Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

This recipe is something I have heard my friend Mary talk about a few times. We tried it a couple of weeks ago and it turned out really tasty.

Ingredients:
Pork Chops (thawed)
Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing (I prefer the Kroger Brand)

Put pork chops in a gallon size zip lock bag. Cover chops with entire bottle of dressing. At Kroger, I have seen this dressing cost as low as 88 cents per bottle. You can also use Greek Dressing or Italian Dressing, instead. Feel free to add garlic powder, onion powder, or other spices. Let the chops set in the dressing in the fridge all day or over night then grill them. They should turn out flavorful and juicy. You could use this same concept with chicken.

Reese Cup Dessert

Mom clipped this recipe out of an issue "Country Living," the classified ad one, back when I was in college. This was a BIG hit with the girls at college! Really, how can you go wrong with a chocolate & peanut butter dessert?

Reese Cup Dessert
Bottom Layer:
Melt 1 c. margarine.

Add 1 c. sugar, 1 egg, 1 t. vanilla. Cream together.

Add 1-1/4 c. flour, 1/2 c. cocoa, 3/4 t. soda, 1/4 t. salt.

Mix and press into a greased 13x9 pan.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes only. Cool.

Middle Layer:
Mix 8 oz. package of cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 3/4 c. peanut butter, 8 oz. Cool Whip. Mix well and spread over bottom layer.

Top Layer:
Spread 8 oz. Cool Whip over middle layer. Optional, sprinkle 10 Reese Cups cut up on top or shaved chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

The bottom layer is between a chocolate cookie and a brownie. The middle layer is basically peanut butter pie filling. I prefer omitting the Reese Cups on top. I think they taste a little off after sitting cut open on the Cool Whip. But, the new Reese Cup minis may be the answer to that.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

I found this on allrecipes.com and there are a lot of different variations to this type of salad. It is definitely one of my favorites and great to bring for a carry-in, especially since strawberries are coming in season. Enjoy :)

2 bunches spinach torn into bite sized pieces
4 cups diced strawberries
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds


Toss together spinach and strawberries in large bowl. Wisk together the rest of the ingredients in a smaller bowl and pour over the spinach and strawberries. Toss and serve!

*You can also add grilled chicken too!

Peanut Butter Fritos

One last quick recipe for the night! This is another easy one with few ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup corn syrup, like Karo Syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 large bag Fritos scoops

PREPARATION:
Spread fritos out on a big jelly roll pan turning them so most of the scoop sides are up.

In a sauce pan combine corn syrup and sugar and stir gently.

Cook only until little bubbles begin to form. Do not cook too long or it will get too hard when it cools.

Remove from heat and mix in peanut butter until it melts. Pour over chips on pan. Good to eat immediately. Sometimes we melt chocolate chips and drizzle over the top.

If you want it to look even more special, you can melt white chocolate and regular chocolate chips and drizzle both on top. I couldn't find a good picture for this one, so I will try to take a picture next time we make this. It tastes better than it sounds.

Crescent Cream Puffs

This was another Grandma Duncan recipe. Another family favorite. It doesn't look like what I would call a "cream puff," but that is what the dessert was first called when I got the recipe.


In a greased 13x 9 glass pan, place a layer of crescent rolls (an entire container - either regular or the seamless kind).
Cream together:
2 packages cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 t vanilla

Layer on top of the first crescent rolls.
Add a second layer of crescent rolls to the top of the dish.
Melt 1/2 cup margarine, pour on top of crescents.
Mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon to taste. Sprinkle over crescents and butter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool. (I like them cold, so I usually make the night before and refrigerate.) Cut into squares and serve.

Cake Mix Cookies

My favorite recipes are desserts, appetizers, and anything easy! I do cook real meals, but I don't usually use recipes unless it is for a special occasion. The cake mix cookie is one of my favorites because it is so quick and easy with only three ingredients, but people still seem to think they count as homemade. Grandma Duncan shared the recipe with me many years ago, and like Grandma, I now keep all the ingredients in my cupboard just incase I need to pull together a quick snack or dessert.

Mix:

1 box cake mix (any variety)

2 eggs

1/2 cup solid shortening

Roll into balls the size of buckeyes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

This recipe can be varied. I usually use yellow cake mix, and roll them in cinnamon and sugar to mimic snicker doodles. I have also used funfetti and frosting, or strawberry rolled in plain sugar. Grandma also made lemon, and Gracie and I have made chocolate cake mix with snicker bars crushed up in the mix. The picture above was our newest experiment. It is a yellow cake mix with crushed up heath bars and peanut butter chips.

Jell-O Punch

Well I haven't posted anything on the RHMC blog since I first joined, but I have been taking advantage of many of your recipes - they are all delicious! I am going to try to make up for my lack of posts tonight.

My first addition for tonight is the Jell-O Punch that Amanda requested. This punch is great to make ahead, and then you have almost no work the day of your event. Our family got the recipe from one of my mom's school teacher friends, and we have used it for showers, holidays, retirement parties and weddings ever since. I think we even made it for an Ag Ed Society event in college. The best part about the punch is that you can make it any color without changing the flavor very much.



Mix together:


8 cups boiling water
4 cups sugar
2 (3 oz) packages Jell-O (any flavor, changes the color)
2 cans pineapple juice
1 (12 oz) can concentrated lemonade


Pour into 2 (1 gallon) Ziploc freezer bags (I usually double the bags). Freeze.

To serve, thaw a couple hours ahead of time. Pour one bag into punch bowl. Add a 2-liter bottle of 7-up, sprite, or Sierra Mist to bowl and mix. Will be a slushy mixture - no need to add ice or ice cream to make the punch cold. You will need 1 2-liter bottle of pop per bag of punch.