Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

2 c. flour 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar 1 3/4 c. veg. oil
2 tsp. baking soda 4 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon 3 c. gratted carrots (about 1 pound)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together bake as 325 degrees for 1 hour. Best to bake in 3 8 inch round pans, but can be done in a 10 x 13 cake pan too. Cool completely before frosting...

Frosting---

1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 1 pound box powdered sugar
1 c. walnuts

Mix softened creamcheese and butter, beat well. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat. Frost cake and garnish with walnuts.

Thanks to Laurie Sorensen!

Veggie dish---Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen brussel sprouts
3 Tbl. of bacon bits
4 Tbl. of butter
Pearl onions to taste

Directions:

Boil the brussel sprouts about 5 minutes, then add the butter, bacon bits and pearl onions. continue cooking until tender. drain the water from the veggie, place in a side dish bowl, add a pat of butter or two on top, and eat.

Thanks to Laurie Sorensen!

Potatoe side dish---Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag or 1 box shredded hashbrowns (if you use the box, soak the hasbrowns
in hot water to reconstitute the potatoes)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 16 ounce shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 8 ounce tub of sour cream
1 1/2 sticks of butter
Crushed corn flakes

Directions:

Mix all ingrediants except the butter and corn flakes. spray a cake pan with non-stick spray, spread it evenly in the cake pan. put the crushed corn flakes on top of that, completely covering the potatoe mixture in about 1/2 inch of crushed corn flakes. Melt the butter, and slowly and evenly pour over the crushed cornflakes. Bake one hour at 350 degrees. (this will be hot, so let
it stand about 10-15 minutes after it is done)

Thanks to Laurie Sorensen!

Meat Dish...Friccadillie s (a flemish name)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
2 eggs beaten
2 or 3 slices of bread
1 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can water
flour

Directions:

Mix milk and eggs together add ground beef and bread, mix well.
Make patties about as big as an egg, flatten and brown in a skillet. Place them into a casserole.
add water to soup, stir, then pour over the patties. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes (in the summer, to reduce the possibility of a hot kitchen, I use a crockpot)

Thanks to Laurie Sorensen!

Pat's Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:

1 5 oz. bag baby Spinach
1 lb. sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise 1/4
inch slices
8 oz. green beans, trimmed, cut in half
2 tsp vegetable oil
8 oz. thick sliced Canadian bacon, cut into strips
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1/3 C Honey-Dijon Dressing

Directions:

1. Line serving platter w/ spinach.

2. Bring 1 C lightly salted water to a boil in a large skillet.
Add potatoes and beans, cover and cook for 5 - 7 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes and beans.

3. In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bacon and onion, saute for 5 minutes. Spoon over spinach along with the drained potatoes and beans.

4. Remove skillet from heat, reduce heat to low. Pour dressing into skillet, return to heat, stir until hot. Pour over salad.

Thanks to Pat Cochran!

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

4 c. Blackberries, washed
1 c. sugar
1Tbl. Cornstarch
1/2 lemon juice
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 egg

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread berried in ungreased 2 quart casserole dish. Reserve 1 tsp. of sugar. Mix remaining sugar, the cornstarch andlemon juice. Drizzle this over the berries and stir gently. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl, stir in milk, butter and egg. Spread batter evenly over the berries, sealing the edge. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30-35 minutes, til
topping is golden brown.

Thanks to Laurie Sorensen!

Slush (has Vodka in it)

Ingredients:

1 small can frozen orange juice
1 large can frozen lemonade
2 cups tea made with 4 tea bags
2 cups sugar
7 cups water
1 1/2 cups Vodka

Directions:

Mix together, freeze for about 24 hours. Remove from freezer about an hour before serving time. Add 1 can 7-up just before serving.

Thanks to Laurie Sorenson!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c Shortening
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream shortening and the sugars. Add vanilla and egg. Neat until creamy.
Combine four, Baking soda and salt together, and add to the creamed mixture.
Stir together until flour mixture is completely mixed in, add chips.

Drop on baking sheet by the teaspoonful and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Thanks to Laurie Sorensen!

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 C. Sugar 2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. Shortening 1 tsp. Vanilla
2 eggs 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt 3 1/2 c. flour

Directions:

Combine sugar and shortening, cream together, add vanilla and eggs, mix well.
Combine flour salt, soda and baking powder together, then add a little at a time to the creamed mixture.
Chill for a short time.
Roll out the dough a portion at a time, on a lightly floured surface (use powderedsugar for this so it doesn't take away from the light sweetness of the cookies), cut to any shape you like, and bak at 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies shouldn't be browned, except for lightly browned on the edges. Cool on a wire rack, frost and decorate to your heart content.

