#1140 - Italian Sprinkle Cookies

(by Rachel Guarini - friend)

6 eggs
5 cups flour
2 cups Domino's powdered sugar
2 TBSP + 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup shortening (melted)
1 TBSP almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
Glaze: 1/2 cup warm milk; 1 tsp. almond extract; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1 - 1lb. box Domino's powdered sugar; colored sprinkles.

In a mixer add eggs--beat 5 minutes on high speed until foamy--set aside. In a large bowl add flour, 2 cups powdered sugar, and baking soda--stir until mixed. Add melted shortening, almond extract, and lemon extract to the flour mixture--stir until mixed. Add beaten eggs to the dough mixture--stir into a stiff dough. Roll dough into 1" dough balls. Place dough balls on to ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (the tops of the cookies will not be browned, but the bottoms should be browned slightly). Remove cookies from cookie sheets and GLAZE IMMEDIATELY. Glaze: in a bowl add milk, almond extract and vanilla--stir. Add 1lb. powdered sugar--beat with a whisk until mixed and smooth. Dip hot cookies entirely into the glaze mixture using a slotted spoon--place glazed cookies on wire racks with paper towels underneath so they can drain, then sprinkle cookies with colored sprinkles. Let the cookies dry for 24 hours before storing them.

#1139 - Christmas Cake

(by Ella [Bennett] McCoy)

2 cups Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
2 cups seedless raisins
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda + 1 TBSP water
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup Baker's angelflake coconut
green and red holiday sugar sprinkles

In a saucepan over medium heat add brown sugar, seedless raisins, boiling water, Crisco, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt--stir and bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. In a cup add baking soda and 1 TBSP water--stir until dissolved. Add baking soda mixture to brown sugar mixture--stir. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then add flour, chopped nuts and coconut--stir. Pour batter into a greased and floured tube cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cake cool slightly, then loosen the edges and flip cake upside down on to a cake plate. Glaze as desired, then sprinkle glaze with red and green holiday sugar sprinkles. Keep covered with foil. It gets better as it ages.

#1138 - Nachos and Black Beans

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 bag Tostitos scoops nacho chips
1 - 16oz. can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 jar mild, medium or hot salsa dip
1 - 10oz. package frozen whole kernel corn (thawed)
4 green onions (chopped)
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice
1 chopped tomato

Spread nacho chips in a single layer on cookie sheets. In a bowl add beans, corn, salsa and green onions--stir. Use a spoon to put some of the bean mixture on each individual nacho chip. Sprinkle shredded cheese on each of the nacho chips. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Remove from oven and sprinkle a few chopped tomatoes on top of each nacho chip (on top of the melted cheese).

#1137 - Turkey and Green Beans

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. onion flakes
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 cup diced turkey breast OR chicken breast
1 cup diced carrots (cooked and drained)
1 cup green beans (cooked and drained)
1 tsp. salt
2 cups dry egg noodles (cooked according to package directions)

In a saucepan over medium heat add carrot pieces and cover with water--add 1/2 tsp. salt and stir. Cook until tender, then drain and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat add green beans and cover with water--add 1/2 tsp. salt and cook until tender, then drain and set aside. Cook egg noodles according to package directions--drain and set aside--do NOT rinse with cold water. In a large greased skillet add cream of chicken soup, shredded cheddar cheese, onion flakes and parsley flakes--stir and cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted. Add the turkey or chicken pieces, cooked carrots, and cooked green beans--turn heat back to simmer and cook/stir until hot. Put some noodles on each plate and top with the turkey/chicken mixture.

#1136 - Easy Blueberry Cobbler

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 to 6 pints fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour
Crumbs: 2 sticks softened butter; 2 cups Domino's dark brown sugar; 1 tsp. cinnamon (OPTIONAL); 1 cup flour; 1 cup Quaker quick oats

Wash and rinse blueberries--they should still be slightly wet. In a large bowl add blueberries, white sugar and 1/2 cup flour--carefully mix with a spoon so blueberries get covered, then let them sit 15 minutes. Butter a 9 x 13 glass cake dish. Spread the blueberries evenly on the bottom of the buttered dish. In a separate bowl add brown sugar and softened butter--stir with a spoon until mixed. Add cinnamon, 1 cup flour and quick oats to the brown sugar mixture--use your hands to mix it into crumbs. Use your hands to sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly on top of the blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned.

