Fajitas

This is my all-time favorite recipe for fajitas.  The marinade makes a really flavorful meat.  SO tasty!!

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Flank steak

Reserve for Later:
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 large Spanish onion, sliced thin 
1/2 green pepper, sliced thin 
1/2 red pepper, sliced thin 
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced thin

Combine the lime juice, water, oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, liquid smoke, peppers, and steak in a ziploc bag, cover, and refrigerate overnight.  Discard leftover marinade.  Grill meat over medium flame 4-5 minutes on each side. Cut meat into thin strips.  Set aside and keep warm.

Combine the 2 Tbls. water, soy sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil.
set aside.  Cook onion and peppers in oil until crisp tender.  Remove from heat.  Pour reserved mixture over onions and peppers.  Combine meat, onions, and peppers.  Serve with warm tortilla, guacamole, sour cream. 

Mint Oreo Ice-Cream Dessert

Do you ever fix anything from your "growing-up" years and every-time you do, you are filled with memories?  There's something about this dessert that reminds me of warm, summer nights, time spent sitting on the front porch, talking to my friends or even crawling out on the roof to sit alone to watch the stars.  You would understand the need for the roof, if you grew up in my family!  Eight kids, and I was third to the oldest.  Sometimes the ONLY quiet place was the roof!  My mom typically didn't look there, either!  I love this dessert.  It's entirely too simple to make, yet it's so rich and delicious.  It's the perfect summer dessert and although, it's only March, I decided it was time to make it anyway!  So, here it is...my reminder of summer and the past, when I could consume countless calories, because, honestly, I probably didn't even know what a calorie was!  Or a carb!  Sometimes knowledge sure ruins a good thing!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. oreo cookies
1 cube butter
1 container mint chocolate chip ice-cream
caramel syrup
Chocolate syrup
Cool whip (I never use cool-whip, but for simplicity sake, I list it.  I prefer the real stuff:  1 pint heavy whipping cream, whipped, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla...YOU choose!)

Directions:
Crush oreos.  Melt the cube of butter and mix with the oreo crumbs.  Press into a 9x13 cake pan.  I take my carton of ice-cream and cut down the sides of the box.  I lay the ice-cream on its side and cut in 1" sections and piece together in the pan and then press the seams together.  Then layer a thin layer of carmel and chocolate and top with coolwhip or whipping cream.  Sprinkle with extra oreo crumbs if you have any!  Freeze until ready to serve.

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Laurel Hill 

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Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

I made these for the kids this week for breakfast and they turned out delicious!  They are so light, fluffy and flavorful!  One trick to not getting the blueberries to bleed all over in the batter is to pour the batter on the hot griddle and then hand drop the blueberries on top of the pancake batter.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 TBSP. sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups milk
3 TBSP. melted butter
Blueberries (small...I prefer the frozen organic ones)

Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.   Mix the eggs, milk and buttermilk in a separate bowl.  Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Mix until the batter is barely combined.  Add the melted butter.  The less you are able to mix the more light and fluffy they will be.

Heat a hot griddle and oil or butter the pan.  Pour pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle the blueberries on top.  Flip once bubbles start to form.  Serve immediately with maple syrup or this yummy buttermilk syrup.

Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

This is an absolute favorite at our house.  I always double the recipe because the kids drench their pancakes in the stuff.  I love a little bit of freezer jam spread on my pancake mixed with a little bit of the syrup, but that's just me!  Try this recipe.  You will forever be addicted!

Ingredients:  

1 cube butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 TBSP. karo syrup

Bring to a boil, as soon as it boils, remove from heat and add: 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.

Light and Delicious Dinner Rolls

This is my all-time favorite roll recipe.  It's very versatile.  I use it to make fried scones, cinnamon rolls and sticky buns.  I've done it with all wheat flour and they are still good, just more dense.  Most of the time, if I'm going to use wheat flour, I will do half wheat and half white, so that I can keep the lightness of the roll.  I love the taste of butter, but shortening will yield a flakier roll.  I always use butter flavored shortening and I have settled on using half shortening, half butter to get both the flakiness and the butter flavor.  Once raised and rolled, they will freeze nicely for use at another time.  Just get them out and thaw and raise, just like you would with Rhodes!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup warm water

4 TBSP. yeast

1 1/3 cups instant milk

2/3 cup sugar

4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

9-10 cups flour

Directions:  Take your 1/2 cup warm water and dissolve the 4 TBSP. of yeast into it.  Add a little sugar and wait until foamy.  In your mixing bowl, add the 3 1/2 cups water and the instant milk.  Mix until mix is dissolved.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat in.  Add sugar, salt and butter and shortening.  Mix until well combined (it will be lumpy).  Add yeast and mix.  Add flour.  Put in 8 cups and then slowly add remaining until your dough gets to the right consistency.  I like my dough a little sticky.  It shouldn't be so sticky it goops all over your hand, but it should stick somewhat (similar to cookie dough).  It makes the rolls fluffier.  Knead dough in your mixer, on low setting with your kneader hook for 10 minutes.  

You can see how I like to roll them in this picture

Sprinkle flour on your counter and put dough on top.  Cover with a rag and let raise until double.  Divide dough into thirds and roll out into a rectangle shape.  Brush with butter and cut into rectangles.  Roll up and place fairly close together on your cookie sheet.  Cover and let raise until double.  Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with butter.  Best served warm.

I

Meatloaf

This is my favorite traditional meatloaf recipe.  I have to admit, I haven't tried hoards of meatloaf recipes.  The few I've tried I didn't care much for, so I've stuck with this same recipe for years.  If you love ketchup and brown sugar on top of your meatloaf, then this probably isn't the recipe for you.  There is no special kick to it, but it's moist, flavorful and the kids all love it AND it's super easy!

Ingredients:
1 envelope lipton onion soup mix
2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Shape into loaf in 13x9 inch baking or roasting pan.  Bake uncovered 1 hour or until done.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Serves 8.

Sticky Finger Salad

This has become a staple at our house.  We LOVE this sticky finger salad!

Ingredients:
Frozen breaded chicken breasts, cooked according to package instructions
Fresh Spinach Leaves
Romain Lettuce
Craisins
Grape Tomatoes
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Croutons
Red Onion, optional
Cucumbers, optional
Bell Peppers, optional
Ranch Salad Dressing

Sauce:
4 TBSP. water
6 TBSP. Franks Original Hot Sauce
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke

In a small saucepan, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Take chicken out of oven, when cooked.  Completely coat the chicken in the sauce and return to oven for 5-10 more minutes.  Remove and slice over salad.  Serve with Ranch Salad Dressing.