My favorite gingerbread man recipe

Pretzel raspberry salad/jello

This is my sister in law Steph's recipe. Boy is it delicious. It's requested at every family party and everyone loves. It's like candy;). I like it because it's different

easy slow cooker pot roast

This is not the most healthy recipe-with the lipton onion soup, but its served me well multiple times on sundays. I start it around 8 and it's done around 5-6 depending on the weight of the roast. I like to add lots more vegetables. If I say, double, the vegetables, then I sometimes add another lipton onion soup packet and more water...like 3/4 cup. could make a gravy, but we like it as is most of the time.
 




http://allrecipes.com/recipe/16346/maries-easy-slow-cooker-pot-roast/

Creamy Broccoli Salad with Bacon, Cheddar & Almonds

this is a very forgiving salad. I didn't put any cheese, added craisins and used green onions instead of red. I could have done sunflower seeds inplace of almonds, but didn't have any. It takes quite a bit of broccoli. click on the title to be directed the website.

Creamy Broccoli Salad with Bacon, Cheddar & Almonds

By Jennifer Segal

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey or sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Salad

• 9 cups broccoli florets, cut into small, bite-sized pieces (you'll need about 2 pounds of broccoli crowns)
• 1 cup lightly packed grated sharp cheddar cheese, best quality
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 6 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired

Instructions

1. Make the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheddar cheese and red onions. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Can be made up to this point several hours ahead of time.)
3. Right before serving, cook the bacon according to the package instructions. Drain on paper towels, then crumble into small pieces over the salad. Add the almonds and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve cold or room temperature.
4. Note: Broccoli crowns are trimmed just under the broccoli head, whereas broccoli bunches have stalks that are about 5 inches in length. If you can only find bunches, be sure to buy a bit extra to account for the weight of the stalk.

Addie's apple caramel bars

Addie's apple caramel bars

We adjusted a recipe because Addie and I were in a hurry one night for a FHE treat. and OH BOY were we pleasantly surprised to find this quick and simple YUMMY bar. I had to half the recipe (used an 8X8 pan) and only did a tiny bit on the top crumble layer. When it was done, I felt like it needed some filler since we didn't do a big top layer, so we served it over chopped green apple and added whipping cream to the top. Oh, so, good. (oh! and you can also put caramel syrup on the top)
here is the original recipe
I tried doing the whole recipe again last night and we didn't like it quite as much as when I halved it. Something may have gone wrong...but I'm not sure what yet... i'll keep you posted. it was good, just maybe too buttery...

Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

I just made these yesterday and we loved them. I used the frozen mixed berries instead of straight blueberries like in this recipe. 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

YIELD: 12-14 MUFFINS

My preference when using whole wheat flour in baking recipes is to use the hard white wheat variety. Any whole wheat flour can be used but red wheat will make the muffins slightly more dense and hearty. All-purpose flour could be subbed for the whole wheat, if needed.

You could try using yogurt or sour cream in place of the buttermilk but I haven't tried it so I'm not sure how it would work. Making your own buttermilk is really easy if you don't keep it on hand. If you buy/make milk kefir, I've made these muffins using that instead of buttermilk, also, and it works great.

Also, these were deliciously and lightly sweet with the 3/4 cup brown sugar. You could certainly try cutting back the sugar even more or subbing in honey or another type of sweetener - have fun experimenting!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 2/3 cups (8.25 ounces) whole wheat flour (see note above)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (click here for three simple ways to make your own buttermilk)
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
• 3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) brown sugar (see note above)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, buttermilk, coconut oil (or butter), brown sugar and egg until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the center of the wet mixture and toss the blueberries right on top of the flour mixture.
4. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the ingredients together gently but quickly until just combined (over mixing might cause the muffins to be dense instead of light and fluffy). It's ok if the batter is slightly lumpy; it will be thick.
5. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners (lightly grease the paper liners, if using). Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack.http://www.melskitchencafe.com/pumpkin-blueberry-muffins/

It is a tradition every year to make this on Halloween.  I do it because it is an easy meal and is festive.  I like to add extra chili pepper seasoning and salt and pepper at the end to taste. I didn't have a 46 oz can of tomato juice this last time so I added 5 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce. It turned out fine.
 

