Old Soul, Young Heart

  Snickerdoodles Recipe from: Lori Leake Directions: Mix together... ½ cup softened butter ½ cup shortening 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ½ cups sugar 2 eggs Sift together and stir in... 2 ¾ cups flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt Chill dough Roll into balls and roll into a mixture of... 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Place on ungreased cookie sheets Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown, but still soft A Christmas classic! I'm always amazed when a recipe is so spot on. This made exactly 3 dozen cookies and the amount of sugar/cinnamon to roll them in was perfect. I baked mine for 8 minutes, but probably could've gone slightly less.

Microwave Fudge Ingredients: ¾ cup butter 3 cups sugar 5 ½ oz evaporated milk 6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips 6 oz milk chocolate chips 7 oz jar marshmallow creme 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions: Microwave the butter, sugar, and evaporated milk on high for 12 minutes, stirring after each 4 minutes Add the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla; stir until melted Pour into a well-greased 13x9 pan Cool and cut Freezes well! A very delicious chocolate fudge. I like mine with nuts, so I put walnuts in some of it. You can also swap the chocolate chips for 2 cups of creamy peanut butter for a pb fudge!

EZ Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe from: Pantagraph Ingredients for cake: 1 box yellow cake mix 2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding 2/3 cup oil 1 cup water 4 eggs Ingredients for topping: 1 ½ cup sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 cup chopped nuts Directions: Mix cake ingredients and pour into a greased 13x9 pan Pour the topping ingredients onto cake mix Swirl with a knife Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until done I've never made this before and I don't think I've ever tried it myself either. It was good! I had a coworker say it was the best cake she's ever had and it melted in her mouth, so it must've been decent. 😂 And very EZ to make, indeed!

Spiced Pecans Recipe from: Karen Robbins Ingredients: 2 egg whites 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon salt 1 lb pecans Mix together egg whites, sugar, cinnamon, water, and salt. Stir in pecans. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 250° for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Yummo! Christmasy vibes! Super easy! What's not to love?! Could make with almonds or walnuts or any other type of nut. I'm leaving out all my nuts jokes!

Scalloped Corn Recipe from: Grandma Whiteside (my mom's mom) Ingredients: 1 can cream style corn 1 can whole kernel corn and liquid 2 eggs (beaten) 1 cup sour cream 1 stick butter (melted) 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix a dash of pepper 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup minced onion Directions: Mix above together in a large bowl. Pour into a large glass baking dish sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until golden brown. Also known as "corn casserole," this is a super easy side dish to take to any gathering. It's cornbread with a twist! It's a staple for us at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is something I can't really screw up! Although I was close to screwing it up once when I wasn't paying attention and almost added cream cheese instead of sour cream. *sigh*

Caramel Brownies Recipe from: Brenda Watson Ingredients: 1 package Kraft caramels 1 German chocolate cake mix ⅓ cup evaporated milk ⅓ cup evaporated milk (yes, this is listed twice) ¾ cup melted butter 6 ounces chocolate chips Directions: Melt caramels and ⅓ cup evaporated milk. Set aside. Combine cake mix, butter, and the other ⅓ cup evaporated milk. Mix until doughy. Press half of cake mixture into ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350°. Sprinkle chocolate chips over dough, then pour caramel mixture, then drop remaining cake mixture over caramel. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°. I can't screw this one up; I've made it so many times! Also, it's just easy and hard to screw up anyway. They aren't the prettiest brownies you've ever seen, but boy, are they delish! I use less butter than is called for above (I use one stick). I also use a lot more chocolate chips than is called for above and usually I like to mix milk chocolate and semi-sweet chips together. Fun fac...

