One More Fall Favorite

 The last favorite fall recipe that I am going to share is for a quick bread that is on my list to make again this weekend.  It freezes super well so I almost always make a double batch--one for now and one for some day when I am completely unmotivated and need some thing "different" for the family breakfasts.  It always hits the spot! 

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. solid pack pumpkin (approx. 1/2 of a can)
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of each-ground cloves, ground ginger and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x5x3in. loaf pan.  (Yes, I use the spray with flour.) In a large bowl combine all ingredients.  Beat until well mixed; pour into prepared pan. Bake approximately 45-55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes.  Loosen edges; remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Makes 1 loaf. 

Definition of Yummy Goodness

Here's another favorite of mine that always, always fits the bill when the weather starts changing.  It's great with milk for breakfast, over yogurt or on fruit, and even tasty sprinkled over ice cream. I'll warn you now--you will either need to do a half recipe, split the recipe across two 9x13 pans or use a roasting pan (which is what I use).  A full recipe is a lot of yummy-ness--but you could share! I've been known to share with friends and neighbors as gifts...It is so fantastic!   Here you go:

GRANOLA
8 C. Regular (not quick cooking) Oatmeal
1 C. sweetened coconut flakes
Spread in a large pan (see above recommendations).  Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.  Stir every 15 minutes.

1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. honey
2 tsp. vanilla
Heat until brown sugar dissolves.  Add vanilla.  Pour over dry mixture; stir well.  Bake 20 minutes.  Add 1 C. wheat germ. This is where you would add anything else you want--raisins, slivered almonds, pecans,craisins, other dried fruit...  Stir every 10-15 minutes as it cools.  If you fail to stir it frequently as it cools (like I did the first time I made it...) you WILL have one giant piece of granola!  :)  If that happens, just pop it back in a warm oven and let it warm the sugar once more and then it will be soft enough to stir!  Enjoy! 

A Fall Favorite--on Friday!!

There are so many things that I love about fall--the colors, the visible change in the landscape, the excitement of regular schedule and routine starting, the anticipation of what the school year will hold, the dull roar of farm machinery, the crispness of the air, and the motivation that I find once again to get back into my kitchen. 

Fall also brings to mind a couple of dishes that are family favorite and always on my list to make at least once as the leaves change.  I will share a few recipes over the next couple of days that are on this list.  First up today my grandma's Apple Crisp.  I have had bites of a few apple crisps in my day and hands down this is my absolute favorite. Of course, I may be biased, but go ahead try it. Maybe add a scoop (or two) of cinnamon ice cream. You will not be disappointed.  I guarantee it. 

Apple Crisp
8-10 medium to large apples, peeled & sliced
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
Mix and place in an 8x8 inch baking pan.  Add topping.
Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter or margarine (I use salted butter.)
1/8 tsp. salt (I skip this since I use the salted butter.)
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
Cut together with fork or pastry blender.  Place over apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes-one hour, or until apples are tender.
I do usually make a recipe and a half of the topping--just makes it that much better!  :)
Enjoy!

Death by Chocolate

Have I got a recipe for you! Oh. My. Seriously. Unless you are not a fan of chocolate. Then, my deepest sympathies because you are totally missing out. I sincerely believe this may become my new ace-in-the-hole recipe. You know the super easy recipe you save for just the right occasion. Although, perhaps I will adopt it as my new signature recipe. Hmm...perhaps I will have to make another time or two before making that commitment. Be warned of it's super addictive-overly chocolately goodness. If you are a coffee drinker, you might want to have a cup or five close by. Heaven help us.

Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
24-30 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Set aside 6-8 cookies. Grind/crush the rest in a food processor. In a small bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
• Over a double boiler (or in a MICROWAVE), melt 1 c. chocolate chips together with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir frequently until smooth. Spread over crumb crust evenly.
• Sprinkle the remaining cup of chocolate chips over the top. Break remaining cookies into pieces by hand and sprinkle over the top.
• Bake 20-25 minutes in preheated oven.
• Chill completely before cutting to serve other wise it will make a big mess.

