English Toffee

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Butter
• 1 1/4 cup Sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Water
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/4 cup Sliced Almonds or pecan chips
  
• 1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring to boil the butter, water and sugar on medium heat.

2. When you reach a boil add the vanilla and almonds. Stir constantly.

If you have a thermometer- you want it to reach 300 degrees. (I will do 310 degrees next time for a hard crack toffee. It was still a little soft at 300 degrees)
Without a thermometer- You will boil for about 15 minutes. Watch the toffee carefully. It will get really bubbly/marshmallowy like then it will collapse. After it collapses, it will be done in a couple minutes. You want to take it off the heat when it turns a light brown color. (little darker than the picture below). It will taste burnt if you cook it too long.

I think next time I will use half the butter because there was a lot of excess butter when I was done cooking it, so I drained it out. I am going to use 1 cup of sugar instead of 1 1/4 cup too.

3. When done cooking the toffee, immediately spread
it onto a baking sheet.

4. Melt the Chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes
(or until melted) stirring every 30 seconds. Spread onto toffee and sprinkle with nuts.

5. When it is set- crack into pieces.

*** Here I am talking like I know how to make toffee.... I really don't!!! I have never made toffee before or any holiday candy! This toffee turned out a little soft for my liking, but it was still good. My family ate it all anyway! This recipe is very simple and good, but I remember my Mom's Toffee tasting so super good, so I will have to get her recipe sometime!

Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• Cooked Chicken (cubed)
  
• FROZEN Home Style Egg Noodles
• diced Celery, Carrots and Onion
• Seasoning: Chicken Bouillon, Basil, Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring large pot of water to boil with the bouillon cubes.
2. Cook chicken in pot. Remove chicken from pot when cooked through.
3. Add the noodles, vegetables and seasoning to the same pot of water.
4. Cube the chicken and return to the pot when the noodles are tender.
   
5. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
   

Grandma's Bread & Rolls

This is my 2nd attempt in making my Grandma's Rolls. It went a lot smoother this time!

INGREDIENTS:

• Dissolve- 3 Tbsp. Dry Yeast (I think it measured out to 3 1/2 pkts.), 1 Tbsp. Sugar & 3/4 cup of warm water & let stand until active.
  
• 1 cup powdered milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 handful salt (about 3 tsp.)
• 4 eggs
• approximately 15 cups flour
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix pwd. milk, sugar, salt and the active yeast in the mixer. Then add 4 cups hot water.
   Add 8 cups of the flour to the mixer and add 5 more cups of flour by hand (knead dough gently). ***I added the extra 1 1/2 cups when rolling out the dough.

2. Let rise twice. Keep covered with towel.

3. Roll Dough to 1/2 inch thickness
and cut out with drinking glass (like cookie cutter).

4. Dip rolls into the butter & fold in half.
Place on baking sheet.

5. Let the dough rise again.

6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
This recipe will make two pans 8 by 4 rows.

Pumpkin Bread

This recipe is a big batch, it makes 3 large loaf pans.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups Pumpkin Puree (about 1 lrg. can)
• 1 1/2 cups oil
• 4 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 4 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1-2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix: pumpkin, oil, sugar and eggs.
   
2. Combine: the rest of the dry ingredients together in separate bowl.
3. Blend the two mixtures together and stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Bake @ 350 for 50-60 minutes.

*I loved this recipe I found online. It is so easy and dang good! I like how most of the dry ingredients are the same measurement. I added chocolate chips to the recipe because chocolate is the best and it makes everything taste good!

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/double-layer-pumpkin-pie-54636.aspx

I made this recipe last year for Thanksgiving. I am not a big pumpkin pie fan and when I tried this pie it was so super good!!! I am making it again this year. It is very easy to make and it is a NO BAKE pie!! So awesome...

Tuna Casserole

I got this from the Blake Family Recipes (I hope they don't mind me sharing it!). It is Sunny's Mother in law's recipe. I have never made a tuna casserole before and I don't remember having it growing up. This recipe is perfect! It is so yummy and I really like how easy it is to make! I love new recipes and I get so excited to bake them! Weird I know, but I love to cook!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package egg noodles
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 empty soup can milk
• 2 cans tuna
• green onion (added this ingredient because I love green onion!)
  
• grated cheddar cheese
  
• crushed potato chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil the egg noodles (I used 16 oz. box of Rotini, spiral noodles).
2. Mix together soup, milk, sliced green onion and tuna.
3. Drain the noodles and pour into a 9x13 dish.
   
4. Combine the soup mixture and the noodles. Add more milk if needed.
   
5. Top with grated cheese and crushed potato chips. Bake @ 350 for 1/2 hour.

TIP: I used what I had in the pantry, so I used Sour Cream and Onion potato chips. It was so good! It went really well with the casserole and seasoned it just right! I may try adding peas or corn to it next time, but I don't know it is pretty dang good the way it is! Thanks for the recipe Blake Family!

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

My SIL (Alisha) made these cookies for a reunion and she gave me the recipe. I had forgotten about it until I was digging through my recipes and found it!! You really have to try this recipe! It is the ultimate cookie!! Oh and Alisha added nuts and peanut butter chips when she made hers and it was super good!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended.
   
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened.
   
4. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips. Spoon onto lightly greased cookie sheet.
   
5. Bake for 11 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Let cookies cool before you eat them- tastes better cooled!

* IMPORTANT: Make sure you combine the ingredients according to the order of the directions.

Makes 3-4 Dozen Cookies