• Ham & Potato Casserole (Regular or Dairy & Egg Free Recipes)

    Our family had ham over the Thanksgiving Holiday so we had a little bit leftover to make some more delicious meals.  I decided to make a ham casserole recipe and it was a hit with my family.  Since I had some ham I was using up I made one casserole to eat right away and put together another one to freeze for a later meal.  It was a big hit with the whole family (two thumbs up) from everyone.  I made the dairy and egg free recipe, but I included both so you can choose what you want to do for your family.  The directions for both are the same only the ingredients between the two recipes vary slightly.

    Ham & Potato Casserole (Regular Ingredients Recipe)

    • 4 cups frozen shredded Hashbrown Potatoes
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped Onion (or 1/8 cup Dry Minced Onions)
    • 8 ounces Ham, cubed
    • 2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (or a cheddar blend)
    • 1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
    • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
    • 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground Pepper

    Ham & Potato Casserole (Dairy & Egg Free Ingredients Recipe)

    • 4 cups frozen shredded Hashbrown Potatoes
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped Onion (or 1/8 cup Dry Minced Onions)
    • 8 ounces Ham, cubed
    • 2 cups shredded Soy Cheddar Cheese
    • 16 ounces Soy Milk (boiled down to 12 ounces)
    • 1 Egg substitute
    • 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground Pepper

    Grease 8-inch-square baking dish.  Preheat the oven to 350° F.

    LAYER 1/2 potatoes, 1/2 onion, 1/2 ham  and 1/2 cheese  (or cheddar or soy cheese) in prepared baking dish and repeat layers. Combine evaporated milk, egg (or egg substitute), pepper,  and seasoned salt in small bowl. Pour liquid mixture evenly over the casserole.

    Cover and bake for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

    Layered Ham & Potato Casserole ready to be put in the oven

    Although, we ate this casserole for lunch it would be a great breakfast or brunch recipe to use for your family or when you have house guests.  Since we have a little one that is not eating dairy or eggs I made the egg and dairy free version for our family, but I also included what you would use for a regular recipe

  • Funfetti Cake Batter Chex Mix

    Brina helped me make three different types of chex mix for a party earlier this week and they were a huge hit! 🙂   The three recipes were Caramel Party Mix (Gluten Free Snack), Puppy Chow, and the new one Funfetti Cake Batter Chex Mix. I have been making the Puppy Chow since I was a kid and the Caramel one for a few years now (thanks to a sweet friend who shared it with me), but I adapted the Funfetti Cake Batter Chex Mix from Six Sisters Stuff  which was a hit and great addition to our recipe collection.

    Funfetti Cake Batter Chex Mix

    • 6  cups Rice or Corn Chex Cereal (store brands work well too)
    • 12 oz Vanilla Almond Bark
    • 2 cups Funfetti Cake Mix
    • 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Vegetable Shortening
    • 1/2 teaspoon Sprinkles
    Pour cereal into a large bowl and set aside. Mix the funfetti cake mix and powdered sugar in a large ziplock bag and set aside.
    Melt Almond Bark according to package directions.  Once melted add vegetable shortening to thin so it coats the chex better.  Pour the melted almond bark over the chex cereal.  Mix gently with a large spatula until the cereal is coated.
    Pour the coated chex cereal into the bag with the funfetti cake and powdered sugar mixture and gently shake to evenly coat the snack.  Scoop into a bowl, put a few sprinkles over the top and serve.
    • 2 sticks of Butter
    • 2 cups of Brown Sugar
    • 1/2 cup of Kairo Syrup
    • 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
    • 1 box of Corn (or Rice) Chex Cereal (you can use store brands too)

    Put the whole box of cereal in a microwavable bowl.  Bring the butter, brown sugar, and kairo syrup to a boil.  Boil for one minute.  Make sure to stir constantly when boiling so it doesn’t burn.  After boiling for 1 minute add the baking soda.  Pour the mixture over the box of Corn (or Rice) cereal.  Microwave everything 1 1/2 minutes, take it out, stir, and microwave again.  Do this step 3 times.  It will evenly distribute the mixture and coat the cereal.  Lay the mix out on wax paper or the counter and let set.

    Optional: You can add pretzels, pecans, almonds, cranberries or whatever you want to the mix. (If you want it to remain gluten free do not add pretzel as pictured above, however, you can add nuts if they do not have any nut allergies)

    Puppy Chow

    • 9 cups of Rice or Corn Chex cereal (store brands work well too)
    • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
    • 1/2 cup peanut butter
    • 1/4 cup butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
    Pour 9 cups of rice (or corn) cereal into a bowl set aside.  Put the powdered sugar into a Ziploc bag and set aside.
    Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter on medium heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, add vanilla and stir well.
    Pour over Rice Chex cereal and stir with a rubber spatula until Chex is evenly coated. Add chex mixture to bag and shake bag gently until the powdered sugar is evenly distributed over all the mix.

