Creamy Sausage Dip on Melba Toast

This creamy, flavorful dip is wonderful served on crunchy Melba Toast. I love a good dip and this one is definitely a keeper!

1 lb sausage
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble sausage until no longer pink. Remove from heat, drain off drippings and add all remaining ingredients. Pour into baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Keep warm (a small slow cooker comes in handy here) and serve with Melba Toast.

Lime Glazed Shortbread Cookies

Oh my, these cookies melt in your mouth. Delicious! Next time I might experiment with a different glaze and I also want to try using my cookie press to make some cute shapes.

Shortbread Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp vanilla
white sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar, then add the other ingredients, except the white sugar, and mix well. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten each ball to 1/4 inch thick and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely.

Lime Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 tsp fresh lime juice

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lime juice. Mix well. Brush glaze over cooled cookies and let set for 30 minutes or until glaze has hardened.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I've been on a soup kick lately. Not sure why exactly. I will definitely make this recipe again though. Good stuff!

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 package (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, prepared according to package directions
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1/4 tsp onion salt
Ritz Crackers

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and mix well. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Add vegetables, chicken, broth, and onion salt and stir well. Heat through and serve. Top individual servings with Ritz Crackers.

Caramel Pecan Pie

In our home we always have a traditional pecan pie for dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. This year I'm tweaking the tradition a bit and serving this pie. It is so good!

36 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (I like Pillsbury's refrigerated pie crust that you roll out and press into a glass pie plate.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, combine caramels, butter and milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool until filling is firm.

Cheeseburger Soup

I tried this soup out recently just for kicks and it is actually very good!

1/2 lb ground beef
5 Tbsp butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 tsp dried basil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
4 cups (3 medium) potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups Velveeta, cubed
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook ground beef in large saucepan over medium heat until brown; drain and set ground beef aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and basil; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until tender. Add broth, potatoes and cooked beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Melt remaining butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.

Slow Cooker Chili

This is by far my favorite chili recipe. It's simple, meaty, and flavorful, but not spicy. I've made it with both ground beef and ground turkey and it's great either way. We often eat our chili over spaghetti noodles and topped with shredded cheddar cheese and Fritos. So good!

2 lbs lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Cook beef in skillet over medium heat until browned; drain. Mix beef and remaining ingredients, except beans, in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or until onion is tender. Stir in beans. Cover and cook 30 additional minutes or until beans are heated through.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This is one of my favorite baked chicken recipes! It's great by itself, but also delicious served on top of fettuccine alfredo.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Combine cheese, bread crumbs, paprika, and black pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Cut chicken breasts in half. Dip chicken in butter and then place into Ziploc bag and toss until evenly coated with the cheese mixture. Place chicken on greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Fire Roasted Tomato Meatloaf

I'm kind of picky about meatloaf, but this recipe I actually like. My family doesn't like chunks in meatloaf, so I puree the tomatoes before adding them. If you don't mind chunks, you could just toss them in right out of the can. Also, I freeze the other half of the tomatoes and save them for the next time I make this recipe.

Meatloaf Ingredients:

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 egg
1/2 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen brand)
1/2 cup quick cook oats
1 lb lean ground beef

Topping Ingredients:

1/3 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp prepared mustard

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Add the ground beef and mix well. Transfer meat mixture to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and shape into a loaf. In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients and pour over the meatloaf. Spread evenly on top and sides. Bake for 1 hour (uncovered) at 375 degrees.

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

This chicken dish is a new family favorite in our house. It's very similar to Paula Deen's appetizer recipe, but this one is a main dish with different seasoning. It's very flavorful with just a tiny hint of heat. You could easily double this and bake it in a 9x13 pan.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thirds (9 pieces)
Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
5 slices of bacon, cut in half (you'll have an extra half so wrap two around one of the larger pieces of chicken)
Approx. 3/4 cup brown sugar
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8x8 baking dish with a small amount of olive oil. Season chicken with Zatarain's Creole Seasoning. Wrap a half slice of bacon around each piece of chicken. Place brown sugar in a small bowl. Roll chicken wrapped bacon pieces in brown sugar and place into baking dish in a single layer (three rows of three). Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie

I have a lot of cookbooks. I guess you could say I collect them. About once a week I pluck one off the shelf hoping to discover a new recipe I'd like to make. Last week I found this pie recipe in one of my Taste of Home cookbooks. My husband claims it's the best dessert I've ever made. I don't quite agree, but it is tasty and definitely a keeper.

