#2642 - Tomato Soup Fried Chicken

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 cups flour
2 envelopes Lipton cup of soup tomato flavor
1 TBSP paprika
2 envelopes Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
bowl of milk
up to 16 pieces of chicken

In a bowl add flour, tomato soup mixes, paprika, Italian dressing mix, salt and pepper--stir well to mix.  Dip chicken pieces one at a time in the milk, then in the flour mixture to coat, then either fry or bake the chicken.

#2641 - Dill Sweet Pickles

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 - 32oz. jars whole dill pickles
2 cups white sugar
Juice: 2 cups white sugar; 1/2 cup white vinegar; 1/2 cup water; 1 TBSP pickling spice

Drain both jars of pickles, then slice the pickles into coin shaped pieces. Place the pickle pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle 2 cups of sugar all over the pickle pieces, then stir to mix. Cover the bowl and let them sit on the counter overnight. The next day in a saucepan over medium heat add white vinegar, water, pickling spice and 2 cups white sugar--stir/cook until boiling. Once boiling remove from heat and pour the boiling mixture over the pickles. Cover and let the pickles sit on the counter overnight. The next day, uncover the bowl, stir, and place pickles/juice in glass jars and store them in the refrigerator.

#2640 - Blueberry Shortcake

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 1/3 cups original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
3 TBSP white sugar
3 TBSP butter or Parkay margarine (melted)
1 can Lucky Leaf blueberry pie filling

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. By hand, stir the Bisquick, milk, sugar, and melted butter/margarine until a soft dough forms. Pour batter in an 8 x 8 x 2 cake pan or a 9 inch round cake pan. Pat dough down with your hand until it's even all over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Test with a toothpick for doneness. To serve, place a piece of shortcake in a bowl, crumble the cake into small pieces, scoop some of the blueberry pie filling over the top, and add a little cold milk.

#2639 - Cream Cheese Carrot Muffins

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 15oz. can sliced carrots (well drained)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
Filling: 1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened); 1 egg; 1/4 cup white sugar

Filling: in a mixer add cream cheese, 1 egg and 1/4 cup white sugar--beat well and set aside. Batter: in a bowl add drained carrots--mash them with a potato masher until smooth. In a separate bowl add flour, 1 cup white sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg--stir to mix. Add 1 egg and canola oil to the mashed carrots--beat with a whisk until smooth. Pour the carrot mixture into the flour mixture--stir with a spoon just until mixed. Place cupcake liners in muffin tins. Fill each 1/3 full of batter, drop 1 TBSP of the cream mixture into the middle of the batter, then place more batter on top of each so they are 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

#2638 - Pea Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

8oz. shredded cheese (your choice of type--more if you wish)
3 - 15oz. cans small peas (drained)
1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing (more if needed)
3 hard boiled eggs (peeled and chopped)
1 red onion (chopped)
1 - 4oz. jar diced pimentos (well drained)
1/2 tsp. salt
ground black pepper to your taste

In a bowl add shredded cheese and drained peas--stir gently until mixed. Add Miracle Whip, pimentos, salt, ground pepper, chopped onions and chopped eggs--stir until well mixed. If too dry, add a little more Miracle Whip and stir again. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. Stir before serving.

#2637 - Tuna Noodle Cracker Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 - 3oz. cans albacore tuna (well drained)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup crushed Keebler Club crackers (buttery garlic flavor)
2 1/2 cups dry egg noodles
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
a dash of garlic powder

Cook egg noodles according to bag directions, adding peas and carrots during the last 2 minutes of cooking time--drain but do not rinse. In a bowl add mushroom soup, garlic powder and milk--stir to mix. Add noodle mixture and tuna to soup mixture--stir. Pour the mixture into a greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the top, return to oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until hot.

#2636 - Skillet Pasta

(by Shirley McNevich)

6oz. dry spaghetti (or other pasta)
1 cup broccoli floret pieces
1 - 15oz. can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 - 15oz. can wax beans (drained)
2 cups cooked chicken pieces
shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to box directions, adding broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking time--drain but do not rinse. In a skillet add diced tomatoes and drained wax beans--cook/stir over medium heat until boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer. Add chicken pieces--cook/stir until chicken is hot. Spread the pasta mixture on a large serving plate, then pour the tomato mixture all over the pasta. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the top when serving.

#2635 - Raspberry Glaze Topping

(by Shirley McNevich)

9 TBSP raspberry preserves (seedless)
6 tsp. water

In a microwave safe bowl add raspberry preserves and water--stir until mixed. Microwave on high in 10 second increments, stirring in between, until mixture is smooth. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then stir well before drizzing on cake or cheesecake.

