Twice-baked potato casserole

• 2-3 pounds red potatoes (about 9 medium), baked
• 1/4 teaspoon salt,
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 cups (24 ounces) sour cream (I used light sour cream)
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions, sliced (I used chives)

Directions

• Cut baked potatoes into 1-in. cubes. Place half in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper and bacon. Top with half of the sour cream and cheeses. Repeat layers.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Sprinkle with onions. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Bites

1 (17.5 oz) package Pillsbury Chocolate Cookie Mix
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
Chocolate Frosting

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine cookie mix, flour, butter, and egg in large bowl.  Mix with a spoon until soft dough is formed.  Shape into 3/4 inch balls.  Place on baking sheet.

Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until edges are set. Remove immediately from baking sheet to wire rack. Cool 5 minutes.

Fill frosting bag with chocolate frosting.  (I just used a jar of Pillsbury premade) Insert nozzle of frosting tip into top of warm cookie. Apply additional frosting on top in a spiral pattern.  Sprinkle with peppermint candy pieces.

Makes about 3 dozen.

**This recipe claims to make 6 dozen, but even making small balls, I barely got about 3.  I'll be impressed if you can get 6!  :) 

7 Layer Greek Dip

Ingredients: 1 8-oz. pkg.cream cheese, softened 1 Tbsp.lemon juice 1 tsp.dried Italian seasoning 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-1/2 cups prepared hummus 1 cup chopped cucumber 1 cup chopped tomato 1/2 cupchopped pitted Kalamata olives 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/3 cup sliced green onions 1. In medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and garlic with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined. 2. Spread cream cheese mixture into a deep 9-inch pie plate, or shallow serving dish. Evenly spread hummus on cream cheese layer. Top with cucumber, tomato, olives, feta cheese, and green onions. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. Serve with pita chips and/or multigrain tortilla chips. Makes about 2-1/2 cups dip (16 servings).

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing

serves 4-6 Ingredients • 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed • 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil • 1 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed • 1 avocado, chopped into chunks • handful cherry tomatoes, quartered • 1/2 red onion, diced • 1 small clove garlic, minced • 1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks (I omitted this because I’m not a big pepper fan!) • 1 c. spinach • small handful cilantro, diced • 1 limes, juiced • 1/2 tsp cumin • 1/2 tbsp olive oil • salt, to taste Directions 1. Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add broth, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes. 2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary. 3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through. 4. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips and a refreshing, cold beer (I omitted this too =) ).

Pumpkin Bars

2 c. flour                          2 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder             1 c. vegetable oil

¼ tsp. salt                        4 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda                 2 c. pumpkin (one can)

2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325º.  Beat all ingredients together until fluffy.  Pour into greased cookie sheet (jelly roll pan).  Bake at 325º for 25-35 minutes.  If the top bounces back, it’s done.

Cool and frost.

FROSTING:

6 oz. softened cream cheese

2 Tbl. milk                           4½ c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla                       dash of salt

Mix everything together except the powdered sugar; then add powdered sugar very slowly.  Beat it until it’s smooth.  Add more milk if it’s too thick. 

Home made Twix Bars

Ingredients: 1 cup salted butter, softened 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2-1/2 cups caramel, cut into small chunks 3 Tbsp. heavy cream 3 cups chocolate chips 1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening (Optional) Directions: For the crust: Preheat oven to 300 degree Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x13 in pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour - at first the mixture may seem dry, but will come together quickly. Take the dough and press it evenly into the pan. (Lightly flouring your fingertips will help with any sticking.) Prick the crust all over with a fork - this allows steam to escape so the crust will bake evenly with fewer bubbles. Bake until lightly golden brown on top and edges - about 30-35 minuts. Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust. Set aside to cool completely. For the caramel layer: Melt the caramel and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up. For the chocolate layer: Melt the chocolate in the microwave using ten second increments - stirring every time. If the chocolate seems too thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it. (Just know that this will leave your end-resulting chocolate a little softer than normal. I don't use it for this very reason. ) Pour evenly over the chilled caramel layer and spread until it covers the entire surface. Return to the refrigerator (or freezer) until the chocolate is well set. Cut and serve.

Lemon bars

Lemon bars

1 box Angel Food cake mix
1 can lemon pie filling

Mix together and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Not really a recipe, but mix some butter, garlic salt and parmesean cheese.  Spread on slices of french bread (or whatever kind). Sprinkle a little mozarella cheese over butter and brown in a skillet. MmmMmmmmmmmmm.  Buttery, cheesy goodness!

