Mom's Apple Dip

 This recipe is a staple when it comes to our BYU football tailgating parties. There is  often a race to get to this dip first because it is always the first thing gone from the snack table. 

8 oz. softened cream cheese

½ c. brown sugar

 ½ c. white sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 pkg. Heath or Skor bits

Mix with beater and serve with apple wedges.

Mom's Spinach Dip

  Every Christmas Eve next to the cheese ball sits this spinach dip. We munch on it with French bread while playing rook or scum. This recipe was given to my mom from a friend several years ago and has since become a food staple. 

Knorr Spinach Dip

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and squeezed dry

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream

1 c. mayonnaise

1 pkg. Knorr vegetable recipe mix

1 can ( 8 oz.) water chestnuts drained and chopped

3 green onions chopped (optional)

Salad Dressing with Grandma

 I remember as a young girl being so impressed that my grandma made her own salad dressing. Extended family dinners at Grandma’s house always had a salad with avocado and this famous poppy seed dressing that was always stored in its white bottle on the second shelf on the fridge. 

Poppy Seed Dressing

¼ c. sugar

1 c. salad oil

1/3 c vinegar

 1 ½ T. poppy seeds

½ t salt

1 t. dry mustard

1 t. onion juice

Mix all ingredients and shake. Store in the fridge. 

Grandpa's Famous Malts

Grandpa is famous for his malts and you rarely left his house without the offer of one. Grandpa used his malts to show his love to his family and all guests. Grandpa said his malts were so good because they were made with lots of love. The malts were always chocolate

Grandpa’s Wonderful Chocolate Malt

Directions: Place in mixer 2 quarts of milk. Add 1 pint vanilla ice cream, 6 large tablespoons of chocolate malt powder, and 5 tablespoons of chocolate syrup. Mix thoroughly and ENJOY!

Chili Sauce with Grandma

Every fall Grandma makes this delicious chili sauce from the garden and sends them to all her children and grandchildren to enjoy. Grandma got this recipe from her mother and always made it growing up with the fixings coming from their very own garden. This is especially good on her famous pot roast.

12 large ripe tomatoes

 1 green pepper

4 apples

 4 onions

2 T. salt

 1 t. cloves

1 t. cinnamon

 1 t. ginger

3 c. sugar

2 c. vinegar

Scald tomatoes, peel and chop into small pieces. Dice onions and pepper fine. Add salt, vinegar, sugar, and simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add grated apples and simmer ½ hour or until sauce begins to thicken. Add spices and simmer about 10 to 15 minutes more. Bottle and cold pack for 20 minutes. Makes about 6-8 pints.

Spicy Carrots

Mark, Owen, and I loved to experiment in the kitchen! Living in Mexico and South Texas gave us a love of spice and we invented this “carrot surprise”. We would make large batches and store them in little Ziploc bags to take to school with us.  No one else was brave enough to try it but we loved it and still have fond memories of our time together in the kitchen. 

 3 carrots

¼ c. lemon juice

1 t. chili powder

Peel or chop carrots, and mix with lemon juice and chili powder.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Mom

The fourth of July wouldn’t be complete without this delicious cherry chocolate chip ice cream. In our family this ice cream is as standard as firework when it comes to celebrating Independence Day.  My mom invented this recipe a couple years ago when she saw a bottle of maraschino cherries next to her batch of vanilla ice cream. The chocolate came as an added bonus later. 

4 eggs

2 ½ c. sugar

5 c. milk

4 c. heavy cream

2 t. vanilla

 3 t. maraschino “juice”

½ t salt

Large bottle of maraschino cherries ( drained and halved)

1 bottle of Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce

 Cook briefly and then cool eggs, sugar, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, cherry juice, and salt. Add maraschino cherries, add to mixture. Put in ice cream freezer churn. When almost ready add  Magic Shell. Finish churning process and freeze.

Pumpkin Pie Cake with Mom

Fall is a favorite time in the Lyons’ home and this pumpkin pie cake is a nice variation on the traditional pumpkin pie. Every fall requests come in from various family members for mom to make this delicious cake. We usually eat it for dessert after Sunday dinner while sitting on the couch enjoying each other’s company.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

1 pkg dry yellow cake mix ( set aside 1 c. for topping)

1 egg

 ½ c. butter softened

 Mix and spread into a greased 9 X 13 pan

2 eggs

1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin

¾ c. sugar

½ t. salt

 1 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

½ t cloves

1 can (13 oz.) evaporated milk

1 c. dry cake mix

 ¼ c. sugar

2 t. butter

 ½ t. cinnamon

Mix cake mix, 1 egg, ½ c. butter and spread into 9 X 13 pan.  Mix 2 eggs, ¾ c. sugar, salt, 1 t. cinnamon, finger, cloves, and evaporated milk and pour over cake mix. In separate bowl mix 1 c. of set aside cake mix, ¼ c. sugar, 2 T. butter, ½ t. cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of pumpkin mixture and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Cinnamon Toast with Dad

My Father is not much a chef but he does do a mean cinnamon toast. In our household cinnamon toast was only served on Saturday mornings and always with chocolate milk. Even the mention of this dish brings smiles to everyone's face. When asked what his contribution to this cookbook would be, my dad responded with a smile "Cinnamon Toast".

