3 Ingredient Blueberry Cobbler

    I like easy.  Easy is wonderful.  If you have a full life like I do, you do not always have time to do everything from scratch but you still want to bake for your family.  Here is one of those recipes that will make your family feel special and tastes delicious.

3 Ingredient Blueberry Cobbler

1 (21 oz.) can blueberry pie filling

12 oz. lemon-lime soda pop

1 box white or yellow cake mix

The cake mix and can of blueberries.

         Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 cake pan with cooking spray.  Open up the pie filling and pour into the  pan.  (You can use frozen blueberries instead.) Pour the dry cake mix on top of the blueberries. 

 

The dry cake mix on top of the blueberries.

 Now slowly pour the soda pop over the top of the dry cake mix.  That's it.  

 

Ready to go into the oven now.

Now, just put it into the oven and bake for 48 minutes.  Easy-peasy!

                  
Another super simple recipe is my Super Easy Apple Pie with just 2 ingredients.      

 

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I shared this recipe on the following blogs:
I should be mopping the floor
Create with Joy
The Chicken Chick 
Home to 4 Kiddos

Super Easy Pumpkin Muffins

   For those of you who have limited time for meals, this one is for you.  These taste soooo good and are soooo easy. 

 

 

Super Easy Pumpkin Muffins

1 box Spice Cake

1 can 100% pumpkin

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

   Preheat your oven to the temperature stated on the spice cake box.  In a large  bowl, mix the dry cake mix, spices, and pumpkin together.  You do not need to add any other ingredients.  Mix well and pour into sprayed muffin tins and bake. 

Muffin tin

 Bake the muffins for the same temperature called for on the cake mix box for a cake.  That is it.  The taste so delicious and go great with a cup of coffee (or two). 

These muffins would go great with a cup of my Countrified French Vanilla Coffee.

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Lemon Cake

    Well, there was great response to the 2 ingredient Apple Pie recently so I thought I'd share another 2 ingredient dessert.  This one is for a luscious Lemon Cake.  I know some people say this makes lemon bars but once you make it, you will see they are not bars, thus, I call it a "Lemon Cake".  Anyway....

Lemon Cake

Angel Food Cake mix

1 can of Lemon pie filling

   That's it.  Just pour the cake mix into a bowl and stir in the can of pie filling. 

 Mix well and pour into a greased 9 x 13 cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  

    I don't know about you but I like simple.  There are times that I really love to bake from scratch and pour all my love, time and talents into it but there are days I am tired and like being able to throw something together that tastes like you worked hard.  :-)

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Mexican Lasagna

    Want something different to fix for your family for supper?  How about a Mexican Lasagna?  Our family loves it and it is just different enough.

Mexican Lasagna

                        1 lb. hamburger meat                            

2 T. chopped onion

                                      2/3 c. water                                          
1 envelope of taco seasoning

                   1 lg. can refried beans                          
6 flour tortillas

                              1 can corn, drained                              
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained

 2 cups shredded cheese

(black olives, optional)

 

    Turn on the oven to 350 and let it preheat while you "assemble" the lasagna.  Cook the beef and onion together in a skillet.  Add in the water and taco seasoning and cook it according to the seasoning directions.  Once it is ready, stir in the tomatoes and corn.  

 

    In a regular sized cake pan (9x13), spray it with cooking spray and then place 2 tortillas in it.  Then top with half of the meat mixture and then a third of the can of beans, and then about 1/2 c. of cheese.  Repeat the layers.  Use the rest of the beans for the top layer and then top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.  

 

    This is a very filling meal.

 

 

 

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Sweet Pepper Relish

     We have been harvesting a lot of fresh veggies this past week.  I love eating fresh vegetables but when you have a big garden like we do, you couldn’t possibly eat them all before they go bad.  What to do?  We can them.  Fresh tomatoes are canned whole, stewed and diced or made into marinara sauce, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, relish, or jam.  

