Salads

Grape Walnut Salad

Melissa Coon

I love this salad. It is easy and delicious. I usually have the ingredients on hand and it makes a lot . . . so it's perfect for serving to guests.

 

 

3/4 pkg. cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup brown sugar

 

Beat together then add:

 

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

3 lb. red grapes

3 apples cubed

 

Mix and chill

 

 

Won Ton Salad

Rachael Coon

A great salad to bring to a church function. You will have at least one person ask you for the recipe (at least).

 

1 Head of lettuce (chopped)

 3 or 4 Chicken breasts (cooked & diced))

2 C. Fresh mushrooms (sliced)

 1 Bunch of green onions (chopped)

2 oz. Sliced almonds

1/4 C. sesame seeds

1 C Water chestnuts

1 small pkg. of won ton skins (fried) and broken to bite size pieces

 

Dressing:

4 T. red/white vinegar (or rice vinegar)

4 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 T. sesame seeds

 

Heat until dissolved. Let dressing cool in fridge first then add 1/2 Cup of oil in jar & combine. Refrigerate until cool.

Mix salad all together. Pour dressing over salad & toss just before serving.

 

 

 

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Rachael Coon

 

This is our sneaky way of having our kids eat their fruits and veggies. This is an easy, quick, salad and always a hit at parties.

 

Bag of fresh baby spinach

1 Cup strawberries (sliced)

3 green onions (optional)

¼ Cup of sliced almonds (optional)

Poppy seed dressing (Brianna’s is the best)

Toss the spinach and strawberries. Add extra’s if wanted. Then individually serve the poppy seed dressing.

 

Broccoli Salad

Tawnie Hernandez

 

Tawnie makes a Broccoli Salad a lot like this one. And I use the dressing to make coleslaw.

 

½ lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 Cups finely chopped fresh broccoli

½ red onion-chopped

1 C shelled sunflower seeds

 

Combine all ingredients and top with dressing

 

1 Cup Mayonnaise

2 T. sour cream

¼ Cup sugar

2 T. apple cider vinegar

Mix well until blended

 

Chicken Salad

Melissa Coon

cooked shredded chicken (1 1/2 to 2 cups)

mayo (until mixture is wet enough - 1 to 1 1/2 cups)

green onions (~ 2)

chopped pecans (~3/4 cup)

powdered ranch dressing (~1/2 pkg)

red grapes - halved

water chestnuts

 

Mix all together and serve on croissants.

Banana, Zucchini, Brown Sugar Muffins, German Pancakes, Cinnamon Rolls, Pancakes, Waffles, Crepes, Wheat Bread (Oh MY!)!

Banana Bread

Rachael Coon

 

This is a recipe I have added to throughout the years and my kids love it!!

 

Bowl  1

2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

 

Bowl 2

½ Cup margarine

1 Cup sugar (I do half white and half brown)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Bowl 3

3 mashed bananas

 

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl cream sugar and margarine, add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Have your 3 bananas ready and mashed in a small bowl. If you don’t have enough bananas add ½ cup of applesauce in place of.  Add alternately dry ingredients and the bananas to the cream mixture, little by little, mixing after each add (usually takes me 3 times of alternately between each one).  Then I let me mixture rest for 5-10 minutes. This is a complete fluke find. My kids distract me while baking and this secret was discovered. It just does something to the texture that makes it super yummy! Then pour into a greased 5X9 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. I always check it at 45 minutes with a tooth pick and add 5 minutes at a time. I don’t like over baked banana bread. Enjoy!

 

Zucchini Bread

Rachael Coon

 

Every summer my neighbors give me their over grown zucchinis and I bake this wonderful recipe with it and give them a loaf and keep a loaf for me. My kids have no idea they are eating their fruits and vegetables while eating one of their favorite snacks! I am so sneaky!

 

3 eggs

1 Cup applesauce (Dad’s homemade is the best)

2 Cups sugar

2 Cups grated, peeled and de-seeded zucchini

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. baking powder

½ cup of chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional)

 

Beat eggs and applesauce, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. Mix well and add all the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until well blended. Place into 2 loaf pans (or 1 loaf and 4 mini loaves) sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake at 325* for 45 minutes to an hour.

 

Brown Sugar Muffins

Rachael Coon

 

I got this recipe from my college roommate who was an amazing baker. My kids, especially Brooklyn loves this one. She eats it with just butter, because it is so sweet it doesn’t need anything else.

