These are famous at Grandma's house. Whenever there is a holiday or special occasion, everyone expects these to be on the table. :)

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup Instant Mashed Potatoes (prepared 3/4 cup water & 1/4 potatoes)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup prepared powdered milk
1 TBSP yeast, dissolved in 1 cup warm water
7 cups flour (use 6 at first and then add last cup 1/2 at a time)

Mix all ingredients, following the individual instructions above.
Let rise 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down and let rise again for another hour.
Roll out and use a circle cookie cutter to create each individual roll.
Grease cookie sheet and place cut dough 4 in a row.  Fold each one over (see picture) and press edges together with greased fingers (melted butter or cooking spray).
Bake at 375 F for 15 mins until done.

4 pounds green beans
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes to each quart jar
1 tsp. dill seed to each jar
1/2 tsp. of mustard seed to each jar
1 tsp. minced garlic to each jar

Brine
1/2 cup pickling salt
5 cups vinegar
5 cups water
Combine and heat through til boiling.
(about a cup and a half of brine will be used per quart jar, adjust amount needed after you have all your jars tightly packed.)

Process in water bath for 25 minutes.

If you have questions on water bath or canning etc. give me a call. I am assuming you have done this before, so I left out details.

This is Daddy Randy's specially adapted Jambalaya recipe.  It's amazing and perfect.

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 lbs smoked Italian sausage (pure pork sausage/Polish Kielbasa), diced into 1/4 in pieces
• 1/2 lbs smoked ham, diced
• 1/2 lbs shrimp, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp & 3/4 tsp Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends (Poultry Magic)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups (3 boxes) cooked rice (2 jambalaya and 1 dirty rice boxes)

Detailed instructions for making the best jambalaya ever:

1. Cook rice separate, set aside.
2. Sauté onions, peppers, and celery in butter.  Add garlic after vegetables are sautéed.
3. Brown sausage separate, then chop. Let cool.
4. Brown ham in sausage grease.
5. Combine both meats with the vegetable mixture. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, and uncooked rice and mixes, seasonings, and bay leaves.
6. Add uncooked shrimp the last 5 minutes of cooking. Let sit on warm for 5 minutes to let sauces sink in.
7. Consume the deliciousness! 

*TIP: Dad's secret ingredient is a couple drops of Tabasco sauce.

 *Copycat recipe of the Chili's Mango Chili Chicken from their Light Menu.


Mango Salsa:
2 Mangoes
1 Avocado
1/2 Purple Onion
2-4 Jalapenos, to taste (If you like spicy, use 4, but it also depends on the heat content of each particular pepper.)
1/2 bunch of Cilantro
Lime Juice, from 1-2 limes

Rub:
3 chicken breasts, cut in halves
2 TBSP chili powder
Oregano, to taste
Cumin, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lime zest, 2 limes
Squirt of Lime juice
Olive or coconut oil

• Dice salsa ingredients and combine in a bowl. Cover and place in fridge until time to serve. 
• Combine rub ingredients in a separate bowl, then cover the chicken entirely. Place chicken on the grill and cook thoroghly. 
• Serve hot chicken topped with cool salsa. So easy! So done!

*Mango Salsa also makes a fantastic appetizer served with Tortilla Chips.

*Works as an "Ideal Protein" meal if you exclude the salsa and top the chicken with only cilantro and lime juice. 

Finally got Mom to explain this recipe to me! That woman keeps all her recipes in her head and they are all prone to change and vary every time she makes it; its never exactly the same twice, but always tastes great. At least I can write down the gist so I can duplicate it whenever I please! ;)

• 2-3 cans of a variety of navy, kidney, white or garbanzo beans (whatever you have in the pantry)
• 1 large can original Bushes Baked beans
• 1/2 lb ground beef, browned
• 1 onion, diced and browned
• 6-12 pieces of Bacon
• BBQ sauce (your choice)
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/2 lb cheddar cheese, cubed

Brown ground beef and onions, set aside.  Brown bacon, set aside. Drain and dump all the beans in a casserole dish with the browned beef, onions, and bacon.  Add your choice of BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, portions according to your tastes (this is the "Dopp" part of the meal).  For example, we like the tang from the mustard so we add more mustard than ketchup.  Lastly, add the cubed cheese. Bake on 400 F for 45 mins or until cheese is melted. 

Tip: Do not over mix or you will make the beans mushy.  If you choose not to mix it at all, you will have beautiful pockets of cheese every couple of bites- which is good too. :)

It will be as soupy as this picture if you choose to not drain your beans.

2 cups sugar
Dash of salt
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal

In a large saucepan bring to a boil the sugar, salt, butter and milk. Boil mixture over medium heat for 1 full minute. Remove from heat immediately.

Add peanut butter and vanilla; stir well. Add oatmeal and stir until thoroughly incorporated. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls. Drizzle with a mixture of cocoa, powdered sugar and water if desired. Cool until set and firm.

