Chocolate Mousse Parfait

4 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 c. milk
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding (3 oz.)
4 oz. whipped topping (1/2 8 oz. tub)
1 pkg. graham crackers
1 Symphony bar with almonds and toffee (optional)

Gradually whip softened cream cheese with milk until smooth. (I usually set it out for a bit so it can warm up and it whips into the milk easier.) Add pudding powder until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Roughly break crackers into 1" size pieces. To assemble, place 1/8 cup crackers in parfait dishes, top with 1/2 cup of mousse then repeat. Use remaining cracker crumbs to garnish tops as well as chocolate shavings and or pieces from a candy bar if you wish. The entire dessert can also be made in a 9" square baking dish, making 2-3 layers. Chill until ready to serve.

Turkey Brine

Makes the BEST TURKEY EVER!
Supplies: To properly brine a turkey you need to start the night before you plan to cook. You will need at least 10 to 12 hours (plan on 1 hour per pound of turkey), a container large enough to hold your turkey and enough brine to cover it. You'll also need salt, water, sugar, seasonings, and enough room to refrigerate it. A large stainless steel stock pot or even a 5 gallon clean plastic bucket would make excellent containers. Whatever container you choose the turkey needs to have enough room to be turned so it should be big. Both Reynolds (Oven Roasting Bag for Turkeys) and Ziploc (XL Storage Bag) make very large food safe sealable bags that are great for brining.
Turkey: Now let's get to the turkey. The turkey should be cleaned out, completely thawed, and should not be a self-basting or Kosher turkey. Self-basting and Kosher turkeys have a salty stock added that will make your brined turkey too salty. A fresh turkey works best, but a completely thawed, previously frozen turkey will work just as well
Brine Ingredients: To make the brine, mix 1 cup of table salt in 1 gallon of water. You will need more than 1 gallon of water but that’s the ratio to aim for. One way of telling if you have enough salt in your brine is that a raw egg will float in it. Make sure that the salt is completely dissolved before adding the seasonings you like, making sure not to add anything that contains salt. Brines can be spicy hot with peppers and cayenne, savory with herbs and garlic, or sweet with molasses, honey and brown sugar. Whatever your tastes are, you can find a large number of brine recipes on my site.
Sweetening the Brine: Sugar is optional to any brine, but works to counteract the flavor of the salt. While you may choose a brine without sugar, I do recommend that you add sugar (any kind of "sweet" will do) to maintain the flavor of the turkey. Add up to 1 cup of sugar per gallon of brine. Like the salt you need to make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved.
Set-up: Place the turkey in a container and pour in enough brine to completely cover the turkey with an inch or two to spare. You do not want any part of the turkey above the surface of the brine. Now you put the whole thing in the refrigerator. If you are like me, making enough room in the fridge is the hardest part of this project. The turkey should sit in the brine for about 1 hour per pound of turkey. Brining too long is much worse than not brining enough so watch the time.
Keep it Cool!: Don't have room in the refrigerator? Try a cooler. A cooler big enough to hold your turkey makes a good container for your turkey and brine. The cooler will help keep it cool and allow you to brine your turkey without taking up precious refrigerator space. If the weather is cool, but not freezing you can put the whole thing outside until you need the turkey. If the weather is warm fill a a zip top bag with ice. Place this in the cooler with the turkey and brine and it will hold down the temperature during the brining process.
Rinsing: When you are ready to start cooking your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse it off thoroughly in the sink with cold water until all traces of salt are off the surface inside and out. Safely discard the brine and cook your turkey as normal. You will notice the second you start to carve your turkey that the brining has helped it retain moisture. The first bite will sell you on brining turkeys forever, and after you've tried this you will want to brine all your poultry.

TO BAKE:

We make a mixture of butter, pepper, and parsley flakes. (NO SALT) Rub mixture under the skin all over the breast, on top of the skin every where, and I even place a bunch inside the turkey where you'd normally place the stuffing. Place in a turkey bag and bake according to the directions. Let sit for a half and hour after baking before carving. Save all the juices!

