Pumpkin Butter

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (unspiced kind)
1/2 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

Combine pumpkin butter and agave in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add spices and salt, let simmer an additional 5 minutes. Keeps in refrigerator for 2 weeks. This is tasty spread for cornbread, zucchini bread, regular toast or pancakes... add some mini chocolate chips yummy! You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans.

Cake Mix Cookies

1 Box Cake Mix - any flavor (Devils Food, White, Spice are fabulous)
1/2 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Egg

Dump it all in a bowl and mix with a fork. It should be the consistency of cookie dough, if it's too dry, add a little more Sweetened Condensed Milk, or a little flour if it's too wet.

Roll into a ball (golf ball size) and roll in sugar, bake 350 for 10-12 minutes. I have found these are best baked on a baking stone if you have it.

Great mix ins:
Devils Food - chocolate chips, reeses pieces, peanut butter chips
White- Chocolate chips
Spice - butterscotch chips

Great recipe when you have a craving for cookies but don't have all the ingredients!

Lion House Chicken

10-12 Boneless,Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Cups Ground Bread Crumbs (Progresso Brand is Best)
4 Cups Favorite Stuffing Mix (I use Pepperidge Farms)
1 Cup Mushrooms sliced (optional)
1 Cup butter melted
1/2 cup honey
2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 Cup Dijon Mustard

Place chicken breast between two pieces of wax paper, pound slightly. Not too much. Lay whole chicken breast flat on greased baking sheet. Coat both sides with breadcrumbs. Follow stuffing instructions from package, with mushrooms (optional) and butter. Place stuffing on one half of each chicken breast, fold over and secure with toothpicks. Bake 375 for 30 minutes.

Sauce: Mix honey, mayonnaise and mustard together in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until warmed through. Top each chicken breast with sauce before serving.

Lion House Rolls

2 Cups Warm Water
2/3 Cup nonfat dry milk (instant)
2 TB. Dry Yeast
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tsp. Salt
1/3 Cup Butter
1 Egg
5-5 1/2 Cups Flour

In a large bowl combine water, milk powder and stir so milk dissolves. Add yeast to this mixture then sugar, salt, butter, egg and 2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed on your mixer until ingredients are wet, turn mixer to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Stop mixer and add 2 more cups of flour and mix on low speed until the ingredients are all wet, then turn your mixer on medium and mix for 2 minutes. The dough will be getting stiff and you may need to remove the bowl from the mixer and mix by hand. Add 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is soft, not overly sticky and smooth. Grease the inside of the bowl with butter. Put dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with Pam so it doesn't stick. Allow to rise in a warm place until double in size. Sprinkle counter with flour and dump dough onto counter. Dough is now ready to roll out and cut into desired shape /size roll. (Do not handle dough too much or rolls will be tough and won't rise properly) Place on greased baking sheet or cake pan. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 hour) Bake in a 375 oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned to your satisfaction. Brush with melted butter while hot.

Apple Bread

3 TB Butter (melted)
3/4 Cup Sugar (or Sucanat)
1 Egg
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Flour
3 Cups Chopped Apples
1/4 Cup Chopped Nuts
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Mix Egg, Sugar, Butter, then add dry ingredients and vanilla, it should be a pretty dry- once you fold in the apples it will look more like a lumpy mess. You may also like to use 1/2 wheat flour. Bake in a loaf pan 350 for 45 minutes.

Nana's Sugar Cookies

Edited from Grandma Larsen's Recipe:

1 Cup Butter - Room temperature (no substitutions)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract (I prefer lemon)
3 1/4 Cups flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

For the Frosting:
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 TB milk (add more if needed)
2 TB light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (i prefer lemon)
food coloring

In a large bowl, combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon extract; beat using an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. In another bowl, combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually stir dry ingredients until well blended. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (silpat and waxed paper do not work - must be parchment paper!) Mix 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup powdered sugar - use this to lightly dust your work surface. Roll dough into about 1/4 inch thickness. cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Use spatula to lift and place on cookie sheet - approx 1 inch apart. Bake 8-10 minutes and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before lifting onto wire rack to cool. Do not let edges of cookie brown.

Frosting; In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, with 2 TB milk. Beat in corn syrup and flavoring extract until icing is smooth and glassy. You do not want it too thin. Put frosting into a plastic bag and cut just the very tip of the corner of the bag off. Squeeze frosting evenly onto the cookie to flood it completely. use the tip of the bag to drag the frosting accross the desired coverage area. It dries fairly quickly, so add any sprinkles immediately or they won't stick. Allow frosting to dry for an hour before stacking cookies on top of each other. place wax or parchment paper in between layers of cookies if you stack them.

Options: This cookie dough freezes well. Baked/unfrosted cookies freeze well too. Freeze them and frost them on another day if you like.

Irva's Pecan Pie

3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans (whole)
(I like alot of pecans - I use about 2 cups)
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs, stir in sugar and flour, then the syrup, butter and vanilla. Fold in pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes; knife inserted in center of pie should come out clean. If the crust is getting too dark - lay a sheet of tin foil across the whole pie.