Mint Oreo Truffles.

What you need;
- 1 package of Mint Oreos
- 8oz cream cheese
- Melting chocolate (I used chocolate chips and vanilla flavored almond bark with a splash of green food dye)

What to do;
- Put your Oreos into a food processor (the wafers, including the mint filling) and blend until your cookies are in crumbs.
- Mix your crumbs and the 8oz of cream cheese together (I used an electric mixer) until your mixture is smooth. Then refrigerate for up to 30min.
- Remove the from the fridge and scoop out 30-35 tablespoon sized balls, then freeze until firm (about 1 hour).
- Melt your chocolate chips and/ or almond bark (I used a double-boiler for the chocolate chips and did only a few squares of almond bark in the microwave at a time, as it is easier to coat when it's warm).
- Dip each ball with a fork (I kept the balls in the freezer and took them out to dip one at a time.. it is much harder to dip and coat when the balls begin to unfreeze). Let the chocolate harden and keep refrigerated.

Dutch Apple Pie with a Cinnamon Roll crust.

What you need;
For the crust.
- Refrigerated pie crust
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Egg wash

For the pie.
- At least 12 small- to medium sized apples (I mixed Gala with Granny Smith) to equal 7- to 8 cups peeled, cored and thinly sliced apples
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Sugar (granulated, to sprinkle)

For the icing (not necessary, but yummy)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I added a 'bit' more than the recommended amount)
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Other random stuff.
- Mixing bowl
- Sharp knives (to peel/ and cut your apples)
- Glass pie plate

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What to do;
- Lightly flour a clean surface to place your unrolled pie crust on. Brush the entire surface of the crust with butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Tightly roll it back up, then slice into rounds (about 1/2 in. width).

- Place (what will look like) mini cinnamon rolls into the bottom and sides of your glass pie plate. Gently press them together while making sure you haven't left any cracks. Lightly brush some of your egg wash onto the crust.

- In your mixing bowl, combine the butter, flour and brown sugar into crumbles (you can use your fingers). Put your sliced apples in the center of the crust and sprinkle the crumbles over top of the mound. 

- Bake in a 400 F preheated oven until the filling is bubbling and the top crust is a golden brown (about 40-45 minutes is what is recommended, however I checked at 35 minutes and mine was golden and bubbly). If you are worried about your top crust getting too dark, put some foil over it. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack.

- If you are going to add the icing; whisk together (in a small bowl) the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and milk to form icing (to reach desired consistency, add more milk or sugar). Pipe on the icing in a swirl on the fully cooled pie.

- Plate. Add ice cream! Enjoy!

American flag cake.

I've been really busy spending time with my family. I'm sorry I've been slacking, lol.

What you need;
- White cake mixes
- Blue and red food coloring
- 2 cans of white icing
- 9in. circle pan (I use aluminum foil in the pan with the spray butter for an easier and cleaner way to get the cake out of the pan)

What to do;
- Mix your cakes according to the directions you have. Add the food dye to 'your' desired color of red and blue. (I used a box of blue velvet, a box of red velvet, and a box of french vanilla cake mix to make it easier)
- For each circle, I used 3 heaping scoops of a 1/4c measuring cup. But for the blue I doubled it and used 6 heaping scoops of the same measuring cup.
- You will end up with 3 red, 1 double blue, and 2 white cakes.
- With the measurement of your cake pan in mind, draw and cut out a circle that is 1 1/2 - 2in from the edge of the cake.
- After your cakes have cooled completely on a cooling rack, (you may also place them in the fridge for 30min- 1hr) cut the tops of the cakes to make them flat and even. Remember that the blue cake circle is double, so stack the red cake circle and the white cake circle that you will be using for your smaller circles on top of each other to see how tall your blue circle needs to be. Then begin cutting the circles from the stencil that you made.
- As seen in the picture below, you will have 2 full red cake circles and 1 small red cake circle. 1 outer ring of your double blue cake circle. 1 full white cake circle and 1 small white cake circle.

- Begin your assembly process.

- Start with a full red,

- ice the top of your red,

- then add your full white,

- ice the top of your white,

- then add your last full red,

- ice the top of your last red,

- (make sure your small white and small red fit into the center of your blue before you do the next steps)

- then carefully add your blue outer edge

- then add your little small white circle,

- ice the top of your small white circle,

- then add your small red circle.

