Girlfriends' RECIPE Collection

1 pkg Yeast (1TB) 1 TB Sugar 1 1/2 C Really warm water Put the water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar on top and let set until foamy. For extra speed I set the bowl in the sink with HOT water surrounding the bowl. This will help the yeast activate faster. Add 2 1/2 C Flour 1 tsp Salt Mix all together. Let rise until double in bulk. (For a speedy trick I put it in the oven on no more than 100 to help it rise faster.) Punch down and grease one cookie sheet and spread dough over to fit the sheet. Don't put toppings on it yet. Poke it with a fork just enough so it doesn't puff up. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Or just before it turns brown. Bring it out and top with sauce and cheese and toppings. Put it back in the oven and bake until cheese melts. For me it is all about the sauce you use and the kind of cheese I still have yet to find the perfect combo but we LOVE the crust especially since you pre bake you won't ever have it come out doughy. Enjoy

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These cookies are soft and plump.  Should be called a flour cookie because they need frosting.  Here's a pic of our Halloween ones (with runny frosting): Cookie- 1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup butter ½ cup shortening Mix well.  Then add: 2 eggs 1 cup milk 2 Tbsp. vanilla Mix well.  Then add: 1 tsp. soda dissolved in ¼ cup warm water 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 4 cups flour Mix, mix, mix!  Then add: 1 ½ to 2 cups more flour until dough is a little stiff but still sticky. Chill 1-2 hours in fridge .  Divide, or take a clump, and knead a little more flour in if needed on a floured surface and roll out to almost the thickness of a cookie cutter height (guesstimate). Cut out shapes. Bake at 375° for 8-11 minutes, not browning on top. Makes 30+ depending on cookie cutter size. Frosting 3 ¼ to 3 ½ cups cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup softened butter 1 tsp. almond extract OR vanilla ¼ cup warmed milk Mix and add powdered ...

1 1/8 cup warm water 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil 1 ½ tsp. salt 3 1/3 cups flour 1 ½ tsp. sugar 1 ½ tsp. yeast Set bread machine on dough feature and select 1½ lb. loaf size.  When done, take half and roll on floured surface to desired size.  Place on cookie sheet or pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal.  Bake at 375° F for 8-10 minutes (check at 5 minutes for bubbles and poke and press down with fork).  Add toppings and place back in oven at 400° F for 6-9 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Makes 2 pizzas. Another option for dough after done in machine-- place in bowl greased with olive oil, turn dough over to coat it, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Our BBQ Chicken Pizza- sauce- KC Masterpiece Hickory Brown Sugar sprinkle a little shredded mozzarella (or mixture of moz and cheddar) add pieces of cooked chicken-- shredded or cubed optional toppings: pineapple, olives, green peppers, cooked bacon pieces add more shredded mozzarella ...

Click on the picture to see a perfectly readable recipe with a bonus Pink Cloud shake recipe!!  Do you have vanilla ice cream but no chocolate?  Improvise by adding Nesquik powder or any chocolate syrup. This came out of an old Better Homes and Garden magazine my mom bought from the library and I just scanned the page .  I wanted to share it because I thought it was cute--maybe from the 90's?   We've had this shake a lot and even put it in H Kindergarten Cookbook. 

Will fall just get here already? I want to make these...they are so yummy!  *This recipe isn't technically mine.  I wrote it down from a cookbook long ago when I was babysitting but have changed a couple things. 1 c. shortening 2 c. sugar 1 large can pumpkin (approx. 3½ c.) 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 5 c. white flour (I always sub at least 1 c. white wheat flour) 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. nutmeg 2 tsp. cinnamon 2-3 c. chocolate chips Mix sugar and shortening. Add eggs, vanilla and pumpkin. Add dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Add chocolate chips.  I like to use the mini chips so there's chocolate in every bite!  Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes. Makes 4 ½ dozen . Recipe can easily be halved if you want less cookies (not me!). You can freeze them and they're still so yummy and moist after they thaw.

Inspired by this recipe , I made the following for dinner last night. It was super easy, quick and very yummo! Quick Sweet and Sour Pork 4 or 5 boneless pork chops 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges 1 15 1/4-oz can crushed pineapple in juice 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons soy sauce Hot cooked rice (optional) Cooking Directions Partially freeze pork. Cut across the grain into 2 1/2 x 2 1/4-inch strips; set aside. Preheat a large skillet over high heat; add oil. Stir-fry peppers and onion in hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from pan. Add more oil, if necessary. Add half the por...

Joe introduced me to these, and Paula Deen has a recipe for them on Food Network . So I am jumping to the conclusion that they are popular in the South... :) Here's how we made ours. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot on medium heat. You want to heat to about 350 degrees, so we used a candy thermometer to monitor the temp. Prepare the toppings. Note - For the toppings, we didn't actually measure any of the ingredients, just eyeballed it. But this is about how much we used. Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 Tbsp milk (add more to thin as necessary) Whisk together, set aside. Chocolate Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 1 Tbsp milk (add more to thin as necessary) Whisk together, set aside. Cinnamon Sugar Coating: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 Tbsp Cinnamon Whisk together in a dish with a lid or a paper bag, set aside. Peanut Butter Chocolate Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 1 Tbsp milk 2 Tbsp peanut b...

