Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my cooking firiends!!! 

May all your cookies be frosted and your drinks make you merry!!

Breakfast Casserole

Another Pinterest find! Awesome and VERY easy to make!

Breakfast Bake

1 can Crescent Rolls
1 lb cooked breakfast sausage, crumbled
2 c. mozzarella cheese
6 eggs
1 c milk
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Place the Crescent rolls on the bottom of a sprayed pan, then sausage crumbles, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then whip 6 eggs, 1 cup of milk and salt, pepper and garlic powder together. Pour over the top and bake on 425* for 20 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.

Italian Chicken Casserole

I found this recipe on Pinterest and had all the ingredients to make it on hand so I thought I'd give it a try. It was a winner, according to Dave, so I guess it's a keeper!

Italian Chicken Casserole

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 cup Onion, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 3 cups Cooked Chicken, Cubed
• 2 cans Diced Tomatoes With Garlic, Basil, Oregano, 14 Ounce Cans
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 package 3 Ounces Cream Cheese
• 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 8 ounces, weight Angel Hair Pasta, Cooked According To Package Instructions, And Kept Warm

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and cream. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add cream cheese and 1 cup mozzarella cheese; cook, stirring constantly until cheeses are melted. Add the cooked pasta, tossing gently to coat. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese. Bake 30 minutes. 

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

I made this recipe to take to a scrap booking weekend and it was really good. The best thing about this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time and cook it later plus is feed a ton of people!!

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

16 oz spiral pasta, cooked and drained
2 lbs hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
2 15 oz cans pizza sauce
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 c. milk
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 3 1/2 oz pkg sliced pepperoni

Cook the beef and onion, drain and add seasonings. Stir in pizza sauce. In a small
bowl combine the eggs, milk and Parmesan cheese. Toss with the pasta. Put in a
greased 3 quart baking dish. Top with meat mixture, then mozzarella cheese and
pepperoni. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 mins. Uncover and bake for 20-25 mins
until golden brown. Serves 12

Butterscotch Pumpkin Pudding Cookies

I am on a pumpkin roll this year!!! I bought a ton of the Jell-O pumpkin spice pudding mix and I am searching for recipes to use this and I found one. I made these and they are really, really, really good! I came across this recipe on Butter with a side of Bread blog.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Pudding Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 small box Pumpkin Spice Jell-O pudding mix
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup butterscotch morsels

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter, sugar, pudding, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla together. Add the baking soda, flour and salt and mix thoroughly. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer, but a hand mixer or simply a wooden spoon would work well too!

Add in the butterscotch morsels and the nuts. Mix to combine. Those anti-nut fans can leave them out if you'd like.

Scoop 1" rounds of cookie dough onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. My first batch was perfect at 12 minutes, but after the pan was hot, I only cooked the other batches for 10 minutes. These are soft cookies.

Pumpkin Pudding Cake

I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it, took it to word for the guniea pigs to try and they all loved it!!! I think this will be my Thanksgiving dessert this year!!

Pumpkin Pudding Cake

1st Layer:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix {reserve 1 cup after you open it}
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 egg

2nd layer:

• 1 30-oz can Pumpkin Pie Mix {not just pumpkin!}
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs

3rd Layer:

• 1 cup dry yellow cake mix
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix 1st layer ingredients until crumbly and pour in the bottom of the pan. Barely mix the ingredients for the 2nd layer and pour over 1st layer. Mix 3rd layer ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Top with Cool-Whip and a dash of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Homemade Caramel Rolls

My friend Tammy gave me this recipe and it sure is good and very easy! I make this one a lot.

Caramel Rolls

20 frozen dinner rolls
1 stick butter
1 c brown sugar
1 pkg cook and serve butterscotch pudding
touch of milk
Spray a 9x13 pan and place 20 frozen dinner rolls in pan. Melt butter. Add brown sugar,
pudding and mix together. Add a touch of milk to thin out just a little. Pour mixture over
frozen rolls, let rise and bake for 350 degrees for a half hour. Invert pan onto a serving
dish and serve warm.

I do this right before I go to bed and let them rise overnight and I bake them in the
morning and they are fantastic!!!! Just make sure that you do not use instant pudding. I did
that twice and had to throw away two batches!

Cheesy Bread

This bread is AWESOME!! I found it while perusing Pinterest and made this for a girls weekend in Wisconsin and it's not only easy but very, very good and cheesy!

Cheesy Bread

Ingredients

• 8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped green onion (to taste)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp sour cream (optional)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup, 4 ounces), softened to the point of being slightly melted
• 1 to 2 loaves of French or Italian bread (I used Ciabatta), depending on the size of the loaves

Method

1 In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses and the green onion. Stir in the mayonnaise and sour cream. In a separate small bowl blend the butter and garlic until smooth. Add the butter mixture to the cheese mixture.
2 Preheat broiler. Slice loaf of bread in half horizontally, lay crust side down. Spread cheese mixture over the bread. Place under the broiler until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3 Remove from broiler and let sit for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Slice the bread with a bread knife. Serve.
Yield: Makes 30 to 40 slices.

Red Lobster Cheesy Bread

I made this just to see if it would compare to the real Red Lobster biscuits but there isn't any comparrison, Red Lobster's biscuits are way better but this bread was actually really good and it would be really good with chili! The next time I make this I will add about 3-4 minced garlic cloves as I think that it would be a great addition and add some needed flavor.

