#1099 - Gooey Chocolate Brownies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
3/4 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a bowl add eggs--beat with a fork. Add salt--stir. Add butter and white sugar--stir. Add chocolate syrup and vanilla--stir. Add flour a little at a time--stir until you have brownie batter. Add chopped nuts if you wish--stir. Pour batter into a greased 9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE or brownies will be dry instead of gooey.

#1098 - Homemade Candy Apples

(by Shirley McNevich)

16 apples
16 popsicle sticks
red food coloring
2 cups water
1 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
6 cups white sugar
candy thermometer
chopped nuts (optional)

If using chopped nuts, put them in a bowl and set them aside. Make sure apples are at room temperature. Wash the apples in warm water and dry them with paper towels. Remove the stems from the apples. Insert a popsicle stick into each apple (where the stem was removed). Place greased cookie sheets on your counter to hold finished candy apples. In a saucepan over medium heat add white sugar, water and lite corn syrup--stir and make sure that you keep stirring until all of the sugar has dissolved. Continue stirring and heating until candy thermometer gets to 300 degrees. Once at 300 degrees, remove saucepan from heat and quickly add a few drops of red food coloring--stir. Start with the first apple--dip it into the candy mixture and coat the apple. Once coated, dip quickly into the chopped nuts (optional). Place coated apple stick side up on prepared cookie sheets. Continue with all apples. When you get near the end, you may need to reheat the candy mixture. You may also need to tilt the saucepan and use a spoon to help coat the last few apples. Once cooled, wrap candy apples in clear cellophane and use a twist tie to keep the air out. Saran Wrap and other plastic wraps tend to stick to the apples so we don't recommend using them.

#1097 - Red Potato Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

5 red potatoes
1 stick butter (melted)
1 envelope Lipton onion soup (dry)
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella or your choice)

Wash and peel potatoes (only remove skin if you wish)--slice potatoes into 1/8" slices and add slices to a bowl. In a separate bowl add dry soup mix and melted butter--stir. Pour butter mixture on to the potatoes--mix with a spoon and toss to coat. Pour coated potatoes into a greased casserole dish. Put the lid on the casserole. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes--remove from oven and test potatoes with a fork--return to oven if necessary until potatoes are tender. Once potatoes tender, remove from oven, sprinkle shredded cheese on top, return to oven UNCOVERED until cheese is melted.

#1096 - Mini Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 15oz. box brownie mix
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup hot water
1 beaten egg
1 bag Reese's mini-peanut butter cups
mini-muffin paper liners
mini-muffin tin

In a bowl add brownie mix, canola oil, beaten egg and hot water--stir with a spoon until smooth. Line mini-muffin tins with paper liners. Fill each paper liner half full with batter. Unwrap a peanut butter cup and press it into the middle of the batter in the paper liner. Repeat with all batter and all peanut butter cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

#1095 - Brown Sugar Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 unbaked pie dough
1 cup Domino's dark brown sugar
3 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 - 12oz. can Carnation evaporated milk (NOT CONDENSED)
2 1/2 TBSP butter
cinnamon

Spray a pie plate with Pam, insert unbaked pie dough, spray the dough with Pam and flute the edges of the pie dough. In a bowl add brown sugar, flour and salt--stir with a spoon. Pour the flour mixture into the pie dough. Carefully and evenly pour the evaporated milk all over the top of the flour mixture until the can is empty. Dot the top of the pie with the 2 1/2 TBSP butter. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the pie (to your taste). Place the pie on top of a cookie sheet, then place in oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes--test with a tableknife for doneness. Cool completely, then refrigerate.

#1094 - Homemade Pot Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 3lb. sirloin tip roast (if making beef pot pie)
3lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast (if making chicken pot pie)
1 - 3lb. ham end (if making ham pot pie)
3 quarts of broth from cooking the beef, chicken or ham
1 large onion (chopped)
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 red potatoes (washed, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick)
Noodle Dough: 2 cups flour; 1 tsp. salt; 1 TBSP butter; 2 beaten eggs; 1/2 cup cold water

In a Dutch oven cook either the beef, chicken or ham--add 1 tsp. salt to beef or chicken, but NOT ham. Cook on medium heat--add 2 cups water if cooking beef, 2 quarts of water if cooking chicken, 2 quarts water if cooking ham. Cook until tender (roast or ham will take 2-3 hours; chicken will take about 1 hour). Remove meat from Dutch oven. Pour all broth into a container--when it gets to room temperature refrigerate the broth. Cover meat with Saran wrap when cooled and refrigerate overnight. The next day remove broth from refrigerator--skim off all the fat that rose to the top of your container. Measure broth--you need 3 quarts--if not add water to the broth until you have 3 quarts. Put broth in Dutch oven--turn heat to medium. To the broth add chopped onion, chopped celery and chopped parsley. Add 1/2 tsp. pepper to the broth. If making chicken or beef pot pie, add 1 tsp. salt to the broth--DO NOT add salt if making ham pot pie. Noodles--in a bowl add flour, salt, butter--mix with your hands until it makes crumbs. Add beaten eggs to flour mixture--mix with your hands. Add 1/2 cup water to flour mixture--mix with your hands until you can form a ball. Cut the dough ball into 3 equal sized dough balls. Flour your counter, put one dough ball on top of flour, and sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough ball. Use a rolling pin and roll the dough as thin as you can get it--sprinkle with more flour if it gets sticky. Use a tableknife to cut the dough into 1" squares. Repeat with other 2 dough balls. When broth is boiling, add sliced potatoes to the broth. When broth comes back to a boil add each individual 1" dough square ONE AT A TIME to the broth. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and boil for 20 minutes. While it's cooking, cut your meat into bite sized pieces. After the noodles have cooked for 20 minutes, add the meat pieces--stir. Put lid back on, turn heat to simmer and cook until meat is hot.

