Aunt Kathy's No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

Put everything in a pot. Cook until boiling, remove from heat, and add:

1/2 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cups oats
1 cup coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir together. Form into mounds on wax paper and let cool.

My Aunt Kathy made the best no bake chocolate cookies when I was a kid. Every time I make them, I remember sitting at her kitchen table, eating cookies, and feeling loved.

Lemon Consomme

4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast (cut in strips for faster cook time)
1 can beef consommé
1-2 lemons
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon pepper
butter
egg noodles
parmesan cheese

Mix flour and lemon pepper. Dip chicken in egg. Dip in flour mixture. Dip in egg again, and flour again. Fry in butter until brown. Mix soup with juice of 1-2 lemons. Beat in 1 tablespoon of flour into soup/lemon mixture. Pour mixture into frying pan. Watch and stir until it thickens. Turn down to low-med heat and cook covered until chicken is cooked through. Serve over egg noodles tossed with butter and parmesan.

Recipe from Laura. This was a huge hit with our family.

Cowboy Potatoes

Butter
Onion
Potatoes
Salt, pepper, garlic

Using a heavy pot, melt a stick of butter in the pot. Chop up an onion and saute it in the butter while you are prepping the potatoes. Peel and slice your potatoes fairly thin. Add them to the onions, season with a good amount of salt, pepper, and optional garlic powder.

Turn to coat all potatoes with the butter and onion mixture. Cover with lid and cook on med/low until tender. You can turn the potatoes a couple of times during cooking if you think the bottom is getting too brown. Allow a good 45 minutes for the potatoes to cook.

This is a recipe my Grandma Farrell always made for big family dinners. I remember it most from the cabin in Prescott. I think I will always remember the pot she cooked them in.

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
3 cups chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until soft. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through, then stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Grandpa's Fudge

3 cups sugar
3 T. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook sugar, cocoa, salt, and milk to soft ball stage. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Pour into pan and let cool.

My Grandpa Farrell made this special treat while we were growing up, and all of my kids love it.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter or butter flavored Crisco
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together the above ingredients, then add:

1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Shape into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar and place on greased cookie sheet (or silpat lined). Criss cross with a fork to flatten. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Recipe from Mom.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 ripe bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bottom only of a loaf pan (or use 3 small loaf pans). In a large bowl, beat together sugar and oil. Add eggs, bananas, sour cream and vanilla; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, baking soda and salt; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes (about 40 minutes for smaller loaf pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. Makes 1 loaf.

Recipe from Mels Kitchen Cafe.