SUNNY Sunday!

Amazing – we’ve had several WARM days together! (well – I suppose I should clarify that: FRIDAY was an AMAZING warm day – it actually got up to 50 DEGREES! Today it’s sunny and 25 degrees.) I was SO happy to see WARM sunshine – it was melting the multitudes of snow/ice masses! All the snow is off of our roof, off the driveway, sidewalk, etc – you can drive and not worry about sliding – very little ice on the roads – YAY! Oh, on another ‘car’ related subject: how are your gas prices? Friday was ‘go get grandson’ day and I decided I would stop at a Meijer gas station close to his bus stop: the price was great: $3.52/9 BUT they were lined up 3 deep at each pump and I only had about 10 extra minutes before the bus was due. Across the street at Speedway was the same thing/same price – sigh . . . passed them both by. Yesterday I went on line to see who had the best prices and (yesterday) Meijer here (3 minutes from my house) they were $3.59/9; I couldn’t go at the time but thought I’d get it on the way home from church today. After church we drove by, only to discover they were sitting at (what seems like) the ‘standard’ price for my area: $3.62/9; ended up passing that up and going to Clark – same price -sigh. Sometimes ya just can’t win.

Friday/Grandson went well; I had purchased a nifty $1.00 ‘craft’ for him to do (a plastic mug with an insert; the insert is an all-black scratch paper – you scratch off the design you want and underneath the black is multi-colored rainbow effect so that your ‘design’ is in color on an all black background.) He ended up deciding to do that one some other time; he just wanted to draw and color! He ‘created’ and I worked on thinking up new Logo designs for middle son’s LAST Art Design project; came up with a couple he might use.

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Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cake
(crockpot)

1 box yellow cake mix
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 C. water
3/4 C. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (6 oz) box chocolate pudding mix
4 oz. chocolate chips
4 oz. cinnamon chips
–
Spray insides of crockpot with nonstick
spray. In large bowl combine dry cake
mix, pudding mix, choc. & cinnamon
chips; stir well. Add softened cream cheese,
water, vegetable oil & eggs in bowl; stir
well. Pour mixture into crockpot and
cook on High 3 hours. Let cool 10-15
minutes. Place a large plate on top of
crockpot opening. Invert crockpot and
cake should easily slide out onto plate.

(recipe: fromvalskitchen.com)
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Chicken Tortilla Casserole

12 corn tortillas
1 (26 oz) can cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
1 C. salsa
1 lb. chicken, cooked & shredded
4 oz. shredded taco cheese
1 (1 oz) taco seasoning mix packet
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Combine soup, sour cream & taco mix
in saucepan; heat, mixing well. Spray
9 X 13 pan with nonstick spray. Cut
tortillas into strips or pieces; place in
bottom of prepared pan (about the size
of corn chips). Remove soup mix from heat;
stir in chicken & salsa. Pour contents of
saucepan over tortilla pieces, making sure
to cover them all. Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted &
starting to brown. Let stand 10 minutes
before serving.

(recipe: fromvalskitchen.com)
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Meatball Rice Soup

3 (14.5 oz, ea) cans beef broth
6 C. water
4 C. rice*
1 (12 oz) bag frozen steamable mixed
vegetables
1 lb. ground beef
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
–
Add beef broth & water to large pot,
bring to boil. Place gr. beef, parsley, onion
powder & garlic powder in large bowl; mix
well & form mixture into small meatballs.
Add rice to water & cook 5 minutes. Partially
cook vegetables (microwave 3 minutes). Remove
rice bags from water, leave broth/water there. Add
meatballs, tomatoes & onion soup to pot & cook
8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice & vegetables;
cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.

*Poster used Success white rice BAGS

(recipe: fromvalskitchen.com)
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Buttery Breadstick Biscuits

2 T. butter or margarine
3/4 C. flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 C. milk
–
Preheat oven 450 degrees F.
Heat butter in 9 X 9 X 2 square pan in
oven until melted. Mix flour, sugar,
baking powder & salt in medium bowl.
Add milk; stir with fork about 30 strokes
or just until soft dough forms. Turn dough
onto well-floured surface; roll dough around
to coat with flour. Knead lightly about 10
times then roll or pat into 8″ square. Cut
dough into 9 strips with floured knife. Dip
each strip into melted butter, coating both
sides. Arrange strips close together in pan.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve hot. Makes 9 strips.

