Salmon, Spinach, and Feta Cheese Waffles

I know, I can hear you already....................IS SHE KIDDING???  LOL, no I am not!  When I first saw this item on a menu I thought the same thing!  Then Chris ordered it and I got to try it!  I was very surprised at how much I liked them. 

Feta cheese, spinach and salmon are best mixed right into the batter.  Go sparingly on the salmon, it is saltly and can be a little over whelming.  I actually think putting it only on the top might be best.

Topped with salmon and sour cream...............it is a waffle like no other!

Twice Baked Potatoes!

OK!  This one is one of mine!  Twice baked pototoes are a HUGE family favorite.  These are so yummy anyone can make them.........even TOM!!!  LOL, I flavor mine with cheese, sour cream and ....OH MY...I guess you will have to wait until the book comes out! 

Baked Potato Soup

You can go from this...

to this in just 4 hours in the crockpot!  I can't begin to tell you how delectable this soup is.  I had Chris Roach come over for a bowl full and she liked it too.  This is a very hearty soup.  Definitely would be good on a cold winter's day!  Thanks Kim Seal!

Refrigerator Pickles

This uses a gallon glass jar and 7 cucumbers.  I got this recipe last summer while I was taking the tour of special cat places in Spencer, Iowa with my sister-in-law Lynn Burke.  We stopped at the Spencer library to see the home of Dewey Readmore Books.  Dewey, a beautiful orange cat, has since passed on, but his legend of living in the library still brings visitors to the Spencer library!  We then travled to Lynn's parent's house, another special cat place! Lynn's mother, Dorothy had made us a wonderful lunch.  One of the things she served us were Refrigerator Pickles.  The original recipe came from Lynn's cousin Kathy......who just so happens to live across the street from Lynn's mom and dad.  So........who do I give the recipe credit to?  Hmmm.......I think all three of them, because that is how I got the recipe!  You are going to like this one, so get a gallon jar ready! 

I gave some to my friend Lori and she loves them as much as I do!

Creamed Corn

This is so easy to put together and so much tastier than what comes out of the can!

Add a little cheese on top.....

some green scallion onions.....

and let it sit and melt together!

Ready to serve in minutes.  Your family will love this!

Muddy Buddies or Puppy Chow

Who can resist these old favorites???  Lori Salisbury served these as one of the snacks at our Bunco tables.  They were a HUGE hit.  She made hers with Rice Chex and she didn't put in any vanilla.  They were absolutely magical!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I went out for Corned Beef and Cabbage twice this year.  On Sunday, I felt that my cabbage, potatoes and carrots were flavorless.  Today, at lunch, my meal was better, but the veggies were still lacking that special something.  I guess there is just no changing the fact that some things are better made at home.  Here is how I make mine!  I use my BIG Nesco roaster.  I put quartered potatoes, a head of cabbage, a bag of carrots and two packages of corned beef.  (I always buy one center cut and one brisket.)  The meat goes on top of the veggies and then I put water in until it is just above the meat.  Sprinkle the seasoning packets that come with the meat over the top of the whole thing along with some salt.  (Sometimes I add a bay leaf or two!)  It cooks all day.  (About 6 hours)  My meat just falls apart and because the veggies are cooked all day in the same roaster, they have phenomenal flavor!  How do you do yours? 

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Now, I know we have all seen these on the internet, but apparently it is a must have recipe.  I have gotten a number of people asking if they can submit this one.  I actually had forgotten how good these are.  I had to make some with the nuts and some without.  They turned out perfect and yummy both ways.  Lucky for Tanner......he actually got to have his own separate none nut batch!

No Boil Macaroni and Cheese

This mac and cheese dish is very different from the other one that I did.  This one actually us made the night before with uncooded noodles.  The finishing touch is bread crumbs on the top.  I used Italian bread crumbs.  I think I would like to try it again and use either fresh breadcrumbs or maybe even salad croutons.  The Italian bread crumbs added a very unique flavor to the mac and cheese.

It dished up nicely and tasted great!

Banana Sour Cream Cake

This cake is YUM!  YUM1  YUM!  The cake is moist and the frosting has a cream chesse base. 

