3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

5 large eggs, room temperature 

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350* with an oven rack positioned in the center of the oven. Bring a kettle of water to boil for the water bath and keep it at a boil while you proceed with the recipe. You will need a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan and a larger pan which the round cake pan will fit into with room for the water for the water bath.

To make the caramel, in a small sauce pan place the sugar and 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil over medium high heat without stirring, about 3-5 minutes. Once you see the mixture begin to turn golden, start swirling the mixture in the pan until it's the color of cinnamon, about 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Continue swirling until it turns amber colored, about another 30 seconds. Working quickly, immediately pour melted sugar into the round cake pan, swirling to cover the entire bottom of the pan before it sets up, using oven mitts. Careful, this stuff is like molten lava!  Set the pan aside on a heat proof surface and prepare the custard.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and salt and whisk until thoroughly combined. Carefully pour the custard mixture into the cake pan containing the caramelized sugar. Cover the cake pan with foil, tightly crimping the edges and making sure the foil doesn't touch the custard inside the pan. 

Place the cake pan of custard in the middle of the larger pan and pull out the center rack of your oven. Place the pan on the oven rack and carefully pour the boiling water into the outer pan until the water reaches at least halfway up the sides of the custard pan. Make sure the boiling water doesn't reach the top of the inner pan and get into your custard. Very carefully push in the oven rack, making sure you don't spill the boiling water or splash it under the foil into your custard. 

Bake at 350* for 70-80 minutes. To test to see if it's done, carefully remove the foil and jolt the flan pan. You should see a stiff jiggle in the center. If it seems too liquid/wobbly, replace the foil and bake another 10 minutes. Being very careful with the hot water, remove from the oven, uncover, place on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. There's no easy way to remove the pan from the water bath and I always end up with wet oven mitts and hot pads. Be very careful not to get water into your flan. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight is even better to ensure the flan is fully set. 

To serve, run a knife around the edges of the flan, cleaning your knife periodically. Place a rimmed platter or serving dish, bigger than the cake pan, upside down over the flan. Quickly invert the flan onto the serving dish, holding the edges of both the dish and the cake pan in both hands. If the flan doesn't slide out easily, gently tap the bottom of the cake pan until you feel the flan slide out, then carefully lift the cake pan off the flan. Slice into wedges and serve, spooning caramel sauce over each portion if desired. Garnish with berries, whipped cream or as you please. 

16 oz. frozen broccoli florets

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 lb. peeled and de-veined shrimp 

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic, more to taste

1 tablespoon flour 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 - 1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons sugar

pinch of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Prepare angel hair, linguini, fettuccine or pasta of your choice as directed on package. Remove from heat and hold in hot cooking water until needed. 

Prepare broccoli florets by steaming in the microwave cooking bag or on the stove top, but only cook till just tender crisp. Set aside.

Saute chicken in a large skillet in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat until lightly browned and just cooked through. Remove chicken to a bowl and set aside. 

Add shrimp to the skillet and saute for 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly to ensure the garlic doesn't burn. Remove shrimp from the skillet and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to skillet. After butter has melted, add flour and stir until combined and bubbly. Add whipping cream and milk, stirring vigorously and scraping pan to prevent sticking. Cook and stir constantly until thickened, adding more milk if needed to get the consistency you like. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in sugar and cayenne pepper or pepper flakes. Stir in shredded Parmesan cheese, reserving some for garnish. Cook and stir until Parmesan cheese is melted and blended into sauce, then add reserved chicken, shrimp and broccoli. Heat and stir until heated through. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta and add portions to serving plates as desired. Top each portion of pasta with sauce, chicken, shrimp and broccoli as desired and garnish with additional shredded Parmesan cheese. Excellent served with a green salad and hot garlic bread.

