Meal Planning with Connie

Line pan with foil leaving about a 2" overhang. Using foil, lift treats from pan. Cut into pieces and serve! No Bake Graham Cracker Fudge Squares These little bars are a great way to make an easy treat without heating the kitchen! We like them chilled. No Bake Graham Cracker Fudge Squares 1 stick butter 1 egg, at room temperature ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheets) ½ cup chopped pecans and/or ½ cup coconut Line an 8x8-inch dish with foil. Spray foil well with cooking spray. In a large sauce pan, melt butter; cool until only slightly warm. Beat egg well. Add beaten egg to cooled butter whisking briskly to incorporate well. Stir in brown sugar. Return sauce pan to stovetop and bring mixture to a boil, cooking for one minute while whisking continuously. Remove from heat and quickly add cracker crumbs and nuts. Press mixture immediately into prepared foil-lined pan. Chill until firm and top with Fudge Frosting. F...

Yesterday was the official end of the 2009-2010 school year for our family, as the kids took the last of their finals. I made these cookies for Logan to carry to a post-exams get-together. He said they were well received! Many thanks to the Morris family for opening their lake home to the kids! Maple Brown Sugar Cookies The maple syrup gives these treats an interesting flavor. The texture is a bit complex too, with crispy edges and soft, chewy centers.  Maple Brown Sugar Cookies 2 1/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 sticks softened butter 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon maple syrup 2 cups all-purpose flour Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat cookie sheets with cooking spray. Cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs, vanilla extract and maple syrup to creamed mixture; blend well. Gradually add flour, mixing well. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans, spacing them several inches apart, as this dough really spreads when ba...

B acon Spaghetti Casserole I made this dish last night for supper. It got thumbs up from all. The bacon adds a nice twist to this baked spaghetti dish. In a hurry? Skip the baking step; plate noodles, top with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bacon Spaghetti Casserole 8-ounces dried spaghetti, cooked according to package directions 8 slices bacon, chopped 1 pound ground beef 1 small onion, chopped 1 small green pepper, chopped 1 (26.5 to 32-ounce) container spaghetti sauce 1 cup shredded cheddar or Italian cheese blend Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, crumble and set aside. Pour bacon grease from pan, but leave bacon bits and residue. Brown meat, onion and pepper in pan where bacon was cooked; drain when done. Return cooked beef mixture to skillet; add spaghetti sauce and bacon. Simmer ten minutes. Pour sauce over cooked spaghetti noodles, tossing to coat well. Spoon mixture into pr...

Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake This cake is fairly quick to make and is very yummy!  It got good reviews at Sunday school and at home! I love peanut butter! My favorite is Jif Extra Crunchy! I like "natural" peanut butter, too! Larry was the first (and almost only) person I ever met who didn't like peanut butter. I didn't realize a person couldn't like peanut butter!! He said it wasn't that he didn't like peanut butter, he just didn't like it  in things - like cookies. After more than 25 years, I've pretty much changed that, although he'll still say something peanut butter flavored isn't his favorite! I guess I've still got some work to do! ;) He did brag on this cake, though! I hope you all have a wonderful week! We will finish our school work this week, so we're pretty excited about that. Summer Break is just around the corner! Many blessings to all! Did you know that p eanuts are not actually nuts? They are legumes, like be...

Weighing In... Congrats to susieloulou for losing 1 pound this week!! Way to go!! I also lost 1 pound this week.  It's Finger-lickin' Good Recipes Friday!! Many thanks to Mub , Heather , and Susieloulou for participating last week! My buddy, Emily, at Marvelous Recipes has a great Tyson Giveaway going on. Be sure to register to win 5 coupons for Tyson products! You'll find tons of great recipes at Emily's site, too! Got a great recipe to share this week? Link it by clicking on the InLinz button below. You can also add it in the comment sections or email it to me at: mealplanwithconnie@att.net If you like (it's not "required"), you can add a link back to this page so your readers can join in our little recipe exchange, too!  This recipe has been around forever and has many variations. Larry's mom used to make these quite often. I made a batch for Sunday school this past Sunday, and they were well received! Peanut Butter Cereal Bars Peanut ...

National Police Week May 9th - 15th Be sure to express your gratitude to your local police department with a card, a phone call, or a plate of goodies! Chunky Cashew Congo Bars I f you're not from the South, you might be wondering - “What are Congo Bars?”Well, they have absolutely nothing to do with Central Africa, where according to my brief research, wheat cannot be grown. Since flour can’t be produced there, the Congo region has no tradition of baked desserts such as cakes, cookies or Congo Bars. Interestingly, it seems that most of the African continent has little to no tradition of sweet desserts. Congo Bars are a popular dessert in the southeastern United States, where we have created a million versions of this delectable treat. They are also known as Blonde Brownies or Blondies. Congo Bars are basically brownies without cocoa powder. They can be made with or without chopped nuts. Our nut of choice is, of course, the pecan. Walnuts will do, too. Because most So...

I found this yummy recipe at Me and My Pink Mixer . I knew when I saw it, it would be a winner with the “Lost Crew.” Sure enough, it was hit! I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday! God bless! Notes: Be sure to watch these closely. I slightly over baked mine by about 2 -3 minutes. The next time I make these, I will take them out while a few crumbs still stick to the toothpick. The frosting is just as yummy as the cookie part of this recipe, but I do think these bars would be great plain, too. When pressed for time, canned frosting will provide a quicker, easier option. A few drops of food coloring could be added to the frosting for a pretty, colored icing. Allowing the frosting to dry just a bit before adding the sprinkles will help prevent the sprinkles melting and "staining" the frosting. I think this would make a great decorated cookie for a birthday party or other occasion. Line the baking sheet with foil, leaving a 2-inch overlap of foil. Coat the foil w...