  Pumpkin Cookies Recipe from: Peggy Richard Directions: Combine dry ingredients and set aside: 2 cups flour 1 cup oatmeal 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt Cream together: 1 cup softened butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup white sugar Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla; mix well Add 1 cup pumpkin and dry ingredients a little at a time Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips; mix well Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet at 350° for 15 minutes Frost with cream cheese frosting It's pumpkin szn! This is one of the recipes that my aunt Peggy is world famous for. Mine did not turn out like hers did; I think it's because she lets her dough refrigerate. Hers are larger and fluffier and denser. Mine ended up being a little crispy on the bottom, which is fine too. They are yummy, though, even without refrigerated dough! I put in way more chocolate chips than it calls for. Store-bought frosting is both efficient and delicious. The recipe yields 3 dozen cookies. Make these...

Fruity Crispix Crunch Recipe from: Sis Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ cup butter or oleo 1 jar marshmallow creme (7½ oz) 1 small package any flavor Jello 6 cups Crispix Directions: Melt butter in large bowl Stir in marshmallow creme and Jello powder Microwave for 2 minutes or until it boils; stir after 1 minute Stir in baking soda Microwave for 2 more minutes; stir after 1 minute Pour over Crispix and gently toss Spread onto waxed paper lined container Another recipe from Sis Piss!  Man, I love this stuff. It's hard to describe its taste and what the appeal is. I might like it so much because it's just nostalgic. But also delish! It's hard to stop eating it once you start. Strawberry is my favorite flavor and go-to, but orange is also delightful... or raspberry!

  Puppy Chow Ingredients: 6 ounces milk chocolate chips ¾ cup peanut butter 1 tablespoon butter 8 cups Crispix 2 cups powdered sugar Directions: Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in the microwave in a large bowl Add Crispix and stir to cover all Put powdered sugar in a large paper sack and pour in the cereal mixture Shake well Pour onto waxed paper to cool Classic! I have made puppy chow many thousands of times over the years. Alright, maybe not thousands. Hundreds. It's a crowd-pleaser! I used to follow the recipe above, but now what I do goes a little something like this: Melt together a shit ton of chocolate chips (milk and semi-sweet) and a shit ton of peanut butter, however much butter seems good, and a splash or two of vanilla Pour over the entire family size box of Crispix to cover all  Follow remaining steps above Now, I did always use a paper sack from the grocery store for the shaking part, but I realized I have a huge popcorn bowl situation with a lid,...

Pecan Pie Squares Ingredients for crust: 3 cups flour ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar ¾ cup softened butter ¾ teaspoon salt Ingredients for filling: 4 eggs (slightly beaten) 1½ cups sugar 1½ cups light Karo syrup 1½ teaspoons vanilla 2½ cups chopped pecans 3 tablespoons melted butter Directions: Grease 13x9 pan Beat crust ingredients in a large bowl on medium until crumbly Press firmly into pan Bake until light golden, about 20 minutes Mix filling ingredients, minus pecans, until well-blended Stir in pecans Pour over baked layer and spread evenly Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes Cool and cut into squares I wasn't going to make these until November which is much more of a pecan pie type of season, but the recipe I was originally going to do calls for milk and I didn't get any milk at the store. Whoopsie poopsie. Change of plans! I am a huge pecan pie fan and I figured that out from my mom making these bars! These were more of a Christmastime treat. I think my mom made ...

Tollhouse Pan Cookies Ingredients 2¼ cups flour 1 cup soft butter ¾ cup brown sugar ¾ cup white sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 6 ounces chocolate chips optional: nuts Directions Mix above and spread into a greased and floured jelly roll pan Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes Cool and cut into squares I decided on a whim to make these tonight since it's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. So here is a whole pan of chocolate chip cookies. Can't go wrong! Very easy to throw this together! Use a stand mixer if you can.

  Seven Layer Bars Ingredients: ½ cup melted butter 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup shredded coconut (plus a little more) 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 6 oz butterscotch chips 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk Directions: Pour butter into a 13x9 pan Sprinkle crumbs over the butter, then coconut, then chocolate chips, then butterscotch chips, then nuts Pour the sweetened condensed milk over it and spread evenly Bake at 350° for 30 minutes Cut into squares while warm They ain't pretty, but boy, are they tasty! Another recipe that is hardly a recipe at all. This took like five minutes to throw together! You must like coconut for this one. I feel like coconut is one of those things that you either really like or really do not like and don't want to eat it at all in anything. I am someone who really likes coconut. Gimme all the Mounds bars, coconut pie/cake, etc. These bars remind me of my mom's goodie trays at Christmas because th...

