Egg Nog Cake

My Mom found this recipe years ago, and at least one has shown up at every holiday dinner since. This tastes better the second day, if stored airtight.

1 yellow cake mix
1 1/2 c. egg nog
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 c. soft butter
1 tsp. rum extract (or almond extract, if desired)
slivered almonds

Grease a bundt pan with butter and thinly sprinkle with slivered almonds. Stir together other ingredients, and pour into bundt pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.

Lazy Pie - Peach Cobbler

This is a recipe given to my mother by our friend Cindy Coppel. It is one of Bart's all-time favorite desserts. And it is so easy to make.

1 1/2 c. Bisquick
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 #3 can of fruit (such as peaches)
1/2 c. brown sugar

Melt the butter in a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix Bisquick, sugar, and milk. Pour this over the melted butter. Do not stir!

Mix fruit (with juice) and brown sugar. Spoon this onto the Bisquick mixture. Do not stir!

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, until lightly browned. Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Soft Caramel Corn

Family friend, Kristin Yates, introduced us to this recipe in the 90's, and there was no looking back. It's the only caramel corn we've made since.

1 lb. brown sugar (2 1/3 c.)
1 c. dark corn syrup
1 stick butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Boil ingredients for 5 minutes, to the soft ball stage.

Pour the mixture over 6 quarts of plain popped popcorn, stirring to coat. If the consistency is ooey-gooey, you did it right. The original recipe I copied gave further instructions: eat, spit out unpopped kernels/grannies/old maids, get fat.

Cow Pies: no-bake cookies

We've been making these since I was a kid. I hardly ever make them, because I cannot stop eating them.

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 stick butter
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. quick oats

Boil milk and sugar for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients, adding oats last. Mix well, and drop by spoonfuls onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm. Store in the refrigerator 5-6 days. Makes about 3 dozen one inch cookies.

Mom's Potato Salad

Our Mom makes the best potato salad on the planet. That's all.

6-8 peeled & diced potatoes, boiled and cooled
3 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
2 diced green onions
2 diced celery stalks
1 diced dill pickle
1 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
salt & pepper, to taste
paprika

Mix all together, but the eggs and paprika. Smooth the potato salad into a serving dish. Top with egg and paprika. Refrigerate to cool before serving.

Tips: If you leave out the pickle, add 1Tbsp. vinegar. If you use red potatoes, substitute sour cream for mayonnaise.

Shepherd's Pie

This is a recipe I recall eating from early childhood. It is very filling and reminds me of cold weather.

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. oregano
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1 can stewed diced tomatoes
1/2 c. water
3 c. mashed potatoes
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
paprika

Sautee the onion, then add the ground beef, cook and drain. Mix the cooked beef with the spices, vegetables, and water, heating it through. Pour this mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes over the top of the mixture. Top with cheese and paprika. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Monterey Chicken

It seemed that Mom always served this when the missionaries came to dinner. It also holds the record in our family as the #1 requested birthday dinner.

8 medium chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt & pepper

Place thawed chicken breasts in a 9x13 baking dish. Mix the other ingredients together to make a sauce. Smear the sauce over the chicken. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice.

Runzas

A McConnell family favorite, especially served with soup on a cold day. I would always be so excited when I came into the kitchen and saw Mom making these yummy meat and veggie- filled bread pockets. Bart says his mother made a similar dinner.

Make 90 minute bread, and set it aside to rise.

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp. butter

After cooking and draining meat, add other ingredients and cook on the stove top until the onion is soft. Take roll-sized pieces of the bread dough, and flatten the pieces into squares. Put a spoonful of the meat mixture onto each dough square, then pinch the corners of the square together to enclose the mixture. Let the runzas rise on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden on top. Rub with butter when fresh from the oven. Let cool slightly before serving. (These are great cold, as leftovers).

Stuffed Mushrooms

One of the favorite appetizers of all time at the McConnell house. They usually go very quickly, as they should, for they are best eaten warm.

1-2 lbs. medium white mushrooms
1 roll freezer sausage
1 pkg. cream cheese

Wash and de-stem mushrooms. Mince the stems. Brown and drain the sausage. Mix the stems, sausage, and cream cheese. Stuff this mixture into the mushrooms, and line them up on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Holiday Cheese Ball

This was a holiday favorite for years at the McConnell house.

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1/2 c. finely grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped green onion
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
pepper
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained

Mix ingredients well, and form into a ball. Refrigerate to harden.

Place 1/2 cup chopped pecans on a large piece of saran wrap. Lay cheese ball on saran wrap, rolling it in the nuts to coat.

Serve with crackers.