Grandma's Apricot Bars

So my grandma is famous for her baked goodies but infamous for not measuring her ingredients, which makes it hard for me to replicate and archive! However, I got this one down pretty good! These are the best crumbly apricot bars you'll make at home! Mouth watering just thinking about them!

Apricot Bars

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups apricot preserves (you can try any fruit preserve, I just prefer homemade apricot when available)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour, baking soda, salt together. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add flour mixture and blend well. Press half mixture in bottom of 13x9 inch bar pan. Spread jam and then sprinkle with remaining flour mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden.

Enjoy :)

Yummy Pasta Bake!

Need something warm and comforting and yummy all in a spoonful!?

Fear not! 

This easy-peezy Pasta Bake is ready in less than an hour and both adults and kids love it!

Pasta Bake

1 pound pasta (I use ziti or penne)

1/2 pound ground beef (or go meatless)

1/2 onion, diced

2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1 jar marinara sauce (I prefer Emeril Lagasse's marinara or make your own)

6 slices of provolone

8 ounces sour cream

2 cups mozzarella, shredded or sliced

basil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Cook pasta according to package directions. 

Cook ground beef in a skillet. Add onions, mushrooms, and zucchini and cook until tender. Add marinara sauce. Once the pasta is cooked and drained toss with the pasta sauce. In a 9x13 casserole baking dish put half the pasta then cover with the provolone slices. Now spread the sour cream over the provolone and put the remaining pasta in the dish. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and strips of basil. Bake for 25 min or until cheese is melty and bubbly. 

Enjoy :)

Keeping Bows/Barrettes Organized!

My daughter has a container full of little bows and barrettes for her hair. In an attempt to keep them organized we pinned a piece of ribbon on her vanity and clipped them all. Now they look nice, neat, and organized!!

Cake Deco..

As a way to make extra funds, I bake and decorate cakes! I didn't go to school or take classes for this, so it's not perfect but here they are! :)

You'll never eat fruit alone again ;)

This fruit dip is absolutely the best fluffy concoction. My sisters swear you don't even need fruit, just a spoon! Always a hit! 

Fluffy Fruit Dip

6 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. cool whip

small container of marshmallow fluff

An assortment of fruit (bananas, grapes, nectarines, and pineapple are my faves!)

Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth, add cool whip, then add marshmallow fluff. Chill and serve with fruit.

Only In New Mexico..well mostly :)

Biscochitos are a New Mexican tradition. They are delicate, flaky, and perfectly sweet! I know they aren’t good for you since the recipe calls for lard, but this is the authentic way to make them and they are so good just the way they are!

Biscochitos

2 cups Lard

2 Eggs

1 cup sugar + 1 more for the cinnamon sugar mixture

6 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp anise (optional)

6 tbsp orange juice

2 Tbsp Cinnamon and 1 cup sugar mixed together in a shallow bowl. Set Aside.

Combine the flour, baking, powder, and salt together. In a separate bowl, cream the lard, eggs, and 1 cup sugar together. Add dry ingredients and mix with mixer on low speed, mixture will be crumbly. Add the orange juice and mix with your hands or with the paddle mixture until combined. At this point you can add the anise if you prefer. Press dough together to form a ball and roll out dough to about 3/16 of an inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Then place cookies face down into cinnamon and sugar mixture and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool cookies on cooling racks and then recoat the face side with more cinnamon and sugar. Store in cool dry place.

*Do not put cookies in a sealed container or in a Ziploc bag because you don’t want cookies to have any moisture.

Quite Possibly The Best Coleslaw

Okay so I found a recipe for coleslaw to use as a base and tweaked it to my liking! I wanted coleslaw that could be piled high on a pulled pork sandwich and this is the winner! I get rave reviews every time I make it and hope you enjoy it! :)


Confetti Coleslaw


1 head green cabbage, shredded
1 head red cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper to taste


I use my Pampered Chef chopper for the cabbage, carrots, onion. Then I whisk together the vinegar, sugar, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Toss the cabbage mix and the dressing together. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. 
I don't recommend making this too far in advance, I think it always tastes best the same day. 


-misscrysg ;)