 Caramel Fudge Chocolate Cake  "Better Than Sex Cake" Recipe from: Quick Cooking May/June 1999 Ingredients: 1 chocolate cake mix 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 jar caramel ice cream topping (warmed) 1 jar hot fudge ice cream topping (warmed) 1 container Cool Whip (thawed, 8 ounces) 3 chopped Skor or Heath candy bars Directions Prepare cake according to package Stir in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips Pour into a greased 13 x 9 pan Bake at 350° for 35 minutes Immediately poke holes in the cake with a meat fork Spread caramel and fudge toppings over cake Cool on a wire rack Frost with Cool Whip and store in refrigerator Sprinkle with candy bar pieces and remaining chocolate chips before serving I'm not even sure if you can call this a recipe since it's so easy haha. This is my favorite cake that is not Janet's. I used to request it at my birthday. It's very rich and moist and usually I don't like Cool Whip as a topping (too boring), but it goes perfe...

Monkey Bread Ingredients: 2 large tubes refrigerator biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk) 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 stick butter Directions: Cut each biscuit into four pieces Mix white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon Shake pieces in a plastic bag with mixture Grease a bundt cake pan and drop pieces into pan Pour leftover cinnamon/sugar over pieces Mix butter, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon Pour over pieces Bake at 325° for 45 minutes Remove from pan immediately Another recipe I had never made! And, actually, I don't know if I've ever even had monkey bread. Mmm pull-apart cinnamon roll in a bundt pan. I think this would be a good recipe to make with kids because it was fun to cut up the biscuits into pieces and toss them around in the cinnamon sugar and then violently throw them into the pan. Be sure to put aluminum foil under the pan because I almost had another smoke-filled kitchen situation with sugary overflow! This didn't tu...

Macaroni Salad Ingredients: 1 lb macaroni ⅔ cup sugar 1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk ½ cup vinegar 1 tablespoon salt 2 cups Hellmann's mayo Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Green onions Shredded cheddar cheese Directions: Cook macaroni, drain, and rinse Mix macaroni with veggies and cheese Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, mayo, and sweetened condensed milk Stir everything together well Refrigerate overnight This is one of my potluck staples. It's easy, it makes a large batch, and everyone seems to like it. I much prefer this type of macaroni salad over like an Italian dressing type. It has a creamy texture to it, is sweet but not too sweet, and is tangy but not too tangy. It's a great summer side dish! You could add other veggies if you like.

Oreo Dessert "Dirt" Recipe from: Angie Stirzinger Ingredients: 1 package Oreos 1 stick butter 1 (8 0z) package cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar 1 (12 oz) container Cool Whip 2 packages chocolate instant pudding Directions: Crush cookies (save ½ cup for topping and set aside) Melt butter and mix with crumbs Press into 13x9 pan and let sit until firm Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar Fold in 2 cups Cool Whip Spread cream cheese mixture onto crust Mix pudding according to package directions and spread over cream cheese layer Spread with remaining Cool Whip Top with the reserved cookie crumbs Dirt is a family go-to! We love it. I had never made it before this, though! I've just always enjoyed it when my mom or Aunt Peggy would make it. I like this version with the Oreo crust at the bottom, but I know there's another version out there that does not have a crust situation. It's a good dessert for the summer because it's nice and cool out of the fridge. And it...

