Home made ice cream

1 1/4 cup of milk (your choice, 1%, 2% or whole. I use 1%)
2 cups half and half (I use fat free, but it's your choice)
3/4 up sugar
2 beaten eggs (or 1/2 cup egg beaters) You can leave the eggs out.
1/8 tsp. salt
1 TBL. vanilla

Mix eggs and milk until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into ice cream freezer until a soft serve ice cream.  Store in air tight bowl in freezer. It freezes to a very hard consistency. Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Other variations I use:
1 jar of marchino cherries quartered, use the juice instead of the vanilla, and add some malt flavoring if you like. My husband likes pecan's added. Both the pecans and cherries are added during the last 10 minutes or so. Mmmmm

Chocolate syrup and malt, to your taste and omit the vanilla.

Use your imagination there are so many yummy combinations.

School Butter cookie

Our elementary cook gave me this recipe in the late 70’s early 80’s. She never did say how long she had been making them, but they were the school’s favorite. The cookie is no longer made at the school. Everything is now made in a factory. Gone are the days of home cooking in school. Now everything is full of preservatives and no flavor. So sad.   But the memories of these cookies will always be there. The recipe posted is just 1/4 of the original recipe, I had to cut it down or feed the whole neighborhood! :)

1 pound of butter

1/2 pound of brown sugar

1 TBL. Vanilla

1 1/2 teas. salt

5 1/4 cup a.p. flour

Cream butter, vanilla, and brown sugar together until well mixed. Add flour and salt and mix at slow speed until flour is slightly incorporated, then  up to med to mix well. The dough is quite thick so the mixer may lag unless you have a good size mixer.

Line a 9 x 9 cake pan with waxed paper or foil and pat dough into the cake pan.  Refrigerate for an hour or so. Slice into half and then slice as thin or as thick as you would like the cookie to be.The dough does freeze well!! Another way to do this is to roll into logs instead of the cake pan method. The cake pan is what the original baker did so that is what I did or tried to do. :)

Bake at 350º for 10 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Thickness of cookie will determine the time to bake. If you use airbake cookie sheets it will take around 18 minutes to bake.

Grashopper cake

Grasshopper fudge cake

1 box white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons mint extract

3 egg whites

12 drops green food color

2 jars (16 oz each) hot fudge topping

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

5 drops yellow food color

Thin rectangular crème de menthe chocolate candies, unwrapped and cut into pieces, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.

2. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mint extract and the egg whites. Reserve 1 cup batter. Stir 3 drops of the green food color into reserved batter; set aside. Pour remaining batter into pan.

3. Drop green batter by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 12 to 14 mounds onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with metal spatula or knife in S-shaped curves in one continuous motion. Turn pan 1/4 turn; repeat cutting for swirled design.

4. Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

5. Carefully spread fudge topping evenly over cake. In medium bowl, stir whipped topping, remaining 1/2 teaspoon extract, remaining 9 drops green food color and the yellow food color until blended. Spread whipped topping mixture evenly over fudge. Garnish with candy pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.

Potato soup

Cheesey Potato soup

1 bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 carton (32-oz)  chicken broth **(I use salt free stock)

1 cup water

3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups) **I use 4 ounces, 2 ounces of each, cheddar and american cheese

Garnish:

1/4 cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours.

In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

This recipe can be made on the stove top also.

**Used to cut fat and sodium.

Easy Pork chops and stuffing

1 box of your favorite brand boxed stuffing mix
4 thick cut pork chops
1 can of cream of anything soup
1/3 cup of milk

Mix stuffing according to instructions on box. Let sit for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Spread in cake pan.

Brown chops, both sides. Place on top of stuffing mix. Mix milk and soup and pour over chops.
Bake covered for 45 minutes at 350º. Remove foil and bake another 15 to 20 minutes.

Crunchy Onion Chicken

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken in cake pan.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.

***Since it is just the two of us, I cut the recipe in half.