Ladybug Lights: Recipes

FEAST OF PENTECOST RECIPES

Mon, 05 May 2008 14:44:38 GMT

Sunday is the feast of Pentecost, here are some recipes to set your celebration on fire . Anything red works great of course, so be creative! Recipes with 3 ingredients or 3 layers work well too, for the Trinity. Anything spicy or tangy will...light your fire!

HAM

Place uncooked ham in roasting pan. Pack brown sugar and dry mustard on top and sprinkle some in bottom of pan. Add 1-2 inches of water to pan. Cover tightly. Bake at 350 for 2 hours (for a thawed 3# ham) or till meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. This is for a non-precooked ham, would probably work about the same for a pre-cooked ham, bake according to package directions.

HOLY SPIRIT SALAD

6 apples, peeled, cored, sliced thin

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup red hots candy

Heat water and sugar to boiling. Add red hots. Stir till melted. Add apples, cook till you like; if crisp, then just a few minutes; if mushy, then cook longer. Drain. Serve warm.

CLOVERLEAF ROLLS

Use frozen bread dough rolls. Thaw dough till soft but still cold, cut each dough ball in half. Place 3 halves in each muffin tin, cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise about 3 hours, till double in size. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

TRIPLE-LAYER LEMON PIE

2 cups cold milk

2 pkg. (4 serving size each) lemon flavor instant pudding & pie filling

1 graham cracker crust

1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip

Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or till well blended. Mixture will be thick. Spread 1 1/2 cups of pudding onto bottom of crust. Gently stir half of Cool Whip into remaining pudding, spread over pudding layer in crust. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate 3 hours or will set. Garnish with lemon peel if desired. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

St. Patrick's Day recipes

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:33:52 GMT

I am planning ahead! I like preparing special recipes for the Saints' Feast Days. One of my favorite resources for doing this is "Building the Family Cookbook" by Suzanne Fowler. The potato soup and soda bread recipes are from her cookbook. Here are some recipes you could use for St. Patrick's Day:

St. Patrick's Potato Soup:

32 oz. frozen hash browns (thawed or partially thawed)

4 Tbls butter

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 c onion, chopped

1 can ready to serve chicken broth

2 c water

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 c milk

salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot, saute celery, onions, salt and pepper in 4 Tbls of butter till tender crisp. Add potatoes, broth, and water to the celery mixture, stirring over high heat. When mixture comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in soups, milk, salt and pepper and heat till hot, stirring occasionally. You may serve with cheddar cheese, bacon and parsley. You can double the chicken broth, water, soups and milk if you are serving a large crowd without adding more potatoes and still have a rich soup.

St. Patrick taught about the Trinity, make Trinity dinner rolls:

Using frozen bread dough rolls (or your own bread recipe should you be more talented than I am), divide each roll into 3 parts, rolling each part into a ball. Cover & let rise till double. Spray muffin cups. Roll each ball in flour & place 3 balls in each muffin cup. Squeeze melted butter between balls. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Irish Soda Bread

3 c flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cream of tarter

1/3 c butter

1 1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 box raisins (optional)

Mix dry ingredients; cut in butter. Add raisins, if desired, and buttermilk, stir till moist. The dough will be sticky. Flour your hands and shape dough into a ball. Knead for 15 seconds on a lightly floured board. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten to about 10 inches in diameter. Using a serrated knife, cut a deep cross in the top of the loaf as you say "God bless this family in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen." Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Glaze: Combine 1/4 c powdered sugar and 2-3 Tbls milk. Stir until thick syrupy. Brush on warm bread. This is wonderful!

Jello-O Parfait

1 small pkg lime Jello

1 c sour cream

8 oz. Cool Whip

1 tsp vanilla

1 can fruit cocktail or pineapple tidbits, drained well

Mix the Jello with the sour cream. Add vanilla and mix well. Fold in Cool Whip. Layer fruit and Jello mixture in parfait glasses. Chill. Serve cold.

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

1 3/4 c flour

small box instant pistachio pudding mix

3/4 c mini chocolate chips

2/3 c sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 beaten eggs

1 1/4 c milk

1/2 c oil

1 tsp vanilla or 1/4 tsp almond extract

1 cup cream cheese frosting (1/2 of can of frosting if you're lazy...I mean busy...like me) tinted green if desired

green colored sugar, other decorations as desired

Grease muffin cups. In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, pudding mix, chocolate chips, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add beaten eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, stirring just till combined. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or till golden brown. Cool. Frost & decorate. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Be sure to have your children make shamrocks, paint rainbows, and talk about the Trinity!

Lenten Recipes - Tuna & Crab Hotdish

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:37:57 GMT

This was my Grandma's recipe. When we visited Denver at Easter, we would always have this casserole on Good Friday. I often continue that tradition now. I love you & miss you Grandma!

(This recipe must be prepared the night before.)