- Frost the rest of your cake (I placed my cake in the fridge for 30min before I frosted the rest of my cake. If you find that the cake is breaking/ ripping while you are frosting, place it in the fridge)

-Enjoy!

Spaghetti sauce.

What you need;
- 3-4 cans of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
- 4 cloves of garlic minced (or 3 tsp pre minced in a jar)
- 3- 5 Tbsp dried basil
- 1- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp sugar (optional; be sure to read the notes I have left after the picture)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or similar Italian cheeses (Romano, Mozzarella)

What to do;
- In a 5 qt. pot, over medium heat, add your minced garlic. Heat for a minute or two (making sure not to burn it)
- Add the crushed tomatoes, black pepper, basil (and sugar). Stir often and bring to a low boil
- After you've reached a low boil, reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2- 3 hours (leave your pot uncovered for the first half of your simmer time, then cover the second half)
- Stir the cheese in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes

Notes**
- My mom doesn't like the sweeter sauce so I leave out the sugar and only add it to certain dishes, but if you know your whole 'feeding' crowd likes/ will like sweeter sauce, give the full Tbsp a whirl
- I split my sauce between 3- 4 dishes (as it is the equivalent to 4- 5 jars of sauce). I freeze all but the one dish serving's worth of sauce, so I don't add the meat (hamburger, turkey, chicken) or veggies (peppers (green, yellow, red), mushrooms, onions.

Ceviche.

What you need;
- 1 large (I use white) onion, diced
- 6- 7 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 bundles of cilantro
- A nice heaping handful of cumin
- Garlic (pre diced in a jar)
- The juice of 4 good sized limes (our store didn't have many good limes, so we subbed for 2 lemons and 2 limes)
- 1- 2 bags of frozen shrimp (try to find the ones with the tails already removed so it's less work for you), thawed and cleaned

What to do;
- After you have diced your onion, tomatoes, and cilantro; put them in a large bowl and stir around to make sure you have an equal amount of colors

- Add your garlic (it is mostly by taste, but start out with a couple spoonfuls). Then add your cumin (my great aunt taught me this recipe, and according to her measurements 'if you think you have enough cumin, you don't... add more!')
- Add your shrimp to the bowl
- Slice your limes in half, squeeze the lime halves (the juice 'cooks' the shrimp)
- Stir, cover, and allow it to chill in your fridge

How to bake your chips;
- (1 tortilla makes 8 chips) Place your triangles on a greased cookie sheet, lightly spray each with a spray oil (we have butter flavor on hand in our cupboard at all times), sprinkle garlic salt/ plain salt over each triangle
- Bake in a 350 degree, preheated oven, for 6- 7 minutes (oven temps and times may vary. Our old oven was set at 325 degrees and we cooked them for 5 minutes, so test it out. You know your oven)

- Take out and stir your salsa, enjoy!

Strawberry Margarita Shooters.

What you need;
- 1 cup water
- 25-30 clean strawberries
- 8oz tequila (most jello shooters call for 8oz, but I actually use a chill 4oz alcohol and 4oz water mix)
- 1 box strawberry jello

What to do;
- Cut the tops off of your strawberries. Use either a melon baller or a paring knife to hollow out the center. Cut the bottom, squaring it to stand upright on a flat surface.
- Boil 1 cup of water. Once it comes to a boil, take it off the heat and whisk your boxed jello mix until dissolved
- Pour in your 8oz of chill tequila/ or 4oz tequila and 4oz water mix (TIP: when I know I am going to be making jello shots, I stick the alcohol (vodka, tequila) in the freezer the night before so I don't have to use ice to make it freezing cold)
- Carefully pour your boozy jello into your strawberry cups
- Let sit until the jello forms, enjoy!

Fried 'Oreo Crusted' Ice Cream.