Thanks to Laurie Sorensen!

Easy Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 box macaroni noodles
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 bag shredded cheddar
1 medium size block of Colby cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Cut your colby cheese up into thin slices
Boil your noodles and drain them
Mix milk, egg, shredded cheese, and salt and pepper in a bowl
Add noodles and stir
Poor a little of your noodles into a casserole dish at a time and layer
colby cheese throughout dish, making sure you have plenty left over to cover the top
Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, depending on your oven.
You'll know it's done when the cheese is golden brown and melty on top. :)

This will serve about 6 people, unless you have a husband who eats his weight in food like mine does. :)

Thanks to Amanda Young!

Lemony Marinade for Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

This only takes about 15 minutes to mix up (if that), but you want to time it so the chicken doesn't "soak" for more than 4 hours before you grill it.


2/3 cup olive oil
almost 2/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (or a little more)
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder (or a little more)
8 to 10 chicken tenders

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and place the chicken in so that all the pieces are covered. Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate no more than 4 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Oil the grill grate because the tenders are likely to stick. Discard the marinade and place the chicken pieces on the preheated grate. Cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

I tend to get migraines if I'm not careful, so I usually leave the liquid smoke flavoring out, and the marinade is still yummy. I still use the soy sauce (I'm on a great preventive medication), but I don't use the full amount called for.

Thanks to Sandy Lender!

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups cubed boiled potatoes
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 chopped hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. paprika

Directions:

Combine the potatoes, green pepper and eggs. Lightly mix in the mustard and mayonnaise, and then add onion salt and celery seed. Garnish with the paprika and chill before serving.

Thanks to Maz!

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

2 Bags frozen green beans - defrosted (easy to do in the bag - just
pop in the microwave for three minutes after poking holes in the bag
or cutting the top open - string or cut beans work equally fine, but
petite whole beans lend a little elegance to the dish)
1 Family size can low-fat cream of mushroom soup (or chicken if you
don't like mushrooms)
1 Package onion soup mix
1 Can Durkee Onion Strings
1/2 to 1 cup slivered or sliced almonds

Directions:

Mix everything but the onion strings together and put in a casserole dish. Arrange onion strings around the top on the edge. Sprinkle a few in the center as well. Bake for 30 minutes on 350.

Thanks to Lucy Monroe!

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115)
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup warm buttermilk (110 to 115)
2 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.2 teaspoon baking soda
3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
3.4 cup golden raisins

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand for 5 minute. Beat in the buttermilk, butter, salt, baking soda, 1 cup flour and remaining sugar until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough flour to form a sof dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to
grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Pouch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 2 minutes. Shape into a rouond loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a 1/4-in. deep cross on top of loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. yield: l loaf.
The warm buttermilk will appear curdled.

Thanks to Loretta!

Cream Delight

Ingredients:

2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 1/4 cups heavy or whipping cream
5 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
4 tablespoons Irish whiskey
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

On a baking sheet, toast the oatmeal and almonds at 300 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Whip the cream, but not too stiff. Stir honey and whiskey into whipped cream. Fold in almonds and oatmeal. Stir in lemon juice. Divide into individual long-stemmed glasses. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Thanks to Deb!

Blarney Stones

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Frosting:

2 pounds confectioners' sugar (about 7-1/2 cups)
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups finely chopped nuts.

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes. Combine the flour, baking poder and salt: add to egg mixture. Beat on low speed just until combined.

Add the milk and butter; mix well. Pour into a greased 13-in.x9-in. x2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick
inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Cover and freeze overnight.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. Frost the top and sides of frozen cake squares; roll in peanuts. Place on wire racks to dru.
Yield: 2 doz.

Thanks to Loretta!

PistachioMallow Salad

Ingredients:

1 Carton(16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawned
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
6 to 7 drops green food coloring, optional
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup chopped pistachios or walnuts

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine whipped toping, pudding mix and food coloring if desired. Fold in the marshmallows and pineapple. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with nuts. yield: 12 servings.

Thanks to Loretta!

Boiled Dinner

Ingredients:

5 pounds of Corned beef brisket

1 large onion with 6 cloves embedded

6 peeled and sliced carrots

8 new potatoes, peeled and cubed

Some dried thyme

A bunch of Parsley

2 Heads of Cabbage, quartered

Sauce: half pint of whipping cream

3 tablespoons of prepared horseradish

Directions:

Boil the beef, onion, carrots, potatoes, thyme and parsleyin a pot of water. Simmer anc cook for 3 hours. Remove sediment and the thyme, parsley and onion. Add the cabbage and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked. Remove the meat and divide into pieces.
Remove and season the cabbage heavily with black pepper.