#1135 - Cream Cheese Carrots

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 lbs. carrots
2 cubes of chicken bouillon (2 tsp.)
1 - 8oz. Velveeta cheese (cubed)
2 TBSP butter
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (cubed)
4 chopped green onions OR 1/2 of a medium onion (chopped)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Wash and peel carrots--cut carrots into coin shaped pieces. In a saucepan over medium heat add an inch of water--add carrots and chicken bouillon and bring to a boil while stirring. Cover and cook until the carrots are slightly tender. Drain the carrots--set aside. In a separate saucepan over low heat add butter, cubed Velveeta--cook and stir until melted and smooth. Add cream cheese cubes, chopped onions, salt and pepper--stir. Cook until melted and smooth. Add the drained carrots to the cream cheese mixture--stir. Pour entire mixture into a 2 qt. greased casserole. Cover the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until hot enough to serve.

#1134 - Vanilla Whooppee Pies

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Parkay margarine
1 or 2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1 egg
Filling: 2 egg whites; 2 tsp. vanilla; 4 TBSP flour; 2 TBSP milk; 1 1/2 cups Crisco shortening; 1 lb. Domino's powdered sugar

In a mixer add margarine and white sugar--beat. Add 1 egg and vanilla--beat. Add baking powder, salt and milk--beat. Add flour--beat. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool before icing. Frosting: in a mixer add egg whites--beat until stiff. Add vanilla, flour, milk--beat. Add Crisco--beat. Slowly add powdered sugar--beat until smooth and fluffy. When cookies are cool, spread icing on one cookie (bottom side) and then top with another cookie (bottom side facing icing). You can freeze them by wrapping each pie in saran wrap and placing in a container.

#1133 - Caramel Frosting/Icing

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 stick butter
2 cups Domino's dark brown sugar
3 heaping TBSP flour
2/3 cup Carnation evaporated milk (NOT CONDENSED)
1 or 2 tsp. vanilla

In a saucepan over low heat add butter--melt the butter and stir. Add brown sugar and flour--stir. Add evaporated milk--stir. Turn heat to medium and while stirring, bring to a boil--once boiling, keep boiling and stirring until the mixture gets thick. Remove saucepan from heat--let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add vanilla and stir.

#1132 - Homemade Granola Bars

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup granola
1 cup Quaker quick oats
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup raisins OR dried fruit of your choice (strawberries, pineapple, etc.)
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a bowl add granola, oats, chopped nuts, flour and raisins OR dried fruit--stir. In a mug add egg--beat with a fork. Add beaten egg, honey, canola oil, brown sugar and cinnamon to the granola mixture--stir until mixed. Press mixture into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan (use the back of a spoon to press the mixture and even it out). Bake at 325 degrees for 30-36 minutes. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

#1131 - Leftover Turkey and Pasta

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 cups dry egg noodles
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of chicken soup (condensed)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups cubed leftover Thanksgiving turkey

Cook egg noodles according to bag directions--drain. In a saucepan over low heat add cream of chicken soup, milk, Parmesan cheese, pepper--stir until mixed. Add cubed turkey--stir. Add noodles--stir. Cook on medium heat until hot enough to serve.

#1130 - No Fail Peanut Butter Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup Jif peanut butter
1 cup white sugar + extra for dipping
1 beaten egg

In a bowl add egg--beat with a fork. Add white sugar--stir. Add peanut butter--stir until mixed. Make walnut sized balls from the dough--place cookie balls on greased cookie sheets. Dip a fork in a small bowl filled with white sugar--flatten each cookie to 1/2" thick with the fork and make a criss cross pattern on top of each cookie with the back of the fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes. Let them cool COMPLETELY on the cookie sheets before removing.

#1129 - Frosted Ginger Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
1 egg
1/2 cup Brer Rabbit green label baking molasses
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Frosting: 1/4 cup softened butter; 2 cups Domino's powdered sugar; 2 tsp. vanilla; 1 TBSP milk

In a mixer add 1/3 cup butter and white sugar--beat. Add egg--beat. Add ginger, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, ground cloves, cinnamon--beat. Add molasses--beat. Add water--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Cover the bowl with Saran Wrap and refrigerate the batter for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove from refrigerator and uncover. Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Remove cookies immediately from cookie sheets to cool. Frosting: in a mixer add 1/4 cup butter and powdered sugar--beat. Add vanilla and milk--beat. Frost the tops of the cookies.

