Baking Bacon

Found this great idea at Kevin & Amanda's Recipes. I love it!!! Baking makes bacon so much easier and alot less messy. You just put your bacon in the oven forget about, get it out, drain the grease and tastes just as good if not better.

Instructions:
Cut your bacon in half and lay in two 9x13-inch glass baking pans (you may have to cram a few pieces in there tight). Place your bacon filled baking dishes in a cold oven and turn the heat to 400 degrees. Don't think another thought about bacon for 25 minutes, check on it and if isn't the way you like it close the oven door and check on it every 3 to 5 minutes, until you are satisfied and your bacon is just the way you like it. Drain on paper towels.

Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

WARNING!!! EXTREME RICHNESS, EXTREME CHOCOLATE!! This recipe came from Kraft Foods. I have been wanting to try it for years and just now got around to it. This cake is so easy to make and is a must try for Chocolate Lovers. It tastes like a cake you would find in a deli and pay $3 or $4 for one slice.

Ingredients:
*1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
*1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix (I used chocolate fudge)
*1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
*4 eggs
*1 cup Sour Cream
*1/2 cup oil *
1/2 cup water
*1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP (Do not thaw.)
*2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Sliced Almonds

HEAT oven to 350°F.

CHOP 2 chocolate squares. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 2 greased 9-inch round pans.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.

PLACE COOL WHIP and remaining chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken. Stack cake layers on plate, filling and frosting with COOL WHIP frosting. Garnish with nuts. Keep refrigerated.

Cake Ingredients


Baker's Semi-Sweet


All chopped up (I did mine really fine)


Ready for the oven.

Frosting just out of the microwave and

stirred well.

Finished and ready to eat.

Oreo Dessert

Another recipe from the cooking queen Carolyn. I have been making this for years and it seems that alot of people make this dessert or something similiar. This is my husband and little brother's favorite. If you want lemon dessert instead of Oreo, use lemon lemon cookies in place of the Oreos and lemon pudding in place of the chocolate.

Ingredients:

*1 stick butter, melted

*2 rolls Oreo cookies (will need a few extra for layer & garnish)

*2c. powdered sugar

*1 (8-0z.) pkg. cream cheese

1 (8-oz.) container Cool Whip (will need additional Cool Whip to cover top)

*2 sm. pkgs. instant French vanilla pudding

*2 sm. pkgs. instant chocolate pudding

*4c. milk, divided

Instructions:

Layer the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch dish with butter and two rolls of cookies. Press down to make a crust. Mix powdered sugar, cream cheese and Cool Whip. Spread over crust. Mix chocolate pudding and 2 cups of milk. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Crumble a layer of cookies over this. Next combine vanilla pudding and remaining milk. Spread over cookies. Top with Cool Whip and garnish with crumbled cookies.

Crust

Powdered Sugar, Cream Cheese,

Cool Whip Layer

Chocolate Pudding Layer

French Vanilla Pudding Layer

Zucchini Pie

This recipe came from my aunt Pauline. Mom fixed it the last time we had dinner there and I went back for seconds, maybe thirds and then brought leftovers home for the following day. This is a delicious dish and I can't wait to have it again.

Ingredients:
*4c. thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini
*1c. chopped onions
*1/2c. margarine
*1/2tsp. black pepper
*1/4 tsp. salt
*2 well beaten eggs
*2c. shredded mozzarella cheese
*1 pkg. crescent dinner rolls (use only Pillsbury)

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
*In a skillet cook zucchini and onions in the margarine until tender (about 10-15 minutes). Stir in salt and pepper.
* In a large bowl, blend beaten eggs and cheese. Stir vegetables into egg & cheese mixture. *Spread crescent rolls into pie or casserole dish to form a crust. Pour filling into crust and bake 18 to 20 minutes.

Zucchini Relish

I know it is the time of year for zucchini and alot of people who raise them end up with an abundance, therefore I will try and post a few tried & true zucchini recipes I have collected over the years. This is another recipe that came from my aunt Brenda and my whole family just loves this stuff year round. Mom doesn't go a summer without making enough to last all of us through the winter. Great for hot dogs, potato salads, deviled eggs, pinto beans or just straight out of the jar.

Ingredients:

*5c. zucchini, chopped

*3c. celery, chopped

*2/3c. green pepper, chopped

*3c. onion, chopped

*6 c. water

*1/4c. salt

*6 c. sugar

*3 c. white vinegar

*2T. mustard seed

*1T. celery seed

*1tsp. turmeric

Directions:
Mix together zucchini, celery, green pepper, onion, water and salt: let stand one hour. Drain. Add sugar, white vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Cook 10 minutes on medium heat. Pack in hot jars, seal. (Keep jars & lids in hot water on the stove.)

Egg In A Basket

This nifty snack came from one of my best friend's Kristy, way back when we were in middle school. I have fixed this for years. It is so easy when you want something hot and don't have alot of time. You can use cookie cutters to cut different shapes and make a fun meal for kids.

Ingredients:

*eggs

*sliced bread

*butter

Directions:

*Cut a hole in the middle of your bread slices. Butter both sides of the bread and cut out holes. Turn the heat under your skillet to medium and lay the slice of bread and cut out in the skillet. Grill bread 3 to 5 minutes, just enough to lightly brown. Place an egg in the hole. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes and flip to other side. Don't forget to flip the holes. Cook the other side for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes (the cooking time depends on how done you want the yellow, I like my white done and yellow runny) and you are ready to eat.

