Chocolate Mint Brownies

This recipe is for a full cookie sheet.

Brownies:
1 1/2 cup margarine
6 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup cocoa
2 1/4 cup flour

Green layer
1 1/2 lb powdered sugar
8 Tbs margarine, melted
4 Tbl evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3-5 drops green food coloring

Top layer
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 Tbl margarine
4 Tbl evaporated milk

Brownies:
Cream margarine, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.  Add salt, cocoa, and flour.  Bake at 350 in a cookie sheet for 25 - 30 minutes.  Cool.

Green layer:
Beat ingredients until fluffy.  Spread on brownies and refrigerate.

Top layer:
Melt chocolate chips and margarine together.  Stir in evaporated milk to make smooth.  Spread on brownies. Refrigerate.

Steph's Baked Chicken & Vegetable Pasta Bake

½ lb. pasta (I use whatever kind I have)

1 tsp salt

1 TB olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green pepper

1 cup chopped cabbage

½ cup dried tomatoes

1 Cup chopped rotisserie chicken

A bunch of pepperoni (Nick thought that would be yummy)

2 big handfuls of spinach

½ spaghetti sauce

2 cups cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.  Set a large pot of water to boil.  Once it comes to a rolling boil, salt it and cook the pasta until al dente (which I think means still a little tough).  Drain.

I use the pressure cooker and set it to sauté and add the olive oil.  Throw in onion, garlic, green pepper, and cabbage.  Sauté for 10 minutes, add chicken.  Stir in chicken and pepperoni then stir for 3 minutes.  Add spinach (as much as you want) and spaghetti sauce then put the lid on for 5 minutes.  When it’s done put in a casserole dish.  Cover with cheese and bake for 25 minutes (I did only 20).  It’s so tasty too!

(I got this recipe from here and changed it to what I wanted)

Cabbage Salad

3 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 sunflower seeds (optional)
1 pkg roman noodles (optional)

Cut and mix cabbages, carrots, and green onions.  Mix well the vinegar, oil, sugar, pepper, and salt.  Mix very well and drizzle over salad.  Add nuts and mix.  Brake up noodles and let people put on their own salads.  The noodles can get soggy so I like to put them on as I eat them.

Christmas Granola

Christmas Granola

Ingredients:

8 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups wheat germ

1 1/2 cups oat bran

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup finely chopped almonds

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 1/2 teaspoons salt   

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup honey

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups raisins or sweetened dried

cranberries

Directions:

1.         Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.

2.         Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.

3.         Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Classic Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker)

3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 cups chopped potatoes
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
2/3 cup brown gravy mix (this is used to thicken soup, but you could use a rue as well)
1 cup peas

Season beef chucks with salt and pepper.  Cut all vegetables and set aside (use water for the potatoes to avoid browning).

Turn electric pressure cooker onto "browning".  Add oil and lightly brown the outside of beef chunks, do a single layer at a time - DON'T over crowd the pieces of meat.  When done set aside in a bowl for later.

Now select saute and add onions.  Cook 2 minutes or until translucent.  Stir in Potatoes, Carrots, and Celery.  Saute for 3 minutes  and add garlic.

Once vegetables are soft, stir in 1 cup of beef stock scraping the bottom to loosen it all up.  Cook until 1/2 stock is gone (I didn't wait that long) and stir in ketchup.

Add the beef back in, along with bay leaves and the rest of the broth.  Set on High Pressure for 10 minutes.  When the beep sounds use Quick Pressure Release.  When pressure has escaped remove lid.

Whisk the brown gravy mix in 2 cups of water and add directly.  The pressure cooker will heat it and thicken it all up.  I thought it was too thick and added another two cups of water.  I stirred and served!  Yummy!

Banana Cream Pie

Crust:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup chopped almonds
2 tablespoons powder sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

Mix and press into a spring form pan.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and let cool completely.

Filling:
3 bananas
1 large package of vanilla pudding
1 small container of whipped cream

Chopped the bananas and cover the bottom of pie crust (after cooled) with half of them.  Spread pudding over the top and spread the remaining bananas over the top.  Cover with whipped cream.  Chill before serving.

When served add other fruits on top.  I used Strawberries and Raspberries and it was perfect!

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe: Banana Split Cream Pie

Never-Fail Pie Crust (Apple Pie)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vinegar

Combine flour and salt in a bowl.  Cut in shortening.  Add mild and vinegar.  shape dough into a ball.  Chill for 30 minutes.  Divide the dough in half.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out each half to fit a 9-in. pie pan.  Fill or bake according to recipe directions.

Hints - When transferring the dough to the pie plate roll it onto the rolling pin and then unroll it while laying it on top of pie plate.

When doing a plaid top start with the longest on the middle top to bottom then the side to side.  Then back to top and bottom then side to side.  This makes it easier to weave the pieces over the top of pie.

When I made it with my apple pie I just had a filling and baked the pie at 350 until the top was lightly brown.  It was really good!

From Taste of Home "Best loved Pies"

Chicken and Rice (pressure cooker)

1 1/2 cup rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 pkg of onion soup mix
1/2 chopped onion

Put all of it in the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.  When it is done, set the timer for 7 more minutes and keep it on warm.  When it's done move the release valve to relieve pressure.  Let sit for a little while and then enjoy!  Done in 15 minutes!

Chicken Noodle Soup (by Mel)

2 large carrots
1 onion
2 stocks of celery
8 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of chicken (using a rotissary chicken is the best!)
salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 cup milk

Saute carrots, onion, and celery together with a little virgin olive oil.  Once veggies are softened add chicken broth and take it to a soft boil.  Add chicken.

For the noodles add 2 eggs, milk, and flour.  Then more flour until a dough you can roll onto the cupboard.  Cut into strips and add into boiling water.  Noodles will cook and when you taste them and they are not doughy it is ready to eat.  Yummy yummy.  Thanks Mel :)