  • Family Recipe: Bierocks

    You can pack your bierocks with more meat less bread if you want! I usually do a mix of both (more bread and more meat) so people can choose what they want to eat. This one is a picture of a more bread.

    My Grandma taught me how to make this delicious recipe that is basically a dinner roll stuffed with hamburger, sauerkraut, and cheese called Bierocks (although the first half of the word is pronounced like the word “beer” it does not contain any actual beer).  Even though the combination sounds a little interesting it really tastes amazing!  I am not sure where the recipe actually originated from but I do have family from Czechoslovakia so maybe that area.  I remember as a kid helping my Grandma make this recipe and have great memories of spending time together talking while cooking for the harvest crew.

    Fresh out of the oven and ready to be eaten!

    Every once in awhile I like to make up a big batch of Bierocks so we can eat some right away and the rest I like to stick in the freezer to pull out on those busy days for a quick meal.  I have used a number of different bread recipes to make Bierocks and they all have turned out well.  Today I will share the latest bread version I made earlier this week using Money Saving Mom’s Freezer-Friendly Pizza Dough.  We have made this pizza dough so many times and love it, so we figured why not try using it to make Bierocks!

    Dinners ready…….Bierocks…..come and get it!

    Bierocks:

    • DOUGH
    • 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
    • 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 4 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, Canola, or olive oil)
    • 5 cups flour (can use all whole-wheat, half white/half whole-wheat, or all white)

    Pour the warm water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir to dissolve.

    Add the remaining ingredients and mix.  Put onto a floured surface and knead dough for two to five minutes until smooth and no longer sticky.  Take the kneaded dough and roll out.  

    Note:  I used this recipe but split the dough into thirds, two of the pieces I wrapped and put in the freezer for future pizzas or other recipes and used the remaining third to make the Bierocks.  I love that I get the base to 3 meals out of 1 pizza dough mixture! 🙂

    • FILLING:
    • 2 pounds Ground Beef
    • 1/3 Onion (diced)
    • 2 teaspoons Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Pepper
    • 2 cans Sauerkraut
    • 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (or mixed cheese)

    Brown beef with onion and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Drain any excess oil off the meat.  Mix the sauerkraut into the meat and cook on medium for 2 to 4 minutes until the sauerkraut is mixed well.

    Cut the dough 3 to 6 inch circles (depending on the size you want it to be).   Place 1 ice cream scoop (or 1/4 to 1/2 cup) of meat filling onto each circle.  Sprinkle about a teaspoon of cheese over the top of the meat.   Bring the four corners up over the filling and pinch together to seal on the bottom.  Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place seam down on greased baking sheets.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the bierocks.

    Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until the dough starts turning a golden brown color.  You can rub a little bit of butter over the  tops of the bierocks immediately after taking them out of the oven for additional flavor and color if you want.  Makes approximately 24 Bierocks

    You can eat these plain or (my favorite) with a touch of ketchup.  Any leftover Bierocks after eating them for dinner are wrapped individually and put in a freezer ziplock so we can easily pull one, two or more out at a time, stick them in the microwave (or toaster oven) and have a meal ready in minutes.

    Ground hamburger and sauerkraut mixture

    Bierocks stuffed and ready to be baked

    Cheese sprinkled over the top of some of the Bierocks (we like the cheese inside and out but it is optional).  I made some with cheese and some without since we have a family member who cannot have dairy.

    Picture of the Bierocks without cheese!

  • Recipe: Apple Pie

    One of the best parts of Fall is the delicious food, which includes APPLES!  If you want to make a homemade apple pie or need to use up some of those apples here is a great recipe to use.  You can get a pie crust from the grocery store or make my Great Aunt Noami’s Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust.  The only thing I should have done with this pie is put some foil over it to keep it from browning so much, it still tasted amazing!

    Apple Pie with Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust:

    First is the pie crust (if you are using store bought or another recipe skip this step).  This recipe makes crust for 2 pies (top & bottom).

    • 3 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Shortening
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 tablespoon Sugar
    • 1 Egg, well beaten
    • 5 tablespoon Water
    • 1 tablespoon Vinegar

    Mix flour, shortening, salt with pastry blender.  Combine egg, water, and vinegar then combine with flour mixture.  Mold into 4 balls chill awhile then roll out for pie.  Balls will keep up to 2 weeks in refrigerator for additional pies.  Yields: 2 double pie crusts

    If you want to just do enough for 1 complete pie crust (top and bottom) cut the recipe in half.