Red Lobster Cheesy Bread

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan.

In a bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Carefully stir in cheese cubes until covered in flour mixture. This will help prevent your cheese sinking to the bottom of your loaf of bread.

In a different bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Fold the wet mixture into the flour and cheese mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over stir.  Batter will be thick and sticky. Spread the mixture into the loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and then remove from pan. Allow to cool for one hour before slicing and serving.

Taco Soup

Here's another GREAT Pinterest recipe that I found, made and took to work and everyone loved it!! The best part about this recipe is that you can drain, dump and heat or you can put it in the crock pot and heat it that way!

I made this recipe twice, the first time I couldn't find any green enchilada sauce at the store so I just used the regular sauce and it tasted the same but the color was more red.

Taco Soup

• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (15.25 oz.) can sweet corn, drained
• 1 (12.5 oz.) can white chicken breast, drained
• 1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
• 1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
• 1 packet taco seasoning

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large pot.
2. Heat until warm, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve with tortilla chips or Freetos

Corn Chip Peanut Butter Candy

This is a Pinterest recipe that I tried since I had everything on hand and boy it sure was easy and of course I took it to work for the guinea pigs and they loved it too!!

Corn Chip Peanut Butter Candy

1 package (9.75 to 10.5 ounces) corn chips
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Spread corn ships in a greased 15 in x 10 in by 1 in baking pan.
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil, stirring frequently to help dissolve the sugar.  Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter until smooth. Pour over corn chips.
I thought a drizzle of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips would be a nice touch. However, it really wasn’t necessary.

Fiesta Dip

This is a recipe that one of my friends brought to an scrapbooking weekend and it is fantastic! She served this warm in a small crock pot with tortilla chips and we couldn't stop eating it is so very addicting!

Fiesta Dip

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. container sour cream
11 oz. can sweet yellow and white corn, drained
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 1/2 Tbsp. salsa seasoning mix (I used taco seasoning)
2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
tortilla chips


In a large bowl, mix all ingredients.  Cover; chill at least 24 hours before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Serves 10-12.

Pinterest Party Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Check this table out! Isn't that the cutest thing you have ever seen? In the last post I told you about the scrapbooking weekend I went to where we all had to bring a new recipe found off of Pinterest well my friend Tammy found this idea for the table legs off of there and ran with it!

She went to Walmart and found some very cute striped tights and cut them in half, she put each leg on her table leg and attached it with binder clips at the top of the underside of the table. She had some boots  and put the table legs into the boots so it looks like witches legs! She had a black table cloth and draped that over the table. I brought the cheese balls and she had bought the hat for a table decoration and we just stuck it on top of the conatiner! Isn't that cute??? I thought so!!

Ok now for the recipe. My friend Shelly brought Chicken Tacos as her Pinterest recipe and boy oh boy they are good and VERY easy! I did make these and took them to the guinnea pigs at work to try and everyone loved them!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

1 bag of frozen chicken breasts (6 breasts)
1 16 oz jar of salsa
1 packet taco seasoning

Put the chicken breasts into your crock pot, add packet of taco
seasoning and then pour the salsa over and cook on low for
7 hours. Shred chicken return to crock pot and serve with
tortilla and all the taco fixings! These are also great eaten as
nachos!!!

Garlic Parmesan Pull Apart Bread

I recently went to a scrapbooking weekend where we each had to bring a brand new recipe that we found off of Pinterest so I brought and made Garlic Parmesan Pull Apart Bread. OMG was it easy and oh so good!

Garlic Parmesan Pull Apart Bread

1 tube of grands biscuits
4 tbsp butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and place butter into bundt a sprayed
pan and put in oven while heating to melt. In a large Ziploc baggie add
garlic, Parmesan cheese and seasoning and mix well. Cut biscuits
into quarters and add to bag, toss to coat. Remove pan from oven
add biscuit quarters, sprinkling all remaining cheese, garlic and seasoning
mixture over biscuits. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown.
Turn over onto serving plate and serve hot!

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon Tator Tot Hotdish

Here's another really great recipe that my friend found on Pinterest. This is actually a crock pot recipe but I made mine in the oven and it was fantastic!!! When I made this I didn't have the pepper jack cheese so I used cheddar cheese and it worked out just fine so use whatever you have in your fridge. My friend also modified this recipe and added a can of cream of chicken soup. 

 

 

 

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon Tater Tot Hot Dish

 

1 1/2 (32 ounce) bags tater tots

3 ounce jar bacon bits  

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced small
1 1/2 cups grated Colby cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Monterrey Jack pepper cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper

In a greased 9x13 pan place a single layer of tater tots. Next layer 1/2 of the

bacon bits, 1 1/2 c cheese. Next place all of the raw chicken on 

top of the cheese and salt and pepper it. Next layer the rest of the 

cheese then the rest of the bacon. Mix together the soup and milk, 

pour over everything evenly and top with another single layer of

tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

If you are using a crock pot, spray your crock pot well, layer 

ingredients as listed and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Ranch Pork Chops

This recipe is not only easy but very, very good! One of my co-workers found this on Pinterest, made it and said it was so good. After hearing how easy it was I just had to try it. I did have my reservations as this recipe calls for a lot of ranch seasoning and I thought that it would be very over powering but that isn't the case at all. I also put my chops in the crock pot frozen and it worked out just fine!

