Peanut Buster Parfait

I love the combination of salty and sweet! I got this yummy dessert from Lori - a friend from church. I tweaked it a little and put caramel sauce on with the fudge sauce. I love that you can make it ahead and have in the freezer. I made two pans for a large group of volleyball players
and they loved it.

Peanut Buster Parfait

30 crushed Oreos
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 gallon partially thawed Vanilla ice cream
16 jar fudge sauce
Caramel sauce
1 to 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts
whipped cream (optional)

Mix crushed oreos and butter and spread 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13. Layer ice cream on top. **if you cut open the container of ice cream, you can slice the ice cream and lay it on top of the oreo crumbs; pour fudge sauce over ice cream and the caramel sauce if desired; top with the leftover 1/3 crushed oreos and the peanuts. Cover and freeze - overnight would be best! Enjoy as is or serve with a dollop of whipped cream!

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Homecoming

Our local high school split this year and my girls are attending the new high school. They are just loving it! We had our first Homecoming this past weekend. Both girls are also attending the other high school's homecoming next weekend. Yes, the craziness never ends!



Meg and Jenna (10th grade) and Annie (11th grade)


Jenna and good friend - Morgan. Kiley is Annie's good friend...


Jenna and good friend - Jay. Jenna and Lauren and Kiley-Best Buds!



Annie and good friend - Keithan!

Chicken A la King

I remember having "Chicken A La King" as a child. I remember having a creamy dish over toast. I did some research last winter and found this recipe. I have made this several times - using already cooked chicken I had leftover over from another dish. We love it... plus it is quick and easy!

Chicken A La King

3 Tbsp butter

Fresh mushrooms (optional)

½ cup chopped bell pepper

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cups evaporated milk or half and half

1 ½ cups chicken broth

3 cups diced cooked chicken

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add mushrooms, bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes; blend in flour, salt and pepper; Continue stirring and cooking until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly. Cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently. If you want a thicker sauce, blend 2 Tbsp of corn starch with ¼ cup cold water and add to sauce a little at a time until desired thickness is reached. Cook for a few more minutes. Add chicken – heat through. Serve over toast, biscuits, puff pastry etc.

Enjoy!

Beef Burgundy

I don't cook HOT food as much in the summer as I do in the winter. My husband prefers "lighter faire" in the summer. One of my standby recipes that I throw in the slow cooker or in the oven is Beef Burgundy. I used to only make this in the oven but I have made it in the slow cooker the last several times, and it has turned out great. If you decide to cook in the slow cooker, just cook on low most of the day until the meet is tender. It isn't fancy but all of my family enjoys it!

BEEF BURGUNDY

2 lb. stew meat

1 can French onion soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 8 oz can of mushrooms (or fresh or none)

½ cup red cooking wine

salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the stew meat. I brown mine first but you don’t have to. Mix meat with soups and wine and pour into a large greased casserole dish. Cover and bake at 325 for 3 hours. Serve over white rice!!

Chocolate Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars

I am back! I have had the worst time getting my blog to work. I switched browsers and tried GOOGLE chrome and it worked! Yea!!

Well, the crazy thing is I randomly picked up a box of KROGER chocolate graham crackers the other day. I just happened to look at the recipe on the box and thought it sounded yummy-thought I would give it a try -- ABSOLUTELY YUM! The recipe on the box is called Chocolate Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars. These bars taste like PUPPY CHOW bars. I have made them twice now and both times were devoured. The volleyball team couldn't stop talking about them. You have to try them.

Chocolate Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup crumbled chocolate graham crackers

1 18 oz jar peanut butter ( i used Peter Pan creamy)

3/4 cup softened butter

1 lb powdered sugar

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Crush crackers in either a ziploc bag or a food processor. Using a mixer, cream peanut butter, and butter til smooth, add in powdered sugar and beat again til smooth and then add in graham cracker crumbs. Beat until blended and moist. Pat into a 9 x 13 pan. Melt the milk chocolate chips and pour over mixture. Refrigerate 3-4 hours and cut into bars. Refrigerate any leftovers - if there are any! :)

*a bag of milk chocolate chips isn't quite 2 cups and I didn't think it was enough the first time. The 2nd time - I measured out two cups and it was plenty!

Penne Pasta Toss

This is one of my very favorite recipes. The volleyball girls and their families love it. It is my standard to take to a tournament and we have a buffet-style lunch to feed the girls. I just made it the past weekend and will again this weekend - I four times this recipe!

Pasta Salad

8 oz. penne pasta

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced tomatoes

DRESSING

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup Ceasar Salad Dressing (I like Cardini’s)

¼ cup Italian Dressing (I like Paul Newman’s or Gerards)

¾ tsp pepper( or less – do it by taste)

1 ½ tsp oregano flakes (or less – do it by taste)

Cook pasta according to directions. Add ingredients. Add dressing just before serving. I usually double for a group!!

High School Volleyball Season

Well it is the time..... High School Volleyball. Our oldest two are at a new high school and due to the split from the other high school... we do not have any seniors. It was sad to leave but we have a beautiful new school. But as for sports.... this is definitely a year of adjustment!





Annie and her Varsity Friends!


Annie is libero

**need to get some action shots of Jenna. She is on Junior Varsity and usually plays Outside Hitter.


Well it is the time..... High School Volleyball. Our oldest two are at a new high school and due to the split from the other high school... we do not have any seniors. It was sad to leave but we have a beautiful new school. But for sports.... this is definitely a growing year.

10 Point Pitch

Just got home from my first ever - 10 Point Pitch! We joined a new card club. All members are much younger than us and all very nice. Also, most had played PITCH - I was pretty clueless but everyone was very nice and due to beginner's luck - I won! I look forward to next month.

