Butter Cream Icing (the one I use on the raspberry filled cup cakes)

1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 cup Blue Bonnet Margarine
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
pinch of salt

Cream the above ingredients together then add:
3 Tbs cream or 2 1/2 Tbs milk

"Your So Vain" Sugar Cookies

1 cup softened Butter/Margerine
1 1/2 powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cream of tarter

Mix ingredients.
Chill 2-3 hours.
Roll out to desired thickness& cut into shapes.
Bake 375 for 7-8 min on greased cookie sheet.

Wilma's Green Chili

Pork chops or roast cut up
brown in skillet with oil
large bottle of salsa
cook till tender (45 to 60 min)
Serve with tortillas or rice.

Habichuelas Rosadas (Pressure Cooker Pink Beans)

Inspired by this recipe

1 pound dried pink beans, rinsed

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups water + bouillon or chicken broth

2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder

1 can Ro*Tel Tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Sauté the onions and garlic in your pressure cooker. Excluding the cilantro (add after cooking), add all the remaining ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then natural release (about 30 mins). Stir in the cilantro. Serve with rice. 

Lettuce Wraps

The ingredients on this have varied for me, depending on what I have at home, but they have never done me wrong. This recipe is for about 2 people.

1lb ground chicken breast
1/2 medium onion, minced
1-2 carrots, shredded
1/2 cabbage, shredded
salt & pepper, a dash of each
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch gnob fresh ginger, peeled & minced (I don't add hardly that much)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 Tablespoon honey (I use Splenda)
1 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it hotter)
dash of fresh pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped (Paul isn't a fan)
1/4 cup peanuts (I've never added them)

1 head lettuce, cut into 2 halves

Sauté the onions and chicken. Add the veggies and cook until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and serve on lettuce leaves.

Corn meal cresent rolls

Buttery Cornmeal Crescent Rolls
*Makes 2 dozen rolls
2 cups milk
2/3 cup yellow corn meal
1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 ½ - 6 cups flour
Heat the milk to just below a boil so bubbles are just appearing around the edges (this is called scalding milk). Add the cornmeal and cook and stir until thickened, lowering the temperature if needed so the mixture doesn't boil. Pour the cornmeal/milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and let cool until lukewarm. Add the yeast, butter and sugar (if you dissolved active dry yeast with a bit of water and sugar until it foamed, add it now). Mix. Add the salt and eggs. Mix well. Add the flour gradually until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5-8 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl covered with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
Divide the dough into three portions and roll each into about an 8-10 inch circle. Brush the top lightly with butter. Cut into 8 wedges and roll each wedge up starting from the wide end so it forms a crescent roll shape. Place each roll on a lightly greased or silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1-2 inches apart to allow for rising. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until doubled.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Brush with butter while still warm.

Best Bean Dip Ever

I decided to post this because I saw some friends Pinning a hot bean dip recipe, and felt bad that they were going to settle for such a mediocre dip, when there is something so much better for the same amount of work.

I had no idea that this bean dip was anything special until I was older. I knew it was delicious, but it was the one I grew up on, and I guess I figured that everybody ate something similar with chips. I had no idea that people choked down cold 7-layer dips until I was older.

I actually think that I first had it when my aunt made it when I was really little, and it has been a staple ever since. This could obviously be adjusted to make it a full 7 layers, but this is what we usually add, probably since most of this stuff is always in the house.

2-3 cans of refried beans
1pkg cream cheese, softened until easy to spread
2 green onions, chopped
salsa (enough to layer the pan as thick as you like)
cheese (enough to layer in the pan as thick as you like)

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Layer the ingredients in the pan (beans on bottom, cream cheese, salsa, cheese, and I like the green onions on top so you can see them, but you can put them under the cheese if you prefer). Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly...serve hot with tortilla chips and wait for the compliments to come pouring in.

Note: you can also microwave this until the cheese is hot and bubbly as well, if you don't have time to bake it.