What's Cooking? Wednesday

As you know, I am a little bit of a cook book/new recipe junkie. I love trying new recipes! Frequently when visiting some where, I'll fill a few quite minutes by flipping through the cookbooks that reside there. Of course, at my mom's or grandma's I'm usually digging through their recipe files--the tried and true that I have missed when digging on previous visits. The thing about the recipes I am most often drawn to, is the ingredient list. The ingredients need to be items that I frequently keep on hand, know I have on hand or that I can easily pick up at the local market here in the sticks.
When the kids and I were in Ohio to visit our sweets friends, I took time one afternoon to flip through a few of Jill's cookbooks. I found a few recipes that I am so anxious to try. The first one made it's debut on Monday night. It was quite tasty. I did a little improvising based on what I know our family likes and the ingredients on hand...

Alabama Style Pork Tenderloin
3 cups OJ
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons dried rosemary (I subbed a little thyme)
3 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1 1/2-2 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon flour (all purpose)
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced (I omitted this)

Combine OJ, soy sauce, garlic, rosemary and lemonade. Divide in half. Place half in a zippered bag, leave half in the bowl and set in fridge. Slice tenderloin into 1 inch pieces and place in bag with marinade (I used a 9x13 pan and just turned the meat every once in a while). Fridge for several hours or overnight.
Heat oil in a skillet. Place marinated meat in the skillet. Brown on both sides. Remove from skillet and drain. Place flour, onion, peeper and tenderloin in a plastic bag. Shake. Pour in to a 9x13 pan. Pour over remaining reserved marinade from fridge. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
**I actually just browned on the stove and then baked it in the 9x13 on a 350 degree grill.

Here I Am

Hard to believe that it has been well over a month since I last posted. I'm not really sure where this spring went, but it is gone. We've been busy the last month. Some highlights have been:

• Mother's Day in the homeland with my parents (DH went to South Dakota hunting...that's a story for another day)
  
• a trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha with family over Memorial Day
• birthday parties for family on both sides and for a family friend or Princess Pigtail's "best friend" (as she informed me yesterday)
• a big trip (airplane and all) to Ohio last week for me and the kiddos to see some long time friends
• early childhood community education classes this week for Princess Pigtails

Our favorite babysitter, Heather, is home from college (yeah!!) so we've had a sitter more the last month than in the last year. I've made a couple of kid-free trips to the grocery store (it's the little things, isn't it?) and DH and I even had a date night this week. Summer is off to a great start.
I have tons of pictures to sort through and when I get through those, I'll post a photo journal of spring and summer thus far. Until then, I'll leave you with a new recipe from Gooseberry Patch...it's perfect for these warm summer nights! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
9 oz. graham cracker pie crust
1/2 cup cashews, chopped and divided
1/2 cup jar fudge topping, warmed
Garnish with whipped topping, additional warmed fudge topping and chopped cashews.

Combine PB and honey; stir in ice cream. Spoon half of ice-cream mixture into pie crust; sprinkle with half of cashews. Drizzle half of fudge topping over cashews; spoon remaining ice cream over top. Sprinkle with remaining cashews and drizzle with remaining fudge topping.
Freeze about 8 hours or until firm. Garnish with whipped topping, additional warmed fudge topping and chopped cashews. Serves 6-8.

Two things: pay attention to the amount of ice cream you are using. I completely spaced out and used a half gallon instead of 1 quart. Lucky for me, I had bought a second crust, so I ended up with two pies out of the deal. But really didn't intend to make two. Secondly, this says it serves 6-8, but it is really rich so I cut the pieces pretty small. More realistically, it probably serves 10-12.

