Yummy Vegetable Casserole that Kids Love

My family consists of picky eaters and I have to hide their vegetables in chocolate zucchini cake or conceal in cheese to get them to eat any nutritious foods.  So when I found one of my mother’s recipes for a cheesy vegetable casserole for adults I knew I could modify it and make it more appealing for kids.

Cheesy casserole for kids, ready to bake

This comfort food casserole is perfect for holiday gatherings; Thanksgiving and or Christmas and a good choice for an open house or anytime when you want a hearty casserole that tastes like comfort food.

This recipe is so yummy and your kids will want a second helping; they will think it is good and will never know that it is made with vegetables.

You will need the following ingredients: 

1. 10 ounce package of frozen mixed chopped vegetables; peas, carrots, string beans and corn are a good mix.
2. 1-1/2 cups of Velveeta cheese
3. 1 can cream of cream of mushroom soup (do not dilute)
4. ½ cup PET evaporated milk
5. Can of French fried onion rings
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Here is the recipe:

1. You will need a two quart baking dish or glass casserole to make this vegetable recipe. Grease the pan with extra virgin olive oil.
2. Cut up the Velveeta cheese and put in a microwave safe bowl.  Melt in the microwave.
3. In a large mixing bowl add the frozen mixed vegetables, salt and pepper mushroom soup, evaporated milk and 1 cup of the cheese. 
4. Mix all of the ingredients together.  Pour into your baking dish.  
5. Top with the remaining cheese and then the French Fried Onion Rings.
6. Bake 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Balls - Candy Recipe

This scrumptious chocolate candy recipe is from my mom’s recipe book.  In the autumn season a few weeks before Thanksgiving my mother would start to make an assortment of sweets.  She would fill up decorative holiday tins with chocolate candies and set them aside. These candy tins would then be handed out to coworker, neighbors and friends as seasonal gifts of care and to say thank you.  

Chocolate candy is always well received when you add to a dessert tray at an autumn open house.  These nutty chocolate balls also make a nice afternoon snack with a cold glass of milk

You will need:

1 cup of semisweet chocolate morsels

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg

1 cup sifted powder sugar

½ teaspoon of vanilla

½ cup flaked coconut for recipe

½ cup flaked coconut for garnish

½ cup chopped peanuts

Instructions for chocolate peanut balls

  Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

In a heavy medium sized saucepan melt the chocolate and the butter, heat at low.  Stir the chocolate sauce so that it does not burn.  When the chocolate is melted remove the pan from the heat and let it set until it is warm to the touch but not hot.

Using an electric mixer beat the egg into the chocolate until the batter is smooth.  Add the sifted powder sugar and fold into the chocolate mixture with spoon.   

Add the vanilla and mix into the batter. Stir in the coconut and the peanuts.  Using a spoon mix all of the ingredients well.

Chill the chocolate candy mixture in the refrigerator for one hour.  Take a teaspoon of the candy mixer and using your hands roll the candy into a one inch ball. 

Add ½ cup of flaked coconut to a zip lock bag.  Set the rolled chocolate candy ball in the bag of coconut and gently toss.  Garnish the outside of the nutty candy ball with the flaked coconut.

Set the candy ball on a baking sheet. Refrigerate the chocolate peanut balls for one hour before serving.  This recipe makes 30 pieces of candy.

Tips:

This is an easy recipe that you can make with your children.  Candy making is a fun activity for a cool autumn day.

Store candy in an air-tight container in a cool dry place and it will keep for several weeks.

Learn how to melt chocolate by viewing this YouTube video:

 Other chocolate and peanut candy recipes:

Chocolate and Pecan Turtle Candy Recipe

When the autumn weather starts to turn cool I start to think about baking and making candy for the upcoming holiday parties.  I like to make cookies, fudge and chocolate turtle candy.  

When I was a child my mother showed me how to make the chocolate pecan turtles and I would make the candy for my friends at school.  Everyone loves the chocolate and pecan candy and always asked me for the recipe.  

