Thanksgiving stuffing

2 1/4 squares margarine or butter

2 1/4 cups diced celery

2 1/4 cups diced onion

2 Tbs. dried parsley

2 (1 lb.) loaves of bread

2 tsp. sage

2 bouillon cubes

2 cups water

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Saute celery, onion, and parsley in margarine 5 minutes. Add spices and mix well.

2. Break bread into a separate container.

3. Toss bread and vegetables. Add bouillon dissolved in water.

4. Loosely stuff turkey cavities. Stuffs 18-19 lb. bird... Or you can just bake it separately :)

sweet potato casserole

Ingredients:
6 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbs. butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
1/3 cup flour
8 Tbs. butter

Directions:
1. Peel, chop, boil, and drain sweet potatoes. Blend in blender or food processor with milk and butter.
2. Mix in sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour into a 9x13 pan.
3. Mix ingredients for topping and sprinkle on top.
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla with whisk until thick.
2. Melt chocolate and butter, and stir into the egg/sugar/vanilla mixture.
3. Stir together all dry ingredients except powdered sugar. Add to other mixture.
4. Cover dough and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
5. Put powdered sugar in a bowl. Form balls of dough and roll dough balls in powdered sugar.

Bake 13-17 minutes at 325 degrees.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic Herb Butter

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound green beans , stem ends snapped off, beans cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, and thyme; set aside.
In a 12 inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until it’s just smoking.  Add beans plus  1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; cook and stir for 4-8 minutes, or until beans are spotty brown.
Add 1/4 cup water; cover and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove lid and cook until all the water has evaporated.
Stir in herb butter and cook beans for 1-3 minutes longer, or until beans are crisp-tender.  Toss with lemon juice and parsley if desired; serve immediately.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Steve and I had this for dinner last night, and it was really quick and tasted amazing!! Recipe from Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients

• 4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced
• 1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
• 1/2 stick Butter/Margarine
• 3 whole Lemons, Juiced
• 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/4 cup Half-and-half (note: I just used 1 cup fat free half-and-half instead of the cream/half-and-half mix. It was a little thinner than it would have been otherwise, but tasted fine.)
• 1-1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped (I used dried basil)

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a colander.
In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. (Note: You really have to whisk the cream and half-and-half in or else the texture will be off.) Dump in cheese and whisk until melted. Add salt, pepper, and basil to taste. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top, then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

Cookies n' Creme Cookies

(I got this recipe from cjaneinthekitchen.blogspot.com.)

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (4.2 ounce) package Cookies n' Creme pudding mix (Jello pudding)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups white chocolate chips
15 Oreo cookies, very coarsely chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars, add pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda with a whisk then add it to the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and Oreo cookies. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven until cookies tops barely have a touch of brown. Makes 3 dozen cookies.