Cocoa No Bake Cookies - Mike's favorites!

This has been in my recipe box for many years and is Mike's very favorite.k

Cocoa No Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 c. bujtter (1 stick)
1/2 c. milk
2 c. sugar

1/2 c. peanut butter
1 t vanilla
3 c. quick cooking oatmeal
1/4 cocoa powder
1 c. coconut (optional)

In saucepan cobine butter, milk and sugar. Heat over medium heat stirring constantly. Let boil one minute.

Remove pan from heat and add peanut butter, cocoa, vanilla, oatmeal and coconut (I have never tried it with this but it would probably be good). Stir well and immediately drop by spoon fulls on wax paper. Let cool.

Peanut Butter Muffins

This is another one I got off of allrecipes.com and made my own changes to.

Peanut Butter Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 cup peanut butter

2 T. cold butter or margarine

1 cup milk

2 eggs

cinnamon/sugar mixture

Combine sugar, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the peanut butter and butter until it resembles course crumbles. Beat eggs & milk and stir into dry ingredients until moist. Fill lined muffin tins 2/3 full. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on top.

Bake at 400 for 15-17 minutes. Serve with butter and/or jelly.

Our Review: These are going into the freezer for quick breakfast options for the girls, haven't tried yet! UPDATED: we tried these and they are YUMMY! We had them plain but with jelly would also be good!

Make Ahead French Toast

This one is based on a recipe on allrecipes.com with some changes from me.

Make Ahead French Toast

Ingredients:
1 loaf french bread, cut into about 12 1" slices
7 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar
2 T. maple syrup (I just used regular syrup)
1 c. chopped pecan (option, I did not use)

Mix eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl, pour mixture into bottoms of a 13x9 and an 8x8 square pan. Dip each piece of bread into egg mixture (both sides) and then sit on top of egg mixture in pan. I got 8 in the 13x9 and 4 in the 8x8. Refrigerate over night. In the morning mix together butter, brown sugar, syrup and pecans and spoon mixture over each piece of bread.

Cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Our Review: This was delicious, didn't even need syrup over top! I think it would also be good with cinnamon/sugar mixture over top instead of brown sugar, butter, syrup mixture! Think next time I'll try to make these into french toast sticks and freeze for the girls for breakfasts.

Weekly Menu

This weeks menu...

Chili, cinnamon rolls

Fish Sticks, mac & Cheese, green beans, pineapple

Chicken Chile Spaghetti, mandarin oranges

Tostados, peaches

Ham sandwiches, pretzels, raisins, carrots (game night)

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I kind of made this one up.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can enchilada sauce
12 (6 in) corn tortillas
green chiles (optional)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook chicken, I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot on high for about 4 hrs. Shred chicken. Mix together chicken, soups and chiles (optional). Layer 6 of the tortillas on bottom of 13x9 pan, cover with 1/2 can enchilada sauce. Spread chicken mixture over sauce. Layer 6 more tortillas on chicken mixture, cover with remaining enchilada sauce. Top with shredded cheese.

Cook at 350 for about 20-25 minutes until heated thru and cheese is melted.

We served this with a big salad and pineapple chunks.

Our Review: This is basically my chicken enchiladas in casserole form. Much less mess and time and just as yummy!

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Found this one at www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken cut in 2 inch chunks
1/2 cup flour
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 T kosher salt
6 oz. (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 T brown sugar
1 t balsamic vinegar
3 T ketchup

Dredge chicken pieces with the flour, shake off excess. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Put chickent pieces into slow cooker. In small bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt and ketchup. Taste, if you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

Our Review: We did not care for this one. It was the first that I have tried that we felt was inedible. If you try it and it turns out good let me know so I can try again...maybe I did something wrong.

Weekly Menu

Opps forgot to post this!

Hamburger Helper, green beans, mandarin oranges

Spaghetti (homemade sauce), garlic toast, peaches

Pasta Salad

Tuna Helper, peas, pears, crescent rolls

Chicken Enchilada Casserole, salad, pineapple