Share this recipe with your children and make candy today.  I know you and your family will think the candy is delicious. 

Recipe:

Gather your ingredients for chocolate turtles

1 14-ounce bag of vanilla and chocolate caramels

½ cup of butter

2 cups of pecan halves

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

2 cookie sheets that are covered with wax paper

Heavy medium sized sauce pan

Instructions:

Step 1

Remove the plastic wrappers from all of the caramels and put them in a heavy saucepan. Heat the pan at low and cook the caramels with the butter.  Stir as the camels and butter melts.

Step 2

Set 4 of the pecans grouped together on the wax paper.  Make up 36 groupings of the pecan halves.  These grouping should be spaced two inches apart.

Step 3

Drop the Caramel mixture by the teaspoonful over the pecans and let cool on the wax paper. The candy cluster is cooled when the caramel is firm.

Step 4

For the top part of the candy you will need to melt the chocolate.  (See video bellow)

Spread the melted chocolate over the caramel and pecan candy.  Set the cookie sheets of the chocolate turtle candies in the refrigerator to chill until the chocolate is firm.   Remove the candy from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.  This recipe makes 36 candies.

Learn how to melt chocolate by viewing this YouTube video:

Chewy Chocolate Walnut Cookie Recipe

When it comes to comfort food many people will reach for chocolate cookies.  There is nothing better than an oven baked  chocolate walnut cookie that melts in your mouth. They taste great when eaten when they are freshly baked and they are just as good served cold with a glass of milk. 

This cookie recipe is quick and easy to make and are the perfect treat for your family after a day in the park or working in the yard.  Serve this cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and your family’s cravings will be satisfied. 

My mother was a baker and as soon as the weather started to turn cool in the autumn season she would bake cookies for mid-day snacks.  I always looked forward to the chewy chocolate walnut cookies and recall thinking about them on way home from school.  Sometimes I would eat the cookies when they came out of the oven, other times they were served at room temperature. It didn't matter these cookies were always mmm good.

Brownie Chunk Cookies with Walnuts

Gather your ingredients for chocolate walnut cookie.

One Package of brownie mix (23-2/3 ounce

2 large eggs

1/3 Cup vegetable oil

6 ounces of semisweet chocolate morsels

½ cup of chopped walnuts

Pam baking spray with flour

Mixing bowl

Electric mixer

Teaspoon

Cookie Sheet

Cooling wire rack

Food storage container or cookie jar

Melted Chocolate  (optional)

Make this cookie recipe for the upcoming school week and you will have six dozen cookies to serve to your children and their friends for an after school snack. 

Recipe Instructions

1. Put your oven rack in the center and heat oven at 350F
2. Put the brownie mix, eggs and the oil to the mixing bowl and mix well with electric mixer.  Blend until batter is smooth with no brownie mix lumps.  Turn off the mixer and set it aside.  Add the chocolate morsels and the chopped walnuts and fold them into the batter. 
3. Spray Pam with flour onto the baking sheet to prevent cookies from sticking.
4. Use a teaspoon to measure out the cookie size.  Drop the rounded teaspoonful of cookie batter onto the cookie sheet.  Space the cookies two and half inches apart.
5. Bake the chocolate brownie cookies at for 12 minutes.  Before removing from the oven insert a toothpick into the center of the cookie.  Remove the toothpick and if there is not batter then cookies are done.
6. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool the cookies.

Delicious Dessert Ideas

For a special treat melt milk chocolate morsels in a double boiler.  When the chocolate is completely melted dip one ½ of the cookies into the chocolate and the set on wax paper to cool.

Serve this cookie as a delicious parfait dessert.  Crumble cookie and put at the bottom of a parfait glass.  Next add a scoop of frozen vanilla ice-cream.  Then add another crumbled cookie, top again with ice cream.  Garnish the parfait with drizzled chocolate sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. Your family will wipe the parfait glass clean.

Here is a YouTube recipe for No-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies.   They sure look good!