Easy Veggie Dip

Equal Parts:  (so you can do more or less if you want)
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese

and 1 ranch dressing packet.  (I just have a can of the ranch dressing mix, and I add it to taste).

Mix together and serve with your favorite veggies.

Baked Potato Mashed potatoes

6-8 large potatoes (your favorite kind amount also depends on how much you want..... this will feed about 6 people)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 chopped green onions
3-4 strips of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and chop up your potatoes. Put them in a pot of boiling water and cook until tender. Drain water and add milk and sour cream. Mash the potatoes. Mix in the cheese, onion and bacon. Serve warm.

Pork Chops 'n Cream :)

8 boneless pork chops (or however many you need-just make sure you cover them all with the cream)

1 pt. heavy whipping cream

1 pkg. onion soup mix

Put pork chops in 9x13 pan. Add onion soup to cream. Pour over pork chops. Bake @ 350º for hour.

I like to make potatoes with these to put the extra cream over like gravy.

Sweet Pepper Poppers

12 mini sweet peppers(I got mine at Costco)
 6 slices bacon cut in half (I used pre-cooked)
 4 ounces (112g) cream cheese at room temperature
 4 ounces (112g) another cheese such as goat cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, jack, etc. (I used cheddar)
 1 teaspoon minced garlic
 2 tablespoons finely sliced green onion (use both green and white parts)
 1 lemon, juice and zest (I actually forgot this step..turned out ok)
 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more for a spicier popper)
 1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
 Method

Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Slice each pepper in half lengthwise then use a spoon or your fingers to scoop out any seeds and membrane to make space for your filling. Combine both cheeses. Add sliced green onions, the zest and juice of a lemon, red pepper flakes, dry oregano and salt. Stir to combine. Spoon the cheese mixture into each pepper half, wrap the half-slice of bacon around each pepper half and place top side up in a baking dish. Bake the sweet pepper poppers for about 20 minutes or until the peppers have softened and the bacon slightly crispy.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

1 loaf French bread
Garlic butter spread
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut the bread loaf in half. Spread with desired amount of garlic butter. Top with grated cheese. Broil in the oven for a few minutes until warm and cheese is melted.

Hot Corn Dip

Hot Corn Dip
Recipe by Emeril Lagasse

2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears fresh white or yellow corn, or frozen fresh corn)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers – I used roasted red bell peppers from a jar.
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise – 1/2 C was plenty for mine
4 ounces monterey jack or cheddar, shredded- I used monterey jack
4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Tortilla chips, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels turn deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Note that if you’re using frozen corn it probably won’t get golden brown. Just cook for about 5 minutes as the recipe states. Transfer to a bowl.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until the onions are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, jalapeno, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Transfer to the bowl with the corn.
Add 1/2 C mayo, cayenne pepper, half of the Monterrey jack and half of the cheddar and mix well. If you need more mayo to hold the mixture together then add it, but I found that 1/2 C was plenty, and I even added a little extra cheese.
Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish, or something equivalent and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla chips or Fritos.

Apple pie caramel apples

1 bag Kraft caramels
4-5 large, tart apples (You can use red apples too but I like the contrast of the tart apple with the caramel)
1 bag white chocolate chips or white chocolate candy melts
cinnamon sugar

1. Wash, scrub, and dry apples. This is important or your caramel won't stick because of the coating stores put on apples.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt caramel according to package directions.
3. Put popsicle stick in the apple. Dip in melted caramel making sure to fully coat it.
4. Place on parchment or wax paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Cool in the fridge until caramel is set up. If you want a thick caramel layer, add another layer of caramel here and let it set up again.
6. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals. You can add a little shortening if the mixture is too thick.
7. Coat the apple with the chocolate.
8. Let it set up a little bit before sprinkling it with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
9. Cool completely in the fridge.
10. Cut into slices and serve.

French Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dry yeast
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp oil
6 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast. (I use my Kitchen Aid.) Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour. Stir vigorously. Add remaining flour slowly as needed and mix well. (You may or may not need all the flour.) Let rest in bowl for 5 minutes. Stir down. Repeat this process two more times. Place dough onto a floured board. Knead only enough to coat dough with flour so it can be handled; divide in half. Flatten out into rectangles, roll up from the long side. Pinch seam to seal. Arrange both loaves lengthwise on a large, well greased cookie sheet. Place seam side down. Let rise about 20-25 minutes until doubled in size. Use a very sharp knife to gently make 3 diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf. Bake at 375 for 23-25 minutes. Cool on racks.