#1093 - Sliced Microwave Potatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 baking potatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
butter
chopped green onions (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream (optional)

Wash and rinse potatoes. On a cutting board and using a sharp knife, slice each potato down (in width) 1/8" slices but DO NOT cut all the way through--you want the potatoes to stay together. Place the potatoes in a microwave safe dish. Put butter, salt and pepper on top of potatoes and between slices. Sprinkle chopped green onions on top of each potato. Microwave on high until potatoes are tender. Remove from microwave and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of potatoes. Return to microwave and microwave on high until cheese melts. Scoop sour cream on top before serving if you wish.

#1092 - Chocolate Coffee Whip

(by Shirley McNevich)

8oz. Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate
3 TBSP Domino's powdered sugar
3 TBSP fresh brewed coffee
3 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate according to box directions. In a saucepan over medium heat add melted chocolate and powdered sugar--stir. Add coffee--stir. Add egg yolks--stir until thick. Remove saucepan from heat--let it cool to room temperature. In a mixer add heavy whipping cream--beat until stiff. Pour whipped cream into the chocolate batter--stir. Pour entire mixture into a glass bowl--refrigerate until cold.

#1091 - Cake Mix Apple Crisp

(by Shirley McNevich)

5 baking apples (washed, peeled, cored and cut into slices)
1/2 box Jiffy yellow golden cake mix
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 stick butter (melted)

Place sliced apples in a buttered glass baking dish. Sprinkle the 1/2 box Jiffy yellow cake mix on top of the sliced apples. In a separate bowl add cinnamon and sugar--stir. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the cake mix. Melt the butter, then drizzle the melted butter on top of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender.

#1090 - Chicken and Corn Flakes Casserole

(by Aunt Janie [McNevich] Baronowski)

3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 - 8oz. bag egg noodles (cooked and drained according to package directions)
2 - 10oz. cans Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 - 12oz. can Carnation evaporated milk (NOT condensed)
8oz. of your favorite cheese (cubed)
1 cup crushed corn flakes cereal

In a bowl add both cans of cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk--stir. Add cubed chicken, cooked egg noodles--stir. Add cubed cheese--stir well. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle crushed corn flakes on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

#1089 - No Fail Scratch Dumplings

(by Aunt Janie [McNevich] Baronowski)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 heaping tsp. baking powder
1 TBSP butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt

Into a bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter--cut in the butter. Add beaten egg and milk to flour mixture--stir until you can form mixture into a soft ball. In a saucepan add 1 quart water--bring to a boil. Remove saucepan from heat and drop 1 TBSP balls into the hot water--continue until all dough is used up. Return saucepan to stovetop, turn heat to medium and put a lid on the saucepan. Set timer for 20 minutes--DO NOT take off the lid before 20 minutes are up or they will fall. Serve them in soup, stew or with sauerkraut.

#1088 - Bisquick Pumpkin Bread

(by Aunt Janie [McNevich] Baronowski)

1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup Libby's canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2 1/3 cups Bisquick
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins (put in water, bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes and drain)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a mixer add canola oil and eggs--beat. Add pumpkin--beat. Add Bisquick--beat. Add white sugar and cinnamon--beat until mixed, then beat on high for 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer--add raisins and nuts--stir with a spoon. Grease JUST THE BOTTOM of a bread loaf pan. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

#1087 - Shrimp Cocktail Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup Breakstone's sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1 cup good quality cocktail sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
10oz. of baby shrimp (FULLY COOKED)
2 green onions (chopped into very small pieces--you can add more or less to your taste)
1 tomato (chopped into bite sized pieces)
fresh ground pepper (optional)

If shrimp is frozen, dump shrimp into a bowl and add warm water. Keep draining the water and adding more warm water until the shrimp are at room temperature--drain and set aside. If you use shrimp from a can, drain and rinse well--set aside. In a bowl add softened cream cheese, sour cream and mayo--stir until well mixed--you can use a mixer if you want it really smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on to a dinner plate. Use a spoon to gently spread the cocktail sauce on top of the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle the chopped tomatoes on top of cocktail sauce layer (grind a little pepper on top of tomatoes if you wish). Sprinkle chopped green onions on top of the tomato layer. Sprinkle shrimp on top of the green onions layer. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the shrimp layer. Carefully cover the plate with Saran Wrap and refrigerate until cold. Serve with good quality crackers.

