Ice Cream Sandwiches

If you have some leftover chocolate chip cookies you don't know what to do with, try making these fun and easy ice cream sandwiches. :)

Meal: Snack / Dessert
Serves: 4
Start-to-Table Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Eight large chocolate chip cookies
1 banana
About 2 cups of vanilla (or whatever flavor you like!) ice cream

Process:

• Put the cookies in the freezer for about ten minutes to ensure that they are cool and hardened. Slice up the banana into 1/4-1/2 inch slices while you're waiting.
• Once the cookies are out of the freezer, set four of them with the bottom (flat) side facing up.
• Spoon about a half a cup of ice cream onto each cookie, using the scoop to flatten it down and cover the whole cookie.
• Lay the banana slices over top of the ice cream - however many or as little as you like!
• Place the other four cookies on top of the sandwiches to complete the layers. Press them down a little to seal it all together.
• Put them back in the freezer and enjoy at your leisure!

Try your own sandwich combinations - this is only one of many possibilities!

Strawberry Tarts

You won't believe how easy these tasty little treats are!!

Meal: Breakfast... or Dessert!
Dish Type: Side
Serves: About 30-35 tarts
Start-To-Table Prep Time: About 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 package unbaked biscuits - the "flaky" kind that peel off in layers
1 pound strawberries
3 tbsp sugar

Process:

• Preheat the oven according to the temperature on the package of biscuits.
• Hull and dice the strawberries into pieces slightly bigger than a pea. Place them in a bowl, sprinkle the sugar on top of them, and stir it in.
• Lightly spray mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
• While the oven is preheating, carefully peel apart the biscuits in layers. The thinner the layers the better, because they will rise and expand in the oven.
• Carefully line each muffin indentation with the dough layer, making sure it's pressed all the way down into it.
• Once the oven is preheated and all the muffin tins are lined with the dough layers, put them in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes. Once the edges turn golden brown they can be removed from the oven.
• After letting the dough cups cool for a few minutes, spoon small amounts of the strawberries into each one. They can be eaten warm from the oven or cooled from the refrigerator!

Try topping them with whipped cream for an extra treat:

Pecan And Almond Crusted French Toast

Tired of breakfast wearing off after an hour? Fix up this amazing French toast recipe and you'll be full till lunch!

Meal: Breakfast
Dish Type: Entree
Serves: 4-6
Start-to-Table Prep Time: About 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp butter
1 loaf Italian bread (unsliced)
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped

Process:

• Cut loaf of Italian bread on a diagonal into about 1-inch slices. It should come out to about 10-12 slices, give or take.
• Beat eggs in a shallow bowl until fluid. Whisk in milk and vanilla.
• Place a griddle over medium-low heat. Melt butter on griddle and make sure entire surface is coated.
• Coat both sides of the bread in the egg mixture. Make sure to let each side soak for a few seconds to get the egg to penetrate well into the bread.
• Quickly lay each piece of bread on the heated griddle. (You may have to do two batches, depending on the size of your griddle).
• After the griddle is full, lightly sprinkle the cinnamon onto the coated bread, then a thin layer of the pecans and almonds.
• After about 3-5 minutes, the bread should be ready to turn over. Use a turner to carefully peek under one of the pieces. If it has spots of golden brown, it's ready to turn.
• Once the pieces have been turned, they will finish cooking in an additional 2-3 minutes.

Try topping with maple syrup, powdered sugar, strawberries, or another favorite French toast topping.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

For those who have always drooled over my home-made chocolate chip cookies... here's your chance to try them yourself =] (PS - recipe courtesy of Nestle!)

Meal: Snack
Serves: About 2-3 dozen cookies
Start-to-Table Prep Time: About an hour

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Process:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and beat in one at a time.
• Add in flour mixture a little at a time. Stir in the flour, don't beat it with the mixer.
• After all the flour is stirred in and a soft dough has formed, stir in the chocolate chips.
• Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (You will probably have to repeat this process two or three times, depending on the size of your baking sheets and how many you have.)
• Once the cookies have been removed from the oven, take them off the baking sheet with a cookie turner and allow them to cool on a wire rack before storing.

It takes a little practice to get the art of cookie making perfected, but after you've done it once or twice it will be easier!

Sausage & Cheese Crescents

Try these delicious little crescents out for a great addition to any breakfast meal - they're so much better than just plain buttered toast!

Meal: Breakfast
Dish Type: Side
Serves: 2-4
Start-To-Table Prep Time: About 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 roll of 8 crescents
1/4 pound ground breakfast sausage
1/3 cup (give or take) of your favorite type of shredded cheese (try cheddar, colby jack, or mozzarella!)

