Macaroni Salad

An easy and simple macaroni salad that makes a perfect accompaniament dish for all of the fun Summer BBQ's and holiday cookout's coming up:)

Macaroni Salad

1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 - 1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip
2-4 TBSP. sweet relish
1 TBSP. prepared yellow mustard
1 TBSP. dried minced onion
1-2 TBSP. cider vinegar
2-4 TBSP. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Run under cold water while still in colander to chill the pasta. Drain well. Pour into large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Start with the lowest amount of the ingredients and adjust as needed to your taste. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Makes about 8 servings

Homestyle Meatballs (Baked)

I love meatballs and gravy over cooked egg noodles, and this meatball recipe works perfectly for recipes like that. I make my make my meatballs slightly smaller than called for and this way I can get enough meatballs out of this recipe to use for 3 different meals. It's all up to you though what size you prefer.

Homestyle Meatballs (Baked)

3 lbs. ground beef (I like lean)
1 1/2 cups matzo meal
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (1 oz.) pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, using your hands. When thoroughly mixed, shape and roll  into small meatball sized portions and place on baking sheet. Bake @ 350* F for 25-20 minutes. Cool slightly then divide into meal sized portions for your recipes and freeze until needed.

Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies

I love recipes that are big enough to fit in a cookie sheet, and this one does just that. Yummy, and makes enough for a crowd? It's a winner!

Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies

1¼ cup rolled oats (quick or regular)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 TBSP. peanut butter
1 TBSP. oil
Hot water to desired consistency

Preheat oven to 350* F. Mix all brownie ingredients in a large bowl. Batter will be thick. Spread evenly onto a greased 17×11 cookie sheet with your hands. Bake @ 350* F for 15-20 min. until light golden brown. Cool completely, then frost.
For frosting- Mix sugar, vanilla, peanut butter and oil together. Add hot water until desired consistency. Pour over brownies and frost evenly. Cut into 48 squares.

Beanie Weenie Stew

Yes, I will admit it, I adore beanie weenies. It's right up there as one of my all time favorite meals. Yes, seriously. Not sure why, they weren't much of a staple when I was growing up, but they are a fun supper time solution in my house for my kids. This recipe is easy, delicious, and one that I can throw together at a moments notice, and I usually have every ingredient on hand which makes it even easier.

Beanie Weenie Stew

2 (28 oz.) can baked beans
1 1/3 cups ketchup
1 tsp. cider vinegar
2-4 TBSP. brown sugar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 (12-16 oz.) pkgs. hot dogs, sliced

Throw all ingredient into a 6 quart or larger Slow Cooker. Cover and cook on 'HIGH' for 4-6 hours or 'LOW' for 8 hours. Serve with a green salad and a crusty loaf of french bread.

Ice Cream Cake

While there isn't any actual cake in this dessert, it's still a huge hit at our house. Also, this would be the perfect "cake" for birthdays in the hot summer months because there is no baking! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

20 Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies***
3 TBSP. butter, melted
1 (1/2 gallon) box chocolate chip ice cream, softened
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed

Place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until they"re fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until well mixed. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch** springform pan. Spread the softened ice cream evenly over top of the crust from edge to edge. Drizzle the chocolate syrup evenly over top of the ice cream. Carefully spread the Cool Whip evenly over top from edge to edge. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. To serve, let sit on the counter for 15 minutes then cut into wedges and serve. Makes about 12-16 servings.
**You can also use a 10-inch springform pan, but increase the cookies to 25 and the butter to 4 TBSP. Also, your ice cream and Cool Whip layers will be thinner than they are in the smaller springform pan so you could increase those ingredients if you prefer.
***I used the Walmart store brand cookies that compare to the Chips Ahoy brand, and they gave identical results. You can also sub Oreo cookies (or store brand equivalent) if you prefer.

Spaghetti Pie

This is an easy casserole to make ahead of time, keeping it chilled in the fridge up to 3 days before baking, or freezing it for up to 3 months. I adore anything that makes my life easier and is a hit with the kids, which this one does admirably.

