Mom's Mouth-Watering Orange Blossom Bites

These are super sweet and tangy and definitely one of my favorite Christmas treats! But I'll warn you, they aren't particularly healthy :)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 1/3 cup sugar

½ cup water

1 ½ cup flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Sauce Ingredients (Double this recipe)
1 ½ lb powdered sugar
juice of 2 lemons
juice of 2 oranges
rind of 1 lemon
rind of 1 orange

Directions: Mix sugar and eggs first, then remaining ingredients. Bake in small buttered mini muffin tins @ 350 for 8 – 10 mins. Dip in sauce while hot. Place on wax paper.

*Double the sauce recipe in order to have plenty!

This post is part of Kelly's SUYL desserts! Click on over for more yummy desserts!

Super Easy and Delicious Crockpot Beef Burgundy

Ok, so I debated about putting this one on the blog because I am trying to cook more healthily and this recipe is filled with canned soup, which I try to stay away from. However, my Mom made it this week for us and it was so incredibly delicious and easy that I decided I had to post it. I'm going to have to experiment with it later on to make it more healthy :) But boy is it good!

Ingredients:
2 lb London Broil, sliced thinly
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery or broccoli soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 large can of mushrooms or fresh
rice or noodles or quinoa

Directions: Mix all ingredients; put in crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice, noodles, or quinoa

Mom's favorite gingerbread cookies

I used to make these cookies every year with my Mom and let me tell you, they are my favorite gingerbread cookies ever! They are filled with spices and the whole house smells sooo good when you make them! They are best if you let the dough chill in the fridge overnight, so plan ahead!

Ingredients:
1 tsp. lemon extract
2 3/4 cup flour
1 Tbs. Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. water
3 Tbs. light molasses

Buttercream Icing Ingredients:
1 box confectionary sugar
1 stick of butter
1 tsp. almond extract

Directions: Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, then slowly beat in water, molasses, and lemon extract. Gradually stir in dry ingredients. It is a very stiff batter. Make into a ball. Roll out and cut into gingerbread people with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes -- longer if you want them more crispy.

Mark's Favorite Marinade!

Almost every time we go home to visit my folks, they fix us beef tenderloin with this marinade because they know Mark loves it so much! Keep in mind that my Mom never measures; I had to pull her leg to get her to write down approximate proportions :) She pretty much just does it to taste.

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Dr. Pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriaki sauce
2 Tbs. lemon or lime juice or both
1 Tbs. minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce or A-1 sauce
1/4 tsp. Thyme or oregano or Allspice (depending on your preference)

Directions: Marinade meat at least 1/2 hour before cooking

Mom's Acorn Squash with Sweet Cranberry Sauce

This is a family tradition and happens to be the only way that I like acorn squash :)

Ingredients:

Several small acorn squash

1 cup cranberry sauce

¼ cup pineapple juice

½ cup brown sugar

3 Tbs. butter

2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions: Cut squash in half, place face down in dish with a little bit of water. Microwave on high for about 15 minutes or bake ½ hour at 375. Put rest of ingredients in small pot on stove and cook 20-30 min over low heat. Pour sauce over squash halves before serving.

Mom's Quick 5-cups Salad

This is so easy and so yummy!

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions: Mix all ingredients together; chill.
**I also use chopped apples or grapes – any kind of fruit you like will work great!

Mom's Taco Bake

My mom started making this frequently whenever my brother came home to visit because he liked it so much. Its very easy, and yummy, too! I only put the chips on top, though, because my husband is very particular about his chips and does not want them getting soggy!

