Breakfast squares

I found this wonderful new way of doing pancakes. No flipping pancakes on the griddle here. Just mix up the batter and bake in the oven. How easy is that? I adapted it from here.

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Grease a 8x8 baking dish.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the milk, egg, and  melted butter.
4. Add sugar and gradually beat in the flour. 
5. Stir in the baking powder and salt. 
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes. Top with butter and syrup.  Servers 4-6.

Tip: you can easily double the and put it in a 9x13 inch pan. It would make a nice brunch.

M and M Cookies

These are by far one of the best cookies I have ever had. You should just try making them and you'll know how good they are too. I adapted it from Picky Palate.

1 cup butter softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups mini M and Ms
2-3 cups mini chocolate chips(depending on how chocolaty you like it.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. 
3. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. 
4. Add in the flour, pudding mix, salt, baking soda, mini chocolate chips and mini M and Ms. Mix until combined. 
5. With a medium cookie scoop place one inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for ten minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy. Makes about 5 dozen. 

No Peek Beef Tips

This is a recipe my mom also used. It is super easy to make for a Sunday dinner. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I adapted it from Mommy's Kitchen.

2 pounds stew meat cut into 1 inch cube

1 can cream of mushroom soup.

1 packet brown gravy mix

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 cup water

1 8 oz. container of fresh mushrooms

1. Layer the meat into a 9x13 inch cake pan.
2. Layer the fresh mushrooms over the meat.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the dry onion soup mix, brown gravy mix, cream of mushroom soup and water. 
4. Pour over the meat and mushrooms. 
5. Cover with tin foil and bake for 3 hours at 300 degrees.
6. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or white rice.   

Overnight Cherry-Almond Oatmeal

This oatmeal recipe was a big hit with my family I love how easy it is. I found it here at taste of home.
4 cups almond milk
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 ground cinnamon

1. Spray a 4 quart crock pot with Pam. 
2. Combine all ingredients and cook on low 7-8 hours. Serves 6. 

Pumpkin Poppers

I found this recipe on pinterest. The blog I foiund them is Just the little things.  They make a good breakfast or a dessert. The kids loved them. Let's just say out of the 40 they made only 11 were left by the end of breakfast. So yummy.

1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup milk

For coating
1/2 cup butter melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray mini muffin pan with Pam. 
2. In a bowl whisk together the  flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves.
3. In another bowl mix together the egg, oil, brown sugar, vanilla, milk and pumpkin. 
4. Blend in the dry flour mixture until just combined. 
5. Fill mini muffins tins until almost full. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
6. Melt butter in a small bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. 
7. After poppers have cooled for a few minutes coat in the melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Makes about 40.  Betcha  can't eat just one? enjoy. 

Hearty Mushroom and Barley Soup

My kids found this to be a warm and inviting soup. the perfect supper on a cold winters day.

9 cups chicken Broth
1 package(16 ounces)  sliced mushrooms
1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 celery ribs chopped
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ham steak diced

1. Combine broth, sliced mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, barley, garlic, salt, thyme and pepper in a crock pot. 
2. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours. Near the end of cooking time dice and add in the diced ham steak.Serves 8.

Unbelievable Toffee

I found this on Pinterest Here. I am sure my mom make this when I was growing up as well. Anyway it is way good. Not to mention so easy to make even my husband could make it. A great Christmas treat to give away to friends or coworker too. Enjoy. 

1 cup butter( do not use margarine)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips(milk chocolate is my all time favorite)
40 saltine crackers

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line a 15x12 cookies sheet with foil and spray with Pam.
3. Lay a single layer of crackers out on the foil.
4. Measure out the 2 cups of chocolate chips and set them aside.
5. In a medium sauce pan melt and bring to a boil the butter and brown sugar.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until thick.
7. Pour brown sugar butter mixture over the cracker making sure they are evenly coated.
8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until toffee becomes bubbly. 
9. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee; let them sit and then when they melt evenly spread the chocolate over the toffee. 
10. You can add nuts cracker crumbs or whatever else you choose. 
11. Let them cool then break them into desired pieces. I prefer to break them into half of a regular cracker size. Enjoy.