Refrigerator Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine or butter
1/2 c cocoa
2 c sugar
1/2 c milk
3 c uncooked oatmeal
1/2 c peanut butter
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c nuts (optional)

Instructions:

Melt butter in a pot.  Add cocoa, sugar and milk and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add oats, peanut butter, vanilla and nuts.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.  Chill.

Store at room temperature.

Hot Buttered Noodles

Ingredients:

1 box Angel Hair Pasta
1 1/2 sticks butter
Ritz Crackers (qty = to taste)

Instructions:

Smash Ritz Crackers into crumbs and pieces.  Melt 3/4 stick butter in a skillet.  Add the crumbs/pieces and toast them.  Once done, set aside.

Boil your pasta using package instructions.  Strain.  Top with remaining butter and allow to melt.  Toss together with toasted cracker crumbs.  Top with more crumbs, if desired, and serve.

Garlic-Parmesan Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 can of ready-made biscuits
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 t Garlic salt
1/2 c Grated Parmesan Cheese
Herb of your choice

Instructions:

Place the butter in an 8 inch round cake pan in 350 degree oven, to melt.  Pull out of oven as soon as it is melted, but not browned.  Add 1/2 t garlic salt to the butter.

Cut the biscuits into quarters.  Roll each quarter into a bowl of parmesan cheese mixed with the herb of your choice.  Then roll in the pan of butter and leave there.  Keep doing this until your 8 inch round cake pan is full of biscuit quarters.

Bake according to package instructions.  At end of baking, pull out of oven and transfer the biscuit quarters to  a serving plate- they will be stuck together in one piece and each person can tear theirs off, as the biscuits are passed at the table.

Our Spinach

Ingredients:

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 stick butter
1/2 onion, minced
4-5 slices white bread, cubed
3-4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Turn heat to medium.  Melt 1/4 stick butter in pan and saute the minced onion.  Add 2/3 of what is left of the butter and allow to melt.  Add the bread cubes and keep turning the onion, butter and bread mixture until the bread is nicely toasted.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Turn heat to medium-low.  Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add the spinach, milk and eggs.  Slowly stir mixture until warmed and add 1/2 the bread mixture to the pan.  Keep cooking and stirring until done.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl or serving dish and top with remaining bread cubes.

**Some carnivores prefer to start this whole dish by frying bacon in the pan and using bacon drippings instead of butter.  They then set aside the crisp bacon to cool and then crumble it.  Add 1/2 the crumbled bacon at the same time you add 1/2 the bread cubes mixture.  Then top with the other 1/2 of the crumbled bacon at the end.

Chinese New Year Cookies

Ingredients:

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz butterscotch chips
1 large can chow mein noodles
9 oz can cashews

Instructions:

Melt chips in double boiler, then add nuts and noodles.  Be careful not to allow salty sediment at bottom of cashew can to go into the chocolate mixture.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet covered with waxed paper.  Refrigerate until firm, and then store at room temperature.

Coconut Joys

Ingredients:

1/2 c softened butter

2 c powdered sugar

3 c coconut

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

Instructions:

Mix together butter and powdered sugar.  Add the coconut.  Form into small balls, and make an indent in the center as you place each on a flat sheet covered with waxed paper.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler and spoon it into the indentations.

Store in the refrigerator.

You can place an almond in the center of each for "Almond Joys."

Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

1 box Crispix (12.3 oz box) cereal
1 stick butter
1 12 oz package chocolate chips
1 c peanut butter
1 lb. powdered sugar

Instructions:

Melt butter first, then add peanut butter.  After mixing, add chocolate chips.  Place cereal into large bowl.   Pour melted mixture over cereal.  Put 1 lb powdered sugar in a large grocery bag.  Pour Crispix mixture into sack and shake to coat.

Store in an air-tight container.

Seven Layer Bars

Ingredients:

1/4 c butter, melted
1 c graham cracker crumbs
1 c shredded coconut
1 6-oz bag butterscotch chips
1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips
15 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 c chopped pecans

Instructions:

Pour melted butter into a 9 by 12 by 2 inch pan.  Sprinkle crumbs evenly.  Press down to form a crust.  Layer the remaining ingredients in this order:  Coconut, chips, sweetened condensed milk and nuts, then press down.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Cool in pan and then cut into small bars.

Fruit Loop Drops

Ingredients:

2 c Fruit Loops
1 c Rice Krispies
1 c small marshmallows
1/2 c cashews
1 lb white chocolate or white almond bark

Instructions:

Melt chocolate slowly (in double boiler).  Add rest of the ingredients.  Stir well and drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.  Refrigerate.

Vanilla Pudding

Ingredients:

1/3 c sugar
3 T flour
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 c milk
1 beaten egg
1 T butter
1 t vanilla

Instructions:

In saucepan combine the first 3 ingredients, gradually add milk.  Mix well and stir till thickened and boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Very gradually, stir hot mixture into egg.  Return to pot and cook and stir till just a boil.  Stir in butter and vanilla.  Cover surface with waxed paper and cool.

Yields 1 1/2 c