 

½ Cup butter, soften

1 Cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 Cup of milk

Cream the sugar and butter together with beaters until it is nice and creamy (almost smooth). Add egg and vanilla and beat in. Next add flour, baking soda and salt. Lastly add the milk to make the mixture smooth again. It will be thick and spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375* for 12-18 minutes (depending on your altitude). Stick a tooth pick in it and take out when it comes out clean! Let cool for just a little bit and serve!!

 

German Pancakes

 Rachael Coon

 

I first had German pancakes at the Saunders home in Utah and stumbled upon this recipe years ago. My girls like it with lemon juice and powder sugar and Cameron likes maple syrup on his. Any way to top it, it makes for a great breakfast.

 

6 Eggs

1 Cup milk

Blend well with mixer, then add;

1 Cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

 

Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter in a 9 X 13 pan in the oven. Pour batter into sizzling butter (margarine). Bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until done.

 

 

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Rachael Coon

 

This is one of our favorite Breakfasts on Christmas morning. You make it the night before and that way you can just play in the morning.

 

1 C milk

1/3 c butter

1 package active dry yeast

½ C white sugar

4 ½ Cups flour

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

Filling

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

2 ½ T. ground cinnamon

3 T flour

7 T unsalted butter, room temp.

 

Heat the milk in a small sauce pan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Let cool to lukewarm. In large mixing bowl, combine 2 ¼ cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt; mix well. Add eggs and milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour ½ Cup at a time. When the dough is ready knead on a lightly flour surface, kneading until smooth, adding more flour as needed. Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile mix filling ingredients in a small bowl. Roll out dough into a 9 X 12 inch rectangle. Spread filling evenly over dough. Roll the dough and pinch the seam. Cut into 12 equal pieces and place into a 9 X 13 baking pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, let rolls sit on counter for 30 minutes then bake in oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Then frost with cream cheese frosting and serve warm.

 

 

 

Pancakes

Rachael Coon

This is a once a week recipe for us. Brooklyn loves pancakes.

 

1 Cup flour

1 T sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 beaten egg

1 Cup milk

2 T melted butter

 

Combine all dry ingredients. Then make a well in the center of the bowl. Combine the eggs, milk and butter and pour into the dry well. Stir until moist (batter should be lumpy). Fry up on a hot griddle.

 

 

Waffles

Rachael Coon

 

1 ¾ cups flour

2 T sugar

1 T baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs

1 ¾ cups milk

½ cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

 Follow the same directions as pancakes but cook in a waffle iron.

 

Crepes

Rachael Coon

 

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 ¼ cup milk

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

 

Beat the eggs with the milk. Add the flour, sugar and salt. Get a frying pan hot on medium heat and spray with cooking oil. Pour some batter in the middle then holding onto the handle swirl the batter around to cover the bottom. It cooks fast (like a minute) then flip. Serve with your favorite filling and with whip cream or powder sugar on top!

 

Super Easy Wheat Bread

Rachael Coon~Kara Kirk (cousin)

 

This recipe takes 20 minutes to mix and makes 5 loaves!

My cousin taught me this recipe and now sells it for $2.50 a loaf. It is a great money and time saver when it comes to bread. I always freeze mine and it taste just as good.

 

6 cup warm water

3 ¾ Tablespoons yeast

1 cup sugar

Mix in a large bowl and let rest for 10 minutes

 

7 Cup wheat flour

5 Cup white flour (plus some extra to add while kneading)

2  1/3 Tablespoon salt

¾ cup oil

A vitamin C pill crushed up (this helps it stay fresh longer and is optional)

 

In a VERY large bowl mix dry ingredients, then add oil and yeast mixture. Knead in the bowl for 6 minutes and then using hands (it is very sticky and will need to flour your hands often) place dough into 5 greased and floured loaf pans. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Check early so you don’t over bake.

The Sharing Cheesecake

Rachael Coon

This recipe makes 2 cheesecakes! One for you and one for a friend (Win! Win!) Cameron got sick of me always giving away our dessert and this was our “compromise”.

 

2 premade graham cracker crust

5 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 cup Sour Cream

4 eggs

Fresh strawberries, sliced

Heat oven to 325°F. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low after each just until blended. Pour over 2 crusts evenly. Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Place strawberries on top or on the side.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rachael Coon

 

If you like moist, savory cookies, then you will like this one!