What you need;
- 1 pint of vanilla ice cream (enough for 4 servings)
- Oreo cookies (filling removed, wafer crushed)
- 2 egg whites

What to do;
- Line a muffin tin with aluminum foil, scoop out and ball your 4 ice cream servings into the holes, then cover and place the tin in the freezer for an hour
- Get your oreo crumbs and egg whites (beat until foamy) ready while you are waiting for your refrozen scoops. Place each in a shallow dish
- Dunk your firm ice cream balls into your egg whites, then roll them in the cookie crumbs. Refreeze for 2 1/2- 3 hours. Repeat this step if necessary
- Heat oil to 375 in a deep fryer or a heavy saucepan
- Using your basket or slotted, metal spatula, dip and hold your crusted ice cream balls into the hot oil for 15 seconds. Quickly move each one onto paper towels to drain the excess oil
- Serve immediately with chocolate sauce drizzled overtop

Lime Margarita Shooters.

What you need;
- 1 cup water
- 6 small limes/ 4 large limes
- 8oz tequila (most jello shooters call for 8oz, but I actually use a chill 4oz alcohol and 4oz water mix)
- 1 box lime jello

(EDIT)- After making these, and trying them, the next time I make them I would sub the water for a sweetened lime juice.

What to do;
- Cut your limes in half. Hollow them out by juicing them, flipping them inside-out, then finally pulling the lime from the peel

- Boil 1 cup of water. Once it comes to a boil, take it off the heat and whisk your boxed jello mix until dissolved
- Pour in your 8oz of chill tequila/ or 4oz tequila and 4oz water mix (TIP: when I know I am going to be making jello shots, I stick the alcohol (vodka, tequila) in the freezer the night before so I don't have to use ice to make it freezing cold)
- Carefully pour your boozy jello into your lime cups (like the picture shows above, I found it easiest to put the hollowed out lime peels into a muffin tin so they don't tip over and spill out the liquid)
- Let sit until the jello forms, enjoy!

Strawberry and Mango Salsa With Cinnamon Sugar Chips.

What you need;
- 2lb pack of strawberries
- 3 large mangos
- Mint
- Tortilla shells
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture

What to do;
- Dice the strawberries, mangos, and chop the mint
- Put the diced fuit and mint into a chilled bowl. Place the bowl in your fridge
- While you are waiting for your 'salsa' to chill and the juices to form, take out your tortilla shells
- Cut them into 8 equal triangles (we had 5 people eating, so I used the whole pack of 12. Depending on how many people you are feeding, you may need to use more or less, but go off of the 8 'chips' per shell to determine)
- Place your triangles on a greased cookie sheet, lightly spray each with a spray oil (we have butter flavor on hand in our cupboard at all times), sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture over each triangle

- Bake in a 350 degree, preheated oven, for 6- 7 minutes (oven temps and times may vary. Our old oven was set at 325 degrees and we cooked them for 5 minutes, so test it out. You know your oven)
- Take out and stir your salsa, enjoy!

Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread.

What you need;
- Cornbread mix (stuff to make the batter, ex; eggs, milk, etc.)
- 1 can of corn
- 2 cans of diced jalapeno
- A few good handfuls of shredded cheese (I like the Mexican 4 Cheese, or the Pepper Jack)

What to do;
- Make your batter as it says on your box or packet (preheat your oven to the time it says on your box or packet), then add and stir in the corn and jalapeno

- Pour your batter in a well greased pan, add your cheese to top it, and bake
- Enjoy!

Hatching Chick Deviled Eggs.

What you need;
- 12 eggs (I usually hardboil a few extra in case I mess up, and to have extra yolk for the )
- Knife
- Filling supplies (ex; mayo, mustard, garlic/ salt/ garlic salt, pickle juice)
- Plastic baggie (to pipe your filling)
- 24 pieces of peppercorn (2 pieces per egg)

What to do;
- After you have hard boiled and peeled your shell, cut your egg (you will be using the full egg for your 'hatching chicks', so your cut point needs to be 1/3rd on top and 2/3rds on the bottom)

- Carefully take out the yolks and set them aside to make your filling
- Cut little triangles around the rims of the top and the bottom egg whites (keep and set aside 12 of the triangles, color them orange for the beaks) 

- Make your filling, spoon it into a plastic sandwich baggie for easy piping

- Pipe the filling into the bottom egg white (2/3rd egg white), place the other egg white (1/3rd egg white) on top, assemble the face as shown in the picture