    Apple Pie Filling

    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 6 cups thinly sliced and cored apple

    Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a pie dish.  Mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour.  Stir in apples and place into the pie crust.  Dot with butter and cover with the top crust.  Cut a slit in the top of the pie to let the steam escape.  Seal the top crust to the bottom one by pinching the edges together.  Cover the edge of the crust with a strip of aluminum foil.  Bake pie for 50 minutes or until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the top.

  • Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

    Green cat with a “K” on it….wonder who that one is for?  We also found a purple cat with a “B” on it too! 🙂

    While Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa were here visiting we made some delicious rice krispie treats.  I made regular rice krispie treats and cut them out with Halloween (pumpkin, ghost, and cat) cookie cutters then the kids and Grandmas decorated them.  It was a lot of fun making these tasty treats together.

    Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treat

    Someone ate a Black Cat…….Karlie!

    Brina enjoying one of the rice krispie treats after she finished helping decorate!

    Colorful pumpkin!

    Spooky green rice krispie ghost!

    Decorating rice krispie treats with Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa.  The decorating team was MUCH faster than the cookie cutter, ha! 🙂

    A plate full of decorated rice krispie treats!

    Another tray full of pumpkins, ghosts, and cats…….

    After the girls got a chance to taste test one cookie we sent some of the treats home with the Grandmas, 1 went into each of the girls lunches for the next day, and the rest we brought to Community Group to share with friends.  This was a fun and easy Halloween activity for everyone to do.

  • Leaves + Pumpkins + Ghosts = Oh My….It’s Halloween

    Karlie and Brina raked up a bunch of leaves to “stuff” the pumpkin!

    What a difference a year makes…..so much has happened over the past few months it is hard to believe it is Halloween again!  I like to think that I have learned all the lessons I need to know by now but I find myself still trying to balance this thing called life.  At times I am torn between having fun with my family and getting things done on my never-ending and always-growing “to do” list (does anyone else struggle with this or is it just me?!).

    Sometimes the best way to get things done is to have fun doing it with your family.  For example, you can make raking leaves a game by seeing who can stuff their “leaf pumpkin” the fullest or fastest!  You get to have fun with the family plus you get a few extra leaves off the yard all at the same time.

    Last year it was much warmer for Halloween so the kids spent almost all their free time outside playing.  Only a few days ago we were wearing shorts and it was 80 degrees outside, but with the storm up north the wind has picked up, leaves are raining down on the yard, and there is an extra chill in the air.

    Two little pumpkins for my sweet “pumpkins”!

    They got these cute little pumpkins from a fall activity we did with a group of friends at a local farm.  Since these pumpkins were too small to carve we made delicious Pumpkin Dip and a small batch of Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds!

    The girls made these easy “Banana Ghosts” to take in their school lunches!

    It was cute hearing them giggle as they put together their little ghosts.  We took 1 banana, cut it in half, the girls put a dab of peanut butter (or soy butter) on it, adding raisins for the eyes, stuck a straw in the bottom and put them into bags for their school lunch.  The straw was a fun addition because the ghost would “move” (in slow circles) when they held it up which added to the excitement.  Sometimes it’s the simple things that you already have in your kitchen that bring the widest smiles!

  • Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins (4 Ingredients)

    As the Fall leaves continue to rain down in our yard we are enjoying some delicious treats!  These Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins are super easy to make, only contain four ingredients, and taste awesome.  The last time I made these for a group of friends only 2 came home with us and the girls begged to take them in their school lunches.  You will not have to add any water, eggs or oil to this recipe and the muffin will still turn out with a moist.

    Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins:

    • 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
    • 1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
    • 4 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
    • 4 tablespoons Powdered Sugar

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or line 24 muffin tins.  Mix together yellow cake mix and canned pumpkin until blended (the batter will be thicker than your typically cake mix).  Scoop evenly into muffin tins (I use an ice cream scoop) and set aside.  In another bowl blend softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.  Drop a small spoonful of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool, and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar over the top of each muffin prior to serving.

    The last time I made these I did about half with the cream cheese and half without cream cheese.  Both were a big hit with the group, but the ones with the cream cheese went faster.  🙂

    Pumpkin & Yellow Cake Mix Muffins topped with Cream Cheese & a touch of Powdered Sugar

    Fresh out-of-the-oven Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

    Pumpkin Cheesecake & regular Pumpkin Muffins sprinkled with Powdered Sugar and ready to be eaten

  • Recipe: 3 Easy Seasoned Pumpkin Seed Recipes

    Every Fall our family likes to pick up a couple pumpkins to carve.  One of our favorite parts about carving and enjoying some time together as a family is making toasted pumpkin seeds.  This year was even more special because Grandma Penny and Great Grandma Willa were here to join in the festivities with the girls.

