Sugared Chocolate Wafers

These cookies are so delicious that I might have eaten them all in one sitting if I had not given some to neighbors. The cookies have a rich chocolate flavor that complements the crisp texture. The recipe calls for placing a walnut in the center of each cookie, but I left that step out. I am sure that the walnuts would have been nice, I just did not have any whole walnuts on hand.

Following the directions, I chilled the dough, but I think they would have come out fine even if the dough was not chilled. I tried using a cookie scooper, but I found that the cookies were not quite round enough, so I shaped the dough by hand into round balls. I did not flatten the cookies as much as the directions stated because I like the thicker cookie. 

Sugared Chocolate Wafers 

• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup firm brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• granulated sugar
• walnuts (optional)

Melt chocolate over hot, not boiling water, cool. Sift floor, powder, soda, and salt onto wax paper. Beat butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and cooked chocolate in a large bowl with electric mix until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour mix. Chill for two hours. Form dough into walnut-size balls. Arrange on ungreased sheets about one-inch apart. Dip glass tumbler in glass and flatten each cookie into a two-inch round. Press walnut into each cookie. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool. Enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs

These meatballs make a terrific meal. In the summertime, I like to look for recipes that do not use the oven. This recipe fits the bill and results in a delicious meal made on the stovetop. The ingredients are easy enough to find. The flavor is terrific, and the meatballs could be eaten on their own or with noodles, rice, or bread.

When I made this recipe, I substituted three-quarter cup of breadcrumbs for the slices of bread, and then increased the milk by another splash. I also added more than a dash of nutmeg because I especially like the flavor. I served these meatballs with noodles.

Swedish Meatballs 

• 3 slices bread, crumbled
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• dash ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 (7/8 oz.) packet brown gravy mix
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Add bread to milk. Mix in next five ingredients. Shape into one-inch balls. Chill. Brown meatballs in oil in a large skillet. Prepare gravy according to directions, using 1 1/4 cup water. Blend in mayonnaise. Add to meatballs and heat. Enjoy!

Fudge-Filled Peanut Butter Bars

These bars are amazingly delicious. This recipe came to me from my sister-in-law, Jen, because they are one of her mother's favorites. When Sharon (pictured here with Richard, Delilah, and Lorelei) recently passed away, I offered to make some of Sharon's favorite cookie recipes for the celebration of her life gathering. My nieces, Lorelei and Delilah, called Sharon "Cookie Grammy" because Sharon was known for making cookies. Now, whenever I enjoy these bars, I will think of Sharon what a wonderful life she lived.

When making this recipe, it is best to make it a day ahead. After the bars come out of the oven, let them cool and then slice the bars but leave the bars in the pan. To get the fudge layer to truly set, put the pan in the refrigerator overnight. The fudge will set, and the pre-cut bars should come out nicely. Jen also recommended using Duncan Hines coconut pecan frosting as a shortcut for making the fudge layer. I could not find it, so I just followed the recipe as is. And you could easily leave out the pecans and coconut because they disappear in the strong flavors of peanut butter and fudge.

Fudge-Filled Peanut Butter Bars 

Crust and topping

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs

Fudge layer

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mx together the crust ingredients. Press about two-thirds of the crust into a greased 9x13 inch pan. set aside the remainder of the crust for the topping. Prepare the filling in a medium saucepan, melting the chocolate, milk, and butter over low heat until smooth. Stir in the coconut, brown sugar, flour, and pecans until well-mixed. Spread the fudge filling over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the filling. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool. Slice into bars. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Sticks

I recently made this recipe for Mothers' Day, and it was a hit. This recipe is a brownie with a layer of mint frosting and a layer of chocolate fudge frosting. I am not sure why this recipe uses sticks instead of bars; I suppose they could be cut into rectangular sticks. Whatever you call them, they are delicious.

