Herb Butter

I made this with leftover parsley I had, and it is a lot of fun to have at the dinner table. You can use any herbs you want, but keep in mind that if you use stronger herbs you might want to use less of it. We usually get a baguette or other crusty bread, sliced, placed on a baking sheet, and baked at 425 degrees until slightly toasted (you can drizzle olive oil on the bread before toasting but it isn't necessary). We usually spread the butter on the bread and top with a good cheese, such as Havarti. It's a great late night snack!

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup chopped herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, basil, or a mixture of your favorites
1-2 tsp minced garlic (depends on your love of garlic)

Mix all the ingredients together with egg beaters in a small bowl. Spoon the butter mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a log-shape. Wrap in the plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator. This would be great on sandwiches, crackers, or melted over veggies, mashed potatoes, or meat. It's so versitile and you can make it ahead for whatever!

Dutch Apple Pie

I know everyone makes apple crisp or buys apple pie or makes it or whatever, but give this one a chance. It's a Dutch recipe which means the crust is sweet and like a cookie instead of a bland pastry (no offense). It's very easy and my favorite. In fact, I don't eat apple pie besides this one. No others compare. (And, I made it for the Hjelms one time for Christmas, but used a spring pan--at the time I had no idea what the spring pan was for and thought I'd give it a try--anyway, I am nervous how that one turned out. Don't judge me for that one, try just one more time!!!)

Appeltaart
Ina Robertson

Crust
1-2/3 cup flour 2/3 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar 1 egg

Filling
4 sour apples 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat egg, save half. Mix 1/2 egg with flour, margarine and sugar. Knead mixture till it is of even texture. Make a ball out of it. Use half the ball to line (bottom and sides) a 9" pie pan (can be deep dish). Peel apples and remove core. Slice thinly. Mix apples with raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Put mixture in pie pan. Make strips out of the remainder of the dough. Put criss-cross across the pie and attach to the dough on the sides. Brush the remaining egg on the dough strips. Bake in 300 F oven for 1-1/2 hour. If the crust gets brown too fast, lower temperature. Pie is done when crust is golden

The Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Filling

Most of you that know me know that I am not a cake and ice cream person. I have my moments of glory, but most of the time I don't want cake or ice cream (let's just say birthday parties at my house involve lots of food because I don't like the birthday party staples of cake and ice cream and a girl has to eat something at a party!). Anyway, my friend Kendra makes these awesome cupcakes and they gave us some when we helped her husband with car issues. Now, remember how much I don't like cake? Well, now I crave it. Those cupcakes are sooooo delicious and I could eat them all day. And now I am sharing the recipe. Am I the coolest or what?

1 box chocolate cake mix- Mix the batter as stated on the box, however do it in this order:
*Eggs- beat until frothy and light yellow
*Add water and oil and ONE HALF (1/2) large box of chocolate cook n' serve pudding mix
*Then add the chocolate cake mix and a small amount of vanilla (around 1/2 tsp or so)

Cream Cheese Filling:
1 8oz brick cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla
mini chocolate chips (optional)
*Mix all ingredients, adding as many (or none) chocolate chips as desired

Spoon cupcake batter into paper cupcake liners as usual, adding about one teaspoon of cream cheese batter in the centers. Spoon a tiny amount of batter on top of cream cheese, although it's okay if the cream cheese is still showing.

Bake according to your cake mix box instructions, although my friend said hers were supposed to go in 18-22 minutes and she took them out at 13-15 minutes. You want the toothpick to come out almost clean. Frost with whatever frosting you want and top with sprinkles. My friend used a pink frosting and piped it on with a jagged point, then added some pink crystal/glittery type sprinkles on top, and put a small silver edible ball in the very center. They were way elegant and yummy!

* Celeste made these recently and loved them. She said that you should only fill the cupcake liners up about halfway, then add the cream cheese filling, and then spoon some more batter on top of the cream cheese. If you fill the cupcake liners up too much to begin with, the cupcakes will be a little too big, plus you can make more cupcakes if you use less batter for each liner. She also said there was leftover filling so put more than a teaspoon, maybe 2 tsp or something? She said the cupcakes with more filling were better than those with less. Of course- it's cream cheese! It makes everything taste better!

