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.