Ranch Pork Chops

4-6 pork chops
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg dry ranch dressing
salt, pepper to taste

Put chops into crock pot, salt and pepper. Mix soup
with dressing mix and pour over chops. Cook on low
6-7 hours. If you like a thicker gravy, thicken right
before serving.

Seafood Lasagna

This recipe I got from my friend Tammy in a recipe swap. I LOVE seafood so I couldn't wait to try this and I really, really like it!

Seafood Lasagna

1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp plus 1/2 c butter
1/2 c chicken broth
8 oz bottle clam juice
1 lb. Scallops
1 lb deveined shrimp, raw
2 cans real crab, chopped
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c milk
dash of salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 c whipping cream
1 c shredded Parmesan Cheese,divided
1 pkg. cooked Lasagna noodles

In a large pan saute onion in oil and 2 Tbsp butter. Stir in broth and clam juice.
Bring to a boil. Add the scallops, shrimp and crab and white pepper. Return
to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 4-5 mins. Drain and reserve
liquid. In a sauce pan, melt 1/2 cup butter, add flour and cook until smooth.
Combine milk and the reserved liquids. Gradually add to the flour mixture,
add salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 mins until
thickened. Remove from the heat and add cream and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese.
Stir in 3/4 cup seafood. Spread 1/2 c sauce in a 9x13 sprayed pan. Top with
noodles, 1/2 of the seafood and 1 1/2 c sauce, Repeat layers. Top with
remaining noodles, sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 35-40 mins uncovered.
Let stand for 10 mins before cutting.

Olive Cheese Bread

This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman. I absolutely love to watch her show on the Food channel and have made many recipes of hers and they never fail!

Olive Cheese Bread

1 loaf French bread
6 oz jar of green olives, chopped
6 oz can of black olives, chopped
2 green onion, chopped
1/2 c mayonaise
1 stick softened butter
3/4 lb. shredded Montery Jack cheese

Slice bread into two long halves.
Mix all together and spread onto french bread halves.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 mins.

This can be made into a dip and serve it with crackers or toasted baguettes

Crock Pot Applesauce

I am a total Pinterest junkie and I really think I need help! ha ha I have been finding a TON of great ideas and recipes on there and I found another crock pot recipe for applesauce. I had about 6 apples that were going bad fast and needed something to do with them and I didn't want to heat up the oven since we are having 90 degree weather. I came across this recipe and thought why not try it, I really have nothing to loose. I put all the ingredients in the crock pot, when to bed and in the morning I had some really good applesauce! Plus this is great for Weight Watchers as it only has 1 point per 1/4 cup.

 

8 medium apples (Use a combination of Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, etc.)

1 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler 

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

3 inch cinnamon stick

5 tsp light brown sugar (unpacked) - or agave

1.  Peel, core and chop the apples.

2.  Add the sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and cinnamon stick.

3.  Set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Stir apples occasionally, apples will slowly become a delicious applesauce. Remove cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or if you prefer a chunky sauce, leave sauce intact. (I used a food processor.)

4.  Can and process as you would other recipes or keep refrigerated up to 3 weeks.

I didn't have a cinnamon stick so I just sprinkled some cinnamon in there and I didn't have a lemon so I used and orange peel and it turned out great. I didn't have the best apples for sauce, as they weren't very juicy,
so when I processed them in the processor I added some apple juice to thin it out and it worked great.

I took some of this in to my Guinea pigs at work (co-workers) and they thought it was fantastic!

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Here's a great way to have baked potatoes in the summer without heating up your oven! Why not do them in the crock pot? I have and they worked out great!!

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes 

Scrub your potatoes and dry them off really good and using a fork prick each potato.
Wrap them in foil and put in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high
for 4 hours.

You can make these without the foil, spray your crock pot with cooking spray, rub your
potatoes with a little oil and sprinkle sea salt on top. Cook using the same times.

Taco Macaroni Skillet

My friend Jo made this for her husband and he gave her the thumbs up on it so she copied the recipe and brought it to work for me. Of course I had to make it right away and it was GREAT!!! Not only is it easy it's a one pot dish and no oven required! Thank goodness for the no oven part because the day I made it, it was 90 degrees!!!

Taco Macaroni Skillet

12 oz lean ground beef, I used 1 lb
2 c water
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 pkg taco seasoning
2/3 c evaporated milk
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 1/2 c elbow macaroni noodles

Cook beef in a large skillet that has a lid, stirring frequently until brown,
drain. Stir in water, tomatoes, chilies and taco seasoning. Cook until
mixture comes to a boil. Add pasta and return to a boil. Reduce heat
to low, cover and cook stirring occasionally for 14-16 mins or until
pasta is tender. Stir in evaporated milk. Remove from the heat and
stir in 1/4 c cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cover and let
stand 5-10 mins before serving.

Tex Mex Chicken Salad

Here's another great salad that I took to work and everyone loved it!

Tex Mex Chicken Salad

1 1/4 lbs cooked diced chicken
1/2 c light mayonnaise
1/4 c light sour cream
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 c black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced

Mix all together and let chill for at least an hour.
Serve and Enjoy!
You can use full fat mayo and sour cream if you wish

If you use fat free mayo and sour cream this would make it 6 pts
per 1 cup serving.

