Lisa's Ice Packs

3 cups water

½ cup salt

3/4 cup cornstarch (I use a little under that)

Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix well.  Add food coloring if desired at this point.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly.  

Once it is thick like pudding, turn off heat and let cool (almost an hour.)  

Once cooled, fill either 1gallon size freezer bag or 2 quart size bags.  Freeze.

(from my friend, Lisa)

Carmel Chip Pecan Cookies

2 cups + 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

10 oz caramel chips

¾ cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and sugars until blended. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla.

Blend in dry ingredients. Add chips and pecans, mix thoroughly.

Roll 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball. Place the dough balls on the cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Rotate cookie sheets midway through baking.

This recipe can be found here.

Brown Sugar Amish Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Glaze: optional
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 - 1 Tbsp. milk, optional

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together, then set aside.

In a large bowl or mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and lightened in color, then mix in egg and vanilla extract.

Slowly mix in dry ingredients until fully incorporated. If desired, chill dough for 30-40 minutes.

Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, scoop dough into 1-inch balls and place them onto an ungreased baking sheet, 2 inches apart.

Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 10-11 minutes, or until edges are just lightly browned.

For the glaze, if using: whisk together powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl, then mix in maple syrup and whisk until smooth. Whisk in milk if necessary. Pour over cooled cookies and let set.

This recipe can be found here

Lemon Drop Candy Cookies

2 cups sugar
1½ cups Butter Flavor Crisco
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
4 cups flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 lemon, finely zested
1 (6 oz.) packages lemon drop candies, crushed
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 350°.

In mixing bowl cream sugar, shortening and eggs; add extracts. Stir in dry ingredients, lemon zest and crushed lemon drops.

Roll into 1-inch balls, flatten slightly and bake on parchment-lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool slightly on pan 1 to 2 minutes.

Make a glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice; then brush lightly over cookie tops. Let cookies cool completely.


This recipe can be found here.

Lisa's French Toast

3-6 eggs

1/3 cup milk

½ Tbsp cinnamon

½ - 1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of nutmeg

Bread (I like to use Texas toast)

Combine ingredients.  Heat griddle.  Dip bread in mixture, turning to coat.  Cook on griddle over medium heat flipping over side has browned.

Serve with syrup, butter, powdered sugar or anything else that sounds delicious.

This freezes well.

This recipe was shared with me by Lisa.  She is awesome.

Double Chocolate Chip Mini Loaves

1½ cups sour cream

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1½ cups flour

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°

Prepare 8 mini loaf pans by spraying them with cooking spray.

Whisk wet ingredients together in a bowl. 

Whisk dry ingredients together separately in a larger bowl.

Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Divide batter into mini loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean (20-23 minutes).

Let cool 1 hour, then remove from pan.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

King Ranch Chicken

Butter, for the baking dish

One 10.5-ounce can cream of chicken soup 

One 10.5-ounce can cream of mushroom soup 

One 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles, such as Rotel

2 Tbsp. chili powder 

½ tsp. ground cumin 

½ tsp. kosher salt 

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chicken broth 

16 corn tortillas, torn into pieces 

1 roasted whole chicken, cooled and torn into chunks

1 large white or yellow onion, finely diced 

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 

1 jalapeno, finely diced 

1½ cups grated sharp Cheddar

1½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the soups and diced tomatoes and chiles. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Then stir it all together.

Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the torn tortillas. Layer on half the chicken. Add half the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Sprinkle on half the cheese and pour on half the soup mixture. Then repeat the layers.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake until bubbling, another 15 minutes.

To make ahead and freeze: Fold foil over the unbaked casserole and freeze until solid. Then, lift the foil-topped casserole out of the pan, wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze until needed. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, put the foiled-topped casserole back into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and thaw. Bake at 350° following the baking instructions above.

This recipe can be found here.

Pecan Pie Bites

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

6 Tbsp. butter softened

1 egg yolk

½ tsp. vanilla

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

FILLING

1 cup finely chopped pecans

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 36 mini muffin pan cups with no-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Combine ½ cup brown sugar, butter, egg yolk and ½ tsp. vanilla in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat at low speed until well mixed.

Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls; place each into prepared mini muffin pan cup, pressing dough onto bottom and up one-third sides of each cup, creating a shallow cup.

Combine all filling ingredients in bowl; spoon 1 tsp. filling into each cookie.

Bake 13-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 10 minutes in pan on cooling rack.

Remove cookies from pans by running small knife around edge of cookie. Place onto cooling rack; cool completely.

This recipe can be found here.

Caramel-Toffee 7-Layer Cookies

½ cup butter, melted

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup caramel bits

1 cup bittersweet (dark) chocolate chips

1 cup toffee bits

1 can (14 Oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup sliced almonds

1 pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 11 x 7 baking pan. 

Stir together melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press into prepared pan. 

Add the other ingredients in order: caramel bits, chocolate chips, and toffee bits. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Add the almonds. Sprinkle on a pinch or two of salt. 

Bake for 25–30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  

This recipe can be found here.

Holiday Gingerbread Mini Loaves

2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3 tsp. ginger

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. salt

1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. molasses

1 c. hot water

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease loaf pans with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. In a small bowl, whisk molasses and hot water until combined. Stir into egg mixture. Gradually stir flour mixture into egg mixture, forming the dough.  Stir in nuts

Pour batter into loaf pans, filling it 2/3 of the way up. Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool 20 minutes before removing from pan; cool an additional 30 minutes.


This recipe can be found here.