Author: Cara Lenz

Categories
Cookbook Pasta Salads Side Dishes Vegetarian

Cara’s Boiled Pasta Salad

I brought this to Mom’s Fourth of July get-together and everyone loved it. The part that I’m most proud of is that the dressing is boiled!

1 1/2 C. vinegar
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. salt
1tsp. pepper

VEGETABLES:
Green onions
Celery
Peppers (orange or yellow add color)
Cherry tomatoes
Zucchini
Cucumbers
1 small can black olives
Any other veggie you’d like

Cook 16 ounces noodles in water (I prefer mostaccioli); rinse with cold water. Boil the above ingredients. Add the vegetable ingredients to the drained noodles. Pour the boiled mixture over the noodles and veggies and mix well. Put in a container that you can turn upside-down to mix. The longer it marries, the better the flavor becomes.

Categories
Cookbook Cookies Desserts

Cara’s Jumbo Molasses Cookies

Plan ahead! Needs to chill. Big recipe, but can be halved.

3 C. butter-flavored Crisco
4 C. sugar
1 C. molasses (Cara recommends dark)
4 eggs
8 C. flour
2 T. + 2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger

Cream Crisco and sugar. Add molasses and eggs. Mix well. Combine flour, soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and ginger. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. Shape 1/2 cupfuls of dough into balls. Roll in sugar. Place 4 at a time on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 18 to 20 minutes, or until edges are set.

Categories
Cookbook Desserts

Oreo Dessert

Rog loves this!

Oreo Dessert

1 lb. Oreo cookies, crushed
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream, partially melted
2/3 C. chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1 – 13 oz. can evaporated milk
2 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Crush the Oreo cookies and add the melted butter. Mix together and press into a 9×13″ pan. Freeze. Take ice cream out of freezer to melt partially. Melt the chocolate chips and 1 stick butter. Gradually add the evaporated milk and powdered sugar. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Boil 8 minutes and remove from heat. Add the vanilla. Place mixture in freezer to cool quickly. Put ice cream on Oreo layer and freeze until ice cream is hard. Take sauce out of freezer and put in refrigerator. When ice cream is hard, pour sauce over ice cream layer and freeze until hard.

Categories
Chicken Cookbook Main Dishes

Chicken Breasts with Orange Chicken

This is so good with brown rice and a veggie!

2 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
1 T. margarine or butter
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 C. orange juice
2 T. orange marmalade
1 T. soy sauce

  1. Melt margarine over medium heat in skillet.
  2. Cook chicken in margarine about 15 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink.
  3. While chicken is cooking, mix cornstarch and mustard in small bowl. Stir in orange juice, marmalade and soy sauce, mixing well.
  4. Place chicken on plate and cover to keep warm.
  5. Discard extra juices in skillet.
  6. Pour orange mixture into same skillet.
  7. Heat over medium heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
  8. Continue boiling 1 minute, until thickened.
  9. Pour over chicken breasts.

Makes 2 servings.

Categories
Bars Cookbook Desserts

Double Lemon Bars

1 1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. powdered sugar
3/4 C. butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces
4 eggs
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. fresh lemon juice
1 T. + 1 tsp. flour
1T. lemon peel, grated

Preheat oven to 350º

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and powdered sugar in large bowl. Add butter and cut in until it resembles coarse
meal. Press into 9×13″ pan. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Beat eggs, sugar, lemon juice, other flour and lemon peel in medium bowl. Pour into crust. Bake approximately 20 minutes. Cool and sift with powdered sugar.

Categories
Cookbook Main Dishes Pork

Cranberry Pork Chops

Yummy and easy!

6 bone-in pork loin chops
16 oz. jellied cranberry sauce
1/2 C. cranberry or apple juice
1/4 C. sugar
2 T. spicy brown mustard
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 C. cold water
1/2 tsp, salt
Dash of pepper

Place pork chops in slow cooker, Combine cranberry sauce, juice, sugar and mustard. Mix until smooth and pour over chops. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove chops and keep warm. In saucepan, over medium heat, combine cornstarch and water. Stir until smooth. Gradually add cooking juices and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in salt and pepper. Serve over chops.

NOTE: Sauce is also excellent over mashed potatoes.