Top Secret Recipe!

Have you ever eaten at Stuart Anderson's Cattle Company? If you have you have enjoyed their garlic bread and let me tell you it was the BEST!! I have been craving that garlic bread for some time and came across a recipe for Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Cheesy Garlic Bread and thought Oh my gosh I finally found it! So I set out to make this great recipe, now while this is not the garlic bread that I remember it is awfully good and I thought a keeper! So until I find the true recipe, I will be making this one again, and again!

Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Cheesy Garlic Bread

4 Tbsp finely shredded cheddar cheese
8 Tbsp finely shredded monterey Jack cheese
8 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4 tsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp minced green onion, the white part onlyh
salt to taste
8 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 loaf of French or Italian bread

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mix all the cheeses, parsley, onion and salt to the
cheese blend. In a pan melt the butter over low heat and add the garlic. Be sure
the heat is very low so you don't burn or scorch the garlic. Slice the loaf of bread
in half and brush both sides it with the garlic and butter mixture until completely coated
and butter is all gone. Make sure you add the garlic pieces too. Put the bread on a
baking pan and spread the cheese mixture over. Bake the bread for 8-10 mins or until
the edges begin to turn brown.. You can broil your bread for just a few minutes to
make it crispier. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Crack-tastic Crackers

Here's another great find that I saw on Pinterest. These are horribly addicting and everyone that tried these thought they were fantastic!!!

Crack-Tastic Crackers

1 to 1 1/4 cup canola oil, I used only 1 cup

1 packet Ranch dressing mix

2-3 Tbs. red pepper flakes, I used 1 1/2 Tbsp and it was plenty hot

4 sleeves of Saltine crackers

1) Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl for a good long while (5-10 minutes), to really get the crackers coated. Eat a few if you want.

2) Lay them out on a cookie sheet and drizzle the yummy, ranchy, peppery oil that’s in the bottom of the bowl, over the top of the crackers.  Bake at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring them around about halfway through.

Raspberry Cheese Spread

I found this recipe on a blog called Mish Mash, which is more of a stamping blog then a cooking blog. She had this recipe along with a photo of it and it looked amazing. I copied this photo off of her blog so you could see just how great this really looked. The best part of all it not only looks great but tastes great too!

Now Doesn't that look fabulous? It really is just that good it's a must try!!

Raspberry Cheese Spread

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 c mayo
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 c chopped pecans
1/4 c seedless raspberry preserves

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and mayo until blended. Beat
in the cheeses and onions. Stir in pecans. Spread into a plastic wrap-lined
9 inch round dish. Refrigerate until set, about an 1 hour. Invert onto a
serving plate; spread with preserves. Serve with crackers.

Note: the 1/4 c preserves is a little skimpy go ahead and add more so that
you ensure that each scoop gets some raspberry goodness!

Patsy's Rib Roast

Here's a fool proof way to make Prime Rib! Dave and I had our family over for Christmas and paid $96.00 for a prime rib because we got the great idea to try something new. Well after spending that much money we surely didn't want to ruin this and not be able to eat it. Gloria, a girl that I work with, gave me this recipe and told me that it was fool proof and worked out every time. So being the trusting person I am tried this recipe and it was the BEST Prime Rib I have ever had. The first time you make this you will sit on pins and needles and you will want to open that oven door but heed the warning when it says DO NOT OPEN THAT DOOR do not open the door!!!!! 


Patsy's Rib Roast

Start with a 5 lb roast. Start at 11 am, salt and pepper the roast. Heat the oven to 375 degrees, roast your meat for one hour. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!!!!! After one hour turn off the oven and then at 3 pm turn the oven back on and cook the roast at 300 degrees for 45 mins DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. Take the roast out of the oven immediately, it's done.  I let mine rest for about 7-10 mins to let the juices redistribute.

Put the bones to the bottom of the pan and DO NOT ADD WATER!

Au gratin Potatoes and Ham

I was searching the Internet for something to do with my leftover ham from Christmas and I came across this recipe and it is awesome and easy to make.

Au gratin Potatoes and Ham

1 lb chopped ham

3 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

3 1/4 c milk

1/4 c butter

6 tbsp flour

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese*

4 oz smoked cheddar cheese*

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9x13 pan. Layer ham

and potatoes. In a sauce pan melt butter, add flour and cook 1-2

minutes. Add milk and cook 4-5 minutes until thick, add cheese

mustard and cayenne pepper. Stir over low heat until cheese melts.

Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over potatoes and ham.

Bake uncovered 90 minutes, stirring once or twice so top does not

become too brown.

*I didn't have the sharp cheddar cheese or the smoked cheddar cheese so I used

8 oz of mild cheddar cheese and 4 oz pepper jack cheese. I also didn't have any

cayenne pepper so I used some Siracha (Chinese pepper sauce) I also salted and peppered

each potato layer but be careful, ham is salty so you must go easy with it.

Texas Caviar

Here's a recipe that gets better the longer it sits, so make it a couple of days in advance.

Texas Caviar

1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn
drain, rinse and then add
1 green, red or orange pepper, diced
1-2 seeded, diced jalapeno
2 stalks celery, diced
1 c red onion, diced

In a sauce pan add
1/2 c oil
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar

Cool and pour over mix.

This keeps 2 weeks refrigerated. Server with tostitos
or freetos chips.

