Spicy Fruit Cocktail Cookies

December means that it is time to make cookies. Mom's recipe box has many cookie recipes. While I do not remember this cookie from childhood, I definitely remember having fruit cocktail often. All the fruits in fruit cocktail--pears, pineapple, grapes, peaches, and cherries--are delicious. The best fruit is always the cherry.

The spices in the name of these cookies are cinnamon and cloves, giving the cookies a very wintry flavor. I made these for Thanksgiving, but the cookies lost attention to the various pies and whipped creams. Nevertheless, these cookies are a tasty treat that are worth giving a try.

Spicy Fruit Cocktail Cookies 

•  3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring
• 1 cup fruit cocktail, thoroughly drained
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 tsp. grated orange rind

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together. Cream sugar and butter until light. Add eggs and flavoring; mix well. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Blend in fruit cocktail, nuts, coconut, and orange rind. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until done. Enjoy!

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

For Thanksgiving 2024, Laura made Fresh Green Bean Casserole. It was amazing. Don't get me wrong; I still like green bean casserole made with canned green beans. But the fresh version is so much better. The green beans are slightly crunchy and much more flavorful. So in 2025, I asked Laura to make Fresh Green Bean Casserole again.

This post is based on Laura's 2025 Thanksgiving casserole. The only difference is that blanched green beans replace the can of green beans. To blanch green beans, clean and cut the beans, then drop them into salted boiling water for about 2 to 4 minutes removing them to a bowl of ice water.

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

• 1 pound green beans, blanched
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• dash of salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups french fried onions

Heat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix together soup, milk, salt, pepper, green beans, and 1 cup french fried onions. Pour into a 1.5 quart casserole baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the mixture. Then, top with the remaining french fried onions. Bake 5 more minutes. Enjoy!

Apple Harvest Cake

Many of Mom's recipes feature treats that are not often available in grocery stores or bakeries. This apple cake is a prime example. The cake uses fresh apples, nuts, and cinnamon for a fantastic cake perfect for Fall. While you might be able to find apple products, such as apple cider donuts, this apple cake is so much better.

The ingredients in this cake are pantry staples, except I did not have any whole wheat flour on hand, so I just used all-purpose flour. The cake turned out just fine. Any type of apple or nuts could be used for this cake. I used walnuts for this version. The glaze frosting is standard. Next time, I might add some cinnamon to the glaze to compliment the cake's flavors.

Apple Harvest Cake 

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 2-3 tsp. milk

Mix together the flours, sugars, cinnamon, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, blend together the salt, baking soda, oil, vanilla, and eggs for three minutes. Add the flour mix and blend. Stir in the chopped apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 325 for 50 to 65 minutes. Allow to cool. Make the glaze by blending the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Spoon over cake. Enjoy!

Pecan Bars

I look forward to pecan pie as part of Thanksgiving, so I thought I would try this recipe from Mom's recipe box as a preview for Thanksgiving. These bars are something of a shortcut pecan pie. When I made this recipe, I did not do a good enough job sealing the perforations in the crust so the filling slipped though and ended up on the bottom instead of the top of the bars. The bars were still delicious but an absolute mess to get out to the pan and eat.

These bars use canned crescent roll for the crust, which is a nice shortcut. Next time, I will have to take more time and care to seal up the seams and perforations to prevent the filling from seeping under the crust. When I made this batch, I used closer to one cup of pecans for a nuttier bar.

Pecan Bars 

• 8 ounce can crescent rolls
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 13x9 pan. Separate crescent dough into two large rectangles. Press rectangles over bottom of pan and 1/2 inch up the sides of prepared pan to form crust; seal perforations. Bake crust for  minutes. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over partially baked crust. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool; cut into bars. Enjoy!

Easy Cheesy Fudge Brownies

Mom has many brownie recipes in her recipe box. Brownies were in the regular rotation of sweets when we were kids. I am sure Mom tried out different brownie recipes, but knowing my family, likely went back to basic brownies often. What I liked about this recipe was the addition of cinnamon for a nice flavor. These brownies are only somewhat fudgy but are delicious nonetheless.

