German Pancakes

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla (opt.)

Melt 1/3 cube of butter inside a pie plate in the oven. Blend all ingredients well in a blender. Pour into pie plate. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. *

I got this recipe from my mother in-law. She made this for us one when we were all together at their cabin in Star Valley. My whole family loves to have these for breakfast. I especially love how it's a lot faster than making regular pancakes. The baking time varies; it just depends on how hot your oven can get. The one I'm using right now here at my Mom's house get's really hot, so I always have to decrease the baking time. When ready to serve, you can either put regular syrup on top, or you can put just a small splash of lemon juice and sprinkle a pinch of powdered sugar over the top instead. Either way, these are great. We LOVE 'em!

Pepperoni Pasta Salad

1 pkg. garden blend pasta
1 small can sliced olives
turkey pepperoni
Italian salad dressing

Boil pasta according to package directions (whether you boil the entire package or just some of it, it all depends on how many servings you'll need). When pasta is ready, mix with remaining ingredients until the salad has enough dressing to taste. Refrigerate until chilled before serving.

A good friend of mine makes her pasta salad with Italian dressing, and I had never known to do it that way before. I do love to cook, but I still have a lot to learn! :) You can also add whatever other ingredients that you would like, such as grape tomatoes, fresh cucumber slices, chopped baby carrots, etc. I love to use turkey pepperoni, because I think that the taste is better, and it's not at all greasy like regular pepperoni. ENJOY!

Cobb Salad

shredded lettuce *
3 to 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
cooked, cubed chicken breast *
3 to 4 tomatoes, sliced & chopped
approx. 2-3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled *
shredded cheddar cheese, if desired

All of the measurements are approximate. I love tomatoes so much that I always add more of them than others might with their salads. I also use canned chicken (from Costco or Sam's Club) and pre-cooked, pre-packaged Oscar Meyer pieces of bacon to speed up the preparation process. And, Tyler loves quite a few things that have cheese on them, so it really is a matter of preference with this salad. With summer coming so fast now, I always try to think of meals that I can make that don't require using the stove or the oven too much. Tyler really likes this recipe. I'm sure that you can use any dressing that you would like with this salad. Personally, ranch is my only favorite, so I've never had this salad with any other kind.

Two-Egg Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs (of course :) )
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup, PLUS 2 Tblsp. milk

Cream shortening and sugar until light (12 to 15 minutes at medium-high speed on electric mixer). Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Mix flour, baking powder and salt with a fork in a separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating after each addition. Bake in greased and floured 9x ½ inch round pan(s) at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes (can also use 9x13 pan).

This is my FAVORITE cake recipe. I always like to have this for my birthday each year, with cream cheese frosting. I also bake this cake for Aubrey's birthdays each year (Paxton of course, hasn't had one yet). My Mom has also been making this cake for years; she made it for each of my birthdays too when I was young. ENJOY!

Poached Eggs Supreme

4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
toasted English muffins *
1/2 tsp. minced onions *

Heat milk and soup in a large skillet over medium-high heat until simmering. Gently slip eggs into soup mixture; reduce heat to medium or medium-low, depending on how warm your stove gets. Cover & cook until eggs are of desired consistency & doneness. Serve over toasted English muffins.

This recipe is VERY quick & easy, and it makes a great breakfast dish or main course dish. We have it for dinner in my house all the time, and Tyler LOVES it! You all know from reading my blog that I can't stand onions, so I never add them into the soup mixture when I make this. I've never tried this before, but another option is to sprinkle a small dash of paprika over each egg when they're ready to serve, to make them taste a little more like Eggs Benedict.

Santa Fe Stir Fry

1 large can fully-cooked chicken, drained
2 cups mixed frozen vegetables, cooked & drained *
1 envelope Lipton Onion soup mix *
1/4 cup oil
1 Tblsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

In a large skillet, blend dry soup mix, oil, water, lime juice and garlic powder; bring to a boil. Stir in chicken and vegetables. Cook, uncovered, 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Serve over hot rice.

*With the vegetables, I almost always just use regular mixed blends, because I always have them on hand, and I hardly ever buy stir-fry vegetable blends. The very first time I made this, I used the entire envelope of the soup mix, and for me, the onion taste was way too strong. So, the next time I made this I only used half of the envelope, and I was able to save the remaining mix for another time. However, it's all a matter of taste. That's what I love about cooking; if you come across a recipe that you'd like to change, it's always possible.

Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 chicken breast, cooked & cubed*
1 2/3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked & drained

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the above in a large bowl. Pour into greased 9" pie plate. In another bowl, mix together 1 cup Bisquick, 1/2 cup milk and 1 egg. Pour evenly on top of vegetable mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Whenever I make this recipe, I only use 1 large can of fully-cooked, cubed chicken. These are available at Costco or Sam's Club, and I always try to keep them handy. This always makes the prep-time go by much faster. I am not very talented when it comes to making pot pies, (I hope to be a good pie baker someday), but this was a pot pie recipe that didn't intimidate me!