#2634 - Cream Cheese Veggie Alfredo

(by Shirley McNevich)

12oz. medium egg noodles
16oz. frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup milk
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (cubed, then softened)
3 TBSP butter buds sprinkles
2 tsp. garlic and herb seasoning
1/2 cup chopped onions

Cook egg noodles according to bag directions--during the last 4 minutes of cooking time for the noodles, add the frozen mixed vegetables and chopped onions. Drain the mixture but do not rinse. In a large saucepan over medium heat add milk, cream cheese, butter buds and garlic herb seasoning--cook/stir until cream cheese is melted. Add egg noodle/vegetable mixture to the cream cheee mixture--stir until mixed. Cook/stir until mixture is hot.

#2633 - Sausage and Corn Chowder

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 cups milk
1 - 14oz. can DelMonte cream style corn
1 cup smoked sausage pieces
1lb. red potatoes (washed, peeled and diced)
1 - 15oz. can DelMonte whole kernel corn (drained)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut sausage into coin shaped pieces, then cut each coin shaped piece into quarters. Add sausage pieces to a measuring cup until you have 1 cup (more if you wish). In a skillet over medium heat add sausage pieces--cook/stir until sausage is browned. In a pot add the diced potatoes and 1 tsp. salt--cover with water, bring to a boil, then cook diced potatoes until tender. Drain the potatoes but do not rinse them. In a Dutch oven add milk and cream style corn--stir. Add cooked sausage, cooked potatoes and whole kernel corn--stir until mixed. Turn heat to medium--cook/stir until mixture is hot. Add shredded cheese--stir until melted.

#2632 - Glazed Sugar Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
Glaze: 3 or 4 tsp. milk; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1 cup Domino's powdered sugar

In a mixer add butter and white sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and 2 tsp. vanilla--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Cover and chill dough overnight. The next day, shape dough into 1" balls and place on greased cookie sheets. Flatten cookies with the greased bottom of a drinking glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Glaze--in a bowl add powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and 3 tsp. milk--stir well. If glaze is too thick add one more tsp. of milk--stir. Glaze the cooled cookies.

#2631 - Pecan Sandies

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 sticks softened butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla
1 TBSP water
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups toasted pecans (chopped)

In a mixer add butter and white sugar--beat. Add eggs, vanilla and water--beat. Add salt and baking soda--beat. Add chopped pecans--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Rolls the dough into 1" balls and place them on greased cookie sheets. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass and use the bottom of the glass to flatten each dough ball. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

#2630 - Bacon Mashed Potatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

8 slices cooked bacon (save the grease)
2 TBSP bacon grease
4 lbs. red potatoes
1 cup milk
2 TBSP softened butter
2 TBSP chives
salt and pepper

Fry the bacon in a skillet--save 2 TBSP of the bacon grease. Place the bacon on paper towels to soak up any extra grease, then crumble the bacon. Wash the potatoes but do not peel them. Cut each potato into quarters. In a Dutch oven add the potato quarters--cover them with water and add 1 tsp. salt. Over medium heat bring to a boil--cook potatoes until fork tender, then drain the potatoes. In a large bowl add potatoes--mash with a potato masher (the skins should start breaking into smaller pieces). Add milk, butter and reserved 2 TBSP bacon grease--continue mashing with a potato masher until well mixed. Add chives, crumbled bacon and salt/pepper to your taste--stir well. If you wish, fry extra bacon and crumble it over the top of the mashed potatoes before serving.

#2629 - Caramel Apple Squares

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup Quaker quick oats
1/2 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cold butter
1 cup chopped walnuts
20 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
1 - 14oz. can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)
1 - 21oz. can apple pie filling

In bowl add flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and butter--mix with a pastry blender to make crumbs. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture--set aside. Press the rest of the crumbs on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Add chopped walnuts to the reserved 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture--stir to mix. In a saucepan over low heat add condensed milk and unwrapped caramels--cook/stir over low heat until smooth. Spread the apple pie filling over the baked crust. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the apple pie filling. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the caramel. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Cut into bars or squares.

