Christmas Time

Christmas time is an amazing time to give, to love, and to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. It is also an amazing time to bake. Want to give an unforgettable, request for repeat next year, kind of gift? Bake something, cook something and do it with love!

This month is dedicated to things sweet. Coconut Balls, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Santa's Thumbprints, and so much more!

Keep checking back for these delicious recipes and encouragement from God's very breath.

Would a Cake by Any Other Name Taste as Sweet

I combined a delicious Cake recipe with a delicious icing recipe that are equally easy to make! Lets get started.

Cake: (my Grandmother-In-Law found this in the local newspaper)
1 Yellow Cake Box Mix
1 Coconut Pecan Icing

Icing: (I found this on the internet while looking for a light, fluffy icing for my kids birthday cakes)
1 pkg Instant Chocolate Fudge Pudding
1 pkg Cool Whip
(You can make this icing sugar free by getting sugar free pudding and sugar free cool whip. It is still delicious, I've done it!)

Prepare your cake as directed on the box. Stir in the Coconut Pecan icing. Pour in two 9 inch rounds or a 9x13 and bake as directed.

Now for the Icing. Prepare the pudding. The box will tell you 2 cups of cold milk. Just use 1 1/2 cup. This way it will mix thicker and won't be too runny when you add your cool whip. After your pudding sets and is thick, gently fold in your cool whip. Put it back into the fridge until you are ready to ice.

Bake your cake as directed and allow to cool completely before icing. If you ice while it is too warm, your icing will melt into the cake. After you ice, put the cake into the fridge so the icing won't get too warm and run. There you have it, easy, a bit different, delicious cake! Enjoy!

"With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.' And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid." Ezra 3:11

Easy Broccoli Rice Casserole

What kind of Thanksgiving Dinner doesn't have Broccoli Rice Casserole? All that cheese, the broccoli... yummm! Lets get started!

2 c. frozen broccoli (chopped)
1 c. minute rice
1/3 lb Velveeta
1 can Cream of Chicken (actually, any can of 'Cream of' will work. I only had Chicken when I made this last)
1/2 c. milk

In a medium sauce pan, combine Velveeta, Cream of Chicken and milk. Heat on low until Velveeta is melted completely. Add in your rice and frozen broccoli. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until rice is done. Remove from oven and had a handful of shredded cheese on top!

I have made this into a main course casserole by boiling 2 chicken breasts, cubing them and adding them to the mixture before baking! Easy, huh? Enjoy!

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

Chicken Spaghetti

I am famous for altering a decent recipe to make them fit my taste/budget/etc. This is one of those recipes. For instance, the recipe for Chicken Spaghetti that I was given calls for 2 stalks of celery. Well, you can't buy celery by the stalk, you buy it by the bunch. You see, my family won't eat a BUNCH of celery, so why waste? I left it out, changed one or two other things and guess what?! My Chicken Spaghetti is great! I hope you like it.

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
*(Now, I know that's not the cheapest way, but the thought of using a whole fryer and skinning, and whatever else has to be done, grosses me out. So, I buy the bag chicken.)
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp black pepper (This will make it a bit spicy. My Mother leaves it out, or cuts it. My family likes it spicy)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can rotel
1 can cream of celery (Still get the celery taste, without the celery.)
1 c. milk
1/4 lb Velveeta (Use more if you want! I normally do.)
1 lb spaghetti (I use thin spaghetti, it's really just your preference)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
In a big spaghetti pot, start your chicken cooking. Place your chicken in the pot and cover with water. Remember to add a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil or butter, you won't have to worry about your pot boiling over or your chicken being dry!

In a large skillet, saute onions with garlic. Saute is a fancy word for cook it on medium heat until the onions are clear. Add your rotel, cream of celery, milk and Velveeta. Cut the Velveeta into chunks to allow it to melt easier. DO NOT leave this on the heat after the Velveeta has melted. It will separate and look curdled. If this happens, don't sweat it. It's still edible, just not pretty.

Back to the chicken. Remove from the water with tongs and cube. Add the chicken to the cheese mixture that is sitting on the back of the stove. In the same water that you boiled your chicken in, and never turned the heat off of, add your spaghetti noodles. Nifty huh? Why dirty up another pot? When your noodles are done drain the water and mix in the cheese/chicken mixture. Now, pour this into a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. I like to add some shredded cheese when it's done, but you do what you want!

