Aunt Peggy's Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad by Paula

1 pound cucumbers (about 2 cucumbers), peeled and thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Vidalia onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a large serving bowl, toss together the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, onion, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Let the salad stand for 10 minutes before serving.

In my opinion: I have only had a Cucumber, Tomato, Onion salad once so I am no expert, but I think this recipe needs a lot of salt. It was just bland to me and a little heavy on the onions.

Baked Apple French Toast by Taste of Home

I have been doing a lot of planning lately. That includes planning traditional holiday meals. I always thought a French Toast casserole would be a great idea for Easter morning and maybe a few other holidays so I've been collecting a lot of great recipes. I tried this one last Saturday and thought it was amazing.

20 slices French bread (1 inch thick)NOTE-you could bake 2-3 tubes of Pillsbury Italian loaf bread
1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
8 eggs
2 cups 2% milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

TOPPING:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons corn syrup

1. Arrange 10 slices of bread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spread with pie filling; top with remaining bread. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, place brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans and corn syrup. Sprinkle over French toast.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 10 servings.

It even tastes great reheated several days later.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Drops by TLC

These are my new favorite cookies! They may even be my new pumpkin dessert!

Yields about 6 dozen!

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 can (about 16 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips
1 container (16 ounces) cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
*Substitute 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice and ground nutmeg for 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
*orange Wilton cake decorator's icing color
*sprinkles

1.Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheets.
2.Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until well blended. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda; beat just until blended. * I added orange coloring just because! Stir in white chocolate chips.
3.Drop dough by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 16 minutes or until set and bottoms are browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4.Combine frosting and brown sugar in small bowl. *Again, I added orange icing coloring because pumpkin things should be orange, right? Spread on warm cookies.NOTE: 72 cookies is a lot of spreadin' so next time I'll put the icing in a decorator's bag and pipe it onto the cookies!

Optional: Let the kids mess up your kitchen by sprinkling sprinkles on them!

Witch's Finger Cookies by Woman's Day

1 can (8 oz) almond paste
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1 cup each green, orange and violet melting wafers (Wilton Candy Melts)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Recipe Preparation
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Have baking sheets ready.

2. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat almond paste and sugar until well blended. Add butter; beat until blended. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extracts. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt just until blended.

3. Divide dough into three equal pieces. On lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into a 24-in. long rope. Cut each rope into six 4-in.-long pieces. Place about 1 in. apart on baking sheets. NOTE from Aggieland Mommy: I did not roll each piece into a 24" long rope. I just pulled off pieces that were smaller than a ping pong ball and rolled them out. They worked fine. I made 38 3" fingers.

4. Bake 16 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove sheets to wire rack to cool 5 minutes, then remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

5. To decorate:Line baking sheet with wax paper. Melt candy melts according to package directions. Stir in oil and transfer to narrow glasses or cups. Hold cookie by one end and dip into candy melts. Let excess drip off then place on baking sheet and attach sliced almond for fingernail. Chill in refrigerator 5 to 10 minutes, until firm

Note: I am not sure why you have to use the oil. I have used these melts hundreds of times. Also, when the candy is just about set, you can use a toothpick or fork to score little wrinkle lines in the knuckle areas. So cute!

Caramel Apples in the Crock Pot by A Year of Slow Cooking Blog

--caramel candies. This time of year in the produce section, there should be bags of soft caramel complete with popsicle stick handles.
--apples (one bag of caramel makes 4 large apples)
--nuts/sprinkles
--2 T water

The Directions.

1. Use a 1.5 quart or larger crockpot---I used a 4 quart.

2. Unwrap all of the caramel, and add them and 2 tablespoons of water to the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, checking every 20 minutes or so. The caramel is ready when it is shiny and can be stirred easily. Note from Aggieland Mommy- Definitely check the caramel often. I took a nap and let the caramel cook too long. The kids didn't know the difference, but I did.

3. Put the popsicle sticks into the apples by the stems. Use a spoon to ladle the caramel over the apple, and swirl to completely cover the whole thing. Dip into chopped nuts or sprinkles if desired.