Thanks to Deb!

Poor Man's Chicken and Bacon Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pkg bacon
1 pkg Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Salt and Pepper
A bit of sugar
Pasta Noodles any of your favorite kind, we use spag because our
children will eat those.

Directions:

Start the bacon frying and the water boiling for the noodles.

Once the bacon is all cooked, leave the grease in the pan and add your chicken breast sprinkled with salt and pepper into the hot grease and cook thoroughly. (you can add a pat of butter- I usually do)

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pan and drain the grease.
Wipe down the skillet with a paper towel and then pour in your spaghetti sauce and your dash of sugar and stir well.

Cube your chicken and add that to the sauce and then crumble the bacon
and stir it in.

Serve over your noodles.

It's a family favorite here, one we all will eat. I usually add some extras to the sauce if I have them around - chopped onion, red and yellow bell-type peppers, garlic... You can be
as creative as you wish.

It's delicious and even though bacon and chicken and spagheti don't sound like they go together, they do!

This one is thanks to me! I am so proud of myself, but I do accept gifts of appreciation *G*

Potatoe Pancakes

Ingredients:

1oz/25g cream flour

1lb/450g potatoes

1 small onion

1 small egg

1 teaspoon of salt

2oz/50g Irish butter

pinch of saxa pepper

4oz/128g of colmans apple sauce

Directions:

Peel potatoes and onion, Sift the cream flour into a large bowl.
Great the onion and potato into the flour using a fine greater.
Quickly stir in the egg, salt and saxa pepper.
Lightly grease a large frying pan with a little butter.
Drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan.
keeping them well apart,
Fry until golden and crisp on both sides.
Drain on kitchen paper
and serve with colmans apple sauce.

Thanks to Queen DeNita! Aka D L Edwards!

Steak & Guinness Pie

Ingredients:

1 kg of steak

1 tablespoon cream flour

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon raisins

5x onions

300ml Guinness

8 slices Donnelly's bacon

3 oz lard

Pie crust

Directions:

Cut steak into bite sized cubes, Put the steak into the flour and make sure it is all covered.
In a pan gently melt the lard, Add the steak, bacon and cook until it starts to brown.
Peel and chop the onion and add to the pan. Place steak, bacon and onion in a casserole dish.
Add the raisins and brown sugar,
Pour in the Guinness.
Cover tightly and simmer over a low heat or in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2 1/2 hours.
Stir occasionally.
Add more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy gets too thick.
Line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust (bake it blind).
Then add the Guinness and steak mixture.
Cover with a layer of pie crust
bake until finished about another 10 minutes.

Thanks to the FABULOUS DeNita! Aka D L Edwards!

Mimosa Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups boiling water 2-8 oz Sugar Free Orange Gelatin
4 cups cold club soda 11 oz. mandarin orange segments,
2 cups sliced strawberries drained

Directions:

Stir boiling water into dry gelatin in large bowl until dissolved.
Stir in club soda. Refrigerate 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until thickened.
Stir in oranges and strawberries. Pour into 9x5 inch loaf pan,
sprayed with cooking spray. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

Thanks to Pat Cochran!

Baileys chocolate chip cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

non stick vegetable oil spray

2 cups crushed mc vities digestives

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons Irish butter melted

Filling:

2 1/4 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

1 2/3 cups sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

1 cup baileys Irish cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

coffee cream

1 cup chilled whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
chocolate curls

Directions:

FOR CRUST:

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.
Coat 9-inch diameter spring form pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray.
Combine digestives and sugar in pan stir in the butter.
Press the mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan.
Bake until light brown about 5 minutes, keep the oven at 325 degrees.

FOR FILLING:
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Gradually mix in sugar, beat in eggs 1 at a time.
Add Baileys and vanilla . Sprinkle half of chocolate chips over crust.
Spoon in filling sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.
Bake until puffed, springy in the center and golden brown.
About 1hour 20 minutes cool completely.

FOR CREAM:
Beat cream, sugar and coffee powder until peaks form spread mixture over cooled cake.
Garnish cheesecake with chocolate curls.

Store in Fridge.

Thanks to the wonderful DeNita! Aka D L Edwards!