       Bellpeppers are cut up and some are frozen and others are canned into relishes.  There are so many possibilities.  One thing we make and can every year is sweet pepper relish.  It tastes so good on summer hot dogs.  Here is my recipe for sweet pepper relish that we love.

Sweet Pepper Relish

3 green bell peppers                                       3 red bell peppers

3 yellow bell peppers                                      3 orange bell peppers

2 yellow onions                                               1 ½ c. apple cider vinegar

1 T. pickling salt                                             1 T. celery seed

1 ½ c. sugar                                                     2 T. minced garlic

    Wash the bell peppers and remove the seeds.  Dice the peppers and onions.  Put all ingredients into a large pot, stir well and let it come to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Let it boil for 27 minutes and then remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars.  Leave about ½” room at the top.  Wipe off rims well.  Seal the jars and process them for 15 minutes.  This will make about 7 half pint jars or 4 pint jars.  

Doesn't this look so pretty as it cooks?!

This relish goes so good on homemade hamburgers served on homemade hamburger buns!

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Jambalaya Recipe

   I had a request for my Jambalaya recipe.  Please note, I am an Okie and do it the way we like it here.  If my way of doing it is an insult to any Cajuns, forgive me.  :-)

 

Mel's Jambalaya

      2 T. butter                                             smoked sausage

      3 T. paprika                                          1 T. cumin

      1/2 tsp. dehydrated onion                     1/2 tsp. pepper

      1/2 tsp. garlic powder                           2 T. seasoning salt                         1 tsp. oregano                                      1 tsp. thyme                                   1/2 c. diced tomatoes                           5 c. chicken broth                        1/4 c. oil                                               2 c. rice

     Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Add oil and let it get hot.  For the smoked sausage, either use a one pound package and slice up or use the smoked sausage links (we used 8 of them).  Cook the sausage in the oil/butter for 5 minutes.  Add in the spices and cook for one minute.  Stir in tomatoes then the chicken broth and finally the rice.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Stir more and bring back to a boil.  Turn to simmer and simmer covered for 5 minutes.  

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Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

    Tater tot casserole.  I don't know about you but just the words make me drool!  This is a favorite in our house.  Yes, I know it is not the healthiest recipe but by golly, it sure is delicious.  Everyone in our family absolutely loves it and is often requested.  We serve this on Saturday night for supper and we look forward to Saturday's because of it!

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb. hamburger meat

2 T.  chopped onion

1 envelope onion soup mix

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 can peas

2 cans cream of chicken soup

32 oz.  pkg. tater tots

1 c. shredded cheese

    A lot of people use "real" onion but I found out that if you fry up the dried chopped onion (that comes in spice sized containers, like cinnamon) with the hamburger meat, it fries up wonderfully.  It cooks up (and smells just like) you used fresh onion.   Besides, then you do not have to peel an onion or cut it up.  I like things easy!

 

     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  

 

     Add a small amount of cooking oil to a skillet.  Add in the hamburger meat and the chopped onions.  Fry them together until the hamburger is brown. 

 

The hamburger meat and chopped onions being fried together.

 Pour into a cake pan (do not drain).  Add the onion soup mix and spices and mix it up and then open up the can of peas and pour on top.  

    Now, pour on your cream of chicken soups and gently stir it into the meat/pea mixture.  Top with tater tots.  If I am having company over for supper, I lay the tater tots on the casserole real pretty like.  Nice uniform rows and all the tater tots lined up neatly but if it is just for the family, I just basically dump the bag of tater tots on top.  My family does not care if it looks pretty as long as it tastes good. 

 

    Place in the oven for 35 minutes then top with the shredded cheese and bake another 10 minutes.  

 

The finished dish!

    Most recipes you find online are to be made in a 8"x8" square pan but we like to eat at my house so we always make it in a normal sized cake pan (13 x 8, or whatever the dimensions are).  :-)  Also, the recipes you find elsewhere usually call for twice as much meat as mine does.  I use 1 lb. for the big cake pan full and it is more than enough for us, and we are BIG meat eaters in our house.  

    Well, there you have it.  It is great comfort food!!!

