Haystacks

I remember my mom making these for us all the time when I was younger. Mostly, I remember eating the mixture out of the bowl without giving it time to harden because it was so delicious. These are the perfect easy-to-make snack, and they can surely satisfy any sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz.) bags of butterscotch morsels

1 (12 oz.) bag of white chocolate morsels

1/2 cup chow mein noodles

6 cups corn flakes

2 cups salted peanuts

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butterscotch morsels on high for 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.

2. Stir in white chocolate morsels and microwave for an additional 20 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

3. Add chow mein noodles, corn flakes and peanuts to the chocolate mixture and stir until all dry ingredients are covered completely. *If mixture seems too runny, add more corn flakes or noodles.*

4. Immediately drop mixture by heaping tablespoon-full onto a sheet of wax paper, at least 1/2-inch apart.

5. Allow to dry completely before removing from wax paper, at least 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Mango Smoothie

It is so easy to make your own smoothies at home. All you need is frozen fruit and citrus juice. It's that easy, and it's good for you. And you can use any frozen fruit you have on hand to switch it up. Use whatever you like. Oh, and I'm sorry there's no picture; I drank it all before I took one!

Serving Size: 1 smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1/4 cup frozen whole strawberries

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 cup orange juice

1. Put juices and frozen fruit in a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute, or until smooth. (If frozen fruit doesn't break up easily, add a little more orange juice.)

2. Serve and enjoy your healthy smoothie!

Potato Cake

I don't know how or why I thought about doing potatoes like this, but I did. And I will be doing it a lot more, because I loved it.

Ingredients:

1 large potato

extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Drizzle a small cast iron skillet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil.

3. Thinly slice potato into round chips. Place potatoes in layers in the skillet. Drizzle layered potatoes with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons milk.

4. Place butter (cut into small pieces) randomly around the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, chopped rosemary and parmesan cheese.

5. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

6. Remove aluminum foil. Increase oven temperature to 480 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue cooking potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese. Let potatoes sit for 5 minutes, then slice out portions to serve. Enjoy!

Granny's Okra

Yes, this is okra. No, it's not deep fried. That's right, a Southern okra recipe that is not deep fried. But it is delicious. This is the way my granny has always cooked hers every Sunday for lunch for our entire family.

Ingredients:

fresh okra

corn meal

vegetable oil

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the okra on a diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces. (The amount of okra you slice depends on how many people you are serving. I use about 5 whole okra for one person.)

2. In a bowl, combine okra and enough corn meal to lightly coat. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.

3. In a large preheated skillet with about 1/4-inch vegetable in the bottom, add the okra. Spread out to an even layer. Stir occasionally. (If the corn meal absorbs all the oil, you will need to add more.) Cook for about 5 minutes, or until okra is slightly soft.

4. Transfer okra pieces to a baking sheet and cook in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

5. Remove from oven and serve. Enjoy!

Easy Strawberry Cake

Want an easy alternative to strawberry shortcake that tastes even better? This strawberry cake is the way to go. It's so decadent-tasting, no one will know you took a few shortcuts.

Ingredients:

1 package (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 package (3 ounces) strawberry flavor gelatin

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1 cup fresh strawberries, mashed and divided

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups thawed whipped topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix and dry gelatin mix. Add eggs, oil, water and 3/4 cup strawberries. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended.

3. Pour mixture into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes.

5. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Meanwhile, drain the remaining strawberries.

6. For topping, in a large bowl beat cream cheese until creamy with an electric mixer. Gradually beat in sugar. Add drained strawberries and mix well with a spatula. Whisk in whipped topping.

7. Stack cooled cake layers on a presentation plate. Spread 1 cup of topping in between layers. Frost the top and side with the remaining whipped topping mixture. Keep cake refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The classic chocolate chip cookie is hard to beat. Soft, chewy and moist, this perfect-for-dunking cookie will not be around your kitchen long after it comes out of the oven. So you better make a ton!

Ingredients:

1- 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1- 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1- 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 eggs, at room temperature

4- 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in vanilla and eggs until well blended. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart. (I used a small ice cream scoop that was about 1- 1/2 tablespoons.)

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes (depending on size) or until cookies are light golden brown. The cookies will still be slightly soft in the middle, but will set once removed from the oven. (The softer the cookie in the oven, the softer it will be when it sets.)

5. Remove from oven and cool for 1 minute before removing from cookie sheets onto cooling racks. Enjoy these delicious cookies fresh from the oven or cooled!

Spicy Shrimp with Pasta and White Sauce

My boyfriend, Paul, begs me to make this pasta for him all the time. The shrimp is spicy, the sauce is thick and the pasta is comforting. This recipe makes about four large servings, so Paul can have leftovers for the whole week. I like to serve the pasta with crusty slices of French bread that have been broiled in the oven then rubbed with a garlic clove and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

Shrimp Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon crab or shrimp boil

juice of half a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1/6 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper to taste

So that all three components of the pasta dish are finished at the same time, start cooking the pasta once you stir the flour into the sauce. Cook the shrimp when the pasta has about 4 minutes remaining on the timer.

1. For the sauce, melt the tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add broth and garlic. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cream, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

2. For the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a handful of salt to the water. Drop in 1/2 pound of whatever type of pasta you like (I use either farfalle or penne); stir immediately so pasta doesn't stick together. Cook pasta for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and return to empty pot you cooked it in.

3. For the shrimp, melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet heated to medium. Add shrimp to melted butter; cook in a single layer for about 2 minutes on the first side. Flip shrimp and cook for another 2 minutes. Once shrimp is no longer opaque and is cooked through, add the crab or shrimp boil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook only for 1 minute.

Toss pasta with sauce and shrimp. Top with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!