Oatmeal Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies

My mom used to make these for us when we were kids.  Her mom used to make them for her.  Now I make them for my kids.  Gotta love the multi-generational recipes.  (My mom was a bit of a health nut and this is one cookie she would let us eat for breakfast)  Recipe below is just as it is in my grandma's recipe box.  Below the recipe I'll put my twist to it.

1 C sugar

1 C molasses

1 1/2 C melted shortening

4 eggs well beaten

1/2 C sweet milk

4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp cloves

2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt
4 C flour
4 C quick oats
2 C chocolate chips

Mix in order given sift in flour and spices  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 mins.

**I use melted margarine, regular milk (not even sure what sweet milk is)  2 tsp cinnamon and 4 tsp all spice (I don't keep cloves around the house, so that's why the switch)  I also bake for 12 minutes because I like them a little more done.  Makes 5 dozen

Pineapple Hawaiian Chicken

Here's another recipe, compliments of my niece Jen.  From Jen, "We did this and served it over rice and it was SO good! And I think you could make it ahead of time and just let it marinade! It was delicious!! It is so good and moist. It was amazing!!"  Once again Jen, thanks for sharing!


7-8 Various pieces of Chicken, we used Breasts, cut in half
2 T. Sugar
1 tsp Cornstarch
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
2 T. butter
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. finely chopped onion

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in crushed pineapple, butter, soy sauce, and chopped onion. (Since I forgot an onion, I used onion salt, and it was still good!) Cook and stir until thickened, and bubbly; cook 1 minute more.

Put chicken in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Cover with Pineapple mixture and bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, until chicken is done!

Crunchy Taco Salad.

This recipe was sent to me by my niece.  She said, "This . . is actually from the Body For Life Cookbook. It's Crunchy Taco Salad. And even for my kids, who are super picky, they LOVE it!!! Devour it! I hope you enjoy!! "  Thanks Jen for sharing!


1lb ground turkey
1 (15)oz can chili beans in sauce
5 C. romaine lettuce, chopped
1 C. Salsa
1/2 C. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 tomato, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 C. Sour cream
baked tortilla chips

Cook turkey, add chili beans.

Put lettuce on plates, put chili over top. Then top with Salsa, cheese, tomato, green onions, sour cream and chips.

Easy Chicken Casserole

This is a super easy casserole that is thrown together in minutes. You can mix in the morning, refrigerate and bake about an hour before needed.  It would also be an excellent use for Thanksgiving leftovers.

1 pkg stuffing mix
1 ½ lbs fully cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1 lb package frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz Velveeta cubed

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare stuffing according to package directions (we never use the butter). Combine chicken, broccoli, soup and cheese in a 13x9 baking dish. Mix well. Top with stuffing. Bake 30 minutes or until stuffing is crunchy and cheese is golden brown. (Will take closer to an hour if cooked from the refrigerator)

Penne & Peppers

This is one of the easiest, tastiest dishes.  Whips up in minutes and tastes amazing!  This is great for dinner parties when you want to impress but don't have a ton of time.  I don't know that I've had better at any Italian restaurant.

3 cups penne pasta, uncooked

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 each green and red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese (garlic & chive is an excellent option)

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, crumble sausage into large skillet; cook and stir on medium heat 8 min. or until done. Drain. Add bell peppers; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce; cook 5 min. or until heated through. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted, stirring frequently.

Drain pasta. Add to sausage mixture; mix lightly. Top with Parmesan.

Pecan Sweet Potato Waffles

This recipe makes a not too sweet, but super moist waffle with a crunchy topping.  It's a great combination of tastes and textures.  I found a version of this recipe in a magazine, but altered to fit the needs and preferences of our family.  It's a twist on two southern pies, Pecan & Sweet Potato.  Anytime you can eat pie for breakfast, it's a good day!

Waffles - yields 12-15 waffles

3 C pancake mix

2 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

1 egg
1 ½ cup milk
1 can sweet potatoes, mashed
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl combine pancake mix brown sugar and spices. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, sweet potatoes, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Bake in a preheated waffle iron until golden brown.

Topping

2 tbsp butter
2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp all spice
Dash salt


In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pecans. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, water, salt, and spices. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve over top waffles with maple syrup.  Store leftover topping in sealed container in refrigerator.


**You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate.  Just pop into the toaster to reheat and enjoy.

Sour Cream Blueberry muffins

This recipe is compliments of the Taste of Home Cooking School.  Super easy and sooooooo yummy!  I doubled the recipe because I wanted tons of muffins.  With the oven full, it took 30 minutes for these to cook.  This may vary in your oven.  I didn't have enough Bisquick so I used part Bisquick, part Krusteaz pancake mix.  Worked beautifully!

2 cups biscuit/baking mix

¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar divided

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (unthawed)

In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix and ¾ cup sugar. In a small bowl, combine eggs and sour cream. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in Blueberries.

Fill greased muffin cups ¾ full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar (could use colored sugar for a festive look). Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Makes 1 dozen good sized muffins.  (If you fill the cups less full you could actually get 18)