Muffin Mix Coffee Cake

I just made this up today.  It worked brilliantly well.  No cupcake liners, no cupcake pan, just mix and dump and go.

Muffin Mix Coffee Cake

2 small (6 muffins each) OR 1 large (12 muffins) muffin mixes of your choice

whatever the mixes call for

Preheat oven to 400.

Pour both muffin mixes into a bowl.  Mix as directed, just until moistened.  (I usually use the cheap mixes that come in bags and make 6 muffins each, but this works with the 12-muffin mixes that come in a box too.)  Batter will probably be lumpy.

Pour batter into a greased 8x8 glass or metal baking pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool a few minutes before cutting into squares.  (I did 16 squares, but 9 would be fine too if you have bigger appetites.)  Eat.

If you have a muffin mix with a streusel topping, just sprinkle that on top before baking!  If you want to make your own streusel topping, here's a quick recipe:

Streusel 

1/4 cup brown sugar -- firmly packed

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

2 Tbsp cold butter -- cut into chunks

Mix everything except butter in a small bowl.  Add butter and cut it into the dry mix using a pastry blender, pastry knife, or two knives until it has become a coarse and meal, like tiny gravel.  Sprinkle over coffee cake batter before baking.

Larry's Cranberry Pizza

For when you want pizza, but you also want something unusual.

Larry's Cranberry Pizza

1 tube pizza crust -- prebaked
1/2 can whole berry cranberry sauce
8 oz. turkey breakfast sausage links -- sliced
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup green onions -- chopped

Fry sausage in a medium skillet until done.  Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix cranberry sauce with a hand mixer until spreadable.  Spread cranberry sauce over crust and top with cheese, sausage, and onions.  Bake for 6 minutes at 400 degrees.

Hot Dog Wraps

There's not a lot of nutritional value to these, but they sure are tasty!  And kids tend to like them.

Hot Dog Wraps

2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
4 slices American cheese -- halved
8 hot dogs -- uncooked

Unroll crescent rolls.  Pinch two triangles together to form a rectangle.  Place a half slice of cheese and one hot dog on top.  Roll up and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes.

Southwest Sloppy Joes

My husband took a recipe for southwest burgers that never held together properly and transformed it into this tasty sloppy joe recipe!

Southwest Sloppy Joes

1 lb. beef
1/2 cup onion – chopped
1 can green chilis
1/2 cup salsa
1 can black beans – drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen Corn
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup sour cream
Hamburger buns 

In a large skillet, brown beef.  Add onions and sauté until tender.  Add remaining ingredients except sour cream and buns.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in sour cream and heat through.  Serve on buns.

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Stew

Great slow-cooker recipe for those grey, chilly winter days.

Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Stew

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup white wine
4 tbsp. butter – melted
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg cream cheese -- softened
1 lb. frozen broccoli
2 large potatoes -- chopped

Chop chicken and place in a slow cooker.  Pour dressing, wine, and butter over chicken.  Sprinkle with spices.  Cook on low for 5 hours.

In a medium bowl, combine soup and cream cheese.  Stir into chicken with broccoli and potatoes and cook on low for one more hour.

Ranch Mac and Cheese

Looks fancy, tastes yummy, but isn't difficult.

Ranch Mac and Cheese

1/2 lb. macaroni - cooked
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded Colby jack
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup Saltine or Ritz crackers - crushed
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a medium skillet.  Stir in milk, spices, Colby jack, and dressing. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir sauce into noodles. Sprinkle with crackers and Parmesan.

Eight Can Taco Soup

Open, open, dump, dump, stir, heat, stir, serve.  For real.

Eight Can Taco Soup

1 can black beans -- rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans -- rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn -- drained

1 can chicken -- drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can mild enchilada sauce

1 can chicken broth (I use chicken bouillon cube and 8 oz water instead)

1 packet Taco seasoning

Optional for serving:

Tortilla chips

Sour cream

Mix all ingredients in a soup pot.  Heat through, stirring occasionally.  Serve.