How to Make Cheap and Easy Biscuits

This recipe is super easy and tastes great.  

Make Your Own Peanut Butter Cups: Only 3 Intredients! Super Easy!

No one needs to Buy Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.  Make Your Own!  It is Fast and Easy and has only three ingredients:  Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chips and Powdered Sugar.

Homemade Stuffing: Great for the Holidays!

The holidays are around the corner.  This video shows how to make homemade stuffing.  Use your own recipe and make it the way you want.  It is easier than you think!

Best Quinoa Burgers/Patties: Kid-Friendly and Liked by Quinoa Haters

 

Quinoa is NOT one of my favorite foods.  In fact, I was happy to never eat quinoa again until I tried a couple of recipes that totally changed my mind.  This recipe is an original, and I think you will be amazed at how good they are.  

Quinoa Burgers/Patties

1/2 cup dry quinoa

1 cup water

Rinse your quinoa first before cooking.  Trust me, it makes a difference.  In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and the water and a little bit of salt and bring it to a boil.  After it starts to boil, turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until done.  The quinoa pops and looks different when it is cooked.  The video will show you the difference between the two.  

Let the quinoa cool and then put it into a medium-size bowl.  

I added some sautéed onions and a little garlic to mine since we have a lot from our garden.  It isn't necessary, but does add a nice flavor.  

Add 1/2 teaspoon each of the following:  salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika.

Add 4 teaspoons of dried parsley.

Add 3/4 cup bread crumbs. (I just toast 2-3 pieces of whatever bread I have in the house and then pulse it in the food processor to make crumbs.) Give the mixture a big stir after you add the bread crumbs.  

Add 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese. (This tastes best with parmesan, but if you don't have any, I would use whatever grated cheese you have and see if you like it.  it will change the taste, depending on the cheese you use.  You may even like it better with another type of cheese.  

Add 3 eggs and mix everything together.  

In a non-stick skillet, griddle, or pan, put in a few tablespoons of oil and start heating it up.  Make patties one at a time and put them right into the pan until there is full layer across the bottom.

Cook the patties for 6-8 minutes on each side and add additional oil if needed.  When these patties are finished cooking, take them off the griddle and put them on top of a paper towel to soak up any extra grease.  Shape and cook the remaining patties until they are done.    

You will be surprised at how good these little burgers/patties are!

 

Crumbl Cookie Clone: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I like a lot of the cookies that Crumbl makes.  The only thing that bothers me is paying so much money for only one cookie.  So, I thought I would figure out how to do it myself and made over a dozen cookies for the price of only one.  I bought all of my ingredients on sale, so I really didn't spend any more than the cost of one cookie at Crumbl.  

Video:

Recipe:

Mix these dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

4 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

In a mixing bowl, mix the following:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated white sugar

After it is mixed well, add:

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 egg

one 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling mix, just the plain pumpkin puree)

When the above ingredients are mixed well, add the dry ingredients.  

Then add 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  

Place parchment paper on top of your cookie sheets and use a 1/3 cup of dough for each cookie.  You can make them bigger or smaller if you prefer, but the 1/3 cup makes the cookies the same size as the ones at Crumbl cookies.  I put 6 cookies on a regular-size cookie sheet.  Bake them at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.  Take them out of the oven and leave them on the tray for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  I use two different cookie sheets when I make these and alternate having one cook while one cools.  This recipe will make about 14-16 cookies.  

How to Make the BEST HASH BROWNS

We love hash browns.  In this video, we share how we make the best hash browns, that people ask for time after time when the visit.  

How to Make Brown Sugar: Only 2 Ingredients!

No Brown Sugar?  No Problem!  Try making your own using only two ingredients!

Homemade Applesauce - Instant Pot

Try this fast and easy recipe making applesauce in an Instant Pot.

Striped Rice Krispie Treats : How to Make These Easy, Fun Treats

Rice Krispie Treats are an all time favorite.  In this video, we demonstrate how to make them with stripes, which look so cool and fun!  

Tiropsono: Greek Cheese Bread

 This morning I made Tiropsomo.  It is a Greek cheese bread, made with feta cheese.  It turned out so well!  There are two different ways you can make it: the lazy way and the traditional way.  

