Double Chocolate Crumble Bars

I remember having these bars often at youth get togethers when I was a teenager but never made them myself until after I was married. Just about everytime I take them somewhere, someone asks for the recipe. They are perfect for peanut butter & chocolate lovers like me. :)

1/2 C margarine or butter
3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C flour
2 T cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 C mini marshmallows
1 (6 oz.) package chocolate chips
1 C peanut butter
1 1/2 C crispy rice

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour, cocoa and baking powder. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Remove from oven and sprinkle marshmallows over top. Return to oven for 3 minutes. In large saucepan, melt chocolate with peanut butter. Add crispy rice cereal and spread over top of baked mixture. Refrigerate or put in cool place. Cut into bars.

Wake-Up Casserole

I got this recipe from my friend, Elaine & it is a great quick & easy breakfast casserole. We also enjoyed it for supper one evening.

8 frozen hashbrown patties
4 C cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb. cubed ham (I used chipped ham from the deli)
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
12 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 tsp. salt

Place hashbrown patties in a single layer in a greased 9 x 13 in. pan. Sprinkle with cheese and ham. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard. Pour over ham. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 15 min. longer or until edges are golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

I got this recipe from my friend, Rosa. It is so simple & tastes just like lasagna without all the work. :)

1 lb. ground beef
2 green bell peppers chopped (used 1/2 of a pepper)
3 cloves garlic minced
26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 2/3 C water (I used 3 1/2 C)
1/4 C italian dressing
12 oven ready lasagna noodles broken into fourths (I used regular lasagna noodles)
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)

Brown beef, drain. Stir in peppers and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil, add noodles, stir and cover. Cook 20 min. or until noodles are soft. Remove from heat. Stir in Ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover and let stand for 5 min.

Hot Pickle Mix (to can)

I found this recipe online at http://www.lesleycooks.com/. I wanted a recipe that would use up some of the pickles I had in my garden. This recipe is simple & it tastes great. I did not add as many jalapeno peppers as it tells you to (I only put 1/4- 1/2 jalapeno in each jar) & I used sweet yellow peppers instead of hot yellow peppers.




4 C sliced pickles
2 C cauliflowerettes
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 C sliced carrots

1 C onions, chopped

8 1/2 C water, divided

2/3 C pickling salt

3 C hot yellow peppers, cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces

8 1/2 C white vinegar

3/4 C granulated sugar

2 T prepared horseradish

1 large garlic clove

8 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded

Combine pickles, cauliflower, red & green peppers, carrots, and onions. Dissolve salt in 7 cups water. Pour salt water mixture over vegetables; let sit 1 hour.

Drain vegetables; rinse well & drain thoroughly.

Add hot yellow peppers & mix well.

Combine remaining ingredients, except jalapeno peppers in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil gently 15 min.

Remove garlic.

Pack vegetables and 1-3 jalapenos in pint jar to within 3/4 in. of top rim.

Add hot liquid to cover vegetables to within 1/2 in. of top rim.

Place lid & ring on jar and place jars in canner.

Cover canner; return water to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars. Cool undisturbed for 24 hours before moving.

*Note- wear gloves when handling hot peppers.

Makes about 3 pints.

Sweet peppers (to can)

I just got this recipe from my sister & I canned them today. Haven't tasted them yet but I've heard rave reviews from my sis & sis in law about them. Can't wait to try them.
My sister uses green bell peppers, I used sweet peppers because that is what I have extra of in my garden.

Slice peppers and pack in pint jars. Add 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. oil to each pint jar.

Liquid:
2 C vinegar
3 C sugar
3 C water
Heat together & pour over peppers in jars.

Can for 5 min. in boiling water.

Bar-B-Q Ham Sandwiches

Love this recipe for a quick & delicious meal, perfect for summer.

1 lb. chipped ham
1 C ketchup
3 T brown sugar
2 T dark jelly
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 C water

Boil together and put in hamburger buns. You can also put in crockpot to boil.

Cheeseroni

My family is a huge fan of this casserole. It is simple but oh, so yummy!

2 C macaroni
1 lb. ground beef or sausage or mixture of both (I like the sausage the best but don't always have that on hand)
1 can tomato soup
1 can mushroom soup - do NOT dilute soups
1 green pepper, diced
2 C cubed or grated cheddar cheese
1- 3 oz. can french-fried onions

Cook macaroni as appropriate for casserole. Drain. In large skillet brown meat with your favorite seasonings. (I like chopped onion, oregano, basil & italian seasoning for an Italian taste) Add soups, green pepper & cooked macaroni and mix. Place half the mixture in greased 2 1/2 quart casserole. Sprinkle with half the cheese and half of the onions. Top with remaining macaroni mixture and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with remaining onions and bake 5 minutes longer.
Makes 6-8 servings.

Banana Pickles (to can)

I've been enjoying banana pickles for as long as I can remember. My grandma & aunts & mom often canned these & this is the first year I've done them so we'll see if they're as good as my grandma's. :)

Cucumbers (choose cukes as long as quart jar)

2 C vinegar

1 C water

5 C sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

Peel cucumbers. Slice in quarters lengthwise. Place in wide-mouth quart canning jars. Mix remaining ingredients in kettle & bring to a boil. Fill jars. Cold pack 10 minutes.

NOTE: These pickles look like bananas in the jars.

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

My sister often makes this pie & I've been wanting to try it & finally had the chance last week & it was delicious & perfect for the warm weather we're having.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C plus 1 T creamy peanut butter, divided
1 C cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 1/2 C thawed whipped topping, divided
1 oreo pie crust (6 oz.)
3 squares Baker's semi-sweet chocolate

Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup peanut butter until well blended. Add milk & dry pudding mix; beat 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup whipped topping; spoon into crust. Refrigerate until ready to use. Meanwhile, microwave remaining whipped topping and chocolate in microwavable bowl for 1 1/2-2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Cool completely. Spread chocolate mixture over pudding layer in crust. Microwave remaining peanut butter in microwavable bowl for 30 seconds; stir. Drizzle over pie. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.