Category: 30 minutes or less

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Skillet Spaghetti

Today I would like to share a recipe with you that I received many years ago. More than 25 years ago.

A friend of mine, Cindy and I did Once a Month cooking together. We would get together and make a menu, shop and then have one big cook day for a month of dinners.

Cindy shared this recipe and it has been a long time favorite. I lost the recipe for a while but I would make it from my memory. It came from a magazine article but I never knew which magazine. (If anyone is reading this and knows who the credit should go to let me know!)

It’s a very easy recipe whether you make it ahead and freeze it or make it day of your meal.

I still make it though we are empty nesters. Let me know if you make it!

Skillet Spaghetti
Skillet Spaghetti

Skillet Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

2 medium onions, chopped

7 oz. spaghetti

28 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained

3/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/2  water

8 ounces sliced mushrooms, drained

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown beef and onions; drain. Stir in uncooked spaghetti and the next eight ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until spaghetti is tender. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and heat until melted. 4-6 servings.

Happy cooking!

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Orange Balls – A No-Bake Recipe

Orange Balls (a no-bake recipe)

We have made these easy orange balls for many years and they are so simple even children can make them. I’ve enjoyed making these with my children and grandchildren.

I hope you like them too.

Ingredients:

1 box vanilla wafers crushed (I do this in my food processor)

 One pound powdered sugar

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

6 oz. orange juice concentrate thawed undiluted

1 stick margarine melted

** coconut to roll the balls in

Directions:

Combine the crushed wafers, powdered sugar, nuts, and orange juice. After these first ingredients are blended I add the melted margarine and blend again.

Shape about 1 Tablespoonful into a ball and roll in coconut. Place in a paper cup or on your tray.

These dry out quickly so you need to roll them in the coconut quickly or keep them covered.  If you are not making them all at once then cover the remainder of the dough and refrigerate it. This makes about 6 or 7 dozen.

Orange Balls
Orange Balls Ingredients

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Today is Pi Day! Try Blueberry Crunch Pie!

Pi Day? 

Today is Pi Day! Do you know what Pi is? In basic mathematics, pi is used to find the area and circumference of a circle. Have you ever memorized Pi? When my children were at home they had fun trying to memorize the first 100 digits of Pi. Maybe you are like me and prefer to memorize pie recipes. This occupied them for hours.

I am not sure who holds the record in my house but according to the Pi World Ranking List the world record for reciting the most digits of pi belongs to Suresh Kumar Sharma of India, who recited pi to 70,030 decimal places in 2015. It took him 17 hours and 14 minutes! That’s a long day of work.

Do you want to try this with your kids? For fun check out the bottom of the page for the first 100 digits of Pi. Maybe you can make pie while they work on this today. Here’s my signature pie recipe.

Signature Desserts

Another thing we did as a family was eat Blueberry Crunch Pie. Almost any holiday or special occasion called for it! Chances are if you have visited my house you have tasted the yumminess of Blueberry Crunch Pie. This accidentally became my signature dessert. That’s how memories are made many times by accident.

Blueberry Crunch Pie is a quick dessert to make. In fact I can make it in less than 30 minutes. While the crust bakes I mix the filling and then it is all ready to go as soon as the crust is cooled. Sometimes I cheat and put the crust in the fridge or freezer to cool it faster.

Today is Pi Day! Try Blueberry Crunch Pie Today!
Blueberry Crunch Pie

Version 2

A few years ago I made a little change to my recipe. I still use the same ingredients I just tweaked it a bit. Below you will find the  Blueberry Crunch Pie Version 2 Recipe. When my children were home I doubled the recipe.

Recipe

Blueberry Crunch Pie Version 2

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup self rising flour

1 cup nuts (divided – save  1/4 cup to sprinkle on top)

1 stick margarine softened

11 oz cream cheese

1/2 lb. powdered sugar

1 can blueberry pie filling or homemade

Whipped topping 16+ ounces

Instructions:

Layer 1 — Combine flour, nuts and margarine. Press into 13×9 pan, bake until lightly browned about 15 minutes at 350° F or until lightly browned. Let cool. 

Layer 2 — Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Stir in a cup of the whipped topping. Spread on cooled crust.

Layer 3 — Spread 1 can blueberry pie filling ( or homemade) evenly and gently over layer 2

Layer 4 — Spread with whipped topping

Layer 5 — Sprinkle with nuts.

