Fruit Dip

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
16 ounces marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice

Directions
1.Place cream cheese and marshmallow cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Place in microwave and cook on medium-high for 20 seconds increments, until softened.
2.Stir cherry juice into the cream cheese and marshmallow creme mixture. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground paprika

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika.

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring

Directions
1.In a medium saucepan, mix lemon juice, onion, distilled white vinegar, water, brown sugar, prepared mustard, ground black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper and vegetable oil. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered 20 minutes.
2.Stir ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke flavoring into the mixture. Return to boil, then remove from heat. Refrigerate until ready for use.

Guacamole Dip

Ingredients
2 avocados
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Season with remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour to blend flavors.

Beef Dinner

Ingredients
1 lb. chuck or other cut beef
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 pkg. lipton onion/mushroom soup mix
1 tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can mushrooms (optional)
2 tbsp. flour (for thick gravy)

Directions
`Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery to the crockpot.
`Place meat on top of vegetables.
`Add the Worcestershire sauce, Kitchen Bouquet, dry soup mix.
`Last, pour the stewed tomatoes over the top. Cooked this on Low heat for 7 hrs, then add the mushrooms and let it cook for an hour or so more.
`When done, remove the meat and if a thicker gravy is desired, stir in 2 tbsp. flour and set crockpot to high while stirring for a minute or so. Serve with rice or noodles. (Or can add cut up potatoes with the vegetables)

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 1/3 cups frozen peas and carrots
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme, or to taste
2 cups diced cooked chicken
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.Use a pizza cutter to slice the puff pastry into 8 equal-sized strips. Weave the strips into a square lattice and place on a greased baking sheet.
3.Bake in preheated oven until it just starts to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
4.Place the frozen peas, carrots, and corn in a microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave until cooked but still firm, 5 to 10 minutes.
5.Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk and stir while cooking until the mixture is smooth. Add the thyme and continue to cook and stir until the mixture thickens. Stir in the cooked vegetables and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes.
6.Pour the chicken mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Lay the pastry lattice on top. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
1 (4.3 ounce) package non-instant lemon pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar

Directions
1.Prepare pudding mix according to package directions for pie filling. When pudding begins to boil, turn heat to low and mix in cream cheese and sugar. Stir until cream cheese is completely blended into mixture. Pour mixture into crust. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Macaroons

Ingredients
10 cups flaked coconut
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups sweetened condensed milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon milk

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2.In a large bowl, stir together the coconut, flour and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until everything is well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared pan.
3.Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is sufficiently toasted. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
4.In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips and milk, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Dip cooled cookies halfway into the chocolate and scrape off excess onto the side of the bowl. Place onto waxed paper until set.

Coffee Cake

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup margarine
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
2.In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 3/4 cup of crumb mixture, to be used as a topping for the cake. Mix eggs and milk together and then blend into remaining mixture in bowl.
3.Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over the top. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over fruit.
4.Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

Place the butter and brown sugar in a frying pan and melt until it boils or bubbles. A cast iron pan works well because it's heavy and will be less likely to scorch.

1 can pineapple slices
maraschino cherries (enough to fill centers of pineapples)

Place pineapples in the butter and sugar mixture. Put cherries in the center of the pineapple. Cut the slices of pineapple into halves and line the sides of the frying pan with them (standing up on edge).
Prepare a box of yellow cake mix following the directions on the box to mix the batter (do not bake in a separate pan; follow instructions below).

Pour the batter over the pineapple and cherries.

Bake at 350°F degrees. When the cake is done, loosen the edges with a butter knife. Remove from heat and allow to sit five minutes, then turn it upside down on a serving dish.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 can chicken
2 cans mixed vegetables
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 dashes sage
salt and pepper to taste
2 deep dish frozen pie crusts

Directions:
-Drain chicken and vegetables.
-In a large bowl, mix the first five ingredients.
-Place mixture into pie crust and top with second.
-Crimp edges together.
-Make 2 or 3 slits in top crust and bake according to pie shell directions.

Chicken BBQ Dip

Watching the Lakers & Celtics playoff? What’s halftime without chips and dips? This dip, made with protein-rich canned chicken, cream cheese, bleu cheese dressing and spicy barbecue sauce, can be prepared ahead of time and reheated for game day munchies in minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or fresh veggies for dipping.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 10 ounces cans chunk chicken breast (drain)
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup spicy barbecue sauce
1/2 cup chunky bleu cheese dressing

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, breaking it into flakes as it cooks. Add cream cheese and stir until softened and well mixed. Remove from heat and stir in barbecue sauce and bleu cheese dressing. Serve warm for dipping.

Ice Cream In A Bag?!?