I Rocked It

Every once in a while I make a meal that was just, quite simply, great. Don't you love how humble I am? Ha! I feel it necessary to broadcast it, because it seems lately that I've been in a rut. I've been having difficulty coming up with ideas or the motivation to plan!
So, the menu last night? Coconut and Almond crusted salmon, candied sweet potatoes and Prairie Brown Bread. Yum. Have you had Prairie Brown Bread? You really must make it...Seriously.
Here's the recipe...go now, make it for supper, you won't be disappointed. Promise.

Prairie Brown Bread
4 C. Whole Wheat flour
1 1/3 C. all-purpose flour
1 qt. buttermilk
2 C. brown sugar
4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Thorough mix all ingredients, pour batter into greased bread pans. This will make 2 large loaves or 4 small ones. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (if making small loaves, check after 40 minutes) Remove from pans to cool.

So, yummy. Great with salmon or chicken. Perfect with a salad! Makes two loaves, so make one for supper and pop the other in the freezer for a quick meal later!

Got Milk?

I've been busy thinking up things I can make that will use nearly a gallon of milk that is about to expire...There is nothing more annoying to me than to throw out food. Leftovers are one thing--I really try very hard to get through those or cook smaller amounts to limit the amount of leftovers--but unopened food? What a waste.
Normally, I would just do some baking and make short work of it, but we've been dealing with a house of sickies (again). We are also getting organized to be gone for the weekend. No time for baking so, this week I've made:

• Pancakes--the ultimate go-to meal here, breakfast for dinner. Made a double batch, added some blueberries. Froze the remaining pancakes for quick breakfasts down the road...
• Baked Custard--a childhood favorite of mine. Yum.
• Milkshakes--a treat with burgers and fries!

I've got probably about 2 cups left. I'm thinking homemade pudding...we'll see if I get to it. Not being wasteful--that's something that I love. For more ideas, pop over and see Jill at The Diaper Diaries.

How to Induce a Sugar Coma

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe that I think you really must try--which is amazing, because there for a while it was feeling a bit like all I was doing was posting recipes. Which I was. Only posting recipes. DH was asked to bring "bars" to our church's annual meeting on Sunday--which truly proves that we are "Lutrans" as they say around here, because a church meeting isn't actually a full fledged meeting with out bars. Or coffee.
Anywhoo, I often times keep the good old "boxes" of brownie mix on hand for such occasions--but when I went the pantry, there were no boxes of brownie mix only 7 boxes of yellow cake mix. And one white. And I really wanted to make brownies. So, I pulled out a cook book and started flipping through...page 146. Bingo. A recipe that I wanted to try. And I did. And those brownies? A little piece of heaven. Which I suppose is appropriate considering they were headed for a church meeting.

Because I think that you really should try these, I am passing this recipe on. I will warn you, it's a bit more work than just opening a box. Okay, a lot more work than just opening a box. But so worth it. And you might want to be certain that you have some place to take these or are having folks over. Because it makes a lot and I can't be held responsible for my readers consuming the entire pan. In one setting.

Buttermilk Brownies
Sift together:
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
2 c. flour

Bring to boil:
1 stick butter
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. oil
Once it has come to a boil, pour over dry ingredients and beat until creamy.

Add:
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda

Beat thoroughly. Bake in large, greased cookie sheet for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. (This is actually a huge amount of batter. I used a sheet pan and it was perfect.)

Icing:
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
4 1/4 c. powdered sugar (use own judgement)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. buttermilk
Bring butter, cocoa and buttermilk to boil. Add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Stir in chopped nuts, if desired. Pinch of salt can be added to each.

From "Favorites at Flora Lynne's: A Collection of Recipes", pg. 146.

Enjoy!

Things I Love Thursday-The Pumpkin Dessert

Fall is upon us. It sounds so profound, right? Like I'm going to dispense some serious wisdom. Ah, but my faithful readers, all two of you, you know me better than to expect that! I will however share a new recipe with you. It's easy and the perfect dessert for fall. I would highly recommend it with a cup of coffee--which may or may not end up being my breakfast this morning.

