Oatmeal Pancakes

  • Soak together overnight on the counter top in a bowl:
  • 4 c. quick oats
  • 4 c. buttermilk
  • Beat together:
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 c. butter, melted
  • 2 c. water
  • oatmeal mixture
  • Add:
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 T. baking powder
  • 1 T. baking soda
  • 2 t. salt
  • Stir in:
  • 2 c. GF flour

Cook on skillet set to 340-350 degrees.

You can use regular flour instead of GF flour as well.

Also, if you want to make these and didn’t prep the night before, I have boiled 4 cups of WATER (not buttermilk) and added 4 cups of quick oats to it. I stirred it once very well and then let it set until it was room temperature (maybe 40 minutes?). Later in the recipe when it calls for water I used buttermilk. Or instead of buttermilk I have used sour milk or just regular milk, too.

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Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddy

  • Put 9 cups Chex cereal (I only use Rice Chex) in a large bowl.
  • Melt together:
  • 1 c. chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 c. margarine

Pour the melted chocolate chips stuff over the cereal. Stir gently, but completely so that it is evenly spread over the cereal. Sprinkle 2 c. powdered sugar in a large container or brown paper grocery bag. Dump coated cereal in. Close tightly. Now gently turn the container/bag round and round to coat the cereal. Store in a chilled area, but not the refrigerator.

Chocolate Crunch Brownies

  • Cream together:
  • 1 c. margarine, melted
  • 2 c. granulated sugar
  • Add: 4 eggs
  • Stir in:
  • 1/3 c. cocoa
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 c. flour

Spread into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

Spread a 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme on the brownie.

  • Melt together:
  • 2 c. chocolate chips
  • 1 c. peanut butter
  • Stir in: 3 c. crispy rice cold cereal

Spread this over the creme layer. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Cut into pieces and store in an airtight container or cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator.

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Cheese Ball

  • Cream well: 16 oz. cream cheese
  • Add:
  • 1 c. crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 t. minced red pepper flakes
  • 2 T. onion, fine chopped
  • 2 t. seasoning salt
  • 1 c. walnuts, fine chopped

Cream well together. You can roll it in a ball and sprinkle with more nuts or cheese or whatever! I usually just put it in a nice jar/container as is and serve it from there.

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Butter Margarine

Do you use butter or margarine?

We use butter. Except when I use margarine!

When I am baking there is a distinct difference in what to use!!!!

IF MY RECIPE CALLS FOR BUTTER, USE BUTTER.

IF MY RECIPE CALLS FOR MARGARINE, USE MARGARINE.

Except if you don’t want to. It just won’t be the same. But that’s ok. Make it to your taste. Make it distinctly yours. This is just my opinion. BUT, if your creation isn’t as tasty as mine, that may be why.

I know that butter is more natural, less processed. We like that better. Margarine is a more processed product. Therefore, we steer away from it. HOWEVER, there are a few recipes that I have tried to use butter in and it just does not work. I don’t know why! I would prefer to never use margarine. Off the top of my head I know the Monster Cookies recipe didn’t turn out as well with butter. My cinnamon rolls recipe either. Use margarine in those recipes. But butter is best in the recipes that say butter.

WANT TO KNOW A SECRET OF MINE?

I never use vanilla in my baking. If you look at my recipes, it’s not in them!

Soft Sugar Cookies

  • Beat together well:
  • 2 c. butter, soft (not melted!)
  • 2 c. granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • Stir in:
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 3/4 t. salt
  • 3 c. flour
  • Mix well. Add while mixer is on:
  • 2 c. flour

Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl. Mix again so it is combined well. Let dough set for 5 minutes. Use a medium cookie scoop preferably to make cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool for a minute before removing from cookie sheets, placing them on cooling racks to cool completely.

I do not use these for cut-out cookies, but then again, I don’t make cut-out cookies! You could frost them though!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

  • Mix together well:
  • 1 c. butter, melted
  • 1 c. creamy peanut butter
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • Add: 2 eggs
  • Add:
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 2 c. flour
  • Mix well. Add: 1 1/2 c. flour

Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl so that the ingredients are combined well. Chill the dough for an hour, covered. I use the smallest Pampered Chef cookie scoop to make cookies. I can fit about 2 dozen on each cookie sheet! Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. As soon as they are out of the oven, place a kiss on them. Let them cool for about 2 minutes on the pan. Cool on BROWN PAPER grocery bags or parchment paper. DO NOT USE COOLING RACKS!

