Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Here is yet another recipe from when I was little. It's easy, quick, and very tasty.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

1 lb. sausage

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 small onion, chopped

1 (8 oz.) package egg noodles, cooked

1 c. sour cream

1-2 c. grated cheese

In a large skillet, brown sausage and add onions. Cook until onions are tender.

Add tomato sauce and remove from heat.

Combine cooked noodles and sour cream.

In a greased 2 quart casserole dish, layer 1/2 noodle mixture, then 1/2 meat mixture. Repeat.

Top with grated cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

That's it! Pretty simple and it makes great leftovers.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Cookies

I am a hard-core chocoholic! You'll find me a with Lindt 90% cocoa chocolate bar over a milk chocolate bar any day. That being said, these cookies aren't quite THAT intense, but boy are they good! They are another variation of My Favorite Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

Double Chocolate Cookies

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/4 c. white sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs

1 (3.4 oz.) box instant chocolate pudding

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. cocoa

1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips (or 2 cups)

Cream together butter and sugars. Add vanilla, eggs, and pudding. Mix well. Stir in baking soda, flour, and cocoa. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 F for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Ranch

When it comes to salad dressing, I am a ranch girl. But I don't particularly like bottled ranch (like Kraft.) Usually I buy the Hidden Valley Buttermilk packets. This week, however, I decided to just make my own. It's adapted from a cookbook I got for Christmas from my mother-in-law!

Buttermilk Ranch

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. dried parsley

pinch dried dill

pinch dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight.

It was delicious with our HUGE salads that we had for dinner. Enjoy!

Lemon Pound Cake

My cute cousin, Shayla, called me the other day asking about a lemon pound cake recipe. But the truth is, I had never made one from scratch. I would normally just use a lemon cake mix and add stuff to it. But since it was in my brain, I started searching for a good, homemade lemon pound cake. I actually used three different recipes and adapted them to make this one.

Lemon Pound Cake

juice and zest from 1 lemon

3 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

pinch salt

2 c. (1 lb.) butter, room temperature

2 c. sugar, plus more for pan

6 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1-2 t. lemon extract

1 (6 oz.) container lemon yogurt

Icing:

3 c. powdered sugar

juice from 1 lemon

1 t. vanilla

1/4 c. heavy cream

For the cake, begin by zesting the lemon. Then juice it. Set both aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer (I used my KitchenAid) combine butter and sugar. Mix at a medium speed for 6 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each egg (about 1 minute per egg.)

Add lemon juice and zest, vanilla, and lemon extract. Mix well.

While mixing, alternate adding half the yogurt, then half the flour mixture and repeat. Mix just until combined. Prepare bundt pan by spraying with cooking spray and coating with sugar.

Carefully drop spoonfuls of batter in pan, so as to not disrupt the sugary sides.

Bake at 325 F for 60-75 minutes. Check often after 60 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan (about 20 minutes) before removing cake. Then invert cake onto a plate and cool completely. For icing, combine all ingredients until smooth and pour over cooled cake.

This cake is very buttery and rich. When I made it, I only used 1/2 t. lemon extract and it was only slightly lemony. You can adjust the extract depending on how much lemon flavor you want. Enjoy!

Easy Pizza Bread

This is such an easy recipe for dinner or an appetizer. I threw it together last night after a busy day.

Easy Pizza Bread

1 loaf french bread

grated mozzarella cheese

italian seasoning

garlic powder

sliced pepperoni or salami

Split french bread lengthwise and sprinkle with cheese, seasoning, and garlic powder. Top with pepperoni or salami.

Cook on a cookie sheet under a low broiler until cheese is melty.

Cut in strips and serve.

Enjoy!

No Bake Cashew Flax Bars

These are a fun change from regular old rice crispy treats. Plus they actually have some nutrition! Win win.

No Bake Cashew Flax Bars

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter

4 c. mini marshmallows

1 c. oats

1 c. chex cereal (I used corn)

1 c. roasted salted cashew pieces

1/2 c. ground flaxseed

1 t. cinnamon

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in oats, chex, nuts, flaxseed, and cinnamon. Mix well and press into a greased 8x8" pan. Cool completely before cutting.

Yummy, chewy goodness! This recipe is fun because you could use any cereal or nuts to make it unique. Enjoy!

Caramel Corn Puffs

I usually use this recipe to make regular caramel corn but I happened to have these little corn puffs on hand so I used them instead. They both work really well.

Caramel Corn Puffs

1 (15 oz.) bag butter flavored corn puffs

2 c. packed brown sugar

2 sticks butter

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1 t. baking soda

Pour corn puffs into a paper grocery bag. (You can use a bowl if you have one big enough, but I don't!)

In a heavy saucepan mix brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and vigorously stir in baking soda. It will foam up like this:

Pour caramel mixture over corn puffs and mix until evenly coated.

Spread into 2 cookie sheets. Bake at 200 F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Immediately dump corn puffs onto aluminum foil to cool completely, then transfer to a bowl.

This makes a TON so it's great for large groups or family events. Enjoy!