Notes: You can make this recipe your own by using any kind of chicken, including canned chicken breast or use boneless, skinless thighs, etc. Use only shrimp, only chicken, or neither one if you prefer it without meat or just don't have any at the time. You can tailor this recipe by doubling the ingredients, or half them to make a smaller amount. Use any variety of pasta you have on hand. If you prefer you can drain the pasta and mix everything together before serving. The ingredients are very simple, but the real butter and whipping cream are what makes the dish, so don't substitute those ingredients for lower fat. 

ground coffee, espresso grind if possible

2 (8 oz.) packages of mascarpone cheese

2 packages of lady fingers

4 eggs, separated

4-5 spoons sugar, not too full

Cocoa powder for dusting on top 

Brew coffee in a moka pot. Place brewed coffee in a flat bottomed dish and add a little water to it. Set aside to fully cool. 

Separate eggs, placing yolks in a larger mixing bowl and whites into a medium mixing bowl. 

Beat egg yolks and sugar, then add mascarpone cheese and mix thoroughly. With clean beaters, whip egg whites until stiff, then fold stiff egg whites carefully into cheese mixture. 

In a lasagna pan, place a layer of the cream mixture, then dip each lady finger in the cooled brewed coffee and layer onto the cream mixture. Continue until all lady fingers and cream mixture are used, then dust with cocoa powder if desired. Cover tightly with lid or foil. 

Refrigerate over night or until thoroughly chilled. Keep any leftovers refrigerated.  

1 yellow onion, diced

6 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons sugar

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

28 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes

1 cup water; may also use pasta water or chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes OR a pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

Optional: 1 lb. ground beef, pork or Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled. I use ground beef, salted.

If using meat, brown in skillet and drain on paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add garlic and oregano. Saute for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring frequently to scrape the bottom of the skillet to ensure the garlic doesn't burn. Add Italian seasoning, basil, black pepper and salt, and saute for an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant. Reduce heat to low.

Add wine and sugar. Stir to combine and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes to reduce. Add all tomatoes, water or broth, bay leaves, pepper flakes and paprika. Stir to combine, cover and simmer on low for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency.

Remove the bay leaves. If desired, you may add the sauce to a blender or use an immersion blender if you prefer your sauce to be smooth. This is a personal thing and completely optional. Do not blend if you prefer a chunkier sauce; I don't blend mine. 

If using meat, add cooked meat to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve hot over pasta. I love this sauce with ground beef over rotini pasta. 

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

1/2 - 3/4 cup Greek nonfat plain yogurt

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

1 - 2 tablespoons minced garlic

onion powder to taste

Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

chopped parsley for garnish, fresh or dried

Preheat oven to 400*. 

Cut squash width-wise and remove seeds. Brush with olive oil and salt to taste. Place squash halves cavity side down on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. 

While squash is baking, in a medium sized bowl combine yogurt,  lemon juice, garlic and onion powder if desired (I prefer it without).

In a separate small bowl mix grated cheese and bread crumbs. Add  1/4 of the cheese and bread crumb mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well.

Once squash is tender, slice off enough of the round end of the squash so that when you turn them upright they will sit flat. Turn them upright and divide the yogurt mixture between the two squash halves, placing it into the squash cavities. Top each squash with the remaining bread crumb and grated cheese mixture. Garnish with shredded Parmesan and parsley if desired. The residual heat from the roasted squash melts all the cheeses and yogurt and the bread crumbs help meld all the flavors and juices together. Serve hot and enjoy!

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Sauce

1 - 2 tablespoons honey

Cook each bag of sprouts in the microwave according to package instructions, minus 1 minute of cooking time for each bag. Empty both bags of cooked sprouts into a microwave safe dish and add all remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and microwave another 1 - 2 minutes or until piping hot. Serve and enjoy! 

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar (for less tang, use 1 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon-sugar mix: 

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter an sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1-2 minutes longer.

Stir in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt, just until combined. 

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon. 

If time allows, wrap the dough and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. 

Roll into quarter-sized balls until round and smooth. Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat well. Using a spoon, coat for a second time, ensuring the cookie balls are completely covered. Place on prepared baking sheets.

*To make flatter snickerdoodles, you may press down in the center of the cookie balls before baking. This helps keep them from puffing up in the middle.*

Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for several minutes before removing from the pan to wire racks to cool completely. 

Store in an airtight container.

 

1 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chilled, cubed butter, all purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles a wet, sand-like texture. 