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
2-1/4 cups water
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked (I'm a fan of Pillsbury pie crust in the refrigerated section that you roll out and bake in a glass pie plate.)
Whipped cream

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, flour and salt; gradually add water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking and stirring for several minutes until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.

Pour into pastry shell. Let pie cool for a bit, then cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving. Garnish each slice with whipped cream.

Banana Bread

Oh my. I haven't posted any recipes in a long time. Life has kept me busy with other things. Like moving across the country. But that's another story.

Now here's a simple and delicious banana bread recipe. And a great way to use up those bananas that are turning brown on the counter.

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x4 (or 9x5) inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, salt, and mashed bananas. Mix in flour and baking soda just until combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes. (I start checking on it after 45 minutes.) Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Suzanne's Potato Salad

This is a wonderful potato salad recipe given to me by a good friend. And, you guessed it, her name is Suzanne. Definitely a family favorite.

1/2 cup Real Mayonnaise (do NOT use light or fat free)
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups cooked, peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (I usually cook an extra egg and slice it to garnish the top of the finished salad)

In a large bowl, stir together first five ingredients until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat and cover. Chill.

(I really do like it this way, but I can't stop myself from picking out the onions and celery. I'm just not a huge fan of raw onions and celery. I have also left them out and thrown in a dash of onion powder and celery seed for flavor.)

Extraordinary Chocolate Cake

This is absolutely one of my favorite cakes. I love it, love it, love it. It's so moist and rich. Did I mention I love it?

1 box Devil's food cake mix
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 jar (12 oz) caramel ice cream topping
2-3 Tbsp baking cocoa
1 container (12 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
1/2 package Heath Toffee Bits

Grease a 9 X 13 pan. Prepare and bake cake according to package. Once cake is done, poke about 20 holes into warm cake using the end of a wooden spoon handle (or similar size spoon handle). Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over cake. Let cake cool 10 minutes. Pour caramel topping evenly over cake. Let cake cool completely. In a large bowl, combine Cool Whip with cocoa and mix well. Spread Cool Whip mixture over cooled cake and top with toffee bits. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

No-Bake Quick & Creamy Shortcake

This is a great spring or summer dessert and it's very easy and delicious. (And would be perfect for Easter Sunday!)

1 family size frozen Sara Lee pound cake, thawed
1 (4 serving size) white chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup milk
1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
1 container (24 oz) frozen sliced strawberries with sugar, thawed

Cut pound cake into approximately 1/2 to 1 inch cubes and set aside. In a medium size bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, and Cool Whip, stir until well blended and creamy. Drain strawberries, reserving juice in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate juice until ready to serve shortcake.

This recipe looks elegant layered in a trifle bowl, but simply adjust the layers based on your dish size/shape. For a trifle bowl, place 1/3 of the pound cake cubes in bottom of the bowl, cover cake cubes with 1/3 of the strawberries, and spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the strawberries; repeat layers two more times. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Drizzle reserved strawberry juice over individual servings.

Note: My original post called for a 16 oz container of frozen strawberries, but that just didn't seem like enough the last time I made this. So I tried a 24 oz container and I think it worked better.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This recipe was passed along to me by one of my dearest friends, Sarah. (I've also posted her Chinese Salad recipe...oh, so good!) This recipe makes a lot of meatballs, so I cut it in half when I made it and used a 9 x 9 pan. (I suppose I could have made the whole thing and then popped half of it in the freezer, but I didn't.) I also used onion powder instead of chopped onion. This recipe can easily be assembled ahead of time which is a plus in my book. I served it with rice and steamed broccoli.

Meatballs:

2 lb hamburger
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp chopped onion (or 1/4 tsp onion powder)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp pepper

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

10 oz jar grape jelly
1 tsp lemon juice
12 oz jar chili sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix meatball ingredients and shape into small balls. Place in a 9 x 13 dish.

Combine sauce ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees (do not cover) for 30 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked.

Sarah, thanks for another keeper!

Fastest Homemade Mac n' Cheese

For lunch today I was looking for something new to make that my preschooler might actually eat. He's one tough customer who thinks a great meal consists of plain bread and a cup of strawberry flavored milk. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try because it was at least something I would eat so it might not be a total loss. I also had all of the ingredients on hand. (My husband had already eaten lunch at this point.) Anyway, this was really good and worthy of being posted. I would like to note that I used 1 3/4 cups of cheddar cheese (a combination of mild and sharp because that's what I had open) and this was some seriously cheesy mac and cheese. I also used a combination of mini bow tie and mini wagon wheel pasta because I had just enough left in each box to make two cups. The original recipe also called for a splash of hot sauce, but I omitted it. Remember, I fixed this for a child that likes plain white bread. And did he like it? Yes! And he even asked for seconds!