"I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Matthew 25:35

No Name Dinner

I get to a point during the month that I run out of 'planned' dinners. I buy the ingredients for these dinners at grocery shopping time, along with staples. Staples are products that you can mix and match to make anything! Staples include things like flour, sugar, cheese, chili, spices, bread, milk, eggs canned creams, and so on and so forth. Tonight was a creative night. I didn't have anymore planned meals, so it was time to whip up sometime unique! You can do this, be creative and be smart! Of course, don't mix pie filling with a can of chili, but think of things that would probably go good together. Pair that with a meat and a starch and you have a meal. Kind of like Hamburger Helper, but loads better!

This is what I did tonight:

1 lb hamburger meat
1/2 onion (I found in the back of my fridge from 3 days ago)
2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 can chili
1 can green chilies
3/4 block Velveeta (no particular reason why I chose this amount. 1/2 would have been plenty, but what do you do with a 1/4 lb of Velveeta in a family of 5?)
2 c. elbow noodles

Brown the meat WITH the spices and onion. Add the chili and green chilies and heat well. Turn down the heat and add the Velveeta. Melt cheese and add in your drained elbow noodles. Mix well and serve. I whipped up some tortillas to go with it and some green beans. Sorry no pictures, completely forgot.

Cooking should be fun. You should feel a sense of accomplishment and success after creating a dish for your family! Don't stress about what will and won't go together, just throw it all in a skillet and dive right in! If it turns out terrible, make changes and move forward. I hope you enjoy this impromptu meal, it kinda tasted like Chili-Mac. Of course, it was much better, and made great leftovers!! Enjoy!

"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." 
Proverbs 22:9

Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

There won't be many times that you'll find a genuine recipe that came from my own little mind. More often I alter recipes to fit my taste and/or budget. This time, however, it's my recipe. I took two ideas and combine them.


You know those soft, airy biscuits at Red Lobster? Good, right? Ever had a bacon cheddar and onion biscuit? Yeah, they are good, too. Welcome to Aunt B's Bacon Cheddar Biscuit. Here we go...

3 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 c. cheese
6 slice cooked and crumbled bacon
2 c. milk

You will want to start your bacon cooking. Cook it well so that it just crumbles as soon as you touch it. Yes, almost burnt. In a large mixing bowl add your flour, baking powder and cold butter. You will cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter. If you don't have a pastry cutter, use two knives to chop the butter into tiny pieces.

Next add in your cheese and bacon bits. I know the title is Bacon CHEDDAR Biscuits, but just use whatever you have in the fridge. For the batch pictured, I used Colby Jack Cheese. Stir well with a big spoon.

Pour in just one cup of milk to start with, stir as best as you can. Add in the remaining milk and stir well. Your dough will be very sticky, but it's ok. We aren't going to roll out this dough or cut it, simply use two spoons to drop dough balls onto your cookie sheet. My drops are about 3 inches in diameter. This will make a huge biscuit, about the size of your hand. If you want your recipe to go farther, or feed more people, simply make smaller biscuits!

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of your biscuit. There you have it, Bacon Cheddar Biscuits! Enjoy!

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalms 107:8-9

Buffalo Chip Cookies aka The Everything Cookie

Two reasons why I love this cookie.
1. One batch makes a WHOLE lot of cookies
2. This recipe has the best part of all the other cookies, wrapped up into one

Here we go:

2 c. melted butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. rolled oats or quick oats
2 c. corn flakes
1 c. pecans (optional)
1 c. coconut
12 oz. chocolate chips
      or 6 oz. chocolate chip and 6 oz. peanut butter chip

Ok, get your mixer out. It doesn't have to be a deluxe, top of the line, professional mixer. Hand mixer, hand-me-down mixer or a whisk and a lot of stamina will suffice. I wouldn't suggest the last option, though.

Cream your butter and sugars well. You can do this on medium speed for about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Next comes the eggs and vanilla. Then mix in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Go a cup at a time until it is all blended well. Now, take the mixer off, or the bowl out, whatever. From here on out, you want to use a wooden spoon or spatula.
Add EVERYTHING else, one ingredient at a time, mixing well in between.
Drop dough balls the size of a golf ball on your cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.

Don't over bake, or your cookies will crumble. Cool on a cooling rake. Be sure and eat a couple of them warm. Enjoy!

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:11

Easy Breakfast Burritos

We are going to have Homemade Tortillas and super easy Sausage, Egg and Cheese burritos! Watch!

Start with the tortillas. I make them the night before and stick them in the fridge, that way I don't have to wake up earlier than I already do!