3 gallons peeled and diced tomatoes
1 quart diced pickled(nacho style) jalapenos
7-12oz tomato paste
1 quart tomato juice
1 quart diced onion
1 quart chopped cilantro
2/3 cup salt
2 cups vinegar
1/4 cup finely minced garlic
Lemon juice

Put all ingredients together and simmer til it is reduced, about an inch or so down on the pot, then pour into hot jars and process for 25 minutes in a water bath. OPTIONAL:  Add 3 Tbls Lemon Juice to each quart jar.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter

This recipe is a great balance between meat-eaters (like my husband), vegetable lovers, and the health gurus (like myself and my sister Jenn); it has a little of everything.  Everything is good in moderation, so that makes this meal perfect. ;) Enjoy!

• 1/2 pound of ground beef (try ground turkey or chicken to make it even healthier)
• 4 large bell peppers
• 1 jar of salsa – Get creative with this. The salsa really makes the dish so change things up by trying a variety of salsas!
• 3/4 cup of cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 diced onion
• 1/3 bell pepper, diced
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 cup or can black beans
• 2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 TBSP of Black Pepper
• Salt to taste
• Pepper jack cheese (Cheddar or cheddar mixtures work too)

1. Cook quinoa and brown rice according to their packages and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
3. Brown the meat.  When your meat is mostly cooked, add in the diced onion and garlic.*Don't forget to drain the meat juice!
4. Chop all your veggies, Add veggies, beans, and seasonings to meat mixture.
5. Stir in your choice of salsa then carefully stir in the spinach.
6. To prepare your peppers, rinse them well then slice vertically through the stem. This gives you the biggest opening to load your peppers up with plenty of filling.  Tear out the white membranes with your fingers.  You don’t have to get it all but get as much as you can.
7. Stuff the peppers with as much mixture as you'd like.
8. Top each pepper with cheese. If you want to cut calories a bit you can go easy on the cheese or eliminate it completely.
9. Bake at 375° for about 30-35 minutes. The peppers should be tender and the cheese should be slightly crispy. If you want to avoid the cheese getting too crispy, you can cover these loosely with foil. (I didn't.)
10. Serve immediately. You can serve these over a bed of greens, with a baked potato, or on their own.

• 2 tsp oil (I used coconut oil, but you can use any oil you'd like (olive, vegetable, etc.)

Rub:

• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic (you can sub 1 teaspoon garlic powder here) 
• 2 teaspoons chili powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander, crushed or powdered
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (I used cayenne pepper- it came out spicy enough) 

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup Honey 
• 1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar 

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there!
Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well.
Drizzle honey glaze over chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.
Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the honey glaze for later after the chicken has cooked to pour on right before serving.
*I’m going to warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It’s totally worth it once you taste this stuff. If you don’t have a BBQ, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

To get your chocolate fix... ;)

• 1 cup butter, softened 
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar 
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix wet ingredients and mix dry ingredients in separate bowls, then combine. Add chocolate chips.
Bake 8-10 mins.

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine (or whatever pasta you prefer)
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced (any color)
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• 1 tbsp flour
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped (optional)
• salt to taste
• cooking spray

 (Note: The skim milk, cream cheese, and flour and be substituted for whipping cream if you don't have the other ingredients. The milk makes it a little healthier)

1. Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.
2. Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.
3. Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.
4. Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.
   Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.
6. Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy! http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side.html

We are a wing family.  We love our wings and hot sauces!  So you can imagine how excited I was to find a recipe that made my wings healthier for me and my wing family.  Just by simply baking them, you eliminate the oils and fat that come from frying them. AND they do not loose their crisp or moist!  My husband said they taste just as good as frying, I think they taste better.  My husband was also worried they wouldn't be as crispy but they turn out very crispy in the end.  You also will not miss the oiliness or fryer smell in your house.  PLUS, you can have all your wings done and hot at the same time for large groups instead of having to wait for each batch.  All the good things about baked wings just keep piling up. ;)

• 2 lbs chicken wing pieces
• salt, your favorite seasonings
• water
• BBQ sauces of your choice

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Heat up a big pot of boiling water. 
3. Add salt to the water like you would for cooking pasta (optional!).
4. Boil the chicken wings for 7-8 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack. Let them drip dry, then dry them well with a paper towel. (I KNOW, it sounds crazy to boil your chicken, but trust me, you won't regret it.  It helps get rid of some of the excess fat, and the chicken wings are crispier.)
5. Season the chicken wings lightly with any seasoning you'd like (optional!). We like cayenne, cajan, black pepper, garlic powder, etc. Depending on the sauce you use, you may not even need seasoning. 
6. Keep the wings on the wire rack and put the wire rack on a cookie sheet. Bake the chicken wings for 30 minutes on one side, then flip the wings and bake for another 10 minutes on the other side.
7. Dump wings into a bowl with a lid and coat them in whatever sauce you desire! (Our favorites are the bottled sauces from Buffalo Wild Wings.)  Shake until entirely coated and enjoy.http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/crispy-baked-chicken-wings-yup-no-deep-fryer-in-sight/