Favorite, ‘boy-tested’ recipes

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/search?query=baking+with+boys -- an article about a father baking with his boys

http://www.cookingforboys.com -- great site by Suzanne Osmond, wife of Alan Osmond of the famous Osmonds. Mother to 8 boys and now 11 grandchildren.

Some of my boys' favorite recipes:

Slow-cooked cube steak

• 7 or 8 pieces of cube steak
• 2 jars of Heinz Savory Beef gravy (or similar)
• 1 can of French Onion Soup

brown steak on stovetop (don’t cook, just brown) and place in pan. Pour gravy and soup over meat. Cover with aluminum foil and cook at 250 degrees for two to two and a half hours. Serve with rice, green beans. Can also cook in Crock Pot.

Chicken Casserole

• One pack Pepperidge Farm herb dressing mix
• One can cream of chicken soup (add a bit more if you want)
• ¾ c. evaporated milk
• 5 chicken breasts, cut and cubed

Boil chicken breasts (save broth). Cut up chicken and layer on bottom of pan. Mix soup and milk and pour over chicken. Mix dressing/stuffing with broth from cooked chicken so it will stick together; put on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Chicken Tetrazzini

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
• ½ lb. Fresh mushrooms (optional)
• ½ cup. Butter or margarine
• 3 c. cooked diced chicken breast
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 1 (16 oz.) carton of sour cream
• 1 ½ c. shredded cheese, divided

Set aside ½ of the cheese. Mix everything else together and pour into casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Asparagus/Garden Pea Casserole (actually, my middle son likes it, but my oldest one doesn’t – he’s a plain green beans person)

• One can of asparagus spears
• One large can of garden peas
• One can of cream of mushroom soup
• ¼ cup milk
• 10-12 saltine crackers
• butter
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Drain one can of asparagus and put in bottom of 13 x 9 dish. Drain one can of peas and pour over asparagus. Mix one can of cream of mushroom soup wit milk and pour over peas. Crumbel crackers over this and dot with butter and ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 until lightly browned.

Chocolate Butterscotch Rice Krispie Squares

• ¾ cup light Karo syrup
• ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
• ½ box (13 oz. box) of Rice Krispies
• one 12 oz. pkg. of chocolate chips
• one 12 ox. Pkg. butterscotch chips
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix syrup and sugar; cook over medium heat until clear, about 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Do not overcook. Remove from heat; add peanut butter, vanilla, and Rice Krispies. Mix and press into pan with wet spatula. Heat both packages of chips in double boiler (or one pot with water on bottom and smaller pot with chips placed over the bigger pot on bottom) until melted and smooth. Spread over the mixture in pan. Cool and cut into squares.

Sweet Potato Pie

• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (cooked)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 (3 oz.) pkg. vanilla instant pudding
• 1 tsp. Apple pie spice
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 3 eggs, beaten

Mix and pour into 2 deep dish pie shells. Cook at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Chocolate Éclair Dessert

• One small box of instant vanilla pudding
• One small box of instant French vanilla pudding
• 3 cups of milk
• 8 oz. of Cool Whip
• Whole plain graham crackers
• One can milk chocolate frosting (Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines – sometimes I buy two so I have extra to cover all of crackers)

Put one layer of graham crackers in 13 x 9 dish. Mix two boxes of pudding with 3 cups of milk with mixer. Fold in Cool Whip. Place on top of graham crackers and smooth it out. Then add another layer of graham crackers. Put frosting on top and smooth. Refrigerate.