Slow Cooker Chicken

Here's a great recipe to make on one of those hot days where you want something that is going to stick to your ribs but you don't have to heat up the oven to get it! This only has three ingredients and is a mix it and forget it recipe. Dave and I both said this is a keeper and will be a go to meal this summer! This also didn't photograph well so you get this photo! :)

Slow Cooker Chicken

4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 pkg. (8 oz.)  cream cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg. italian dressing seasoning (the dried kind in the packet)

rice

Stir the cream cheese, cream of chicken. Spray your crock pot and add your chicken breasts. I added mine frozen, then pour over the sauce. Set your crock pot for 6-8 hours and put it on low and forget about it. After th 6-8 hours remove chicken, shred and return to crock pot. Your chicken should be fall apart tender. Make rice or mashed potatoes and serve chicken over the top. The best way to serve this would be on Puff Pastry Cups, YUM, YUM!!!!! By the way I used light cream cheese and 99% fat free soup and it tasted like it was full fat!

5 Minute Fluffy Yogurt Fruit Salad

I came across this recipe and it sounded so good and refreshing that I just had to try it out and it was amazingly good. I almost felt like I was living in the 50's as this recipe reminds of all of those Jello salads but tastes oh so much better! Now I made mine just a little different then the recipe. I used blueberry yogurt, blueberries and pineapple. I did use light yogurt and cool whip and you will never know that you used anything light. I did take a photo of mine but it didn't photograph very well so I copied the photo on Six Sisters Blog where I found the recipe.

5 Minute Fluffy Yogurt Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) container of Cool-Whip (light or fat free is fine)
2 (6 oz) containers of yogurt- whatever flavor you want (I used Yoplait Orange Creme)
1/2 package of mini marshmallows
Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit that compliments your yogurt flavor (I used 1 can of mandarin oranges and 1 can of pineapple tidbits for this salad)

Directions:

Dump your yogurt into a bowl. Fold in the container of Cool Whip. Mix well. Add marshmallows and fruit. Chill and serve!

Now really, what could be easier? 

Key Lime Bars

For David's birthday we had the family over and had a Mexican celebration since his birthday was only 2 days after Cinco-De-Mayo. Well I had a TON of left over limes and really didn't know what to do with them so I looked on line and came across this one and it's really, really good.

Key Lime Bars

• 2 Cup Graham Crackers, crushed
• 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 Pinch Salt
• 2 14 ounce cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 Pound Key Limes, juice only, about 1/2 Cup, 3 regular limes
• 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
• 1 Large Egg yolk
• 1 Tablespoon lime zest 
• 1 8 oz container of Cool Whip

Crush graham crackers in a food processor until they are well ground. Stir in sugar, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. Combine well. Pat mixture into sprayed 9x13 pan making sure it is smooth and evenly flat.

Bake crust at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Then let cool completely.

Meanwhile, juice key limes and add to other filling ingredients. Stir well.
Pour filling into pan with cooled crust. Bake in a water bath at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
Remove from water bath and let cool completely until the dish is at room temperature, probably 2 hours.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.
Top bars with whipped cream.

Carrot Cake

I recently went to Sam's club and bought a bag of carrots, now you know that there is nothing small  at Sam's club so I think my bag of carrots was about 5 lbs of carrots! Well there is only two of us here and I didn't iknow what to do with all of those carrots so I went recipe hunting on line and came across this recipe from Camden LeeMaster. It was easy and very, very good! I'll be making this one again and again!

Carrot Cake

1 c oil
2 c white sugar
3 eggs, beaten well
2 c carrots, peeled and grated finely
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, un-drained
2 tsp vanilla
3 c flour (you can replace 1 c flour with whole wheat flour for a denser, nuttier taste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oil, sugar, eggs, carrots, pineapple and vanilla until combined.
Mix dry ingredients n a bowl and add slowly to the wet ingredients. To make a 9x13 cake, pour into
a greased 9x12 pan and bake for 45 mins.

To make a 2 layer cake use 2 round pans and bake for 35-40 mins or until a toothpick comes out
clean. If using 2 round pans make sure to really grease or use parchment cut into circles so that your
cake comes out clean. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack.

When the cake has cooled frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c softened butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb (4 cups) powered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar
one cup at a time, scraping the bowl often. Frost the carrot cake.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Bars

The name says it all! These bars are decadent and devilishly good! Try warming them up and serving them with a scoop of ice cream you will not be sorry!!!!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Bars

1 pkg Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 c Fudge Topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting — brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled. Enjoy!!

After re-typing the recipe I noticed that I never added the fudge topping and it worked out just fine. You can make your own cookie dough but I don't like to bake so I took the easy way out! I also used regular Oreos, again, I didn't read that the recipe called for double stuff Oreos.

Pickle Dip Two Ways!

I first had this recipe when my friend Liz brought this in to work and thought "Now why didn't I think about this?" I have struggled making those pickle roll ups for years and not very successful at it I may add. Whoever thought about doing this was BRILLIANT!!!

Pickle Dip

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs ham, diced
2-3 dill pickles, diced
a little dill pickle juice to moisten

Mix all ingredients. Serve with crackers. You can use all light
ingredients.

Here is another version of the Pickle Dip that is really good too!


