Pie Crust

2 C flour
1t salt
1C shortening
5T water(cold)

Mix flour into salt. Cut in shortening. Add cold water 1T in at a time. Cut water in with a fork. Roll out. Put in pie tin. Bake at 475 degrees for 8-10 minutes. For two crust pies bake according to filling recipe. If doing one crust pies poke holes in bottom of crust. If doing two crust pies cut slots in the top layer of crust. Makes one double crust pie.

This recipe is very good. Pie is my family's favorite dessert and we take great pride in making them!:)

Dinner Rolls

1 package yeast
1/4 C warm water
1C scalded milk
1/2 C sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/2 C oil
1t salt
4C unsifted flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Mix with rest of ingredients in large mixing bowl. Let raise overnight in bowl. In the morning shape into rolls and place on greased pans. Let raise at least four hours. Then bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. If you don't want to do this overnight, just let raise to double, punch down and roll out and let roll rise to double.

Gravy

Boil potatoes. Take meat out of pan, leave juice in it, pour some of the potato water in meat drippings. Want it kind of brown, not clear. Bring it to a hard boil Add salt, pepper and mix 2-3 T flour with a whisk and add about a cup of cold water and mix until smooth. (Don't use warm water, this will make your gravy lumpy). Slowly pour mixture into water and drippings. Whil boiling whip it fast until it starts to thicken. Season to taste.

Cranberry Salad

1 package raw cranberries
2C sugar
1 can crushed pineapple
1 package mini marshmallows
1 pt whipped cream, whipped

Wash, drain, and grind cranberries. Mix with the sugar and pineapple. Refrigerate over night. Add marshmallows and fold in cream.

This recipe is super easy! I've been making it for the last several years for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. It is sooooo yummy!

Cafe Rio Salad

5 lbs chicken or sweet pork
2 boxes of Zatarains black beans and rice
Shredded cheese (mix of cheddar and mozzarella is good)
1 pkg. tortillas (one tortilla for each person)
Oil to fry tortillas

Marinade:
1 pkg. McCormick southwest style grillmates
½ cup vinegar
2 tsp oil
½ cup brown sugar

Dressing:
2 cups mayonnaise
1 clove garlic (peeled)
½ bunch cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 jalepeno (no seed)
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt

Cut chicken (or pork) into bite size pieces. Cook in marinade in a crock pot on low for 6 hours. Shred meat after cooking.

Blend all ingredients for dressing together in a blender until creamy.
Make the black beans and rice per directions on box.
Fry tortillas in oil.
Put in a bowl in this order: tortilla, cheese, beans and rice, lettuce meat, dressing, more cheese.

AMAZING FRUIT SALAD

Many thanks to my old roomate and good friend Brenda Garcia who gave me this "Amazing" recipe!

Beat together:
16 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. cool whip
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in any fruit you want:
Pineapple
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Grapes
Bananas (but they turn yellow)

Smellies Smothered Chicken

I don't have a picture of this, but I promise if you saw it you would want some! I got this recipe from one of my roommates, Danielle, who I affectionately call smellie. It was one of our favorites. I made it last night for Adam and I and it was as good as I remembered. Its pretty easy, and there are no exact measurements so I am just going to list the ingredients and tell you how to assemble. You can adjust the quantities based on how much you are making and your tastes!

Chicken Breasts
Yoshida's Original Gourmet Terriyaki Sauce
Green Bell Pepper cut in strips
Red Bell Pepper cut in strips
Onion cut in strips
Mozzarella Cheese sliced
Cheddar Cheese sliced

Directions: Marinate the chicken breasts overnight in the sauce (about half a bottle for 4-6 breasts). Bake the chicken at 350 ish for 30-40 minutes until its no longer pink (time will vary depending on how thick the chicken is). During the last few minutes of the chicken baking, saute the peppers and onions (I usually saute in Soy Sauce but you could just use oil). Pull the chicken out of the onion, cover in one type of cheese, then layer on the veggies, then finish with the other cheese. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is all melted together. DELICIOUS! Danielle always served it with some kinda of pasta-roni and last night I served it with salad and garlic mashed potatoes and it was soo good! Hope you enjoy! Abbey

Chicken on the Grill by Paula Deen

This is absolutely THE BEST GRILLED CHICKEN EVER! I love this recipe! It has quickly become a classic in the Moore household.