#2628 - Black and White Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

Batter: 2 sticks softened butter; 1 3/4 cups white sugar; 4 eggs; 1 cup milk; 1 tsp. vanilla; 2 1/2 cups CAKE FLOUR; 2 1/2 cups regular flour; 1 tsp. baking powder

Frosting: 4 cups Domino's powdered sugar; 1/3 cup boiling water; 1 square Baker's bittersweet baking chocolate (melted according to box directions)

In a mixer add butter and white sugar--beat. Add eggs, milk and vanilla--beat. Add baking powder--beat. Slowly add cake flour and regular flour--beat. Form dough into walnut sized balls and place them on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool completely. Frosting: in a mixer add powdered sugar and add 1 TBSP boiling water at a time--beat. Repeat adding water as necessary until frosting is spreadable. Place half of the frosting into each of two bowls. Add the melted chocolate to one of the bowls of frosting--stir well. Frost half of each cookie with the white frosting and the other half of each cookie with the chocolate frosting.

#2627 - Angelfood Cream Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 baked angelfood cake
1 - 14oz. can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 - 3oz. box Jell-O vanilla INSTANT pudding mix
2 cups heavy whipping cream (whipped according to package directions)
1 can Lucky Leaf cherry, strawberry or blueberry pie filling

After angelfood cake has been baked and removed from its pan, carefully use a large bread knife to slice horizontally through the whole middle of the cake (so you end up with two layers). Cut each layer into smaller square sized pieces and arrange half of them in the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan. In a mixer add condensed milk, water and vanilla--beat. Add pudding mix--beat well. Refrigerate the pudding mixture for 10 minutes, then remove it from the refrigerator and add the whipped whipping cream--stir to mix. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the cake pieces in the pan. Spread half of the pie filling over the cream mixture. Make another layer of cake slices on top of the pie filling. Spread the rest of the cream mixture over the cake slices. Spread the rest of the pie filling over the top. Refrigerate until cold.

#2626 - Chocolate Cake Flour Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 4oz. bar German sweet chocolate (baking chocolate)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup softened butter
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (measure before sifting)
1 cup buttermilk

Break the baking chocolate into small pieces and drop them into the boiling water--stir until chocolate is melted, then set aside. In a mixer add butter and white sugar--beat. Add 4 egg yolks--beat. Add melted chocolate mixture and vanilla--beat. Add buttermilk--beat. Add salt and baking soda--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Remove bowl from mixer. In another mixer bowl add 4 egg whites--beat until stiff. Add egg whites to batter--stir until mixed. 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 completely. Frost as desired.

#2625 - Swiss Steak in a Bag

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 large plastic Reynolds oven bag (14" x 20")
2 TBSP flour
2 - 14.5oz. cans Italian stewed tomatoes
2 tsp. white sugar
1 tsp. French's yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. boneless sirloin tip steak (1/2" thick)

Open the oven bag and put the flour in the oven bag--close the top and shake until the flour coats the inside of the bag. Place the oven bag into a large glass baking dish. In a bowl add both cans of tomatoes, white sugar, mustard, salt and pepper--stir until mixed. Pound the steak to 1/2" thickness or less if possible, then cut the steak into smaller pieces (your choice of size). Drop the steak pieces into the tomato mixture so that they are covered. Place foil over the top of the bowl and let the steaks sit in the tomato mixture for at least an hour. When ready to bake, carefully open the large oven bag and pour the steak and tomato mixture into the oven bag. Close the oven bag with the tie that comes with the bag. Use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top of the oven bag. Make sure the oven bag is sitting in the glass baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until steak is very tender.

#2624 - Buttery Pound Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups softened butter (NO substitutes)
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
4 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla

In a mixer add add butter and white sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add milk and vanilla--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10" tube cake can. Bake the pound cake at 300 degrees for 1 hour 40 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool for 20 minutes, then loosen cake and invert it on to a cake plate. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

#2623 - Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

Topping: 1 1/4 cups Domino's dark brown sugar (packed); 3/4 cup flour; 1/2 cup cold butter (cut into small pieces); 2 tsp. cinnamon; 1 cup chopped walnuts

Batter: 3 1/4 cups flour; 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 3/4 tsp. baking soda; 1 1/2 sticks softened butter;
1 1/4 cups white sugar; 3 eggs; 2 tsp. vanilla; 1 - 16oz. tub plain yogurt; 2 granny smith apples (washed, peeled, cored and diced)

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. In a bowl add brown sugar, 3/4 cup flour, cold butter pieces and cinnamon--mix with a pastry blender to make crumbs. Add chopped walnuts--stir and set aside. In a bowl add 3 1/4 cups flour, baking powder and baking soda--stir. In a mixer add softened butter and white sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add vanilla and yogurt--beat. Slowly add flour mixture--beat just until mixed. Pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the topping mixture over the batter. Spread all of the diced apples over the topping. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the topping mixture over the diced apples. Pour the rest of the batter over the top. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the batter. Use the back of a spoon to lightly press the topping mixture into the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the cake and invert on to a cake plate. Cool completely before cutting.