Mr. Hatfield Pickle Dip

1 c sour cream
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs dried beef, minced
2-3 dill pickle spears, diced
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Black Pepper, garlic powder and season salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve with firm crackers.
You can use all light ingredients with this too.

Olive Pecan Dip

This dip is CRAZY good! My friend Jo brought this to work for a pot luck and everyone loved it.

Olive Pecan Dip

1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 c mayo
2 tbsp olive juice
1 c chopped salad olives
1/2 c chopped pecans

Mix all together and chill. Serve with wheat thins

Jo says that you will want to make a double batch
because every time she has made this she ends up
quickly putting together another batch because it
goes very quickly!!

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken

This is a very quick and easy way to make some delicious chicken. I used low fat mayo when I made this and it turned out very, very good. I will be making this again and again!

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken


4  boneless chicken breast halves
1 c mayo 
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder 

Mix mayo, cheese and seasonings. Spread mixture over 
chicken breast and place in baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees 
for 45 minutes.

I only had canned Parmesan cheese and it worked fine so
use what you have.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

This is FANTASTIC! I have been seeing this dip on Pinterest and it looked really good but I always thought it would be sugar overload. I was right but it is the kind of sugar load you just want to dive in head first.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar until it dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble. Stir in vanilla and set aside to cool.
In a separate bowl, cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar together for 60 seconds. With the mixer on low speed, add in brown sugar and butter mixture, then the salt. Mix until combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Garnish with additional mini chocolate chips. Serve with animal crackers, Nilla wafers, or graham crackers.

Creamy Carrot Soup

Here's another great recipe I found on All Recipes. I did make this recipe into my own I didn't follow the recipe exact. Here's my version and Dave gave it 2 thumbs up and said make it again.

Creamy Carrot Soup

1 1/2 c chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
Cook together until carrots are tender. In a blender or food processor, blend carrots in 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, set aside.
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 shakes red pepper flakes
Melt butter and the flour, basil, parsley and red pepper flakes. Cook just a few minutes.
Add 1 c Half & Half all at once. Cook until mixture bubbles and thickens. Add the carrot puree, and the rest of the chicken broth adding more until the soup is liquid but creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is where the recipe stops but I thought it needed a little more so I added a few shakes of ground ginger and a few shakes of curry powder. You can add as little or as much as you like depending on your taste for these two spices.

Weight Watcher Old Points - 3 pts per cup

Healthy Cabbage Soup

I made this recipe because I had some cabbage and I didn't know what to do with it as I bought it thinking that I had a corned beef in the freezer but I didn't. I found this recipe on All Recipes and I LOVE it! It is easy to make and great tasting too!

Healthy Cabbage Soup

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 quarts water
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

I didn't have Italian-style stewed tomatoes so I used a can of petite diced tomatoes, drained them and added some Italian seasoning, stirred it together and let it sit for a few minutes and it worked just fine. You could add meat such as chicken or ground beef but then you will have to add more points. 
Weight Watcher's old points - 1 point per cup

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

While I have been off of work with foot surgery I have been bored out of my mind so I am turning to cooking and baking. Now baking is not something I do often because I do not like to bake but I had to take some paperwork into my job and I thought I'd bring my friends in some treats. I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it would make a good breakfast treat and I have to say that not only was it easy but everyone really liked it too!



Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 T butter, melted
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 T flour
1 T cinnamon
2/3 cups nuts (optional)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 T milk
1 tsp vanilla

With an electric mixer or stand-up mixer, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in 4 T melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9x13" baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoon and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. Place powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm (we like it straight out of the oven) or at room temperature.

This recipe was found at Six Sisters Stuff blog.

Sherried Tomato Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest and someone pinned it from The Pioneer Woman and let me just say it's FANTASTIC! I had all the ingredients right here at home so I whipped some up. I was really unsure about all the sherry so I added it an 1/8 cup at a time and ended up adding the entire cup. I will be making this a go to recipe! When I served this I added a few of my homemade croutons to the top.

Sherried Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
• 2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
• 3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Cooking Sherry
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Chopped Fresh Basil

Preparation Instructions

Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

Homemade Croutons

I haven't bough croutons for years because they are so very easy to make and very inexpensive too! I get my bread from Wal-Mart in the day old section and I get my loaves for about $.96 cents. One loaf makes a TON of croutons and as you can see by my photo I am not kidding!



Homemade Croutons

Day old bread, what ever you can buy cheap
Olive oil or whatever kind of oil you have
Canned Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Rosemary
Salt & pepper

I eyeball all ingredients. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Add oil to a bowl and add all your seasonings. I do taste this to make sure I like the taste, set aside for flavors to meld. Cut your bread into cubes, whatever size you like. Pour oil mixture over bread cubes, stirring to coat well. Pour onto a cookie sheet and bake, stirring every 15-20 minutes until completely dried. You can top your salads with these, eat them as a snack, (yes they are that good!) and you can also top your cream soups with them.

Poppy Seed Dressing

This has to be the worlds easiest, fastest and the best tasting dressing I have had in a long, long time! I will be making this more often!!! I had bought a big container of fresh spinach from Sam's club and was wanting to make a salad with strawberries, Feta cheese and nuts but didn't have any good dressing to eat it with. I did a search for Poppy Seed Dressing and came across this on the Betty Crocker website. Only 4 ingredients, how could I go wrong?

