Butterfinger Cake

We were blessed to celebrate Grandma M's 87th birthday this year!  We had a belated birthday party for her when my uncle and aunt came up from Kentucky.  Anyway, birthday parties need birthday cake, right?  Even though this might not be the most traditional birthday cake, it worked well and tasted delicious.  I've also taken this cake to many other places, and it's always a hit.  Thanks to Grandma V for another great recipe!

Mix eggs, cake mix, pudding mix, and water to make the cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

When cool, mix powdered sugar, butter, and Cool Whip.  Frost.

What happened to the purple hammer my dad gave me for Christmas? It gets used most often for "cooking" purposes than to pound nails!

Happy 87th Birthday, Grandma M!  Love you!

Butterfinger Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small instant vanilla pudding
2 c. warm water
2 eggs, beaten
     Mix and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool cake and top with the following:
Melt 1/2 c. butter
Add 1 c. sifted powdered sugar
     Mix well and add 12 oz. tub of Cool Whip.  Spread over the cooled cake.  Crush 3 Butterfinger bars and sprinkle on top.  May also use Heath bars or English Toffee bits.  Keep refrigerated.

Open House

The TC family decided to try a new adventure...a furniture store!  Dan's parents, brothers, and us joined forces to buy a local store.  We've been busy updating computers, increasing inventory, and learning the ropes in this new venture.  Today we had a ribbon cutting and grand re-opening.  I don't have a copy of the picture, but I have something better!  We shared coffee, cider, and cookies with our guests today, and I have to share some recipes with you!  I made my aunt's Cowboy Cookies for this event, and they are so chewy and delicious.  Definitely a favorite!

Cowboy Cookies
2 c. sugar                              2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. brown sugar                   2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. shortening (or butter)      2 tsp. salt
4 eggs                                   4 c. oatmeal
2 tsp. vanilla                          2 c. chocolate chips
4 c. flour

Cream sugar & shortening. Combine eggs & vanilla. Add to mixture.  Combine flour, baking powder, soda & salt.  Add to batter.  Mix in oatmeal & chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes.  Don't over bake--they'll get hard.
*Makes 5-6 dozen.
*There is a lot of batter.  My KitchenAid was very full.
*I've thought about substituting butterscotch or peanut butter chips in, also.

And, if you want something great to drink with this, try this apple cider recipe!  It was perfect for today's cold, blustery weather!

Apple Cider
1 tsp. whole allspice
2 tsp. whole cloves
Dash of ground nutmeg
3 inches cinnamon stick
Tie all ingredients in cheezcloth, put in a tea ball, or in the top filter of a percolator. Use with 2 quarts of pre-made apple cider (not apple juice!).  Simmer as long as you like--the longer it simmers, the stronger it gets!

Pumpkins!

We are blessed to part of a great group of people who meet every week for Bible Study.  This year we've been studying the fruits of the Spirit, but every once in awhile we throw an extra fun thing in the mix.  We decided to keep up our tradition of carving/painting pumpkins. 

The final products! We forgot to print off any fun templates, so Dan carved a jack 'o lantern face, and I painted a man on the moon.  Next year we'll go better prepared!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

'Tis the season for soup, and I'm going to take full advantage of it! 

The needed ingredients...

Don't forget the bacon!!!  I baked mine at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Make sure to lay it in a single layer.  No need to flip!

Make the rice first.  This takes about 25-30 minutes.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup
1 box Uncle Ben's wild rice, MADE according to package directions
1 can cream of potato soup
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, or less
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 lb. bacon, fried & crumbled
1 pt. Half & Half
1 pt. milk
2-3 c. chicken, cooked & cubed
     Prepare wild rice according to package directions.  Add all other ingredients & cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.*  (I usually wait until it warms up before I add the Velveeta.)  May serve with crackers & shredded cheese.

*Trust me on this one: it's very important to stir very frequently.  If you don't, you'll get a disgusting layer of burned cheese on the bottom of your pan.  :)

The most requested salad...by everybody else!

As long as I can remember, my mom has been asked to make this salad for family gatherings.  It's easy, and everybody seems to enjoy it.  Everybody but me!  Growing up, lettuce & I never had a strong relationship.  Over the past few years, I've basically forced myself to eat lettuce.  Sometimes I even enjoy a salad, but the lettuce has to be covered in cheese, meat, eggs, and about 1/4 teaspoon of dressing.  So while I have formed a tenuous relationship with lettuce, I still refuse mayonnaise.  But for all of you who love all of these things, here's a great recipe for you!

Layered Lettuce Salad

Ingredients:

1-2 bags of lettuce

2 c. frozen peas, thawed

4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

2 c. Kraft Mayo

2 Tbsp. sugar

Shredded cheddar cheese

Crumbled bacon

Here's the secret ingredient: Kraft REAL Mayo.  Don't use anything else! (Or so I've been told...)

Put lettuce in bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer thawed peas & chopped eggs on top.

Mix sugar with mayo & spread over layers like frosting. Sprinkle cheese & bacon on top.  Refrigerate.

Friday the 13th?

I literally called my mom and asked her if it was Friday the 13th today.  Not that I believe in that kind of stuff, but my day started so oddly!  In the middle of the night, Dan heard some weird noise, but I was dead to the world :)  Anyway, he opened his closet and found all his clothes on the floor...the holder for his clothes rod had broken.  (Please note: my clothes did not fall down, even though somebody in this house says I have too many clothes!) Anyway, while he was picking up his clothes, I managed to pull the glass door off the shower.  Oops!  As if that wasn't enough, I splattered makeup onto my shirt while I was getting ready. 
But there was a bright spot to my morning!  I had a leftover caramel roll for breakfast!  Nutritious, I know, but you would be happy too if you knew how delicious these are!  On Sundays while growing up, I would often wake up to this amazing smell...and then I would race to the table because otherwise my brothers would have eaten them all!

I used frozen cinnamon rolls from Casey's Bakery, but you can also make them from scratch.

Pour sauce over frozen rolls

Let them rise overnight.

SO GOOD!

Caramel Rolls
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. vanilla ice cream
12 frozen cinnamon rolls (or homemade, if you're ambitious)

Mix first four ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat until boiling. Stir constantly. Continue stirring and boiling for 1 minute. Pour over one dozen rolls in a greased 9x13 pan. Let rise overnight (don't cover) and bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees the next morning.  Dump upside down to get out of pan.

Poppy Seed Chicken

 It seems as though this dish disappears almost as soon as I make it.  Dan has fond memories of eating this at a friend's house.  I won't complain about making it for him...it's easy, and I like it, too!
By the way, at a few grocery stores in my corner of the world, I can buy frozen, cooked, cubed chicken.  It's such a time-saver!  Look into it!

Only 6 ingredients? Yay!

Mix chicken, soup, & sour cream

Mix crackers, butter, & poppy seeds

Poppy Seed Chicken
4 chicken breasts, cooked & cut up (I use 4-5 c. of my precooked/chopped chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 tube Ritz crackers
1/3 c. melted butter
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Mix chicken, soup, & sour cream. Put into a greased 9x13 pan (I use a 7x11 pan). Crush crackers & mix with melted butter & poppy seed. Put on top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.