Glazed Apple Cookies

Glazed Apple Cookies
(adapted from Amish Country Cookbook)
Cookies pictured were baked by Laura.

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup apple juice or milk
1 cup chopped raw apples

Beat sugar, shortening and egg, cream well. Add 1/2 dry ingredients and apples. Blend in juice or milk. Add remaining flour mixture. Mix well. Drop on cookie sheet and bake in 400 degree oven. Spread with glaze while cookies are hot.

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons apple juice or milk
1 tablespoon butter
salt
vanilla

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Hot Cheese and Bacon Dip

Hot Cheese and Bacon Dip

(adapted from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

16 slices bacon, diced
2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, cubed and softened
4 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 drops Tabasco

Brown and drain bacon. Set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 1 hour, stirring occasionally until cheese melts. Stir in bacon. Serve with fruit slices or French bread slices.

Karla's Notes: I served it with carrot and celery sticks, and bread-machine bread slices. We found it a little salty for our tastes. Since it has the other seasonings, I would just leave out the salt all together next time.

Easy-Does-It Spaghetti

Easy-Does-It Spaghetti

(adapted from a recipe in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
26.5-oz. can spaghetti sauce
3 14.5-oz. cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
16-oz. dry spaghetti broken into 4-5" pieces
grated Paremsan cheese

Combine all ingredients except spaghetti and cheese in a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours, or High 3-5 hours. Turn to High during last 30 minutes and stir in dry spaghetti. (If spaghetti is not fully cooked, continue cooking another 10 minutes, checking to make sure it is not becoming overcooked.) Sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese.

Karla's note: Lyle rated this a 2, because he said, "It needed something." I had to laugh at him. What it needed was salt! I had added salt to my plate and thought it was delicious. It doesn't occur to him that salt enhances the flavor and is usually "the thing it needs." He almost always adds pepper to his plate, but rarely salt. I think he thinks if he adds salt then it will taste salty. Next time I would probably use 2 teaspoons of salt rather than 1 1/2.

Taco Soup

Taco Soup with Pork and Beans
(adapted from a recipe in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

1 lb. ground beef
half a small onion, finely diced
1 envelope dry taco seasoning
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. red cayenne pepper
15-oz. can kidney beans, undrained
15-oz. can whole kernel corn, undrained
15-oz. can pork and beans
15-oz. can diced tomatoes
taco chips
shredded cheese
sour cream
sliced jalepenos (optional)

Brown beef in skillet. Drain. Place in slow cooker. Stir in onion, taco seasoning, brown sugar, and pepper. Add beans, corn, pork and beans, and tomatoes. Mix well. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours. Garnish individual servings with taco chips, cheese, dollop of sour cream, and a slice or two of jalepenos, if desired.

Karla's Note: We had this Tuesday night. Lyle rated it a 4. I have made a very similar taco soup on the stove top for years. Just thought I would try this one to see how it turned out in the crockpot and see if I could improve on my original recipe. I didn't think it needed the brown sugar. I won't add that if I make it again.

Tangy Pork Chops

Tangy Pork Chops

(adapted from a recipe in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

4 1/2-inch thick pork chops
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, sliced
14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water

Place chops in slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add onions, celery, pepper, and tomatoes. Combine ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and bouillon. Pour over vegetables. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into slow cooker. Cover. Cook on High 30 minutes, or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Karla's Note: We had this Monday evening. Lyle gave it a 3.5 on a scale of 1-5.

Slow-Cooker Pizza

Slow-Cooker Pizza

(adapted from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

1.5 lbs. bulk sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
half a box rigatoni, cooked
3 oz. sliced pepperoni
16-oz. jar pizza sauce
10 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
10 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown sausage in saucepan. Drain.

Layer half of each of the following, in the order given, in a slow cooker: sausage, onions, green pepper, noodles, black olives, pepperoni, pizza sauce, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

Note: Keep rigatoni covered with sauce so they don't become dry and crunchy.

