Author: Allison Smith

7 Up Biscuits

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I have always wanted to learn how to make a good, “from scratch” biscuit. This recipe caught my eye because the biscuits not only looked great, but only requires 4 ingredients! Looks like lots of effort, right?

Ingredients:

2 cups baking mix (Jiffy or Bisquick)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7 Up
1/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Cut sour cream into biscuit mix.

3. Stir in 1/2 cup 7 Up. The dough will be very soft.

4. Sprinkle additional baking mix on to your counter. Knead and fold dough until covered in your baking mix. Pat dough out and cut biscuits using a round biscuit/cookie cutter.

5. Melt butter in a 9 inch square pan.

6. Place cut biscuits on top of melted butter and bake for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

Sweet Potato Bake

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Ingredients:

Filling:
3 cups sweet potatoes, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup heavy cream

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, chopped

1. In a large pot or bowl, beat together all of the filling ingredients except for cream.
2. Add cream and mix well.
3. Pour into a greased casserole dish.
4. In a seperate bowl, mix together topping ingredients.
5. Sprinkle topping over top of casserole.
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Source: Paula Deen, of course!

Peanut Butter Balls

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No fancy intro here. I just have to say that these are awesome!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (it’s best to use a name brand such as Jif)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Melting Chocolate (I use the 70z. container of Baker’s Dipping Chocolate)
Plastic wrap

1. Cream together peanut butter and butter until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat slowly until incorporated.
3. Spread peanut butter mixture on to plastic wrap, a layer about 1 inch thick. Cover with a second layer of plastic wrap and refriderate atleast 4 hours.
4. When firm, use a knife to cut flattened mixture into 1 inch squares. Quickly roll each square into a ball.
5. Place shaped balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Insert a toothpick into each and place in freezer until very firm.
6. Dip frozen peanut butter balls into melted chocolate. Allow chocolate to harden at room temperature or in the fridge if you just can’t wait!

*It’s best to try and roll peanut butter balls when they are very cold. If they become too messy, allow to chill longer and dust your hands with powdered sugar.
**You may as well double or triple this recipe. Take my word for it.

Salisbury Steak

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I can probably count on one hand just how many school luches I actually consumed. I was convinced that they were all “icky!” I can even remember how terrible the cafeteria smelled on salisbury steak day. Now that I’m a grown-up, I have decided to give certain foods another try. I found this recipe while searching through food blogs one day and after reading over the list of ingredients, I figured I was brave enough to give it a try. I was completely surprised that it was actually good, very good!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 package Lipton’s Onion Soup mix
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 package brown gravy mix, plus the required amount of water called for on the back
1/2 cup sour cream
1, 8 oz. package fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1. Mix together ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs and egg. Shape into 5 patties.
2. Fry patties in a skillet until brown, about 10 minutes on each side.
3. While the patties are cooking, mix together the dry gravy mix, water and sour cream.
4. Spray a 9×9 inch baking dish (or whatever you may have that’s about that size) with nonstick spray and arrange patties in a pan.
5. Cover patties with gravy mixture and sliced mushrooms.
6. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, turning patties halfway through.

* These are best served with rice or mashed potatoes.

Source: Mommy’s Kitchen

Sausage Balls

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I hope that no one is insulted by a simple sausage ball recipe, but I have given this out several times over the years. It’s not the ingredients that are so important, but the preparation and cooking time make all the difference!

Ingredients:
3 cups baking mix (I use Jiffy because it’s less expensive, but Bisquick works just as well)
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb. sausage (I choose Bass Farms, hot)

1. Mix all ingredients by hand in a large bowl. You may want to allow the sausage to sit on the counter for about an hour before mixing. If find that if it is right out of the fridge, it’s too cold and my hands cramp up.
2. Shape into balls. Like my meatballs, I make these fairly large. I use atleast 2 tablespoons of the mixed ingredients to make one sausage ball.
3. Place sausage balls on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Keep an eye on them as they cook. They are done when starting to brown on top and the grease is bubbling at the edges. If overcooked, you lose a lot of the flavor.