Pumpkin Chili

• Prep
  20 m
• Cook
  1 h
• Ready In
  1 h 20 m

Recipe By:BMWRIGHT69

"My hometown has a pumpkin festival every year and this is one of the recipes our family enjoys."

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice

• 1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook beef until brown; drain. Stir in onion and bell pepper and cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes and pumpkin puree. Season with pumpkin pie spice, chili powder and sugar. Simmer 1 hour.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2015 Allrecipes.com
Printed From Allrecipes.com 11/3/2015

Seseme Chicken Potstickers

http://damndelicious.net/2014/08/08/sesame-chicken-potstickers/?m

I could not get my phone to copy so it's just the link this time. Some of the things I did different was use cooked shredded pork, used Asian star brand oil instead of sesame, used black pepper instead of white, and I would have liked to double the green onions.
She says you don't have to cook the meat first but I felt better knowing mine was cooked in case. I think this recipe would be great vegetarian too by using cabbage, mushrooms, and green onions for the filling.
I had trouble finding won ton wrappers at first but finally found them in the refrigerated veggie section by the mushrooms.
This was fun to try something new, especially since I had shredded pork to use somehow.

Bacon Mushroom Spinach Frittata

We had this for dinner and I liked cooking something different to mix it up. It wasn't too hard either which is nice. Next time I would love to add chopped green onions and serve with hash browns and oranges. http://damndelicious.net/2015/02/02/bacon-mushroom-spinach-frittata/?m

Bacon Mushroom Spinach Frittata

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Yield 4 servings

So quick, so easy and so perfect as a quick weeknight dinner or fancy brunch - and you can make it ahead of time too!

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Dash of hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 slices bacon, diced-Beth used crumbled bacon from Costco
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced-Beth feels there were too many mushrooms and that 4 0z. Would be better. 
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 Roma tomato, diced

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, basil, oregano, thyme and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
• Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes, reserving 1 tablespoon excess fat. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add garlic and mushrooms to the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 3-4 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in spinach and tomato until the spinach begins to wilt, about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in egg mixture and bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons, until well combined. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 2 minutes. Top with remaining bacon.
• Place into oven and bake until top is set and golden brown, about 14-15 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Fudge Coconut Oil Brownie Bites--made a little healthier

Fudgy Coconut Oil Brownie Bites

Yield: Makes 40-48 brownie bites

If you have the inclination for only 20-24 brownie bites instead of 40-48 (just don't tell me), this recipe should halve just fine. 

Also, several in the comments have said that their little brownie bites are sticking to the pan. I use a nonstick mini muffin pan and haven't had that issue, but if you want to play it safe, grease the tin really well (and if you have it, use that nifty cooking spray + flour; I use Baker's Joy brand and it works wonders for baked goods not sticking) and several have suggested letting them cool before removing from the tin.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut oil (8 ounces)
• 2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (12 ounces)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar (7 ounces)--Beth accidentally only added 1/4 c. It should have been a 1/2 c. Since I was cutting the recipe. I don't remember complaining so I guess it was fine. 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour (5 ounces) Beth used wheat

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin (24-capacity) with cooking spray. (The recipe makes 40-48 so you'll bake two batches unless you've halved the recipe.)
2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, heat the coconut oil and chocolate chips for 1-minute increments at 50-75% power, stirring inbetween, until the mixture is melted and combined when stirred together. Don't overheat the mixture, just microwave until the chocolate melts and it comes together - it shouldn't be overly hot.
3. Stir in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. 
4. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well. 
5. Stir in the salt and flour until combined. 
6. Fill the mini muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full (you can get pretty near the top and still be ok). 
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes until just barely cooked through. The edges will be bubbling lightly with coconut oil; that's ok. As they cool, they'll set up perfectly.

This is recipe I found that I had made a long time ago. I halved the recipe and cooked it as brownies in an 8x8 pan for 30-40 minutes until not wet inside. 

