Mystery Bars, Mystery Cookie, Mystery Cookies, or Easy Toffee

This is actually a recipe Grandma got from Aunt Judy, but I remember Grandma making these.

 Mystery Cookie
soda crackers
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Place soda crackers on buttered aluminum foil that is on top of a cookie sheet.  Melt butter and sugar until it bubbles/boils.  Pour on top of crackers.  Bake 350 degrees for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and use a spoon to spread out the chocolate chips.  Cut and put in refrigerator.  Tastes like toffee.

 I know these as Mystery Bars, but Grandma called them Mystery Cookie on her recipe.

Pita Pizza

Pita Pizza

pita bread (preferably Jasmine or Bread Garden brands) 
tomato sauce
cheese
toppings (olives, pepperoni, peppers, etc.)

Top pita with sauce, cheese and toppings.  Bake in 425 degree oven til melted, about 10-15 minutes.)
Cut into quarters and see who can say "pita pizza" the slowest.

pictures by Casi

Olive Sandwich Spread

Sandwich Spread
recipe from Grandma Jerry's mom
 8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup pecans (finely chopped)
1 cup stuffed green olives (aka Spanish Manzanilla Olives with Pimento) chopped
2 tablespoons olive juice
dash of pepper

Mix together cream cheese and mayonnaise.  Then mix in pecans, olives, olive juice and pepper. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

This is a scan of the original recipe.

Tex Mex Dip

Tex Mex Dip aka 7 Layer Bean Dip
by Cherie Miller

Ingredients

• 3 medium ripe avocados, peeled, cored, mashed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• taco seasoning mix
• 2 (8 ounce) cans bean dip
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bunch green onion, chopped
• 1 (3 ounce) cans black olives ( sliced or chopped)
• 1 (8 ounce) packages shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Mix avocados, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
2. Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, and taco seasoning mix.
3. Layer ingredients as follows.
4. Bottom layer: Bean Dip.
5. Second layer: Avocado mixture.
6. Third layer: Sour cream mixture.
7. Fourth layer: Tomatoes.
8. Fifth layer: Onions.
9. Sixth layer: Olives.
10. Seventh layer: Cheese (I like to use Colby Jack cheese).
11. Top with extra sour cream/olives/salsa, etc. if desired.
12. Serve with tortilla chips.

Potatoes Romanoff

This is a good recipe...I will keep this as my go to potatoes recipe, it's that good!

Potatoes Romanoff

12 large potatoes (I used about 18-20 medium potatoes)

1 pint sour cream (that's 2 cups)

2 bunches of green onions (that's about 20 green onions), chopped

2-3 cups shredded medium cheese

3 tsp salt (I used 2 1/2 tsp)

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)

1 tbls parsley (optional)

Paprika

Cook the potatoes in jackets until tender (not too well done).  Peel, then shred in large bowl.  Pour in sour cream, onions, 1 1/2 - 2 cups cheese and mix.  Put in a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 -1 cup of cheese and paprika (I didn't).  Cover and refrigerated overnight.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes.  Serves a lot!

It's a lot like funeral potatoes, but better.  In fact, funeral potatoes usually has regular onions instead of green onions, cream of something soup instead of sour cream and has cornflakes and butter on the top.

Cookie Cake

Cookie Cake

makes 2 cookie cakes

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 Tbsp. cream or milk

2 tsp. vanilla

6 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

jam/jelly - any flavor for layers

Cream butter and sugar. Then add eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Add in sslt, baking soda, and flour to form cookie dough.  Refrigerate for 8 hours.  Divide dough in two (leaving one half in fridge) because recipe will make two cakes.  Divide the half of dough into 5 equal sections.  Roll out 3 sections into 3 rounds the size of the cake pan (just a bit smaller than the 8-9inch cake pan).  Add any left over dough to the section that will be your outside layer.  Bake the 3 cake sections at 350 until golden brown. Place on wire rack to cool.  Roll out outside layer which should be 10-11 inches in diameter depending on size of pan.  Place outside layer (which isn't cooked yet) in cake pan, making sure it is big enough to cover the sides.  Add layer of jam, cover with one of the cooked sections.  Repeat 2 more times.  Add one last layer of jam and then the raw top layer.  Pinch bottom layer and top layer together.  Bake 350 for 30 minutes.  Let cool and then remove from pan and slice.  Repeat for second cake.

