Auntie Grace's Peanut Butter Cookies

This is my 1st time adding a recipe....hope you all like it....I know everyone has a "fave" PB cookie recipe - this one's mine! :)
3/4 C Shortening
3/4 C Butter
1 C Brown Sugar (packed)
1 C White Sugar
3/4 C Peanut Butter (creamy)
3 Eggs (beaten)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 C Coconut
2 tsp Vanilla
3 C Flour

1 C White Sugar (put into a bowl to roll dough around in)
Variation: (My mom would smash up rice krispies and add into sugar bowl - to make cookies extra crunchy...)

Mix together then put on floured board and knead in more flour (about 1/2 C) so it isn't sticky. Make into balls the size of a walnut (small ice cream scoop works best) and then roll dough ball around into sugar. Put onto baking sheet and press flat with fork tines.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Pepperoni Rolls

I often make these if I just don't feel like cooking a big dinner. They are super simple but really yummy. I'll serve with pizza sauce and a salad of sort or in tonight's very lazy case...applesauce.

3 Rhodes frozen bread dough loafs
Pepperoni
Melter butter
Garlic powder
Parmesan cheese

Thaw dough and cut each loafs into 8 pieces. Wrap each piece around 2 or 3 pepperoni's and form into a roll. Dip in butter and sprinkle with parm cheese and garlic powder. Cover and allow to rise until double. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Baked Oatmeal

Hi, 24-Hour Menu bloggers! Although I've been referring to this (most awesome) blog for a while, this will be my first entry! yay!

Baked Oatmeal

½ c Applesauce

¾ c Sugar

2 eggs

1c Milk

½ tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Baking powder

3C Regular Oats

1-2 Tbs Brown Sugar

½ Tsp Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Beat together applesauce and sugar. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, and oatmeal. Beat well. Pour into a lightly greased pie pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, Preheat oven to 350. Bake in preheated oven until firm, about 35 min. Serve hot.

OPTIONAL:

Drizzle honey over top after cooked.

The way I like to top it is with fresh sliced peaches and milk. (Heavenly!) And my friend who gave this recipe to me likes to mix it with vanilla yogurt, too (and I should mention this is a friend who normally HATES oatmeal....but she loves this). This is SUCH a yummy breakfast! It's easy, and it really helps me keep my sweet cravings at bay. And aside from it being pretty darn good for you, the ingredients are cheap, and most of them are things we have around the house anyway! (I am all for budget-friendly cooking)

Best Ever Bundt Cake

A big shout out to Crystal who brought this fabulous cake into my life. My little ones are hooked on this as well as my extended fam. I've been waiting for her to post it on here for all of you but since I make it so often...and did today, I shall.
This is fo' real the BEST!

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix (other brands don't work as well)
3 egg whites
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. water
1 small instant vanilla pudding**
1 Baker's German chocolate bar, grated
1 c. sour cream
1 pkg. milk chocolate chips

Beat cake mix, egg whites, oil, water, and pudding for two minutes. Fold in grated chocolate, sour cream & chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes in a Bundt pan*.
*I love to make this into cupcakes and freeze them. Then I just pop one (or two or three) out and eat it whenever I get a craving.
**I have also used chocolate, butterscotch and cheesecake pudding mixes which are great too.

Zesty Jamaican Joe

I feel like this is a more grown-up version of a sloppy joe. I was very pleased with how it turned out and thought it was super delish.

1/2 lb ground beef*
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8-1/4 cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 can (14-1/2 ounce) zesty diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) black or pinto bean, rinsed & drained**
1/2 c diced green pepper
3 whole wheat hamburger buns, split***

In a skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic and cayenne until beef is no longer pink; drain. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and beans. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in green pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Lightly toast buns just before serving. Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture over each half bun and serve open-faced.

*I used about 1/3 c ground turkey instead of beef
**Since I used less meat, I used both black and pinto beans
***I like it better rolled up in a tortilla than on a bun
****I also added corn, a finely grated carrot and a sprinkle of taco seasoning. I think I'll add cilantro next time.

Crumb-Topped Cocoa Banana Bread

This is the best banana bread on the planet! I seem to have had a lot of extra-ripe bananas around lately, so I've made this bread a few times and it really is sooo good. Neil and I have no problem finishing an entire loaf in a day.

1 1/2 c flour
1 1/3 c sugar
6 T baking cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t ground cinnamon
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground mace (didn't have any, didn't add it.)
2 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c mashed ripe bananas (~2 medium)

Topping:
3 T flour
2 T sugar
1 T cold butter
1/8 t baking powder
1/8 t ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and mace. Add eggs, oil and bananas; stir until blended. Spoon batter into an 8" x 4" x 2" greased loaf pan.

To make topping, combine flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and cinnamon in a small bowl until crumbly; sprinkle evenly over batter.

Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Loaf may be stored in refrigerator, well wrapped, for up to 1 week.

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

For cheesecakes:

24 vanilla wafers
2 pkgs (8 ozs each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanillla extract

For sour cream topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can cherry pie filling - chilled (optional)**

In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream, sugar and van. extract. Set aside.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pans with foil laminated baking cups (be sure to remove paper lining). Place 1 vanilla wafer on bottom of each cup. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, cocoa, and flour; blend well. Add eggs, beat well. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Fill each cup with 1/4 cup of mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; cool 5 to 10 minutes. Spread heaping teaspoonful sour cream topping on each cup. Cool completely in pans, then refrigerate. Garnish with a dollop of cherry pie filling (if desired). I put a slice of fresh strawberry on top.

Buttermilk Pancakes

We love making homemade pancakes and this is a great recipe I got from my Mom!

2 eggs
1 1/2 C. buttermilk
3 Tbsp. butter melted
1 1/c C. flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat the eggs; add the remaining ingredients and beat with a rotary beater until smooth. Makes about 14 pancakes!