Slow Cooker Beef Dip Sandwiches ~ by Kelsey

I found this recipe in my Woman's Day magazine.  I modified it a little to fit what we like.  It was AMAZING!  So easy, and delicious.  It has a little kick to it, so it's a little more exciting than a regular French Dip.

Ingredients:
Small beef roast, your choice of cut.  I used a cross-rib roast, and it worked really well.
Jarred pepperoncini peppers, your choice of quantity.  I used about three peppers, sliced, and it was fairly spicy.
1 cup of pepperoncini juice
1/4 cup each of water and oil
1 pouch of Italian dressing mix
1 tbsp minced garlic
Ciabatta rolls
Walla Walla Sweet onion

Put the roast in the slow-cooker.  Mix the peppers, pepper juice, oil, water, and salad dressing mix.  Pour over the roast.  Cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low.  Take the meat out of the slow cooker, let it rest for 15 minutes.  Saute the onion in a little butter in a frying pan.  Brush the juice that is left in the slow cooker on the halved ciabatta rolls.  Broil until lightly toasted.  Slice or shred the roast, put it on the bun, top with the onion.  Serve with a side of juice from the slow-cooker for dipping.  The kids didn't want it as a sandwich, so they ate the shredded meat with the bun on the side, minus onions.

Chocolate Sheet Cake ~ by Sarah

This recipe came from my Pioneer Woman cookbook. If I had known it was going to be this good, I would have made it months ago.  Definitely the best homemade chocolate cake I've ever made.  And it's so easy!

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons (heaping) cocoa
2 sticks butter
1 cup boiling water
½ cup buttermilk (If you don't have any buttermilk, pour almost 1/2 cup low-fat milk into a measuring cup. Then add about 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar.)
2 whole beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Frosting:
½ cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1-¾ sticks butter
4 tablespoons (heaping) cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 cup) powdered sugar

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into ungreased sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake immediately after it comes out of the oven.

Serve to chocolate lovers everywhere!

Fruit Pizza ~ by Sarah

This recipe came from Pioneer Cookbook, a compilation of recipes from people in the North Powder area.  Our family has been enjoying this recipe for years!

Sugar Cookie Crust:
3/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder

Put butter in bowl.  Add sugar.  Squish with fork.  Add 2 eggs and vanilla.  Blend in remaining ingredients.  Chill 1 hour.  Spread out on pizza pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes or until the edges are brown.  Cool completely.

Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 of an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip
1/2 c. frozen orange juice, diluted only 1/2 as directed on can
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
3/4 c. water
assorted fruit slices

Directions:
Blend until smooth the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and Cool Whip.  Spread evenly over cooled crust.

Give your son the beater to lick:

Place any desired fruit pieces on the filling.  I used strawberries, peaches, and blueberries since that was what the fruit stand had.  We've used huckleberries, bananas, and kiwis, too.

For the glaze, cook until clear and thickened the orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and water.  Cool and pour over the fruit.  (The can be made ahead and refrigerated.)  You are likely to have quite a bit of this left over!

Serve to your bratty younger sister when she finally comes home from Germany.

Grilled Tuna with Mango Salad ~Molly

This is yet another recipe I stole from Epicurious.com, although it was originally in Bon Appétit Magazine. It's super easy and an awesome summer meal.

1 Mango, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup Red Onion, chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

3 T Cilantro (or basil for all you cilantro haters!)

2 T Fresh Lime Juice

2 T Olive Oil

4 Tuna Steaks, 1 inch thick

Mix first five ingredients. Set aside.

Preheat grill or broiler. Brush tuna with olive oil and grill until opaque on both sides. Top with mango salad and serve.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes~by Kelsey

This is what Lydia wants for breakfast every morning.  Riker likes them, too, but he tops his with peanut butter instead of syrup.

Ingredients:
Pancake mix of your choice, made by directions on the package
Chocolate chips

Mix up the batter.  Pour the pancake in the pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.  Flip.  Enjoy!

Lydia's pancake is supposed to be shaped like an "L" in the above photo.

Chicken Fajita Marinade ~ by Sarah

I got this from allrecipes.com and added chili powder to give it a little kick.  Delicious!

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup beer
* 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (it took about 5 limes to get this amount)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* salt to taste
* 1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:
1. To prepare the marinade, stir together beer, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and salt; mix well.
2. To use marinade, pour into a resealable plastic bag, add up to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast, and mix until chicken is well coated. Marinate for 1 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Saute vegetables, remove from pan, cook meat, then add veggies back to meat mixture to blend flavors.  Serve as desired!

Cheers!

Blueberry Muffins...The Best Way ~ by Sarah

I didn't make the title up--I copied it from TastyKitchen.com--but I agree with it!  I find it hard to beat Betty Crocker's blueberry muffin mix, but I had fresh blueberries I wanted to use, so I found this recipe. They are yummy!  Simple, too!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:
Mix flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Combine melted butter, eggs, and milk and stir by hand into the dry ingredients until just blended.  Fold berries in lightly and carefully.  Spoon into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes--until golden brown.  Makes 12 extra large muffins or about 20 regular-sized muffins.