Rhubarb Pie

 This pie is so good!  I haven't had it for probably 10 plus years and I finally made it after I found some rhubarb for $5.99 per pound.

I have been searching since March for rhubarb, I even asked the local Amish people if they grew it, but come to find out, it's too warm to grow it here with much success.  While I was at Wegmans, I found rhubarb, I called Grandma and she was shocked when I told her the price per pound!

I bought about 1.7 pounds of  (about 10-11 stalks (I don't remember how many exactly).  I only used about 6 stalks cut up into 1/2 inch pieces (I cut each stalk lengthwise and then 1/2 inch pieces.)

The last time I had this pie at Grandma's house, it had equal substituted for the sugar and I remember not really liking it.  But with real sugar, it is one of my most favorite pies ever!  It is tart and sweet...so good!

One Crust Rhubarb Pie
2 eggs, well beaten
2 Tbls butter, melted
3 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups sugar (I cut this down to about 1 1/3 cups, but I wouldn't cut out much more because it needs sugar.)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
7 Tbls (or 1/2 cup) flour
1 - unbaked 9" pie crust

Combine eggs, butter, rhubarb.  Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, flour.  Add to rhubarb mixture and blend well.  Pour into unbaked pie crust.  Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes until set.

(I actually baked mine at 350 on accident then bumped it up to 375 for the last 15 minutes and it worked.)

Black Bottom Cupcakes

These are so good!  I will make these again!

Black Bottom Cupcakes

8 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

pinch of salt

6 ounce package of chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp salt

1 Tbls. vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup water

Whip together cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, egg and pinch of salt.  Blend in chocolate chips.  Add 1 tsp water if not soft enough.  Set aside.

Mix the rest of the ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, vinegar, vanilla, oil, baking soda, water. Pour into cupcake liners, filling half full.  Drop 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture into middle of cupcake.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Makes 18-20 cupcakes.

I read online that the key to really making these good is to serve them cold out of the fridge.

Country Potato Soup

Coming soon

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Grandma whips these up all the time when we visit.  They are super easy too.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

1 can of chicken (12.5 ounces)

dill weed

celery salt

pepper

mayo

pita bread (preferably Bread Garden)

Drain chicken.  Mix chicken with about 1 tsp (more if you like) of dill weed, celery salt and a dash of pepper.  Mix with mayo (about 1/4 cup).  Stuff into Pita bread.  Makes 4 half sandwiches of pita bread.

O and Pepe loved this!  O asked for it for dinner tomorrow too.  

Hot Dog

coming soon

German Chocolate Pie

German Chocolate Pie is one of Grandma's go to pies.  She made it for Thanksgivings and when I talked to her on the phone the other day, she had the recipe out to make.

When I made this I didn't let it refrigerate and it tasted ok, but not amazing.  Then I tasted it after I refrigerated it overnight...amazing!  As I tasted it the second time, I remembered eating it as a kid at Thanksgiving.

German Chocolate Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tbsp. flour

3 tbsp cocoa

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/4 cup evaporated milk ( I used this recipe)

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup coconut

1 unbaked pie shell

Combine sugar, flour, cocoa.  Stir in eggs and butter.  Add milk, water, pecans, coconut and mix well.  Pour into pie shell.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until set.   Mine baked about 45-50 minutes.  Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

The pie tastes like chocolate pudding with a pecan and coconut topping...very good.

I'm trying to get better pics of this recipe.

Apple Goody

Basically this is Apple Crisp

Apple Goody

3-5 cups of sliced apples (I recommend using 5 cups and use sour apples like Granny Smith.)

1 cup white sugar (next times I would use less)

1 tbls flour

1/4 tea cinnamon

3/4 cup quick oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

Mix apples, white sugar, 1 tbls flour, cinnamon together and put in a 8x8 dish.  Then mix together oats, brown sugar, flour, butter, baking soda and salt.  Place on top of apple mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The topping was good, but the apples were way too sweet.