Karla's Notes: First of all, I used "salad macaroni" instead of "rigatoni" because that's what I had. As far as I know, the only difference is the shape, right? And, then, I had no idea how much "half a box" was since the pasta I had was in a bag. I just guessed and used half a bag and that seemed to be about right...

We had this tonight. Lyle rated it a 4 also. He's just pretty easy to please!

Waldorf Astoria Stew

Waldorf Astoria Stew

(adapted from the Fix-It & Forget-It Cookbook)

2 lbs. beef stewing meat, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
2 cups carrots, sliced
4 medium potatoes, cubed
3 Tbsp. minute tapioca
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
10.75-oz. can tomato soup
1/3 cup water

Layer meat, onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in slow cooker. Sprinkle with seasonings and tapioca. Add soup and water.

Cover. Cook on Low 7-9 hours.

Karla's Notes: This took about 30 minutes of prep time, cutting up the meat and veggies. However, I was able to do it early in the morning and then let it cook all day.

We had this Friday night. Lyle rated it a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5. (He said he's probably never going to give a 5, because a 5 would be, "I could eat it every day!" and he likes more variety than that. A 4 is "I wouldn't mind having this every week.") He said he really liked it because it had lots of meat in it. The funny thing was, the original recipe called for 3 pounds of meat. I only used 2 and it was still plenty! This recipe filled up my large Crockpot.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Chicken and Rice Casserole

(adapted from a recipe in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

10.75-oz. can cream of celery soup
10.75-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, undrained
1 cup raw long grain rice
6 boneless/skinless chicken-breast tenders
2 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix

Combine soups, water chestnuts, and rice in greased slow cooker. Mix well.

Layer chicken breasts on top of mixture. Sprinkle with onion soup mix.

Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.

Note from Karla: The original recipe called for canned mushrooms instead of the water chestnuts. Lyle and the kids aren't crazy about mushrooms, so I used one can of cream of mushroom soup (instead of all cream of celery) and added the water chestnuts instead. I served it with a green salad.

We had this last night. Lyle gave it a 3 on a scale of 1-5, with 3 being, "Okay. Fix it once in awhile, every month or two." He thought it needed more spices. I might marinate the chicken in Italian dressing next time.

Quick and Easy Nacho Dip

Quick and Easy Nacho Dip

(adapted from a recipe in Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

1 lb. ground beef

taco seasoning to taste

onion powder to taste

garlic powder to taste

4 cups salsa

15-oz. can refried beans

1 1/2 cups sour cream

3 cups shredded "taco" cheese, divided

tortilla chips

Brown ground beef. Drain. Add taco seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Combine beef, salsa, beans, sour cream and 2 cups cheese in slow cooker.

Cover. Heat on Low 2 hours. Just before serving sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Note from Karla: I have been trying out Crockpot recipes from the Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook this week. I find it almost impossible to follow a recipe to the letter, so I am posting them here with my adaptations.

My idea is to have crockpot meals for supper on week-nights. I just stocked up on a variety of "cheap" meats (hamburger, sausage, chicken, roast, etc.) and different canned and frozen vegetables to have on hand to try a variety of the recipes in this book. I'll try to remember to take pictures and post my adaptation of each one I try along with my family's opinion.

We had this Wednesday night this week. Lyle said it was "Pretty good!" (A high compliment from him is "Not bad!" so this is a step up from that!) He gave it a 4 on a scale from 1 to 5... with the definition of 4 being "Good. Fix it regularly, a couple of times a month."

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Meg

Tomorrow's Dinner

Are you tired? I am sitting here, 9:30 at night - thinking of tomorrow. What do I need to do tomorrow? Several things - including going to the grocery store! As I do, I need to plan a few more meals. Many of my friends mention this same thing - what to make! So, this new blog is a place to help those of us who would like a new idea. We want to share ideas, recipies, and thoughts to each other! A few rules though!!

1. You must have tried the recipe.
2. Please give some sort of reference if you are using a recipe from somewhere - it's ok to use it, just quote them!
3. IF YOU CAN - please include a pic!

Ok! Let's see if this will work!