#1128 - Crushed Pretzel Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups crushed thin salted pretzels
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 or 2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Breakstone's sour cream
1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
1 can pie filling (your choice of flavor)

In a Ziploc bag add pretzels--close the bagtight, then crush the pretzels using your hands on the outside of the bag--crush them to coarse consistency. Dump crushed pretzels into a measuring cup--continue until you have 2 cups crushed pretzels. In a bowl add crushed pretzels, 1/3 cup white sugar and melted butter--mix with a spoon. Press pretzel mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 cake pan to make the crust--press with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust at 400 degrees for 8 minutes--set aside to cool completely. In a mixer add cream cheese, 1/2 cup white sugar and vanilla--beat until smooth. Add sour cream--beat. Remove bowl from mixer--add thawed Cool Whip--stir with a spoon until mixed. When crust is completely cooled spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the pretzel crust. Refrigerate overnight. The next day (when ready to serve) spread pie filling (your choice of flavor) evenly on top of cream cheese mixture.

#1127 - Moving Day Cookies

(by Bernice Merrill - friend)

1 cup Parkay margarine
1 cup Domino's dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 or 2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups uncooked Quaker Quick oats oatmeal
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup mini chocolate chips

In a mixer add Parkay and brown sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add vanilla--beat. Add baking soda and salt--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Remove bowl from mixer--add oats, nuts and mini chocolate chips--stir with a wooden spoon until mixed. Drop by teaspoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for 9-12 minutes.

#1126 - Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

(by Bernice Merrill - friend)

1 cup mayo OR Miracle Whip
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 TBSP cider vinegar
1 TBSP poppy seeds

In a bowl OR a blender add mayo, white sugar, milk, cider vinegar and poppy seeds--stir/blend until mixed. Use as salad dressing.

#1125 - White Pecan Pie

(by Bernice Merrill - friend)

1 cup white (clear) Kayro corn syrup
1 cup Domino's dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 cup Parkay margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 unbaked pie dough

In a mixer add eggs and brown sugar--beat. Add Parkay--beat. Add salt and vanilla--beat. Add corn syrup--beat until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer--add chopped pecans and stir with a spoon. Spray Pam on a 9" pie plate. Insert pie dough and spray the inside of the pie dough with Pam--flute the edges of the pie dough. Pour the batter into the pie dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes--test by inserting knife. If knife comes out clean, it's done.

#1124 - Glazed Ham Loaf

(by Bernice Merrill - friend)

1lb. ground ham
1lb. ground pork
2 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cracker crumbs (more if needed)
Glaze: 1/4 cup cider vinegar; 3/4 cup pineapple juice; 1 tsp. French's mustard; 1 cup Domino's dark brown sugar

In a large bowl add ground ham and ground pork--mix with your hands. Add the eggs, milk, and cracker crumbs--mix with your hands until well mixed. Form the mixture into two loaves. Glaze: in a bowl add vinegar, pineapple juice, mustard and brown sugar--stir with a spoon until smooth. Place ham loaves into a greased casserole dish. Pour the glaze over the tops of the ham loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes. Every 20 minutes while baking, use a spoon to get syrup from the bottom of the casserole and drizzle it on the two ham loaves. When you think they are ready, slice through one loaf to see if the inside is hot.

#1123 - Cranberry Mousse

(by Bernice Merrill - friend)

1 cup Ocean Spray cranberry juice
1 - 16oz. can Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
1 - 3oz. box raspberry Jell-O
1/2 pint whipping cream

In a saucepan over medium heat add cranberry juice--bring it to a boil. Add the raspberry Jell-O powder to the heated cranberry juice--stir until dissolved. Remove saucepan from heat--add the cranberry sauce--stir until mixed. Let it cool to room temperature. In a mixer add the whipping cream--beat until stiff. Add whipped cream to the cranberry mixture--fold in using a spoon. Refrigerate until cold.

#1122 - Smooth Chocolate Glaze

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips (use milk chocolate chips for milk chocolate glaze; use butterscotch chips for butterscotch glaze; use white chocolate chips for white chocolate glaze)
4 TBSP butter
2 TBSP Kayro corn syrup

Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl--microwave according to bag directions. As soon as the chocolate has melted, add the butter and corn syrup--stir until smooth. Spread glaze on cookies, cakes, donuts, etc.

