1-2-3 Rolls

Oven 400º

¼ cup warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3½ cups flour
3 tablespoons margarine, melted

Soften yeast in warm water. Set aside. Scald (or heat in microwave) milk, sugar, shortening and salt. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Stir in eggs and 1 cup of flour. Add yeast mixture stirring well. Stir in remaining flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double. Punch down and roll out dough to ¼” thickness. Cut into circles, fold over and place onto greased cookie sheet. Brush with melted margarine. Let rise 45 to 60 minutes. Bake at 400º for 10 to 12 minutes.

Country Fair Chicken

Serves 6
Oven 350º

1 envelope Lipton Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
4 potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

In large plastic bag or bowl, add all ingredients. Seal bag and shake, or toss in bowl, until chicken and vegetables are evenly coated. Empty chicken and vegetables into 9x13-inch baking dish. Discard bag. Bake at 350º, stirring twice, 1 hour or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.

Breakfast Burritos

Makes 24 burritos

24 medium flour tortillas
12 large eggs
1 32-oz. pkg. shredded hash browns
1 lb. bulk sausage or
1 lb. bacon or
1 lb. steak fajita meat
3 cups grated cheddar or Mexican cheese
salsa
green or red chile
sour cream
guacamole

Brown sausage (or bacon or steak) and cook hash browns. Scramble eggs with a little milk and cook thoroughly. Combine eggs, sausage*, hash browns and cheese in a large bowl. Warm tortillas. Fill each tortilla with ½ cup of mixture and top with salsa, chile, sour cream and/or guacamole.

*If serving people with many preferences, leave the meat out of the mixture and add to each tortilla as requested. Mixing the other ingredients together makes for a better tasting burrito.

Choco-Holic Cake

Oven 350º

Cake:
1 18¼-oz. package chocolate cake mix
1 3.4-oz. package chocolate instant pudding
1 cup milk
½ cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1 cup copped walnuts
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Glaze:
2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1½ cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake:
Grease and flour 12-inch Bundt pan or other tub pan. Combined cake mix, pudding mix, milk, sour cream and eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in morsels and nuts. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake at 350º for 55 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick insetred in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze:
Melt baking chocolate and butter in small heavy-duty saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar alternately with water until of desired consistency. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour glaze over cake.

Pepper Steak

Serves 8

2 to 3 lbs. top round steak
1 onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 14½-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14½-oz. can whole green beans
1 10¾-oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 6½-oz. can mushrooms
½ cup flour
seasoned salt, garlic and pepper to taste
vegetable oil

Combine flour and spices. Cut steak into thin strips. Roll in seasoned flour and brown in hot oil. Combine ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Serve over rice.

Chocolate Chip-Applesauce-Raisin-Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 9 dozen
Oven 350º

2 cups applesauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups flour
4 cups oatmeal
1 cup raisins, plumped
3 cups chocolate chips

Mix applesauce and baking soda; set aside. In a very large bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and salt; mix well. Combine spices and flour and add to sugar mixture stirring well. Stir in applesauce mixture, then oatmeal, then raisins and chocolate chips. Drop 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 10 to 12 minutes.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 8 to 10
Oven 400º

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of chicken soup
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
2 small cans chopped green chiles
2 cups sour cream
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
10 - 12 flour tortillas
¼-½ cup chicken broth

Combine soups, chiles, sour cream and cheese. Set aside about 1½ cups of the mixture. Add chicken to the remaining mixture. Lay tortillas on countertop and distribute the chicken mixture evenly between them. Pour enough chicken broth in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish to cover the bottom. Roll up the tortillas and place them in the baking dish. Spread the 1½ cup soup mixture over the top. Cover with foil. Bake at 400º for 30 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

Lemon Snow Balls

Serves 10

5 large lemons
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar

Garnish:
Fresh raspberries
Mint leaves

Cut lemons in half lengthwise to resemble boats. Cut a small sliver of peel from bottom of lemons to stabilize base. Remove pulp from lemons to form a "shell" using a spoon or melon-baller. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

In large freezer-safe bowl, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and cream. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 8 hours or up to overnight.

Remove from freezer. If necessary to break up ice crystals, process in food processor or beat with electric mixer until smooth. Do not over process; mixture should hold very firm peaks. Spoon into lemon shells, cover, and freeze until firm, 2 hours or up to 3 days. Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.

Note: This is a very easy homemade sorbet that can also be served in bowls or cups.

Pasta and Vegetable Carbonara

1 lb. farfalle (bow tie pasta), cooked
1 lb. bacon, chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 16-oz. package frozen broccoli
4 teaspoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1½ cups half-and-half
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook bacon over medium heat in large skillet until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside. Add bell pepper and broccoli to drippings; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Stir in bacon and cooked pasta. Cook 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. In small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper and half-and-half; using wire whisk, stir until smooth. Add to mixture in skillet; cook until mixture is thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in Parmesan cheese.