Process:

• Preheat oven to temperature specified on crescent package.
• Break up ground sausage in a pan over medium heat. Stir in pan until sausage is browned; remove from heat.
• Remove crescents from package and unroll them onto a large baking sheet.
• At the wide end of each crescent, place a small amount of the sausage and cheese together. Be careful that you don't put too much (else they won't roll up!) but otherwise the amount is to your taste.
• Carefully roll up the crescents around the sausage and cheese filling; bake for the amount of time specified on the crescent package.
• Crescents are done when they start to turn golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let stand for a minute or two before enjoying!

For a variation, try cooking up small breakfast sausage links and rolling the crescents around those instead - you'll have a breakfast version of pigs in a blanket!

Herb Rubbed Chicken

This is a great, quick recipe that is easily altered to fit anyone's taste. The recipe given is for 4, but you can easily add or subtract to suit your family.

Meal: Dinner
Dish Type: Entree
Serves: 4
Start-To-Table Prep Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced
Salt, pepper, SeasonAll, oregano

Process:

• Pour olive oil into a deep large skillet over low heat.
• Add onions and garlic; let simmer.
• While onions and garlic are simmering, rub spices to taste into chicken breasts. Lay chicken breasts side by side in pan and turn heat up to medium.
• After five minutes, turn chicken over.
• After five additional minutes, check the chicken by cutting a slit in the middle of the thickest piece. The chicken is done when it is white all the way through. Do not over cook or the chicken will get dry.

It's that easy! This goes great with mashed potatoes or asparagus, but be creative! Come up with your own side dishes - or try it with the Any-Time Potatoes on the blog!

Apple Butter Pancakes

Pancakes are one of the most delicious breakfast foods - but also one of the most versatile! If you're tired of the same old pancakes, try these out for something different:

Meal: Breakfast
Dish Type: Entree
Serves: 3-4
Start-to-Table Prep Time: About 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquik*®
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup apple butter (applesauce works too!)
2 tsp vanilla

Process:

• In medium sized bowl, whisk together Bisquik, milk, and eggs. DO NOT OVER BEAT. The more you beat pancake batter, the less fluffy your pancakes. Over-whisking takes all the air (which causes the fluffiness!) out of the batter.
• Whisk in apple butter and vanilla until just combined. (Again, avoid over-whisking.)
• Heat a flat griddle to a medium-low heat. The temperature is a very careful balance: just a smidge too hot and your pancakes will overcook on the outside while still having raw batter on the inside; too cool, and the pancakes won't brown properly. A good test is to lightly wet your fingers and flick the water onto the griddle. When the water dances around, the pan is hot enough. If the water turns to steam immediately, the pan is too hot.
• Once the griddle is the correct temperature, pour the batter onto the pan by 1/2 cupfuls.
• When the pancakes start bubbling and are dry around the edges they are ready to turn. If you aren't sure if they're ready, use the spatula to carefully lift one side of a pancake a little off the griddle to check the color. If it's golden brown, they're ready to turn.
• After flipping the pancakes they won't take much longer to cook; only a minute or two. Check the bottoms regularly to make sure they aren't getting overdone.

*Bisquik is a universal cooking tool that is a must-have for any kitchen. You'll see a lot of recipes using it in the future!

Other great pancake ideas:

• Instead of butter and syrup, try topping your pancakes with sugared strawberries, whipped cream, your favorite flavor of jam, nutella, or anything else that will add a touch of sweetness.
• You can easily substitute the apple butter in this recipe with any of the following for a different flavor of pancake:
• 1/2cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup strawberry (or any other type) jam
• 1-2 mashed bananas
• Be creative! Come up with your own ideas!

Comment with your own ideas or suggestions for great, home-cooked pancakes!

Any-Time Potatoes

I have become well-known among my friends and family for my "famous fried potatoes." They're actually extremely easy and ridiculously tasty - and you can make them as a side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Here's the famous recipe:

Dish Type: Side
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
4 medium-large red potatoes, diced (about 3/4-1 inch)
1/4 cup olive oil*
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, and SeasonAll
Other spices to taste - feel free to add whatever you like to make the dish go with your meal! Try anything from old bay, to basil, to bacon bits, to oregano, to chili powder... the possibilities are endless!

Process:
· Pour olive oil in medium frying pan on medium-low heat

· Add potatoes; toss to coat in oil. Let cook for ten minutes, tossing occasionally.

· Add onions and seasonings; toss. Let cook ten more minutes, tossing occasionally.

· Add garlic, toss. After 5-10 additional minutes, potatoes will be done.

 Also Try: cutting potatoes in wedges instead of dicing. They will take an additional 5-10 minutes to cook and will have to be turned individually to cook evenly, instead of being tossed.

*Olive oil is the healthiest oil to cook with and I almost never use anything else. Not only is it healthier, but it tastes great too! You can feel free to substitute vegetable, canola, or any other oil you have on hand.

Really, folks, they're truly that easy! Don't forget to comment with any questions, suggestions, or success stories!