Suckers

My mom would make suckers for us a lot growing up, and I always thought they were the best ever!  I finally decided to make some myself, and they turned out great.  Cannon ended up bringing some for each kid in his preschool class.  They were a big hit.

Suckers
2/3 c. white karo syrup
2 c. sugar
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. oil flavoring (watermelon is my favorite)
food coloring
Sucker molds and sticks

Spray molds with cooking spray and lay on foil lined baking sheets.
Put sticks into slots.

Put syrup, sugar and water in a pan and stir to mix.
Put on stove over high heat.
DO NOT STIR.
Use a candy thermometer, and cook to 300 degrees (if it starts to turn yellow, it's done!)
Remove from heat and add food coloring and oil flavoring.
Pour into molds.
Makes 20-22.

Home-Made Italian Sausage

I love Italian Sausage!  I just don't love paying $3-4 a lb. for it.  This is a great recipe to turn regular breakfast sausage or ground pork into delicious Italian Sausage.

Home-Made Mild Italian Sausage
1 lb. ground pork (or breakfast/regular sausage)
1 1/2 tsp. salt (1/2 tsp. if using sausage)
2 tsp. fennel seed
1 tsp. paprika
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients into meat.
Can be used immediately, but best if set in the fridge for 12 hours.
This can also be frozen.

For Sweet Italian Sausage:
Omit the chili powder and add 1 1/2 tsp. sugar

For Hot Italian Sausage:
Increase the paprika to 1 1/2 tsp.
Increase the chili powder to 1 1/2 tsp.

Tomato Soup Casserole

This one is a classic family favorite!

Tomato Soup Casserole
Recipe from Lyn Denna
1 lb. hamburger
1 onion
1 can corn
1 can mushrooms (we omit these)
1 tsp. oregano
1 c. tomato juice
2 cans tomato soup
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cili powder
2-3 c. uncooked noodles (4 c. is you use egg noodles)
1/2 lb. grated cheese

Brown beef and onion.  Add the rest of the ingredients except cheese and noodles and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package directions.
In a 9x13" baking dish, layer cooked noodles, meat sauce, and top with cheese.
Sprinkle with parmesan, if desired.
Bake at 300 for 30-45 minutes.

** If preparing this meal to freeze:
Cook noodles 2-3 minutes short of the regular cooking time.
After sauce is done simmering, put aside until cooled to room temperature.
Layer noodles, sauce and cheese.
Freeze for up to 3 months.

Bisquick Mix

I never buy Bisquick, but I will sometimes find a recipe that calls for it.  This is a great substitute.

Bisquick Mix
8 c. flour, sifted
1/4 c. baking powder
4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening

Mix ingredients with mixer until well blended, or cut in shortening with a pastry cutter or fork.

White Bread (Pantry Secrets)

Nothing is better than fresh home-made bread.  This is my favorite recipe, and I make it almost weekly (no store-bought bread at our house).  It turns out perfect every time!  The best part?... It takes under 1 hour.

 White Bread (Pantry Secrets)
For a better explanation of ingredients and how to make this, click here

Makes 2 loaves:
5 c. Lehi Roller Mills Turkey Flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. salt
3 rounded 1/2 Tbsp. Saf-Instant Yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp (quarters) liquid lecithin
2 c. HOT tap water

Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast and mix.
Add lecithin and water.
Mix for 6 minutes with kneading blade.
Lay out on greased surface and knead 4 times.
Cut in half.
Shape into loaves.

Let raise for 25 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Brown Sugar Muffins

These have such a nice sweet taste; the perfect addition to fruit for breakfast.

Brown Sugar Muffins
1 cube softened butter
1 cube brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour

Cream butter and shortening.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Combine remaining ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.
Bake at 375 for 18 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned.
Yields ~18 muffins.

Mixed Roasted Vegetables

Hands down my favorite way to serve veggies!

Mixed Roasted Vegetables
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2-3 carrots, sliced
zucchini
asparagus stems
summer squash, etc.

2 Tbsp. dried basil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Arrange vegetables on a large baking sheet covered with tin foil.
Sprinkle dried basil evenly over veggies.
Combine vinegar, oil, oregano, salt and pepper.
Drizzle evenly over vegetables.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Serve with parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Oh my!  These were SOOOO good!
I got this recipe from Our Family Treat, and switched a few things to make it more our style.
Notice how there are only 7 in the picture?  That's because I ate the other half (before dinner started... no shame!)

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits
2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. shortening
2/3 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Cut in shortening.
Add milk and cheese and mix until soft.
Drop about 2 Tbsp. of mixture on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes.

While cooking, mix together:
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
Brush on top of warm biscuits.

Maple Glazed Grilled Pineapple

We love using the grill at our house.  This is such a delicious and easy side to accompany any BBQ!

Maple Glazed Grilled Pineapple
1 pineapple, core removed, sliced 1/2 - 3/4" thick
maple syrup

In a shallow baking dish, drizzle enough maple syrup to just cover the bottom.
Layer the sliced pineapple on top of the syrup, and cover with an additional layer of syrup (rub it in with your fingers to distribute it if needed).
 Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Grill pineapple slices over medium heat, about 7-10 minutes per side, until grill marks are visible and pineapple is heated through.
Serve warm.

Ham Linguine Florentine

Do you have a ton of leftover ham from Easter?

Try this:

Ham Linguine Florentine
Recipe from Lyn Denna

1/2 c. slivered almonds
3/4 lb. ham
1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms (I left these out)
1/2 c. snipped parsley
3/4 c. chopped onion
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. butter
8-10 oz. linguine (I used whole wheat)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 oz. spinach, chopped
6 Tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1 can beef broth
1 can evaporated milk

Brown almonds and set aside.
Saute onions and mushrooms in oil and butter under tender.
Stir in flour and thyme.
Add broth and milk together and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and bubbly.
Cook for 1 minute longer, stirring.
Add 1/4 c. almonds, the ham, parsley and mustard, and cook until heated through.
Add the cooked linguine and toss to coat.
Arrange spinach on individual plates, and top with linguine mixture.
Sprinkle with remaining almonds.