#3398 - Breadstick Pretzels

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 11oz. can refrigerated breadstick dough
1 beaten egg
coarse salt

Open the breadstick dough and separate along the lines--you should have 12 breadstick doughs. Cut each breadstick dough in half LENGTHWISE. Twist each dough into a pretzel and set it on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with all dough (you will need a second cookie sheet). Brush the beaten egg over all of the pretzels and sprinkle course salt over the tops of the pretzels. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

#3397 - Killer Butterfinger Cheesecake

(by Shirley McNevich)

Crust: 18 Oreo cookies; 1/4 cup butter (melted)

Batter: 3 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened); 1 cup white sugar; 3/4 cup Breakstone's sour cream; 1/2 cup Jif creamy peanut butter; 2 tsp. vanilla; 3 eggs

Topping: 5 regular size butterfinger candy bars (some for batter and some for topping)

Grease a 9" springform cheesecake pan with Pam. In a blender or food processor add the Oreo cookies a few at a time and beat them until you have crumbs. In a bowl add Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter--stir to mix. Press the mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the greased cheesecake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, then set aside. Unwrap all of the Butterfinger candy bars, break them into smaller pieces and place them in a blender or a food processor a few at a time--beat until they are chopped. Batter: in a mixer add cream cheese and white sugar--beat. Add sour cream, peanut butter and vanilla--beat. Add eggs--beat just until mixed. Remove bowl from mixer. Measure the chopped Butterfingers in a measuring cup--add 3/4 of the chopped Butterfingers to the cream cheese mixture--stir to mix. Pour the batter into the Oreo crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight. Sprinkle the remaining chopped Butterfingers all over the top of the cheesecake. Optional: drizzle caramel ice cream topping over the top of the cheesecake before sprinkling the chopped Butterfingers over the top of the cheesecake.

#3396 - Sugared Peanuts

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
4 cups shelled peanuts (do NOT remove the skins)

In a pot over medium heat add water and white sugar--cook/stir until sugar is dissolved. Add all of the shelled peanuts--cook/stir until there is no more liquid left. Spread the peanuts on an ungreased cookie sheet and use a spoon to separate them as much as you can. Bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes, then stir the peanuts. Bake another 5 minutes, then stir the peanuts again. Bake another 2-5 minutes, then remove from oven. Cool completely.

#3395 - Valentine Heart Cutout Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups white sugar
2 sticks softened Parkay margarine
2 eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 TBSP vanilla
6 cups of sifted flour (measure before sifting)
Frosting/Icing: 1/2 box Domino's Powdered Sugar (1 lb. size); 1 stick Parkay margarine; 2 tsp. vanilla; 1.5 TBSP milk, red food coloring

In a mixer add 2 sticks margarine, 2 cups white sugar and 2 eggs--beat until smooth. Add salt, baking soda, baking powder, 1 TBSP vanilla and buttermilk--beat until smooth. Add flour one cup at a time and mix into batter. Once you've put in two or three cups of flour, you will need to mix in remaining flour by hand unless you're using a heavy duty Kitchen Aid mixer - stir until smooth. Cover the bowl and refrigerate dough overnight. The next day take out a handful of cookie dough and put on a floured countertop. Roll with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick (flour top of dough also). Use heart shaped cookie cutter to cut cookies. Carefully place each cutout on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown (do a test cookie to figure out the time appropriate for your oven). Repeat until dough is depleted. Once cookies are cool, in a mixer add 1/2 box Domino's powdered sugar, 1 stick margarine, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 1.5 TBSP milk--beat for at least 5 minutes until it's nice and creamy. Remove 1/2 of the frosting/icing and place it in a cereal bowl--add red food coloring and stir until it's the red color you desire. Use the white icing/frosting to frost 1/2 of each cookie. Use the red icing/frosting to frost the other half of each cookie. Optional: instead of using both red and white frosting on each cookie, frost each cookie with only one solid color.

#3394 - Tangy Ranch Chicken

(by Shirley McNevich)

2/3 cup ranch salad dressing
1/3 cup French's yellow mustard
3 TBSP Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

In a bowl add ranch dressing, mustard, and brown sugar--mix well. Salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast to your taste. Grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Stab one chicken breast at a time with a fork and coat the bottom of the chicken breast in the ranch mixture, then place it in the greased baking dish. Repeat with all chicken breasts. Pour the remaining ranch mixture all over the tops of the chicken breasts. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until chicken is done and no longer pink inside. Optional: make a second batch of the ranch dressing mixture to use for dipping.

#3393 - Crushed Pineapple Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 - 9" pie crust doughs
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 cups well drained Dole crushed pineapple
1 TBSP butter

Grease a 9" pie plate, insert one pie dough and spray the inside of the dough with Pam. In a mixer add eggs--beat until foaming. Add white sugar, lemon juice and drained crushed pineapple--beat. Spread the pineapple filling in the pie dough. Dot the butter all over the pineapple filling. Cover the top of the pie with the second pie dough, flute the edges, use a sharp knife to cut a quarter sized hole in the center of the top dough, and use the same sharp knife to cut some slits in the top of the pie dough. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then (WITHOUT opening the oven door) turn the oven temperature back to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool completely.