Ingredients:

1 tube of crescent rolls
2 cups (divided) corn chips
1 ½ lb. ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded mexican cheese

Directions: Unroll crescent rolls into 9×13 inch greased dish, seal seams by pressing together
Sprinkle with 1 cup corn chips
Brown beef, drain, stir in tomato sauce and taco seasoning
Bring to boil, simmer about 5 minutes
Spoon over chips
Add sour cream, cheese & chips
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Mom's Simple and Frugal Beefaroni

Whenever my Mom had a busy day, she would make this easy and frugal meal for dinner. And I always loved it!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup noodles of your choice
1 can tomato sauce
4 slices American cheese (or whatever cheese you like best)
shredded cheese to sprinkle on top

Directions: Cook pasta while browning ground beef. Drain water from pasta and grease from ground beef. Add pasta and tomato sauce to beef in pan, cook on med heat til sauce is bubbly. Turn heat down to low. Add in American cheese; stir til melted and well-mixed. Serve with some shredded cheese sprinkled on top.

Mom's Apple Chicken Bake

My Mom made up this recipe when she ate a similar dish at Cracker Barrel and it was so delicious! Very easy and another one of my favorite "comfort food" meals :)

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts
Sliced apples
Basic White Sauce
Ritz Crackers
Melted Butter
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Cooked Bacon (optional)

Directions:Make a white sauce; Layer the sliced chicken in a greased casserole dish, then the white sauce, apple slices, then some cheddar cheese, then Ritz cracker crumbs mixed with melted butter. I like to add some crisp bacon with the cheddar cheese under the Ritz crackers :) Bake at 350 for about 30 min til bubbly and chicken is no longer pink.

This recipe is part of Kelly's Korner SUYL

Mom's Crazy Rich Toffee Caramel Bars

These are incredibly rich but are always a hit at get-togethers :)

Ingredients:

1 pkg white or yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1 cup white choc chips

½ cup butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup oil 1 pkg choc chips
3 choc- covered toffee candy bars, cut into pieces
32 caramels, unwrapped

Directions: Heat oven to 350. Grease 13x9 inch pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs; blend well. Stir in chocolate chips, white chips, and cany bar pieces. (Mixture will be thick). Press half of mixture in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in med. Saucepan, combine butter, caramels, and condensed milk. Cook over medium-low heat until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally. Slowly pour caramel mixture over partially baked crust. Top with remaining cake mixture. Return to oven; bake and additional 25-30 minutes or until top is set and edges are a deep golden brown. Cool 20 minutes; run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. Cool 40 min. Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

This post is part of Kelly's SUYL desserts!

Mom's unbeatable Lasagna

We ate this regularly growing up and it is undoubtedly the best lasagna ever! And it freezes great, so make 2!

Ingredients:
2lb ground beef
1 pkg. Onion soup mix
1 cup water
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp. Oregano
¾ lb mozzarella cheese (sliced or grated)
1 small can tomato paste
1 large can tomato sauce
2 lb cottage cheese OR ricotta cheese

Directions: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet or pot; drain. Add onion soup mix, water, spices, sugar, tomato sauce, and paste. Bring to low boil and simmer one hour. Stir often. Arrange in a long baking dish in the following order: meat, noodles, cottage cheese, and mozzarella. Make two or three layers. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top if desired. Bake at 350 for ½ hour. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Mom's Famous Chicken Divane

This was my brother's favorite recipe growing up and I fixed it for him and all our friends regularly in college. The lemon juice adds a kick to it that is lacking from the ordinary chicken casserole :) Its great for making ahead of time and freezing!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
1 large bag of broccoli cuts, cooked
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup shredded cheese
½ cup shredded cheese (for topping)
Italian bread crumbs (optional topping)

Directions: Use a long casserole dish; spray with Pam. Put cooked broccoli in first, then layer chicken on top. In a small mixing bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and 1 cup cheese. Spoon this sauce mixture over chicken. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese and breadcrumbs on top. Bake at 350 for 30 min (until bubbly).

Mom's Tried and True Fruit Cobbler

This is such an easy, quick cobbler that is absolutely delicious! We've eaten it for as long as I can remember. It is especially good hot with vanilla ice cream on top!

Ingredients:
¾ stick butter
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh fruit
Cinnamon to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in pan. Mix everything else but fruit together in a bowl. Pour batter over butter, then pour on fruit. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake about 30 min til brown on top.