Barbecued Chicken

4 chicken drumsticks, skinned

For the Sauce:
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp. tomato paste blended with 2/3 cup water
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. prepared mustard
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

To make the sauce, place the shallot, garlic, tomato paste mixture, red win vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a jar, cover with the lid, and shake vigorously until well blended. 
Rinse the chicken drumsticks and pat dry with paper towels.  Place the drumsticks in a large ovenproof dish, pour over the and let stand for a least 2 hours, occasionally spooning the sauce over the chicken.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cook the chicken drumsticks in a oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken or turn the chicken over during cooking.

Beef-Lite

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
10 3/4-oz. can 98% fat-free cream of celery soup
10 3/4-oz. can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
cooked rice

Spray slow cooker with fat-free cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve over hot rice.

Healthy Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs. lean beef stew meat, trimmed of fat
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. fresh mushrooms
10 3/4-oz. can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 cup water
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 pkg. no-yolk noodles

Combine all ingredients except sour cream in slow cooker.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Stir in sour cream.  Cook on high for a few minutes to heat sour cream.  Serve over no-yolk noodles.

Snickers-doodles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Snicker candy bars

1.  Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy, about 30 seconds.  Add sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Beat until combined, scraping sides to include all ingredients.  Add egg and vanilla and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in remaining flour.  Cover and chill dough about 1 hour or until it is easy to handle. 

2.  Cut a Snickers or other candy bar into 10-12 equal pieces, each about 1/2- inch square.

3.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place one small piece of candy into the middle of each 1-inch ball of dough.

4.  Mix cinnamon and sugar, and roll balls in the mixture until fully coated.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-11 minutes or until edges are golden.  Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

Bavarian Red Cabbage and Pork Roast

Pork roast
1 small head red cabbage
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
3 Tbsp. butter

Coarsely chop the red cabbage.  Mix all and put in crock pot.  Place the pork roast of top.  Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. 

* This recipe reminded me of growing up with a German mother (Oma). 

Fluffy Rice and Chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of milk
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/3 cup water
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix soup and milk; reserve half the mixture.  Mix the remaining mixture with the rice, water, and  half the onion soup mix.  Pour into 9x13 inch ungreased pan and put chicken on top.  Pour the rest of the soup mixture over chicken and sprinkle with rest of onion soup mix.  Cover pan with tinfoil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

Chocolate Peanutbutter Cake

Chocolate Cake

1 box Devil's Food cake mix (Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
1 small pkg. Jell-o instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pans generously with Pam cooking spray.  In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips.   Batter will be thick.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Pour batter into cake pan of choice.  (I used two 9-inch cake pans).  For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the cake box as a guide and usually add 1 minute to whatever it says.  Then I do the toothpick check, and if it's not done, I check on it every 5 minutes after that.  It usually takes around 40 minutes for two 9 inch cake pans.

Butter Cream Frosting

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and butter until fluffy.  Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended.  Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream.  Blend on low speed until moistened, then add peanut butter.  Beat at high speed until frosting if fluffy.


Mini Reeses peanut butter cups
Reeses pieces

When cake is cool, scoop frosting on the first layer (upside down on the plate so you have a flat edge to spread on).  Add your second layer (right side up).  Scoop the remaining frosting on the cake and smooth all around. I garnished the cake on the top and sides with Mini Reeses peanut butter cups (cut into fourths) and Reeses pieces.