#1018 - Black and White Brownies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 squares Baker's semi-sweet OR milk chocolate baking chocolate

In a mixer add butter, white sugar--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add vanilla--beat. Add salt and flour--beat until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer--add chopped nuts if you choose--stir with a wooden spoon. Pour HALF of the batter into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan. Melt the baking chocolate in the microwave according to box directions. Add melted chocolate to remaining batter--stir. Pour the chocolate batter over the plain batter in the pan. Use a table knife to swirl the batter (marble it). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes--bake less for chewy brownies.

#1017 - BBQ Rice Bowls

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground chuck
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped onion
2 cups fresh tomatoes (diced)
1 cup whole kernel corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
3 cups cooked rice (your choice of rice type)
shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet over medium heat add ground chuck, salt, pepper, chopped green pepper and chopped onion--cook and stir until meat is browned. Add diced tomatoes, corn and BBQ sauce--stir and turn heat down to simmer--cook and stir for 15-20 minutes. Cook rice separately according to package directions--drain. Spoon rice into bowls. Top the rice in each bowl with a heaping serving of the meat mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top of each bowl. Serve with crackers.

#1016 - Rum Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 - 3.75oz. box Jell-O French vanilla INSTANT pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup rum
Domino's powdered sugar for sprinkling
Sauce: 1 stick butter; 1/4 cup rum; 1 cup white sugar; 1/4 cup water

In a mixer add cake mix. pudding mix, eggs, water and canola oil--beat. Add rum--beat until smooth. Pour batter into greased bundt cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. When cake is almost done, make the sauce: in a saucepan over low heat add butter, rum, white sugar, and water--stir and heat until smooth and hot--sugar should be dissolved. Remove cake from oven and pour hot sauce mixture on the cake (at this point, the cake is still upside down in the bundt cake pan--do NOT remove it--you are actually pouring the sauce on to the bottom of the cake). Cool completely, then cover the bundt cake pan (bottom of the cake) with foil. Let the covered pan sit on the counter overnight. The next day invert the cake on to a cake plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar before cutting.

#1015 - German Chocolate Chip Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 4oz. bar German chocolate
1 - 6oz. bag Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate bits
1 - 3.4oz. box Jell-O vanilla INSTANT pudding
1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix (without pudding already added)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup water
4 eggs
Domino's powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Unwrap and grate the chocolate bar into a bowl--set aside. In a mixer add pudding mix, yellow cake mix, canola oil, water and eggs--beat until smooth (about 4 minutes). Remove bowl from mixer--add grated chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon. Add chocolate bits--stir. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool completely, then frost as desired or dust with powdered sugar..

#1014 - Creamy Peach Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

48 Nilla wafers
1/3 cup butter (melted)
3/4 cup boiling water
1 - 3.75oz. box orange Jell-O
2 cups ice cubes
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip (thawed)
2 whole peaches

Place nilla wafers in a Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. In a bowl add crushed wafers, melted butter--stir. Press wafer mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate--set aside. In a bowl add Jell-O powder and boiling water--stir until dissolved. Add the ice cubes--stir until it starts to thicken. Use a spoon to take out any unmelted ice cubes. Add Cool Whip to the Jell-O mixture--stir. Wash, peel and cut the peaches into small pieces--put the peach pieces in a strainer to remove any water--add peach pieces to Jell-O mixture--stir. Refrigerate the Jell-O mixture for 20-30 minutes until it is thick. Remove Jell-O mixture from refrigerator and spoon it into the nilla wafer crust. Refrigerate overnight.

#1013 - Summer Punch

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 32oz. bottle orange juice (chilled)
1 - 32oz. bottle pineapple juice (chilled)
1 - 32oz. bottle apple juice (chilled)
1 - 2 liter bottle cherry 7Up (chilled)
1 jar maraschino cherries (chilled)

Chill all ingredients the day before your event. Slowly pour orange juice, pineapple juice, and apple juice into a punch bowl--stir. Add the maraschino cherries (juice and all)--stir. When you're ready to serve, add the chilled cherry 7Up--stir and serve.

#1012 - Pepper Beans

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 - 40oz. cans pork 'n beans
1/2 cup Heinz ketchup
3 TBSP Domino's dark brown sugar
1/4 cup King syrup molasses

In a dutch oven over medium heat add ground chuck, salt, pepper, chopped onion and chopped green pepper--cook and stir until meat is browned. Drain the fat off the meat and return meat to dutch oven. Add all pork 'n beans, ketchup, brown sugar and molasses--stir and cook over medium heat until boiling--turn heat back to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste--add more ketchup or more brown sugar if desired.