Do you have a signature dessert? Please share it in the comments or email it to me! I love reading recipes!

Try Memorizing 100 Digits of Pi for Fun!

Here are the first 100 digits in case you want to memorize them today!

3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679

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Mayonnaise Biscuits and Enter the Contest

Who has ever heard of mayonnaise biscuits? I certainly had never! Read on for I am about to share the recipe. This year a friend of mine had a birthday. As is common his amazing birthday dinner was shared of Facebook complete with pictures. It was a dinner that made me jealous. Just kidding I was happy for Glenn to have an amazing birthday dinner after all he’s a pretty amazing guy. And he must have a pretty wonderful wife to do all that for him.

As I was reading the list of items on the menu something caught my attention. Mayonnaise Biscuits. I had to message Erica right away to find out if I could have the recipe. She was sweet enough to share her special recipe and a little bit of the story behind it.

Glenn’s mom used to make them for him and to make the story a little bit sweeter she got the recipe from her mom. I love to collect recipes and especially if they have stories behind them.

So today I will share this simple recipe for you to try.

Mayonnaise Biscuits
Mayonnaise Biscuits

Mayonnaise Biscuits

2 c. Self-rising Flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven at 375° and lightly grease a muffin tin.

Mix all three ingredients and scoop by the spoonful into a muffin tin each one about 3/4 the way full.

Makes one dozen. 


Bake for 30 mins or until these golden brown.

These turn out to be very light.


I hope you enjoy them!! They are delicious! Thanks, Erica for introducing me to Mayonnaise Biscuits.

There are two ways to enter the contest to win a beautiful apron. Subscribe to my email list or send me a recipe with a story of why it is special to you.

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Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread

Gluten-Free Cornbread
Gluten-Free Cornbread

I bake gluten-free cornbread for my husband. According to the last three doctors and numerous tests, they have run my husband cannot tolerate gluten. He does, however, eat corn and loves to have a nice hot skillet of cornbread to accompany a bowl of beans. The two happen to go together right?

Can you imagine I have run out of the regular cornmeal? So instead I used masa flour. He really likes it. It has a softer texture than the regular stone-ground cornmeal I have used in the past. Here is the latest recipe I have come up with based on available ingredients at home.

Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread

1 cup of instant corn masa flour

1 cup almond flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil.

Preheat oven 425°. Bake in a small oiled iron skillet or pie plate for 20 minutes or until done. The top and sides should be golden brown and it should pull slightly away from the sides.

Let me know if you try this recipe?

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Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe

Easy homemade playdough
Easy homemade playdough

Are you looking for things to do with your kids?

Below is a recipe for playdough that I have used with my children for many years. You probably have all the necessary ingredients in your cabinet. This will only take a few minutes to make but will give you hours of fun!

One advantage of making homemade playdough is that you know exactly what ingredients are in it and you can create your own unique colors.

Recipe for Homemade Play Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup of cold water
food coloring

Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar. I put this in a small non-stick pan if you have one. I add the oil, water, and color and begin to stir over low to medium heat until it begins to thicken and stick together. It almost becomes a ball. I remove from heat and knead a little and set aside to cool for a few minutes. It is ready to play with now. Remember to store this in a sealed container or a sealed Ziploc plastic bag.

Let me know if you make homemade playdough and please share how much fun you had making it and playing with your kids today!

 

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Easy Homemade biscuits

Homemade Biscuits
Homemade biscuits
Homemade biscuits
Homemade biscuits

This morning I woke up early. I decided I wanted to make breakfast for the two kiddos I still have at home. (How did this ever happen that I only have two kids at home?) When I had a house full of kids my biscuit making always started with 8 cups of flour!

We are packing to move and to go on a month long mission trip.  I have been trying to use our perishables before we go. Today I took a little extra time and carefully worked the butter into the flour mixture and it was well worth the effort. On busier days I confess I take the lazy way out and do a quick drop biscuit. These turned out so well that I think this will be my regular biscuit recipe for awhile for the small batch and they were really easy to make actually.

