Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Super Simple Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 boxed spice cake mix
1 small can (15 ounces/425 g) pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling)
1 bag (12 ounces/340 g) semisweet chocolate chips, regular- or mini-sized

Preheat the oven to 325˚F (163˚C).

Pour the cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Add the pumpkin, and mix until the two ingredients are combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Use a teaspoon to scoop a spoonful of batter. Use your finger to drop the batter onto a cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies for 20 minutes.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Mexican Chicken Rice Casserole

4 Chicken breasts cooked and shredded or diced*
2 cans -Cream of chicken
1 container Sour Cream
1 can Corn (drained)
1 can - Black Beans (drained)
1 can - Diced Tomatoes (drained)
1 pkg - shredded cheese
1pkg - Taco seasoning.
4 cups - Cooked Rice


Mix together well, cream of chicken, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Add in corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, and ½ package of the shredded cheese (reserve ½ pkg for the top) and mix well. Next add the rice and chicken* and mix well again.

Place in a 9x13 pan. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake 350º for 30 mins or until cheese is golden brown.

*You can also use cooked ground beef instead of chicken.*

Friday, November 6, 2009

Crockpot Chicken Broccoli Casserole

2 C. bite-size pieces of chicken, cooked

1 bunch of broccoli, steamed

Sauce:

1 C. milk

1/3 C. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese

4 oz. (1 cup) Cheddar cheese

1/3 C. Parmesan cheese

Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat all the ingredients of the sauce in a pan over medium heat, stirring frequently to blend cream cheese.

In crockpot, layer 1/2 broccoli, 1/2 chicken, 1/2 sauce. Repeat.

Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours. Stir gently and serve.

Banana Cherry Twinkie Dessert

1 box Twinkies
1 can vanilla pudding
2 bananas, sliced
1 (21-oz.) can cherry pie filling
Whipped cream or Cool-Whip (8 oz. container)

Slice Twinkies length-wise and put into 9x13 inch pan.

Layer vanilla pudding, bananas & cherry pie filling.

Top with whipped cream or Cool-Whip.

Refrigerate.

Note: May use 1 (6-oz.) box instant vanilla pudding, mixed according to box directions, in place of can of pudding.

Crock Pot Mexican Corn Soup

2 lbs. chicken tenders
2 (7-oz.) cans Mexicorn
1/4 C. chopped green bell pepper
1 (10-oz.) can Mexican Festival Ro-tel tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can black beans
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans chicken broth
1 (1.0-oz.) pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 C. shell pasta

Place all ingredients except pasta into slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours.

Add pasta in the last hour and a half of cooking time.

Serves 4 to 6.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Crock-Pot Breakfast Cobbler

8 medium-sized apples, peeled and sliced

½ C. honey

2 t. cinnamon

4 T. butter, melted

4 C. granola cereal

Spray inside of Crock-Pot with nonstick spray. Place apples in slow cooker and mix in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8-12 hours, or overnight (alternately, cook on high 2-3 hours). Serve with milk.

Makes 8 servings.

Deluxe Crockpot Oatmeal

2 C. milk
1/4 C. brown sugar
1 T. butter, melted
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 C. quick cooking oats
1 C. finely chopped apple or dried fruits (use 1/8c extra water when using dried)
1/2 C. raisins and/or dates
1/2 C. chopped walnuts or almonds

Makes 4 Cups (6-8 servings)

Grease the inside of Crockpot. Put ingredients inside Crockpot and mix well. Cover and turn on low heat.

Cook overnight or 8 - 9 hours. Stir before serving.

Crock Pot Morning Casserole

1 bag (32 oz.) frozen hash brown potatoes

1 lb. of bacon diced, cooked and drained or 1 lb. cooked ham, cubed

1 medium diced onion

1 green bell pepper diced

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 dozen eggs

1 C. milk

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper (more or less to taste)

Place a layer of frozen potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by a layer of bacon then onions, green pepper and cheese. Repeat the layering process two or three more times, ending with a layer of cheese.

Beat the eggs, milk and salt and pepper together. Pour over the Crockpot mixture, cover and turn on low. Cook for 10-12 hours.

Chicken Club Casserole

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cups real mayonnaise
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded cheese

1/2 stick butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled

4-6 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
lettuce shreded

In a large bowl, mix together soup, mayo, bacon, and cheese. Add in the cooked chicken.

Add mixture to baking dish.

In smaller bowl mix the crushed crackers with the butter combine well and top the chicken mixture with crackers.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes in a 400° F oven until hot and bubbly.

Serve with lettuce and tomato on top or underneath the casserole.

Potluck Chicken Casserole Recipe

8 C. cubed cooked chicken
2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 C. (8 oz.) sour cream
2 C. shredded cheese
1 C. Peas (drained) or Favorite canned veggie on hand
1 C. butter-flavored cracker crumbs (about 25 crackers)
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
1 t. celery seed
fresh parsley and sweet red pepper ring, optional

Combine chicken, soup, sour cream, cheese, and veggie; spread into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Combine crumbs, butter and celery seed; sprinkle over chicken mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350°F. for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly. Garnish with parsley and red pepper, if desired.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Potato & Ham Casserole

1 1/4 lbs. red potatoes, cubed
2 C. cubed ham
1 C. frozen peas
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
3 T. butter, melted
1 T. mustard

Cook potatoes in boiling water; drain. In greased 2 1/2-quart baking dish, combine potatoes, ham and peas. Combine remaining ingredients and stir in. Bake uncovered at 350°F. for 25 minutes.

