Russian Teacakes

This recipe is from the Betty Crocker cookbook I grew up with. Old family favorite. We always make these for CHRISTmas.
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Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 1/4 cup flour
Powdered sugar

1. Mix butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together.
2. Add nuts and flour.
3. Roll mixture into 1" balls.
4. Place balls about 1" apart on untreated baking sheet.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes.
6. Upon removal from oven, roll in powdered sugar. Once cooled, roll in powdered sugar a second time.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Leftover Turkey Shepherd Pie

I am sure that many of you can relate when it comes to eating your leftovers. How many times can you eat the same thing? Well, this recipe isn't new by any means, but I recreated it and tweaked it to my own liking.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
4 cups cubed or shredded turkey
2 sticks of butter
2 small white onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
6 tbsp flour
2 cans of mixed vegetables
1 can peas
8 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and cube potatoes. Place in large sauce pan, add water until covered. Add salt. Set on stove to boil.
2. In large sauce pan, melt 1 stick butter, add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent.
3. Using a whisk, add flour gradually to butter, onions and garlic. Let cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Using a whisk, stir in chicken broth slowly. May use more or less broth or flour to thicken to a gravy-like texture. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
5. Open canned veggies, drain in colander.
6. Cut turkey into cubes or shred. Add to gravy and once warm, remove pan from heat.
7. In a 9x13 cake pan, pour in gravy mixture and add drained vegetables. Stir to mix together.
8. Potatoes should be soft enough now, remove from heat, drain and return to pan. Add 1/2 stick of butter. With electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add milk, beat until creamy. May need more milk than stated. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Place mashed potatoes on top of meat gravy and vegetable mixture. May just spread evenly or make peaks or other design as desired.
10. Place in oven, heat until warmed through and the edges and peaks of the potatoes start to brown. Timing will vary, but approximately 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy!
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Variations:
May substitute leftover roast beef or steak. May also use 2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey if you want to make this and don't have leftovers to use up.

Happy Labor Day!

Happy 4th!

Happy Father's Day!

Flag Day

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Cinco De Mayo!

Happy Administrative Professionals Day!

Happy April Fools Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy New Year!!

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Be blessed!

Merry CHRISTmas everyone!

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Hope you all enjoy this wonderful time of the year with your friends and family.

May God bless you this holiday season.

Green Bean Casserole

I know this recipe isn't very original, it is a family favorite however during the holidays and I don't completely follow the directions, so I sort of made it my own.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
2 cans green beans
¼ cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French’s fried onions
salt & pepper

1. Mix green beans, milk, and soup together.
2. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix in ½ cup of French’s fried onions.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, top with remaining French’s fried onions.
6. Bake another 5-10 minutes until onions start to brown.
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Variations:

You can use frozen green beans, just keep the amounts the same. You can use french style or regular cut green beans, it really does not matter. You should use French's fried onions, I find that anyone else's don't have the same effect. I typically use the big can cause I love them so much, but the small can does the job as well.

ENJOY!!

Cheesy Taters

This is my Grama Connie's recipe, though I have seen others with similar ingredients, hers still kicks everyone else to the ground! And I still can't completely replicate the recipe to the way she makes them, but they are still good no matter what! We make this at all of our family gatherings, especially during the holidays.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
1 package southern style potatoes
8 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
½ stick butter

1. Spray a cake pan with PAM.
2. Add one package southern style potatoes.
3. Stir the sour cream and cream of chicken soup together and add on top.
4. Cut up Velveeta cheese into little cubes, need about one cup, but can put on more or less according to your tastes.
5. Melt a half stick of butter and pour over top of entire dish.
6. Bake for one hour.

ENJOY!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday with friends and family!

Be blessed!

Pumpkin Bars

Since its that time of year for pumpkin to be in style, I thought I'd post a pumpkin recipe I can tolerate. I do not like pumpkin pie or anything pumpkin flavored, except these bars. Yum!
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
1 spice cake mix
3 eggs
1 can Libby’s Pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1 container prepared cream cheese or vanilla frosting

1. Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil and water in large mixing bowl until moistened.
2. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Pour batter onto greased deep baking sheet.
4. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool. Spread frosting on top.

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Variations:
This recipe was originally written to be done as cupcakes, but I make them into bars and it works beautifully without the hassle of individualness.

ENJOY!!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

This is a family recipe from as far back as I can remember. We ALWAYS have these cookies during the holidays. Most people I know that make these do not make them the way we do, they always have hard, crunchy cookies. These are soft and oh so yummy!!
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 pkg. Hershey Kisses

1. Mix cake mix, peanut butter, water, and eggs in medium mixing bowl until fairly smooth mixture.
2. Drop one inch balls of cookie dough onto greased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and immediately top with a Hershey’s Kiss.
5. Let cool 5 minutes, than remove from pan.

ENJOY!!

Coffee Cake

This is another family recipe that has been around a long time. A staple during the holidays.
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Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients needed:
Dough:
2 pkg. dry yeast
½ cup warm water
½ cup warm milk
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
½ cup shortening
4 ½ to 5 cups flour

Filling:
Stick of melted butter

1lb finely chopped walnuts
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk

2 cans poppy seed filling

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water, stir in ½ cup milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 ½ cups of flour. Beat until smooth.
2. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle.
3. Put dough on floured counter. Knead until smooth and elastic.
4. Place in greased bowl, flip over and cover with towel. Let rise until dough is double in size.
5. Punch dough down, shape, cover and let rise until double again.
6. Make nut filling at this point. In small bowl, mix finely chopped walnuts, sugar and milk. Mixture should be sort of thick, but spreadable. May need to add a little more milk.
7. Split dough into four equal portions. Flour a counter and begin to roll into a circle until dough is about ¼ inch thick.
8. Spread butter on dough with basting brush. Spread poppy or nut filling.
9. Roll up into log and tuck ends in.
10. Place on light colored greased cookie sheet.
11. Cover with towel, let rise until double in size.
12. Place in middle of oven, bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned medium on outside. When you touch it, it should bounce back when it is finished and sound hollow.
13. Brush butter on top of loaves promptly after pulling out of oven.

Serve warm or cold! Makes 4 loaves.
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Variations:
You can use whatever you want for filling, the two listed above are the family favorites and we never seem to deviate!

ENJOY!!