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup salt (The bigger the granules, the better. Kosher or rock salt works best, but table salt is fine.)
Ice cubes (enough to fill each gallon-size bag about half full)
1 pint-size ziplock bag
1 gallon-size ziplock bag

Directions:
Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.
Place the salt and ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag. Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to determine when it's done.
Take the smaller bag out of the larger one, add mix-ins, and eat the ice cream right out of the bag. Easy cleanup too! Serves 1.

Kiddie Pizza

Ingredients:
1lb sausage (I use turkey or beef sausage)
1tsp Italian seasoning blend
1/2tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2c pizza sauce
1c shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until crumbly and evenly browned. Stir in the Italian seasoning. Drain, and set aside.
Place the crescent roll dough on a baking sheet and roll into 9x13 inch rectangle. Spoon pizza sauce over the middle of dough, and top with Mozzarella cheese, then cooked sausage. Fold two opposite sides of the dough in towards the center to cover the sausage mixture; pinch edges of dough together in a few places to seal.
Bake in preheated oven until crust is browned, 11 to 14 minutes.

Crockpot Lasagna

From skillet to slow cooker, this twist on classic layered lasagna will delight your dinner guests with rich, robust flavors that make it well worth the wait.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 package lasagna noodles
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
12 ounces cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic until brown. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, and oregano and stir until well combined. Cook until heated through.
In a large bowl mix together the mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
Spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a double layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles. (Break to fit noodles into slow cooker.) Top noodles with a portion of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of meat mixture, noodles, and cheese mixture until all the ingredients are used.
Cover and cook on low heat in slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours.

Frappuccino Friday

What better way to cool down on a hot spring or summer day, than with a Frappuccino?! I love frappuccinos whether they are from Starbucks, Cups, Boarders, or my favorite hometown spot Fusion Coffee House!! This is a quick recipe that I use at home. The recipe I have is for a Mocha Frappuccino.



Ingredients:
-1 cup extra-strong cold coffee
-1 cup crushed ice or 1 cup of small ice cubes
-2 tablespoons cocoa powder
-2 tablespoons sugar
-2 tablespoons chocolate syrup*

Directions:
-Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
-Pour into glass.
-Top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

*You can use any syrup of your choice to change the flavor. For example, caramel, vanilla, hazlenut, or any of your favorites.

Cupcakes Without Eggs

This reciepe is great for vegans or if you just don't have any eggs on hand.

Things you need:
Box of your favorite cake mix
Oil
Can of Soda

-Choose your soda. Depending upon the color of the cake, you will want to choose the appropriate soda. For a dark cake, a cola works perfectly. For a light cake, try a lemon-lime alternative.
-Mix all ingredients. You will add the measured amount of oil as directed on the box of cake mix. Instead of adding water and eggs, simply add one can of soda. Mix thoroughly.
-Bake as directed plus 5 minutes. (The extra 5 minutes will account for any extra liquid.)
-Enjoy your cake. This cake comes out a little more moist than cakes made by traditional directions. Enjoy with your favorite icing or powdered sugar.

When icing your cupcakes, use a piping bag to prevent the cake from crumbling.

Basic Chicken Salad Reciepe

Sometimes simple is best. When it comes to chicken salad I like to make it basic and allow each person to dress it up as they want.



Ingredients:
-Chicken
--You can use left over chicken (do not used fried chicken) or you can cook chicken.
-Mayo
-Celery
-Salt
-Pepper

Dice chicken into cubes. Dice celery. Combine chicken, mayo*, celery** and season with salt and pepper for taste.

*Amount of mayo is left up to your discretion. I prefer 1 cup chicken to 1/2 cup mayo.
**I prefer 1/4 cup diced celery to 1 cup chicken.

Suggestions:
-You can spread chicken salad on bread and dress as a sandwhich.
-You can place it on a bed of lettuce with tomato, cucumber, onions, black olives, bell pepper, pickles, etc and eat as a salad.
-Have plain with crackers.

Easter Treat Holder

The treats will sevrve as nice basket stuffers, table toppers, or can be hid during the egg hunt.

What you need:
-Glue
-Ribbon
-Baby food jars
-Easter grass
-Pompoms
-Craft feathers
-Jelly beans/m&m candies

Directions:
-Glue a piece of ribbon around the lib of baby food jar and tie it into a bow.
-Glue Easter grass onto the top of the lid.
-Glue two pompoms together:
--For a bird: Add felt eyes and a beak, and feathers for wings.
--For a rabbit: Add felt eyes and glue on a pompom tail.
-Let dry.
-Fill with jelly beans or m&m candies.

Easter Basket Treats

A new take on a spring tradition, these mini baskets are fun for kids and they add a bright touch to your table.

What you need:
-Jelly Beans
-Ice cream cones
-Apple licorice

Directions:
-Fill ice cream cones with jelly beans.
-With a small knife, carefully cut two holes into the sides of each cone.
Tuck the ends of an apple licorice stick into the holes.

Provided by Good Housekeeping
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.