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. Add drained mushrooms. 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

8 oz. sliced mushrooms, fresh or canned, drained, optional

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

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 mushrooms 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.

Lemon Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls

1 can crescent rolls

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. sugar

1/4 t. lemon extract

zest of 1/2 lemon, I used a few shakes of Tru-Lemon

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon, I used few shakes of Tru-Lemon

1/4 t. lemon extract

little milk or smooth consistency

Combine filling ingredients. Place 1 teaspoonful in each crescent roll. Spread over all of roll. Roll up, starting on the wide end. Place on parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 8 rolls. Combine glaze ingredients and pour over each roll as soon as they come out of the oven. So yummy and delicious!

*I doubled the filling recipe when I made 16 rolls, but I didn't double the glaze.  

**can also be made with any flavor pie filling instead of the cream cheese. I use a glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and complimentary flavoring.

1st picture: crescent roll with cream cheese filling; 2nd picture: rolled up and ready to bake; 3rd & 4th pictures: all baked, glazed, and ready to eat.

Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 yellow or pineapple cake mix, prepared as directed, omitting water

1 c. pineapple juice*, from drained pineapple rings, used instead of water in mix

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

pineapple rings, whole and halved to fit pan

maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350. Spray oven safe skillet or 9x9 pan. Melt butter and combine with brown sugar. Place in bottom of pan/skillet. Place pineapple rings on top of brown sugar. Place cherries in the holes of pineapple. Pour batter on top. Remove silicone handle from skillet, if using. Place skillet or pan in oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto serving platter.

*If not enough juice, add enough water to make 1 c. 

1st pic: brown sugar in bottom of pan with pineapples and cherries, 2nd pic: batter on top of pineapple, 3rd pic: baked and inverted, ready to eat.

Strawberry Bread with Glaze

 Bread:

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. oil

1 egg

1 t. strawberry flavoring

2 c. SR flour

2 c. diced strawberries

2 T. flour to coat strawberries

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. melted butter

1/3 c. finely diced strawberries

1/2 t. strawberry flavoring

1-2 T. milk or cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 6 ingredients. Toss strawberries and flour together to coat. Fold into batter.  Pour into 9x5 bread pan. I used a heart shaped pan. Bake 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Combine first 4 ingredients until smooth (may have to use the mixer for this). Add milk if needed to spread, depending on the juiciness of the strawberries. You won't need too much. 

*2 bags (16 oz. each) whole frozen strawberries = 2 c. for bread and 1/2 c. for glaze

1st pic: ready for oven, 2nd pic: right out of oven, 3rd pic: glaze, 4th pic: bread with glaze ready to eat.

Crockpot Tortellini and Broccoli Soup

19 oz. bag frozen tortellini, I used 4 cheese

1 small bag spinach, optional

2 cans diced tomatoes, I used tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic

4 c. broth, I used vegetable, but can also use chicken or beef

3 cloves minced garlic

1 medium onion, chopped 

1 can mushrooms, fresh could also be used

Italian seasoning to taste

8 oz. block cream cheese, cubed, optional, I didn't use it--it doesn't dissolve well.

smoked sausage, diced, may substitite cooked ground beef, ground sausage, chicken strips, or meatballs

fresh or frozen broccoli, I used 1 bag of Birdseye steamfresh chopped broccoli

12 oz. can evaporated milk, optional

1/4 c. wondra flour, optional

Place liner in crockpot. Place all ingredients, except tortellini, broccoli, flour, and milk inside. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. After 6 hours, whisk to break up cream cheese, if using. Add tortellini and broccoli during last 45 minutes to 1 hour. Combine evaporated milk and wondra flour, then add to soup, if you want it to be a cream base soup, and to thicken it, during the last 30 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese to serve. Serve with Caesar salad and crusty bread. This is a delicious soup and there weren't many leftovers.

*other vegetables can be added if desired: diced carrots, celery, green peppers, etc..

1st pic: soup in crockpot, 2nd pic: soup with flour and milk added, 3rd pic: ready to eat!