#3392 - Cream Cheese Berry Tart

(by Shirley McNevich)

Crust: 1/2 cup Domino's powdered sugar; 1 1/2 cups flour; 1 1/2 sticks softened butter

Batter: 1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened); 1/2 cup white sugar; 2 tsp. vanilla

Topping: fresh strawberries (your choice of amount); fresh blueberries (your choice of amount); fresh raspberries (your choice of amount)

In a bowl add powdered sugar and flour--stir to mix. Slice the softened butter into small pieces and add it to the flour mixture--mix with a pastry blender to make crumbs. Grease a 12" tart pan and press the crust mixture all over the bottom, up the sides and into all of the tart pan crevices. Spray the inside of the crust with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. In a mixer add cream cheese--beat. Add white sugar and vanilla--beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the cooled crust. Wash all of the berries and drain them, then slice the strawberries. Arrange strawberry slices, whole blueberries and whole raspberries all over the cream cheese mixture (slightly pressing them down into the cream cheese). Refrigerate until cold before cutting and serving.

#3391 - Battered Shrimp

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup Bisquick (plus extra for drenching)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup beer
1 beaten egg
1 lb. uncooked large shrimp (peeled and de-veined; if frozen, thawed, drained and rinsed, then dried on paper towels)
cocktail sauce (for dipping)

Fill a cast iron skillet 1/3 full with canola oil--bring oil to 375 degrees over medium heat. In a bowl add 1 cup Bisquick, garlic powder, beer and beaten egg--stir with a whisk until smooth. In a small bowl add a little Bisquick for drenching. Drench each piece of shrimp in the Bisquick, then coat the same shrimp in the batter and place it in the hot oil. Repeat with all shrimp but don't let them touch each other in the skillet. Fry until bottoms are golden brown, then flip and fry until other side is also golden brown. Place fried shrimp on paper towels to soak up extra grease. Serve with cocktail sauce.

#3390 - Crispy Fried Fish

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup flour + extra for drenching
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. white sugar
1 TBSP canola oil + extra for frying
1 cup water
fish fillets (skins removed)

Batter: in a bowl add flour, salt, baking powder and white sugar--stir to mix. Add canola oil and water--whisk until mixed and smooth--set aside. Fill a cast iron skillet 1/3 full with canola oil--turn heat to medium and heat oil until bubbling hot. Lightly drench a fish piece in a small bowl of flour, then dip the fish piece into the batter and place it directly into the hot oil. Repeat with other fish pieces but don't let them touch each other in the skillet. Fry until bottom sides are browned and crispy, then flip and fry the other sides. Place fried fish on paper towels to drain off extra grease.

#3389 - Butter Cocoa Frosting

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/4 cup milk
4 cups Domino's powdered sugar (more if necessary)
2 tsp. vanilla

In a saucepan over low heat add butter, milk and cocoa--cook/stir until boiling. Once boiling, cook/stir for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and pour hot mixture into a mixer. Beat on low speed while adding vanilla. Continue beating on low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar. Once all 4 cups of powdered sugar have been added, beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. If frosting is too thick add a little more milk and beat again. If frosting is too thin add a little more powdered sugar and beat again.

#3388 - Brownie Kisses

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box fudge brownie mix
48 Hershey's Hugs kisses (the striped kind)

Place mini muffin paper liners into a mini muffin tin. Prepare brownie mix according to box directions. Unwrap the Hershey's kisses. Fill each paper liner 2/3 full with brownie batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. As soon as you remove them from the oven, press one unwrapped kiss into the center of each brownie. Repeat with all batter and kisses.

#3387 - Easy Mini Donuts

(by Shirley McNevich)

5 TBSP softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt (ONLY if using unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cups flour
Topping: 1/4 cup butter (melted); 1/4 cup white sugar; 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Grease a mini muffin tin (the 24 hole size, or two 12 hole size). In a mixer add 5 TBSP softened butter and 1/2 cup white sugar--beat. Add egg--beat. Add milk and vanilla--beat. Add baking powder, salt and flour--beat just until mixed. Fill mini muffin cups half full with batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly, then remove from muffin tins. Place the melted butter in one bowl, and mix the 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a second bowl. Start with one warm donut--dip both sides quickly in the melted butter, then dip both sides in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with all mini donuts.

