Mom's Macaroni and Cheese

(Courtesy of Mary Kay Greiber)

Ingredients: 
2 c. uncooked macaroni
1 1/2 c. milk, divided
1/2 c. butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. velveeta, cubed
Saltines or Ritz crackers, crushed (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil macaroni in a pot of water until tender.  Drain.  In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 c. milk, flour, salt and pepper.  In a saucepan, heat 1 c. milk and butter.  Add the flour mixture to the sauce pan.  Once the flour is all incorporated, add in cubed velveeta.  Mix until all of the velveeta is melted.  Pour cheese mixture into a 9 x 13 pan.  Add drained macaroni.  Stir well.  Top with crushed crackers if desired.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

Note~  I know that everyone has their own favorite macaroni recipes.  I thought I would share the one that my mom has made as long as I can remember.  This is a recipe that I feel I can never live without.

Mimosa Punch

Ingredients: 
1 (12 oz.) can thawed orange juice concentrate
1 liter club soda
1-2 bottles sparkling wine

Directions: 
Put orange juice concentrate into a punch bowl or large pitcher.  Stir to soften.  Stir in 4 c. cold club soda.  Add sparkling wine and stir gently.  Serve.

Note~ I have never tried to do this in a non-alcoholic way but I am sure you could use a non-alcoholic sparkling juice as well for people that don't drink or are underage.

Brandy Slush

(Courtesy of Sara Paepke)

Ingredients:
7 c. water
2 c. sugar
2 cans frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cans frozen limeade concentrate
3 c. brandy

Directions:
Boil water and sugar.  Allow to cool a few minutes.  Add drink mixes to a bucket with water/sugar mixture.  Add brandy.  Stir well.  Put in the freezer.  Add frozen mixture to 7up or Squirt and serve.

Note~  I am not a big brandy fan but I love this drink! 

Rum Slush

(Courtesy of Sara Paepke)

Ingredients:
7 c. water
2 c. sugar
2 cans frozen lemonade concentrate
2 cans frozen limeade concentrate
3 c. rum


Directions: 
Boil water and sugar.  Let it cool.  In a bucket, add water/sugar mix and both frozen concentrates.  Add rum.  Stir well.  Put in the freezer.  Once frozen, add to a glass with 7up or Squirt.


Note~  This is a great drink to have at a party or just relaxing around the house.

Poke Cake

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix (plus all ingredients to make the cake)
1 small (4 oz.) box of Jello mix (flavor of your choice)
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. cool water

Directions:
Make the cake according to the package directions.  Let the cake cool for 20 minutes.  Using a fork or a toothpick, poke holes in the cake at 1/2 inch interval (does not need to be exact). 

Mix together the Jello mix and boiling water.  Stir until the Jello is dissolved then add in the cool water and stir.

Pour the Jello over the cake (making sure to cover all of the holes you poked into the cake).  Chill 3-4 hours.  Top with Cool Whip.

Note~  This is so easy but it is so good.  It is very light and very good for a light spring treat.

Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

(Courtesy of campbellskitchen.com)

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. salsa or picante sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 c. chopped cooked chicken
1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (6 inch), warmed
1 small tomato, chopped
1 green onion, sliced

Directions:
Stir the soup, sour cream, salsa or picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl. 

Stir 1 c. soup mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas.  Roll up the tortillas and place seamside up in a 2 qt. shallow baking dish.  Pour remaining soup mixture over filled tortillas.  Cover baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling.  Top with tomato and onion.

Note~  When we made this, we did not use the tomato or onion but put extra cheese on top which was very good.

Beer-Battered Potato Wedges

(Courtesy of bestsimplerecipes.com)

Ingredients:
4 medium baking potatoes
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. seasoned salt
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. beer (or non-alcoholic beer)
Oil for deep frying
Sour cream, opional

Directions:
Scrub and pierce potatoes.  Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10-12 minutes or just until tender, turning once.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, whisk the flour, milk, egg, seasoned salt, oil and pepper until smooth.  Stir in beer; set aside.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each into 12 wedges.  In an electric skillet or deep-fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees.  Dip potato wedges into batter.  Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with sour cream if desired.

Bavarian Valium

(Courtesy of James Kerckhove)

Ingredients:
1 oz. Jagermeister
1 oz. Rumpleminze
1/2 oz. Cherry Kir (optional)

Directions:
Mix ingredients together in a shot glass.

