Sweet Potato Brownies

1 c. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. maple syrup

Combine all ingredients. Place in sprayed loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Tiger Butter Fudge

1 1/2 c. crunchy or creamy peanut butter**, divided

3 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

3 1/2 chocolate chips, your choice*

chopped nuts, optional

Over low heat, melt 3/4 c. peanut butter in saucepan, stirring continuously. Add white chocolate chips and continue to stir until everything is melted and smooth. Line 9x13 dish with parchment paper. and pour the mixture in. In the same saucepan, over low heat, melt the remaining 3/4 c. peanut butter and chocolate morsels until smooth. Pour the mixture over the white fudge. Use a knife or spatula to swirl. Allow to cool for at least 4 hours before cutting into 2" squares.

*other flavors of chips may be used instead of chocolate: butterscotch, pumpkin, cinnamon, etc... This is a very pretty fudge.

**If using crunchy peanut butter, no additional nuts will be needed, but if you don't like peanuts, pecans, walnuts, macadamia, etc... may be used

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

3 sticks butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

3 1/2 c. plain flour

1/4 t. salt

1 egg, beaten with 1 T. water for egg wash

7 oz. sweetened coconut

raspberry jam, or your flavor choice

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar until combined. Add vanilla. Sift flour and salt together. Add flour mixture to butter mixture on low speed.When the dough starts to come together, dump on a floured board and roll out to a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll dough into 1 1/4" balls. Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll in coconut. Place on cookie sheet and press a light indention into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 t. jam into each indention. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the coconut is golden brown. 

Snow Cream

12 c. fresh snow

1 can Eaglebrand milk

1-2 t. vanilla

Stir together and dish out. May be frozen.

*Add 1 pkt. cocoa mix for chocolate snow cream.

Pat's Cake Mix Caramel Apple Cake

1 yellow cake mix (without pudding) + 2/3 c. yellow cake mix**

3.4 oz. pkg vanilla instant pudding mix

1 c. water

4 eggs

1/3 c. oil

1/4 c. milk

3 apples, (1 lb) peeled and chopped

2 t. apple spice mix***

20 Kraft caramels, unwrapped (I use 1 c. Kraft caramel bits)

3 T. milk

Heat oven to 350. Beat 1st 6 ingredients. Stir until blended. Stir in apples. Pour into sprayed bundt or tube pan. Bake 50 min-1 hour, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Invert onto serving plate. Cool completely. Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on high 1-1 1/2 minutes or until caramels are all melted. and sauce is smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Drizzle over cake. Serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. YUM! 

*It took 2 1/2 minutes for the caramels to melt in my microwave, but using a different bowl might have been faster. I just kept heating them again in 30 second intervals until they were done.

**cake mixes used to be 18 oz., but in 2012, they became 15 oz. so adding 2/3 c. additional cake mix to recipes will make them come out as they should.

***Pat's recipe didn't call for this ingredient, but I thought the cake would taste better with some spices in it.

1st picture: before baking; 2nd picture: after baking and cooling, inverted onto plate; 3rd picture: caramel sauce added; 4th picture: topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. Ready to serve.

Crockpot Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes

4-6 pork chops*

6 medium potaoes, cut into large pieces, or 1 1/2 lbs. Dutch potatoes, halved

2 cans cream of onion, or cream of mushroom soup

1 pkt dry ranch dressing mix (I buy bulk, so it's 3 T.)

2 cloves garlic, minced

chopped onions, optional, or 1 pkt dry onion soup mix

1 c. milk

16 oz. can mushrooms, drained

Spray or line crockpot. Place potatoes in the bottom. Place pork chops on top. Combine soups, ranch mix, milk, garlic, and onions together and stir. Place on top of pork chops. Cook on low for *6 hours for thin pork chops; 8 hours for thick. Use the extra sauce to pour over pork chops and potatoes when serving. I served with Caesar salad. YUM!

**This wasn't creamy, which is better for us anyway, but it was still very tender & tasty.

Joan's Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. + 2 T. SR flour

1 c. blueberries

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1 T. powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Add flour. Stir until blended. Add blueberries (rolling in a little flour should keep them from sinking). Spoon 1/2 of mixture into sprayed angel food or bundt cake pan. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/2 on batter. Spoon remaining batter on top. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture on top. Use a knife to swirl batter. Bake 55-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Invert onto plate. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. YUM!

1st picture: batter in pan with brown sugar mixture sprinkled on top; 2nd picture: swirled batter before baking; 3rd picture: inverted cake on plate, ready to serve.

Strawberry Slab Pie

Crust:

2 1/4 plain flour

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1 c. cold butter, cubed

Filling:

6 oz. strawberry jello

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. cornstarch

1/2 t. salt

20 oz Sprite (2 1/2 c.)

32 oz. strawberries, tops removed, sliced in half lengthwise

whipped topping, optional

Preheat oven to 325. Combine flour, salt and butter with pastry blender until crumbly. Press into 18x12 baking sheet* and prick with fork. Bake 22-25 minutes until light brown. Cool. Combine jello, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and sprite in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Arrange sliced strawberries over crust. Pour filling over strawberries and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream if desired. Tastes like Shoney's strawberry pie.

*I added a little water to the crust as it wouldn't stick together. May also use a different crust if desired, like a cake mix crust, or shortbread, or make in store bought crust (for a pie instead of slab) if desired.

**cake mix crust:1 yellow cake mix + 2/3 c. cake mix, 1 stick butter, 1 egg. Combine and press in smaller baking sheet or 9x13 pan. (adjust other amounts in recipe)

**Shortbread: 1 c. butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 c. plain flour. Cream butter and sugar. Gradually add flour. Place in 9x13 pan and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

I would recommend using a deeper 12x18 pan as mine was filled all the way to the top and spilled on the floor and refrigerator (very sticky) as I was transferring it from the counter.

1st picture: baked crust with sliced strawberries; 2nd pic: strawberry filling added--ready for refrigerator; 3rd pic: all set, ready to eat.

Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli

1 T. oil

2 chicken breasts, cubed*

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. flour

1 c. chicken broth

1 c. milk

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 c. chopped broccoli

2 c. cooked pasta, your choice, I used cavatoppi

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, optional

Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5-8 minutes until no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over garlic and slowly add chicken broth. Stir to avoid lumps. Add in milk and stir. Allow to boil to thicken sauce. Season wth salt and pepper. Add broccoli and stir until cooked. Remove from heat. Add cooked chicken, pasta, and parmeasan cheese. Serve with Caesar salad, top with more parmesan if desired. Yummy!

*I used Perdue grilled chicken strips and skipped the step of cooking the chicken.

Finished meal: 

Chocolate Cream Cheese Croissant Bake

3, 8 oz. tubes croissant rolls, chopped (I did not unroll them forst)

2 c. chocolate chips, your choice (milk, semi sweet, butterscotch, vanilla, etc..)

2, 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. milk

chocolate or caramel sauce, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish. Place chopped croissant oieces in bottom of dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add milk and stir. Pour over chips and allow to set for 20 minutes before placing in oven. Bake 45-50 minutes until middle is cooked through. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with sauce if desired. May be served with ice cream, I thought it was rich enough without it.

1st picture: chopped croissants; 2nd pic: chocolate chips on top; 3rd pic: cream cheese mixture added; 4th pic: after baking, ready to eat.