Poppy Seed Dressing

3/4 c mayo or Miracle Whip, I used mayo
1/3 c sugar
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp poppy seeds

Mix all together and enjoy!

My friend Barb makes chicken salad and for the dressing she uses half mayo and half poppy seed dressing so there's another idea for you to use the leftovers with.

Double Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it comes from a blog called Closet Cooking. I made this and took it to work and everyone really liked it. I served it with a baguette but next time I will toast the baguette first.

Double Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground beef
6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon ketchup

Directions

Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, set it aside and drain the grease from the pan.
Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and pour it into a baking dish.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.

Bubble Up Pizza

This is a really fast, easy and fun recipe. It really takes no time at all and you can actually eat it with your fingers!



Bubble Up Pizza

2 cans 12 oz Pillsbury Grands! Jr.
1 15oz jar of Pizza Sauce
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
Your favorite pizza toppings - Cooked sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut biscuits into quarters and place in a med bowl. Toss biscuits with pizza sauce. Add pizza toppings and half of the cheese. Toss until well blended. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour biscuits mixture into pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until biscuits are done.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! May the Easter Bunny bring you lots and lots of colored eggs
filled with all kinds of chocolatey goodness!!!

Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade for Chicken

This marinade is great for grilled chicken and then topped with the pineapple salsa. It makes a great lunch or light dinner, just serve with rice and some cooked Chinese vegetables. This also makes great Asian chicken salad with the leftovers!

Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade

1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
1/2 c water
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 packets sweet & low
1 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Mix all together and add 3/4 of this to a zip-lock baggie with your boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. Save the rest of the marinade for brushing on your chicken when grilling. Let this sit for at least 1/2 hour. Grill chicken, basting often with remaining marinade, until cooked. Serve with rice and stir fried vegetables.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

I found this recipe on Pinterest, my new addiction, and I knew I had to try it because it came from Alton Brown from the Food Network. I love watching his shows they are so very informative. This really works and it is great for low calorie munching.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Brown Paper Lunch Bag
1/4 - 1/3 c un-popped popcorn
1 tsp olive oil
popcorn salt

Mix together popcorn, oil and salt. Put into paper bag and fold the top down three times. Cook in microwave for 2-3 mins or until popping slows or stops. Pour into bowl and enjoy!

You can add any kind of flavoring such as Italian seasoning, cumin, popcorn flavoring or grated Parmesan cheese.

Pineapple Salsa for Chicken

I have been trying to loose weight so I have been coming up with some great low calorie recipes to keep me on track and this is one that I absolutely love. I have been eating this on chicken but it would taste great on ham and also with cinnamon tortilla chips.




I don't have any specific amounts for these ingredients just add what you think you'll like.

Pineapple Salsa

Fresh pineapple, cut into small cubes
Red pepper, diced
Onion, diced
Cilantro, chopped
Kosher Salt
Lime Juice

Mix all together and let chill before serving. WW 0 pts per serving

Happy St. Patty's Day!

May your beer be green, may your sandwich be a Ruben and may your luck be finding a Leprechaun with a pot of gold!

Cheeseburger Soup

I got this recipe from Taste of Home's recipe of the day and it looked good, I had all the ingredients so I thought I'd give it a try and I am very glad I did, it tastes just like a cheeseburger!

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c chopped celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
4 tbsp butter, divided
3 c chicken broth
4 c peeled and diced potatoes
1/4 c all purpose flour
8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c sour cream

In a large pot brown beef, drain and set aside. In the same
pot add 1 tbsp butter and the onion, celery, carrots, basil
and parsley cook until veggies are tender, about 10 mins.
Add the broth, potatoes and beef, bring to a boil, cover
and reduce the heat and simmer for 10 mins till potatoes
are tender.

In another pan add the rest of the butter and flour and
cook for 3-5 minutes until bubbly. Add to the soup. Bring
to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat
to low and stir in the cheese, milk and salt & pepper. Stir
until the cheese melts. Remove from the heat and stir
in the sour cream.

Yields 9 1 cup servings
7 points

Breakfast in the Tropics

Here's something fun that you could do a fun snowy day like today. It sure would seem like having breakfast in the tropics!

Beer Cheese Soup

I have been looking for a good beer cheese soup recipe for years and I was at my friend Tammy's for a day of scrapbooking and she made a recipe book and this recipe was in it. Of course I had to ask if I could have the recipe to try and she said sure. I took the recipe home and made it, brought it to a pot luck at work, and EVERYONE loved it! So as we say at Red Lobster "Winner, winner, seafood dinner!"

Beer Cheese Soup

2 c water
2 cans beer
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 c chopped carrots
3 c cubed potatoes
1/4 c chopped onions
1 can cream celery soup
1 can cream chicken soup
1 can cheese soup

Cook all together until veggies are done. Add 1 lb
Velveeta cheese.

Be careful as Velveeta will scorch easily so I turn off the
soup and add the cheese. You could also put it in a
crock pot and then add the cheese. This soup is good
with added ham or California medley veggies. If you don't
want to add the beer, you can just add more water instead.

Strawberry Pretzel Bars

One of the girls at work brought this in for a pot luck and they are amazingly good.