4 c. flour
3 tbs. oil
2 tsp. salt
1 to 1 1/2 c. hot water

Combine all ingredients and stir with a fork until all the flour is wet and has formed a ball of ugly dough. Leave it alone and walk away for about 10 minutes. If you over work the dough before this rest period, it will make it tough and you won't get soft tortillas. After your rest time, work the dough and make it smooth by kneading it just a bit, about 3 minutes. Break the dough into 3 to 4 inch balls and get your griddle out. Your going to cook these on low/medium heat. Cooking them too fast will result in tough or brittle tortillas. The key is to keep the tortilla moving and cook it slow! Roll your dough balls out flat at about 1/4 inch thick and slap 'em on the griddle. You shouldn't need more flour to roll them out. The dough should have a tacky texture, but not sticky. If it is sticky, knead in a bit more flour, but not too much. Remember, turn them a lot to keep them soft. When you start seeing some brown spots, they are done. Don't over cook! Or they will get tough.

When these are done, wrap in a dish cloth and stick in the fridge. The next morning, or whenever you decide to eat them, warm them back up on the griddle, on low heat. Now, on to the filling!

Do you like Jimmy Dean? I think when it comes to breakfast meats, that man knows what he's talking about. However, portion control? Not so much his thing. Jimmy Dean makes this great little creation called Skillet Scramblers. The instructions say to use the whole bag with 6 eggs. That would mean you are spending about six bucks on that little package for one meal. That costs too much! I have a better solution to get the most out of you buck! You can get these in the freezer section with the other breakfast items. They come in sausage, bacon and ham. We prefer the sausage or ham.

Use about 1/2 cup of this mixture with 6 to 8 eggs, depending on how many you folks you need to feed. Add more JD Skillets or use less, make it fit you. If you do this, you can get about 6 breakfasts out of this one little bag! Now, buying this is worth it!

Scramble your eggs into the sausage mixture and there you have it. Easy Breakfast Burritos! Enjoy!

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall."  Malachi 4:2

Homemade Spaghetti w/ Breadsticks in 45 Minutes!

*Warning* You may find this blog jumping around quite a bit, but to do this meal in 45 minutes you have to multitask! Don't get scared, you can do it, easy! Lets go...

Start with your sauce. I know a jar of factory made sauce isn't that expensive, but making it your own is not only delicious but self satisfying. Serve your homemade sauce to someone and hear the compliments come rolling in. YOU made it and THEY love it. Life. Is. Good.



1 29oz can of tomato sauce

1 can diced tomato

1 tbs chili powder

1 tbs oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp basil 

3 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and place on low heat. You want to cook this on low so the spices can really cook into the tomato.

Now start your spaghetti pot full of water boiling. Start heat at medium. A bit of advice, add a tablespoon of Olive Oil or butter to your water. This will help you avoid your noodles boiling over or sticking together! That way you don't have to be worry about watching those noodles while you butter your breadsticks! Breadsticks! Soon enough, we'll get there! But first, start your meat.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of hamburger meat

1/2 medium onion - diced (optional) 

     *Lets talk about onions for a minute. They are smelly, slimy, make your hands stink and I LOVE them. 

       If you don't, don't add them! Simple as that. 

Fresh mushrooms without stems and sliced (optional)

1 tbs chili powder

1 tbs oregano

1 tbs garlic salt

I season the meat or it will cook bland and taste like bland meat coated in delicious sauce. Lets make them both delicious.

Cook your meat on medium/low heat. That way its not cooking so fast that you have to stay with it. Let it cook a while before you stir so you can move on to the anticipated breadsticks! YEA!!

2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1 c. hot water
3 c. flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbs brown sugar
1/4 c. oil

Start with your yeast and water. Measure your hot water and add the yeast, let it set while you measure out your other ingredients. This activates the yeast to make your sticks rise. Neat, huh? Don't worry about the look, or the smell. It's suppose to look and smell gross, that's the burden of the yeast. After you combine the remaining ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, step over and stir your sauce, meat and check to see if your water is boiling yet. Back to the bread. Add your water/yeast mixture to the flour and stir with a fork. Now, have a nice clean workspace and sprinkle out a bit of flour. If I had to measure, I would say 1/4 cup. Dump your dough out on the floured surface and start kneading.
Don't panic.
If you've never kneaded anything before, it's not hard. What you'll do is dig the ball of your palm into the ball of dough, turn the dough and fold it over and press your hand into it again. You'll do this for about 5 minutes picking up the flour on the counter as you go. By the time you are done, you'll have a slightly tacky, smooth ball of dough. It should not stick to the counter. If it is, knead in a bit more flour. Roll this out into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with butter knife or a pizza cutter into strips. Give the strips a twist and place them on a cookie sheet. Let them sit for about 10 minutes then bake at 375 degrees for about 14 minutes. Letting them sit allows them to rise, creating a fluffy, soft, melt in your mouth breadstick.