Recipe:

1 cup lukewarm water

2 teaspoons yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 cup lukewarm milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

scant 1/3 cup olive oil

3 1/2 to 4 cups flour, added a little at a time

Feta cheese - about 2 cups, give or take

Oregano - optional

Start by putting 1 cup of lukewarm water into a mixing bowl.  Add two teaspoons of yeast and one and a half teaspoons of sugar.  Mix slightly and let this sit for about 10 minutes until it starts to bubble.  

The add 3/4 cup of lukewarm milk.  I heated mine in the microwave for about 20 seconds to take the chill out of the milk.  Then add one and a half teaspoons of salt and a scant 1/3 cup of olive oil.  Mix slightly.

Add flour, one cup at a time for the first three cups of flour.  It is not smart to add all your flour at once.  You can always add more flour if you need to, but once the flour is already added, you can't take it out.  After you add the first three cups, add in just a little bit of flour at a time until your dough feels like it is the right consistency.  Knead the dough for about 10 minutes.  It is better to have it be a little sticky and add flour later than to make it too dry.  I used a total of about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour for my bread dough.  This amount will vary depending on the type of flour you use.  Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.  Let it rise for about an hour, or until doubled.

In the video, I demonstrate two different ways to make Tiropsomo.  There is the lazy way and the traditional way.  If you make it the lazy way, you just mix a little bit of olive oil, a little oregano and some feta cheese into your dough and fold it or mix it in.  Then grease a round, oven safe pan/dish and place parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.   Put your dough into the pan and press it down.  Cover it with plastic wrap and a towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes.  I usually preheat my oven a few minutes before it is done rising.  Take off the plastic wrap and the towel and bake the bread at 375 degrees for 22-30 minutes, depending on how hot your oven cooks, or until it is lightly brown on top.  Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool before eating.

The traditional way is a little different.  First, cover a cookie sheet or pie pan with parchment paper.  Put some olive oil on your hard surface and your rolling pin so the dough won't stick or become to dry like it might if you were to use flour instead.  Roll the dough out into a circle.  Place crumbled feta cheese all over the surface, except for about an inch around the whole edge of the circle.  Bring the sides together in the middle and press them together.  Flip the dough over onto your cookie sheet/pan that already has parchment paper on it.  Cover the dough with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes.   I usually preheat my oven the last 10 minutes of the rising time of the bread. Take off the plastic wrap and bake the bread at 400 degrees for about 20-26 minutes, depending on how hot your oven bakes, or until the bread is nicely brown.  Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool.  Enjoy!  This bread really tastes great, and you will be glad you took the time to make it.  I can promise you that!  

Homemade Granola: Easy to Make - Try It!

 I love homemade granola, made just how I like it.  I get to choose what it is in it and only the things I want.  Personalized granola - it's my kind of thing.  I made up this recipe recently and hope you will enjoy it as well.  

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 chopped nuts of your choice:  almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, etc.  You can also add sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or coconut.

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup honey

2/3 cup dried fruit, if desired, to be added after it cooks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix oats, salt and nuts together in a bowl.

In a small pan, warm up the oil, brown sugar, vanilla and honey slightly.

Pour oil and honey mixture over the oat mixture.

Stir together.

Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread the oat mixture on it.

Bake at 350 for about 14-16 minutes, stirring once half way through the time period so the granola will cook evenly.  

Take the granola out of the oven and add dried fruit, if desired.  Mix together well.  Let the granola cool and then put it into a container.  

How to Make Proja: Serbian Cornbread

 I have been having fun making breads from other countries lately.  This Serbian Cornbread is easy to make.  I personally prefer sweeter cornbreads, and wanted to add a little more salt and some sugar to it, but in order to make an authentic recipe I refrained from doing so.  This cornbread is not sweet, so if you like sweeter cornbreads, check out my video on Marie Callender's Cornbread.  If you like a southern style cornbread, you would probably like this recipe.  These are basically corn muffins with feta cheese in them.  They are great to go with some homemade soup, and lots of fun to just try something new.

Recipe Ingredients:

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup corn flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

Scant 1/2 cup oil

Scant 1/2 cup plain yogurt

Around a 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Spinach, if desired

Sesame seeds, if desired

How to Make Greek Puff Bread (Lavas)

 Over the holidays, we went to a Greek restaurant.  They served us some puff bread, and I thought it was so cool that I had to come home and figure out how to make it.  It is pretty easy to make and it is so fun to watch the bread puff up.  I have made this with white flour and with 100 percent whole wheat flour.  It worked perfectly each time.  