#1086 - Microwave Pickles

(by Aunt Janie [McNevich] Baronowski)

2 cucumbers (washed and sliced into coin shaped pieces)
1 onion (sliced crossways--separate into rings, and slice rings in half)
1 TBSP salt
1/2 TBSP mustard seed
1/2 TBSP celery seed
1/2 TBSP turmeric
1/2 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup white sugar

In a microwave safe bowl add salt, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, white vinegar and white sugar--stir until mixed. Add cucumber slices and sliced onions--stir. Cover with a piece of Saran Wrap--microwave on high for 8 minutes (stopping every 2 minutes to stir them). Pour the whole mixture into a large glass jar--put the lid on and let it sit on the counter until room temperature, then refrigerate until cold. You can eat them the next day. You MUST use a glass jar--any other container will get stains.

#1085 - Potato Pizza Casserole

(by Aunt Janie [McNevich] Baranowski)

4 cups sliced raw potatoes
1lb. ground chuck
1 chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 - 15oz. jar pizza sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. white sugar
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a greased 9 x 13 pan/dish add potato slices evenly. In a skillet brown the ground chuck with the chopped onions, salt and pepper. In a bowl add milk and cheddar cheese soup--stir. Add browned ground chuck to the cheese soup mixture--stir. Pour the cheese soup mixture on top of the potatoes. In a bowl add pizza sauce, oregano and white sugar--stir. Pour pizza sauce mixture on top of cheese soup mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, remove from oven, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, return to oven and bake 15 minutes longer.

#1084 - Blueberry Dream Whip Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - ready-made graham cracker crust (or make your own)
1 envelope Dream Whip
1 cup Domino's powdered sugar
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup Lucky Leaf blueberry pie filling

Prepare Dream Whip according to envelope directions--set aside. In a mixer add cream cheese and powdered sugar--beat. Add prepared Dream Whip to the cream cheese mixture in the mixer--beat. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly into graham cracker crust. Place the crust in refrigerator for one hour, then remove it from refrigerator and spread blueberry pie filling on top of cream cheese mixture in the graham cracker crust. Refrigerate overnight.

#1083 - No Apple Apple Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 3/4 cups water
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. cream of tartar
40-50 Ritz crackers (no generic substitutes)
1 lemon (for zest and 2 TBSP lemon juice)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 unbaked pie doughs

Squeeze lemon to get 2 TBSP lemon juice. Peel the rind of the lemon and scrape to get the zest--set aside. Spray Pam on the inside of a pie dish--add unbaked pie dough to the pie dish and spray the pie dough with Pam. Crush Ritz crackers into a bowl (large pieces, not crumbs)--set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat add water, white sugar and cream of tartar--stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, boil for 1 minute then add lemon zest and lemon juice--stir. Add crushed crackers to the cream of tartar mixture but do NOT stir--boil for another 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour entire mixture into the prepared pie dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top of the cracker mixture. Cut butter into small pieces and put it evenly on top of the cracker mixture. Place second pie dough on top--seal it (using water or Pam) and flute the edges. Use a sharp knife and make air holes in the top of the crust. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes or until crust is browned. Cool completely.

#1082 - Liver and Onions

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. calves' liver
1 onion (sliced)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup canola oil + extra for frying onions
salt to your taste
1/2 cup water

In a bowl add flour--salt each side of each piece of liver. Dip each piece of liver in the flour (both sides) to coat. In a skillet over medium heat add canola oil. Put coated liver pieces in the skillet and brown liver pieces on both sides. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet and put a lid on the skillet--turn heat back to low. Cook until liver is done to your liking. In a separate skillet add a little canola oil and sliced onions--cook and stir over medium heat until soft and brown. When both the liver and onions are done, serve sliced onions on top of liver.

#1081 - Zucchini Fritters

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups grated zucchini (peel before grating)
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
canola oil

In a bowl add eggs--beat with a fork. Add grated zucchini, flour and grated Parmesan cheese--stir until mixed. In a frying skillet (over medium heat) add enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Drop large spoonfuls into the skillet (make sure they don't touch)--fry until bottoms are golden brown, then flip and fry opposite sides until golden brown. Set finished fritters on paper towels to soak up extra oil.

#1080 - Homemade French Bread Pizza

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 loaf French bread
1 jar of your favorite pizza sauce
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
Your favorite pizza toppings (pepperoni, etc.)

Slice the French bread loaf into 6" to 8" pieces, then slice each piece in half lengthwise. Spread pizza sauce on each bread slice, then place slices on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees just until the edges of the bread start to lightly brown. Remove from oven, add pizza toppings and shredded mozzarella cheese on top of bread slices. Return bread slices to oven and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and golden brown. Wait a few minutes before eating so you don't burn your mouth. This works best if your pizza toppings are at room temperature.