2 Cups of all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons of chilled butter

3/4 cup of milk

 

Preheat your oven 425°. Combine the dry ingredients and then cut the butter into small pieces and then work it into the flour until the butter pieces are pea size or smaller. I do this with my hands, you can use a pastry blender or two forks if you wish. After this is done quickly add the milk without over stirring and then knead for a few minutes until smooth (not too much). Then pat out the dough and cut out with a biscuit cutter. Mine is already packed so I used this small square Rubbermade container which is probably used for salad dressing. I placed each cut biscuit into my iron skillet. Placed the skillet in the hot oven for about 12 minutes or until done. These were very good with boysenberry jam.
While the biscuits were cooking I scrambled a few eggs. Just a simple breakfast but still really good. Even with only two kids at home I turned around and the skillet was empty.
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Gluten-Free Lemon-Coconut Bonbons

Today I made some no bake coconut bonbons. These are gluten-free. I found a recipe at My Incredible Recipes and as many of us do and changed it up a bit to make Tiffany’s birthday bonbons.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Bonbons

The original recipe for No Bake Coconut Snowballs can be found here:

No Bake Coconut Snowballs

Gluten-Free Lemon Coconut Bonbons

Use the ingredients for the recipe for No-Bake Coconut Snowballs and add about 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring to the original recipe. I put everything into the food processor and processed. I then made balls and refrigerated them. I dipped them in white chocolate ( 1 melted about 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips) and put back on my parchment paper and I put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Enjoy!

 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Bonbons

Make a second batch and add only vanilla flavoring to the batch. Make the balls and refrigerate until firm. Now dip them in semi-sweet chocolate (melt 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips) and place on the parchment paper and back in the refrigerator until set.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

 

Gluten-Free Lemon Coconut Bonbons

 

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15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake

15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake and Frosting

This is a cake that I have made for many years. I have made it for potlucks, church camp, and just company dessert. If you have ever been to our house for a “singing” you may have sampled this cake. I usually keep the ingredients on hand so that I can put together a cake quickly if the need arises. It is not only quick but economical. A big plus is that everyone who likes chocolate will love this cake!

Cake:

  2 cups all-purpose flour
  2 cups white sugar
  1/2 cup butter or margarine 
  1 cup water
  1/2 cup shortening or cooking oil
  1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa unsweetened
  1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk that has been soured)
  2 eggs
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1/2 teaspoons vanilla

   Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
6 Tablespoons milk
4-5 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powder sugar
Finely chopped walnuts if desired 1/4-1/2 cup

Directions For 15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake:

Mix flour and white sugar and set aside.

In a small saucepan boil 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup water, and 4 Tablespoons cocoa.

Pour cocoa mixture over flour and sugar mixture. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well and pour into a greased jelly roll pan (17 in X 11in)

Bake in preheated oven 350°- 400° degrees oven for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:  5 minutes before cake is done bring to boil 1/2 cup butter, 6 Tablespoons of milk, and 4-5 Tablespoons of cocoa. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 4 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and beat or stir until smooth. Immediately pour frosting over cake. Sprinkle with nuts. Enjoy warm or cooled. The frosting tastes like chocolate fudge. This is a very yummy cake and it is very hard to eat just one piece.

I believe I received this recipe in 1980 while at Freed-Hardeman College from a cookbook put together by the Preacher’s Wives Club.

15 Minute Chocolate Sheet Cake
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Mom’s Whoopie Pies

While in the Northeast recently I came across a lot of whoopie pies! One of the ladies from church brought some to share AND she was willing to share her recipe with me. Well, actually it was her mom’s recipe. She brought two kinds of whoopie pies to share: these yummy chocolate ones and some zucchini ones.*  I got permission to share her recipe. Thanks, Beth!

Mom’s Whoopie Pie

(Boy, these will take you back to the good ole days!)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

Sift the flour, soda, and salt together. Mix the cocoa and sugar together and combine with the flour mixture. Beat the egg slightly and add the vanilla and milk to it. Combine with other mixtures. Finally, add the oil and mix well. Drop on a baking pan.  2 Tablespoons for each cake. 12 cakes to a pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
Whoopie Pie Filling
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup Crisco
1 cup confectioner sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. marshmallow fluff
Beat butter, Crisco, sugar, and vanilla with an electric beater. Fold in fluff. Spread between halves of the whoopie pie cakes. Wrap in plastic to store.

 

Marie Hazelton passed this along to her daughter Bethany Guion and we appreciate that for sure. Keeping passing those recipes down folks! Share your stories!

  • You can find the Zucchini Whoopie Pies here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipes/zucchini-whoopie-pie-cookies