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

2 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Water to fill the rest of one cup after putting in oil first

Put the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  In a 1 cup measuring cup, put in one tablespoon of olive oil.  Add warm,NOT hot water to equal one cup total.  Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix well.  Let the dough mix for 12-15 minutes.  Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed, part way through.

Gather up the dough into a ball and place it back into your bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and then a towel.  Let this rise for 50-60 minutes.

Divide the dough into between 4-8 parts, depending on how big you want your puff bread to be.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a towel and let it rise for 15 minutes.  Plastic wrap gets moisture on it when bread rises, so make sure the plastic wrap is dry if you are using the same plastic wrap you used previously.

Roll out the dough.  If it is too thin, it will be crispy.  If it is too thick, it will be doughy and probably won't puff up.  It may a few tries to figure out the right thickness.  You can see my the video how I make mine.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a towel and let it sit for another 15 minutes.  I usually heat my pan on a medium heat when I start the last timer for 15 minutes.  I would suggest a cast iron type pan, but in the video I tried a non-stick pan as well, and they both worked fine.  I feel hesitant to heat up a non-stick pan for 15 minutes.  I usually heat it up for less time and keep a close eye on it.  Why do you heat up the pan ahead of time?  Well, you want it to be hot when you put the dough into the pan.

Put one loaf of dough into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Be careful not to cut into or break the air bubble as it starts to rise.  You also need to be careful when turning it over.  

I used to make pita puff bread in the oven, but I feel like I have more control when I do it on a burner.  I love to watch it puff up and it tastes so yummy!  Sometimes you may have a loaf that doesn't puff up properly.  While it may be disappointing when this happens, the bread still tastes really good.

Recipe for My Favorite Greek Rice

 We spent Christmas with family in Florida.  While we were there, we were able to go out to a Greek restaurant.  When they brought the food, I recognized the rice they served us as the same rice that I had growing up.

This video shows how to make the Greek rice.  It is very easy to make.  

Best Homemade 100 Percent Whole Wheat Tortillas Ever!

 I tried making whole wheat tortillas a couple of years ago.  One recipes was so greasy; another was so dry.  I just gave up.  I wanted a tortilla the other day, and I didn't want to pay $5 for a pkg. in the store, so I decided to face the whole wheat tortilla giant again.  It worked this time and they tasted great.  The only problem was that I didn't measure the ingredients.  So, today, I tried again.  It worked!  So, here is the recipe, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.  They are pliable and healthy, don't taste greasy,  and they don't fall apart when you roll them up.  

2 cups WHITE wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup hot water plus an additional 3 more Tablespoons of hot water

3 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Mix the dry ingredients first.  Add the water and oil.  Mix it as well as you can with a spoon.  Be very careful when you start to mix it by hand.  The dough can be quite hot and you don't want to burn yourself.  I will let mine sit a minute or two to let it cool if it is too hot.  

The dough will be just a tad sticky.  Don't worry about it.  Divide the dough into 8 parts and just knead it a little.  You will see that the dough isn't as sticky.  Let the dough sit for about 10 minutes while you heat up your non-stick or cast iron pan on a medium heat.  I turn the burner just a tad higher than medium.  Roll out your dough and carefully put it in your HOT frying pan.  If you pan isn't hot enough, tortillas don't cook like they should.  Cook it until you start to see it bubble, and then turn it over.  It should have some little brown spots on it.  Cook it on the other side for a couple of minutes until it starts to have brown spots on the other side as well.  Repeat the process until you are finished.  

I am going to get some hummus and eat it with a tortilla right now!

(I have not made this with red wheat and don't know how it would turn out.  There is a difference between white and red wheat in cooking and this recipe is for white wheat.)

Clam Chowder Recipe

 

Grandma's Knock Off Recipe for Bratten's Clam Chowder

I am not sure where my husband's grandma got this recipe, but it was around before the internet was.  It is a great soup that everyone will enjoy.  

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 cup finely chopped celery

2 cups finely diced potatoes

Enough water to cover vegetables

Juice from Two 61/2 oz. cans clams

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup flour

1 quart Half and Half

Put diced celery, onions, and potatoes into a small saucepan.  Cover with clam juice.  Add enough water to just cover the vegetables and bring to a boil on a medium heat.  Turn down the heat to low and simmer the veggies until done.  In a large heavy soup pot, melt the butter on a medium heat.  Blend in the flour and stir until smooth.  Add the half and half, a little at a time, while stirring constantly until smooth and thick.  Use a whisk.  It makes a difference.  When the sauce is thickened, turn off the burner and add the clams, vegetables including fluid.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

The Best Mac and Cheese Recipe

 I made this recipe yesterday.  It turned out fantastic.  It is definitely worth trying if you want a dish or good tasting Mac and Cheese.