Pour in the sweetened condensed milk. Using your hands, gently mix the dough until it comes together. Avoid over mixing to ensure a tender, melt-in-your mouth texture. Carefully roll into 10-12 equal sized balls, handling as little as possible. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated 350* oven for 12-15 minutes until bottoms are just lightly brown. The tops of the cookies should remain pale. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.

While still warm, roll the cookies in the confectioners sugar and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies have cooled, roll them in confectioners sugar again for a thick snowy finish. Yields 10-12 cookies. Store in air tight container.

2 - 8oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 - 7 oz. package white candy melts

1 - 24 oz. package white almond bark

Red and green colored sanding sugar or sprinkles

Instructions: 

Prepare a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together the crumbled cakes and cream cheese until well combined. 

Using a small cookie scoop, portion the cream cheese/cake mixture into 1 inch balls and roll into a smooth ball. Repeat with remainder of the mixture, placing onto the paper lined cookie sheet. 

For best results, place the rolled balls in the freezer until very firm before proceeding with dipping and decorating.

Place the white candy melts and white almond bark in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir vigorously to allow the candy to continue melting with the residual heat. Return the candy to the microwave and heat in 15-second intervals, stirring well between each, until the candy mixture is smooth. If the candy is too thick for dipping, add up to 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening or coconut oil and stir well. 

Dip each ball into the white melted candy mixture, tapping on the side of the bowl to remove excess melted candy, then place dipped candy back onto the paper lined cookie sheet, decorating immediately with colored sugar or sprinkles if desired.

Place the dipped candy on the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until firm. Keep stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.

5 carrots

24 oz. bacon

2 tablespoons butter

1 small white onion, diced

64 oz. chicken broth or chicken bone broth

12 oz. can evaporated milk

4-6 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic salt 

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or a cheddar blend

sliced green onion or chives for garnish if desired

Peel and dice potatoes and carrots into 1/2-1 inch cubes. Set aside. Peel and dice onion.

In a stockpot, cook bacon until crisp. Either fry slices and then crumble when cooked, or dice raw bacon and cook. Remove bacon from pot and reserve. Drain bacon drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the bacon drippings along with the diced onion. Saute onion until soft. Add peeled and diced potatoes and carrots to the pot, then add the chicken broth or chicken bone broth (for fuller flavor and more protein) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Using a potato masher, smash at least half of the potatoes until smooth, leaving some chunks of potato for texture. In a cup or small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the evaporated milk until smooth. Add to soup mixture, stirring constantly until soup returns to a boil. Continue stirring until soup thickens and reduce heat to low. 

Add garlic salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, yogurt and shredded cheese, stirring frequently to prevent the soup from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add crumbled bacon and remove from heat. Serve with additional shredded cheese, sliced green onions or chives,  and/or reserve some of the bacon crumbles to add to individual portions. 

**Mom's serving suggestion: Hot garlic toast would be wonderful with this hearty soup.**

1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage 

1/2 cup milk or water

*NOTE: Any type or combination of cheeses to equal 16 ounces may be used, including any type of cheddar, American, Swiss, Parmesan, pepper jack, etc. I do recommend using bulk cheese and grating it yourself but packaged shredded cheese is perfectly acceptable. Just be aware that the anti-caking agents added to packaged shredded cheese will make a difference in the texture of the baked sausage balls and make them a bit dryer than if you grate your own cheese. Also, in my humble opinion Jimmy*Dean bulk sausage is the best for this recipe, and I particularly like the hot sausage. But any sausage flavor works for this recipe.*

Preheat oven to 350*.

In a large mixing bowl, break up raw sausage and add remaining ingredients. Using well scrubbed hands and/or plastic gloves, mix all ingredients together until well combined and no dry mixture is seen. Roll into quarter-sized balls and place onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or foil. Bake at *350 for 20-25 minutes or until set and lightly browned on bottom. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Serve warm if possible. 

Keep refrigerated in a tightly covered container if not used immediately. To reheat, microwave in 10-second intervals until warm.

For longer storage, may be frozen by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap then placed in freezer bags or another air tight container. Thaw in the refrigerator before warming in the microwave.