Cheesy Chex Mix for Game Day!

New Year's day is fast approaching and if you're a football fan or married to one - you're most likely to hear "Keep the snacks coming!" (My record for football watching is 9 hours straight. But I was seventeen and trying to impress a really hot guy. :)

Here's an easy snack that can be made in minutes.

Ingredients:

9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex® or Wheat Chex® cereal (or combination)
2 cups bite-size pretzel twists
2 cups bite-size cheese crackers
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (1 oz) ranch dressing and seasoning mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparations:

1. Mix cereal, pretzels and crackers in a microwave safe bowl.
2. In a small bowl (microwave safe) melt butter. (This takes about 25 - 30 seconds in my microwave.)
3. Pour over cereal mixture.
4. Stir so the whole mixture is evenly coated.
5. Add dressing mix and cheese. Coat evenly.
6. Microwave for 3 minutes (on high), stir after each minute.
7. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. 

Makes 26 servings. Store in a ziplock bag or airtight container.

Hershey's Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossoms

Remember those Hershey Kisses I scored a really great deal on? Well, I've still got some and if I don't make cookies with them my New Year's resolution is going to end up being "Burn Hershey Kisses calories off my derriere". They're like potato chips - I can't eat just one!
Fortunately, the kind people at Hershey also have a chocolate version of the peanut butter blossom.(I gave those cookies away to my neighbors and the reviews were really good.)

Ingredients:

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Granulated sugar

Preparations:

1. Combine shortening and peanut butter. Mix well.
2. Add brown sugar and 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Beat until fluffy.
3. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat some more.
4. Separately, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
5. Combine both sets of ingredients. (If you're using a Kitchen Aid, add the flour mixture slowly with the machine on a low setting. Otherwise you'll end up cleaning up flour off your face or walls. Yes, I've done this more than I care to admit. :)
6. Heat oven to 375 and unwrap Kisses.
7. Roll dough into one inch balls, roll in granulated sugar. (I pour 1/2 cup onto waxed paper for this.)
8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately add unwrapped kiss to each cookie.
9. Let cool.

Spicy Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

You can put leftover cooked chicken to good use with this easy recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed Cream of Chicken (Use fat free for a healthier version)
1 can (10 oz) Enchilada sauce
2 cups milk
1 cup Shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked Chicken (torn into pieces)
1 tsp Salt (it really needs this plus possibly more after you pour yourself a bowl)
10 oz Hot Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros (if you don't like spicy, make it mild)
3/4 cup crushed Tortilla chips

Preparations:

1. Combine all ingredients except for Tortilla chips in large saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.
3. Top with Tortilla chips and Sour cream.

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies don't get much easier than this recipe. Alright, I'll admit it. I added chocolate chips to these because - why not? Doesn't chocolate make most things better?

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup water
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
Sugar

Preparations:

1. Mix half of the dry cake mix with water, peanut butter and eggs. Mix well.
   
2. Add remaining cake mix (and chocolate chips if you're inclined!).
3. Roll into 1 inch balls.
4. Sprinkle sugar on each ball.
5. Press down with fork.
6. Bake at 375 for 9-10 minutes.

French Silk Pie

I don't like pie which is why I figured if I was going to make one for Christmas dinner - it was going to be chocolate!!!

This recipe is pretty easy especially if you have a Kitchen Aid. Gotta love how you can turn that thing on and walk away for five minutes.

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury pie dough

1/2 cup butter, room temperature (microwave for 10 seconds if it's straight out of the fridge)

3/4 cup white sugar

2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Preparations:

1. Place dough in pie pan, puncture with a fork or knife. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.


2. Let pie crust cool completely.


3. Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Add sugar. Beat until well blended.


4. Melt chocolate in sauce pan over low heat or in microwave.


5. Let chocolate cool.


6. Add chocolate to butter/sugar mixture. Beat well.


7. Add vanilla extract.


8. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes on medium speed after each addition.


9. Pour chocolate mixture into baked and cooled pie shell.


10. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Mountain Man Breakfast in the Oven

Growing up, my family's idea of camping involved parking our Winnebago in a Safeway parking lot and going without waste and electrical hook ups for a night. So you can imagine my response when my husband suggested we have a "Mountain Man" breakfast on Christmas morning. I think my exact response was "Huh? I have no idea what that is." His response "You cook it in a dutch oven while camping."

He might as well have said "Honey, it's what they eat on Mars after a long night of Snipe hunting."

Even though I'm a grown up and married to a guy who has an Eagle Scout (still not really sure what that means), we don't camp. We tried once and it turns out that mosquitoes LOVE me and cooking during the middle of a wind storm is pretty much impossible. We grabbed the kids and went to IHOP for breakfast instead. :)

All of that being said, here's my version of a "Mountain Man" breakfast that you can make at home if you have a husband who thinks this is a great idea even though you don't camp or own a dutch oven.