#1121 - Chocolate Buttermilk Sugar Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

3/4 cup softened butter OR 3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (add 1/2 cup extra flour IF you want to make white sugar cookies rather than chocolate)
1 cup Hershey's cocoa (omit the cocoa if you want white cookies rather than chocolate)

In a mixer add butter (or shortening) and white sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add buttermilk, baking soda, salt and vanilla--beat. Add cocoa (if making chocolate cookies)--beat. Add flour--beat--if too stiff for mixer continue using a wooden spoon. Cover the mixer bowl with Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drop by teaspoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes.

#1120 - Brown Sugar Cutout Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups butter (softened)
1 cup Domino's dark brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups flour

In a mixer add butter, brown sugar and white sugar--beat. Add eggs and vanilla--beat. Add baking soda and salt--beat. Add flour a cup at a time--beat--if it gets too stiff for your mixer remove the bowl from the mixer and continue with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, take out a softball sized amount of dough from the bowl (leave the rest in the refrigerator). Flour your counter, place dough ball on top of the flour, and flour the top of the dough ball. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4" thick. Use cookie cutters to cut your cookies. Place cookies on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-12 minutes. Cool completely, then frost as desired.

#1119 - Chocolate Coated Rice Krispie Bars

(by Alma Russell - friend)

1 cup white sugar
1 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1 cup Jif peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate bits
1 cup Nestle's butterscotch morsels

In a saucepan over medium heat add white sugar and lite corn syrup--stir and cook until boiling. Remove from heat--add peanut butter to corn syrup mixture--stir well. Add the cereal--stir until mixed. Press the mixture into a buttered 9 x 13 cake pan--smooth it out using the back of a greased spoon--set aside. In a microwave safe bowl add the butterscotch and chocolate chips--melt in microwave according to bag directions--stir until smooth. Spread melted butterscotch/chocolate mixture on top of the cereal mixture in the cake pan. Cool on the counter--after they are firm, cut into squares or bars.

#1118 - Sour Cream Chicken

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 TBSP butter
1lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 chopped onion
1 - 10.75oz. Campbell's condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Breakstone's sour cream
4 cups dry egg noodles (cooked according to bag directions--drained but keep WARM)

Heat the water for the noodles. While waiting, in a skillet over medium heat add butter--melt. Add chicken pieces, chopped onion and sliced mushrooms--cook until chicken is brown and tender. Add the soup and sour cream to the chicken mixture--stir and bring to a boil. Cook noodles according to bag directions--drain but do not rinse. Serve the chicken mixture over the hot noodles.

#1117 - Spiced Icebox Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup Crisco
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a mixer add softened butter, Crisco--beat. Add white sugar and brown sugar--beat. Add egg, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla--beat. Add nutmeg and ground cloves--beat. Slowly add flour--beat--if it gets too stiff for your mixer continue by hand using a wooden spoon or your hands. Add chopped nuts if you wish--stir. Divide the dough into baseball or softball sized balls. Flour your counter and shape each ball into a log. Wrap each log in Saran wrap, place them in a cake pan with a lid and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove Saran wrap from logs. Cut the dough into 1/4" thick coin shaped pieces. Place cookies on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until edges are browned. Cool on the cookie sheets a few minutes before removing them with a spatula.

#1116 - Baked Apples

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 baking apples
2 TBSP Domino's dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup water

Wash the apples and core them--DO NOT PEEL the apples. Use a sharp knife to cut off the tops of the apples 1/4" to 1/2" so that the top of each apple is flat. Spray a 2 qt. casserole dish with Pam. Place the apples in the greased casserole dish (so they are sitting upright). In a bowl add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg--stir. Spoon the spice mixture into the center of each apple. Pour the water into the bottom of the casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until you can poke the apples and they are tender. Every 15 minutes during baking, it helps if you remove them from the oven and use a spoon to baste the apples using the juice that forms at the bottom of the dish (returning to oven after each basting). Serve them warm. Top with cold milk, ice cream, Cool Whip, etc.

#1115 - Coconut Long Johns

(by Shirley McNevich)

(If you aren't familiar with Long Johns, they are a long donut-like pastry.)