TURKEY POT PIE

TURKEY POT PIE

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie shells
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup (can substitute cream of mushroom)
1 cup cooked, chopped turkey meat (can substitute chicken or beef)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 cubed potato
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup celery
1/3 cup milk
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place one pie crust in an ungreased pie dish.
Saute onion, celery and frozen veggies in butter until tender. Add potato. In a medium bowl, mix the soup and milk. Stir in the turkey meat and mixed vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into the pie crust in the dish. Top with the other pie crust, and seal the crust edges by crimping with a wet fork. Bake in the preheated oven 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

HAM AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

HAM AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

1.5-2 cups diced ham
10 oz or little more than half a pkg of elbow macaroni (or a pasta similar in size)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Velveeta Cheese
1 can of milk
diced green onions
Salt/Pepper/Garlic powder to taste

(I added green onions. I think it would taste better with left overs from a ham roast rather than the store bought cubed ham. That stuff doesn't have enough flavor.)

Add to your drained cooked pasta the ham, soups, and milk. Mix together well. Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes. !

CHICKEN AZTECA

Chicken Azteca

1 15oz can black beans, drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 garlic clove minced
½ tsp ground cumin
1 cup chucky salsa, divided
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
Cooked rice
Shredded cheddar cheese


1. Combine beans, corn, garlic, cumin and half of salsa in slow cooker
2. Arrange chicken breast on top and then pour remaining salsa on top of chicken
3. Cover, cook on high 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours
4. Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces then return to cooker
5. Stir in cream cheese
6. Cook on high until cream cheese melts
7. Spoon chicken and sauce over cooked rice
8. Top with shredded cheese

Yield: 4-6 servings

Courtesy of Shantell... I saw it on their blog and want to keep track of it!

Rolo Cookies

2 1/2 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Cocoa
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup butter
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 Cup chopped pecans (optional)
48 Rolo Candies
1 Tbls Sugar
4 oz White Chocolate

Preheat Oven to 375
In small bowl combine flour, cocoa and baking soda.

In a large bowl beat sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. Blend in flour mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Shape cookie dough around 1 rolo, covering completely.

In a small bowl, combine remining 1/2 Cup nuts and 1 Tbls sugar. Press one side of each ball into pecan mixture. Place nut side up 2 in apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 min. Drizzle melted white chocolate over top of cookies if desired.

Crispy Ranch Chicken

2 Cups Corn Flakes
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1oz envelope ranch salad dressing mix
2 egg whites, beaten
8 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts/thighs

Combine cereal, cheese and dressing in a large bowl. Beat egss in med bowl. Dip chicken in egg and then in cereal, coating evenly.

Place chicken on large baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until golden, and 30 min.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

1 26oz Jar Ragu Old World pasta sauce
2 pounds part skim ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1 tbls fresh chopped parsley
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 12oz box Jumbo pasta shells cooked and drained

In 13x9 pan, spread 1 Cup Ragu evenly.
In large bowl combine cheese, eggs parsley and pepper. Fill shells with mixture then arrange in pan. Evenly top with remaining sauce.
Bake at 350 for 45 min.

Serves 8

Sloppy Joe's

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 can chicken gumbo soup (drained slightly)
1 Tbls worstershire sauce
1 Tbls mustard
1/2 Cup ketchup

Brown beef and onion. Add remaining ingredients and stir and simmer for 15-30 minutes.

Ruth's Chimichangas

These are SO SO YUMMY!

1 lb ground or shredded beef
1 med onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 cup red chili sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup refried beans
1 Cup shredded cheese

Brown beef and onion, add green pepper and garlic. Then add remaining ingredients.

Roll in flour tortillas and deep fry. Add your favorite toppings. Cheese, Salsa, Sour Cream, Guacamole, tomatoes, onions.....

Quiche

1/2 lb Cheese grated
3/4 lb sliced bacon/sausage/ham
4 Eggs
1 tbls flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp nutmet
2 Cups Milk
1 tbls margerine melted

Pie Crust

Line 9" Pie pan with uncooked crust. Cover with cheese. Fry bacon, put on cheese. Beat everything else then add milk and melted butter.