#3386 - Sausage Egg Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 slices white bread
1lb. ground pork sausage (if using link sausage, remove the casings)
6-8 slices cooked bacon (crumbled)
8oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt

In a skillet over medium heat add the ground pork sausage--cook/stir until meat is well browned. Drain off the grease from the sausage, then spread the sausage on to paper towels to soak up any remaining grease. Cut the crusts off of the bread and discard the crusts. Cut remaining bread pieces in half. Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with Pam, then arrange the bread slices to cover the whole bottom of the dish (cutting bread where necessary). Spread the drained sausage evenly over the bread pieces. Sprinkle the cheese over the sausage. In a bowl add eggs, milk, mustard, salt, seasoned salt, and pepper--beat. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon all over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let the casserole stand for a few minutes after removing from the oven before cutting and serving.

#3385 - Skillet Cornbread

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 cups White Lily OR Aunt Jemima white cornmeal mix (self-rising)
1/2 cup flour
1 - 15oz. can DelMonte cream style corn
1 - 8oz. Breakstone's sour cream
3 beaten eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a bowl add cornmeal and flour--stir to mix. Add cream style corn, sour cream and beaten eggs--stir to mix. Set oven to 450 degrees. Once the oven is hot, place a cast iron skillet in the oven for 10 minutes so the skillet heats up. Remove from oven and spread the batter into the hot cast iron skillet. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until nice and brown and the sides of the cornbread start pulling away from the sides of the skillet. Cool slightly before cutting.

#3384 - Beef and French Fries Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 TBSP flour
1 - 15oz. can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups frozen french fries

In a skillet over medium heat add ground chuck, chopped onions, salt and pepper--cook/stir until meat is browned, then drain off the grease. Return the skillet to the heat and sprinkle the flour over the meat--stir well. Add the diced tomatoes/juice to the meat--cook/stir until boiling, then remove from heat. In a greased 2 quart casserole dish add the meat mixture. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the meat. Arrange the frozen french fries over the top. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until french fries are golden brown. Remove from oven and wait 5 minutes before serving.

#3383 - Raisin Rice Pudding

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 egg
4 cups whole milk
1 - 3oz. box Jell-O vanilla pudding (NOT instant)
1 cup Minute Rice (raw)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

In a small saucepan add raisins--cover them with water, bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, then drain the raisins. In a saucepan (no heat yet) add egg--beat with a whisk. Add milk while whisking. Add pudding powder--beat with the whisk until well mixed. Add rice and drained raisins--stir. Turn heat on to medium--cook/stir until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Remove from heat and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then stir mixture well. Pour the whole mixture into a glass serving dish. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the top. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until cold.

#3382 - Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake

(by Shirley McNevich)

Crust: 2 sticks softened butter; 2 1/2 cups flour; 1 cup chopped pecans (plus extra pecans for sprinkling)

Batter: 2 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened); 2 cups Domino's powdered sugar; 1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)

Topping: 2 - 3oz. boxes Jell-O chocolate INSTANT pudding; 3 cups milk; 1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)

Crust--in a bowl add softened butter, flour and chopped pecans--mix with a pastry blender to make crumbs. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until crust is browned. Cool completely. Batter--in a mixer add cream cheese--beat. Slowly add powdered sugar--beat. Add thawed Cool Whip--beat until smooth. Pour batter over the cooled crust--refrigerate for 1 hour. Topping--in a mixer add both boxes of chocolate pudding mix and the milk--beat on low until mixed, then beat on medium speed until thickened. Add Cool Whip--beat until smooth. Spread the pudding mixture over the top of the chilled cheesecake, sprinkle more chopped pecans over the top of the pudding, then refrigerate the cheesecake ovenight before cutting and serving.

#3381 - Crunchy Bacon Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
2 cups Breakstone's sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese + extra for sprinkling
6-8 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped green onions (less if you wish)
1 loaf of sourdough bread (broken into small pieces)

Cook bacon until crispy, drain the bacon on paper towels, then crumble the bacon. In a bowl add cream cheese--beat with a spoon. Add sour cream--stir to mix. Add shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and chopped green onions--stir to mix. Scoop mixture into a small baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle more shredded cheese over the top, return to oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbling hot. Serve with sourdough bread pieces.

#3380 - Corned Beef Cabbage Dip

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup shredded green cabbage (more if you wish)
6oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup Breakstone's sour cream
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to your taste
2 cups chopped/cooked corned beef
good quality crackers

In a bowl add cream cheese--beat with a spoon. Add mayo, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper--stir to mix. Add shredded cabbage and corned beef pieces--stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve with good quality crackers.

#3379 - Pierogi Spinach Soup

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 cups chicken broth
1 - 28oz. can diced tomatoes
6oz. cut green beans (drained and cut into small pieces)
1/2 lb. fresh spinach (washed and drained)
fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Italian style croutons
1 - 12oz. bag mini pierogis with potato and onions

Cut the drained spinach into bite sized pieces. In a pot add chicken broth and diced tomatoes/juice--stir well. Cook/stir over medium heat until it starts to boil. Add the bag of mini pierogis--cook/stir until boiling again. Add green beans pieces--turn heat back to simmer. Add the spinach pieces--stir. Simmer until spinach is done to your liking. Serve in bowls and top with Italian croutons and fresh grated Parmesan cheese.