Cinnamon Roll Waffles ~ by Sarah

My friend Angela made these the other morning for her daycare kids and Gavin raved and raved.  Since Mom and Dad got us a new waffle maker for Christmas I wanted to give them a shot.  Super easy and super good!  These little suckers will tempt you to eat more than one...

Ingredients:

1 roll refrigerated cinnamon rolls (the kind in a can)

cooking spray

Directions:

Grease waffle iron with cooking spray.  Place one cinnamon roll per section of your waffle iron.  (If your waffle iron is small you might not want to do four like I did in our big, Belgian one.)  I just cooked mine until the beeper went off on the waffle iron.  If yours doesn't have a beeper, just keep checking them until they're golden.  Spread with icing (from the can--it comes with them) and enjoy!

Tortilla Soup ~ by Sarah

I found this recipe on Pinterest after wanting to find a good soup to take to Mom's for Christmas Eve.  It was definitely delicious!  I did all the prep work that morning, so putting it together was really easy.  It smelled wonderful while it was cooking and tasted even better!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green bell pepper
¼ cup red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10 oz. can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid low sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups hot water
2 cans (15 oz. can) black beans, drained
3 tablespoons cornmeal or masa
5 whole corn tortillas, cut into uniform strips around 2 to 3 inches

Garnishes:
sour cream
diced avocado
diced red onion
salsa or pico de gallo
grated Monterey Jack cheese
fresh cilantro

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir. Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered. Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips. Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese. (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

(Not my picture...)

Bourbon or Rum Pecan Pie ~ by D'Lynn

Ingredients: 
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon or rum
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon (I used Capt Morgan's Rum), and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell (I used premade, frozen, Marie Callendar's) and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. Place a guard over the pastry edges, or use foil to prevent them from overcooking. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes, uncover the pastry edges and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Congo Bars ~ by Sarah

Aunt Janet made these for a family reunion last weekend and they were amazing!  Kind of like a chocolate chip cookie, but in a bar form.  She used chocolate chips and mint green chips, but I couldn't find any, so I used butterscotch with the chocolate.  Still delicious!

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2/3 c. butter-flavored Crisco, melted

2 1/3 c. brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2 bag chocolate chips

1/2 bag peanut butter, butterscotch, or mint chips

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.  Set aside.  In large bowl, cream melted Crisco and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually mix in the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in chips and stir gently.  Bake in a 9x13-inch pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

Tips: These will dry out quickly, so don't make them too far in advance and don't cut them until it's time to serve them.  Also, watch them carefully as they bake--you don't want them overdone!

Mom's Meatloaf ~ by Sarah

Wes and I had a hankering for meatloaf, so I called Mom and she gave me the rundown on how she makes her delicious version.  Very easy and very delicious!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 c. oatmeal
5 or so butter crackers, crumbled
1 can cream of mushroom soup
a few dashes of Worcester sauce
a long squirt of ketchup
salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic salt
1 packet dry onion soup
barbecue sauce

Directions:
Combine all of the above ingredients except the barbecue sauce and mix well.  Pat into a 8x8 or 9x9-inch baking dish.  Top with barbecue sauce in a pretty design.  (The barbecue sauce was my idea.  Mom tops hers with ketchup, but Granddad tops his with barbecue sauce and I like that topping better!)  Bake at 350 degrees for a good hour.  Delish!

Parmesan Zucchini Crisps~by Kelsey

My new addiction.

Ingredients:
a couple zucchinis or yellow squash
about 1/3 cup bread crumbs
about 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
a little olive oil

Slice the zucchini/squash.  I make them pretty thin so they will cook quickly.  Put them in a bowl with a little olive oil to coat them.  Mix the bread crumbs and cheese.  Mix in to squash.  Line a cookie sheet with foil for easy clean-up.  Line the squash up on the sheet.  Sprinkle whatever crumbs are left in the bowl on top of the squash.  Bake at 350 degrees until cooked as desired.  You can also broil them if you cut them thin enough, or bake first, then end with a little broiling.

Cooked Corn~by Kelsey

Easy, different, and good.

Ingredients:
Bag of frozen corn (around 14-16 oz)
2 tablespoons of butter
Parmesan Cheese (around 1/3 cup)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Add the frozen corn.  Stir and cook for about 6-7 minutes.  Add the seasonings.  Mix.  Add the cheese, stir to melt a little.  Serve warm.