Note~ Do not drink this and the "Rooster Comb" during the same drinking adventure.  I have been told it would lead to a BAD night.  Also, drink responsibly please.

Rooster Comb

(Courtesy of James Kerckhove)

Ingredients:
1 oz. Quervo Gold Tequila
1 oz. pulp-free orange juice
1/2 oz. tomato juice
Dash Worchestershire sauce
Dash Tabasco sauce

Directions:
Layer the ingredients in the order listed in a shot glass.

Cheesy Biscuits

(Very similar to Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits)

Ingredients:
2 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms.  Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Mix butter and garlic powder.  Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from the baking sheet.

Pudding Shots

Dirt Wormy Pudding Shot
Ingredients:
16 oz. cool whip
1 lg box instant chocolate pudding mix
3/4 c. kahlua
1/4 c. vodka
1 pkg. gummy worms
Oreo cookies, crushed (optional)

Directions: Mix cool whip, pudding mix and alcohol together.  Pour into little cups.  Insert lower half of gummy worm into the pudding mix (leaving the top hang out).  Crumble oreo cookie crumbs over top.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Raspberry Cheesecake Pudding Shots
Ingredients:
4 oz. box cheesecake flavored instant pudding
1 c. cold milk
3 oz. raspberry pucker
3 oz. vanilla schnapps or vodka
1 c. thawed cool whip, divided

Directions:
Add cold milk to pudding and mix with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth. Divide mixture in half, into two separate bowls. Add raspberry schnapps to one half of the pudding and vanilla schnapps to the other. Fold ½ cup Cool Whip into each mixture until thoroughly blended. Fill cups half full of the vanilla cheesecake mixture, and top with the raspberry cheesecake mixture. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Chill.

Strawberry Tequila Pudding Shots
Ingredients:
1 pkg. vanilla pudding mix (can use strawberry instead)
8 oz. cool whip
1 c. tequila rose
1/4 c. vodka

Directions:
Blend together all of the ingredients.  Place in small glasses or plastic shot glasses.  Refrigerate or freeze (allow to thaw before serving).

Chocolate Pudding Shots
Ingredients:
1 pkg. chocolate pudding mix
2 c. milk
1/2 c. Hot Sex liqueur

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients.  Pour into shot glasses.  Refrigerate and serve.

Note~  There are variances out there of if it is best to use cool whip or milk.  With all of these recipes, you can interchange those as you see fit or using whatever you have in the house.  Just a suggestion, you may want to use small shot glasses unless you want to serve these with a spoon as they are a little difficult to eat out of a larger shot glass.

Jello Shots

Dreamsicle
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (6 oz.) orange jello
1 c. hot water
1 c. vanilla liqueur (Doctor McGuillicuddy)

Directions: Mix together hot water and jello mix.  Stir until all of the jello mix is dissolved.  Add liqueur.  Pour into 2 oz. plastic shot glasses.  Refrigerate until the jello has set.

Strawberry Daquari
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (6 oz.) strawberry jello
1 pkg. (3 oz.) lemon jello
2 c. hot water
2 c. rum
1 c. fresh strawberries, sliced (optional)

Directions: Combine water, strawberry jello mix and lemon jello mix.  Stir until dissolved.  Allow to cool until room temperature.  Add rum.  Stir well.  Refrigerate until the jello is set.  Place strawberry slice on top for decoration.

Note~  You can use any combination of jello/alcohol you wish.  You would just use 1 pkg. of jello, 1 c. hot water and 1 c. alcohol.  Some suggestions include: strawberry jello/banana liqueur, raspberry jello/blue UV, orange jello/peach schnapps, lime jello/gin, lemon jello/tequilla or orange jello/irish whiskey

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

Ingredients:
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
1 c. chicken breasts- cooked and shredded
1/2 c. carrots- finely chopped
1/2 c. celery- finely chopped
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese- shredded
1/4 c. chicken wing sauce
1 egg- beaten
2 c. oil (for frying)
Chicken wing sauce, ranch or blue cheese dressing (for dipping)

Directions:
Heat the oil in a shallow pan to 375 degrees.

Mix together chicken, carrots, celery, cheese and chicken wing sauce in a medium-sized bowl.  Take 1 wrapper and place a tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of it.  Roll the wrapper according to directions on the package.  Brush egg on the folds of the wrapper to help seal it.  Do this for the remaining egg roll wrappers.