Ingredients:

8 Large eggs

1 cup Onion, chopped

1/3 cup Cream

5 slices of Hormel bacon, cut into small pieces
1 package of Jimmy Dean Sausage (can be hot or mild - your choice)
1lb of Frozen Shredded Hash browns

2 1/2 cups of Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and pour hash brown into ungreased 13x9 pan.
   
2. Place hash browns in oven while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. (Should be about 20-25 minutes.)
   
3. Cook bacon and sausage until brown and done. Drain fat. Set aside.


4. Beat eggs and cream until there's a little bit of froth. Add onions and beat a little more.


5. Scramble eggs and onion until done. Add two or three shakes of salt and pepper (each).
   
6. Remove hash browns from oven.
   
7. Layer meat mixture and then scrambled eggs.


8. Top with shredded cheese.


9. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
   
10. Top with salsa, sour cream, or ketchup.

Betty Crocker's Mexican Lasagna

My father used to joke that my mother's idea of cooking was turning everything on high and then getting on the phone. (The woman loved to talk!)

I thought that was funny until I turned into the mom who stopped reading cooking directions and started messing up easy recipes like this one. I got home from work, grocery shopping and running errands to find that I had barely any time to cook dinner the other night so Betty to the rescue!

I'd like to blame my lack of time for messing this recipe up but really - I think I just got cocky.

Betty Crocker has humbled me. :)

Ingredients:

8 uncooked lasagna noodles (the recipe calls for 10 but a 13x9 pan only fits four across unless you plan on breaking noodles?)
1 1/2lbs lean ground beef (1lb isn't enough)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 - 15 oz container of Ricotta cheese
2 jars (16 ounces each) Salsa
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

If you go searching for this recipe, you'll see that I modified it and cursed Betty while searching for a second jar of salsa because one wasn't enough. Did I mention I had company coming over too?

Preparations:

1. COOK THE NOODLES AS DIRECTED ON THE PACKAGE. (I didn't and ended up with chewy lasagna - NOT GOOD.)
2. Cook beef, onion, and cilantro over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir or burn!
3. Line the bottom of your 13x9 pan with FOUR noodles.
4. Layer beef mixture and then half of the Ricotta cheese. (Ricotta cheese isn't as easy to spread as cottage cheese so feel free to substitute!)
   
5. Pour one jar (16 ounces) of salsa evenly over the layer.
   
6. Add remaining noodles and layer with the beef, Ricotta cheese, and salsa.
7. Top with Monterrey Jack cheese.
   
8. Bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes.

If you're doing a potluck on Christmas or Christmas Eve like my family does, I do recommend this dish. It feeds eight.

The Joy of Cooking's Scalloped Potatoes

If you're having ham for Christmas this year like we are ('cause I'm sick of turkey) then this is an easy-to-make, good-tasting side dish to go with it.

This recipe is so easy in fact that I made it for the very first time when I was ten years old. (In case any one's wondering - that was 24 very long years ago! :)

Ingredients:

3 cups pared, thinly sliced potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
3 to 6 tablespoons butter
3 pieces of cooked bacon crumbled
1 1/4 cups milk or cream
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional as in not in the actual recipe but still very tasty to add!)

Preparations:

1. Parboil the sliced potatoes with the salt for 8 minutes. Drain well.
2. Grease or line a 10 inch baking dish
3. Layer in the potatoes by sprinkling the flour and butter over them evenly. (Use the 2 tablespoons of flour and between 3-6 tablespoons of butter)
4. Sprinkle the crumbled cooked bacon over the potatoes.
5. In a saucepan, heat the milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, and the paprika.
6. Pour this mixture over the potatoes.
7. Topping with cheese is optional. The potatoes are good without too.
8. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until potatoes seem tender.

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

'Twas the week of Christmas and all through the house, Christina could be heard procrastinating and trying to avoid her spouse. The mall was crowded - people everywhere and the last thing she wanted was to go there!!

Cookie dough is extremely coveted in my house. I can't make chocolate chip cookies without standing guard and I'll admit - the bandits made off with quite of bit this recipe.

Here's a recipe from Betty Crocker's cookbook for cookies that's quite easy to make. (If you like chewy cookies, this is the recipe for you!)

This recipe makes six dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag (24 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs.


2. Separately, mix flour, baking soda and salt.


3. Combine both sets.


4. Add chocolate chips.


5. Mix well.


6. Drop dough by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.


7. Bake at 350 for 11 to 13 minutes.

Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms

I was at Target on Saturday morning with a fistful of coupons when I noticed that I had coupon to buy two bags of Hershey kisses and get one bag free (my favorite word in the English language!). Then I found another coupon that stated I could buy two bags and save a $1.