Tangy Raspberry Fool

THIS recipe from martha stewart is pretty darn good. Being that we have raspberries from our garden and all that cream I paid mom to conveniently pick up for me from Logan, I'm excited to share this dessert. Here's a good go-to recipe that's super quick for FHE. Judd made it for the fam last night and added shredded chocolate that I thought added the perfect touch

Ingredients

• 1 bag (10 ounces) frozen raspberries, thawed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Coarse salt
• 2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. In a blender (or hand blender), combine raspberries, granulated sugar, and pinch of salt and puree until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing on solids (discard seeds).(I don't think judd did that...)
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and confectioners' sugar on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Beat in lemon juice. In six small glasses, alternate layers of raspberry puree and whipped cream. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, gently swirl whipped cream and puree together. Smooth tops and serve immediately.

Grilled caprese chicken

Ooo!  My first contribution to this website!  Yippee!

We had friends over last night and served this for the first time.  It was a great way to use our garden tomatoes AND basil from the garden.  It was sooo delicious!  Worth a share.  One thing I did differently was marinate the breasts for about 45 minutes in some olive garden salad dressing.  Not sure if it made a big difference, but I did it.

Grilled Caprese Chicken

YIELD: SERVES 4-6

Note: The chicken breasts should be on the thinner side of things. If you have gargantuan, thick chicken breasts, slice them in half horizontally, giving you two thinner chicken breasts. All in all, you should end up with 4-6 thinner pieces of chicken. Also, look for tomatoes that are ripe but still firm so they will hold their shape on the grill.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices, halved, and patted dry
• 4 chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (see note above)
• 2 large tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine the basil, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil until it is thoroughly incorporated. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to a bowl and toss in the fresh mozzarella pieces, coating the cheese with the vinaigrette. Set aside. Reserve the remaining vinaigrette for the cooked chicken.
2. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken and tomatoes on a hot charcoal or gas grill until the chicken is browned and cooked through and the tomatoes are lightly charred, about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of your chicken and heat of the grill). Transfer the cooked chicken to a platter. Top with the tomato slices and drizzle with the reserved vinaigrette. Cover the chicken with an even layer of mozzarella and tent the platter loosely with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Serve.

French Canadian Tourtieres Recipe

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/french-canadian-tourtieres
I had to save this dinner Julie sent me because it was soooo good and was so different than what I usually make. I want to make it again sometime. She said that she cut the recipe in half so it made two pies and used a pound of ground turkey, one pound of ground beef, and one pound of pork instead of the meat that was called for in the recipe.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 45 min. Bake: 40 min.

MAKES:32 servings

Ingredients

• 4 celery ribs
• 4 medium carrots
• 2 large onions
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 pounds ground pork
• 2 pounds ground veal
• 2 pounds bulk Jimmy Dean® Premium Pork Sausage Roll
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• Pastry for four double-crust pies (9 inches)

Directions

1. Coarsely chop the celery, carrots and onions; place in a food processor with garlic. Cover and process until finely chopped; set aside.
2. In a stockpot or two Dutch ovens, cook vegetables, pork, veal and sausage until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in broth, parsley and seasonings. Reduce heat; cover and cook on low 20 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. Line four 9-in. pie plates with bottom crusts; trim pastry even with edges. Fill each with about 4 cups filling. Roll out remaining pastry to fit tops of pies; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. 
4. Cover edges of remaining pies loosely with foil. Bake at for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; remove foil and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until crusts are golden brown. 
   Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked pies. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Preheat oven to 400°. Place pie on a baking sheet; cover edge loosely with foil. Bake 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° remove foil and bake 50-60 minutes longer or until crusts are golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°. Yield: 4 pies (8 servings each). 

Chicken Fajitas

We loved these. It was a great replacement to the packets I used to buy. We didn't follow the instructions that well. We just mixed the seasonings in a bowl, put in the veggies and chicken, and cooked it on the grill. We used Costco's rotisserie chicken for the chicken so it was even faster.

12 Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced 
• 8 small tortillas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Make fajita seasoning: Whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast-iron grill pan or frying pan over medium-high heat. 
4. Add chicken and sprinkle with 3/4 of fajita seasoning. Mix together and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, or until browned.
5. In a second pan, heat remaining2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add peppers and onion. Stir in remaining fajita seasoning. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. While veggies and meat are cooking, wrap tortillas in tin foil and warm in oven.
7. To assemble fajitas, fill warmed tortillas with chicken, peppers, and onions. Top with favorite garnishes.

BY KELLI DUNNhttp://greatist.com/eat/recipes/chicken-fajitas