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips and bake an additional 10 minutes.

I like to serve this with fluffy scrambled eggs.

Great for brunches or large groups.

Freezer Food Friday ~ Chili

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

3 pounds hamburger
2 large white onions, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans Rotel original tomatoes
2 – 4 oz. cans diced green chiles
3 cups V-8 juice
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons jar garlic or 3 cloves fresh

In a large stock pot, brown the hamburger and onion together. Drain the fat off. Mix in all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a low simmer for 3-4 hours. After dinner separate the remaining chili into 4 freezer containers, label and freeze for future meals.

CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN with PEPPERED GRAVY

Chicken Fried Chicken

2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2-4 tablespoons butter(enough to keep chicken from burning~add as necessary)

Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts. In a shallow glass pan, pour buttermilk over chicken 1-2 hours prior to cooking. Make sure to coat chicken well and turn at least once during soaking. Drain, but do NOT rinse the buttermilk off.

In a medium sized fry pan melt the butter over medium heat. As butter melts and begins to very slightly sizzle, prepare breasts.

In a small ziploc bag mix together the flour, salt and pepper. One at a time, put each chicken breast in bag and coat well with flour mix and then into sizzling butter. Cook on one side until edges begin to bleed and then turn. About 6 minutes each side depending on plumpness. Keep chicken warm.

Peppered Gravy

3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper + (to taste)

Melt butter into bottom of pan you just cooked the chicken in. Scrape up any of the chicken pieces and mix into new butter. Add flour slowly, stirring until absorbed by butter and golden brown. Slowly add first the milk and then the cream. Stir constantly until thickens. If necessary sprinkle in more Wondra until desired thickness is reached. Serve over chicken and mashed potatoes.

Freezer Food Friday Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

MJ over at MJPuzzlemom recently left me a comment which indirectly let me find this wonderful new meme that the she hosts, Freezer Food Friday. I’ll join in this week by recycling this great updated freezer recipe of mine for Spinach Stuffed Manicotti Shells.

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons minced jar garlic
1 box chopped frozen spinach (thawed & drained)
salt & pepper to taste
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 can Contadina tomato paste
10 ounces beef broth (I use granules and make my own)
2 tablespoons Classico sun-dried tomato peso
1/4 cup butter
2-8ounce shredded mozzarella cheese packages
1 box organic pasta Manicotti Shells (prepared al dente, very al dente)

Brown hamburger. Add garlic and onion about half way through. When the hamburger is browned, add spinach and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain off fat.
Mix all other ingredients together except the shells and cheese and bring to a simmering boil. Add one third of the sauce to the meat mixture.
Stuff the shells with the meat mixture. Continue until all shells are full. This recipe serves 4, but at this point since there are just 2 of us I try to think ahead and prep meals to freeze for easy cooking on the nights we’re busy with appointments, but still need a home cooked meal. This Manicotti recipe is great for that. The shells come in a box with 2 layers of plastic protectors. I make sure to save one to protect the shells I’m going to freeze. I prepare the recipe like normal, but split it in half before baking and freeze half. As you can see it all slips easily into a gallon size ziploc bag. After removing everything, I roll the bag up and stick in the freezer door until the next time I prep the whole recipe.
In a small greased casserole layer some sauce on bottom. Lay in half the shells, pour more sauce over top reserving half the sauce for the freezer. Put that sauce in a quart size ziploc. Top with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove fol and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes.
In the gallon sized ziploc bag slide the extra tray of shells into it. Slide the bag of sauce on top of that as well as the second bag of mozzarella cheese. Zip shut and freeze. You now have a home cooked meal for another night.

Chicken Marsala

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – pounded 1/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup sweet cooking sherry

With a mortar and pestle grind the oregano. Sift together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat the chicken pieces well.
In a heavy skillet, heat oil and butter. Slice onion into rings and separate. When oil and butter is hot saute’ onions until just carmelized. Set aside and place chicken breasts in skillet and brown on both sides about 6 minutes per side over medium heat. Remove and set aside.
to the skillet, add the wine, lemon juice and sherry. Stir, reduce heat, and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce is partially reduced and begins to thicken.

Return chicken breasts to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the chicken.

Cover and cook over low heat for about 5-10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Hubby doesn’t care for cooked mushrooms, but you hardly miss them. If you want to add the mushrooms back in, slice 1 cup mushrooms and add at the same time as the wine and sherry.

Did I mention we're on diets around here? Easy Diet Cake & YummyToo!

We are on a diet around here, but today was hubby’s birthday and he needed a cake so I made this one. It’s one of our favorites.

PINEAPPLE ANGEL FOOD CAKE
1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
1 large can crushed pineapple with juice

Mix them together, pour into a 13×9 baking dish and bake 30 minutes.

Voile’, a light and fruity dessert. If you want to get fancy spoon Comstock cherries over top before serving.

Peanut Butter Fudge Bars – Favorite Ingredient Friday

My cousin Jenn, made this recently so we have a picture courtesy of her.

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine peanut butter, egg and oil until smooth. Add cake mix and mix well. Press 2/3 of mixture into bottom of 13×9 pan. Bake 10 minutes.

In a saucepan heat together butter, milk and chocolate chips over low heat until melted, blended and smooth. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn.

Pour evenly over baked crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over chocolate mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting.

I have successfully experimented with this by changing the cake mix flavor and the chip flavors. Use your imagination.

Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy.

Favorite Ingredient Friday ~Side Dish~Chile Cornbread Casserole

15.25 oz. can white corn
4 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained REALLY well
8.5 oz. can cream corn
8 oz. sour cream
1 egg
1 box JIFFY (small blue box) Corn Muffin Mix
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all together by hand. Pour into greased 9×9 pan. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. If doubling recipe, use a 13×9 baking pan and bake at 350degrees for 1 hour or golden brown and set.

BBQ Bean Dinner

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound bacon
1 large onion, chopped small
2 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 cup ketchup
3 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
4 large cans Bush maple flavored baked beans

Brown hamburger and then drain. Fry bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon into pieces. Add to the remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Serve with beer bread or cheddar cheese biscuits. Great dish for a church pot luck.

Category: RECIPES

Chicken Marsala