Ok, back to the meat. If it's not done, turn up the heat. If you water isn't boiling, turn up the heat. LEAVE the heat on the sauce alone. When your meat is done, dump the sauce into it and turn it to low heat. When you water starts boiling, add a 1 lb bag of spaghetti to it. STIR. If you've added Oil or Butter to the water you want to stir the noodles after you put them in the water, this will help them from sticking together.

Do you know how to tell if noodles are done? I was told a fantastic trick that I absolutely LOVE. Take a noodle and throw it against a clean cabinet door. Did it stick? If it did, your noodles are done! See?

HA! I love it! Alright, so your noodles are done. Drain the water and dump in the meat sauce. Mix well, get your breadsticks out of the oven coat 'em with some good ole melted butter and garlic salt and there you have it. Homemade Spaghetti with matching Breadsticks. Enjoy!

"Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.""  John 6:35

GLUTEN FREE Hershey Pie

My Mother In Law was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (wheat allergy) several years ago and since then we have been searching for new recipes so that she can still eat yummy things. Have you ever tried a store bought Gluten Free anything?? Not so yummy.

**Remember** If you are preparing anything Gluten Free for a Celiac, cross contamination is a HUGE thing. Make sure your workspace and utensils have been properly cleaned so that no flour, oats, or other wheat items will contaminate your dish!

Just because this is Gluten Free doesn't mean you can't have it if you aren't a Celiac! Make it, Eat it, Enjoy it!

Lets get started with the crust. Rice Crispy Treats!

3 tbs butter
10 oz bag of Regular Marshmallows
or 4 c. Mini Marshmallows
6 c. Rice Crispies

Prepare a pie pan and an 8x8 dish with a generous coat of pam. That's right, you get TWO desserts for the price of one!! Melt butter and marshmallows on low heat until completely smooth. Add your cereal and coat well. Dump about 1/4 of the cereal treats into your pie plate and the rest into the 8x8. Don't try to spread them with the spoon you mixed with. Get a different spatula out and spray it with pam, then shape your treats!

On to the filling!

1 King Size Hershey Bar
3 tbs Milk
1 8oz tub of Cool Whip

Break your chocolate up into pieces melt with milk in a glass bowl. Do this in short spurts or your chocolate will scorch and not be good! I go 10 sec and stir until completely melted. After melting chocolate fold in the cool whip. Dump in the Rice Crispy Pie Shell and stick in the freezer for at least 3 hours. 

All Done!! And you have TWO treats! Enjoy!

"For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete."  Deuteronomy 16:15

Bisquick's Got Nuthin' on Me!

That's right folks. Pancakes! You see, I buy BIG things of flour, sugar and all of the other baking staples. Bisquick may be cheap, but it's not the cheapest route. It is certainly not the tastiest, either! Be the hero for your kids in the morning.

Pancakes with Homemade Syrup

Start your syrup, so it has a bit of time to cool before serving.
The first time I stayed the night at my Mother In Law's home we had pancakes for breakfast. And in her ordinary syrup bottle, she was harboring the most extraordinary syrup. I knew instantly, this fabulous concoction was NOT store bought. So I asked... you guessed it, homemade! Your turn to have this heavenly tidbit in your fridge!

Start with equal parts White Sugar and Water. For those of you who measure, here you go.
2 c. water
2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Combine water and sugars in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Allow syrup to boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Over boiling will cause your syrup to crystallize. After you remove from heat, add your vanilla. There you go, you have syrup. It will be extremely runny while hot/warm. Don't worry, it's suppose to be!! Pour it in that almost empty syrup bottle and stick it back in the fridge! It will thicken and be ready for next time. If it does crystallize before your next use, don't worry. Run the bottle under hot water until it breaks loose, dump it into a sauce pan and melt it all back together. No waste.

Start your pancakes:
1 c. flour
1 tbs. brown sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tbs. canola oil
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
2/3 c. milk (or more to reach desired consistency. Thinner batter will yield thinner and more pancakes)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a pour spout. Pour onto hot griddle and cook until the sides are slightly firm. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. If you don't want to just pout it directly on the griddle in fear of pouring too much, then get your 1/4 cup measuring cup out and dip the batter out! Easy as... well... easy as pancakes!

Pair these delectable treats with your choice of meat and dig in!

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."  Psalms 5:3

Lets get Started!

Being a single income family of five, I have to be very careful about grocery shopping. I'm here to tell you folks, you can fix a lot of meals for a lot of days if you take a few extra minutes and fix from scratch! I'm here to help!
My blog will show you simple recipes of delicous dishes that can be made with products you should have in your pantry. Also, when I go buy groceries (once a month) I'll let you in on my method of madness!

I hope you enjoy my blog. I love to cook. I love to share. I love to help.

"Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."  Isaiah 55:2