Dutch Apple Cake

This is a simple cake from “Taste of Home 2004 Cookbook” — if you want a bit more pizazz, use the icing recipe for German Apple Cake.
*2-3 medium apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick (soak in 3T sugar and 1t cinnamon for 1 hour prior to cooking)
*1 cup sugar (plus the 3T mentioned [...]

Spiderweb Cookies

I found these cookies on the pages of the October Good Housekeeping. I chose to use storebought sugar cookie dough, and plastic spider rings, and then I made the royal icing.
Wilton’s Royal Icing Recipe:
3 Tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder
1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar (about 1lb.)
6 Tablespoons warm water*
Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 [...]

Halloween Cupcakes

Jason and I decorated these for a friend’s birthday last night.

We used:
Red Velvet cake mix (seemed only appropriate)
Swiss Meringue Buttercream* (and food coloring)
Pieces parts:
Big marshmallows
Little marshmallows
Mini chocolate chips
Licorice bridge mix (from the bulk section of Russ’s)
Red rope licorice
Gummy peach rings
Laffy Taffy
Gumdrops
The marshmallows and the gummy candy are sticky when you cut them apart.
It helps to [...]

“Oatmeal Crap”

This is a new favorite breakfast option at 1608. Joie originally made/ate it in Switzerland. I’m sure it’s actually pretty healthy, and you get the benefits of live yogurt cultures, oatmeal that lowers cholesterol, and that oh so good fiber.
1 part yogurt (whatever you’d like, we like vanilla)
2 parts oatmeal (the real stuff, [...]

Lemony Crisps

“Like eating sunshine in a crisp cookie,” cheeses the Pillsbury box. I didn’t think these cookies were all that crispy, but they were lemony and a bit sunshine-y as well.

1 - 18.25oz pkg Pillsbury Moist Supreme Lemon Premium Cake Mix
1/3 C Crisco oil
2 eggs
1/4 C sugar
1 C powdered sugar
2-3 T lemon juice
yellow colored sugar
1) Heat [...]

White Chili

One of my favorite things about fall is the return to fall foods like chilis and soups. Mmmm. So without further ado, I present Lynn Locklear and Taylor Gage’s fabulous White Chili recipe from the Zion Cookbook.
4 C cooked and diced chicken
5 - 1lb cans white northern beans
5 C chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg [...]

Hamburger Pasta

Recently I’ve been trying to make-do with what’s in my cupboards and freezer. Here’s an easy and quick meal option for the Tredway household.
Creamy tomato pasta sauce (I like to mix marinara with alfredo)
Ground beef, browned
Whole wheat penne pasta
Heat.
Toss.
Eat.
Be happy.

Autumn Cheesecake

This recipe is from my mom (originally from another teacher in her school). She says, “This is the best cheesecake I had ever had–so good, in fact, that I dreamed about it that night.”
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup margarine, melted
Combine crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and margarine; press into bottom of 9-inch [...]

One-Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Chops

2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup whiskey
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine sour cream, water, flour, salt, sage, and pepper [...]

Ham & Swiss Stromboli

Another recommended recipe, this time from the kitchen of Bethany Hansen (formerly of Koenig fame). B noted that the stromboli “will be MUCH more bready if you use frozen bread dough. I personally like it, but Andrew prefers the thinner ratio of the refrig. French bread.” Point taken, and I sided with Andrew for last [...]