    We did 3 different seasoned pumpkin seed recipes this year.  The two that we did last year were such a huge hit that we did them again plus added one more.  To make it easier on you I have all three recipes in this post.

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    Seasoned Salt Pumpkin Seeds

    • 2 c pumpkin seeds
    • 2 T butter
    • Sprinkle Seasoned Salt (or substitute a 1/2 package ranch package mix)

    Rinse the pumpkin seeds.  Saute pumpkin seeds in the butter for about 5 minutes (until they start to turn brown).  Sprinkle the Seasoned Salt on the  seeds.  Spread seeds into a shallow baking pan and baked at 250 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until crispy.  Stirring every 10 minutes.

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    Dill Ranch Pumpkin Seeds

    • 2 c pumpkin seeds
    • 2 T butter
    • 1/2 package Hidden Valley Dill Ranch Mix

    Rinse the pumpkin seeds.  Saute pumpkin seeds in the butter for about 5 minutes (until they start to turn brown).  Sprinkle half the pack of Hidden Valley Dill Ranch Mix (or any flavor of Ranch mix) on the  seeds.  Spread seeds into a shallow baking pan and baked at 250 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until crispy.  Stirring every 10 minutes.

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    Cinnamon Apple Cider Pumpkin Seeds

    The cinnamon apple cider pumpkin seed recipe was adapted from the recipe My Retro Kitchen shared on her blog.  I removed the nutmeg from the recipe but otherwise it is the same.  These seeds came out with a perfect mix of sweetness.  The other two recipes were more the salty flavors so adding this sweet one was awesome compliment to the three.  I want to make them again because mine came out a little oily (maybe they needed to cook longer or I had too much butter?).  These were a hit with family and friends, perfect for the Fall festivities!

    • 2 cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed
    • 1 1/2 cups apple cider
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter OR olive oil
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

    Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Pour the apple cider in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add the pumpkin seeds and boil on medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds and pour them in a large mixing bowl.
    Pour the melted butter or olive oil into the bowl, along with the salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix well to coat and spread pumpkin seed in a single layer onto jelly roll pan or a baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour, stirring them them every 10 minutes, until butter topping has dried and the pumpkin seeds are golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool and dry-out the rest of the way on the cookie sheet on top of the stove.  Store in an air-tight container.

    After cleaning out our pumpkins we had a little over 6 cups of pumpkin seeds so we decided it up three ways and made three different recipes.  These seeds were a hit with our family and friends.  The girls had a blast cleaning and carving their pumpkins!

  • Recipe: Carmel Apple Dip

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    Are you looking for a simple and tasty apple appetizer?  All you have to do is wash the apples.  Core out the middle of one of the apples.  Put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in the middle and swish it around making sure the entire inside of the apple has been coasted  with lemon juice (the lemon juice helps prevent the apple from browning).  Pour caramel dip in the center of the apple and serve with fresh apple slices.

    You can either buy the already made caramel dip or melt caramels according to the package directions.  Make sure the caramel is cool before pouring it into the apple “serving” bowl.  This recipe is simple, easy, and delicious.  A perfect Fall treat to share with family and friends!

  • Recipe: Halloween Brownie Trifle

    In celebration of the Autumn season I brought this Halloween Brownie Trifle for Community Group last week.  My original inspiration came from a recipe called Black Velvet Halloween Trifle from Blue Bonnets and Brownies.  I decided to make my own version based off the items that I had in our pantry.  Her bottom layer was a Black Velvet cake made from scratch, however, I used a box brownie mix because I was doing it on a Sunday afternoon before our get together that night.

    The Halloween Brownie Trifle was a huge hit with our group so I decided to share it with you.  This dessert would be great for a Fall or Halloween get together with family and friends. The best part is it’s easy and delicious!

    Halloween Brownie Trifle:

    • 1 box Brownie Mix
    • 2 (3.4 oz) boxes Butterscotch Pudding
    • 1  (8 oz) container Cool Whip
    • 1 1/2 cups Candy Corn
    • Red & Yellow Food Coloring
    1. Make the brownies according to the directions on the box and cool completely.
    2. While the brownies are baking mix together the butterscotch pudding according to the directions on the box.  Stir in 1 teaspoon of yellow food color and 1/2 teaspoon of red food color.  Cover and put into the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
    3. Once brownies have cooled cut them up into 1 inch squares and layer them into the bottom of a bowl.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of candy corn over the layers of brownies.
    4. Pour the cold butterscotch pudding over the brownies.
    5. Spread the cool whip over the butterscotch pudding.
    6. Decorate the top of the Halloween Brownie Trifle with remaining candy corn.

     

    Layers of the Halloween Brownie Trifle