2 cups water
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
2 cups uncooked pasta
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix water and soup in saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta. Cover and cook over medium heat until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese. Mmm, mmm, good.

Apple BBQ Sauce

Two weeks ago I made a cajun pot roast with veggies in the slow cooker. It didn't turn out well, but I did manage to salvage the roast part. The beef was seriously lacking flavor and the bottle of BBQ sauce I had on hand was expired, so what was a girl to do? I made yummy beef BBQ sandwiches with homemade sauce using ingredients already in my pantry.

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

In a saucepan over medium heat mix applesauce, ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Bring mixture to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Sweet & Spicy BBQ Brisket

I made this last weekend and it was really good...very moist and tender. I served it with fresh baked rolls and made mini sliders. My brisket was about 3 1/2 pounds and it was done after 4 hours. I love easy recipes that actually taste good.

1 trimmed beef brisket (3-5 pounds)
Ground black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 cups Pace Picante Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Season the beef with the black pepper. Place into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Stir the garlic powder, picante sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire in a small bowl. Spread the picante sauce mixture over the beef. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.

Bake, covered, at 300 degrees for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Slice or shred the beef. Divide the beef and sauce among the rolls.

You can view the original recipe on Campbell's website.

Beef Stew with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I've made this recipe many times. I got it from Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook. For some reason I thought it was a bit too oniony (is that a word?) when I made it last week, but it was still good and deserves to be posted here on my blog. I like to eat it over biscuits. My husband thinks that's weird.

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 bag (8 oz) baby carrots (about 30)
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup cold water
2 Tbsp flour

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker except for 1/4 cup water and the flour. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until beef and veggies are tender.

Mix 1/4 cup water and flour and gradually stir into beef mixture. Cover and cook on high for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Paula Deen's Southern Fried Chicken

I have tried a lot of new recipes lately, but haven't really found many keepers. Except for this one. My husband has been begging me for the longest time to cook him some fried chicken. I finally agreed to give it a try last week. It was a bit messy and I'm pretty sure I washed my hands a thousand times during the process, but my hubby was so darn happy that I guess it was all worth it. Oh, and don't let the cup of hot sauce scare you off. Paula Deen knows what she's doing! This is finger lickin' good.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Note: If you make this much House Seasoning, you will have a lot left over for future recipes. I scaled it back quite a bit because I don't have an extra salt/pepper shaker to store it in.

Southern Fried Chicken:

4 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 cup hot red pepper sauce (I used Frank's)
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp pepper
House Seasoning
2 1/2 lb chicken, cut into pieces (I just used a package each of wings and breasts)
Oil, for frying, preferably peanut oil (I used vegetable oil)

To make the House Seasoning, mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs with the water and add the hot sauce. Stir well. In another bowl, combine the flour and pepper. Season the chicken with the House Seasoning. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg mixture, and then coat well in the flour mixture.

Heat the oil in a large pan or Dutch oven. (I used my 5 quart Dutch oven and poured enough oil in until I had about an inch and a half of oil on the bottom.)

Fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp on both sides. Dark meat takes longer than white meat. It should take dark meat about 13 to 14 minutes, white meat around 8 to 10 minutes. (The chicken breasts I bought were huge and took about 15 minutes.)

Click here to see the recipe on the Food Network's site.

Easy Cheesy Soup

This is really simple to make and it's quite good...especially with garlic cheese croutons sprinkled on top.

2 cups of frozen southern style hashbrowns
1/2 of a 16 oz bag (about 2 cups) of frozen California style vegetable mix (carrots, broccoli, & cauliflower)
3 cups water
3 tsp instant chicken bouillon or 3 cubes
1 lb box Velveeta cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk

Combine water, bouillon, hashbrowns, and vegetables in a large saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. Cut Velveeta cheese into large cubes and dump carefully into saucepan. Stir soup and milk into saucepan. Stir frequently until cheese is completely melted. Serve and enjoy!

Spinach Lasagne

I'm still debating on whether this needs more cheese, but my husband really liked it.