Spaghetti Pie

1 (16 oz.) pkg. spaghetti, broken into 3 inch pieces
3 TBSP. butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs (well beaten)
1 (24 oz.) tub small curd cottage cheese
3 cups Italian Blend shredded cheese, divided
1 1/2 (32 oz. jars) Prego spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Stir in the butter and stir until melted. In a small bowl, mix the beaten eggs and Parmesan cheese. Stir into the buttered spaghetti, stirring to mix well, making sure to coat evenly. Grease a 10x14-inch baking dish. Pour the coated spaghetti into the pan and spread it out like a crust to cover the bottom and slightly up the sides. In a medium bowl mix together the cottage cheese and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Spread evenly over top of the bottom of the spaghetti crust just to the sides. Mix the 1 1/2 jars of pasta sauce with the ground beef and mix well. spread the sauce mixture evenly over top of the cottage cheese layer, spreading it from egde to edge, covering the entire top of the pie.
*To Bake: Bake @ 350* F, uncovered for 45-55 minuntes. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese over top for the last 15 minutes of baking. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Makes about 10-12 servings.
*To Freeze: Cover and label the casserole and place the last 2 cups of shredded cheese in a ziploc baggie and attach to the covered casserole and freeze. Thaw in the fridge completely before baking, at least 24 hours. Uncover and bake as directed above.
*To Chill: Cover and chill up to 3 days until ready to serve, storing the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese in the fridge with it. Remove from the fridge about 45 minutes before baking, then bake as directed above.

Island-Style Fried Rice

When I lived on Guam, this style of fried rice was the most common on island, and we loved it. I always knew Spam was good for something:)

Island-Style Fried Rice

3 3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 (12 oz.) can Spam, sliced and diced into tiny cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen peas & carrots, cooked and drained
6 eggs
4 TBSP. oil, divided
1/2 cup soy sauce

The day before the meal, cook the rice according to package directions. The rice is best if made the day before and then stored in the fridge until cooking day, but you can use rice cooked the same day too. In a large skillet, heat 2 TBSP. oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced Spam and the onions and saute until the onions are translucent and the Spam is nicely browned. Set aside. In the same skillet, cook the eggs, scrambling them. Set them aside. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 TBSP. oil. Add the cooked rice and stir to re-heat. Add the soy sauce, just to taste, stirring to evenly distribute it throughout the rice. Cook until the rice is hot. Add the cooked onion/Spam mixture, the cooked peas & carrots, and the scrambled eggs. Stir to mix until everything is evenly distributed. Season with additional soy sauce if needed. Serve hot.
Makes 12 generous servings.

Potato Veggie Soup (Slow Cooker)

I decided to add some veggies to the slow cooker baked potato soup and loved the outcome so much I thought I had better write it down or I would forget. It was too good and too easy to not make again! Yum!

Potato Veggie Soup (Slow Cooker)

1 - 1 1/2 bags (32 oz. each) cubed hash browns
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen sliced carrots
2 heads of broccoli florets, chopped 
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 small onion, chopped
pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened***

  In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, broccoli, broth, water, soup, onion, and pepper. Cover, and cook on "High" for 6 housrs, on 'Low' for 8 hours. About 1 hour before serving, stir in cream cheese, stirring occasionally, until combined.
Makes 10-12 servings.

*cooking times are approximate and vary with each individual slow cooker*

***Do not use fat free cream cheese. Regular cream cheese or low fat work well, but the fat free cream cheese does not melt, and ends up giving your soup an odd texture.

Homemade Creamy Italian Dressing

Another delicious homemade dressing recipe. Just beacuse I love making things myself!

Homemade Creamy Italian Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white 'or' red wine vinegar
1 tsp. vegetable oil
3 - 4 TBSP. corn syrup
2 TBSP. grated Parmesan cheese
2 TBSP. grated Romano cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 TBSP. lemon juice

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into serving container, cover and chill several hours until chilled.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Homemade Italian Dressing Mix

I love how easy this is to mix together and keep on hand in my pantry. And it makes a tasty salad dressing to boot!

Homemade Italian Dressing Mix

1 TBSP. garlic salt
1 TBSP. onion powder
1 TBSP. sugar
2 TBSP. dried oregano
1/2 - 1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 TBSP. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. celery salt
2 TBSP. salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in a tightly sealed container in your pantry.
Makes about 1/2 cup dry mix.

To Use:
 Whisk together:
 2 TBSP. Italian Dressing Mix
1/4 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 TBSP. water

Makes about 1 cup salad dressing.