Grandma's Dutch Apple Pie

1 qt. peeled, sliced tart apples
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Single pastry shell

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter

Mix apples, sugar and spices. Blend flour, cinnamon for topping, brown sugar, and butter, mixing to coarse crumbs. (Mine always ends up like more of a paste for some reason but it still is DELICIOUS!!) Place apples in pastry shell and sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 45 minutes.

This is my FAVORITE pie!!! Even my brother-in-law that doesn't like apple pie loves this pie! It's the best!

Beef Pot Pie

Dinner took 2 seconds to make tonight! Sunday night we eat dinner at my mom's house and this time she sent us home with the roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and gravy that was left over. I had a couple of already made refrigerator pie crusts (so yummy and so much better than cleaning up the mess after making pie crust) so I decided to make a beef pot pie with all of it. First the pie crust in the bottom of the pie pan (I have one that is quite deep like 2 inches and it worked perfectly. It looks like one from Pampered Chef but it's just a knock off) then I spread the mashed potatoes on the bottom. Next came the carrots, then the roast cut up into bite size pieces, then the gravy, and finally the top crust. I baked it at 450 until the crust was done and everything was warm. So easy and so delicious! Sorry no picture! By the time I thought to take a picture it wasn't very pretty!

Chicken Fettucine Alfredo

1 lb. dried fettuccine
6 T. butter
1 shallot, minced (I just used plain onion and it was fine)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup finely grated parmigiana-reggiano cheese (I just used grated Parmesan (not the Kraft stuff but grated like in shreds not powdery) because I could not find the other)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

Cook the fettuccine until al dente. Drain, RESERVING 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium high heat along with the reserved cooking liquid. Add the butter-cream mixture and half of the Parmesan and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and paper to taste. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

I got this recipe from Emeril Live on the Food Network. He didn't add meat but Brian would never eat it without meat so I made it even more fattening! I sprinkled the chicken pieces with garlic salt and dredged them in flour and fried them in canola oil. Then I added them to the pasta when it was all mixed together. It is sooooo delicious! And the sauce is a breeze to make! The chicken took the longest but it is really an easy, yummy recipe. It isn't an every day kind of meal but it's nice to be able to make something yummy like that when you are in the mood for something really yummy but can't always afford to go to the Olive Garden! I'm sure it would be yummy to add some sauteed fresh mushrooms, too. Brian and the kids wouldn't eat it but I could always just put it on mine! :)

Chicken A La King

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (I used yellow this time because that is what I had)
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) cream chicken soup
3 chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)
1/2 tbsp. butter
1 1/4 cups of milk
1 tbsp. pimento chopped

Cook green pepper in melted butter in skillet until tender. Add soup, stir to blend. Gradually add milk, gently stir in remaining ingredients. Heat until sauce is bubbly and flavors are blended. Serve over rice. Sometimes I put some chinese noodles if I'm in the mood for some extra crunch. This is a favorite "go to" meal for me! I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand and it is so fast and easy to make! How I found the recipe: My mother-in-law made it once when I was dating Brian and I had to copy the recipe down.

Dirt Cup Dessert

We made these for Matthew's birthday. I'm sure you have all had them and probably made them, too, but I'm putting them on here anyway.


You just need instant chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos, and gummy worms. You put the pudding in the bottom of a cup or a 9x13 inch pan and sprinkle the Oreos on top and then place gummy worms on top. I know...way too easy to really be considered a recipe but oh well. The kids love them! At Toddler Gym, Matty and Max made their own pudding in a ziplock bag. The lady figured out how much mix and how much milk each bag would need and then the kids put the mix and milk in the bag and sqeezed and played with the bag until all mixed and then you cut one of the corners of the ziplock and squeeze the pudding into the cup. They loved it! I'm not THAT brave with chocolate so I just made them myself but there's an idea for all you brave souls out there!

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies With Pudding In The Mix

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. soda
1 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 oz. package vanilla instant pudding
2 eggs
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips (we prefer milk chocolate chips but use whatever you like)
1 cup nuts (I never add these but i guess if you like that sort of thing...go for it!)

Mix dry ingredients. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and pudding. Beat in eggs. Add flour mixture, chocolate chips and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Hamburger Bun Pizzas

Hamburger Bun Pizzas

Now I know EVERYONE has had these before! My mom used to make them when we were little but I had forgotten about them until a few weeks ago and the kids LOVED them!!! Matthew and Max even ate two each. AMAZING!!! I let them make their own last night and they had so much fun doing it and the mess was minimal so it turned out to be fun for all of us. We won't be winning any magazine covers with the look of them but that's the fun part, right. Can you tell which ones Max made? To keep them apart we put 3 dabs of sauce on Matty's and 1 dab on mine. The others were self explanitory. I hope you'll all have fun making these really soon!

What you'll need:

hamburger buns
pizza sauce
mozzarella
whatever toppings your family loves

Bake at about 425 until cheese is cooked to your liking. How easy is that?!

Ham Fried Rice

Ham Fried Rice

2 cups rice cooked in 4 cups water set aside and let get kind of dry.

Dice green onions, fresh mushrooms, and green pepper. Cook in small amount of oil until desired crisp or tender which ever floats your boat. Dice 3-4 cups of ham and brown in skillet. Scramble 3 eggs. Put all ingredients together in pan and sprinkle with soy sauce and cook and stir a few minutes.

Some tips:
I cooked it in my wok but my mom has always just used a huge skillet or pan and it works great. If your kids are as picky as mine you might want to save yourself some trouble and just give them a little bowl to the side and tell them to pick out what ever they don't like. They love most of it.

Apple Dip

Apple Dip

1 tsp. vanilla
1-8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
3-4 apples

Mix cream cheese, vanilla, and brown sugar together. Eat with apple slices.


How I got this recipe: In my jr. high home ec. class we made a cook book and this recipe was in it. My Mom made it and we were hooked!!! It's a favorite of my kids and Brian now, too. It is kind of caramely tasting.