This recipe is easy to make. The brownie batter is made and then the cream cheese mix is swirled into the batter. After baking, I found the cream cheese mix might have blended in too much, so next time I might do a little less swirling. I did not add nuts to these brownies.

Easy Cheesy Fudge Brownies

• 1 cup butter
• 4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Cream cheese filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare cream cheese filling by blending ingredients until smooth. Prepare the brownie batter by heating the butter and chocolate on low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Cool. Beat the chocolate mix, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed, scraping occasionally about one minute. Beat in flour and salt on low speed, scraping occasionally. Beat on medium about one minute. Stir in nuts. Spread half of batter in a greased 9x9 pan. Spread with cream cheese filling. Gently spread remaining chocolate batter over filling. Swirl the batter with a spoon for a marble effect. Bake at 350 for 55 to 65 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Apple Pudding

This recipe is a terrific recipe for the Fall because of the apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Although it is called a pudding, it really is a cake. It is especially delicious when topped with a bit of whipped cream. I finely chopped the apples. A courser chopped apple would also be good for this recipe. 

When I make desserts, I sometimes do not include nuts, but this time I included the nuts. The walnuts added a nice crunch to this cake. I used a 9x9 pan, which resulted in thin cake. Other pans could easily be used for different sized cakes. Next time, I might make this using a muffin pan. 

Apple Pudding 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 apples, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, optional

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat thoroughly. Sift flour with soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add flour to creamed mixture. Beat until blended. Stir in apples and walnuts. Turn into buttered 9x9 pan or 11x7 pan. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Campbelled Eggs

This recipe came from the Campbell Soup Company. It is a variation on scrambled eggs that is flavorful and rich. The recipe is very easy and would make a good meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The basic recipe is easy and can be dressed up with different vegetables, meats, or cheese. The key to this recipe is mixing a cream soup with the eggs for great flavor.

The recipe is pretty basic using bacon, bell pepper, onion, cream soup, and eggs. I decided to try this recipe because I had a can of cream of celery soup that I wanted to use. The recipe calls for cream of chicken soup but any cream soup can be used. Also, you could leave out the bacon or swap in another meat such as ham or turkey.

Campbelled Eggs 

• 4 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 can cream soup
• 8 eggs
• dash pepper

Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove and crumble. Meanwhile, cook the green pepper and onion until tender. Add bacon back in. In a bowl, stir soup until smooth. Add eggs and blend well. Pour eggs into skillet. Cook over low heat. As mixture sets, lift edges to allow uncook portion to bottom. Continue until eggs are completely set. Enjoy!

Banana-Peanut Bars

I am often careful to avoid recipes with peanuts for family events. But when those with peanut allergies are away at college, I thought I would give this recipe a try for Andrew's second birthday. These bars were a hit, which is not surprising because peanut butter is popular in my family. A good time was had by all and the Banana-Peanut bars disappeared.

These bars taste like banana bread with a strong peanut flavor. The recipe calls for crunchy peanut butter, but I only had creamy peanut butter on hand, so that is what I used. And, for the streusel topping, I used more peanut butter instead of peanuts. I also think that these bars would be good with chocolate chips added to the batter.

Banana-Peanut Bars 

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup mashed banana

Streusel topping

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Beat egg; blend in milk, vanilla, and oil. Add brown sugar, peanut butter, and mashed banana. Mix thoroughly. Add in flour mixture; beat until smooth. Spread in greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with streusel topping. Continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool. Cut into bars.

Make the Streusel topping by combining flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until small lumps form. Add in chopped peanuts and stir.

Hamburger-Rice One Pan Meal

This recipe is so easy and delicious. Using just one pan, everything gets thrown in together and simmers for a bit to finish on its own. The preparation and clean up could not be easier. The recipe includes a step of topping the dish with cheese and broiling the pan to melt the cheese, but I skipped that step due to a non-cheese eater. But I did add a bit are grated parmesan cheese on my plate for a nice flavor.

When I made this recipe, I used homemade tomato sauce that I had made with my garden tomatoes. My homemade tomato sauce is the chunky variety because I use the entire tomato including the skin and seeds. I used red onion because that is what I had on hand but other varieties of onion could be used. I used one pound of ground beef rather than the one-half pound called for in the recipe to make this simple recipe more hearty.