**It doesn’t matter the brand of sausage you use, just look for one with a higher fat content. If you are looking for a lower-fat version, you’ve come to the wrong place. It’s an insult to sausage balls everywhere!

Broccoli Casserole

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You might be surprised that this recipe inclues ONLY three ingredients. It’s simple, but what makes it so good is the cheese. The Deli Duluxe from Kraft is a little more expensive compared to other brands, but totally worth it. If you have any left over, it makes a great grilled cheese!

Ingredients:
1 package frozen broccoli florets
6-8 slices of cheese (I use Kraft Deli Deluxe American)
10-12 Ritz crackers

1. Steam broccoli in a pan of water until no longer frozen, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain water.
3. With the burner on the lowest setting, begin adding cheese one slice at a time. Stir until cheese is melted and fully incorporated.
4. Pour broccoli and cheese mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish (I coat with a thin layer of cooking spray).
5. Crumble crackers over the top.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble around the edge.

Beef and Bean Burger Wraps

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These are so good and a great option for a healthy dinner! I can only give credit to family.go.com.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground meat
1 1/2 cup refried beans
2 jalapenos, diced and without seeds
1 avacado, peeled and pitted
1 cup fresh salsa
5 tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Pepper jack cheese, shredded
Limes wedges

1. Preheat oven broiler. Place oven rack in upper third part of the oven. Line a pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
2. Mix ground beef, beans and jalapenos just until combined. Do not over mix. Shape into five oblong patties.
3. Broil patties 12-15 minutes, turning once after about 7 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, mash avacado and mix with salsa.
5. Spread guacamole on to tortillas. Sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Top each with a burger, sprinkle lime juice from one wedge and wrap!

Source: family.go.com

Yellow Cupcakes

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These cupcakes are compliments of Martha Stewart. I like this recipe because it’s simple and I always have the ingredients on hand!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the cups of a standard muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
2. Add flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Combine milk and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.
4. With the mixer on medium speed, add softened butter one tablespoon at a time until incorporated in to the flour mixture.
5. Add eggs one at a time.
6. Add milk and vanilla and continue mixing for an additional 2 minutes.
7. Fill cupcake liners half full and bake 17-20 minutes.

*Keep a close watch on your cupcakes, especially if you are trying a new recipe for the first time. Oven temperatures vary! These cupcakes don’t take longer than 18 minutes in my oven.

Source: MarthaStewart.com

Chicken and Dumplings

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This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook! Better Homes and Gardens, fifth edition, printed 1968. It’s pretty awesome

Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts, on the bone and with skin
3 cups chicken stock (this will remain after chicken has been boiled)
2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil chicken in a large pot.
2. When chicken is almost tender, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Combine milk and oil; add to dry ingredients; stir just until moisten.
4. When chicken is fully cooked, discard all bones and skin. Coarsely chop the white meat in to 1-2 inch pieces. Set aside.
5. Place chicken back in your large pot. Allow only enough chicken stock in the pot to just cover the chicken pieces.
6. Return chicken and stock to a boil.
7. Use a large spoon to drop batter into the pot. For best results, drop batter directly on to chicken, not into the liquid.
8. Cover tightly and reduce heat to a simmer.
9. Allow dumplings to steam for 12 minutes.

Stuffed Zucchini

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I inherited this recipe from my husband after we were married. It’s super easy, quick and incorporates lots of food groups (sort of)!

Ingredients:

4 whole zucchinis

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained of excess grease

1 box wild rice (I use Rice A Roni in the 4.3 oz box), cooked

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Divide each zucchini in half. Scoop/cut out the insides, leaving a nice-looking “zucchini boat.”

3. Bake zucchi for 15-20 minutes, just to soften the skin.

4. Layer each zucchini, beginning with meat and then with the rice.

5. Sprinkle as much of the mozzarella on top as possible!

6. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.