Zippy Beef Casserole

This is a recipe I have had for many years. It is a tasty casserole, easy to prepare. When my kids were younger they liked it.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces uncooked elbow noodles
¼ cup chopped green pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 to 2 tablespoons instant onions
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup catsup
1 cup crushed potato chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350̊ Cook and stir meat until brown. Drain off fat. Cook macaroni ( I use spaghetti ) as directed. Drain. In ungreased 2 quart casserole, mix all ingredients except potato chips.

Cover; bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with potato chips and bake 5 minutes longer. Serves 4 to 6.

Small Batch Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

We found this recipe on All Recipes. Dan has been looking for a chewy chocolate chip cookie for a long time. They are quite good, crispy on the edges and soft and chewy inside. We think it is the melted butter that makes the difference.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.



3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.





4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 15 large cookies

Peanut Butter Molten Lava Cakes

I was looking around yesterday and saw this recipe on Cookie Madness and had to try them. The cinnamon and chocolate peanut butter combination is very nice. These are worth the try.

Peanut Butter Molten Lava Cakes

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks (room temp, if possible)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons granulated sugar (divided use)
7 tablespoons creamy Jif peanut butter
1/2 cup peanut butter flavored chips(I used milk chocolate chips)
2/3 cup lightly beaten egg or egg substitute, 3 large eggs
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar


Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
With a paper towel and rub insides of 6 muffins cups thoroughly with 1 Tbsp. butter.
Reserve remaining 7 tablespoons butter.

In a small cup, stir together cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar evenly into buttered muffin tins and shake back and forth, tilting slightly, so that sugar coats bottom and sides.
Turn pan upside down and shake off excess cinnamon-sugar.

In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, peanut butter chips and reserved 7 tablespoons butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute to melt; stir until smooth and creamy.


In a separate mixing bowl, stir together remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar and egg.
Stir, do not beat, egg mixture into peanut butter mixture.
Add flour and stir until smooth.
Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into sugared muffin cups, dividing evenly among the cups.


Bake for 7-9 minutes or until tops appear just-set.
Do not overcook.
Some lava may peak through the top - this is okay.
Remove from oven.


Take cookie sheet and place over muffin tin and turn over. Gently place on plate and dust with icing sugar. Scoop vanilla ice cream and garnish with chocolate sauce if you like.

Small Batch Jumbo Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I was on cookie madness page and had to make these cookies because they looked good. And they were good as I thought they would be.

Ingredients:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour (94 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2.5 ml)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (2.5 ml)
1/4 teaspoon salt (1.25 ml)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (142 grams)
6 tablespoons brown sugar (70 grams)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (2.5 ml)
1 1/2 cups oats old fashion oats (120 grams)
1/2 cup jumbo size raisins (80 grams)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional) – (80 grams)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg white and vanilla.

Stir in the flour mixture. When flour is absorbed, stir in oats, raisins and nuts (if using). Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (ping pong ball size), spacing 3 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 11-13 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 14 cookies

Winter Pictures

Here are some of the wonderful winter shots we took this morning.

Eagle Pictures

When I woke up this morning and saw all the snow. I had to go take pictures. When we went down to the Grand River, we saw another bald eagle......it is so amazing to see them here.