This is a family recipe from my dad's side. Everyone seems to like at least some aspect of the dessert, even if it's just the crust! Crust 3 egg whites - SAVE the yolks for the filling 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 3/4 c. sugar Filling 16 oz. Chocolate Chips 1/4 c. light corn syrup 1/4 c. water 3 egg yolks 1 T. Pero (or instant decaffinated coffee) 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. whipping cream Topping 1 c. whipping cream 2 T powdered sugar (or so, to taste) For the crust: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until really stiff peaks. This takes about 10 minutes, so just let the mixer go until the peaks form, but watch it so it doesn't go too long and get grainy. Spread into ungreased pie pan.* Pour into the middle and spread it up to form the sides. Bake at 225 for 1 hour. At this point, you can turn off the oven and just let the crust sit there to cool off gradually. It's not in the original recipe to do so, but we fo...

Sorry to be posting oven recipes when it's summer but with the cool weather we had over the past weeks I was eager to warm up the house! My mother-in-law gave me this recipe and she got it from a friend. They are so easy now that I've made them by hand many times! I don't have a bowl mixer of any sort besides my bread machine. I love that you freeze them and just pull out what you want when needed. One batch lasts us 4 to 5 Sunday dinners! The freezing step can also be skipped if you want them the day you make the dough. They are delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving rolls. 2 cups warm water 2/3 cup dry instant milk 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 Tbsp. dry yeast 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup dry instant potatoes 1 1/2 tsp. salt 2 eggs 5 to 6 cups flour Mix in order given. Knead or mix until soft and dough is forming a ball. Divide dough in half and roll one into a circle on lightly greased or floured surface. Spread with soft butter and cut with pizza cutter into...

The ONLY banana bread recipe I use. Everyone in the house loves it. 1¼ cups sugar ½ cup butter, softened 2 eggs 1½ cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium bananas) ½ cup milk with ½ Tbsp. lemon juice (let sit a few minutes) 1 tsp. vanilla 2½ cups flour 1 tsp. soda 1 tsp. salt Mix ingredients in order until just moistened. Grease loaf pans or line with foil. I use 1 regular size loaf pan and 2 small ones. Move oven rack so that tops of pans are in the middle. Bake at 350 for an hour. Check at 45 minutes and test for doneness with toothpick. The original recipe says: ½ cup buttermilk (instead of my substitute of milk/lemon juice) use 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 or 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x 2 1/2.

I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from her sister, who got it from...I'm not sure who, but I tried it and Mike and I liked it. It is not an exact replica of PF Changs infamous Lettuce Wraps, but it is similar. Brown chicken (the recipe calls for 2-3 chicken breasts - I used 2) in skillet. Remove and set aside and then either shred or cut into small chunks. Pour 2 T canola or olive oil into skillet and add 1 T grated or minced fresh ginger root and some rice straws, if desired. I used my kitchen shears to cut a bunch off. Rice straws have to be softened in the oil. Cook about 4-5 minutes. Then add back in the chicken you have either shredded or cut. Continue cooking while adding vegetables. I added shredded carrots, broccoli cut into small pieces, water chestnuts cut into quarters, Italian green beans cut into small pieces (slender whole beans cut up would work), red pepper, green onion (or use onion powder), baby corn cobs cut into 2 or 3 slices, and whatever else you would...

I've probably pass this one on to ya'll before, but a college roommate of mine asked for it today (after 9 years, she still remembers it so it must be good) 2 lbs. hamburger 4 carrots, cut & diced 4 celery stalks, cut & diced 1 lrg. onion, chopped 1 green pepper, cut & diced 1 15oz. can of tomato sauce 1/4 cup vinegar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 cups ketchup 1/4 cup prepared mustard 1/4 cup lemon juice Brown hamburger, celery, carrots, onions & green pepper. Drain. Combine all ingredients. Cook on the stove top on low 1 1/2-2 hrs. or in a crockpot on low 6-8 hrs. Serve on buns.

From Beryl ....a co-worker of Mike's...I couldn't stop eating these and they were a hit at the New Years party I made them for also! 1 lb. fresh mushrooms 1 T. butter 1/2 lb. crab meat 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese 2 T. mayonnaise 1 tsp. garlic salt 5 to 10 drops of Tabasco Sauce Clean mushrooms and removed stems. Set caps aside. Chop stems and saute in melted butter. Add remaining ingredients and heat til smooth. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Spoon hot mixture into mushroom caps. Top them with shredded cheese and dust them with Old Bay spice. Place them back in the oven, just to melt the cheese. ** Mixture can also be served as a dip on chips or crackers if you're not a mushroom fan!