The Pumpkin Dessert
Beat 6 eggs and add 1 1/2 cups sugar
Stir in 3 cups of pumpkin (basically 2 12 oz. cans of solid pack pumpkin)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I just use my own mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves)
1 12 oz can of evaporated milk
Mix well and pour into an ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish

In a separate bowl, cut 1 stick of butter into 1 Jiffy yellow cake mix to make a crumb mixture. Sprinkle over pumpkin in dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Allow to cool and serve with whipped cream.

There you have it. It might be a stretch to say I LOVE it, but it is something that I really enjoy! Take a moment and cruise over to Diaper Diaries and check out more things that you couldn't or shouldn't live with out!

The Potluck Cake

Here's the recipe for the before mentioned cake I made for the potluck:

Cherry Jello Cake
1 (18.25 oz.) white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) pkg of cherry flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1 (16 oz.) container Cool-Whip

Prepare and bake cake mix according to pkg. directions for 9 x 13 cake. Remove cake from oven. Poke holes at once down through cake with fork at one inch intervals.
While cake cools, combine water and jello. Stir and pour mixture over cake. Top with the cherry pie filling. Cover with Cool-Whip. Refrigerate cake at least one hour before serving.

Things I Love Thursday--New Recipes

So, I'm slow getting going with this today. This week was our women's ministry salad luncheon at our church. It is an annual fundraiser that benefits a number of ministry and missions that our ministry organization supports. One of my favorite parts of donating food for something like our salad luncheon is that I can make some old standbys that are easy and I always try at least one new recipe. (We also serve hotdish (translation--casseroles for those of you that live some place other than Minnesota), bars/cookies and sweetbreads.) I especially love when a new recipe goes over well!

Anyway, the new one that I made this year was for Salted Peanut Chews. Think salted nut rolls. Must've been a hit because the moment I stepped into our fellowship hall, I was nearly tackled by one of our ladies asking for the recipe and where I had gotten it. I told her, of course, it came out of a church cookbook--where all the best recipes come from!

I thought I would share with you as well. It's very easy--I promise!

Salted Peanut Chews
Crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks
3 c. mini marshmallows

Topping:
2/3 c. corn syrup
1/4 butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. peanut butter chips
2 c. Rice Krispies
2 c. salted peanuts

Heat oven to 350. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup. In a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients except marshmallows until crumb mixture forms. Press in bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 cake pan.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to over for 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool.
In a large saucepan, heat corn syrup, butter, vanilla and PB chips just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cereal and nuts. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows and spread to cover. Chill; cut into bars.

**I heated the PB chips and corn syrup mixture in the microwave.

For more great things that people love, head on over to The Diaper Diaries.

Rose's Lasagna

Here's the recipe for the lasagna I made the other night. It is a recipe that I found in a church cookbook. It is attributed to a woman that I know was an absolutely phenomenal cook, which is why I decided to try it. It takes a little time, but OH. MY. WORD. Totally worth it.

Rose's Lasagna

1 pound box lasagna noodles
Sliced or grated mozzarella cheese

Meat Sauce:
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
29 oz can of tomatoes
12 oz can of tomato paste
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper

Cheese Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups milk

Cook and drain noodles. Cut mozzarella into strips.
Meat sauce: Brown beef & onion. Place in sauce pan with remaining sauce ingredients. Cook for 45 minutes.
Cheese sauce: Put in microwaveable bowl, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt & onion. Gradually add milk. Cook until slightly thickened, remove. Add cheese & cook until thick. (This is better to make ahead and refrigerate.)
Grease 9x13 baking dish. Alternate noodles, meat sauce & cheese sauce twice. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

**I did not make one 9x13. I made two smaller pans (I think that they are 4x8s). One to eat that night and one to put in the freezer for later. Consequently, I did not need as many noodles. I could have just cooked 3/4 of the box and been totally fine.

I served with garlic bread and green beans out of our garden.