Peas & Mushroom Alfredo

This recipe comes from a dear friend, Sara Evans (and my Good Housekeeping magazine). It's very easy and includes my favorite (and Jordyn's) fried mushrooms! I've always bought jarred spaghetti sauce, but always tried to make alfredo homemade--what was I thinking?

1 box (1 lb) fettuccine
2 Tbsp olive oil (I use butter--love the taste when frying mushrooms)
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
1 jar (15-16 oz) alfredo sauce
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas
1-2 cups grated romano cheese (I used an Italian blend cause I couldn't find it)

Cook fettuccine and while it's cooking saute mushrooms in olive oil until juices evaporate and mushrooms are lightly browned. Add alfredo sauce and peas to mushrooms. Heat through. Add 1 cup Romano cheese; stir to combine.

Drain fettuccine. In a large mixing bowl, toss fettuccine and aflredo-sauce mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with remaining Romano. Yield: 6 servings.

Also, I added some fried chicken on top. I coat chicken breast with flour and season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and seasoned salt. Then fry in butter for about 7 minutes on both sides until no longer pink in the center!

And, you can definitely serve this with a side salad or roasted vegetables. Put sliced zucchini, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, etc on a broiler pan and broil for about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. I tried this with asparagus (thanks to Real Simple magazine). You put asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil, season with salt and pepper and broil for 12-15 minutes. Really yummy!!!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I love roasted pumpkin seeds and made these last year. They are so good! I never boiled the seeds in years past, and it definitely helps. Happy Halloween!!!

3 cups fresh pumpkin seeds
4 cups water
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp paprika
1 tsp salt (I like to use seasoned salt)

Heat oven to 350. Place seeds, water and 2 tsp alt in a large saucepan and bring to boil for 15 minutes. Drain seeds, blot dry, toss with olive oil, paprika, and 1 tsp salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a nonstick baking pan; roast until lightly golden and crisp—30 minutes.

Mexican Meatloaf

This is REALLY good. I got the recipe out of a cooking magazine, and I was skeptical but meatloaf is a cheap meal and I was looking for an alternative. Even Jeremiah, who isn't a huge meatloaf fan, said it was a keeper!!!

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
3 shallots, minced (don't substitute onions!)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 lb. ground beef (80% to 85% lean)
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, finely chopped
3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
1/2 cup purchased salsa
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano (I used Italian blend because I didn't have oregano)
1 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bell pepper, shallots, and garlic in oil in medium skillet over medium heat 6 minutes or until tender. Cool.

2. Gently combine bell pepper mixture and all remaining ingredients except 1/4 cup cheese in a large bowl. Place in 8x4-inch loaf pan; bake 55 to 60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese during last 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

The recipe suggests topping with sour cream and additional salsa, but we didn't add anything. I just added about 1/2 cup cheese on top during the last 5 minutes, not just 1/4 cup. Even the kids wolfed it down and Hayden asked for more.

Quick Meal Ideas

So, I've had this idea for awhile and wanted to see if it would work. There are days when I just need a 10-minute meal (no 30 minutes, sorry Rach). It's those days when you use a package of something for dinner. Or something close. And I know we wouldn't post those as our favorite dinners, but when we're in a bind, maybe they'd help? So, if you have some great ideas, post them under the comments for 30-second meals!! (I'm so funny.)

Here are some of mine:

• Zataran's (is that the name?) dirty rice or jamabalya rice mixes. You just need to add sausage or sausage links. Celeste introduced me. Bryan suggested adding an additional 1/2 cup of not-instant-rice and 1 cup of water so it's not so spicy and goes further. Also, 1 lb of meat is a lot for those packets.

• BBQ

• BLT

• Chili Dogs

• Grilled Cheese

• Potato Bar

• Spaghetti--jar of spaghetti sauce added to beef fried with onion.
  

Gooey Coconut Chex Mix

My sister-in-law (I get alot of recipes from my sisters-in-law!) made this at our last reunion and I couldn't get enough of it!! I was really sad when it was gone and it didn't last very long! It is so so so good and works great for parties!! She didn't use honey grahams, just 12 cups of Chex but, either way, it is delicious!!

Gooey Coconut Chex Mix

1 cup butter
1 cup karo syrup
1 cup sugar
6 cup rice chex
6 cup honey grahams
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup coconut

PREPARATION:

Stir butter, light karo syrup, and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes.Pour over the top of all the mix. Mix well.Spread mix on wax paper and let sit for 1 hour or longer.