Kansas Dust Bowl perfect snack in just a shake or two

There are many names for this addictive snack (most insinuate it is a staple for Snoopy the Dog) but nonetheless it’s simple to make and most people like it. My friend Mandi makes this confection all the time; she graciously shared her recipe for the blog. For our purposes, let’s call it a Kansas Dust Bowl.

Ingredients:
9 Cups of Rice Cereal
1 cup Semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup butter/margarnie
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (Add more as need demands)

Directions:
In a large bowl, measure cereal and set aside. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Get ready for some spaghetti

This is probably my most favorite comfort food on the planet. My mom makes it for me almost every time I’m back home. Needless to say, it doesn’t last very long in our fridge. As far as preparation is concerned, it’s super easy and almost impossible to mess up.

Ingredients:
1 pound of hamburger meat
1 table spoon of garlic powder
1 table spoon of pepper
1 can of spaghetti sauce
1-2 packages of spaghetti noodles

Start by browning the hamburger, and as it browns add the garlic powder and pepper to the the meat in a sauce pan.  After the meat has browned properly, drain any excess grease from the pan. Add the spaghetti sauce to the pan and let it simmer for a short while.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. (To get it to boil faster, sprinkle some salt into the water.) Next add the spaghetti noodles to the water and allow them to cook.
Once they are cooked, drain the water from the pot. Serve the spaghetti noodles with the meat sauce.
This should serve 10-12 people.

Leftover cake mix? Make Cake Mix Cookies!

Here’s a recipe that is easy to make and great for customization. It’s also a great way to clear out a pantry if there happens to be random cake mix needing to get used.
Ingredients needed:
1 box of cake mix of virtually any variety
2 eggs
1 stick of butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl soften or melt butter; add eggs and beat slightly. Add cake mix to bowl and mix until batter stiffens.
On a cookie sheet place evenly spaced spoonfuls of the batter. The batter should produce about 3 to four dozen cookies.
Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.
Additional ingredients, such as powdered sugar and mixed nuts, can be added to this recipe at the baker’s discretion.

Milkshake floats: like a root beer float minus the root beer

This is a really simple twist on a classic dessert, and can be customized to just about any personal taste. It goes great as a capstone to almost any meal.

Ingredients needed:

About five liberal scoops of ice cream
3 cups of Milk
Another two scoops per serving

Start by making the initial milk shake in a blender. I recommend a blender with a milkshake setting if at all possible. The desirable consistency is not nearly as thick as a typical milk shake because that would conflict with the addition of extra ice cream. Place several scoops of ice cream of another flavor or variety into serving glasses. Finally, pour the milk shake mixture into the serving glasses. Serve chilled.

This recipe serves 5 to 6 people.

Top Secret Tacos Worth Sharing

For my family tacos have always been a reason to get together, despite having nothing to celebrate. Just the smell of these tacos cooking can take me back to the memories of grandparent’s houses loaded with all kinds of relatives and family friends. It’s definitely a part of my childhood that I cherish.
Having said that, these are labor-intensive and not to be attempted by anyone with low patience. People ask my mom and grandma for the recipe all the time; my mom rarely gives it out because she thinks it is hard to articulate the process.

As I see it, it all starts with the beef.

Brown 2 pounds of ground beef then add:
1/2 cup Heinz 57 sauce
1/3 cup Worcestershire
1/2 Tbs onion powder
1/2 Tbs garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Next comes the corn shell. There is definitely an art to frying these shells. In hot vegetable oil, place a single shell in the vat. Next, use tongs to shape the shell into an almost “C” like shape. Fry the shells until they are stiff. This can be the most difficult part of preparing the tacos. Make sure to have some practice shells ready and in case the first couple do not turn out in the desired “C” shape.

Fill the shells with meat then top with the following ingredients at your own discretion:
one head of finely chopped lettuce
1/2 cup chop onion
2 tomatoes diced
2 cups 4 cheese Mexican cheese

Use a toothpick to hold the tacos together once stuffed.

Finally, bake the stuffed tacos in an oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Serve with fresh made salsa.

These tacos are a family tradition. I might be in deep trouble for sharing the recipe, but they’re too good not to share.

The perfect pancake can be achieved, use a homemade mix

I love breakfast; more importantly, I love breakfast food. There’s something to be said about getting up early and making a good breakfast. Maybe I’m biased since I’m a morning person, but the great thing about the typical breakfast is that it is fast and easy to make.

When it comes to breakfast, pancakes are my specialty. While yes, they are easy to make, after living three years in a scholarship house I’ve seen some messed up looking cakes or, in those cases, crackers.

To prevent a case of the pancrackers from happening to you I suggest you make up a large batch of pancake mix that you can use multiple times and add the wet ingredients depending on your needs.

Dry Pancake mix:

4 cups flour

3 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder

2 half teaspoons of salt

3 tablespoons of white sugar

This mix should last you at least several batches. Store in a dry container.

Wet ingredients:

3 cups of milk

2-3 eggs

3/4 cup of oil/melted butter

This will make about 20 pancakes. Adjust to your needs. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry mix until smooth. So when it comes to actually cooking the pancakes – and I cannot stress this enough – there are only two things you need to do: grease the griddle and wait to flip the cake until most of the bubbles in the pancake have seeped to the top and popped. Give the cake another minute or so on the opposite side and serve. It may take less than a minute to reach the golden-brown color you desire, so use your best judgment.

Mix it up and change the recipe sometimes

By Tim Schrag

Whenever I cook with friends or with my housemates there’s always been one thing that has really bothered me: most of them seem very scared to drift away from what a recipe calls for. This can usually result in two things – bland tasting food or in the case of Smith Scholarship House, way too many onions in a dish.

Personally, I think recipes are more of a suggestion, not something you should live and die by unless cooking isn’t a strong suit. Then, whatever you do, don’t deviate; if you do you’ll end up confused, angry and more than likely still hungry.

Deviation allows for personal ownership of a dish. How do you think new dishes are created? They don’t just come flying out Paula Deen’s mouth. They come from experimentation. So go ahead and try something new. Try out a new spice, use a different vegetable, or try a different type of meat.

If you’re unsure about how to start, take baby steps. Leave out an ingredient – let’s say onions – or replace them with something similar like garlic or scallions.

Deviation from a recipe can also help you combat a limited amount of supplies. A couple weeks ago I changed a recipe to account for the fact that I had no way of getting pepper for a chicken and pasta dish. I replaced the peppers with broccoli and tomatoes. I know it was a success because people went back for seconds, which is really the desired effect after all, isn’t it?

Another great thing you can do to improve a recipe is ask friends for suggestions. They’ll probably give them to you whether you want them or not, so why not beat them to the punch?

I’ve found that some of the best kitchen creations happen when people collaborate in the kitchen.

The moral of this story is to try new things and, if you live in Smith House, stop using so many onions.