(recipe: Rhonda G-Betty Crocker/Marys
Recipe Exchange)
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Creamy Kielbasa/Kraut Surprise

(Serves 2)

1 small bag frozen sauerkraut, drained
1 small carrot – shredded
1 small onion, diced
1 ring smoked kielbasa sliced into
rounds or diced
1 large onion, sliced
4 oz. sour cream
2 slices bacon
–
In large frying pan add bacon, cook on
medium-high heat until cooked. Remove
& chop up, return to pan. Add sauerkraut,
carrot & small onion to pan; cook until
translucent & soft. Add kielbasa; stir until
cooked. Add large onion & cook until all
onions are translucent. Lower heat to
medium-low & add sour cream; stir to
combine. Cook until sour cream is creamy
throughout pan. Mix well & lower heat to
simmer; simmer 10 minutes. Serves 2

(recipe: Rosemarie-justapinch.com)
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Sundried Tomato-Parmesan Peas

1 1/2 C. frozen peas
1/4 C. (Kraft) Sun-dried Tomato vinaigrette
salad dressing*
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
–
Cook peas as directed on pkg.; drain. Toss
with dressing & cheese. Makes 2 (3/4 C. ea)
servings.

*can substitute zesty Italian salad dressing

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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Stuffed Egg Muffin
(appetizer)

1 (6 oz) pkg. stuffing mix for chicken
1 dozen eggs
3 T. real bacon bits
1/2 C. shredded Colby/Monterey
Jack cheeses
–
Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
Prepare stuffing mix accordg to box,
omitting the ‘stand’ time. Press 1/4
C. stuffing onto bottom & up sides of
each of 12 muffin cups sprayed with
nonstick cooking spray, forming a
1/4 inch rim around top of cup. Place
muffin pan on baking sheet. Add 1 egg
to each cup; top with bacon & cheese.
Bake 20 minutes or until whites are firm
and yolks are cooked to desired doneness.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 24.

NOTE: Run knife around edges of muffin cups
to make it easier to remove the baked cups
from pan.
Can be made ahead of time. Prepare recipe
as directed; cool completely. Refrigerate
until ready to serve. To reheat: wrap 2 muffins
in waxed paper; microwave on High 15 seconds
or just until warmed. Repeat with rest of muffins
as needed.

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake

Crumble topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, softened

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, but do not thaw!)

Preheat oven 375 degrees.
Grease a 9 inch square pan and set aside. In a medium bowl,
combine the first 6 ingredients, mixing together with a
fork until crumbly; set aside. In another medium bowl,
stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, cream together the remaining butter and
sugar. Blend in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Blend in
the flour mixture and cream alternately, beginning and
ending with the flour (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Fold in
the blueberries. (The dough is quite stiff, so be patient as
you’re folding in the berries! Don’t mush them up!)
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle
with the crumble topping. Bake for 50-60 minutes,
until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes
out clean. Cool, and cut into 9 large squares.

(recipe: Facebook)
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Hot Chicken Salad

3 C. cooked, cubed chicken
1 C. celery, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. green pepper, chopped
1 small jar pimento, drained
2 T. lemon juice
1 C. mayonnaise
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
2-3 C. crushed potato chips
1/2 to 3/4 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 C. slivered almonds
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, mix all ingredients except
cheese, potato chips & almonds; mix well.
Place in a 9 X 13 baking dish that has been
sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle cheese
on top of mixture, then top with crushed
potato chips & almonds. Bake 30 minutes,
until bubbly. Serves 8+

(recipe: Cathie-justapinch.com)
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Double Banana Pudding Cake

1 (2 layer) pkg. yellow cake mix
1 1/2 C. mashed fully ripe bananas (about
3), divided
1/2 C. chopped walnuts
2 (3.4 oz, ea) pkgs. vanilla INSTANT pudding mix
2 C. cold milk
1/4 C. water
2 T. powdered sugar
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Prepare cake batter accordg. to pkg directions.
Stir in 1/2 C. bananas & nuts. Pour into 9 X 13
baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Beat
pudding mixers, milk & water in medium bowl
with whisk 2 minutes; stir in remaining bananas.
Pour over batter in dish; place on baking sheet*.
Bake 55 minutes – 1 hour or until toothpick inserted
into center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes.
Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. Sprinkle top
with sugar. Serve warm. Serves 16

*baking sheet is used to catch an sauce that might
bubble over sides of dish as the dessert bakes

(recipe: Kraft foods)
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That’s the news from around here; finished the crocheted Diagonal Box afghan (still trying to decide if I want to crochet a white border around it, or not). One of my friends in Sunday School asked a few weeks ago if I was still knitting baby hats – she wanted to participate. Today she gave me a bag of 26 hats! (She didn’t know this was not a ‘knit group’ project, just me doing it – she wants to continue . . . I’m ALL for it! Will call the hospital tomorrow and set up a delivery date; by my ‘estimate’ that will be around 70+ hats this time! (about 10 of those were knit byanother friend of mine in the knit group – I’ve got great friends who love doing charity work . . me, too).

Enjoy your day – since it’s officially “SPRING FORWARD” Time Change day – take an extra nap if you need it! (Our Sunday School teacher mentioned that our class was unusually QUIET today – someone in the back commented: “It’s because we’re all still asleep!”

Hugs;

Pammie