Creamy Bacon Dip

So I can't remember where I found this recipe...BUT....It is DELICIOUS! You must try it!

1 package of cream cheese softened
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
1 cup chopped green onions
1 3oz. package of bacon pieces
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all together and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with bread, crackers or chips. SO GOOD!

Lisa's Southern Pecan Pie - from The Lady & Sons Cookbook

4 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c. cane syrup
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pecan halves
One 9-inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter, sugar, flour and salt until smooth. Add the syrup, eggs and vanilla, then fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm to touch.

Serve the pie warm or cool...I served it up with some vanilla ice cream. :)  Delicious!!

Weeknight Cheese Quiche

I made this last night for dinner and after the first bite, my hubby exclaimed "OH BABE...THIS IS GOOD!" You know I have succeeded if I get that kind of remark IMMEDIATELY! And the best part...it was SUPER easy!

I got this off the Kraft foods website. Enjoy!!


1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 frozen pie crust (9 inch), thawed
1/4 cup OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
Make It

HEAT oven to 375°F.

COOK mushrooms and onions in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender. ( I used canned mushrooms and didn't cook my onions...just threw in with spinach and mixed with egg mixture) Remove from heat; stir in spinach.

BEAT eggs, milk and dressing in medium bowl with whisk until well blended. Add spinach mixture and cheese; pour into crust. Top with bacon.

BAKE 50 min. or until center is set and top is golden brown.

Steak Soup

Steak Soup
Plaza III Steak House

• 8 tbsp of margarine
• ½ c flour
• 40 oz canned beef broth
• ¼ c fresh carrots, med dice
• ¼ c fresh onion, med dice
• ¼ c celery, med dice
• ½ c canned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp browning sauce (Kitchen Bouquet)
• ¾ tsp seasoning salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper, course grind
• 5 oz mixed frozen veggies
• ½ lb of ground chuck, chili grind, browned and drained of fat

Place butter in a soup pot; melt without browning. Add four and stir to a smooth paste. Cook mixture (roux) over med heat without browning for 3 min, stirring constantly. Add consume and to roux (including browning sauce) and stir until smooth and lightly thickened. Bring to full boil.

Add fresh veggies, tomatoes and seasonings and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are barley tender (20-30 minutes). (Low and slow is best on this soup!)

Add frozen veggies and browned ground chuck. Simmer at least 15 more minutes. Be sure to simmer long enough that the flavors become well blended.

I double and sometimes triple this recipe. For a heartier soup I add more 1 lb of ground chuck to the recipe instead of 1/2 lb.

Serves 4

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars

I was craving pumpkin last night and decided to try this recipe. I didn't even get a chance to frost them as they are just so good without it!  Hub's says he thinks they are even better than my banana bars I make. WOW! Now that is hard to beat!

So wanted to share with you all the recipe....makes your house smell yummy too!

Ingredients

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Friendship Casserole

Our neighbors just had a new baby girl this week and I made this casserole for them. It makes enough for two dishes, so the other one we had for ourselves. Really good and easy!

Friendship Casserole

2 - lbs ground beef
1 - 48 oz jar spaghetti sauce
2 – tablespoons sugar
1 (16 oz) - pkg medium egg noodles
1/2 - cup margarine or butter
½ - tsp onion salt (or onion powder)
½ - tsp garlic salt (or garlic powder)
½ - cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 - 12 oz pkg shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350º Brown meat and drain fat. Add spaghetti sauce and sugar to meat; simmer 20 minutes. Cook noodles as directed (AL dente); drain and toss with margarine, salts and Parmesan cheese. Spray two 9x13 pans with non-stick spray. In both pans layer half the sauce, all the noodles, rest of sauce; top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil; bake 45 minutes.

*You can also add some sauteed green bell peppers, onions and mushrooms to the sauce. Make sure the person you are gifting this wonderful casserole to likes the veggies. If not just leave them out.
*Note: Since this recipe makes enough for two casseroles, plan one for your family and one for a friend. Think of someone who might need a reminder that they have friends who care about them - a new mom in your neighborhood, a family who’s moving, someone with an illness.

PW's Zucchini Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large Zucchini
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
• ½ cups (to 3/4 Cup) Breadcrumbs
• ½ cups 4-cheese Italian Blend (or Parmesan Or Romano)
• 2 whole Eggs
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Wash and cut the end off of one large zucchini. Shred it using the large holes of a cheese grater. Squeeze the shredded zucchini inside of a clean towel until you’ve removed as much liquid as possible.

Place shredded zucchini into a medium sized bowl. Add minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese (shredded), eggs, kosher salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a fork until well mixed.

Heat olive oil (about ¼ inch deep in bottom of skillet) to a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough drop a glob of zucchini batter into the skillet and flatten it a bit. After about two minutes, turn the cakes over ( they should be nice golden-brown) and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).

Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice and enjoy!


WE LOVED THESE!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I found this recipe this weekend here.  This has become one of my new favorite sites to browse for recipes. Plus they are all weight watchers related!

Love Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes!! She has such great pictures too!  These rolls were a hit...I did doctor them up a bit and added some ground beef and mushrooms...but still DELICIOUS!

Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Calories: 188 • Points: 4 ww pts

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll

Frozen Fruit Cups

These are one of my favorite treats for summer! They are so easy! It is my Momma and Grandma's recipe!

Ingredients:

2 pints frozen strawberries (thawed)

1 frozen can of orange juice (thawed) - 12 oz

1 small can frozen lemonade (thawed) - 6 oz

2 1/2 c. 7-UP

4-5 bananas sliced

1 can fruit cocktail

1 can crushed pineapple

2 c. sugar (I actually add just a little because the strawberries are sweetened)

Mix it all together in a big bowl and then divide them into small cups. I place mine on a cookie sheet and cover with foil and let freeze overnight.

They are great for bridal/baby showers...just set out about 30 minutes before serving and they are slushy...SO GOOD!

Grilled Chicken with White BBQ Sauce

This is from the newest issue of Southern Living. We actually baked ours in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees and they were nice and tender.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
10 chicken thighs (about 3 lb.)*
White Barbecue Sauce

Preparation

1. Combine first 7 ingredients. Rinse chicken, and pat dry; rub mixture evenly over chicken. Place chicken in a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Seal and chill 4 hours. Remove chicken from bag, discarding bag.
2. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 180°. Serve with White Barbecue Sauce.

*4 chicken leg quarters (about 3 lb.) may be substituted for chicken thighs. Increase cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes on each side.


White Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients


1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon coarse ground pepper
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons horseradish

Preparation

1. Stir together all ingredients until well blended. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Debbie's Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Last week at bunco, our hostess had this salsa on the table. It was so good and addictive! I asked her for the recipe and she kindly shared....I just had to share with all of you!

Mix all ingredients -

1-15 oz can black beans- rinsed and drained
1-11 oz can shoepeg corn
1/2 c. ranch dressing
1/2 c. italian dressing
1 tbsp. cilantro
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 of a medium purple onion - chopped fine
1/4 of a green pepper - chopped fine

Amount of onion & green pepper can be adjusted, depending on your taste. You can make this the day before or early morning for the flavors to blend.

Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares

From the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients


1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour

½ teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened

1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)

1 cup Oats

1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk

½ cups Lemon Juice

Zest Of 1 Lemon

Preparation Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Serve cool.

PD's Beefy French Onion Soup

We love French Onion soup...and I was looking for a recipe to use in the crockpot....Paula Deen's hit the spot...however, I did adjust the recipe just a bit for the two of us.

Ingredients


4 large vidalia onions, about 2-1/2 pounds, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter, melted (1/2 stick)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes ( I did not use this)
1/4 cup dry sherry (I did not use this)
4 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
black pepper
2 cups grated gruyere cheese (8 ounces)  (I used swiss cheese)

Directions

In a slow cooker, toss the onions with the butter and sugar. Cook, covered, on high heat, until the edges begin to brown, about 90 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the beef and brown, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker. Add the sherry to the skillet and scrape up the browned bits. Add the pan juices to the slow cooker along with the broth, Worcertershire sauce, salt, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered for 2-1/2 hours on high heat or 7 hours on low.

Uncover and simmer for 1 hour more, until thick. Remove the bay leaf.

When ready to serve, turn on the broiler. Ladle the soup into flameproof bowls and divide the cheese over the tops. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Serve hot. (I also cut a piece of french loaf bread and added it to the top too)
 
Delicious!~

Beef Enchiladas

This is not the typical recipe that I use when making beef enchiladas. I saw this recipe on Kelly's recipe blog and decided to give it a try tonight.....SO YUMMY!! As you can see...they look good too!

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger meat
1 small onion, chopped
1 can of chopped black olives
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of Enchilada sauce
8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
6-8 flour tortillas

Brown the meat and saute the onions in with it. Once that is done, add in the olives and let it heat and then add in 3/4 of the cheese and let it melt - mix it all together. Fill tortillas with the meat mixture and roll up. Combine the mushroom soup and enchilada sauce and pour on top. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

PW's Chocolate Sheet Cake - SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS!

She is right....this is the BEST chocolate sheet cake EVER! If you want to see step by step with picture illustrations click HERE.

Ingredients


FOR THE CAKE:

2 cups Flour

2 cups Sugar

¼ teaspoons Salt

4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa

2 sticks Butter

1 cup Boiling Water

½ cups Buttermilk

2 whole Beaten Eggs

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Vanilla

_____

FOR FROSTING:

½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans

1-¾ stick Butter

4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa

6 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.

Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

The PW's Mashed Potatoes

Ummm...all I can say is.. YUM! You must try!

Ingredients


5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes

¾ cups Butter

1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened*

½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half

½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt

½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Shrimp, Sausage and Okra Casserole

So I was looking for a recipe that included shrimp, sausage and okra in it. I found something similar, but I tweeked it myself. The recipe had called for red and green peppers and in our house, no peppers allowed. My Hubby's stomach can't take it. So I substituted them with a can of diced tomatoes. This was SOOO GOOD!

Here are the ingredients

1 package of frozen uncooked shrimp thawed, peiled, deveined
1 package of turkey sausage, cut up into pieces
1 can cream of shrimp soup
1 onion diced
3 cups rice
1/2 cooking white wine
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package (2 cups) frozen okra
1/4 c. of butter
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a pan, and cook onion for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another minute. Next, add the okra, tomatoes and lemon juice and cook for 7 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink. (approx. 3 minutes).  Add sausage, paprika, rice, soy sauce and soup to mixture, cook for a minute or two. Then place mixture into a greased 9X13 pan. Cover with 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is golden.

Enjoy! It's if you want more of a kick to it...add more paprika! 1/2 tsp gave it a little bite! :)

Cheesy Corn Bread, Spinach and Turkey Casserole

Paula Deen...I love this casserole! I had no idea that I would love it as much as I do...if you are looking for a new casserole to try.....and you like spinach and ground turkey....try this!

The Deen Family Cookbook

2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste
one 10oz pkg frozen spinach
one 10 oz can cheddar cheese soup
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
one 8 1/2oz pkg corn muffin mix
1/2 cup buttermilk ( I used skim milk)
2/3 frozen corn, thawed and drained  - I used canned corn
1 egg
1 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat 400 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish and set it aside. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the turkey and brown. Then add onion and garlic and when cooked add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl , add the spinach, soup, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Pat the mixture evenly in to the baking dish.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the corn muffin mix, buttermilk, corn, egg, and 3/4 cup of the cheese. Bake for 10 minutes then add the remaining cup of cheddar cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

Mexican Chicken

4-5 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1 jar of salsa
1 can of black beans drained
1 can of corn drained

Cook in the crockpot for 5-6 hours on low...I made some corn bread to go along with mine...but rice is good too! 

PW's Oatmeal Crispies

Loving my new PW Cookbook. Tried these cookies this weekend...and they were such a hit with Hubby and I...they are all gone! Making more this evening! She says they are Marlboro Mans favorite cookies..I think they have just become our favorite too! Thanks PW~~


Ingredients
1 cup Shortening (Crisco)

1 cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 cup Sugar

2 whole Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1-½ cup All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

3 cups Quick Oats

½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans

Preparation Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening with both sugars until well combined.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs together. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Add to the shortening/sugar mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix carefully into the egg/shortening mixture until well combined. Now add the quick oats and mix well again. Finally add the finely chopped pecans and mix well to combine.

Divide the dough in half and place each half of the dough onto a sheet of waxed paper. Roll the dough into a log and then wrap it tightly in the waxed paper. Now you can either chill or freeze the dough until later or you can go ahead and slice the dough evenly into cookie rounds.

When you are ready to bake them place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until they are golden brown.

http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

My FAVORITE Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 onion, sautéed
2 Tbsp. butter
3 c. boiling water
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pkg. frozen broccoli, cut up
5 oz. finer noodles
3 c. milk
½ lb. Velveeta

Sauté onion in butter. Dissolve bouillon cubes in water. Add onion, butter and broccoli. Cook 5 minutes. Add noodles and cook 5 minutes. Add milk and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Thicken with cornstarch if desired. Serves 6.
I typically double the recipe. I have also added pieces of rotisserie chicken and mushrooms in it if you want to change it up a bit.

By the Mu Lambda Chapter Beta Sigma Phi of Fairfax.

Egg in a Hole

We have a new breakfast favorite in our house now! Hubby gave me the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook for Christmas and I tried the recipe for an Egg in a Hole on Saturday morning.

It was a HUGE hit for the two of us! We loved them so much we came home from church yesterday and made them again. And it is so easy.

Click here to see the recipe as she does it with picture illustrations.

It is so much better than just having toast and eggs....it's all combined into one....to make it even yummier...go ahead and make some bacon  and have some orange juice...you will thank me. LOL!

Scrumptious Beef

With all the crazy weather lately, I have been trying some crockpot recipes. Here is one I tried last night and it was delicious served over noodles.

2 lbs stewed beef
1 package dried onion soup mix
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 container of mushrooms
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 onion chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups beef broth

Combine and place in crock pot. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. Serve over noodles/rice.

Enjoy!

New Recipes coming soon!!!