6 Barilla No-Boil Lasagne noodles (these fit perfectly in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 dish)
1/2 lb sweet or mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 (8 oz) package shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups)
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 dish. Crumble and brown sausage in skillet; drain. Meanwhile, pour stewed tomatoes into a blender or small food processor and blend until fairly smooth and there are no large chunks; set aside. In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese with spinach. Assemble lasagne layers as follows: 1) cover bottom of dish with two lasagne noodles, 2) pour 1/3 of the stewed tomato puree evenly over noodles, 3) sprinkle 1/3 of the sausage, 4) spread 1/3 of the spinach mixture, 5) sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese, 6) sprinkle 1 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Repeat two more times for three layers total of each. Cover and bake 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 5 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Crescent Chicken Pockets

This is another one of my husband's favorite meals and I really like it as well. I've tried adding additional spices and making my own gravy, but I was kindly reminded not to fix it if it ain't broken. So, here's my original version.

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp butter, softened
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1 can (8 oz) crescent dinner rolls
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp bread crumbs
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon butter until smooth. Add chicken, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of milk and mix well. Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles and firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Fold dough over chicken mixture and seal edges forming four little pockets about 3 x 5 inches in size. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of chicken pockets with 1 tablespoon of butter; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, heat cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/2 cup of milk until hot. Serve over chicken pockets.

Peanut Butter Dip

This dip is delightful. It goes great with fruit, crackers, and pretzels. I especially like it with apples. Yum!

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

Broccoli Salad

This is a yummy salad. Nuff said.

1/4 cup bacon bits (I prefer to make my own)
1 (16 oz) package fresh broccoli florets, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup white sugar
chopped green onion to taste (optional)

In a large bowl mix bacon, broccoli, cheese, raisins, sunflower seeds and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the Miracle Whip and sugar. Pour Miracle Whip mixture over broccoli mixture and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Cheddar Ranch Chicken

I had all of these ingredients on hand tonight, so I decided to give this recipe a try. This dish turned out to be very good and something I would make again. (We're kind of ranch dressing snobs around here, so I did make my own ranch dressing using Hidden Valley's dressing mix.)

1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 Tbsp flour
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine dressing with flour in a shallow bowl. Coat each chicken breast well with dressing mixture. Place in ungreased baking dish. Distribute remaining ranch dressing mixture on top of each chicken breast. Combine cheddar and Parmesan cheeses; sprinkle evenly on chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This is one of my all time favorite dishes. The salty sweet combination is so yummy. I could eat this every day.

3/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1 (6 oz) package strawberry Jell-o
2 cups boiling water
3 cups strawberries, sliced and chilled
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with brown sugar. Mix in pretzels and press into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, dissolve Jell-o in boiling water and stir in strawberries. Chill until partially thickened. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and white sugar together until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread mixture over top of cooled crust (seal edges). Chill then pour Jell-o mixture over cream cheese layer. Chill until firm.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Sour Cream Sauce

I made this for dinner tonight and my husband and I both thought it should go on the blog as a keeper. The chicken was so tender and moist, and the bacon and beef really added a nice flavor.

3-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (1 lb total)
6-8 slices dried beef (the kind that comes in a jar) (2 slices per chicken breast)
3-4 slices bacon (1 slice per chicken breast)
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cover each chicken breast with two pieces of beef and then wrap with one slice of bacon. Place chicken in casserole dish, seam side down. Mix sour cream and soup together. Pour over chicken breasts. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

Chinese Salad

My dear friend, Sarah, passed along this recipe to me. It is absolutely the best Chinese Salad recipe in existence.

3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 small bag sliced almonds
2 pkgs Ramen Noodles (discard seasoning packets), break noodles into pieces

In a large skillet, brown above ingredients in 2-4 Tbsp butter and then set aside to cool.

1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar

Boil above ingredients in a small saucepan for 1 minute and then set aside to cool.

1 med to large Nappa cabbage
2 green onions

Slice cabbage down to 2-3 inches from core. Slice green onions and combine with cabbage in a large bowl.

When ready to serve, pour vinegar mixture over cabbage and onions and toss. Add noodle mixture and toss. Serve immediately. (You can make this ahead of time, but don't combine dressing mixture, cabbage, and noodle mixture until ready to serve.)

Pepper Steak

I received a really nice Dutch oven for Christmas and I've been looking for the perfect recipe to try it out. This was it. Mmmmm...so good!

2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into bite size strips
1 cup water
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite size strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into bite size strips
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the meat and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, onion, garlic salt, and ginger. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the peppers. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour this into the pot and stir until the liquid thickens and comes to a boil. Simmer 5-10 minutes longer. Serve over rice.