Coltoge Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 T butter
3 1/2 C potatoes, peeled and diced
5 C clear fat-free chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp caraway seed
2 C light cream

Directions:

In a soup kettle, cook onions in butter until soft. Add potatoes, stock, salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Stir in cream and let cook without boiling for a final 8 minutes. Serve very hot.

Thanks to ctgmom86!

Green Popcorn Treat

This is something easy to do with kids. It is a sweet snack that can be made in any color/flavor - Cherry for valentines day, orange for Halloween, etc.

Ingredients:

12 cups unseasoned or very lightly salted popped popcorn (1 cup
unpopped kernels equals 8 cups air-popped corn)
1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 (3 oz) package lime-flavored gelatin or other flavored gelatin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line large shallow roasting pan with foil, extending over pan edges. Butter foil. Remove any unpopped kernels from popcorn. Pour popcorn into prepared pan. Keep warm in oven.

2. In medium saucepan, combine Sweetened Condensed Milk and gelatin. Heat and stir over medium heat until mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Pour mixture over popcorn, stir gently to coat. Bake 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Carefully turn out onto large piece of lightly buttered foil. Cool. Break into pieces.

Thanks to Larenda!

Spring Ravioli with Pesto Cream

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Olive Oil
8 oz fresh snap peas (can also use grean beans or asparagus, cut into
1-inch pieces)
1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1/2 cup)
3 roma tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 oz cheese-filled ravioli
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons Basil Pesto
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Fresh basil leaves, optional

Directions:

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook snap peas and bell pepper in oil about 5 minutes, stirring freguently, until crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes and salt. Cook 3 minutes.

2. While vegetables are cooking, prepare ravioli as directed on package. Mix sour cream, pesto and grated lemon peel in small bowl.

3. Toss hot cooked ravioli with vegetable mixture and sour cream mixture. Garnish with Basil and lemon peal if desired.

Thanks to Larenda!

Deborah's Lime Jello Salad

Ingredients:

3 small pkg lime Jello 1 small can crushed pineapple
1 pt sour cream miniature marshmallows
½ C chopped walnuts 4 C boiling water

Directions:

Put Jello in bowl. Add boiling water and stir until Jello dissolves. Stir in sour cream. Add
chopped nuts and pineapple, including the juice. Stir well. Pour into oblong Pyrex glass
pan. Chill until well set. Put marshmallows on top before you put it in refrigerator. Serves
6-8

Thanks to Barbara Aka April Reid!

Loetha's Beef Stew

Ingredients:

3 cups hot mushroom soup (or cheat using 2 cans of condensed mushroom soup to make life easier)
3 cups hot tomato soup (or cheat using 2 cans of condensed tomato soup)
1 cup dry Bellan wine (that would be red wine)
4 cups chopped cooked roast beef
4 heaping handfuls of chopped, steamed vegetables (or cheat and use two 16-ounce bags of frozen cut broccoli, carrots, etc.)
1 teaspoon crushed, dried thyme

If using Sandy's cheating version, add 4 cups of water (Sandy actually prefers her stew a little less "brothy" and only adds about 1 cup of water)

You put everything in a huge Dutch oven and cook on medium heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Then lower the heat a bit (not a lot), uncover it and stir it once in a while for another four or five minutes until the vegetables feel the way you like 'em!

Now, this recipe is for 10 people. Loetha would double it when cooking for the crew at Arcana. Ya'll might want to cut it in half. So you'd only use 1 can each of the condensed soups, 1 bag of frozen veggies, etc., thus feeding a family of five on a cold winter's eve, which we still have a few of this season...


Thanks to Sandy Lender!

Easy Fudge (Microwave Version)

Ingredients:

1 can sweet an condensed milk
3 cups nestles chocolate morsels
1/4 stick butter
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Put everything but the nuts in a bowl and microwave on high 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take it out when its all melted, blend it good and add the nuts. Pour it immediately into a buttered square 8x8 baking dish. Put it into the fridge until it sets. You
can't go wrong!

You can substitute chocolate morsels for peanut butter.

Thanks to Debbie!

Salsa Verde {Green Sauce}

This is ideal for garnishing Mediterranean- style salads of lettuce, boiled potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, red onions, cucumber, black olives and tuna fish.

Ingredients:

1 large {about 2 ozs} bunch of fresh parsley, very finely chopped
1 large hard-boiled egg, very finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
5 tinned anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped {can be
substituted with half green pepper or half small red onion, either
finely chopped}
1/4 pint olive oil
1/4 pint vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

The sauce can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, but needs to be whisked vigorously just before serving because it separates.

Thanks to Maz. !