Place each egg roll in the hot oil, for approximatly 2 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Transfer the egg rolls onto a paper towel-lined plate (to absorb the excess oil.  Serve hot with ranch or blue cheese dressing or chicken wing sauce for dipping.  Makes approximately 8 egg rolls.

Pork Ribs with Barbeque Sauce

(Courtesy of Bill Pretasky)

Ingredients:
2 slabs of baby back pork ribs (or as many as you want)
Course salt
Ground pepper
Cajun spice
1 c. barbeque sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Season ribs all over with salt, pepper and cajun spice.  Stack ribs on a large piece of heavy duty foil; seal foil tightly around ribs and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Cook until the meat is fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil grates.  Remove ribs from foil and brush with barbeque sauce (coating all sides).  Grill until nicely browned.

Serve with more sauce

Cheesecake Pops

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (11.1 oz.) JELL-O No Bake Real Cheesecake 1 cup cold milk 30 lollipop sticks 1 tub (7 oz.) BAKER'S Real Dark Semi-Sweet Dipping Chocolate Decorations (assorted sprinkles, colored sugars, chopped nuts etc)

Directions: Beat filling mix and milk with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes (filling will be thick). Stir in 1 cup of the crust   mix. Place remaining crust mix in resealable plastic bag; reserve for later use. Pour filling mixture into large bowl; cover. Refrigerate 1 hour. Roll filling mixture into 30 balls with moistened hands, using about 1 Tbsp. of the filling mixture for each ball. Place in single layer on wax paper-covered baking sheet. Insert lollipop stick into center of each ball. Freeze 2 hours. Melt dipping chocolate as directed on package. Dip frozen pops into chocolate, turning to coat completely and scraping off excess chocolate on side of tub. Immediately dip balls into reserved crust Mix and/or desired decorations. Freeze an additional 2 hours or until chocolate is set.

Scotch-A-Roos

(Courtesy of Tami Greiber)

Ingredients:
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. Rice Krispies cereal
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. butterscotch chips


Directions:
Bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil.  Remove from the heat then add the peanut butter.  Mix thoroughly.  Add Rice Krispies.  Pat into a buttered 9 x 13 pan.  Melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 60 seconds.  In a separate bowl, melt the butterscotch chips in the microwave for 60 seconds.  Mix the 2 melted chips together.  Spread the mixture over the bars and cool. 

Note~ I found a recipe on foodnetwork.com that uses Coco Krispies instead of Rice Krispies.  Yum!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Courtesy of Mary Kay Greiber)


Ingredients:
2/3 c. shortening
2/3 c. butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
1 c. lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. nuts (optional)
1 pkg. (12 oz.) chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream together shortening and butter.  Add in the sugar and brown sugar.  Mix well.  Add in eggs and beat until fluffy.  Add vanilla and dry ingredients, which have been sifted together.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Put spoonfuls of the dough onto a cookie sheet (spreading out to allow for the cookies to spread).  Bake 8-12 minutes.

Tortilla Soup

(Courtesy of Sara Walker)


Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1 can Rotel with tomatoes and chilies
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 block pepper jack cheese (shredded)


Directions:
Combine the chicken broth, green chilies, Rotel tomatoes, onion and garlic in a soup pot.  Add the shredded chicken.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes.  Add the lime juice, cilantro, cayenne pepper and cumin.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes longer.  


Cut the tortillas into strips and fry in a skillet of hot olive oil until golden brown.  Drain on a paper towel.  


Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips and shredded pepper jack cheese.

Crab Dip

(Courtesy of Patty Blank)


12 oz. imitation crab meat
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onions
2 Tbsp. finely chopped celery
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste


Process crab in a food processor and put into a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients; mix well.  Chill overnight.  Serve with assorted crackers or french bread (cut into bite-sized cubes).  

Taffy Apple Salad

(Courtesy by Mary Kay Greiber)


Ingredients:
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks
1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip
3 medium Granny Smith apples: sliced, cored and chopped
2 c. miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 c. salted peanuts


Directions:
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, egg and juice from pineapple.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).  Cool.  Stir in Cool Whip.  In a large bowl, mix apples, pineapple chunks, marshmallows and peanuts.  Toss with sauce that was made on the stove.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving.


Note~ Can omit peanuts if there is an allergy or someone that does not like them.