Here's the math:

$2.69 each for 3 bags = $8.07
subtract $2.69 for the free bag = $5.38
and subtract another $1.00 to get $4.38 for three bags. Each bag = $1.46

Huge savings right? Well, according to the coupons, you could only use one coupon per purchase. Now here's something I've learned (that I'm not proud of) but if you clip coupons - you'll want to know.

Most male cashiers (this excludes the guys wearing a name tag that says "manager") will take your coupons and at least try to scan them to see if their computers will take it, even if the coupon says "only one per purchase" or "must buy __amount". If you go to a store (like Target) who hires teenage boys to work as cashiers - they will almost always take ANY and ALL coupons without a second thought.

I imagine this is the case because their minds are elsewhere....LOL.

Now, onto the recipe!

Ingredients:

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt Granulated sugar

Preparations:

1. Combine peanut butter and shortening until well blended.


2. Add both sugars and beat well.


3. Add vanilla, egg and milk. Beat until well combined.


4. Separately mix flour, baking soda, and salt.


5. Slowly combine flour mixture to peanut butter mixture. Mix well.


6. Shape dough into one inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.


7. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.


8. Remove from oven and immediate top with a Hershey kiss. (Cookie will crack and that's ok!)
   


9. Cool completely.

Herb Baked Chicken

This recipe comes from Better Homes and Garden's cookbook.




One thing to note: Their temperature and cooking times are off so cook your whole fryer according to the weight and directions on the package.

Ingredients:

1 - 3 to 3 1/2 lb whole fryer chicken
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, melted
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning or black pepper

Preparations:

1. Clean fryer well and pat dry.
2. Combine butter with spices.
3. Cover chicken with spices.
4. Bake chicken as directed on the package.
5. Baste chicken with collected juices after an hour.

I stuffed this chicken with stuffing. (The recipe is under holiday recipes.)

Holiday Eggnog

I should start off this post by saying I really don't like eggnog. The stuff from the store always makes me gag after the first swallow. So why am I posting a recipe for homemade eggnog you ask? Because my husband (who randomly channels Julia Childs from time to time) decided to make eggnog late Saturday night and it was actually really good. Oh yeah - and it's easy too!

Ingredients:

8 Eggs
5 cups Milk
1 cup Cream
1 cup of sugar
1-2 tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbs Molasses
(optional 1 Frozen Banana)

Preparations:

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend on high until mixture is smooth.

Holiday Treats - Muddy Buddies

It's one of those days where I find myself negotiating with a teenage daughter via text messaging and wondering - "When did I get old enough to have a teenager to negotiate with?"

It's a good thing I had this easy yummy treat to distract me from such a thought. :)

These are super easy and I pulled the recipe straight from Betty Crocker's website. (Their picture is better than mine. :)

Ingredients:

8 cups Corn Chex® (They say nine cups but eight works better)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparations:

1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
   

Left Over Turkey Chili in a Crockpot

When my husband heard I was making this, he asked one question - "Did you make up the recipe or find one?" Apparently, whether he was going to try this dish was actually dependent on my answer. :)

This recipe comes from Simply Recipes and as my husband will attest to - it's actually quite good. I still had potatoes leftover (that I didn't use to make mashed potatoes) so I served the chili over baked potatoes with sour cream and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. It was really yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine (or 2 tablespoons of garlic)
1 cup chopped green pepper
4 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Tbsp salt, plus more if desired to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 to 4 cups of shredded, cooked turkey meat

Preparations:

If you don't want to do this in a crock pot, check out the directions on Simply Recipes. I like to dump everything in my crock pot and then do other stuff while keeping an eye on it.

1. Combine all of the ingredients (as they described above) in a 6 quart crock pot.
   
2. Mix well.
   
3. Cook on low for four hours. Taste and add salt/pepper/ or other spices as needed.
   

Easy Sugar Cookies

Here's a recipe that Better Homes & Garden calls "Melt in Your Mouth Sugar Cookies". A word to the wise - wash these cookies down with some milk as they are SO sweet!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour

Preparations:

1. Combine butter, sugar and shortening. Beat well.
2. Add baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
3. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Beat well.
4. Mix in flour.
5. Bake at 375 for approximately 13 minutes or until edges are brown.

I sprinkled toppings on before I put them in the oven. Keep the size of the cookie to about one inch because they tend to expand. You can also roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to make holiday cookies.

Dinner Tool.com

Ever have one of those days where it seems like the refrigerator is empty and the last thing you want to do is go to the grocery store?

On those types of days, I find myself raiding the cupboards and scouring the web for recipes that I can make, based on the ingredients I have.

If you're like me and do this same thing - check out Dinnertool.com. They have a great search tool for recipes, videos to help you whip up fabulous recipes, and a blogging chef.

How to Roast a Turkey

Ever wonder how to roast a turkey? Turns out the answer is as easy as turning to hulu.com.

Here's a short video on how to get your turkey tasting yummy and moist this holiday season.