4. Let cool on parchment paper or Release foil. This is important...if you use regular foil, spray it first!

Creamy Nutmeg Chicken by Fix It and Forget It Cookbook

Picture found on allrecipes.com

6 boneless chicken breast halves
oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed rosemary

1. Brown chicken in skillet in oil. Reserve drippings and place chicken in slow cooker.

2. Saute onions and parsley in drippings until onions are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour over chicken.

3. Cover. Cook on low three hours or until juices run clear. Serve over mashed or fried potatoes, or rice.

In my opinion: This was a delicious meal. The nutmeg definitely reminded me of the flavors of Christmas. It is a meal we'll have again.

Apple Crumble by Betty Crocker

Apple Crumble by Betty Crocker

3 large apples, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

Topping
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz)® oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 300°F. Spray bottom and sides of 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, toss filling ingredients. Spread mixture in baking dish.
2. In same large bowl, stir cookie mix and melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling.
3. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with pecans. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature .

In my opinion: This was so amazing! It was like Apple Heaven with a buttery oatmeal cookie on top. One of my favorties for sure!

Buffalo Chex Mix

not to be confused with my Spicy Chex Mix

1 stick butter
2 1/2 T hot wing sauce
1 packet Ranch dressing
2 c Parmesan Cheese Crackers such as Cheese-Its
2 c pretzels
5 c Rice Chex
5 c Corn Chex

1. Preheat oven to 250.
2. Melt butter in large roasting pan. Add hot wing sauce
3. Sprinkle in Ranch seasoning and mix well.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to coat well.
5. Bake at 250 for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

In my opinion: These were good! My husband and I still prefer my spicy recipe, but we ate half the batch in one day, so we obviously liked them.

Apple-Pecan Crisp by Betty Crocker

2/3 cup maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 large baking apples (about 5 1/2 lb), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 12 cups)
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
3/4 cup chopped pecans


1.Heat oven to 375°F.
2.In large bowl, stir together syrup, flour and cinnamon until blended. Add apples; toss until evenly coated. Spread in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.
3.In same bowl, with pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives in opposite directions), cut butter into cookie mix until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Crumble mixture over apples in baking dish.
4.Bake 30 minutes. Very loosely cover with foil; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until apples are tender.

In my opinion: OH MY! A taste of apple Heaven with an oatmeal cookie on top. This one is really rich and didn't last long in my house. You must try this. It was super easy to make and had few dishes to clean up.

Caramel Apple-Nut Bars by Betty Crocker

2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup caramel topping
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 medium apple, peeled, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans


1.Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat 2 cups flour, the oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and butter with electric mixer on low speed, or mix with spoon, until crumbly. Press about 3 cups of the mixture in pan. Bake 10 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour. Sprinkle apple and pecans over partially baked crust. Drizzle with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crust mixture.
3.Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

In my opinion: These were really good bars. Even my son, aka Mr. Picky, loved them. I think I will use a little more apple and caramel next time.

Cowboy Hash and Eggs, Texas Toast and Salsa by Rachel Ray

This is another recipe that I tried long ago and lost the card for. I made it in November '04, long before I had a houseful of kids. My notes said this was good, but it looks like a lot of steps so I know I won't have time to make this again for a very long time.
12 medium sized mushrooms, quartered
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
8 small red potatoes
3 slices applewood or hickory smoked bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) or coarse salt and pepper
Hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco), to your taste
2 cups, 8 ounces, shredded sharp Cheddar, pepper jack or smoked Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons butter, divided
4 extra large eggs
4 thick cut slices bread, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, white, wheat or crusty farmhouse
1 clove garlic, cracked away from skins
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or several drops hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Yellow Tomato Salsa: Any flavor or variety of store bought salsa that you may have in your pantry is a fine substitute here as well
3 medium or 2 large yellow tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley leaves, chopped
Salt

Chop all veggies for hash. Pierce potatoes with a fork and cook on high in microwave 5 minutes. Remove potatoes from microwave oven and cool for 5 minutes.

While potatoes are working, add chopped bacon to a large skillet over medium high heat and brown until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain, wipe pan and return to heat.

Preheat your broiler to high. Preheat a nonstick griddle pan for frying eggs over medium heat.

Chop or wedge potatoes. Add oil to the skillet which you returned to the heat, then potatoes. Begin to brown and crisp potatoes, 2 minutes on each side. Use this time to chop your salsa ingredients.