Bake at 375 for 40 min

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs
1 Cup sugar
2/3 Cup pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 Cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Beat eggs on high for 3 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Sift remaining ingredients and add. Spread in greased and floured 13x11 jelly roll pan.

Bake at 375 for 15 min. Lay large kitchen towel on flat surface and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Put jelly roll pan on top and let the cake fall out. Sprinkle with powdered sugar again and start at the narrow end and roll up into towel. Let cool until filling is made.

1 Cup powdered sugar
6oz Cream Cheese
4 Tbls margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth. Unrool and put in the filling and roll back up. Chill until ready to serve, then slice.

Mexican Chicken

8-10 chicken breasts (boned, skinless)
1/4 Cup chopped onions
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Bouillon cubes crushed
2 cans diced chillies
1 can chopped olives
2 tbsp vinegar
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic salt
2 Cups grated monterey Jack Cheese

Put chicken in flour and brown lightly in a little oil. Place in casserole dish.

Mix remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Pour over chicken.

Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 more minutes.

Banana Bread

3 or 4 Ripe Bananas
3 tbls sour milk (add a squirt of vinegar or lemon juice to sour)
1/2 cup butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Cups Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Cup Blueberries (optional)

Cream together sugar, butter, and eggs. Sift together dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter. Mix in milk and mashed bananas. Bake at 350 for 40 min, or until center is dry.  Take out right when center is done, or it will over bake and be too dry.

Sugar Cookies

1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Sugar
4 Eggs
(Combine ingredients and beat 1 egg in at a time)
4 Cups Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Tbls Vanilla

Sift dry ingredients and add to other mixture. Chill for an hour or more
Roll out on flour 1/4 in thick.

Bake at 400 for 10 min.

Can also be used for fruit pizza crust!

Butter Cream Frosting

2 Cubes Butter Margarine (works best if you actually use the cube)
2 lb Powdered C&H Confectioners Powdered Sugar
3-4 Tbls milk
2 tsp Vanilla

Cream your butter first.  Then add powdered sugar and vanilla a little at a time.  As you put in more sugar add a little milk a little at a time until you get the right consistency.

Makes enough to frost 1 Cake or 1 batch of Cupcakes.

Recipe courtesy of Ruth Lamb. BEST FROSTING EVER!

Apple Pie

Using Tart Juicy Apples (Jonathans, Wine Saps, or Roman Beauties)
3/4-1 Cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
6-7 Cups sliced pared apples
2 Tbls Butter

Mix Dry ingredients. Stir lightly through apples. Pour into bottom crust. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Vent, Seal with a little milk, Flute the edge. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 425 for 10 min.
Then at 350 for 45 min or until nicely browned.

Pie Crust

This is a family pie crust recipe and it is the BEST!!!!!

Makes 3 Single Pie Shells or 1 Double 1 Single
3 Cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 Cup Shortening
2/3 C Milk with 1 Egg yolk

Makes 4 Single Pie Shells or 2 Single 1 Double or 2 Double
4 Cups Flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/3 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 Cup Shortening
3/4 Cup Milk with 1 Egg Yolk

Sift dry ingredients into bowl, and make a slight hole in the middle. Beat egg into milk, and pour into center of dry mixture. Mix with a fork, don't over mix or your crust won't be light and flaky. After its stuck together, roll out dough using flour.

For empty crusts (non cooked pies), poke holes in the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork.

Bake Single at 450 for 10-12 min.
Bake Double 10 min at 425 then 350 for 20 min.

Recipe courtesy of Aunt Verd, Joan Meibos, Ruth Lamb.

Chicken Salad

1 Cup Cooked Chicken
1/4 tsp Seasoning Salt
2 tsp Green Onion chopped
2 Tbls Sour Cream
2 Tbls Mayo
2 Tbls Cucumber, Apples, Grapes... or whatever you like to put in it.

Recipe courtesy of Ruth Lamb.

Waffles

2 1/4 Cups Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
2 Eggs
2 1/4 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Oil

Sift dry ingredients together. Mix remaning ingredients together and add to dry mixture. Stir together until all large clumps are gone.

Better Homes and Garden Cookbook Recipe.