Root Beer Float

(Courtesy of Mary Kay Greiber)


Ingredients:
1 can root beer
1-2 shots Vanilla Schnapps (Doctor McGillicuddy)
Splash of half and half


Directions:
In a pint glass full of ice, add the vanilla schnapps.  Pour in the root beer.  Add a splash of half and half.  Mix well and serve.


Note~  This tastes just like a root beer float...but for adults.  

Won Ton Mozzarella Sticks

(Courtesy of Deb Roos)


Ingredients:
12 string cheese
12 won ton wrappers
Oil, for frying


Directions:
Keep wonton wrappers covered with a damp cloth while you work on wrapping in batches. Place the string cheese near the bottom corner of one egg roll wrapper, fold bottom corner over cheese, roll up halfway, and fold side edges of wontons over the cheese ends. Moisten remaining wonton edges with water and roll up tightly, pressing firmly but gently to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and cheese.

Heat 1 to 2 inches of oil in a skillet to about 375 degrees F and fry sticks in batches for 30 to 60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Drain on towels and serve.

Chicken Casserole

(Courtesy of Mary Kay Greiber)


Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 soft tortilla shells
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake or grill chicken breasts until they are no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  Shred the chicken breasts into a medium-sized bowl.  Open the can of the soup and pour into the bowl with the chicken.  Mix well.


Cut up the tortilla shells into wedges or squares.  Place a layer of the shells on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Place half of the chicken mixture on the layer of tortilla shells.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken mixture in the pan. Repeat the layers ending with the cheese.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.  Bake for 30 minutes.


Note~ When you serve this, you can provide some sour cream or salsa for dipping.  You could also marinate the chicken breasts in the salsa overnight for added spice.

Egg Bake

(Courtesy of Diana Tollesfrud)

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1 can chicken noodle soup

1 tsp. baking powder

Browned sausage, bacon or ham

Onions, green peppers, olives (optional, use 1 c. of each of your choosing)

1 c. cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Blend together eggs, soup and baking powder in a blender.  Add cheese, meats and veggies of your choice.  Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan for 30-35 minutes until set.  

S.O.S a.k.a. Cheesy Ham On Toast

(Courtesy of Mary Kay Greiber)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. butter
1 c. milk
1 pkg. Carl Budding Ham (thin slices)
1-2 c. shredded cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:
Blend together flour, butter, salt and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat, until thick.  Add milk.  Bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add ham and cheese.  Heat until the cheese is melted, then serve over toast.


Note~  This is a recipe that used to be used in the military with ground beef instead of the ham.

Cream Cheese Squares a.k.a. Barbie Bars

• 
  
• 2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  

Unroll 1 pkg. crescent rolls and lay in the bottom of the pan.  Pinch together the seams of dough.  

In a medium-size bowl, mix together cream cheese, 1 c. sugar, vanilla and egg yolk (keep the egg white for later).  Mix until smooth.  Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the unrolled crescent rolls.

Unroll the 2nd pkg. of crescent rolls and layer on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Pinch together seams of the dough.  

In a small bowl, beat the egg white.  Brush the egg white on top of the bars.  

Mix together cinnamon and sugar.  Sprinkle that on top of the egg whites.  Bake the bars 25-30 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden.

Note~ This recipe I found years ago and I made a few changes to it.  Many people have asked for this recipe.  Very much a crowd pleaser!

Garlic Red Potatoes

(Courtesy of Patty Blank)

4-6 red potatoes
2 Tbsp. butter
Garlic (can use fresh, minced or powder based on preference)
Pinch of basil
Pinch of oregano
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Cut the potatoes into small cubes.  In a bowl, place the potato cubes, butter (cut into small cubes as well), garlic, basil and oregano.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Stir the potatoes.  Microwave in 2 min intervals, stirring in between, until the potatoes are tender.  When the potatoes are tender, remove from the microwave and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serve.

Note~ The amount of garlic is based on preference.  I used 1 Tbsp of the dried minced garlic.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

(Courtesy of MrFood.com)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small red potatoes, washed and quartered
• ¹/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¹/2 teaspoon salt
• ¹/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
    
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except parsley; mix well.
    
3. Pour into prepared baking dish, and bake 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Note: I usually end up putting shredded cheddar cheese on top (I am from Wisconsin after all).  Also, if you do not want to use rosemary, you would be able to substitute oregano or garlic powder or your favorite seasoning.  This is a pretty universal recipe that can be modified to a person's tastes.

