Corn on the Cob BBQ Style

Yes, you can BBQ corn on the cob! I'm sure this is nothing new to most people, but we just started doing this at our house. And Oh.My.Goodness! It is the ONLY way to make corn. It's super easy too.

We use Sweet White Corn. First you'll want to peel off the excess husks, but leave a little bit on because you'll need it to protect the corn from the BBQ flames. Peel it back far enough to remove the silkies, then run water over it to rinse it off...pull the husks back up and run some more water over it until it's soaked.

Then just BBQ it on low heat for about 20 mins. You might want to check it every so often though...just in case one of the husks decides to catch on fire thus catching the entire cob on fire and almost ruining your dinner let alone almost burning down the backyard. Not that it has ever happened to us or anything. ha!

So that's it! Pretty simple, but OH so good!

Cocoa-Peppermint Drops

Very simple, like the Lemon Drops, but with chocolate instead! These cookies are another favorite of mine!!! Easy-peasy...and so yummy!

Cocoa-Peppermint Drops

Ingredients:

Cookies
-1 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix
-1/3 Cup Oil
-1 Egg
-4 Tablespoons Water

Glaze
-1 Cup Powdered Sugar
-1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract
-2 Tablespoons Milk-Crushed Candy Cane

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350* Mix ingredients by hand, dough should be “soft”. Use a teaspoon to drop dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Place cookies on wire-rack to cool. Brush on glaze while cookies are still warm, and sprinkle crushed candy cane on top. (You could use festive red or green sugar sprinkles too!) Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Lemon Drops

This recipe is so easy, and the cookies are soooooooo yummy! They are my favorite holiday cookie...fast and easy to whip up and take to a party at a moments notice. I like the lemon flavor because with all of the different chocolate goodies at parties, it's nice to have something a little tart!

Lemon Drops


Ingredients:

Cookies:
-1 Box of Lemon Cake Mix
-1/3 Cup Oil
-4 Tablespoons Water
-1 Egg

Glaze:
-1 Cup Powdered Sugar
-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350* Mix ingredients by hand, dough should be “soft”. Use a teaspoon to drop dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Place cookies on wire-rack to cool. Brush on glaze while cookies are still warm. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Apple Crisp ...a yummy fall favorite!

Here's another recipe without a picture because I keep forgetting to take one!!! The next time I make it I will take one, and post it. But...you don't really need a picture for this...it's the taste that matters! This is one of my fall favorites. It takes a little bit of time to peel the apples...but it is SO yummy! It's perfect for a fall or winter dessert. Ok, I'll admit that I even eat it for breakfast when I have leftovers.


Apple Crisp


Ingredients:

- 9 Cups of Sliced Apples (1 medium apple is about one cup sliced)
- 1 & 1/2 Cups White Sugar
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 & 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 & 1/4 Cup Butter
- 1 & 1/2 Cup Oatmeal (the old fashioned oats)


Directions:

Peel and slice/dice apples. (This takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r if you are peeling by hand and don't have an apple core/peeler thingy...but it's worth it in the end!)

Mix Apples, White Sugar, and 3 tablespoons of Flour in a large bowl. Set apple mixture aside. In a separate bowl, mix softened Butter and crumble into Brown Sugar and Flour. (I usually use a pastry cutter for this...it mixes it better that a spoon.) Gradually add the Oatmeal.

Layer the apples/flour mixture/apples/flour mixture in a large baking dish. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture on top. Bake at 325* for 1 hour. (uncovered)

Southwestern Style Ground Turkey & Potatoes O'Brien

So, I'm not really sure what this dish is called. It's something I learned when I used to have a job teaching life skills to developmentally disabled adults. (One of my favorite jobs!) It was from a 4 ingredient cookbook (I don't remember which one, sorry!) but I've added a little more to it. This is such an easy dish, and very yummy! It's one of my favorite cold-weather comfort foods.

Ingredients:
1 Onion
1 Pound Ground Turkey
1 Bag of Potatoes O'Brien (You can find it in the frozen foods section)
1 Medium Size Jar of Chunky Salsa (Not the watery kind...that will make the dish too "sloppy" and juicy)
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Sour Cream


Brown the turkey meat and onion in a large skillet. When turkey meat is cooked thoroughly, add the potatoes O'Brien to the skillet. Make sure the heat is on medium. Pour the jar of salsa over the turkey meat and potatoes. Stir often (you don't want anything to burn!), the potatoes should be heated and cooked thoroughly within about 10 minutes. Remove from heat once cooked, dish out portions. Spoon sour cream on top, and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6

*Pictures to come...the next time I make it!

Peanut Butter Frosting

I made chocolate cupcakes with this peanut butter frosting recipe...and OH MY GOODNESS! I am sad to say that my diet suffered (big time) because I ate so many of the cupcakes! I don't really remember where I got this recipe from, it's one that I've had for awhile in my recipe box...I did google "peanut butter frosting" and it seems that this is a pretty general "base" recipe. In any case, it is GOOD!




Peanut Butter Frosting
Will frost about 36 cupcakes


1/2 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Peanut Butter
3 Tablespoons Milk
2 Cups Powder Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla


If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, use it...the frosting will be much more "fluffier".

Cream together the Butter and Peanut Butter until mixed thoroughly. Add in the Milk, Vanilla and Powder Sugar. Mix on Medium once all of the ingredients are incorporated. (ie: don't turn the Kitchen Aid on high speed until the powder sugar is no longer powder...you will have a huge mess if you do!) Put frosting in a pastry bag and pipe onto cupcakes.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

In the summer, especially when it hits 100+ which it was today, I try to use the crockpot to make dinner so I don't need to turn on the oven. I grabbed this little seasoning packet by McCormick while grocery shopping yesterday. I had most of the ingredients on hand at home, but had I bought them it probably would have been about $5.00. I was very pleased with how this meal turned out. Bonus: the house smelled yummy all day while it was cooking, and I didn't do much except throw everything in the crockpot! I served mine over whole wheat pasta. (Tip: you can buy whole wheat pasta at Trader Joe's for about $1.25)






Slow Cookers Italian Herb Chicken

Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH


INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken parts, skin removed (I used about 10-12 "chicken tenders")
1 package (8 ounces) mushrooms, halved or sliced
1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers Italian Herb Chicken Seasoning
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste


DIRECTIONS
1. Place chicken and mushrooms in slow cooker.
2. Mix Seasoning, tomatoes and tomato paste until blended. Pour over chicken and mushrooms. Cover. I added one cup of water to the mixture. It was really thick, and I didn't want the chicken to burn in the crock pot. I'm glad I didn't, because it turned out perfect!
3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. I cooked mine on high for 7 hours, and then let it thicken up for an hour since I added water. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving. Serve over hot cooked pasta, if desired.



NUTRITION INFORMATION
per serving
Calories: 271
Fat: 11 g
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Cholesterol: 77 mg
Sodium: 648 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 27 g