We all took appetizers. The food was way yummy and our host/hostess had a very scrumptious dessert. I took Buffalo Chicken Dip and it seemed to be a hit. I especially love this hearty appetizer-really can't go wrong with chicken, wing sauce, cream cheese, etc.

Buffalo Chicken Appetizer

3 – 4 chicken breasts

1 - 8 oz. bottle Buffalo Wing sauce ( didn’t use all)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 to 1 cup of crumbled blue cheese

1 cup of ranch dressing

2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

Boil chicken just til done. Cool and shred chicken using 2 forks or your fingers. Pour wing sauce over shredded chicken, cover and marinate overnight. Spread cream cheese in a lightly greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Layer marinated chicken next, and then the crumbled blue cheese. Mix ranch dressing with grated cheddar and layer on top. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or till bubbly. Serve warm with sturdy tortilla chips!! Enjoy!!

*Tonight I mixed the blue cheese, half of the cheddar cheese and about 3/4 of the ranch and layered this one. Then topped it with the rest of the ranch and sparsley scattered cheddar cheese. If you do the cheddar cheese in one layer on top, it tends to get too hard.

**adapted from the Junior League of Omaha cookbook

Mooney's Warm Vanilla Sauce

My great grandmother lived in New Boston, Tcxas. I have fond memories of her old, creaky house with the big front porch and the clawfoot bathtub. Everyone called her "Mooney". When cousins were younger and tried to call her "Ma Looney", the words ran together and she was called "Mooney". Mooney was a great cook - especially on those southern family traditional recipes. She passed on her secrets to my grandmother - MoMo and then on to my mom and then on to me. This is amazing served over Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

Mooney's Vanilla Sauce

Sift together -

1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp flour

Add slowly-

2 cups boiling water

Stir until smooth; Add-

1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
dash nutmeg

Serve over pound cake - just delightful!

Printable Version

Chili Cheese Frito and Corn Salad

A volleyball mom made this often last year for different volleyball gatherings. I never got the recipe from her but I googled it and kind of came up with my own. We really like it. It is a fun change to the normal salad-perfect for covered dish type settings.

Chile Cheese Frito And Corn Salad

3 cans white and yellow corn, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
4-6 green onions, chopped
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup light Miracle Whip
2 Tbsp light sour cream
Salt/Pepper

Toss and chill til ready to serve. Add 1/2 a bag or more of Chili Cheese Fritos and toss just before serving.

Printable Version

Cream Cheese Poundcake

I took a favorite life-long recipe to our friend's house today. We have been enjoying this pound cake for years. My mom has been making this as long as I can remember. I cannot tell you how wonderful this cake is. My favorite is the very top 1/2 inch of the cake - the buttery, yummy layer. I always save this part for last.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake 1 cup margarine, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 8 oz cream cheese, softened 3 cups sugar dash salt 2 tsp vanilla 6 large eggs 3 cups cake flour Combine margarine, butter, cream cheese and sugar and mix til blended. Add salt and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time beating after each egg. Add flour and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9" tube pan. Put into a cold oven and bake at 275 for about 1 1/2 hours- 2 hours or until top is slightly golden and a tester comes out clean. Take out of oven and run a knife around the edge to loosen cake from sides. Allow cake to cool 30 minutes or so and invert cake onto plate. I like to flip over again to have the pretty side on top. 

I served it today with strawberries and whipped cream. I especially love it with my great grandmother's recipe for warm vanilla sauce - Mooney's Warm Vanilla Sauce. Printable Version

Childhood Friends!

We spent today some great friends from our Sunday School class that we have known almost the whole time we have been in Omaha. Here is a picture from 2000 and one from today - love this! We are so thankful for our friends and these traditions!

Beautiful Day in Omaha

It is a beautiful day in Omaha. We may have tough Winters but we have the best Fall and Spring. I walked with 2 friends around part of Lake Zorinsky - 4 1/2 miles or so - so nice outside. I got home - husband is golfing and all 3 of our girls are vegging. I have some ripe bananas - as I always do - and asked the girls what they wanted me to make. The vote was for the Crater Cake. I have a new recipe for Banana-Pineapple muffins but didn't get to try it yet. I have three more ripe bananas so maybe tomorrow.

Fruit Dip

Today was a day of high school volleyball tournaments. Jenna's JV team played in one tournament and Annie's Varsity team played in another. I always love to take food to these tournaments that the girl's enjoy. I took Monster Bars to Annie's tournament and this yummy fruit dip with a huge bowl of strawberries to Jenna's tournament. This fruit dip is sooooo easy but sooooo yummy!

Fruit Dip

1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
1 small jar of marshmallow cream

Blend the two together and chill and serve with any fruit - we especially enjoy with strawberries.

*I doubled this for the volleyball tournament - 2 pkgs of cream cheese and 1 large jar of marshmallow cream.

*I have also added food coloring to this for a baby shower or any other special event!

Poppy Seed Bread

This recipe is so yummy. I got this from a Lanae -one of my first friends in Omaha!

Poppy Seed Bread

3 eggs, beaten

1 ½ cups milk

1 1/8 cups oil

2 ¼ cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1 ½ tsp almond flavoring

1 ½ tsp butter flavoring

Glaze:

¾ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup orange juice

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond flavoring

½ tsp butter flavoring

Combine eggs, milk, oil and sugar. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Stir into egg mixture. Add vanilla, poppy seeds, almond and butter flavorings. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for approximately one hour. Run a knife around the edge of the bread to loosen and allow to cool 5-10 min. Poke holes in top of bread and pour glaze over top. Let bread set for 15 minutes; then remove from pan.

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