Ingredients:
chicken breasts
salt and pepper
Daddy's Tangy Grilling Sauce, recipe follows

Instructions:
Heat grill. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken on the grill. Brush grilling sauce generously on chicken. As you turn the chicken over during cooking process, apply additional grilling sauce every turn. This will make the chicken very juicy. Brush with grilling sauce just prior to removing from grill. Serve warm.

Daddy's Tangy Grilling Sauce:
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 stick of butter melted
2 lemons, juiced

TaTa's cooking

I just wanted to thank Tonya for teaching me so much in the kitchen. She is an awesome cook and I miss being able to spend time with her cooking away! If I want an idea for dinner, it never fails to call and ask her for ideas. Last night I was very tempted to get take out, but Tonya saved the day! She was making potatoes sauteed in olive oil. I did the same thing too (not that it was any healthier than pizza, maybe! :). I seasoned the potatoes in Paula's house seasoning, seasoning salt, and paprika and added some Hillshire sausage in the mix as well. Andy LOVED it!

Quote from Andy: "Good thinking TaTa!!"

Twice Baked Potato Casserole by Paula Deen

We tried this recipe out a little while back. It is very, very good, but probably not very good for you! My sister, Jill, and I have always talk and joke about foods that we could eat "all day long." A couple of hers are Twinkies and McDonald's breakfast burritos. Some of mine are popcorn and sugar cookies, although I am a big fan of the McDonald's breakfast burrito too! I believe that this recipe is ranking up there pretty high these days with the other faves! I wish I could make it all the time, but I think that we will be on the safe side and save it for the holidays!

Ingredients:

8 medium baking potatoes, about 4 pounds

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 pint sour cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup chopped chives

6 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pierce the potatoes and place on a baking pan. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until very soft.

2. Peel and mash the potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Add the cream cheese, butter, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, and the sour cream. Also add the chives and bacon. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and stir again.

3. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the potatoes into the dish. The casserole may now be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to bake.

4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, until hot. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the casserole and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.

Paula Deen!!

I have become a huge fan of Paula Deen! Her recipes are quick and simple. The ingredients are basic so you don't have to go to the store seeking mystery ingredients, every time you try a new recipe. I will warn you that the next few posts will be Paula Deen recipes. Give them a try, they all turned out great!

One thing that Paula asks for in many of her recipes is her "house seasoning." I have to admit that I now use this stuff everytime I cook. It just makes sense to!

House Seasoning:

1 cup table salt

1/4 cup pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Use as a seasoning on meat and when cooking vegetables.

How To Cut A Watermelon!

Watermelon is my favorite fruit, however, it has always been difficult for me (and time consuming) to slice and dice it. One day I was over at the Culinary Department on the SCC campus. One of the students was chopping a watermelon. I stood there watching, amazed, shocked, and excitedly enlightened! It is so simple!! Duh! I might be the only one that has been blinded by this, and if I am, oh well. I am sharing this anyways! No more chasing the watermelon with a knife trying to catch it, as it rolls around on the counter!

Steps:

1. Cut the ends off the watermelon.

2. Slice the rind off the watermelon, slicing downward.

3. Chop into cubes!

Kickin` London Broil with Bleu Cheese Butter

For some reason we have found some really good sales on London Broil lately. I found this recipe on "allrecipes.com". Andy and I have used it twice so far, and it has turned out AWESOME! Let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons crumbled bleu cheese
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon fresh or dried chives
2 teaspoons coursely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 pound beef flank steak
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

1. Preheat the grill to low heat
2. In a bowl, mix the bleu cheese, butter, and chives. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the black pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
3. Rub the steak with olive oil. Coat both sides of the meat with the spice mixture, and rub in by hand or press with a spatula.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place meat on the grill, and cook 10 to 15 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Grill to rare or medium rare for best flavor. Remove from grill, and slice lenghwise into this strips. Top with a dollop of bleu cheese butter, and serve!

Trial Run

Lately, I have been experimenting a lot with my cooking. I have been known to stick to my favorites and to never branch out. By doing this, my husband gets the same thing to eat every week because there has been no variety! I decided to make a blog of my cooking to make sure that I am giving my little family (Andy and I) variety. Also, I am going to add everything that that I find, good recipes, cooking tips, etc., to my blog. Maybe it will help some of you out too! Feel free to send me your own "finds" and treasures, too! I will post them as well!