German Scones

Ingredients:
2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, beaten
4 + 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water. Add the 1 T. sugar and set aside. In a large bowl add the 1/2 cup sugar, boiling water, butter, and salt. Stir till blended then add the eggs and mix well. Then add the yeast mixture and 2 cups of flour. Beat with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 + 1/2 cups of flour and mix by hand until blended. Let rise for 1 hour.

After 1 hour place the dough in the refrigerator until it is chilled. Once chilled, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until it is thin (about 1/4 inch). Cut dough into 3-inch squares and fry in hot oil. Serve warm with honey or cinnamon butter.

Tip: Once the dough is cut into squares you can freeze them to use for the future. Just unthaw the dough at room temperature until it is completely thawed and then fry it in hot oil.

Time to Make: about 3 hours from start to finish
Difficulty: Medium
Recipe Origin: online somewhere

Dad's Salmon

Ingredients:

4-6 Salmon Fillets (medium sized)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil (vegetable oil works too)

Dash of garlic powder

Dash of lemon pepper

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil in a ziploc bag. Mix the ingredients around in the bag until the sugar feels more dissolved. Sprinkle the fish fillets with garlic powder, lemon pepper, and any other spices you may want. Add the fish to the marinade and place in the refrigerator for at least 1-3 hours (or longer). Heat your grill to medium high. Spray the grill with non-stick spray (don't spray the flame or you'll catch the oil on fire). Cook the fish 6-8 minutes each side until the fish is flaky and no longer raw looking. Tip: Sprinkle a little brown sugar on the fish when it is first put on the grill to get a yummy crust.

Time to Make: a few hours marinating plus 15 minutes on the grill.

Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Origin: Dad

Cheescake Bars

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup honey (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer until smooth and sugar isn't grainy. Spread out one of the rolls of crescents across the bottom (not the sides) of the pan. Press the seams together so that it looks like a crust. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the rolled out rolls. Roll out the other package of crescent rolls and lay on top of the cream cheese layer (so that it looks like a crust on top of the dessert).

In a small bowl, combine the butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until well blended. Using a spoon, drop small dots of the butter mixture all across the top of the dessert until all the butter mixture is gone. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (until the top is golden brown and no longer doughy looking). Remove from oven and drizzle with honey (optional). Cool completely and cut into bars.

Time to Make: about 45 minutes plus cooling time
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sopapilla-cheesecake-pie/

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 cup minced onion
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup ham, cubed
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper (black is okay too)
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Directions:
In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, potatoes, onion, celery, and spices. Bring to a boil and boil until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Combine the cream cheese with some of the soup broth and blend till smooth. Reduce the heat and add the cream cheese mixture to the soup. (You could also chunk up the cream cheese to small cubes and stir them in the soup until they are melted - just be sure the heat is reduced so you don't curdle the cheese.) If desired, thicken the soup a little with cornstarch. Serve warm.

To Freeze:
Prepare soup as directed above. Chill until cool in the refrigerator and then divide into labeled freezer bags. If you double this recipe you will get 4-5 quart sized freezer bags of 4 cups of soup in each. To reheat, thaw over night in the fridge or thaw under warm water. Then reheat over low-medium heat until hot.

Time to Make: about 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: adapted from the recipe posted here.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Ingredients:
One Pumpkin - 12-14 inches, cleaned well
6 cups rice, cooked
2 lbs. ground beef, browned
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 - 4 ounce cans sliced mushrooms
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
3 cups celery, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Gut and clean the pumpkin and set it on a baking sheet lined with foil. In a large skillet combine the cooked rice, browned hamburger, soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir over low heat until combined. Meanwhile, saute the celery and onion in the butter until tender. Combine all the ingredients and pour the mixture into the cleaned pumpkin. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes (with the lid OFF the pumpkin). Serve warm.

Time to Make: about 30 minutes prep time and 90 minutes cooking time
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: Mom

Jello Worms

Ingredients:
2 - 3 ounce packages of Raspberry Jello
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup whipping cream
3 cups boiling water
15 drops green food coloring
Tall container
100 flexible straws (or enough to fill your container)

Directions:
Combine gelatin packages in a bowl and add the boiling water. Let it cool to a lukewarm temperature and then add the drops of green food coloring and the whipping cream. Stretch out all your straws and place them flex-side down in your tall container. It is important that the straws fit tightly so that the jello stays in the straws. Pour the gelatin mixture over the straws so that each straw fills up and place in the refrigerator to set until firm.

To remove the jello from the straws, either run each straw under lukewarm water and squeeze the jello out with your fingers; or use a rolling pin to roll the jello out of the straws. Experiment and see which works best for you. Keep chilled until serving.