Taco Twist Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
1/4 C. chopped green pepper
3 C. corkscrew macaroni -- (8 oz.) cooked and drained
1 C. shredded cheese (4 oz.)
1/2 C. sour cream

Brown beef; drain. Stir in seasoning mix, tomato sauce and green pepper. Bring
to a boil and remove from heat.

Combine cooked macaroni, 1/2 cup cheese and sour cream and place on bottom of
6 x 10 inch baking dish. Top with meat mixture and remaining cheese.

Pizza Noodle Casserole

8 oz. noodles, cooked and drained
1 pound ground beef
1 tbsp. oil
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained
4 oz. pepperoni, chopped
1 can (15 oz.) pizza sauce
2 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Brown ground beef in oil. Mix in mushrooms, pepperoni, pizza sauce and cheddar cheese.
Put cooked and drain noodles in greased baking pan. Pour sauce mixture over the noodles and top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake 30 - 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Broccoli, Chicken and Cheese Casserole

2 packages frozen broccoli
4 cups cooked chicken - cut up
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayo
1 small onion, chopped into small pieces

1/2 stick butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled

Cook broccoli according to package directions, drain. Add all ingredients together, except the Ritz crackers and butter. Mix well, pour into a baking dish.

Melt the butter, add the cracker crumbs, and mix well. Add to the top of the casserole.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes in a 400° F oven until hot and bubbly.

Good Eats Guacamole

3 Haas avocados halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion diced
2 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic minced

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice.

Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Yield: 1 batch

Alton Brown, Good Eats

Black Bean Dip

1 15 ounce can black beans, undrained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 drops hot pepper sauce
3/4 cup minced white onion
2 cloves minced garlic
4 ounces chopped green chiles, drained

Drain beans, reserving 2 tbls liquid. Combine beans chili powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, hot pepper sauce and 2 tbls reserved liquid in blender or food processor; process till smooth. Combine onion and garlic in nonstick skillet or saucepan, cover and cook over low heat till onion is soft and translucent. Uncover and cook until slightly browned. Add chilies and cook 3 minutes more. Add bean mixture and mix well.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Asiago Cheese Dip

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese plus 1 tbsp
1/4 cup sun-dried julienne tomatoes
1/4 cup green onions sliced
1/4 cup mushrooms sliced

Reconstitute sun-dried tomatoes in hot water. Clean, rinse and slice green onions. Rinse and slice mushrooms. Squeeze all the water out of the tomatoes, then julienne into fine strips. Combine all ingredients except tomatoes, then add the sun-dried tomatoes.

Place into oven-proof container. Top with remaining 1 tbsp of Asiago cheese and bake at 350° F. for about 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve immediately with toasted bread or bagel chips.

Makes 3 1/4 cups

Bacon and Cheddar Dip

1 (1 oz.) pkg. Ranch party dip
1 pt. sour cream

1/4 C. bacon bits

1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix party dip with sour cream. Add bacon bits and cheese. Mix together and serve.

Hot Bacon Dip

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1 package thick slice bacon, fried and crumbled
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Blend cream cheese and mayonnaise. Stir in cheese, onions, and bacon. Spread in an 11x14 baking dish. Top with crackers and dot with butter.

Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with corn chips.

BLT Dip Recipe

Quick, Easy -N- Fast BLT Dip Recipe

1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. sour cream
2 tomatoes, diced and drained
1 lb. bacon, fried crisp, drained and crumbled
shredded lettuce
1 pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into bite-sized chunks

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, tomatoes and bacon. Spread on bottom of a pie plate or other small serving dish.

Top with shredded lettuce and serve with bread chunks.

Makes 3 cups.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potato Casserole

I want to try my hand at sweet potatoes this year at Thanksgiving. I remember one year at my Aunt and Uncle's they had one awesome sweet potato casserole for an Easter. It was the first time I tried it and it was only because everyone proclaimed how much the dish tasted like pumpkin pie. So I gave it a whirl and LOVED it too. Haven't had them since, but I want to try a recipe of my own.

I scrounge the internet and concocted this little ditty and I can't wait to try it out this month before Thanksgiving and hopefully even during Thanksgiving, if it turns out well.


2-29oz Cans Sweet Potatoes (or 4½ lbs cooked, pealed & mashed sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (or brown sugar)
1/8 cup Maple Syrup (real)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten

1½ cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter
1½ cup chopped pecans


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, mix together mashed sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup butter, evap. milk, dark brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and eggs. Spread sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.

3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour. Cut in 1/3 cup butter until mixture is crumbly, then stir in pecans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over the sweet potatoes.

4. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.