Had to deal with those nuts again, and I really wanted Tanner to be able to have some....SO, I put nuts on 3/4 of the cake and left the rest blank.  It was tasty with or without the nuts.

You are going to want seconds!

(The frosting sets up nicely when you put it in the fridge.)

Old Fashioned Rock Cookies

No those are not chocolate chips, they are raisins!

Raisins that look like little rocks in the dirt.

The taste, however, is far from dirt and rocks!

I had never heard of these before, but some of my friends did.  They do have chopped walnuts in them, and since I was trying to stay true to the recipe, poor Tanner could not eat them.  (He is allergic to nuts.)  I think they would taste just as good without the nuts for those of you who have allergies.  TJ sent me a text message from work telling me how much he liked them.  Looks like I will have to make these again!  Thanks for the recipe Ann Marie Pezone!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

You start by doing some chopping!

Cut off the top of a head of garlic, drizzle a little olive oil and wrap in foil!

Then ROAST, ROAST,

ROAST in the oven.

A puree is made out of the tomatoes and garlic.

Chop up the yellow peppers.....

and the rest of the veggies!

Find some NO BOIL Lasagne noddles.....

and layer them according to the directions.  (I loved not having to cook the noodles!)

The finished product.

My serving!

Tanner's serving............and yes, he and Tom both loved it.

It didn't have any salt or extra seasonings.  It was delicious just as is, however, I did sprinkle on top some  HOT ROCKS seasoning just before serving. This seasoning is made up of a hot (not too hot) and spicy (not too spicy) blend of seasonings, mineral & sea salts, peppers, parsley, lemon and natural flavorings.  It is great on a lot of things.  It is made by a company called Pelican Bay and can be ordered on line or over the telephone.  Here is their website http://www.pelicanbayltd.com/

Savory Parmesan Bites

I had to make these today, because the crescent rolls literally rolled out of the refrigerator and one of them popped open!!  It was a sign!  Step on is to separate the rolls into rectangles.  Then you spread a cream cheese mixture on top.

Top with some red peppers and parsley.......fresh of course!

Fold them into thirds. 

Cut into quarters and keep the seam side down.

Bake them.  I found that using parchment paper makes clean up at the end a snap.  It also keeps the Parmesan Bites from sticking to the pan.

They look lucious don't they?

WELL, THEY WERE!

Green Beans Ceaser

What a nice refreshing surprise.  I absolutely loved these.  You use FRESH green beans, fresh seasonings, and a nice light topping!!  This is easy and delicious!   Thanks Denise Hibit!

YUM!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

You can't go wrong when the first thing you do is LINE the dish with potato chips......

and TOP the dish with potato chips!

This is definitely a comfort food.  Just your basic tuna, noodles, mushrooms and a couple of other things.

Easy, and I think with all those chips the kids will love it!

Quick and Easy Cashew Chicken

I really wasn't sure if I would like this one.  Everything is becomes brown, except for the rice! ....... mushrooms, waterchestnuts, chicken, and cashews.  (The rice could be brown if you wanted it to be!)  It did call for fresh ginger and peanut oil along with the other seasonings and I was delightfully surprised at the flavor.  Mushrooms aren't a big hit in this family with my boys, but that didn't stop me from making this.  It was well worth it.  Tom had thirds!

Squash Soup

This soup calls for a little bit of chopping in the beginning.  I wasn't sure if cutting, peeling and then pan cooking sweet potatoes would work, but it definitely did.  When Nancy Sellman makes this recipe, she actually peels all the squash. 

The recipe calls for 3 packages of frozen squash.  I went to the Super Walmart by my house and was surprised that they didn't carry frozen squash!  I had to go to Wegmans to get it!  That is the third frozen veggie I have gone there for and they didn't have.  They also don't carry chopped broccoli and french style green beans.  I spoke to someone who orders and who knows, maybe they will start getting them in.  It sure would be nice.  I hate having to go to two grocery stores.

Garnish it with a little sour cream and, if you want to step it up a notch, use some dried pears and apricots!

This soup would be great in the fall!