Combine salsa in a small bowl and season with salt.

Back to the hash: add the mushrooms to potatoes. Brown mushrooms a minute or 2, then add peppers and onions and season mixture with grill seasoning blend or salt and pepper, then hot sauce. Cook 3 to 5 minutes longer until veggies are just tender and potatoes are cooked through. Turn off heat and add bacon back to the pan. Combine bacon with the veggies then add cheese to the pan to evenly cover the mixture. Tent the skillet with foil to gently melt cheese over vegetables and potatoes and to retain heat.

Add a couple pats, 1/2 tablespoon butter, to preheated griddle pan. Crack extra large eggs on to griddle and fry to desired doneness. Eggs may, of course, be scrambled as well. As you like!

Place thick cut bread under broiler and toast 6 inches from heat on both sides. Place 2 tablespoons butter in a small cup with a clove of garlic and ground cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce. Melt in microwave for 30 seconds.

Brush toast with garlic cayenne butter and sprinkle with parsley. Remove from broiler.

Transfer vegetable and bacon hash to plates. Top each portion with a single fried egg or arrange the fried eggs evenly over the platter. Serve with Texas garlic toast and serve the salsa on the side to compliment either menu item.

Creamy Corn and Turkey Soup by Kraft

I just found this recipe in a stack in my classroom. I first made it in January of '05. Thank goodness I make notes on my recipes because I don't even remember making this. My notes said that I used chicken and I might use more cream cheese next time. Overall, this was a good soup and I said I'd have it again. Now that I've found the recipe, I guess I will :)
1/2 cup chopped onions 1 Red pepper, chopped, divided
2 Tbsp. Butter or margarine  substitute I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light for WW points
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed MUST USE LIGHT FOR WW points
2 cups shredded cooked turkey
1 can (14.75 oz.) cream-style corn
2 cups Chicken broth
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

COOK onions and half the red peppers in butter in large saucepan on medium heat 5 to 6 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

ADD cream cheese; cook on low heat 3 to 4 min. or until melted, stirring constantly. Stir in turkey, corn, broth and milk.

COOK 5 min. or until soup is heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with remaining red peppers and black pepper.
Kraft Kitchens TipsSubstitutePrepare using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.Special ExtraFor more robust flavor, roast and peel the red peppers before chopping. Add to soup along with the turkey. Or, use drained, jarred roasted red peppers instead.

Make AheadSoup can be made ahead of time. Cool, then refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.

Monoprint Painting

I saw this on Family Fun and thought it would be great for my kids:
Materials
Washable, nontoxic tempera paint
Cookie sheet
2 large pieces of paper
Cotton swabs, plastic utensils

Instructions
To start, ask your child to squeeze blobs of washable nontoxic tempera paint onto a cookie sheet.

Lay a large piece of paper on top of the paint and have her smooth it down with the palms of her hands. Lift off the paper, then lay the print flat to dry.

Next, encourage your tot to make designs with her fingers, a cotton swab, or a plastic utensil in the smooth surface of the paint that remains on the cookie sheet. Lift off additional prints on clean sheets of paper. You can add more paint as desired

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos by allrecipes.com

A friend of mine posted on Facebook that she was going to make this, only she was going to make the chicken in the Crock Pot. She was making lime rice to go along, I'll have to ask her how she made the rice. I can't wait to try the tacos.


1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
10 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup salsa

Directions
1.Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.
2.Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

Notes from my friend who made this in the Crock Pot: We really liked it. I ended up adding more of the flavorings (lime, cilantro, garlic, sugar) toward the end. I put it in (on low) around 9 am and turned it off at 4:30 pm or so. I think next time I'll put it on a little later (the edges had some burnt spots). It was really good and shredded easily with a fork. We all decided it's definitely a recipe to repeat often.

The Cutest Things

Lately I've been visiting a lot of other cooking and baking blogs. I stumbled upon Bakerella and until tonight, I thought it was just another good baking blog. Today's post blew me away. The author has created the most adorable cake pops and now she has a book coming out this fall. Please go check out her amazing creations!
Bunko-The cutest things! Oh, I already said that. But they are!

Rudolph

Frosty
There are MANY, MANY more......

You can join her group on Facebook, too! If you haven't already, join Aggieland Mommy Cooks on FB as well.