Raised Waffles

I double this recipe for my family of 6

1. In a glass measuring cup, dissolve for about 5 min:

1/2 cup warm water

1 package dry yeast

Set aside:

2. In a large glass or plastic bowl with a hand mixer mix the following ingredients until smooth. Do not put mixture in a metal bowl

2 cups warm milk

1 stick melted butter (1 stick = 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups flour

yeast/water mixture from above

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and keep overnight at room temperature on your kitchen counter. Make sure the bowl is large because the mixture will rise and if the bowl is to small it will overflow onto the kitchen counter.

3. The next morning, with a hand mixer, mix in:

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

The batter will be thin.

Make your waffles and enjoy!

We make our waffles in a traditional waffle iron NOT a Belgian waffle iron. I think the batter is too thin to work in a Belgian waffle iron. If Belgian is all that you have then feel free to try it, but I am not sure if you will get the desired results.

My family LOVES these waffles. We don't even enjoy any other waffle anymore. These are so simple and have such an amazing flavor. You just have to think about making them the night before. Try them and I am sure they will become a family favorite for you as well.

FESTIVE TOSSED SALAD

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons water
• 2 envelopes Italian salad dressing mix
• 4 (10 ounce) packages Italian-blend salad greens
• 4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1-1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, water and salad dressing mix; shake well. In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, tomatoes, onion, cheese and cranberries. Serve with dressing.

FUNERAL POTATOS

Caution: This is NOT a healthy dish, but it was well liked at a family event. It was gone fast, so I posted it for those times you throw caution to the wind! lol

INGREDENTS:

1 Large bag of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (not already browned, raw)

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1 pint of sour cream

1 small bunch of green onions (just the green part cut really fine, I just use scissors!)

GOBS of grated cheese, I use cheddar/jack combination but any is fine. (About 2 large handfuls, but more is good too.)

DIRECTIONS: Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, plop in a 9x13 pan and cook at 350 degrees for about ½ hour.

OPTIONAL: Crushed Corn Flakes on top, or Crushed Potato Chips (I used potato chips no melted butter), or Bread Crumbs W/melted butter etc, be creative.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

2 large cans sweet potatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

TOPPING:

3/4 cup oats
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup crushed pecans
3/4 cup shredded coconut
mini marshmallows

Mix the first 6 ingredients with a mixer. Prep baking dish with cooking spray, then pour in. Mix the topping ingredients by hand. Sprinkle on top.

Bake uncovered at 350°F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle marshmallows on top, then bake uncovered 5 more minutes.

TANGY PUMPKIN SEED SALAD

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS
PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 0 MINUTES

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Details

Add some kick to your meals with this delicious side salad! The combination of lemon and Worcestershire sauce in the dressing will have your taste buds dancing while the healthy fats in this salad feed your skin to make it glow!

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp / 2.5 ml sea salt
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp / 5 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml best-quality olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 10 cups of the lettuce of your choice
• 1/3 cup / 90 ml toasted pumpkin seeds

Preparation

1. Rinse lettuce of your choice under cold water and set aside in a bowl.
2. In a small bowl, add minced garlic and salt.
3. Whisk lemon and Worcestershire sauce into the garlic.
4. Continue to whisk the dressing while slowly pouring the olive oil in a steady stream. Whisk until smooth.
5. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
6. Add pumpkin seeds to the lettuce then pour the dressing over top.
7. Toss the lettuce to coat with dressing and serve.

Tosca's Tip

The dressing for this salad is perfect for a Clean Caesar Salad! Tear two heads of romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces, add the dressing and toss to coat, then serve with fresh Parmesan cheese on top. Much healthier than a regular Caesar salad but with all of the flavor!

Nutritional Value for One Serving of Salad:

Calories: 120
Calories from Fat: 98
Total Fat: 10.9 g
Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
Total Carbs: 4.3 g
Fiber: 1.6 g
Protein: 3.86 g
Sodium: 56 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

MOCK-A-MO LE

By Bethenny Frankel - AKA Skinny Girl
Makes about 1 1/2 cups (I doubled it for our family Thanksgiving gathering)
Hands-on time 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
• 1 cup green peas, cooked
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp chopped red onion
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 3/4 tsp hot sauce
• Additional cilantro for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Using a hand-held blender, purée mixture until smooth.
2. Garnish with cilantro and serve with whole-grain crackers or raw vegetables.

NUTRIENTS per 1-tbsp serving:
CALORIES: 25
TOTAL FAT: 1.6 g
SAT. FAT: 0.25 g
CARBS: 2 g
FIBER: 1 g
SUGARS: 0.25 g
PROTEIN: 1 g
SODIUM: 9 mg
CHOLESTEROL: 0 mg

Five-Spice Tilapia

Prep: 15 min Total: 15 min (Quick)

Ingredients:

1 pound tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of tilapia fillets with five-spice powder. Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tilapia and cook until the outer edges are opaque, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, turn the fish over, stir the soy mixture and pour into the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until the fish is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Add scallions and remove from the heat. Serve the fish drizzled with the pan sauce.

Notes

Tip: Five-spice powder is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. Look for it in the spice section at the market or with other Asian ingredients.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 180

Fat: 6g

Carbs: 9g

Sodium: 596mg

Fiber 0g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Monounsaturated Fat: 3g

Protein: 24g

Cholesterol: 57 g

Grandma Sullivan's Pound Cake

This is how Grandma made the cake while we were young.

1 cup margarine

1 cup crisco

4 cups sugar

1 cup milk (She used 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup water)

6 large eggs

3 1/2 cups All Purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

This is how she has been making it as of late.

2 sticks butter (= 1 cup butter)

1 cup buttered flavored crisco

4 cups sugar

1 cup milk (2% milk)

6 large eggs

3 1/2 cups All Purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

These directions are just as she wrote them.

Combine butter, crisco and sugar. Cream together until a silvery look. (Whatever Silvery look means? I just creamed them together.) Add eggs. Beat well. Add milk. Beat well. Add half of the flour. Work in. Add the rest of the flour. Mix and beat 3 min. (When I made this I didn't beat for three min. I just mixed until combined. In the past when I had problems with the recipe, I think it is because I over mixed the batter)

Pour into tube cake pan. (Grease the pans WELL.)  I prefer to divide this mixture into two cake pans. The reason I do this is I like a thinner pound cake rather than a thick one. I like more brown crust.

Bake 300 to 350 till golden brown about a hour or until done.

I just baked this last night. I followed the second recipe with the exception of the milk. I used the can of evaporated milk and water as she has in the first recipe. I baked it at 325 for one hour. It came out great!

Peppermint Bark

Makes 2 1/4 pounds or one 11x17 in sheet

2 Pounds White Chocolate(Not white chocolate chips. I buy Merckens white or dark chocolate which is designed for candy making. They have a much better flavor than the Wiltons chocolate wafers.)

12 Large Candy Canes (6 oz crushed candy)

1/2 teaspoon peppermint Oil (Not extract)

Directions:

1. Line an 11x17 in. baking sheet with parchment, and set aside.

2. In a double boiler, melt white chocolate, stirring constantly.

3. With a chef knife or meat tenderizer, pound candy canes in 1/4 in pieces. Don't crush too much so that you have peppermint powder.

4. Stir pieces of candy canes (reserve a little to sprinkle on top) and peppermint oil into melted chocolate. Remove from heat, and pour evenly. Sprinkle remaining peppermint pieces on top. Chill until firm, 25 to 30 min. Break into pieces, and serve. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.