Asian Pork Ribs

3-4 lbs. pork country style ribs or pork roast

3/4 c. apricot or peach preserves

3/4 c. BBQ sauce

1/4 c. soy sauce

3 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tsp. fresh ginger root, finely chopped

1 T. thinly sliced green onion

2 tsp. sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs in 9x13. Cover and bake for one hour.

Mix together preserves, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a bowl. After hour, remove ribs from pan, discard liquid, return ribs to pan. Generously brush ribs with half of sauce. Continue baking, uncovered, 30-45 minutes or until fork-tender, brushing with remaining sauce after 15 minutes. Remove ribs, chunk them. Sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds. The sauce is so good, I usually stir in some of the sauce too.

Stacy's Cranberry/Orange Glaze

3 oranges or 3/4 cup orange juice

3/4 bag of fresh cranberries

3/4 cup of sugar

3 additional oranges

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. raspberry vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cornstarch

2 T. cold water

Grate the peel of one orange, then juice all of the oranges. In a small saucepan, combine orange juice and peel. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until volume is reduced by half.

In another pan combine fresh cranberries, the 3/4 cup sugar and another 3/4 cup orange juice. Simmer until cranberries pop and thickens.

Combine the orange juice and cranberry sauce. Add cinnamon, allspice, vinegar, and salt. Combine cornstarch and water, mix well. Add to the cranberry/orange mixture. Cook and stir until thickened. Let cool.

Sweet Potato Pie

• I never make Pumpkin Pie anymore when I can make this one, and nobody can tell the difference.
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• 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes (I used three small ones).
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• Boil sweet potatoes whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. You can also cook them in the microwave, which is what I do. Run cold water over the sweet potatoes, and remove the skin. Break apart sweet potatoes in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Stacy's Chocolate Cake

Prepare as directed:

1 pkg. german chocolate cake mix

pour into well greased/floured bundt pan

Beat until fluffy:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 TBS corn starch

Add:

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

mix then add 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix and pour over cake mix in bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before turning it over.

Glaze:

4 squares baking chocolate

4 TBS butter

2 tsp. vanilla

Powdered sugar (enough to bring to glaze consistency)

Heat chocolate and butter. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar. Pour over the top of cake and let it drizzle down.

Stacy's Rice Pilaf

melt 2 TBS. butter and saute with the following:

1 small chopped onion

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Prepare 6 oz pkg of wild rice according to directions. Combine rice and vegetable mixture. Serve separate or stuff in a chicken.

Salisbury Steak

Our new family favorite. Goes great with mashed potatoes.

• (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• one packet of onion soup mix
• 1 can golden mushroom soup
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder

1. In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties. Dredge them with flour then in a large skillet over medium-high heat, in a little oil, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.
2. In a small bowl, blend 2 T. flour and remaining soup and golden mushroom soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or throw it in your crock pot.

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Chocolate Roll-out Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. You might need to make it thicker. These cookies are super yummy, but crumble easily unless you roll them out thick enough. If you don't want the white flour on your chocolate cookies, you could sprinkle cocoa instead. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Dough is sticky so be sure to add more flour or cocoa to the rolling surface as needed. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
  3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Again, make sure they are rolled out thick enough and you can even use parchment paper on your cookie sheet so they won't crumble. Well worth it to make, though.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

One onion, chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp. parsley

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

salt and pepper

10 cups of chicken broth

3-4 cups chopped carrots

3-4 cups chopped cooked chicken

2-3 cups of egg noodles

Directions:

In a large soup pot saute onion and celery in oil for about 5 minutes or until onions are clear. Add garlic and saute another minute or so. Add chicken broth, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, carrots, and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken and noodles and cook until noodles are soft. I add potato pearls or flakes to get it a little thicker. I usually add about a cup of potato flakes to this recipe.

Peach Cream Pie

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• I found this on Allrecipes.com and loved it. It is very easy and super yummy!!
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• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sliced peaches (about five peaches)
• 1 unbaked pie crust
• Crumb Topping:
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
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• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk together the 3/4 cup sugar, the 2 tablespoons flour, and salt. Beat in the sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the sliced peaches. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue baking until the filling is set, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees F.Whisk together the 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix in the butter with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the pie. Return the pie to the preheated oven and bake until topping is golden, about 10 minutes. Let pie cool slightly before slicing.