Cook 8 oz. dry elbow macaroni pasta according to the directions on the box.  Drain your pasta and set it aside.

When pasta is cooking, grease the casserole dish you plan to use.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Gather up the following ingredients to use:

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup half and half

2 cups shredded cheese - all or mostly cheddar; maybe some gruyere, but NOT mozzarella.  I usually use up partial packages in my fridge if there are any.  It is just fine to mix it up with some colby or jack cheese as well, but use mostly cheddar.

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (this is different than the mustard in the bottle.  If you have never used it, get some in the bulk section of your store if they have it or borrow some from your neighbor and invite them over to eat with you!)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped, COOKED bacon (you can also use real bacon bits in a package, or you can use ham if you prefer, but real bacon adds a great flavor)

Topping:

3-4 Tablespoons Panko bread crumbs  

3-4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese (I love Parmesan cheese and usually add a bit more!)

Mix the ingredients for the topping in a separate bowl and set it aside.

Make your cheese sauce:

Melt the butter in a pan.  I usually use a frying pan and always use a whisk to stir.

Add the flour and stir.

Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring to avoid lumps.  Add the half and half as well.  

Stir it on a medium-low heat until you bring it just to a boil and/or it starts to thicken.  

Once it thickens, turn the heat down to a simmer and add the cheese.

When the cheese is melted, shut off the burner.  

Add your salt, pepper, dry mustard and paprika.  

Add your pasta and bacon.

Place in a greased casserole dish.

Sprinkle the topping on the Mac and Cheese.

Bake at 425 for about 10--20 minutes until the top starts to turn a light brown and it starts to bubble.

Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly if you can wait to eat it!

Enjoy!

Make Hummus: Fast and Super Easy!

 I was eating hummus way before it became cool.  Instead of peanut butter and jelly, I ate hummus.  It is healthy for you and a great way to eat beans if you are not a fan of them.  Hummus is very easy to make.  I love that you can put in the spices that you want, instead of being stuck with whatever someone else decides.  

The recipe is very easy:

1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 lemons

1/3 cup Tahini

salt and pepper to taste

That is the basic recipe.  I add garlic powder, parsley, Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, etc.  It depends on what I feel like making that day.  I always sprinkle paprika on top.  When it is a special occasion, I will fry up some ground lamb and put it on top with olive oil of course.  Tahini is a bit pricey, but it last for several times.  I don't know that you save a lot of money by making it yourself, but it sure tastes better!

M&M Bar Cookies

 

I had one of these a while back and decided to try to make it myself.  They are so RICH!  You can get your monthly sugar allowance in eating just one of these cookies!  I looked around to find a recipe, but they all were a bit different, so I made up my own from averaging four different recipes.  I will add a video in a day or two so you can see a demonstration of how to make them.  

Here is what I came up with:

Oat cookie mixture:

1 3/4 cups quick oats

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate filling:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 bag milk chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Very Top:  3/4 to 1 cup M&M's

Directions:  

Get out a 9" x 13" pan and either butter it well or use parchment paper.  

Turn on your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients together for the oat cookie mixture.  Set aside about 1/3 of the mixture for the top, and Press the leftover mixture into the bottom of your 9 x 13 pan.  

Get out a 2 quart sauce pan or one of equivalent size.  Heat the condensed milk, chocolate chips and butter together until everything is melted and mixed well.  Take off the heat and add the vanilla and mix well.  

Pour this chocolate filling layer on top of the oat cookie mixture in the pan.  Spread it evenly.

Crumble the remaining 1/3 oat cookie mixture in your hand and sprinkle over the chocolate layer.  

Sprinkle M&M's over the top. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until done.  

Cool and cut, if you can stand waiting!  It doesn't work too well to cut them while they are hot.  I bet you can't figure out how I know that...

Golden Graham Treats: A Bar Cookie That Taste Like Smores!

 I just took these to a potluck lunch today and they were a hit.  People love the taste of graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow together.  It is a classic.  These are super easy to make.