Whole Wheat Waffles with Sweet Potato

My kids won't eat many cooked orange vegetables, so this is a sneaky way I get it into them. I put the sweet potato puree into pancake mix as well. For each cup of pancake mix I use, I stir in about 1/2 cup pureed sweet potatoes and add 1/2 t. cinnamon.

2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk or milk+2T white vinegar
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon, optional
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. sweet potato puree, optional

Heat waffle iron. Beat the eggs, and then add buttermilk, flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter and beat until smooth. Stir in sweet potato puree. This makes about 5 cups of batter, which on my small waffle iron makes about 16 waffles. I freeze them and then toast them in the toaster for my kids. Top with fresh fruit and it makes a pretty good breakfast. You can also vary the proportions of the whole wheat/white flour to get the taste you prefer. I love that this recipe contains no sugar, yet the sweet potato adds a bit of sweetness.

To make sweet potato puree, roast whole sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor or blender. Add water if necessary to get a smooth puree. Freeze in 1/2 cup portions and defrost in hot water for a few minutes before mixing into batter.

Chicken Pillows

6 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 (4oz) can mushrooms, drained (optional)
4 oz. sour cream
1 (8oz) package cream cheese (room temperature)
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2/3 c. seasoned stuffing, crushed
1 c. nuts, chopped very fine
1/2 cube butter or margarine, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup OR one recipe white sauce (below)

Mix sour cream and cream cheese together; add mushrooms and chicken. Set aside. Pinch seams of two rolls together to make one rectangle. Roll thin with rolling pin and cut in half to form two squares. Place one large spoonful of chicken mixture in center of each square of dough. Pull up corners and seal by pinching. Dip each "pillow" in melted butter, then roll in crushed stuffing and nuts mixed together. Place on buttered cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Heat together cream of chicken soup diluted with 1/2 can of water to use as sauce to cover pillows or make a white sauce with 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup flour, salt, 1 cup broth, 2 cups half & half, and a little lemon juice.


I use pecans for my nuts. I usually don't add the mushrooms, instead adding 2 green onions, chopped fine and occasionally some real bacon bits. I make the white sauce for the gravy--it is SO good. This makes a lot--one recipe is enough for dinner for my family and I freeze the rest for two more meals.

Poundcake Pudding Dessert

Mix a large box of chocolate pudding with 2 1/2 cups milk. Fold in 8 oz. cool whip.
Crunch up 3-4 skor bars. Cut one pound cake into cubes.

Assemble dessert by layering pudding, cake, candy and repeat. Top with cool whip.



A couple notes: I made pretty little individual desserts in separate clear plastic cups and put a few valentine sprinkles on top for a church potluck and it was the first dessert gone. Also, pound cake at the grocery store can be a little pricey, but I just saw that the dollar tree store had it. If you can find them, It might be worth picking up a few and having them in the freezer ready to whip up this easy, quick treat.

DOUG’S SECRET BARBECUE SAUCE

6 CUPS KETCHUP
¾ CUP CIDER VINEGAR
½ CUP WORCESTERSHIRE
¾ CUP DARK BROWN SUGAR
½ CUP MOLASSES
¼ CUP HONEY
½ CUP YELLOW MUSTARD
2 TABLESPOONS TOBASCO
2 TABLESPOONS LIQUID SMOKE
1 TABLESPOON BLACK PEPPER
1 TABLESPOON CHILI POWDER
2 TEASPOONS GARLIC POWDER
1 TEASPOON GROUND ALLSPICE
¼ TEASPOON GROUND CLOVES

DUMP EVERYTHING BUT THE KETCHUP INTO A STAINLESS STEEL POT OVER MEDIUM HEAT AND SIMMER FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES UNTIL EVERYTHING IS MIXED WELL AND HOT—STIR IN KETCHUP AND BRING TO A BOIL STIRRING CONSTANTLY UNTIL IT GETS DARK, THICK, AND RICH LOOKING. LET COOL AND PUT IN BOTTLES AND REFRIGERATE—WILL LAST A FEW MONTHS IN THE FRIDGE-----------

Enchiladas Sauce

1 can of tomato soup
1 small can of tomato sauce
2 c. water
4 t. dried minced onions
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic power
1 t. chili powder
mix sauce ingredients, simmer for 5 minutes

Persimmon Cookies

1 c. margarine
2 c. sugar
4 c. sifted flour
2 c. nuts, chopped
2 c. raisins
2 eggs
2 c. persimmon pulp
2 t. soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. lemon
1 t. vanilla
Mix together persimmon pulp and soda, set aside. Cream margarine and sugar. To sifted flour add nuts, raisins and spices. Mix well with cream mixture. Add beaten eggs and persimmon pulp mixture. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfulls on greased cookies sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Grandma Harland's Donuts

(a Packard family Halloween tradition)

2 t shortening, melted
3/4 c sugar
2 well-beaten eggs
3/4 c milk
3 1/2 c flour
1 t salt
5 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Mix in milk. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Roll out to 3/8" thickness and cut out. Let rest 15 minutes. Fry at 375 degrees.

Grandma Harland is the grandmother of Mom's best friend Kathy McPherson.