Hamburger-Rice One Pan Meal 

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• dash pepper
• 2 oz. cheese, optional

Brown the beef, rice, and onion. If there is excess fat, drain off. Add water, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Optional: top with cheese and broil until cheese melts and browns slightly. Enjoy!

Blueberry Pie Bar

This recipe is not a family recipe but reminded me of the Apple Slices recipe. It is a version of pie but in bar form. I happened to have a can a blueberry pie filling, so I gave this recipe a try. One warning is that the bars should be refrigerated and served cold, otherwise, the bars get gooey and fall apart. These bars are delicious and a worthwhile addition to the dessert rotation, especially if you like fruit pies.

When making these bars, you could easily use any type of fruit filing instead of blueberry. Or, you could also use homemade pie filling instead of canned. I also think the recipe could work using preserves. The crust is similar to a shortbread cookie and compliment the fruit well.

Blueberry Pie Bars 

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 21 ounces blueberry pis filling
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1-2 Tbsp. milk

Preheat over to 350. Spray a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter one tablespoon at a time and press to form crumbs. Add the egg. Press 2/3 of the dough into the pan. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Dollop pie filling and spread evenly. Crumble the remaining dough over the pie filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle glaze over bars. Refrigerate for an hour. Cut and serve. Enjoy!

Lentil Salad

I recently made this recipe for a get together for various college friends. I was looking for a vegetarian recipe that would be hearty. This recipe was an excellent addition to the menu. While the ingredient list on this recipe is somewhat long, it creates great flavors. If there is an ingredient that you do not like, you could easily leave it out or substitute in something else. 

I have recently started using lentils more often. I tend to rely on canned lentils for the convenience. I may need to try using dried lentils to allow more customization. Lentils are versatile and nutritious.

Lentil Salad 

• 2 cans lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 Bell peppers, diced
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup mint or parsley
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine lentils, red onion, bell pepper, carrots, mint or parsley, and apricot. Make the dressing by blending the lemon juice, dijon mustard, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, and black pepper. Add the dressing to the salad ingredients. Refrigerate. Prior to serving, mix in pistachios. Enjoy!

Lemon Pizzelle

Pizzelles are a family classic. The standard flavor is vanilla or anise, but I like to try out other flavors. Anise Pizzelles are delicious, but not universally liked, so I do not make them too often. I made these Lemon Pizzelles for Mom's Birthday. These Lemon Pizzelles were a hit and may make it into the regular rotation of pizzelles.

The nice lemon flavor was subtle but clear. I used lemon extract. Adding in lemon zest would also enhance the lemon flavor. The basic pizzelle recipe is the same for all pizzelles. The recipe makes about 40 pizzelles on my pizzelle baker, so this recipe is great for a party.

Lemon Pizzelle 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp. lemon extract
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the cooled butter and lemon extract. Sift flour and baking powder together; add to the egg mixture. Drop by spoonful onto the heated pizzelle baker. Close to allow the pizzelle to bake, about 1-2 minutes. Remove pizzelles with tongs to a flat surface. Allow to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Asian Cucumber Salad

This summer, my cucumber plants have been extremely productive. So we have been eating cucumbers every day and trying to come up with new ways to use cucumbers. I usually enjoy this Tomato and Cucumber Salad, but my tomatoes have not been very productive yet this year.

I found several recipes for Asian Cucumber Salad that I have adapted here. This salad is great on its own or served on a bed of spinach. The flavors are a tasty blend that compliment each other. You can easily adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit your preferences. If you do not have maple syrup on hand, honey would work well. 

Cucumber Salad 

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup diced chives or green onion
• 1 tsp. ginger paste 
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Score the cucumber with a fork. Thinly slice the cucumber. Spread cucumber in a colander and toss with salt. Allow the cucumbers to sit for 30 minutes for excess water to drain out. Mix together remaining ingredients. Toss sauce with cucumbers. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Enjoy!

