Quick Cranberry Punch

I made this for Thanksgiving. It's from the Betty Crocker website. It was super easy and yummy!

1 can (6 ounces) frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 bottle (32 ounces) cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
2 cans (12 ounces each) ginger ale, chilled

Make lemonade as directed on can in large pitcher.
Stir in cranberry juice cocktail and enough ice to chill. Just before serving, stir in ginger ale.

I doubled it and it made a big pitcher full.

Pillsbury Grands "Monkey Bread"

I got this from the Pillsbury website...

½ c. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
½ c. chopped walnuts, if desired
½ c. raisins, if desired
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

¾ c. butter or margarine, melted

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan.
2. In large plastic food-storage bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.
3. Mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Catatlina Chicken

It doesn't get any simpler than this...
You could use at much as as little as you want, depending on the size of your family. I always double mine for leftovers and John's lunches the next day, so this is what I did...

1 package of chicken tenders from Sam's ~ defrosted, washed, and patted dry.
Spray crock pot lightly.Put chicken in crock pot.
Added 2 bottles of Catalina salad dressing and cook on low for 6 hours.

We had oven roasted potatoes, corn, rolls, and Jello.
You can also cook it on the grill. Just marinate the chicken for a couple of hours prior to grilling and discard marinade.
Simple and delicious!!

Carmel Chex Mix

I got this recipe from Tammie Peterson ~ my boys just gobble this up as fast as I can make it!!

Melt 6 T. butter in big bowl
Stir in ¾ c. brown sugar
3 T. Karo syrup
Stir until mixed...
Microwave 1 minute
Stir...
Microwave 1 minute
Stir...
Should be foamy and bubbly
Add 7-8 cups Chex Mix and spread on cookie sheet to cool.
Could add almonds or cashews or anything else that sounds good to ya!!

Sweet~n~Sour Chicken

This is soooo yummy!!
I usually use 1 bag of chicken tenders or you can use 6-7 chicken breasts
Dip chicken in egg then cornstarch and brown in oil. Set aside on plate.
While chicken is browning...mix together:
1 - 20 oz crushed pineapple
¾ c. vinegar
2½ c. brown sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
2½ c. beef stock
½ c. finely chopped green pepper
1 T. lemon juice (plus splash more)
½ bottle of teriyaki sauce
Boil till clear and thick.
Put some sauce in the bottom of 9x13 pan.
Add chicken, cover with more sauce {reserve some of the sauce for dipping}, cover with foil and bake @ 350º till chicken is done.
I cook it for about 30-45 minutes.
Serve over rice!!

Sauce for Chicken Cordon Bleu

1 can cream of chicken soup
½ c. sour cream
1/3 c. lemon juice

Mix together and warm through in microwave.
Serve over Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Snickerdoodles

½ c. butter ~ softened
½c. shortening
1½ c. sugar
2 eggs
2¾ c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. sugar
2 T. cinnamon
Heat oven to 400º.
Mix butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs. Mix in flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt.
Shape in to round teaspoon size balls.
Mix cinnamon and sugar ~ roll balls in mixture and place on cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cool.
Makes 6 dozen.

Cheese Ball

This make 2 large cheese balls.

3 pkg. cream cheese
3 jars Kraft Old English cheese
1 jar Kraft Roka Blue cheese
2 T. grated onion
1 t. worchestire sauce
½ t. Accent
½ c. parsley
½ c. chopped walnuts

Mix together and refrigerate overnight.
Form into 2 balls and roll in additional chopped walnuts.

Carmel Popcorn

1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. Karo syrup
1 cube butter

Boil 2 minutes and pour over popped popcorn.

Basic Buttercream Frosting

3½ c. unsifted powdered sugar ~ store brands work best
½ c. Crisco shortening
¼ c. water or milk
½ t. vanilla
½ t. lemon extract ~ do not use lemon juice
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together until well mixed. Frosting should be fairly stiff. If too soft, add some more powdered sugar.

Orange Fluff Salad

This recipes comes from Quick Cooking.
1 c. sour cream
1 pkg. (3oz.) lemon jello
2 cans (11 oz.) mandarin oranges ~ drained
1 can (21 oz.) pineapple tidbits ~ drained
1 carton (8oz.) cool whip

Blend sour cream and Jello until mixed.
Fold in remaining ingredients.

Zucchini Alfredo

I could eat this on my diet cause I still can't have pasta or carbs. It was really quite good!!

