Fudge Puddles

Submitted by Erin Lucia

1 cup softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar*
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Preheat to 325.
Mix butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix your flour, baking soda and salt. And to peanut butter mixture. Once you’ve got your dough mixed well, roll into 1 inch balls and place in greased mini-muffin pans. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Immediately press center of cookies with melon baller  and then let cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Any less time and they’ll be too soft to transfer in one piece and any longer, they might get too hard and stick/break.

For fudge filling:

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips**
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla.
You can use a double boiler to melt this, but I just put them in a Pyrex bowl and microwave them for 1 minute. Stir, then microwave in 20 second increments until nice and smooth. Spoon into cookies and allow a few minutes to set.

*If you want a richer taste you can use brown sugar.

**I've seen people use milk and semi sweet chocolate chips, or butter scotch and semi sweet chips. Use what combination you like.

Finished Product 

Ham & Cheese Biscuits

Submitted by Angela Johnson

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
1 cup minced ham (I used Canadian bacon)
2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda into bowl. Add butter and mix until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in cheese, ham, and buttermilk to make soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out dough 1/2 inch think. Cut out biscuits with a 2 inch round cutter (I used a glass). Place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake about 10 minutes or until browned (Mine only took 8)

Amish Transparent Pudding Miniatures

Submitted by Angela Johnson

1 (9 inch) pie pastry (I used pie dough in a box)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground mace (I used fresh nutmeg)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie pastry 1 inch thick

Using a 3 inch cutter, cut out 36 rounds and gently press them into shallow tart pans. Set aside. You may need to bake them in batches (I used my cupcake pan and it was fine, you don't need a tart pan)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

In the top of a double boiler, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt andmix by hand until well creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well until each egg is incorporated. Add the vanilla and mace and mix well.

Place the pan over hot, but not boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved 10 -15 minutes, do not overcook

Fill each tart 2/3rds full (no more than 1/2 tbls) and bake directly on the oven racks for 15 - 20 minutes - or until golden. Cool slightly in the pans, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in covered containers, the layers separated by paper towels

These can be frozen.

Unhealthy Chicken Casserole

Submitted by Elizabeth Whitaker

Boil 4-5 chicken breast in seasoned water (garlic salt, pepper, oregeno)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 tb spoons mayo
salt pepper, garlic salt to taste
few small cut up cubes of cream cheese
1 cup cooked rice, white or brown
lemon juice
1 small bag , steam in bag peas and carrots
15 ritz cracker crushed with 1 teaspoon melted butter
1/2 cup milk


cut up chicken in cubes
mix together soup, seasonings, peas and carrots, cream cheese, rice, milk in 9x13 pan
basically everything.

Let chicken cool a bit, then cube and mix in.
Top with crackers, crushed and butter ( i do this in a plastic bag, add butter toss)
sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake 350 for 45 minutes..

Tamale Pie

 Submitted by Ginger Fangmeier-Schmidt

2 lbs ground beef (I use turkey)
2 c. diced peppers (I use green chili's)
1 16 oz. jar salsa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 boxes jiffy corn muffin mix
2 eggs
2/3 c. milk
4 oz. cheddar cheese, divided
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, divided
8 oz. frozen corn, thawed


brown beef and peppers, add salsa, salt, chipotle pepper, and oregano. cook stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain excess fat.

lightly grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Mix one box of Jiffy mix according to directions, and spread evenly in the bottom of the dish. Top with corn, and then 1/2 the cheese. Spoon mixture evenly, pressing down lightly.

Mix 2nd box of Jiffy mix, and fold in the rest of cheese into mixture; spread evenly over the top leaving small space around edges. Place in preheated 350 degree oven; bake for 1 hour. cool for 15 minutes b4 serving.