Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Makes approximately 10 to 12 5-inch pancakes.

In an appropriate sized bowl add:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 to 4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin spice to taste

Mix the contents evenly. In a different bowl add:

3 tablespoons of melted butter
1 large egg
1 to 1 1/4 cups of milk ( I use 2%, but use what you have on hand)

Mix evenly and then combine with the dry ingredients. The batter will be fairly thin so use less milk if you prefer thicker batter.

Near sea level I adjust my stove top gas range to 1/3rd past medium and I cook each side for no more than 1 minute, more like 45 seconds.  I get between 10 and 12 pancakes per batch, each about 5 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick.

I use real maple syrup from Maine. To me the pancakes smell of the holidays, the pumpkin spice is aromatic and the taste is like cinnamon roll.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Read the entire recipe before preparing.
Quantity:  ~ 24-25 cookies
Prepare time: ~ 10 minutes
Cooking time: ~ 10 minutes
Oven temperature: 350 degrees

In appropriate sized bowl, add:
1 egg
1/2 stick of melted butter (4 tablespoons)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix until completely blended.

To this mixture slowly blend in 1 and a half cups all-purpose flour. You should end up with a very dense dry ball of cookie dough about the size of a softball. (Depends on ambient temperature of the room and amount of butter)

Fold in a half cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to make these chocolate chip cookies or leave them out for a tasty non-chocolatey cookie. You can also add a half cup of your favorite soft nuts such as chopped walnuts.

Options include replacing the brown sugar with white sugar or going half white and half brown sugar. You can also increase the amount of butter up to a total of 8 tablespoons. Consider a sprinkle of cinnamon to living it up. Also consider using whole-wheat flour in place of the all-purpose flour.

Using a 1 tablespoon mechanical scoop I evenly place 12 portions on to each of 2 cookie sheets.

Whatever you decide, cook for about 10 to 12 minutes at no less than 350 degrees.  At sea level +200 feet these cookies come out of my electric oven just a little pale, so I usually let them go to 11 minutes. I look for the beginnings of a gold-tan shade to the cookie before removing them. I then let them sit for 1 minute before taking a hard-plastic spatula to loosen them from the cookie sheet.

Pineapple-Zucchini Loaf

3 Eggs

2 cups Sugar

2 Tablespoons Vanilla

1 cup Salad Oil

2 cups shredded Zucchini

3 cups Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup crushed Pineapple, drained

1/2 cup Raisins, optional

1 cup chopped nuts (Walnuts, Pecans etc)

Preheat oven 350*

Beat Eggs until fluffy; add Sugar, Vanilla, and Oil. Blend well. Add Zucchini.  Sift together Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt.  Add sifted mixture to Egg/Sugar/Oil/Vanilla/Zucchini mixture. Stir in Pineapple, Raisins, and Nuts and mix well. Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans ( or sprayed with Non-Stick Cooking Spray) for 1 hour.

Easy Crockpot Beef Stew

1 lb Stew Meat

Worcestershire Sauce

3-4 medium size Potatoes

3-4 large Carrots

1 cup frozen corn (or vegetables you like)

1 package Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1 can Campbells Golden Mushroom soup

Cut the Stew Meat into smaller pieces if needed.  Place the stew meat in a bowl or ziplock bag and sprinkle with some  Worcestershire Sauce. Set aside the stew meat ( I put in the refrigerator overnight) while you peel and cube the potatoes and carrots.  Place the ingredients in the crockpot in the following order. Potatoes, Carrots, Corn, Stew Meat, Beefy Onion Soup, and Golden Mushroom soup.  No further seasoning is required.  Cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for about 8.

Cranberry Scones

2 cups Bisquick® Original baking mix

1/3 cup finely chopped dried Cranberries

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1/3 cup Heavy Cream

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Milk

2 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 425*     Spray a cookie sheet with No-Stick Cooking Spray.

Mix Bisquick® baking mix, Cranberries, 3 Tablespoons Sugar, Heavy Cream, and Egg until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto a surface dusted with baking mix and knead approximately 10 times. On the cookie sheet shape the dough into a circle (about 8 inch). Brush with Milk and sprinkle with Sugar. Cut into 8 wedges, but don’t seperate them.

Bake until Golden Brown, about 12 minutes.  Seperate wedges and serve while still warm.

Carrot Cake

1 cup Oil

2 cups Sugar

4 Eggs

2 cups Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

3 cups grated Carrots

1 cup Chopped Nuts ( Walnuts, Pecans, etc)

1/2 cup Raisins

Preheat Oven 350*

In a large bowl mix the Oil and Sugar together.  Add 1 Egg at a time to the Oil/Sugar mixture.  In another bowl sift together the Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, and Cinnamon.  Add the sifted ingredients to the Oil/Sugar/Egg mixture and combine well.  Stir in the Carrots, Nuts, and Raisins.  Pour into a 9×13 inch pan that has been either sprayed with a No-Stick cooking spray or that has been greased and floured.  Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.  Let the cake cool before frosting. 

For Cream Cheese Frosting

Mix together

1 8 oz package Cream Cheese

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3 Tablespoons melted Butter

1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar (Confectioners)

Spread on cooled cake.  Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

Corn tortillas (about 12-15)

16 oz green salsa (Herdez salsa verde)

Cooked chicken breast (about 3 breasts cubed)

1 6 oz plain yogurt

1 4 oz can Ortega diced green chiles

8 oz heavy cream

2-3 cups grated cheese ( 4 cheese mexican)

Vegetable oil for frying (about 1/2 inch in frying pan or enough to cover a tortilla)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Lightly fry tortillas in oil. When tortilla starts to bubble then flip it and let cook a few seconds before removing to drain on paper towels.

Place some chicken, cheese and diced chiles down center of a tortilla and roll enchilada style.

Place them in a 9×13 baking pan. Mix yogurt, cream, salsa, and remainder of diced chiles together and pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese over top.

Cover with foil and bake 15 min

Uncover and bake 15 min. or until it starts to brown

Ranger Cookies

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon real vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

2 cups crispy rice cereal

1 cup coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well blended. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in rolled oats, cereal, and coconut until well combined.

3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 11 to 12 minutes. Makes 5 dozen.