4-5 zucchini ~ slice in to thin strips(I peeled the zucchini just because I don't like the skin).
1 t. salt
Add salt to water and soak zucchini. Darin water and dry zucchini good.
Add and heat 2 T. oil to pan and 2-3 cloves of garlic.
Add zucchini and cook till tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
In hot pan add:
8 oz. cream cheese
¾ c. half and half
¼ c. shredded Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
dash of nutmeg
Stir until cream cheese is melted and sauce thickens. Add zucchini back in and stir everything together till heated through. Sprinkle ¼ c. of shredded Parmesan over finished dish!
It was sooo good and I am so not a zucchini fan!!

Vanilla Popcorn

1 1/3 c. sugar
2 cubes butter
1/3 c. white Karo syrup
2 T. vanilla
Mix together and bring to boil. Boil until sugar is dissolved and pour over popped popcorn.

Crockpot Lasagna

{picture coutesy of Adrienne's blog}
Another recipe from Adrienne at "Taste The Joy" . It is quick and easy and has become a favorite.
Brown 1 lb hamburger and chopped onion
Add: large jar spaghetti sauce {I used Prego} and ½ C water
Spray crock pot with no stick spray and layer:
Meat sauce
Dry broken lasagna noodles
1/3 carton cottage cheese (1 lb size)
shredded mozzarella cheese
Repeat layers until ingredients are gone. (I usually do about 4-5 layers)
Sprinkle cheese on top last ½ hour.
Cook for 3-4 hours on low.
Serve with salad and french bread and you have a great meal!!

Ham and Cheese Crepes

This recipe I got from Adreinne at "Taste The Joy". She has so many great recipes!
12 crepes ~ {see recipe below}
12 slices thin cooked ham
1½ c. cheese ~ American, Swiss, whatever you like
Sprinkle crepe with cheese and top with ham.
Mix together:
1 T. chopped green onion
½ c. sour cream
½ t. salt and pepper
½ t. prepared mustard
Spread over ham.
Roll up and place in a 9x19 foil lined plan.
Mix together: 1/3 c. bread crumbs
3 T. melted butter
Combine and sprinkle over crepes. Cover loosely with foil and bake @ 350º for 15-20 minutes.
You can also make use cheese or cream soup to make a sauce.

Chicken Filling for Crepes'

12 crepes ~ {see recipe below}
2-3 c. cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 c. grated Swiss cheese
¼ c. chopped onion
slivered almonds

Saute onions in a little butter. Add remaining ingredients ~ reserving some of the soup and stir till everything is mixed together. Place a large spoonful on each crepe and roll up. Put into a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Spread some of the soup on top and sprinkle the cheese and almonds. Bake @ 350º for 20-30 minutes.

Crepes'

My brother-in-law made these the other night and my kids loved them...

¾ c. flour
2 eggs
¼ t. salt
1 c. milk
Combine flour and salt. In a cup beat together eggs and milk. Add to dry ingredients beating vigorously.Drop batter 2 T. at a time onto hot greased griddle. Cook 2 minutes ~until brown~ flip and cook other side till brown.
Serve with ~ syrup and powdered sugar
strawberries and cool whip
You could even cook a bunch in advance and freeze them!

Crockpot~Cheesy Salsa Chicken

I got this recipe from one of my favorite recipe blogs "Get Off and Your Butt and Bake" . You must go there...she has so many fabulous recipes!!

1 16 oz. jar of salsa ~ I used Pace Mild
5 large chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. grated cheese
2 c. rice

Put chicken in crock pot. Combine salsa and soup and mix together and pour over chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. 15 minutes before serving stir in cheese.

I doubled this recipe and plan on using it two nights...
First night ~ bed of rice, black beans, chicken with sauce poured over it, dollop (I like to say "dollop", it's a fun word) of sour cream, w/ scones on the side.
Second night ~ I shredded the left over chicken and put it in a bowl with the rest of the sauce...we will have chicken tacos on flour tortillas, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. Enjoy!!!

Bacon, Cheese, and Potato Chowder

3 c. milk
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of potato soup
2 c. southern style hash browns
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices bacon ~ cooked and crumbled
2 green onion ~ thinly sliced
Additional cheese, onions, and bacon for topping soup.

Mix everything together and simmer till hash browns are done ~ 10 minutes or so stirring frequently. Serve topped with cheese, onions, and bacon.

I doubled the recipe and added 1 can of cheddar cheese soup. I also used the pre-cooked bacon, cooked it in the microwave, and crumbled it up. it made quite a bit so we had some leftovers that were even better the next day! It is so yummy!!
Recipe from Kraft Food website.