Syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cups brown sugar

1 cup water

about 1 teaspoon maple flavoring

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan on medium or low till sugar dissolves.  Don’t boil.

Olive Garden Alfredo

1/4 pound butter (This is what the recipe calls for we use 4 Tablespoons)

Flour

1 teaspoon garlic puree

2 cups heavy cream (if you don’t want it as bad for you you can use milk.  We usually do that, but the cream is much better)

1/4 whole milk (you can use 1% or 2% to save on calories too)

1/2 parmesan cheese (much better with fresh, but we usually just use the dried stuff)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt butter with garlic puree.  Don’t burn the garlic.   Add flour to make a roux.  Add heavy cream and milk (Or just 2  1/4 cups milk) and cheese.  Stir with a whisk till thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs

1  1/2 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic pressed or minced

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 Tablespoons water

1 egg

Salt

Pepper

Combine water and egg and mix a little.  Combine all the rest of the ingredients.  Form into balls and bake at 350 till done.  Time depends on size of balls.

You can fry in a dry pan instead, but baking them is so fast and easy and less messy.

Pork Roast – Uncle Rob

In a large pot or crock pot place:

Pork

2 teaspoons thyme

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

pepper

6 cloves garlic

2 onions

4 stocks of celery

water to cover

If boiling on stove boil for 3-4 hours till forks apart

If in a crock pot 6-8 hours till forks apart.

Break meat in chunks and serve on rolls.  The juice makes a great gravy for mashed potatoes.  Take out the bay leaves first.

Another step we never do is

Break meat into chunks.  Add 1 cup milk and bake in oven for 1 hour.

Boil juice down to about 1 cup.  Pour over meat and bake another 30 minutes.

We think it is great without the extra steps.

Dutch Oven Chicken

1-2 Chicken breasts

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1  1/3 cups uncooked rice

1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

2 cans water

Mix all ingredients in a dutch oven or oven safe pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until rice is done.  May take longer.

We use two cans of cream of chicken soup instead since some don’t like mushrooms and some don’t like celery in our house.

Winger’s Sticky Fingers Copycat Recipe

1 package frozen breaded chicken strips

6 Tablespoons Franks Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce, no other sauce will taste the same)

4 Tablespoons water

1  1/2 cups brown sugar

Prepare chicken strip as directed on package.  You can bake for less calories, but they taste more authentic fried.

Heat hot sauce, water, and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until sugar is dissolved.

Pour over chicken, and enjoy!  Can serve with ranch dressing for dipping or on a salad which is great with dried cranberries like at Winger’s.

Parmesan-Baked Salmon

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

4 salmon filets (1 lb. each)

10 Ritz Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup crumbs)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix mayo, cheese, and pepper until well blended; set aside.

Place salmon on foil-lined shallow baking pan.  Top with cheese mixture; spread to evenly cover salmon.  Sprinkle with cracker crumbs.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with fork.

We like to grill instead.  Wrap in foil and place on grill till flakes easily.

Chocolate Trifle

You need to prepare ahead:

  1. A chocolate cake in a 9X13 pan.  A cake mix is fine.  Andrew used brownies.
  2. 3 boxes of instant chocolate pudding.  The small 4 serving size.
  3. 2 large containers of Cool Whip, thawed.  You won’t need all of this, but you need 3 or 4 small ones or 2 large ones.  You don’t want to run out of this part.
  4. Hershey’s Heath, English Toffee Bits.  Usually in the baking section.  But if you can’t find them you could buy Heath Bars and break them apart.

When you have everything ready you cut the cake into small pieces.  Usually I cut in about 1 inch squares, but it doesn’t have to be exact.

Put the cake in one layer in the bottom of Trifle bowl.  Squeeze it in so the whole bottom is covered.  If you make three layers you have plenty of cake.

Then add the pudding in a generous layer, but not quite as thick at the cake.  As the trifle sits overnight in the fridge the pudding and cake merge.

Then cover with cool whip and sprinkle with Heath bits.

Repeat until bowl is full.  You may have some ingredients left.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least overnight.  It looks so impressive and is so easy to make and so delicious.

Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookie Cake

CAKE

1 pkg devil’s food chocolate cake mix

GLAZE

4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

1/4 cup butter, cut up

FILLING

1 pkg (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups whipped topping

12 Oreo Cookies, coarsely chopped

CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare and bake cake according to directions on package in 2 9-inch round cake pans.  Cool in pan 5 minutes.  Invert onto wire rack; remove pans.  Cool completely

GLAZE

Melt chocolate in small microwave bowl on HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is melted, stirring after 30 seconds.  Blend in butter.  Set aside to slightly thicken about 5 minutes.

FILLING

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Gently stir in whipped topping and crushed cookies.  Place 1 of the cake layers on serving plate top-side down.  Spread top of cake layer evenly with cream cheese mixture.  Place remaining cake layer on top, top-side up.  Spoon glaze to cover top of cake only.

Rollo Cookies or Surprise Cookies

1 Devils Food Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

Rollos

Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil with a wooden spoon.  (I don’t know why a wooden spoon) Place about 1 teaspoon of mixture on hand and flatten.  Place 1 Rollo in the center and roll into a ball.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.