Apple Pie Recipe from: Susan Scheffert Directions: Stir together: 3 lbs apples (peeled and sliced at ¼ an inch) ½ cup flour Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg  I used about ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and a good pinch of nutmeg Then add: 1 ¼ cups sugar 1 stick melted butter For crust, mix and roll out: 2 cups flour ½ cup oil ¼ cup water or milk 1 teaspoon salt Place apple mixture in a large glass dish and then lay crust over top Cut slits on top and sprinkle lightly with sugar Bake at 350° for 45 minutes This recipe is from my Grandma Scheffert--my dad's mom! Grandma lived upstairs at our house with us, which was a full apartment. We were very close to her, especially my brother. She cared for us when our parents were working (we never had a babysitter), dropped us off at and picked us up from school (we never rode a school bus), and took us on adventures during the summer. She loved reading and gardening and birds. She was a very active grandma and we were lucky to have her. I have lots of...

Chocolate Sour Cream Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup sugar ½ cup butter (softened) ½ cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 2 ¼ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ cup cocoa Directions: Combine first five ingredients (sugar, butter, sour cream, vanilla, eggs) and blend well Stir in remaining ingredients Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls two inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes Good if frosted These were one of my oft requested items and I've made them a few times in the past. I just love a chocolate cookie, what can I say? Frosting on these is a must, in my opinion. I had another coworker birthday coming up, so I made these for Ian. He's not a fan of store-bought frosting (well, la-di-da...just kidding...kinda), so I also made homemade frosting for these. I have a few frosting recipes in my mom's recipe book, but Ian provided his mom's recipe for me and I made that kind. The recipe for the frosting is below. I didn't ...

Funfetti Cookies Recipe from: Sis (my great aunt) Directions: Mix together: 1 Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix 2 eg gs ⅓ cup oil Roll into 1 inch balls and flatten with a glass dipped in sugar Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes Can be frosted. Freeze well. First of all, this recipe being from Sis really brought back memories for me. Sis was my mom's aunt--my grandma's sister--who lived in LeRoy. Her real name was Lorraine, but "Sis" was her nickname and she was never called anything else. Well, sometimes we called/call her Sis Piss with a lisp because it's fun and funny. Not disrespectful at all! Just being silly gooses. We didn't visit Sis too often, but we'd always make the trip to LeRoy at Christmastime. My brother and I would request the Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas album on the way and we'd listen to it on cassette tape. I'm pretty sure my mom hated those songs and dreaded our request. Sis would always get us little trinket toys for Christmas th...

Lasagna Recipe from: Kris Baugh (a State Farm colleague of my mom's, I believe) Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef 1 large jar Prego spaghetti sauce 1 large container cottage cheese 1 egg 4 cups mozzarella cheese ½ cup parmesan cheese garlic salt seasoning salt onion salt Directions: Make a day ahead! Brown the ground beef Season the ground beef with garlic salt, seasoning salt, and onion salt Drain off grease Add the spaghetti sauce and mix well Mix in a large bowl: cottage cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese Spray large 13 x 9 pan with Pam Layer lasagna noodles, cottage cheese mixture, ground beef mixture, mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle some extra parmesan cheese; repeat 3 times Bake at 350° for 1 hour I do not do well with unprecise information, like "1 large jar spaghetti sauce." I'm not a confident cook or baker, so I need things to be exact. I made some guesses here and it turned out well. I used a 24 oz jar of Prego and a 24 oz container of cottage cheese. I also use...

  Monster Cookies Recipe from: Lori Leake (my mom's friend from work) Ingredients: 6 eggs 2 cups brown sugar 2 cups white sugar 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla 1 ½ teaspoons Karo syrup 4 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup softened butter 24 ounces peanut butter 9 cups oatmeal 8 ounces chocolate chips 8 ounces m&ms Directions: Mix above in a very large bowl in order given Place about 6 large scoops of dough on each cookie sheet and flatten Bake at 350° for 12 minutes (no flour; do not overbake) Monster cookies were such a treat when we were kids. These were the cookies we would request when we were able to take birthday treats to school. They are definitely a crowd pleaser. The combo of peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and m&ms... you can't really go wrong. And the size of the cookie is impressive, especially to a kid. Of course I had to decorate the cookies like my mom did--it was always three m&ms on top, spaced evenly, and preferably three different colors. Do I get my p...