These cookies freeze really well. I layer them into a small container by freezing each layer for about 20 minutes before adding the next layer. This way the kiss does not get mushy.

Pumpkin Bran Muffins

  • Beat together:
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 3/4 c. butter, melted
  • 2 c. canned pumpkin
  • Add in:
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 c. flour
  • 1 1/2 c. oat bran
  • Combine until blended and moist. Fold in:
  • 1 c. walnuts

Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full per cup. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

~ I use my home made canned pumpkin. Store bought canned pumpkin probably works just the same!

~I always use gluten free flour for these and they taste great.

~I use oat bran but the original recipe used regular flour and wheat bran.

~I use walnuts because I like them. Other people have used pecans. Some people don’t even use nuts.

Butterhorn Dinner Rolls

  • Dissolve in a small bowl:
  • 2 c. warm water
  • 3 T. yeast
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • Mix in a large bowl in order given:
  • 2 c. HOT milk
  • 2 c. butter, soft/melty
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 T. salt
  • 4 eggs
  • yeast mixture
  • 8 c. flour

Mix well. Add 6 c. of flour. Knead on a floured (about 1/2 c. flour) surface 3-4 times. Dough should not be sticky at all. If it feels sticky, sprinkle on 1/2 c. flour at a time. Then wash you hands very well and dry them completely. Go back to your dough and knead. It should not be sticky now. Rise dough in a greased bowl that is covered with plastic wrap or a damp muslin cloth.

Grease the counter top with a little bit of vegetable oil. Dump dough onto it. Form a log and cut in halves repeatedly until you end up with 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a 12″ circle using a rolling pin. Next, I use a pizza cutter to cut into 12 pie pieces. Each “pie” piece then gets rolled up. Start at the wide end of the pie piece and roll up to the skinny end. Now it looks like a crescent roll! Place the roll onto a greased cookie sheet. Rise again for maybe 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I bake them for 7 minutes and then swap the pans top to bottom and bottom to top and then bake again for 6 minutes. Sometimes they have to go a tad bit longer to be golden brown. Remove from pan immediately to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing in air tight containers or bags. Keep in mind this recipe makes 8 dozen rolls. I make a large batch and keep them in the freezer. Otherwise cut the batch in half and make 4 dozen rolls!

Lemon Sour Cream Pie

  • Combine in a 6-quart pot:
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. corn starch
  • Slowly add: 1 1/4 c. milk
  • Stir until smooth. Then mix and add:
  • 3 egg YOLKS
  • 1/3 c. lemon juice
  • 1/4 c. soft butter

Stir well and cook over medium-high heat. Stir slowly. It takes a few moments to get hot so you don’t have to stir constantly. But watch and stir often so it doesn’t scorch! Cook until it is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Let it cool for a bit on the counter top. Stir it a few times. Refrigerate uncovered for several hours. It will be thick!!! Using a mixer (stand or hand), beat until somewhat smooth.

Add in: 1/2 c. sour cream (if you want it to be creamier pie add 3/4 c. sour cream)

Beat until well blended. Pour into a BAKED pie crust! Refrigerate for 3 or more hours before serving. The longer it sits the more it firms up.

A FEW MORE TIPS/IDEAS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

The crust must be baked. I use the basic/traditional pie crust most of the time. But sometimes it’s a fun change to put a different flair to it. I have used a graham cracker crust. Gingersnap cookie crust is so yummy. A nut crust with GF flour is tasty as well.

  • GINGERSNAP COOKIE CRUST:
  • Mix 2 c. crushed gingersnap cookies
  • 1/4 c. melted butter
  • Press into a pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool before filling!

To use the lemon pie filling WITHOUT the sour cream is super lemony and creative with other dessert ideas. Since I don’t eat wheat, I often hold back part of the filling and just mix it with ice cream for my dessert.

Use a scoop of the pie filling in plain yogurt.

Serving the pie filling without the crust in a custard dish is fun. Stick a lady finger cookie or biscotti in the side to eat with it. Yum.

I don’t think I make this single batch EVER! Most of the time I do the batch 4 times. Big batch!!! But it works! We like to eat it in more than just the pie.