8 oz cream cheese package, room temp.

1 C butter, soften

¾ C sugar

¾ C brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 ½ Cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ salt

Bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream, sugars, butter and cream cheese. Blend in egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Stir in chips. Drop spoonful onto greased sheet. Bake 375* for 

11-12 minutes. Do not over bake! J Makes 5 dozen.

 

On "Top of the Hill” Baked Alaska Cake

 

Rachael Coon

This is the cake recipe from my Brother’s Surprise 30^th Birthday! It is a fun shape and full of favor.

 

1 package devil’s food cake mix (plus ingredients to make mix)

¾ C semi sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 Cup powder sugar

1 container (16 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided. Preheat oven 325* and grease and flour a glass bowl (make sure it is oven safe, like Pyrex). Follow the mix directions and pour into prepared bowl. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until it comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack. Let cool for 3 hours. Slice the cake into either 3 or 4 equal layers. Put bottom layer onto your serving plate. Chop up ¼ cup of chocolate chips and set aside. Place remaining chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds, stir and heat for 20 more seconds and stir until smooth.  Cream powder sugar and cream cheese together and add the melted chocolate. Fold in 2 cups of whip cream and the chopped chocolate. Spread this filling in each layer evenly and then some on top as well. Any extra filling, spread all over the cake. Frost cake with the remaining whip cream and use an end of butter knife to make it spiky. For easy cutting place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Daddy's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Cameron Coon

These are the cookies Cameron used to “woo” me (Rachael) while we were dating and are one of our family favorites.

1/2 C butter or margarine, softened
1/2 C Peanut Butter
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 Brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 C Flour
bag of reeses peanut butter cups

Preheat oven 375 and grease a mini muffin tin or use a nonstick mini muffin pan. Beat peanut butter and butter for 30 seconds. Add sugars, baking soda, and baking powder until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat as much flour as you can then you might have to hand stir the rest. Chill the dough if it is too sticky for about an hour. Grab the dough and fill the mini muffin pan each 3/4 full, pressing it in with your fingers. Bake for 7-9 minutes. As soon as you take it out take the unwrapped reeses cups and place in the center of each cookie. The chocolate will melt and a little bit and you will need it to cool for a good 10 minutes before removing or place in the fridge to chill. Then enjoy with a BIG glass of milk because they are super rich and yummy!

Avonlea’s Favorite Sugar Cookies

Rachael Coon

We make these sugar cookies at 3 times a year; Easter, Halloween and Christmas. My kids love making them, especially Avonlea. Her favorite part is decorating and then eating!

 

1 2/2 C butter, softened

2 Cups sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 lemon zest

 

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add lemon zest. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir (by hand) flour, baking powder and salt until dough ball forms. Cover and chill dough for a least one hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 400*. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut out into favorite shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes. Cool.

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Amber Slade

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (or 1 cup without Stevia)
1/2 cup Stevia in the raw
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup light butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 Tbsp fat-free milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 Reeses peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, Stevia, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs then add melted butter, milk and vanilla extract; stirring well. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until well combined. Then slowly add in chocolate chips.

Using cooking spray, coat a 9 x 9 inch pan (any other size will need longer to bake) and spread the batter evenly in the pan. Then sprinkle chopped Reeses peanut butter cups over top of the batter and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and enjoy!

 

Chocolate No Bakes

Rachael Coon

 

I grew up making these cookies with grandma and was always my job to stir for the 3 minutes. They will always be one of my favorites because of her.

 

2 Cups sugar

½ C. milk

3 T. cocoa powder

 

Stir until mixed over medium heat in a saucepan. Add 1 cube butter, ½ Cup peanut butter. Boil for 3 minutes constantly stirring. Take off the heat and add 1 tsp vanilla and 3 cups of quick oats. Spoon them onto a wax paper or Silpat to cool.

 

 

Baby Lave Cakes

Rachael Coon

 

Chris Slade once said, “These are the best brownies I’ve ever had.” They aren’t brownies, but they sure are the best!

Filling
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or ¾ cup white chocolate chips
2 TBSP whipping cream

Combine chocolate and cream in a medium saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook over low heat until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and allow cooling. When cool, refrigerate for 45 minutes until mixture becomes firm.

Shape chocolate into 6 equal sized balls. (This is a messy job but the kids love doing it.) Set aside.