Peanut Butter Pie

My aunt Brenda, my friend Carolyn H. and my aunt's mother-in-law Delia C. have all been known to make this dessert. It is pretty simple and really good, especially if you like peanut butter.

Ingredients:
*1 pack graham crackers
*2 tsp. sugar
*1/3c. butter, melted
*1c. confectioners sugar
*4 heaping T. creamy peanut butter
*2 sm. boxes instant vanilla pudding
*3 1/2c. milk
*1c. Cool Whip

Directions:
*Crush the graham crackers up in bottom of pan, add sugar & butter to hold the crust together. (1st Layer) In a mixing bowl, combine confectioners sugar & peanut butter. Mix this mixture until it becomes crumbly. Take out 1/4 of crumbs & set aside. Sprinkle the rest of the mixture over the graham cracker crust.(2nd Layer) Mix vanilla pudding mix, only use 3 1/2 c. milk. Then pour over 2nd layer. Top with Cool Whip, then sprinkle with mixture that was set aside. Refrigerate.

Graham Cracker Crust.

Confectioners Sugar & Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter Mixture.

Layered on top of the crust.

Pudding Layer.

Cool Whip & Garnish.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

Another recipe I got from Kevin & Amanda's Recipes. It is labeled the best chocolate cake ever, even though it was delicious, I have eaten alot of GOOOOD chocolate cake. It was actually quite simple to make and tasted of extreme chocolate.

Ingredients:
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 pkg. Jell_O instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c. sour cream
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
2 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a VERY large bowl (4 qt), mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch pie pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch pie pans.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 c. shortening (Crisco)
4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken

I grabbed this recipe from Kevin & Amanda's recipes. It was excellent and my picky eater Dewayne even liked it (maybe because the title contains the word cheeseburger).

Ingredients:
*2T. olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
*2T. butter
*6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, split
*1/4c. teriyaki sauce
*1/2c. Ranch dressing
*1c. shredded Cheddar cheese
*1/2lb. bacon... fried, drained, crumbled (or bacon bits)

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil & butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
*Place browned chicken breasts in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with teriyaki sauce and dressing.
*Sprinkle with cheese and top with bacon bits. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Fry Sauce

I seen Fry Sauce on an episode of Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and also read about it on a forum I visit often. Needless to say I had to try it and loved it. I eat with fries and onion rings. It is super simple and something different than plain ol' ketchup.

Ingredients:

*ketchup

*mayonnaise

Instructions:

*Use the same amounts of ketchup and mayonnaise. If you want to make 1/2 cup... mix 1/4 c. ketchup with 1/4 c. mayonnaise. Make sure to mix together well. Yes it is that simple.

Zucchini Pizza

This recipe came from one of the best people in the world, Carolyn H. She is an excellent cook, which is expected from a mother of 13. Me and my mom can't wait for the zucchini to come in to fix this dish. It is more like a casserole than a pizza. You can use whatever ingredients you want. This is one of my favorite dishes and I could eat a whole pan by myself.

Ingredients:

*zucchini, sliced

*onions, sliced

*green bell peppers, sliced

*sliced mushrooms (in a jar)

*cubed ham

*sliced pepperoni

*shredded cheese

Directions:

Spray a glass pan with nonstick spray. Layer the ingredients ending with the shredded cheese. Relayer until all ingredients are gone, always ending with shredded cheese. (I made a small and didn't relayer in the photos below). Bake in a 350 degrees oven until the cheese is melted and browning and the vegetables are tender.

Ready for the oven.

Fresh out of the oven.

Homemade Croutons

OutBack again!! As with the cheese fries, Dewayne and I love Outback salads. They are just the best salads ever. We use the same dressing we use for the cheese fries, but I add an extra 1/4 cup of milk. In hopes to mimic OutBack salads, I searched for a crouton recipe and this (with a few alterations) is what I came up with. The croutons were great and even better stored and served on salads a couple of days later. Dewayne said the salads were just as good as Outback, I thought they were great, but I guess I am partial to Outback. Maybe it is just the idea of getting to actually sit down and eat at restaurant, considering that is a rare occasion for us.

Ingredients:
*1 loaf bread
*1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks)
*1 1/4 T. cajun seasoning
*1/4 c. finely chopped garlic (I used minced garlic)

Directions:
*Cut bread into bite sized pieces... melt butter until it looks like mayonnaise. DO NOT MELT TO A LIQUID, CROUTONS WILL NOT TURN OUT!!!
*Add garlic and seasoning to butter and blend well and set aside.
*Put bread on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degrees oven until golden brown and starting to get crunchy.
*Remove from oven and be sure to let cool completely.
*Place butter mixture into a large bowl and coat bread cubes gently. (I used my hands to make sure bread cubes were coated evenly).
*Place croutons back on baking sheet and bake 15 to 20 minutes on 350 degrees. After the baking time I had to put my oven on low broil and let the croutons brown. BE SURE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THEM, THEY WILL BURN!! THROUGHOUT BAKING TAKE THE CROUTONS OUT AND TOSS AROUND TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH EVENLY BAKED!!
*Store extras in an airtight container.

Bread cubes after the first toasting.

Butter mixture.

Bread cubes evenly coated with the butter mixture.

Looking all yummy and golden brown on a salad.

Ready to eat.

Wait a minute, I have to have lots of that spicy dressing, now it is ready to eat.