Beef Brisket

5 lb. beef brisket

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix (one pkg. per 5 lbs. of meat)

Place beef (fat side down) on an open piece of Aluminum foil in a pan. Sprinkle onion soup mix evenly on top of meat. Double wrap the meat in foil (wrap up in tin foil dinner style). Bake @ 250 degrees for 8 hours. This can be done the exact same way in a crock pot (for about 4 hours on low) excluding the Aluminum foil. After fully cooked, piece apart the meat into strands; serve on rolls, or on a plate with other food.

Recipe Credit: Jenna Steed

Sweet Corn Cakes

4 T shortening
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup masa harina
6 T water
20 oz. canned creamed corn
6 T corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 T whipping cream

Whip shortening and margarine until creamed. Gradually add masa harina. Then gradually add water, and then creamed corn (frozen corn processed in a blender can be substituted for the creamed corn). Separately, mix together corn meal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and whipping cream. Fold masa mix into corn meal mix. Bake, covered with foil, at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes in a 9x13 pan greased.

Recipe credit: Lynette Olson

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Serves 6 (2 sandwiches per serving)

• 12 good quality Dinner Rolls
• 12 slices thinly sliced Honey Ham
• 12 slices Swiss Cheese

Mustard Sauce:

• 5 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard
• 1/2 Tablespoon Minced Onion
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon Poppyseeds

Directions:  Cut the rolls down middle. Place bottom halves of rolls in a 9×13 baking dish. Top each bottom with one slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese. Cover each roll with their top half.

In a small microwavable-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk in the mustard, minced onion and worcestershire sauce ingredients. Carefully pour the sauce evenly over all of the rolls. Sprinkle the tops of rolls with the poppyseeds. Let stand about 10 minutes or until butter has set slightly. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Remove foil and place back into oven for 2 minutes or until cheese has completley melted. Serve warm.

Recipe credit: Life in the Lofthouse

Pineapple Ham

Wow, this one was great. I had actually had this a few times before with Jeff's side of the family, but I just forgot how delicious it is! Oh, so good. And so simple as well.

Sliced ham
1/2-1 cup brown sugar
1 can sliced pineapple OR 1 fresh pineapple (chopped into bite-size chunks)

Put sliced ham in pan. Top with 1/2-1 cup brown sugar. Pour over juice and sliced pineapple. Bake for 30 minutes, covered.

Recipe credit: Jenna Steed

Soft-Baked Sugar Cookies

I actually adapted this recipe from a funfetti recipe, but I was desperate to find a really yummy SOFT and CHEWY sugar cookie recipe. I personally just hate those cookies that crunch. Anyway, hope you like these! We loved them.

Makes 15 cookies. Cookies stay soft & fresh for up to 1 week at room temperature. Cookies freeze well. Cookies may be rolled into balls and frozen up to 3 months to bake at a later date. Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

            1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*

            3/4 cup sugar

            1 large egg, at room temperature*

            1 teaspoon vanilla extract

            1 and 1/2 cups spoon & leveled all-purpose flour

            1/4 teaspoon salt

            1 teaspoon baking powder

            1/2 teaspoon baking soda

            1 teaspoon cream of tartar (can not be omitted)

1.             In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.

2.            In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick and you may have to stir the rest by hand.

3.            Scoop out large sections of dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough each) and roll into balls. Make sure the balls are taller, rather than wide.

4.            Chill the balls of dough on the cookie sheet for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours in the refrigerator.* This step will prevent spreading in the oven.

5.             Preheat oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

6.            Bake chilled cookie dough for 8 minutes, no more. The cookies will appear undone and very soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes and move to wire rack to cool completely.

*If you're in a pinch and need to soften your butter quickly, cut 1 stick of butter into 5 different sections. Microwave for 10 seconds. *Room temperature egg is required. To bring the egg to room temperature quickly, place in a warm glass of water for about 10 minutes as you get the other ingredients ready. *Recipe retested on 4/29/13 to add 1/4 cup more flour to resolve spreading issues. Use 1 and 1/2 cups total flour, which will aid in the spreading issues. *Chilling dough is mandatory.