Gooey Butter Cookies

This recipe is inspired by Gooey Butter Cake. In July 2024, the Buckleys took a family trip to Lake of the Ozarks. Gooey Butter Cake is a Missouri specialty, and we had some delicious cakes while in Osage Beach, Missouri. This year, for the Fourth of July, I made these Gooey Butter Cookies, which taste just like the cake but in a portable cookie form, as a treat to enjoy while watching the parade. Pictured here is Mom with her grandkids Mike, Tim, Ava, and Lorelei, along with Great-grandson Andrew.

This recipe is a much simplified version of the cake recipe, but tastes just like the cake. This recipe is easy to make but the dough does need to be refrigerated for a few hours. If the entire batch of cookies do not get immediately eaten, these cookies freeze well. 

Gooey Butter Cookies 

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• powdered sugar

Combine the cake mix, butter, vanilla, cream cheese, and egg until well blended. Chill dough for at least two hours. Roll dough into one-inch sized balls. Roll dough balls in powdered sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350. Allow to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

BBQ Shredded Chicken

This slow cooker recipe is one that I frequently make because it is so easy and very popular in my house. The recipe can be adjusted to fit the size of your slow cooker. The recipe can feed a crowd or can make delicious leftovers. I recommend adding this recipe to your regular rotation.

When I make this recipe, I use boneless, skinless chicken breast. Other chicken could be used, but boneless chicken is much easier. You could make your own BBQ sauce, but I always prefer to use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. When I make the recipe, I will only add about a cup of sauce at the start, but then add more toward the end of the cooking time if needed.

BBQ Shredded Chicken

• 2-3 onions
• 4-6 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1-2 cups BBQ sauce

Chop the onions and place the pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker pot. Cut off excess fat from the chicken; add the chicken on top of the onions. Add about a cup of BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on low for about six hours on low or for about three hours on high. Occasionally stir the contents and add more BBQ sauce as needed. When chicken is cooked through, use forks to shred the chicken. Add more BBQ sauce, if necessary. Enjoy!

Fruity Cookie Recipe

These cookies can be made using any flavor jello that you can find. I used strawberry to test this recipe, and the cookies were delicious. This recipe uses a cookie press, which is a nice reminder that the cookie press does not need to be saved for Christmas cookies. I made these cookies for the block party because the recipe makes a lot of bite-sized cookies that are easy to share. The cookies quickly disappeared.

When I made this recipe, I had two boxes of gelatin. But you could use just one box and reserve a spoonful for the sprinkling or skip the sprinkling step. Also, I found the temperature in the recipe to be too high and the time too long, so I updated the recipe below.

Fruity Cookie Recipe 

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 package (3 oz.) gelatin, any flavor
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Additional gelatin for sprinkling

Sift the flour with baking powder. Set aside. Cream the butter. Gradually add sugar and gelatin. Cream well after each addition. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition until smooth. Force dough through cookie press onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with extra gelatin or decorate as desired. Bake at 375 for 11 minutes, or until golden brown at edges. Enjoy!

Skillet Barbecued Chicken

I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, but I am not sure that she made it when we were kids because it uses chicken with bones, a possible choking hazard. Mom is more likely to have chicken tenders for kids than bone-in chicken. Recently at a family get-together at her house, Mom had both chicken tenders and broasted chicken. All the broasted chicken was eaten while there were plenty of leftover chicken tenders because Mom's grandkids are getting older and prefer the broasted chicken.

This recipe calls for a broiler-fryer chicken, which is a young chicken. Instead, I used all drumsticks. It worked out just fine. But because I used about four pounds of chicken, the pan was a bit crowded which might have made the cooking time a little longer. Mom's recipe calls for a seasoning called kitchen banquet, but I substituted Worcestershire Sauce. This recipe is a little messy to make because there can be a bit of splatter, but it is worth the effort for a delicious chicken meal.

Skillet Barbecued Chicken 

• 1 broiler-fryer (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. tabasco

Cut chicken into serving-size pieces. In a large skillet, brown chicken on all sides in hot oil. Blend together the remaining ingredients. Cover. Cover low heat for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Turn and baste chicken with sauce every now and then. Enjoy!