1 envelope Fleischmann's yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
@3 cups flour
canola oil
deep fryer
Frosting: 1 1/4 cups + 1 TBSP Domino's powdered sugar; 1 TBSP water; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1/8 tsp. salt; 1 bag Baker's Angelflake coconut

Grease a bowl--set aside. Grease cookie sheets--set aside. In a large bowl add warm water and yeast--stir lightly. Add milk, softened butter, powdered sugar, salt, beaten egg and flour--stir. You should end up with a soft dough--if too runny add a little more flour. If too stiff add a little more warm water.Place dough into greased bowl and put a tea towel over the top of the bowl--let the dough rise for just over an hour (the dough should be doubled in size). After the dough has doubled, flour your counter, put the dough ball on top of the flour, lightly flour the top of the dough and use a rolling pin to work the dough to about 1/4" thickness. Carefully cut the dough into rectangular pieces (a typical long john is about 5-6" long, and 2-3" wide). Place the rectangular pieces on to the greased cookie sheets. Cover each of the cookie sheets with a tea towel and let the dough raise until all of the long johns have doubled in size (30-45 minutes). While you're waiting for them to rise, put canola oil into your deep fryer and heat oil to 400 degrees. Fry the long johns (only add as many at a time so that they are not touching each other). When the bottoms are browned to your taste, flip each of the long johns and fry the other sides. After frying the first one, cut it open and check to make sure the long john has been fried all the way through--if not, fry subsequent long johns a little longer on each side. Repeat with all long johns. When they are finished, place them on paper towels to cool and drain the grease. While they are cooling, make the frosting (this frosting is more like a glaze--use your own frosting if you wish): in a bowl add water, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar--stir until smooth. If frosting is too runny add a little more powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, add a little more water. When the long johns are cooled to room temperature, dip the tops of each long john in the frosting and sprinkle generous amount of coconut on top of the frosting. Lightly use your fingers to tap the coconut into the frosting so that it sticks. Serve immediately. Optional: some people are used to eating long johns that have cream filling or pudding filling. You can make your own cream filling/pudding filling and inject the filling into each long john.

#1114 - Vanilla Marshmallow Fudge

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 12oz. can Carnation evaporated milk
1 - 7.5oz. jar Fluff marshmallow
4 cups white sugar
2 TBSP butter (NO SUBSTITUTES)
1-2 tsp. vanilla (1 tsp. if pure vanilla, 2 tsp. if imitation vanilla)
candy thermometer
chopped nuts (optional)

Butter an 8" square fudge pan--set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat add evaporated milk, white sugar and butter--cook and stir. Insert candy thermometer and keep cooking/stirring until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees. When temperature is reached, remove saucepan from heat and let it rest for 1-2 minutes. Add the Fluff and vanilla to the fudge mixture--stir with a spoon vigorously until smooth and creamy. Pour/scrape fudge batter into the prepared pan. Lightly sprinkle chopped nuts on top of the fudge (if you wish). Let the fudge cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until fudge gets hard. Remove fudge from refrigerator and cut into squares.

#1113 - Crock Pot Lasagna

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground chuck
1 chopped onion
2 minced cloves garlic
1 - 29oz. jar tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 - 6oz. can hunt's tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 - 8oz. box Barilla no boil lasagna noodles
16oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 - 12oz. small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a bowl add cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and grated Parmesan cheese--stir until mixed, then set aside. In a skillet over medium heat add ground chuck, chopped onion, salt, pepper and garlic--cook and brown the meat. Once meat is done, drain the meat mixture. Put drained meat back in the skillet but NOT back on the stove--add tomato sauce, water, tomato paste and oregano to the meat mixture--stir until mixed. In a 5 qt. crock pot add 1/4 of the meat sauce. Place 1/3 of the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Scoop 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Keep layering in the same order--you should end up with the last 1/4 of the meat sauce to put on top. Cover the crockpot with the lid--cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or until lasagna noodles are tender.

#1112 - Melted Chocolate Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 squares Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups water

In a microwave safe bowl add chocolate squares and butter--microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and stir--return to microwave if needed until all chocolate has melted--stir. In a mixer add melted chocolate mixture, white sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add vanilla--beat. Add 1/2 cup of the flour--beat. Add baking soda and salt--beat. Add water and 2 more cups flour--beat until smooth. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool and frost as desired.

#1111 - Cinnamon Jumble Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
extra white sugar for dipping

In a mixer add butter, 1 cup white sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add vanilla--beat until creamy. Add salt and cinnamon--beat. Add flour slowly--beat. Remove bowl from mixer and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove mixer bowl from refrigerator. Use your hands and roll dough into walnut sized balls. Place some extra white sugar in a bowl--roll dough balls one at a time in the sugar, then place sugar coated dough balls on greased cookie sheets. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press down each cookie so that they are about 1/4" high after flattening (if the glass is sticking to the cookies you can spray it with Pam). Repeat with all cookies. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.