Time to Make: a few hours
Difficulty: Medium
Recipe Origin: http://www.instructables.com/id/Bowl-of-Worms-Anyone/

Easy Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:
2 tubes of Pillsbury Rolls
1/4 cup of melted butter (more if needed)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in another small bowl and stir till blended. Coat each roll first in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Stand the rolls up in a bread ban (or bundt pan) so that they are stacked together and wont fall over.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls can be pulled apart and aren't gooey in the middle.

Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: Mom

Fresh Veggies in Vinegar Marinade

Ingredients:
1 tomato, sliced into strips or wedges
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
1 onion, sliced into thin strips
1 cucumber, sliced

Marinade:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
Combine the marinade ingredients in a small saucepan and on low, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside and let cool before adding to the vegetables. Chop or slice all the vegetables and combine them in a bowl with the cooled marinade. Stir until everything is coated and store in the refrigerator until serving.

Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: Mom

German Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 + 1/3 cup flaked coconut (I added a little extra)
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet add all ingredients expect the coconut and pecans. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Let cool until room temperature before using.

Time to Make: about 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/german-chocolate-cake-frosting/

Fresh Cooked Green Beans

Ingredients:
Fresh Green Beans
Butter
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
To prepare the green beans for cooking, snap the ends off of each bean. Wash green beans thoroughly with cold water. Place beans in a pressure cooker on top of a steaming rack. Fill the pressure cooker with hot water just to the level off the rack. Sprinkle the beans with a little bit of salt.  Place the uncovered pressure cooker on the stove over high heat and heat until the water is boiling. Once the water is boiling place the lid on the pressure cooker tightening it to make sure it is secure and place the bobber on the top. Keep the heat on high. Once the steam causes the bobber to bob back and forth start a timer for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, cool the pressure cooker under cold water until all the pressure is released and you can easily open the lid. (Tip: Open the lid on the back side of the cooker so that the steam doesn't burn your hands or your face.) Check that the beans are fully cooked and tender by poking them with a fork. If they aren't all the way tender, put the pressure cooker back on the stove until they do come out tender. (Sometimes I will let the timer go for a little longer than 2 minutes just to be sure the beans are done.) Butter and add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm!

Tip: For variety, thinly slice a small amount of onion and add to the beans before cooking.

Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: unknown

Scratch Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup milk

ground cinnamon (for sprinkling on top if desired)

Fruit filling (see below for some options)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the butter in a 9x13 glass pan and place pan in the oven while it preheats. Remove the pan once the butter is melted. Meanwhile mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add the milk and stir until ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over the butter (do not stir). Then pour your fruit filling over the batter layer (again, do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm or cold with ice cream.

For peach cobbler:

In a large skillet, combine 1 cup sugar, 4 cups fresh peach slices (about 6-8 medium peaches), and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Bring ingredients to a boil over high heat stirring constantly. Use for the fruit filling.

For apple cobbler:

in a large skillet combine 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 6-7 jonathon apples (peeled and sliced), and 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Cook over medium high heat until apple are softened (about 10 minutes) stirring constantly. Use for the fruit filling.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 quarts Half and Half

1 + 1/2 cups whipping cream

2 cups sugar

5 Tbsp. Vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Put in an electric ice maker and and make according to the manufacturers directions. Once complete in the ice cream maker, put in a freezer container and freeze for a few hours until it is hardened.

Time to Make: about 4 hours (including ice cream maker and freezing time)

Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Origin: cousin Renae who got it from an old family friend (Mimi)

Layered Jello

Ingredients:

For Red, White, and Blue Jello (in above picture):
2 large boxes blue jello - 6 ounce size
1 large box of lemon jello - 6 ounce size
1 large box of red jello - 6 ounce size
1 large tub of cool whip - 16 ounce size
20 clear plastic cups (smaller in size)
cookies for decoration (optional)

Directions:
First mix the red jello according to the directions on the box. Put 1/3 cup of jello in each cup. Refrigerate until set. Then mix up the lemon jello according to the directions on the box. Chill until the jello is cool and set slightly (about the consistency of egg whites). Add the cool whip to the cooled jello and stir till blended. Add 1/3 cup of the mixture on top of each red layer in the jello cups. Refrigerate until set. Mix up the 2 boxes of blue jello according to the directions. Add 1/2 cup of jello to each jello cup and refrigerate until set. Top with left over cool whip and a cookie or fruit.

*Tip: My measurements for adding jello to the cups may not be completely accurate for every cup. Just try to get the stripes even. If the cup is wider on the bottom than it is on the top, you'll need more red jello than this recipe calls for.

Difficulty: easy
Time to make: most of a day, but its all in the waiting for the jello to set
Recipe Origin: http://www.glorioustreats.com/2010/06/festive-4th-of-july-treats.html

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer (stirring constantly). Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool slightly before using.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: allrecipes.com (listed under Bar-B-Que Sauce by Debi K)