Thursday, November 18, 2010

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.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

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.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

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.