Dinner Rolls

These are sooooooo good. Try them.

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• about 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast or about 5 tsp.
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Dissolve the yeast in warm water and sprinkle a little bit of sugar over it. Microwave the cup of milk until it's hot then put the butter in until melted. Combine milk, butter, eggs, sugar and salt. I use my Bosch. Add the yeast mixture. Add the flour and mix in the Bosch or by hand for about 5-8 minutes. Let it rise for a little over an hour. I shape mine into balls because it is easiest. If you do this, you'll get about 30 rolls. You can make crescents, cinnamon rolls, whatever. Let them rise another hour in the shape you want then bake them at 375 for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

The Cupcakes

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.
2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.
3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.

Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers. A 2″ ice cream scoop works great for this. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Stephanie's Frosting

Mix one stick of softened butter and about 3/4 C. chunky peanut butter. Then add a tsp. of vanilla and about 4 C. powdered sugar plus a couple tablespoons of milk to get the right consistency.

The Easiest Tomato-Basil Chicken

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Tomato Soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 cups hot cooked medium tube-shaped pasta, or whatever you have.
• Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned. Add soup, milk, cheese, basil and garlic. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 min. or until done. Serve with pasta.

The Best Ever Lemon Bars--I mean Ever

Crust

2 cups (8.5 ounces) flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled butter, cubed

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl by hand, mix together the flour, powdered sugar and butter until they come together to form a dough.

2. Press the dough into a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake the crust until golden-brown, about 20 minutes. Remove and cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees to bake the bars.

Filling and final assembly

8 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups lemon juice (from 12 to 13 lemons)

1/2 cup (2.1 ounces) flour

Prepared crust

Powdered sugar for dusting

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and flour. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

2. Place the dish in the center of the oven and bake at 300 degrees until the custard is set, about 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then dust with a light coating of powdered sugar before serving.

Aunt Julie's Chicken, Broccoli Casserole

Spray a 9x13 with cooking spray. The first layer is cooked chicken cut up, then steamed broccoli, onion flakes, shredded cheese then the soup mixture. Sprinkle cooked stuffing on the top and bake for 30 min. at 350.

Soup mixture:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

3/4 c. sour cream (I use plain yogurt to reduce fat)

1 T. lemon juice

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 T. flour

3 T. cornstarch

3 eggs

2 T. butter

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

1/3 c. lemon juice

Baked Pastry Shell

Meringue (recipe is at the end)

For filling, in a medium saucepan combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and a dash of salt. Gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat till thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Separate egg yolks from whites; set whites aside for meringue. Beat egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir one cup of the hot filling into yolks; return all to saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and lemon peel. Gradually stir in lemon juice, gently mixing well. Pour hot filling into baked pastry shell. Evenly spread meringue over hot filling; seal to edge. Bake in a 350 oven for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill to sore.

Meringue:

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

6 T. sugar

Bring egg whites to room temperature. In a mixing bowl combine egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar.Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed about one minute or till soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed about 4 minutes more or till mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks and sugar dissolves. Immediately spread meringue over pie, carefully sealing to edge of pastry to prevent shrinkage. Bake as directed in pie recipe.

Banana Crumb Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, oil and vanilla. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Best Play Dough

1 cup flour

1 T. oil

1 cup water

1/2 c. salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

food coloring

Mix all the ingredients together in a pot. Cook over medium heat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a ball. Stir constantly (this will be a work out). Remove from the heat and knead about 10 times until the dough is smooth. Store it in a plastic bag (stays soft for a long time.) This makes a soft, smooth dough that keeps its shape when molded. It will dry out, but not enough to make things like jewelry.

Stacy's French Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 TBS yeast
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS oil
1 TBS salt
6 Cups of flour

Stir first five ingredients and add 3 cups flour until smooth. Add remaining flour. Stir only to moisten flour. Cover and set in warm place for 10 minutes. Punch down mixture. Let dough rise and punch down every 10 minutes for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into two balls. Roll out each ball to a 9x13 rectangle. Roll the rectangle on the long side, pinching the seam together and tucking in the ends. Cut six slits diagonally across the top and brush with egg whites. Let rise for 30 minutes covered. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. We made this tonight and cut the bread length-wise to make pizza out of it. Yummy! My kids ate it, and that is saying a lot.