This recipe is easy to make, but does require a little more time because the brownies need to cool before frosting, and the mint frosting needs to set before the chocolate frosting is added. The recipe calls for using unsweetened baking chocolate squares, which are easy enough to find, but I usually just substitute one tablespoon of butter and three tablespoons of cocoa powder for each square. Also, when I made this recipe, I increased the chocolate frosting amounts and added some powdered sugar to have a thicker chocolate frosting layer. The increased amounts are listed below. I also left out the nuts, but I am sure the recipe could be just as good with the nuts. 

Chocolate Mint Sticks 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 - 1 ounce square unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Peppermint Frosting

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

Chocolate Frosting

• 3 - 1 ounce square unsweetened chocolate
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Blend in eggs. Stir in chocolate. Add flour and nuts. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool completely. Blend together ingredients for peppermint frosting and spread on top. Allow to stand until firm. Prepare chocolate frosting by melting the chocolate and butter, then blend in the powdered sugar. Spread evenly over the peppermint frosting layer. Chill for 30 minutes until chocolate is set. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Ham & Noodle Cakes

After Easter, I had plenty of ham leftovers. This recipe from Mom's recipe box, like the many casserole dishes that use up ham, is a great use of ham leftovers and very easy to make. I especially like how the grilling brings out a nice caramelized flavor.

When I made this recipe, instead of using noodles, I used a leftover baked potato that I mashed a bit before blending into the mix. I am sure that the noodles would have been just as delicious, but I was looking to use up leftovers. This recipe is also easy to increase or decrease based on the amount of ham you have left over, so give it a try sometime.

Ham & Noodle Cakes 

• 8 ounces fine noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 1/2 cup finely diced ham
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine ingredients; drop by spoonfuls onto a hot, lightly buttered griddle. Bake to golden brown, turning once. Enjoy!

Chinese Beef Skillet

Mom loves Chinese food, so it is no surprise that Mom's recipe box has some recipes for Chinese-style dishes. This recipe is so delicious. I occasionally make stir fry meals using whatever ingredients that I have on hand, but I have never added pea pods to my stir fry dishes. I plan to do so now because they added great flavor and crunch to this dish.

This recipe comes together quickly. The recipe calls for frozen pea pods, but I used fresh sugar snap peas. Only after I started making this recipe did I realize that I was out of fresh onion, so I just used dried minced onion. I served this recipe over brown rice, but it would also be good with rice noodles. This recipe is a delicious and easy dish that is a good addition to your quick meal rotation.

Chinese Beef Skillet 

• 1 pound round steak, cut in cubes
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 medium cauliflower, broken in buds
• 6 ounce package frozen pea pods, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

In a skillet, brown meat quickly in hot oil. Add one cup water, onion, garlic, and bouillon cube. Heat and stir until cube is dissolved. Add cauliflower, seasoned with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for five minutes. Stir in pea pods. Cover and cook for five to eight minutes more or until cauliflower is just tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer meat and vegetables to warm serving dish. Combine cornstarch, remaining water, and soy sauce. Stir into pan juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until mix thickens and bubbles. Pour over meat and vegetables.

Tuna Au Gratin

Mom had a lot of recipes using canned tuna that she used during lent when we always had fish on Fridays. This tuna recipe is delicious and easy. I especially liked the slight crunch that the bell peppers gave the dish.

Nowadays, I rarely use canned tuna, but instead prefer to use the tuna pouches. For this recipe, I used three 2.5 ounce pouches. I am not sure if that amount of tuna is exactly equivalent, but it worked out fine. Also, I did not have pimento on hand, so just used more bell pepper. Because pimento adds a bit of spice, adding a few dashes of chili sauce could give the dish some zing. This casserole dish allows for you to modify the amounts of ingredients to suit your taste. When I made this recipe, I turned on the broiler for the last three minutes to brown the cheese and bread crumbs.

Tuna Au Gratin 

• 2 (7 ounce) cans funa, flaked
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped pimiento
• 2/3 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine first five ingredients. Spoon into small shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Enjoy!