Wild Rice & Chicken Casserole

1 Box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice
3 Cups Cooked Chicken (I usually buy a Costco Rotisserie Chicken)
1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
1 medium onion chopped
1 Cup Mayo
2 Cans French Style Green Beans
1 Can Water Chestnuts drained and chopped

Cook the Wild Rice as directed on the Box. Place in Large Casserole Dish. Sprinkle with Paprika and Parsley flakes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This makes 16 servings. It is A LOT! I usually put it in 2 8x8 dishes and use it for when I have to take dinner to someone. Then you have dinner for you and dinner for them! Or, you could freeze it and reheat it later.

Herb Crescent Rolls

This recipe is for a Bread Machine. I'm sure you can do it without one, but I am not that smart.

1 1/2 Cup cool Water
3 Tbls Butter cut into small pieces
3 Tbls Sugar
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp crushed rosemary
Dash of Thyme and Oregano
4 1/2 Cups Flower
1 Tbls Yeast

(When adding into the bread machine, but the butter and yeast in last. Put the pieces of butter in the corners and the yeast in the middle. Make sure the Yeast doesn't touch the butter.)

Bring to a raise in the Bread Machine, but don't cook it!

Cut the dough into triangles and roll into crescent rolls.
Bake at 350 for 15 min. Makes about 16.

Graham Cracker Stuff

Great for the Holiday's!

2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Butter

Cook over Low heat- stirring constantly until thick.

2 1/3 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 1/4 Cup Marshmellows
1/2 Cup Coconut Shavings

Put in bowl, pour melted mixture over and stir. Spread in 13x9 pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar and let cool in fridge.

Caramel Pops

2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Cup Karo Syrup
1 Cube Margarine/Butter
1 Can Eagle Brand Milk

Bring Sugar and Karo to a boil for 3 minutes. Add butter and Milk. Pour over 1 Large Bag of Corn Pops. (They are the Salty unflavored pops that look like cheetos!) Let dry on wax paper.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are from Betty Crocker, they ARE the best... I'm not lying.

2/3 Cup Shortening
2/3 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
3 1/2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Soda
12oz Chocolate Chips

Mix Shortening, butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Sift together other ingredients and mix with cream mixture.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 min.

NO BAKE COOKIES

NO BAKE COOKIES

2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup butter (one stick) or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oats ( we like quick oats better)

Cook the sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk until it it comes to a full boil. Take off heat and add the peanut butter ( stir for a minute to let it melt in), vanilla, and oats. Stir until all mixed together well. Spoon onto waxed paper on a cookie sheet and let cool completely (I put mine in the fridge to help it cool faster). Then eat!

I got this off What's Cookin' again, they were YUMMY!

TACO SOUP

TACO SOUP

1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 Onion
1 Can Green Chilies
1 Packet Ranch Dip Mix
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 - 1 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 - 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Brown beef and add the ingredients above. When onions are soft and meat has a nice dark brown color add:

1 Can Black Beans
I Can Pinto Beans
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can Corn
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Tomato Sauce
2 Cans Chicken Broth

Bring to a boil. The more you simmer it the better it is. Its also really good in a dutch oven! Top with Fritos, Cheese, and/or Sour Cream.

Oven Baked Chicken Fingers

These are the BEST. They're Oven Baked, so less fat, soft... easy for kids to eat, and delicious!!!

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1 lb) Cut crosswise into 1/2in strips
2/3 Cup Bisquick
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese (I use actual parmesan, not the already grated stuff)
1/2 tsp Salt or Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 Egg slightly beaten
3 Tbsp butter or margarin melted

Mix Bisquick, Cheese, Salt and Paprika in a 1-Gallon Size Ziploc Bag.
Dip the chicken strips into egg, place in bag, shake to coat.
Heat oven to 450. Line Cookie sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray.
Place chicken on cookie sheet, drizzle butter over chicken.
Bake for 12-14 min turning the chicken over halfway though, cook until no longer pink in center.
4 Servings

I also like to put fresh sqeezed lime or lemon juice on my chicken... I love the flavor, and it's all natural. :)

Recipe from Bisquick Box