Italian Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

(Courtesy of Brian Blank)


Ingredients:
1 cup Italian salad dressing
2 chicken breasts, raw
1/2 brick cream cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt 
1 tsp. oregano 
Splash of chardonnay
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions:
Marinate the chicken breasts in the Italian salad dressing and chardonnay overnight (either in a bowl that is covered with plastic wrap or in a ziploc bag).  


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the chicken breasts on the baking sheet.  Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes, until cooked through.  


In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, garlic salt and oregano until it is incorporated.


Cut each of the chicken breasts along the side (butterfly the chicken breast).  Spread the cream cheese mixture on the cut side of the chicken breast.  Close the butterflied chicken breast.  Spread more cream cheese mixture on top of the chicken breast.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken breast.  Bake a few more minutes allowing the cheese to melt.  


Note: This is an awesome recipe that I crave almost weekly.  It could also be done on the grill (using a foil packet after the cream cheese mixture is added).  I also added some of the cream cheese mixture to homemade mashed potatoes and it was delicious.  I hope you all enjoy this recipe!!!!!!

Code Red

(Courtesy of foodnetwork.com and Guy Fieri)

Ingredients:
4 ounces vodka
3 ounces peach schnapps
3 ounces amaretto
Splash cranberry juice
Splash orange juice
Orange slices and cherries for garnish

Fill a bowl with ice.  Add all ingredients.  Stir and serve.

Note~ I have served this at the bar I work at and it went over very well.  You can use 1 ounce of the peach schnapps and amaretto along with 1 1/4 ounce of vodka for a single serving of this.  It tastes like kool aid!

Beer Dip

(Courtesy of Taste of Home.  Also received this from a friend of mine Ellie)

Ingredients:

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• Pretzels

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, beer and dressing until smooth. Stir in cheddar cheese. Serve with pretzels. Refrigerate leftovers.

Note~ This is really good for parties or just if you want to have a delicious snack.

Hot Wings

(Courtesy of Jim Greiber)

Ingredients:
24 chicken wings or 12 drumsticks
2 bottles Louisiana hot sauce
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken wings or drumsticks on a baking sheet (that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray).  Season both sides of the chicken with the garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper (can add more cayenne and red pepper flakes if you prefer hotter wings/drumsticks).  Put the chicken in the oven and bake 15 minutes.  Take out the chicken and flip all of the pieces.  Put the chicken back in the oven and finish baking (until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees).  


In a slow cooker, pour in the hot sauce, butter (cut into small cubes), and brown sugar.  Stir.  


Once the chicken is cooked completely, take the pieces off of the baking sheet and place into the slow cooker with the hot sauce mixture.  Coat all of the pieces with the hot sauce mixture.  Cook on low for 3-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.  The longer they cook, the more the meat will fall off the bone.   

Mini Cheeseburger Puffs

(courtesy of Jamie Deen and foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chuck
2 tsp. steak seasoning
1 tsp. Paula Deen's Silly Salt (I used a combination of salt, onion powder and garlic powder)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion, minced
1 pkg. puff pastry sheets
20 (1- inch) slices cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the first 5 ingredients. Hand-form patty to 1/4 normal burger size, about 2-inches in diameter. In a grooved black skillet, cook burgers to medium. Turn once. Do not overcook.

Roll out thawed puff pastry. Cut 10 (6-inch) even panels. Place burger in center of square and top with 2 slices of cheese. Fold edges up and twist on top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes and serve warm.

Note~ The next time I do this, I am going to add bacon on top of the burger and under the cheese.  I also did not use the onion, because I am not really an onion fan.  I loved this recipe when I made it myself and it was very easy!

Welcome!

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to let you know about my new addiction.  I love collecting recipes and have not been able to find a good way of sharing these before now.  I decided to start a recipe of the day blog to help share these recipes.  Below each recipe will be a tag that will allow you to search by main ingredient (chicken, beef, pork, cheesecakes etc).  I will be adding at least 1 recipe a day, if not more, so check back often.  If you try one of the recipes, feel free to comment about how it worked for you.  Some of these recipes I have tried, and some will be given to me by other people.  If you would like me to share your recipe, just send it to barbsrecipeoftheday@gmail.com and I will be sure to give you credit when I post it.  I hope you all enjoy!