Recipe Credit: sallysbakingaddiction.com

Costco Turkey Provolone Pesto Sandwich Melt

Oh. my. goodness. Sooooo delicious! I love these sandwiches from Costco, and I was super excited to make them on my own. And oh, how spectacular they turned out. YUM!!!!

Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 5 sandwiches

Recipe idea from Costco 

5 square sandwich rolls (Torta or Ciabatta rolls)

1/2 C pesto

1/3 C mayonnaise

1 pound sliced turkey breast (thicker stuff)

1 large tomato

1/2 red onion

5 slices provolone cheese

1. Find yourself some nice Torta or Cabbacia rolls. Slice each roll in half and lay them out on a large cookie sheet you have lined with tin foil. 

2. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup pesto and 1/3 cup mayonnaise. 

3. Spread the pesto/mayo mixture over both sides of each roll. 

4. Thinly slice 1 tomato and about half of a red onion.  

5. Layer the tomato and red onion over half of the rolls. Lay the turkey out over the other half of the rolls. 

6. Cover the tomatoes and onions with a nice big slice of provolone cheese. 

7. Bake these beauties in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Turn the oven to broil, and let the cheese get nice and golden brown. Be careful here, you don't want to scorch the heck out of them, which can happen quickly, so keep a close eye, won't you? 

8. Put each of the sandwich halves together and enjoy! 

Recipe Credit: Jamie Cooks it up

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

I made these for a Church get together, and they were absolutely fantastic. By far the BEST Snickerdoodles I have ever tasted!

Makes 2 dozen cookies. Cookies have a strong cinnamon taste, as cinnamon is generously used in the dough and the topping. The cookies are very puffy. You may slightly press down on them before baking or after baking to induce spreading. Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies freeze well, up to 3 months.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.Instructions

1. Make the topping: toss 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Make the cookies: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.
3. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick and you may have to stir the rest by hand.
4. Take 1.5 - 2 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the dough balls into the reserved cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Credit: Sally's Baking Addiction

Slushy Julius (Orange Julius in Ice Cream Maker)

2 cups water

1/3 cup granulated sugar

12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2-1/2 cups milk or coconut milk (unsweetened, can use lowfat)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine water and sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened and slushy, about 12 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness preferred. Transfer to tall glasses and serve with straws.

Recipe Credit: Cuisinart

Baked French Toast with Berries

I decided to give this one a whirl for conference weekend, and boy was it a treat! Yum!

1 (8 oz.) loaf or 1/2 of a (1 lb.) loaf French Bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups skim milk

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 Tbsp. butter

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup quartered strawberries

Whipped cream, (optional--but not for me!)

Lightly grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange bread slices in baking dish. In a large bowl, stir together eggs, milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Slowly pour over bread. Press lightly with the back of a large spoon to moisten bread. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until pieces are the size of small peas. Cover; Chill in refrigerator up to 24 hours. Before baking, sprinkle blueberries over bread; sprinkle flour mixture over berries. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes; top with strawberries and whipped cream, if desired. Cut into squares.

Recipe Credit: Jenna Steed's blog

Olive Garden Salad with homemade dressing

2 romaine lettuce hearts (you just want the hearts, they will give you a crisp crunchy texture.)

3 Roma tomatoes

1/2 red onion 

1/2 C medium sized olives

1 C croutons

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Dressing: 

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/3 C white vinegar

1 t Canola oil

2 T corn syrup

4 T Parmesan cheese

1 t minced garlic

1/2 t Italian Seasoning

1/2 t parsley, dried

1 T lemon juice

1. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or small food processor and mix until well combined. 

2. Chop your lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. Add your olives, croutons and Parmesan cheese. Toss to combine.

3. Pour dressing over the top. Toss to coat and serve immediately. 

Recipe Credit: Copycat Recipes