#1011 - Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups softened butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
4 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 - 12oz. bag Nestle's white chocolate bits
1 - bag Reese's peanut butter chips

In a mixer add butter, white sugar, and brown sugar--beat. Add eggs-beat. Add vanilla, salt and baking soda--beat. Add flour slowly--beat (continue by hand if too stiff). Remove bowl from mixer--add white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips--stir with a wooden spoon. Drop by teaspoonsful on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes--bake 9 minutes if you like them on the chewy side--longer if you like them crispier.

#1010 - Almond Brownies

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 3oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
6 TBSP butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup + 1 TBSP flour
1 2/3 cups Baker's angelflake coconut
1 cup whole almonds
6 squares Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Measure 1 cup of whole almonds--take out 16 of the whole almonds and save for later. Chop the rest of the 1 cup almonds--set aside. In a mixer add cream cheese and 2 TBSP butter--beat. Add 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1 egg--beat. Add 1 TBSP flour and all of the coconut--beat. Add 1/3 cup of the chopped almonds--beat. Set batter aside. In a saucepan over low heat add 5 squares of the baking chocolate and 4 TBSP butter--stir and melt. Once melted remove from heat--add 1/2 cup white sugar and vanilla--stir. Beat 2 eggs in a cup--add beaten eggs to the chocolate--stir until mixed. Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt to the chocolate mixture--stir. Add the rest of the chopped almonds to the chocolate--stir. Pour chocolate batter into a greased 8" square baking pan. Pour cream cheese mixture on top of chocolate batter. Arrange the 16 whole almonds any way you wish on top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness--do not overbake or they will be dry. Melt the rest of the baking chocolate (according to box microwave directions) and drizzle on top of warm brownies.

#1009 - Vanilla Pie

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup King syrup molasses
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg (beaten)
2 TBSP flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups hot water
2 tsp. vanilla
2 unbaked pie doughs (make your own or buy the doughs)
Crumbs: 1 cup white sugar; 1 stick softened butter; 2 cups flour; 1/2 tsp. baking soda; 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

In a saucepan over medium heat add King syrup, white sugar, beaten egg, flour and salt--stir. Add hot water to the mixture--stir. Cook and stir until mixture gets thick (about 6 minutes). Remove from heat--add vanilla and stir. Let mixture cool completely. Spray Pam into two 9" pie plates--add pie dough, spray the inside of the doughs with Pam and flute the edges. Pour half of the cooled molasses mixture into each pie dough. In a bowl add 1 cup white sugar, 2 cups flour, softened butter, baking soda and cream of tartar--stir with your hands until it makes crumbs. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture on top of each pie. Bake them at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, turn heat back to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer or until center is set.

#1008 - Butterscotch Peanut Clusters

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 bags (11oz. size) Nestle's butterscotch morsels
2 tsp. vanilla
16oz. Planter's dry roasted peanuts

Line cookie sheets with wax paper--set aside. Melt butterscotch morsels in either a microwave or a double boiler (according to bag directions). Once melted, quickly add vanilla to the butterscotch and stir briskly. Add whole peanuts to the butterscotch mixture--stir carefully. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on to the wax paper--refrigerate. Once they have set and are cold, remove each cluster from wax paper and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Variation--put in a few less peanuts and add some Kellogg's Rice Krispies in their place.

#1007 - Banana Pineapple Bundt Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas (ripe)
1 cup canola oil
1 - small can Dole crushed pineapple (do NOT drain)
2 tsp. vanilla

In a bowl add flour, white sugar, salt and baking soda--stir. Use a spoon to make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl add eggs--beat with a fork. Add mashed bananas to eggs--stir. Add canola oil, vanilla and crushed pineapple mixture to the egg mixture--stir. Pour the egg mixture all at one time into the center of the flour mixture--stir until mixed. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool in pan for at least 20 minutes, then turn it upside down on to a cake plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

#1006 - Yellow Jell-O Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 - 6oz. box strawberry Jell-O (OR blueberry Jell-O OR raspberry Jell-O)
2 cups boiling water
1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
1 pint fresh berries (use the same type of berries as your Jell-O flavor)

Wash berries--drain and slice--refrigerate. Bake cake according to box directions. Pour Jell-O powders in a bowl--add boiling water and stir until dissolved. As soon as you remove cake from oven use the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the top of the cake about 1" apart. Pour the warm Jell-O over the top of the cake evenly. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator, spread Cool Whip on the top (like frosting) and place sliced berries on the top of the Cool Whip. If the berries are too wet, dump them on paper towels to slightly dry them before adding to top of the Cool Whip. Refrigerate until cold--keep refrigerated.

