Toffee Bars

TOFFEE BARS 1 c. salted butter 1 c. dark brown sugar 1 large egg yolk 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. salt 2 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 c. finely diced walnuts Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and salt, mixing until just combined. Spread into parchment-lined quarter-sheet pan (or 9x13). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Once pan is out of the oven, immediately sprinkle on chocolate chips; let sit for 5 minutes to allow chips to soften. Using an offset spatula, spread softened chips into an even layer. Top with nuts. Let cool until chocolate is almost set before slicing.

Tres Leche Cake

Equipment 9×13 metal baking dish Ingredients US Customary Metric 1x 2x 3x Cake: ▢1 cup all-purpose flour ▢1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ▢1/4 teaspoon salt ▢5 large eggs , separated ▢1 cup granulated sugar , divided ▢1/3 cup whole milk ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract Milk Mixture: ▢12 ounce can evaporated milk ▢14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk ▢1/4 cup whole milk Whipped Topping: ▢1 pint heavy whipping cream ▢3 Tablespoons powdered sugar ▢1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ▢ground cinnamon , for topping Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separate the eggs into two other mixing bowls. Add ¾ cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add ⅓ cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don't over-mix). Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. As the begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined. Pour batter into un-greased pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely. Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk. In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks. Smooth over the top of the cake. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Enjoy! Notes Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-5 days. Make Ahead Instructions: You can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. In fact, I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a lot of time to soak up the milk mixture. Freezing Instructions: The baked and cooled cake can be frozen for up to 3 months, covered well. Thaw overnight in the fridge before pouring the three milks on top.

Mexican Street Corn Casserole

INGREDIENTS 40 oz bag frozen corn - thawed, or not thawed (see notes) 2/3 cup mayonnaise 2/3 cup sour cream - full fat or light is fine 2 teaspoons chili powder - divided 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 oz queso fresco - crumbled and divided 3 tablespoons cilantro - chopped fresh limes - optional, for spritzing at the end if desired, see notes EQUIPMENT 13″x9″ glass baking pan INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9 with nonstick spray. In a large bowl stir the corn (can keep frozen or thaw it), Mayo, sour cream, 1 ½ tsp chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and 4 oz of the queso fresco. Pour in the pan, sprinkle the remaining chili powder on top and bake for 35-45 mins or until heated through and bubbly on the edges. Remove and top with the remaining cheese and cilantro. Serve warm. NOTES Corn: You can thaw the corn or bake it frozen (I didn’t notice a difference when I did it both ways). When frozen it’ll bake longer, around 40-45 minutes. Feel free to use fresh corn off the cob as well. Lime: Can add some lime juice and lime zest to the top if you’d like a punch of lime flavor!

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 med diced onion 2 tsp garlic powder 2 cans Costco canned chicken 4 cans great northern beans rinsed 2 can chicken broth - 14.5 oz each 4 4-oz. cans chopped green chili's (Hatch's) 2 tsp salt 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp pepper 1 cup sour cream 1 cup whipping cream Add sour cream and whipping cream just before serving. Serves 10.

Kathy's Egg Rolls

I have to confess, I don't know Kathy. My girls went to their first young women's activity and they made eggrolls. We loved the recipe, so I'm keeping it. Kathy is Kathy Pyne and that's all I know. 4 check breasts, cooked, shredded 2 cubes chicken bullion (or 2 tsp.) 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. onion powder (or chopped chives) 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley 1/2 bell pepper, chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 bag shredded carrots 1 cup shredded cheese, optional 2 pkgs. egg rolls skins 1 bag shredded cabbage oil to fry egg rolls in This makes 40 egg rolls. This makes a lot for not much meat. Brown the chicken breasts in olive oil, chicken bullion, onion powder, parsley, 1/2 bell pepper and salt and pepper. Cut chicken up very small (shredded). Add the shredded carrots and cook until carrots are tender. (It just takes a few minutes.) Add shredded cheese after carrots are tender. Spoon the mixture onto the egg roll skins. Roll up and seal. After the egg rolls are all filled, heat the oil. (The oil should be about 1/2 an inch deep in the pan you are using.) Fry the egg rolls, turning once to brown the sides. Wehn skin is brown, they are done.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

This recipe comes from the Kitchen Girl. I have not tried it, it's on my list to get to. My freind said it's great. Ingredients Ingredients for an 8 cup yield ▢ 3 lbs Russet Potatoes or Yukon Golds, about 6 medium potatoes ▢ 1 cup Water, or broth ▢ 1 cup Heavy Cream, also called whipping cream ▢ 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter ▢ 1 tsp Sea Salt ▢ 1/2 tsp Black Pepper ▢ 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, for garnish ▢ 6 quart Instant Pot ▢ trivet ▢ Potato masher (or electric mixer for whipped potatoes) ▢ oven mitts Instructions: Scrub POTATOES and stack them (trivet optional) inside the cooker. If you don't want skin on, you can peel it before or after pressure cooking them. *Note: If using an 8 or 10 quart Instant Pot with more potatoes, use 2 cups of water or broth instead of 1 cup. Add WATER (or BROTH). Close and lock the lid, turn pressure valve knob to the “Sealing” position. Select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK for 10 minutes on HIGH pressure (or 4 minutes for diced potatoes). When cook cycle completes, allow the cooker to sit undisturbed for a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR). Carefully release any remaining steam. Open the lid and insert a sharp knife into a few potatoes to test for doneness. If they give resistance, repeat pressure cook cycle for 2 minutes with natural or quick release. Once cooked, remove the trivet from under the potatoes. No draining required, unless it's preferred. Add BUTTER, HEAVY CREAM, SALT, and PEPPER. Mash ingredients into the potatoes to the desired consistency. Bbe careful to not overwork them because they can lose their fluffy texture and become gluey. You can use a vegetable masher, hand mixer, or stand mixer for this process. Serve warm garnished with PARSLEY and my 10-minute gravy! Note: You can keep mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot on "keep warm" mode. Storage and Reheat Instructions Allow potatoes to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days. To reheat, add a splash of liquid (water, broth, or dairy). Heat on med-high stove heat until warmed through, stirring as needed. Or microwave them on a 50% power setting in two-minute intervals until they’re warmed through, stirring as needed. Traci's Notes Recipe tips for pressure cooker mashed potatoes The 6-quart Instant Pot fits approximately 5 lbs. whole potatoes and up to 7 lbs. diced. Reduce the pressure cook time to 5 minutes for diced potatoes. If they need any longer, just add 1 minute pressure cook intervals as needed. If you don't want mashed potatoes with skin on, you can peel first, or pressure cook and peel after. A trivet isn't required, but keeps the potatoes above the liquid, so they're steaming instead of boiling. Cook time is the same for any size Instant Pot No draining is needed, but you can drain if you prefer to. Plan to serve 1/3 to 1/2 lb. mashed potatoes per person (about 1 cup).

Edith Olson's Butter Cookies

 This is my dad's aunts recipe. So my great Aunt Edith's. I wanted to save this recipe because I love heritage recipes to pass down. And I'll lose it otherwise.

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

6 Tbsp. milk

4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

2 eggs

3 cups flour 

Cream butter and sugar. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with eggs and milk.  Add flavoring last. Bake at 325 degrees for 7 minutes. Alternate directions said 335 degrees for 11 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

milk as needed

3 cups powdered sugar