Ingredients
1 loaf of bread
Softened butter
 1 t. Cinnamon
 1 T. Sugar


Move the oven rack to the highest setting and turn on the broiler.  Mix cinnamon and sugar. Spread butter on bread and lay side by side on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top. Place in oven until sugar melts.

Soft Shell Pretzels with Owen

 Owen and I share an interest of cooking. Many nights we would watch the Food Network together. One night watched an episode of Good Eats on how to make soft pretzels and we made them together. We had such a good time cooking together and an even better time enjoying these delicious pretzels!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast

22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil, for pan

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

 Owen and I share an interest of cooking. Many nights we would watch the Food Network together. One night watched an episode of Good Eats on how to make soft pretzels and we made them together. We had such a good time cooking together and an even better time enjoying these delicious pretzels!

Pizza Dough By Emily

Pizza Dough

One summer after working in Emily’s Garden we made a marguerite pizza no one can ever forget. This pizza has now become a staple for summer evenings. The Pizza is especially delicious with fresh tomatoes and basil from Emily’s garden.

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup warm (105-115 degrees) water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour or half all-purpose and half whole wheat 

Preparation

Mix the yeast and water in a small bowl, cover, and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

Mix the oil, honey, salt, and yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl. If using a food processor, add 1 cup of flour at a time, up to 3 cups, mixing well after each addition. You may have to stir in the third cup of flour by hand, depending on your machine. Or mix in all 3 cups of flour by hand with a
wooden spoon.

If the dough seems too wet, mix in more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is soft. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead in more
flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is moderately stiff and somewhat firm to the touch, about 6 minutes.

Lightly grease pizza pan(s) or a cookie sheet(s) with oil. If you are making two or more thin-crust pizzas, divide the dough. With a rolling pin, roll out
the dough on a floured surface. Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan(s).

Let the dough rise (it will not rise very much) while you make sauce and continue with the pizza recipe of your choice

Caramel Apple Salad

16 oz pineapple tidbits

2 T flour

1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 t vinegar

1 egg

2 c mini marshmallows

5 1/2 c granny smith apples

6 oz pecans, chopped

12 oz cool whip

1 bag carmels, chopped

Combine pineapple juice, flour, sugar, vinegar & egg slowly in saucepan until warm. Add marshmallows and let melt. Add pineapple & chill overnight. Add all remaining ingredients & stir. Remain chilled until ready to serve. Caramels will begin to breakdown and melt after about 5-8 hrs.

This salad first made its appearance at my mission homecoming where it was an instant hit. Now Sunday family dinners are not the same without this delicious caramel apple salad. Every time I eat it I feel a bit nostalgic for those fun feelings of being a freshly returned missionary. 

Mom's Rolls

My mom’s rolls are famous! When friends come for dinner a second time the always ask if there are going to be rolls. Food assignments for Thanksgiving and Christmas always have my mom bringing her delicious rolls. Nothing soothes a sad day or a broken heart  like mom’s rolls right from the oven. 

Mix and let rise:

 1 c. warm water

2 t. of dry yeast

1 t. sugar

Combine:

 ½ c. butter

2 c. scalded milk

Cool to warm temp and add yeast mixture – mix in:

2 eggs

½ c. sugar

½ t. salt

7-8 c. flour

Mix well, pour into bowl and allow to double ( 1 hour) turn on to flat surface and punch down. Continue punching for 2 minutes. Shape into rolls and place on greased cookie sheet. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to double ( 1 hour). Bake at 375 for 14 minutes. 

Biscuits with Brittany

Biscuits Supreme 

2 c. flour

4 t. baking powder

½ t. cream of tarter

½ c. shortening

½ t. salt

2/3 c. milk

2 t. sugar

Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until it resembles course crumbs. Add milk all at once. Stir until dough follows fork around bowl. Pat or roll ½  - 1 inch think. Cut with a biscuit cutter.  Bake at 450 for 10 -12 minutes, or until done.

Brittany came into our family when she married my oldest brother J.D.. She brought with her a lot of great qualities and a lot of great recipes. Brittany is famous for her biscuits and gravy that she loves to make on Saturday mornings. If you get the chance to stay the night at her house, make sure you ask for biscuits and gravy in the morning.