3/4 cup butter
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 eggs
3 egg yolks (yeah, yeah I know, but you only live once, so die happy)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup flour
3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder


Butter and flour (6) 3/4 cup ramekins. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and chocolate over medium heat until fully melted. Remove from heat and allow cooling.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until lemon colored, (about 5 minutes).

Beat in the butter/chocolate mixture.

Sift flour and cocoa powder together and add to "wet" mixture.

Fill each ramekin 1/3 full with batter, drop a chocolate ball on top and then fill with remaining 2/3s cake batter. (If you put the ramekins on a cookie sheet it is easier to move them around, but you have to have enough room in your fridge to handle the next step.)

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees while ramekins are chilling.

Remove ramekins from refrigerator and bake for 13 - 15 minutes.

Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Quickly invert cakes onto serving plates. Garnish with whipped cream or ice cream.
Cut into cakes with a spoon and listen to your dinner companion’s ooh and aah.

Bask in your culinary glory.

*If you don’t have ramekin you can use a muffin tin

Funfetti Cake Dip

Amber Slade

1 (18.9 oz) box Funfetti cake mix
2 cups fat-free plain yogurt
1 cup lite Cool Whip
Fat-free animal crackers

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, plain yogurt and Cool Whip until completely combined and you see no more lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill for about 4 hours. Garnish with additional sprinkles if desired and serve with animal crackers, enjoy!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

Shellie Kiper

 

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp clove

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs - separated

1 cup sugar - divided 1/2 cup each

3/4 cup pumpkin

8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)

1 tbsp butter (at room temperature)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Grease and flour (or spray with a non-stick spray) a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg yolks with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add the first 1/2 cup granulated sugar, beating on high speed until sugar is almost dissolved. Add pumpkin and beat on low speed until just combined. Thoroughly wash the beaters. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the second 1/2 cup granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold egg yolk mixture into beaten egg whites. Sprinkle flour mixture over egg mixture; fold in gently by hand until just combined. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until cake springs back when you touch it lightly. Immediately loosen edges of the cake from pan and turn the cake out onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Starting from a short side, roll up the warm cake and powdered-sugar-coated towel together. Let cake cool to room temperature on a wire rack, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. While cake is cooling, in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer until combined. Add the 1 cup powdered sugar; beat well. Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cake with filling to within 1/2 inch of edges. Roll up cake. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Chill the cake for at least 2 hours. Place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Slice. Serve.

Best Banana Cake

Rachael Coon

 

This cake is so different in how to make it, but so yummy!

 

1 ½ Cups Bananas, mashed, ripe

2 tsp lemon juice

3 Cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¾ Cup butter, softened

2 1/8 Cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups buttermilk

 

Frosting

½ C butter, softened

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese softened

1 tsp vanilla

3 ½ Cups powder sugar

 

Preheat oven to 275*. Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan. In small bowl mash banana with the lemon juice and set aside. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time then stir in 2 tsp of vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour battered into prepared pan and bake in oven for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean

Wacky Cake

Rachael Coon

 

This is one of the first cakes I ever made and in fact made it for my dad’s Birthday because I thought he was a little bit “wacky”. The cake tasted surprisingly great but we had to eat it out of the pan because I forgot to grease the pan!  The real wacky part is that there is no eggs!

 

3 C flour

2 C white sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

½ C cocoa powder

¾ cup oil

2 T white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 C cold water

 

Mix all dry ingredients well. Then make 3 wells into the dry mix and put the vanilla in one well, the vinegar in another well and put the oil in the last well. Pour cold water over all and stir well with a fork. Bake at 350 in a GREASED 9 X 13 pan for 30-40 minutes, or until tooth pick comes out clean! When cooled frosted with favorite frosting or sprinkle powder sugar on top.

 

Lemon Cake

Rachael Coon

 

I make this cake for both my Dad’s and Grandparents Birthday because it is sweet but doesn’t have a heavy frosting! They love it and is now a tradition!

 

1 pkg. Lemon Cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)

1 pkg. (3.5 oz) instant lemon pudding

¾ C oil

¾ C water

4 eggs

 

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cake pan. Put all ingredients together and beat for 10 minutes on low speed with a hand mixer. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or less depending on your oven. While cake is hot poke holes in it with a fork or chopstick and glaze with the following:

 

½ C of orange juice

2 T melted butter

2 C powdered sugar

 

Mix well and drizzle over hot cake with holes poked in it!