#1005 - Old Bay French Fries

(by Shirley McNevich)

2-3 lbs. good quality baking potatoes
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
a few dashes of pepper
water
canola oil
Old Bay seasoning

Line cookie sheets with paper towels--set aside. Wash and peel potatoes, then slice them into french fry wedges and place in a large bowl--run cold water into the bowl until all french fries are covered--set aside. Add 1/2" canola oil to a cast iron skillet--turn heat to medium and heat oil until hot enough to fry. In a separate bowl add flour, salt, paprika, garlic salt, pepper--stir. Add water a little at a time--stir after each addition and keep adding water/stirring until batter is the consistency of pancake batter. Use tongs to pick up one potato wedge at a time, dip it in the batter then drop it in the hot oil. Repeat with more potato wedges and try to keep them from touching one another--turn french fries to brown both sides. As french fries are browned and done to your liking, place them on the paper towel lined cookie sheets--put them close together but not on top of each other. Before frying the next batch, sprinkle the hot french fries with Old Bay Seasoning. Continue with all french fries and make sure all have been sprinkled with Old Bay. If you're afraid they will get too cold while finishing the frying, preheat oven to 150 degrees--dump finished french fries in a lightly greased metal cake pan. Put the cake pan with finished french fries in the oven to keep them warm while you fry the rest.

#1004 - Pumpkin Twinkies

(by Shirley McNevich)

10 Twinkies
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1 cup Domino's powdered sugar
1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
2 - 3.4oz. boxes Jell-O vanilla INSTANT pudding
1 - 15oz. can Libby's canned pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup milk
cinnamon for sprinkling

Unwrap Twinkies and cut each in half (longways). Place the cut Twinkies (uncut part down) in a greased 9 x 13 cake pan--set aside. In a mixer add cream cheese--beat. Add powdered sugar--beat. Add 1/2 of the Cool Whip--beat. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of Twinkies. In a mixer add both boxes of pudding mix and milk--beat. Add pumpkin--beat. Add pumpkin pie spice--beat. Pour batter on top of cream cheese mixture. Spread the rest of the Cool Whip on top. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of Cool Whip if desired. Refrigerate overnight.

#1003 - Grape Cherry Punch

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 48oz. bottle white grape juice
1 jar maraschino cherries (discard juice)
1 - 2 liter bottle 7UP or ginger ale

Chill all ingredients the night before. The next day, drain and chop cherries. Add white grape juice and chopped cherries to a punch bowl--stir. When you are ready to serve, add the 7UP or ginger ale--stir. For this recipe, if you don't like cherries just omit them--it's still good without the cherries.

#1002 - Beef & Macaroni with Chopped Tomatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

1lb. ground chuck
1 chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 3/4 cups chopped fresh garden tomatoes (OR 1 - 14oz. can chopped tomatoes)
1 chopped green pepper
1 cup dry macaroni (your choice of shape)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground chuck with salt, pepper, chopped onion and chopped green pepper. Once browned add chopped tomatoes and 1 cup water--stir over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add dry macaroni--stir. Cover, turn heat back to simmer and cook until macaroni is done to your liking. Stir, remove from heat, add shredded cheddar cheese--stir and serve.

#1001 - Creamy Mandarin Oranges

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 - 3oz. boxes orange Jell-O
4 cups boiling water
1 quart softened premium vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cups pulpless orange juice
2 - 11oz. cans Dole mandarin oranges (drained well)

In a large bowl add all of the Jell-O powder and boiling water--stir until dissolved. Add softened ice cream and orange juice--stir well. Put bowl in refrigerator until its starts to gel (about an hour). Remove from refrigerator and add drained mandarin oranges--stir carefully. Pour entire mixture in a serving dish and refrigerate overnight.

#1000 - Homemade Lemonade

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups white sugar
2 cups water + 7 or 8 cups water
2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (you'll need 12-16 lemons depending on their size)

Place lemons on your counter at least a few hours until they are room temperature. Cut and squeeze lemons using a juicer until you have 2 cups of lemon juice. In a saucepan over low heat add 2 cups water and 2 cups white sugar--stir and heat until all of the sugar has dissolved. Remove saucepan from heat and add lemon juice--stir well. Pour entire mixture into a gallon pitcher. Add 7 cups of cold water--stir. Add ice cubes--stir. Taste--if too strong, add 1 more cup of cold water. If too sweet, add a bit more lemon juice. If too tart, add a bit more white sugar. Refrigerate until very cold.

#999 - Steamed Snow Crab Legs

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 large crab steamer
frozen snow crab legs (as many as you need or will fit in the steamer)
1 large can Old Bay Seasoning
1 or 2 bottles or cans of your favorite beer

Take the bottom part of the steamer and put it on the stove top over medium heat--fill it halfway with water and one beer. Set the top part of the steamer on the liquid filled bottom piece. Add one layer of snow crab legs at a time, and sprinkle each layer with a generous amount of Old Bay. Repeat layering crab legs and Old Bay. Continue steaming until crab legs are nice and hot. Use tongs to remove steamed crab legs on to plates. Be careful to keep checking the bottom part of the steamer so it doesn't go dry--add more water and a second beer if necessary.