Hand Sanitizer

I haven't made this, but wanted to put it some place I wouldn't lose it.

1/3 cup aloe vera gel
2/3 cup rubbing alcohol
few drops tea tree oil and lavender oil

Amish Oatmeal

After Nathan was born, I started eating a lot of oatmeal. It helps with milk production. This is one of my favorite recipes.

1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats (not instant) or rolled oats
1/4 c. butter, melted (I sometimes substitute applesauce)
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
cinnamon to taste (optional)
raisins, craisins, chopped apple (optional)


Preheat oven to 350F. Grease (or use cooking spray) a 9x13" pan.

Mix together the first 8 ingredients well. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes (quick oats) or 40-45 minutes (rolled oats) until edges are golden brown. Spoon immediately into bowls. I like to add milk and sometimes a little extra sugar.

This is also great left over. Let cool and slice into bars.

Favorite (Mexican Casserole)

This is our favorite meal, so we call it "Favorite."

Brown

• 1 to 1-1/2 pounds meat (ground beef, turkey, pork, your choice)
• Add a chopped onion &/or bell pepper if you like
  

In a sauce pan, combine and heat:

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can green enchilada sauce
• 1 can milk
• 1 cup frozen corn (optional)
• 1 can kidney beans, drained (optional)
  

Add to meat mixture.

Grease a pyrex dish and dump in your choice of Doritos or tortilla chips to generously cover the bottom.

Pour meat and sauce mixture over chips.

Bake at 350 until bubbly.

Top with cheese, lots and lots of cheese (whatever kind you like)

Meat Loaf

I made meatloaf tonight and thought I'd better go ahead and write down the recipe. I've made this type of recipe the past 3 or 4 times, but each time it's a little different.

Mix (I use my hands, but it gets really cold)

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 lb ground beef (the leanest)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups ketchup
• 3 handfuls of barbecue potato chips
• any form of bread: tonight I used about 3/4 c stuffing leftover from last night's supper. I sometimes use about 10 saltines or 2 - 3 pieces of bread. But our favorite is to add tater tots instead of bread.
  
• garlic seasoning mix or any seasoning of your choice

Grease a pyrex dish.
Lay a few pieces of bread in the center.
Form loaf with meat mixture on top of the bread.
Bake at 350 for about an hour.

I prefer to use seasoned tater tots in place of the bread.
And adding tater tots to the meat loaf itself is so yummy! We prefer it this way.

Yogurt Muffins

I had some plain yogurt, something no one in this house is a fan of. I didn't want it to go to waste and went to the Internet in search of a muffin recipe. These muffins are super moist and low in fat!

mix

• 2 c flour (I use 1 to 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour and the remaining as white flour)
  
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  

combine, mix, and add to the above mixture just until combined

• 8 oz yogurt (any flavor)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted (I use applesauce instead)
• 2 c blueberry or fruit of your choice (I like apple)

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
This recipe makes 12 muffins, but you have to fill them full. I sometimes make 12 regular size muffins and fill a small loaf pan with the rest of the batter.

Pasta Salad

I worked at Brazos Blue Ribbon Bakery in College Station, Texas back in 1997. This is where I got this recipe (although I never actually "saw" a recipe; I just used the same ingredients).

• Cook, drain, and cool 1 box pasta shells (rigatoni is also good to use and was used at the BBRB rather than shells)
• 1 bell pepper, diced (pretty small)
• 3-4 stalks celery, diced (pretty small)
• 1 bag bacon bits or pieces (not Bacos!)
  
• 1/2 - 1 bottle ranch dressing
• 1 - 2 cups cheese

After pasta cools, add pepper, celery, bacon, ranch, and cheese.
Mix.

This pasta salad is better if you make it the day before serving, then add a little more ranch then.

Loving Loaf

I found this recipe online about 10 years ago and later made it for Billy, the Christmas we met.

Mix and press into bottom of 2 greased 8x4 loaf pans

• 1/2 c. melted butter
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1-1/2 c. crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 c. chopped pecans

Cream:

• 1 c butter
• 2 c sugar

4 eggs: Add one at a time to the creamed mixture

Mix:

• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c milk

Sift:

• 2-2/3 c flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Stir into creamed mixture, alternating milk and flour.

Pour into loaf pans.

Bake 1 hour at 350F