      Other varieties of a tater tot casserole I make include a Mexican Tater Tot Casserole.  Check it out!

 

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Homemade Bread in an Hour

        I remember growing up and watching my mother bake bread.  She didn't do it very often but when she did, the whole house smelled great.  One reason she did not bake bread often (I assume) is because it was a LOT of work.  I remember her kneading the dough, letting it rise for an hour, punching it down, letting it rise again, forming into loaves and rising again before she baked them.  Whew!  I'm tired just writing about it.

     I make bread at least 4 times a week at my home (usually 5-6 times).  I suffer from MS and I homeschool my children so I don't have a lot of time to spare nor the energy to do much.  How do I do it?  I can make a 2 loaves of bread--from start to finish--in one hour.  Yep, you heard me and you can too.
                                                       
Here is how:

Ingredients:
5 1/4 c. flour
4 T. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. oil
2 c. hot water

PLUS:
1 pkg. quick active yeast (I use Red Star Quick-Rise Yeast)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 c. warm water (not too hot or you'll ruin the yeast)

        Pour the contents of the yeast into a small cereal bowl.  Add the 1/2 tsp. of sugar and the 1/4 c. of warm water.  Let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. 

         As the yeast is activating, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl that you have sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  By the way, you can use any type of flour you want:  whole wheat, bread, or all-purpose.  You can even use a combination of flours.  I use just all-purpose because that is what I have on hand.  Then stir in the oil.

       If the yeast is about ready, (you will know the yeast is ready when it has become bubbly) stir the hot water in with the dry ingredients and then add in the yeast mixture.  The dough will be sticky. 

The dough before kneading 

       Stir well and then pour out onto a sprayed surface and begin to knead.  I always spray my hands with cooking spray also.  If the dough is too sticky, just put some flour on the table surface and your hands and mix in just a little at a time.  Knead the dough about 7-10 times.

     Divide the dough into two loaves.  I sometimes do two artisan style loaves and sometimes I do one "loaf" and one artisan style.

     Divide up and place in a warm place for 25 minutes.  What I usually do is set my oven to "warm" when I start gathering my ingredients and turn it off right before I put the dough in to rise.  Be sure to cover the loaves with a hand towel. 

    After 25 minutes the loaves should have risen nicely.

   
     Now just remove the loaves and set them on top of the stove top and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Let it preheat just 5 minutes and then put the loaves into cook. 

     Let them bake for 20 minutes then take a stick of butter and rub it over the top of the loaves and put back in the oven for 5 more minutes.  Remove, butter the tops again and enjoy!

    Wasn't that easy? 

My artisan style loaf

Be sure to check out my recipe for whole wheat bread that is baked in your crock pot or slow cooker.

This Homemade Bread goes great with so many things, such as:  Smoke Sausage & Radiatore Soup, a good Meatloaf,  or even some Creamy Pork Chops.

 

 

 

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I shared this recipe on the following blogs:
Monday Inspiration Party
Hope in Every Season 
Raising Homemaker's
The Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop 
Mountain Woman Journals 

Easy French-Dip Sandwiches

   I don't know about you but I absolutely LOVE Arby's French Dip and Swiss sandwiches with au jus!  They are so delicious but we have to pinch pennies so we rarely go out to eat.  I found a recipe a few years back, tried it, modified it and now use it about once a month to treat my family.

 

Easy French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef consommé (It is different than the beef broth).
• 1 cup water
• 1 lb. thinly sliced roast beef from a deli
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 4 hoagie rolls, cut lengthwise (so you will have 8 halves of hoagie rolls).

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lay the 8 hoagie halves on a cookie sheet.
3. Heat up the beef consomme and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
4.  Place the roast beef in the broth and warm for 3 minutes.
5. Arrange the meat on the hoagie rolls and top each roll with 2 slices of cheese.
6. Bake the sandwiches in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese just begins to melt. Serve the sandwiches with small bowls of the warm consomme for dipping. 
7.  

 

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Other recipes you may enjoy!

Meatloaf

Summer Pie

Chocolate covered bacon