Things I Love Thursday--Yummy Snacks

I'm a little late to this whole "organic" craze. We live in a relatively rural area and our grocery stores have very small natural/organic sections. My choices of products are some what limited. But I have been venturing into that section a little more frequently and something that I routinely pick up are Cheetos Natural White Cheddar. Cheetos Natural are part of a line from Frito-Lay that contain no preservatives, no added colors or artificial flavors. And they are certified organic. Of course, they are now a favorite around here. Big surprise. But most importantly--they are very, very YUMMY.

Before you run off to the store to peruse the snacks in your organic section, head on over to The Diaper Diaries and check out what other things you can't or shouldn't live without!

Works For Me Wednesday--Bananas

It's another Works for Me Wednesday and while Shannon is on the final day of her bloggy break, I am still going to post a tip. Next Wednesday, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for an all new Works for Me!

I've mentioned before that I really despise throwing away food. I am always looking for ways to make it stretch--without sacrificing quality or taste. One of the ways that I do that is by freezing bananas. I know it sounds odd--but really, it works. If your household is anything like mine, bananas are bought, a couple eaten within the first day or so of buying them and then the rest sit there. By the end of the week I am faced with tossing them or making banana bread, cake, muffins, etc. I don't always have the time to make it right away, but I peel the bananas and put them in a freezer safe container. Label and date it and then when I am ready, pull it out and defrost real quick to toss in your batter. It works like a charm and is an old trick that I learned from my mom. I will say that it does look a little odd and DH was mildly grossed out the first time he saw me do it. But you seriously can not tell in the end product! I swear. Here's my stand by recipe--you can make it now and freeze the loaf for later too! And that works for me. Enjoy!

Banana Bread
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup bananas (approximately 2-3 bananas, mushed)

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Add banana. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

Works For Me Wednesday--Easy Recipes

I'm back with the recipes that I promised. Both are favorites that I grew up and are super easy!

Tuna Chow Mein Noodle Salad
Very easy, tasty and perfect on a summer day! But as a warning, I must disclose that I've never actually measured the amounts for the ingredients, so please understand the approximations.
Two cans of tuna
grated carrots--probably 1/2 cup or so
diced dill pickle--approximately 1/4 cup
mayo--approximately 1 cup or so
Stir together and refrigerate. Immediately prior to serving (or they will get soggy) stir in about two cups of chow mein noodles. Serve on a leaf of lettuce. You could certainly embellish on the recipe--add chopped celery or water chestnuts, etc.

Oven Pancakes
I first had a version of these while staying with family friends as a child.
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400. Spray sheet pan or cookie sheet well with cooking spray or coat with melted butter.
Beat eggs slightly in a medium bowl with a wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in remaining ingredients until just mixed. Pour into sheet pan.
Bake approximately 25 minutes or until puffy and deep golden brown. Serve immediately drizzled with melted butter and sprinkled with powdered sugar. (Some recipes call for drizzling with lemon juice instead of butter.)

So there you have it. Two super yummy recipes that won't keep you in the kitchen all day! Enjoy! For more easy recipes, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer!

A Spoonful of Sugar

We have a huge rhubarb patch in our yard. I am not necessarily a fan of the plant/weed but have begun to acquire a tolerance of it. I actually do not totally turn up my nose at the mention of it now. And I rarely make gagging noises if it is served to me. I'm growing as a person, what can I say?

In light of said growth here's a favorite cobbler/rhubarb recipe. Further proving the theory that anything will become delicious if mixed with a spoonful (or 20) of sugar! Great on it's own, with some ice cream or my personal favorite-fresh whipped cream! Enjoy.

Rhubarb Cherry Cobbler
3 cups chopped rhubarb
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
Spread fruit and pie filling in a 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle with sugar and butter. Cover with crust batter.

Crust:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Cream shortening and sugar in mixing bowl. Add egg and beat well. Combine flour and baking powder; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Pour over fruit. Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes.