Strawberry Pretzel Bars

2 c finely crushed pretzels
3/4 c butter, melted
1 c plus 3 Tbsp sugar divided
2 (4 servings) pkgs strawberry jello
2 c boiling water
1 16 oz pkg frozen strawberries (see note)
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 12 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.
In a med bowl combine pretzels, butter and 3 Tbsp sugar. Press
into bottom of the pan. Bake 8 mins; let cool.
In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add strawberries
and chill until slightly thickened.
In another large bowl, with an electric mixer on med speed, combine
cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in
whipped topping and spread evenly over pretzel crust. With mixer on
low speed, beat gelatin and strawberries until berries are broken up.
Spread over cream cheese layer. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or
until firm.
Note: Although the strawberries need to be thawed slightly so that they
are not frozen solid, the colder they are the faster the gelatin will thicken.

Serves 12

Pizza Dip

We had a pot luck at work and I wanted to bring something different so I found this recipe blog surfing. It is very easy and very good. Everyone at work loved it and almost licked the plate clean!!!

Pizza Dip

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded/grated
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
2 ounces pepperoni, sliced
2 tablespoons green pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons black olives, sliced

Directions
1.Mix the cream cheese, sour cream mayonnaise, mozzarella and Parmesan and spread it across the bottom of a pie plate.
2.Spread the pizza sauce on top and sprinkle on the cheese, pepperoni, green pepper and olives.
3.Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the cheese cheese has melted and turned golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Serve with baguette slices.

Baked Ham & Swiss Casserole

I got this recipe from my friend Tammy and it is great for using up ham from your holidays.

Baked Ham and Swiss Casserole

8 oz pkg pasta, I use whatever I have on hand such as elbow noodles
3/4 c chopped onion
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 c cubed ham
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8 oz container sour cream
1 1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c milk
1 tsp Dijon style mustard
1 2.8 oz can french fried onions

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. In a small pan, cook onions in butter until tender.
Combine all ingredients except the french fried onions and mix well. Put into greased 11.7
pan. Cover and bake 35 mins at 350 degrees or until hot and bubbly. Uncover and top
with french fried onions. Bake 5 mins longer. Let stand 10 mins and the serve.

Bacon Mayonnaise

Here's a GREAT flavored mayonnaise for burgers. When I made this I did not add the pickle relish and my family thought it was fantastic.

Bacon Mayonnaise

1/2 c mayonnaise
2 Tbsp bacon fat
2 tsp pickle relish (optional)
1 strip bacon cooked crisp and chopped

Mix all together and spread on burgers. This is also great for
Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.

Turtle Pumkin Pie

Here's another great recipe that I got from Jo. It is very easy and very good!

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

1/4 plus 2 Tbsp caramel ice cream topping, divided
1 graham pie crust
1/2 c plus 2 Tbsp pecan pieces, divided
1 c cold milk
2 pkg 3.4 oz each Jello vanilla instant pudding
1 c canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tub 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed divided

Pour 1/4 c caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 c pecans. Beat milk, pudding, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1 1/2 c Cool Whip. Spread into crust. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with remaining Cool Whip, caramel and pecans just before serving. Makes 10 servings.

Happy Valentines Day

Extra Cheesy Macaroni and Cheese

For New Years Eve Dave and I stayed home and had our own ham dinner. I found a recipe in a book called Taste of the South for this mac and cheese and it was fabulous! Dave had 3 helpings of this so you KNOW that it was good!!!

Extra Cheesy Macaroni and Cheese

6 tbsp butter
1/2 c all-purpose flour
3 c whole milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
5 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
12 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked according to pkg and drained

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large
stockpot melt butter over med heat. Add flour, whisking well. Cook, whisking frequently until
thickened 2-3 mins. Add milk, whisk to get rid of all lumps. Cook until thickened, 5-6 mins. Add salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg to milk mixture, whisking well. Add mozzarella cheese, 4 c cheddar cheese and all of the Velveeta. Stir until all cheese is melted. Add cooked noodles and pour into prepared pan. T0p with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese has melted, 4 - 5 mins.

Serves 12

Cheesey Garlic Bread

I got this recipe from a blog that I follow called Cooking Up North and I have made
several of her recipes and they are all terrific! She is an awesome cook and also a great stamp artist! I made this recipe and Dave and I both couldn't get enough of it!

Cheesy Garlic Bread

3 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
3/4 c grated Monterrey jack cheese
1/2 c mayonnaise
4 Chopped green onions
1 loaf of french bread
dash of salt

Mix all together and set aside. Cut your bread in half the long way and spread with a mixture of 1 stick of butter and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Spread cheese mixture on top of butter mixutre and bake 10 mins at 425 degrees until cheese is melted.

Barb's Potatoes

Our family has started a new tradition that who ever has the holiday at their house makes the meat and the buns. This Christmas my brother and his wife hosted the festivities and they made baked ham. I quickly volunteered to bring the potatoes and Dave volunteered red to bring the appetizer. Dave made the Salsa Artichoke Dip and my friend Barb gave me her recipe for some really awesome potatoes that I just had to try. The thing that got me on these is that you can make them ahead of time and either heat them in the oven or in the microwave! What could possibly be easier?

Barb's Potatoes

5 lbs potatoes, washed, peeled, boiled and drained
8 oz cream cheese
1 c sour cream
2 tsp onion salt
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp butter

Mash all together and put in a microwave or oven safe bowl. When
reheating add a couple of more tbsp butter, stir, serve and enjoy!