8 slices bread, cubed

1 can crab meat, drained

1 cup celery, diced (optional)

1 green pepper, diced (optional)

4 eggs

3 cups milk

2 cans tuna, drained

1/2 cup mayo or Miracle Whip

1 onion, diced (optional)

spices of your choice

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

grated cheddar cheese

Butter 9x13 pan, put 1/2 of bread on bottom. Saute onion, celery, and pepper in butter (casserole is definately better this way, but I often don't have those things on hand, so I just add other spices to the mayo and it still tastes yummy). Combine sauted items with mayo; add tuna and crab; spread over bread. Put rest of bread on top. Beat eggs and milk, pour on top. Cover and put in refrigerator overnight. Bake 15 minutes at 325. Combine 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup milk; pour on top of casserole. Top with grated cheddar cheese. Bake for 1 hour.

Lenten Recipe - Fish Parmesan

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:23:02 GMT

This recipe is from my good friend Michelle's mom. Very yummy...no sacrifice eating fish this way

3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs or crushed Croutons

3 Tbls parmesan cheese

2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp EACH pepper, oregano, basil

6 pollack fillets

1/2 cup melted butter

In shallow bowl, combine crumbs, cheese, parsley, and seasonings. Dip fish in butter, then in crumb mixture. Arrange in 9x13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Lenten Recipes - Salmon Patties

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:58:23 GMT

Stir together:

1 can salmon with juice

onion, as desired

2 eggs

Add 18 crushed saltine crackers. Fry in butter in frying pan set at 250 degrees. Flip patties over when lightly browned.l Add more butter for each batch. Makes 12 small patties. Make the patties smaller as will break apart if they are too big.

Ribbon Salad

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:24:36 GMT

3 oz. box lime jello

1 small can crushed pineapple, with juice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3 oz. box lemon jello

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

3/4 cup whipped cream or Cool Whip

3 oz. box raspberry jello

Disolve lime jello in 1 cup boiling water. Add crushed pineapple with juice and nuts if desired. Pour into 8x8 pan and chill till set. Dissolve lemon jello in 1 cup boiling water, then add 3/4 cup cold water. When mixture has cooled, add cream cheese (softened) and whipped cream. Combine. Pour this mixture on top of the lime layer. Return to frig and chill till set. Dissolve raspberry jello in 1 cup boiling water, then add 3/4 cup cold water. Pour over top of first 2 layers. Return to frig and chill till set. Very pretty for CHRISTmas or for when studying Mexico or celebrating feasts like Our Lady of Guadalupe (it is the colors of the Mexican flag). I haven't tried other combinations yet, but you could use whatever flavors of jello you wanted.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:25:49 GMT

I was looking back at my recipe posts & noticed that I mostly have desserts posted...well we all know that's what I like to eat...and bake! But I thought maybe this delicious casserole from my friend Marnie would be welcome on a cold night!

4 chicken breasts, don't drain off water after cooking (I note this here because...well...I forget!!!)

12 oz. frozen egg noodles, cook in chicken water after chicken is cooked & removed

1 can cream of chicken soup

onion, chopped (optional)

2 cups Ritz crackers, crumbled (about 1 1/2 sleeves)

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

10 oz. bag of frozen veggies, we like peas

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup butter, softened

Boil chicken in large pot of water with whatever seasonings you prefer for about 20 minutes, till cooked. Remove chicken from water and add noodles to the boiling chicken stock, until done, about 25-30 minutes. Drain pasta. Heat oven to 400. Cut chicken into small pieces and mix with noodles. In separate bowl, mix together soups, sour cream, veggies, salt and pepper. Combine with chicken and noodles and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Mix crackers and butter and sprinkle on top of casserole. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for 5 more minutes.

Toffee

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 22:40:20 GMT

This is a delicious recipe from my friend Toni...thank you

3/4 to 1 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup butter

2-3 Hershey bars

Butter 9x9 square pan. Spread pecans in bottom. Heat brown sugar and butter to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Immediately spread over pecans. Place chocolate bars on top. Cover pan with a cookie sheet. Let stand 1 minute till soft. Spread chocolate. Cut into squares while hot. Refrigerate till firm.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:59:09 GMT

If you are a chocolate lover like me you will LOVE these cookies! I made these today too & can't leave them alone...there may not be any left to put in the goodie bags we are delivering tomorrowand I might gain weight this CHRISTmas afterall! These are yummy! And you don't need a mixer!

2 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

powdered sugar

Mix sugar, oil, chocolate, and vanilla in bowl. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours - this is very important for the cookies to turn out. Preheat oven to 350. Take only enough dough out of frig that you will need for a cookie sheet so the dough stays cool and stiff while you work with it. Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls (I use my small cookie scoop from Pampered Chef). Roll in powdered sugar. Place 2" apart (do NOT flatten out) on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or ungreased). Bake 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

Cinnamon Wreaths

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:51:45 GMT

I found a new recipe for cookies to try this year for CHRISTmas and we really like them. I am not really fond of sugar cookies, so these are a nice alternative if you like cutting out cookies.