Eat Your Scone, Tina

It's been a while since I shared a recipe for yummy goodness. So, today I give you my friend Ann's recipe for scones. Ann brought a plate of these by the house after Little Man was born and let me tell you--YUM. She was kind enough to share the recipe so without further ado, the quick and easy recipe for Scones a la Ann. Make them for breakfast tomorrow--or put on a pot of coffee and make them now. You won't be sorry. I promise.

Scones a la Ann
2 cups Bisquick (you can use the low-fat version if that's what you have)
1/2 cup quick oats
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (or a little more)
1/3 cup cinnamon chips

Mix and drop in 1-2 teaspoon "globs" on baking stone or cookie sheet. Sprinkle sugar and a few oats on top. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350.

A couple of things about this recipe--
1. Yes, "globs" is a highly technical term used by the finest of chefs.
2. I didn't have cinnamon chips on had when I made them the other day, so I used Craisins instead. Also very yummy. I also used a little more cinnamon than the recipe calls for...
3. Princess Pigtails calls them "stones".

Some More Yummy Favorites

The fact that the temp this morning when I got up was somewhere around -16 (add the windchill and we were somewhere around -25) has got me thinking about warm dinner possibilities. Up here in the Northland, these kind of dinners are referred to as "hot dish"--but since I am an immigrant to the frozen tundra, I grew up with "casseroles". Either way, here are a couple of my quick, easy favorites. For other great tips, ideas and recipes head over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole
1-6 oz pkg of cornbread stuffing w/seasoning mix
1/2 c. butter (or margarine) melted
4 c. chicken, cooked and cubed (turkey is good in this too)
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans of cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (7oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c. chopped celery
2 c. frozen peas and carrots

Preheat oven to 325.
Combine cornbread stuffing mix and seasoning packet (if you buy a mix that has the seasoning separate) with the melter butter. Press 1/2 of this mixture into the bottom of a 9 x13 pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over crust and top with remaining stuffing mixture. Bake for 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes prior to serving.


Taco Casserole
1 pound ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 c. water
1 tube crescent rolls
1 pkg. crushed corn chips or Doritos (I use this as an opportunity to finish off the open bags in the cupboard)
1 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
salsa

Preheat oven to 375.
Brown meat (I chop some onion and add to meat while browning) and drain. Add taco seasoning and water. Press rolls into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Press 1/2 of crushed corn chips into crust. Add sour cream to meat and spoon onto crust. Top with cheese and then remaining chips.
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Serve with lettuce, tomato and salsa.

Soup's On!

On a day like today when it is freakishly cold outside, I'm always looking for quickish soup recipes to warm the tummy.

Here are a couple that we love and that take the chill off:

Country Cheddar Soup

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 C. chopped carrot

1/2 C. chopped onion

1/2 C. chopped celery

5 Tbsp. flour

4 C. chicken broth

3 C. shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz. can of evaporated milk

Freshly ground pepper

In large saucepan melt butter. Add carrot, onion and celery. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until the veggies are tender. Sprinkle the veggies with flour, adding it 1 Tbsp. at a time, stirring until the flour is blended in. Add chicken broth to the saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat, add the shredded cheese, stirring with a large whisk until the cheeses is melted. Slowly add evaporated milk, stirring until the mixture is well blended and heated through. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. I also garnish with crumbled bacon--cause I can! :) Makes 6-8 servings.

Creamy Potato Soup

This is a soup recipe that I grew up with. One of my favorites...

Peeled, sliced potatoes (I usually figure 1 large potato per person that I am serving)

1/2 C. diced onion

1/2 C. diced carrot

1/2 C. diced celery

1/2 tsp. salt

Cook potatoes in just enough water to cover. Once potatoes have cooked, do not drain--add 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Stir to combine and cook on medium-heat until heated through. Serve. I garnish with crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and fresh ground black pepper. You could also garnish with sour cream and chive or green onions. (I have on occasion frozen the left overs and then reheated them in the crock pot later and it worked very well.)

For more great ideas, tips and recipes head on over to Rocks in My Dryer.