Note: If you want a crisper crust, you can use a spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water onto the loaves. Also misting the sides of the oven with water will create steam which will help make the crust crustier. You can also place an empty pan on the bottom shelf of the oven while the oven is preheating. After adding the bread to the over, pour cold water into the hot pan on the bottom shelf. Again, this will create steam which will make a crustier crust.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 small can, diced green chili’s
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded ( 3-4 small chicken breasts)
8-10 cooked flour tortillas (I prefer the un-cooked kind)
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 cups mexican style cheese, shredded
1 14 oz can green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
fresh cilantro, chopped

Mix the first five ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day).

Pour about 1/2 cup of the salsa verde on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill each flour tortilla with chicken and the monterey jack shredded cheese and roll them up and place in baking pan.

Mix the green enchilada sauce, and remaining 1/2 cup of salsa verde with the cream. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the mexican style cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until brown and crispy on top.  Top with fresh cilantro.

* can also top with chopped olives, and you can also add black beans to the inside of the tortilla with the chicken mixture.

Sorry this recipe took so long to get here...sorry! This is one of my go to recipes!!

apple cinnamon cookies

1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup applesauce
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup walnuts, 1/4-inch chopped
1 cup cinnamon chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Cream the brown sugar and shortening together. Add the egg and beat in. Add the applesauce and combine until well blended.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in another bowl.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed applesauce mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and cinnamon chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. If the batter stands more than 3/4-inch high, press it down with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes on dark pans or until the edges start to brown. (Light colored pans will take longer to bake.) Remove the cookies to cool on wire racks.

Fruit Salsa with cinnamon chips

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
*1-2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.


*Above is the original recipe...for tonight I used:
2 golden delicious apples
1 pound strawberries
2 peaches
3 Tablespoons raspberry jam
1 tablespoon white sugar
(I meant to use kiwi's but i forgot to get them while i was at the store)
Then to make the chips I used whole wheat tortillas, and to make this easier i cut them in wedges with a pizza cutter, arranged them on a baking sheet in a single layer, and then sprayed with cooking spray then sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar mix. Then bake the usual time and temp.

I've made this using different fruits--blueberries, blackberries, nectarines work well. Don't use bananas or grapes!

Green Beans Amandine

8 ounces green beans or one 9 ounce package frozen cut or french-cut green beans
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cut fresh beans into 1-inch pieces. Cook fresh beans covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp-tender. (or, cook frozen beans according to package directions). Drain, keep warm.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan cook and stir almonds in melted butter over medium heat until golden. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Stir almond mixture into beans.

Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute + 1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients; set aside. Combine eggs, lemon, oil, vanilla -stir until combined, and sugar, stir, then add zucchini and nuts. Add in dry ingredients, mix. Divide batter between 2 8X4in. loaf pans coated in cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 bag baby spinach
10 strawberries, hulled, cut into slices
1 can mandarin oranges drained
half a small/medium sized red onion, sliced
1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tbs. sesame seeds
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tbs. raspberry jam

toss first 4 ingredients together in bowl. combine rest of ingredients in a mason jar and shake it up, refrigerate at least 15 minutes, then pour to taste over salad.

Thai Chicken tacos

1 lime

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces

1/4 c chopped cilantro

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T fish sauce

2 t reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 t hot chili sauce

2 T vegetable oil

flour/corn tortillas

1 recipe Cabbage Slaw (see below)

1. Juice one lime. In bowl stir together chicken, cilantro, onion, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

2. In large skillet cook chicken mixture in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally.

Cabbage Slaw:
2 c shredded napa cabbage

1/2 c shredded carrot

1/2 c sliced green onions

1/4 c sliced fresh cilantro

1/4 c coarsely chopped peanuts

1/4 c rice vinegar

1 T mayonnaise

Toss all ingredients together and serve with chicken in a warmed flour/corn tortilla. Or just eat chicken and cabbage slaw as a yummy salad!

Hot Pizza Dip

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
2 ounces pepperoni sausage, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced black olives

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.
Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with green pepper, pepperoni and olive slices. Cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. Serve hot with crackers, bagel chips, or sliced baguettes.

Grandma's cucumbers

6 cups sliced cucumbers
3 cups onions shredded or 1/2 cup dehydrated onions
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Let sit for several hours.

Can use the brine over again when cucumbers are finished.