3/4 c butter, softened

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 c flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

M&M's - regular or mini (red/green)

In a bowl beat butter with electric mixer 30 seconds. Beat in 1/2 c granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ginger, and 1/8 tsp salt until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla till combined. Beat in flour. Cover and chill about 1 hour or till easy to handle. Preheat oven to 350. Combine the 2 Tbsp granulated sugar and remaining 1 tsp cinnamon. On lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to 1/4" thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutters...candy canes, bells, stockings, trees and wreaths (if can't find wreath use 3" round to cut out wreath and 1" round to cut out middle) are easy to decorate with the M&Ms and look really nice when finished. Place cutouts on ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Press candy pieces into dough to decorate however you would like. Bake 10-12 minutes or till edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks or table covered with parchment paper or waxed paper to cool completely. May decorate with frosting as well, though they are good with just the M&Ms and pretty too...easier that way

Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:24:42 GMT

You all know about multi-tasking, right? Well, usually I'm fairly good at it...but this evening it didn't work too well! I was making cookies to bring to a craft fair Friday night and was doubling the recipe...I even have the amounts for doubling written on the recipe. Well I was checking email & going back & forth between the computer and the cookies and when I went to put the peanut butter in, I read the wrong line for the amount, looked at the jar & thought, "Great! I can put the whole jar in & I don't have to get my measuring cup all sticky!" Yes, well...when I looked back at the recipe AFTER adding the peanut butter, I realized I had looked at the wrong line and added twice as much peanut butter as I needed...so I am making a HUGE batch of cookies. It is a good thing they are DELICIOUS and freeze well! As you know, I love to read & this recipe came out of one of my Christian novels by Wanda Brunstetter who writes many great books about the Amish. If I could be Catholic & Amish I think I would . They live a simple life, free from many of the distractions that drive us away from the Lord...of course I wouldn't be able to blog or email then...so there are drawbacks...guess its a good thing I can't be both! Anyway, here is a great cookie recipe! Just watch the amounts when doubling...and yes I made a batch of 16 dozen!!!

3/4 cup margarine or butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz. chocolate bar, chopped (don't just use chocolate chips...they are really yummy with chopped up Hershey bars!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat margarine, sugars, and peanut butter till light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate pieces. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto ungreased or parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or till lightly browned. Don't overbake! Let stand a few minutes before removing from cookies sheet. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Smoothie Recipe

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:08:50 GMT

One of my friends fasts on liquids...I am not good at fasting, but am trying! According to the Bible some demons are only cast out by fasting, and we know there are a LOT of demons to be cast out of our world today! Of course, there are many ways to fast...and its not supposed to be easy, but I also believe that it shouldn't make you grouchy or impatient with your family...there in lies my problem! As I said, I'm trying...this too is a journey. Other ways to fast, aside from on bread/water or from food could be: fasting from the computer for a day, fasting between meals, fasting from candy...and yes, Marnie, for me, fasting from my Christian novels Anyway...I am trying to fast on liquids today and found this very yummy Blueberry/Banana Smoothie recipe to have for breakfast:

1 large banana

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp powdered lemonade drink mix

honey to taste (I just squirted some in, probably about 1 Tablespoon)

Mix in blender till smooth & enjoy! Makes about 16-18 oz. so actually was almost too much for 1 person.

Denver Chocolate Pudding Cake

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:42:14 GMT

Its time for another recipe! School is done for the day & the girls are playing outside. It is a beautiful fall day...sure hope these last a long time! I am NOT ready for winter! Many blessings on your day!

This is a great recipe to make if you forgot about dessert or have unexpected company. It can be easily doubled for a 9x13 pan.

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

3 Tbls butter or margarine, melted

3 Tbls cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 cups cold water or cold coffee

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray 9" square pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together: flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and baking powder. In a small bowl, combine butter and 3 Tbls cocoa. Add to dry ingredients. Beat in milk and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup cocoa over the top of the batter, ONE AT A TIME, but do NOT mix. Pour water (or coffee) over the top, do NOT mix. Bake 40 minutes. To serve, cut cake into 9 equal pieces. Invert each piece into a bowl and top with whipped topping or ice cream. Serve warm.

Cherry Topped Brownie Squares

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 20:57:15 GMT

Brownie Layer:

1 pkg fudge brownie mix (9x13 pan size)

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

Filling:

2-8 oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened

1-16oz can creamy vanilla frosting

1 tsp almond extract

Topping:

1 or 2 cans cherry pie filling, chilled

Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, combine brownie ingredients till combined. Sperad in pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes, do not overbake. Cool 30 minutes. In large bowl, combine filling ingredients, beat well. Spread over cooled brownies. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or till set. Spoon pie filling over top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate. This is one of our favorite recipes!