Party Cheese Log (Staci Smith)

In a large bowl beat 16 oz cream cheese with 10 oz. package of shredded cheddar cheese, add 1 tbs. chopped red pepper, 1 tbs. chopped onion, 2 tsp. worst. sauce, 4 tsp. lemon juice, S&P...Shape this in a log coat in Pacans and garnish with parsley! :-)

Caramel Apple Pork Chops (Staci Smith)

Heat Skillet Med. heat with oil
Add 4 boneless pork chops for 5-6 min. remove
in a small bowl combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp.nutmeg dash S&P
Slice and Core 2 apples add 4 tbl. butter to pan, with juices, thicken the sauce and spoon over the pork...top with walnuts or pecans!

Poppyseed Chicken (Alison Alcala)

Melt 1 stick of butter, 2 tbsp of poppy seed and crushed ritz crackers (usually 2 bags)
Boil chicken (2-4 white boneless breats and chop)
Combine with 1 can of cream of chicken soup and sour cream (1 cup ??? not too much but enough for moist consisitency).
Add 1 can of green chilies.

Sprinkle cooked crackers on top and cook on 350 for around 25-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Quick and easy!

Southwest Chicken (Stacy Fuson)

2 cans cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup salsa4 green onions chopped (I omit)
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspooon pepper
1 Tablespoon parsley3 (more or less)
boneless chicken breasts8 oz.
Mexican or Cheddar cheese
Can of French Fried onion rings
Angel hair or spaghetti pasta

Preheat oven to 350. Mix chicken soup through parsley in bowl. Lay chicken breasts on bottom of sprayed casserole dish. Pour soup mixture over chicken. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, covered. Then, uncover and top with onion rings. Bake 5 more minutes. Serve over pasta noodles.

Fiesta Fantasy Cake (recommended by Lisa Cutler)

Prep Time: 45 min Cook Time: 33 minSkill Level: Advanced
Ingredients:
2 cups sifted cake flour or 1-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa or HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur or strong coffee
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 container (8 oz.) dairy sour cream
3/4 cup boiling water
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (recipe follows)
CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl on low to medium speed of mixer until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in coffee liqueur or coffee and vanilla. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to sugar mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in boiling water until blended. Pour into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. Prepare CHOCOLATE MOUSSE. Split each cake layer horizontally to make four layers total. Place one layer on serving plate; spread with one-third of the mousse (about 1 cup). Repeat layering with two of the remaining layers and remaining mousse. Place remaining cake layer on top. Prepare CHOCOLATE FROSTING; frost cake top and sides. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. 16 to 20 servings.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:Place 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips in a food processor bowl; cover and process until finely ground. Mix 1/3 cup whipping cream and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is just boiling. With food processor running, pour hot cream through feed tube, processing 10 to 20 seconds or until chocolate is completely melted. Scrape side of food processor bowl. Add 1/4 cup coffee liqueur or strong coffee and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract through feed tube; process 10 to 20 seconds or until smooth. Pour into large bowl; cool about 10 minutes or until mixture is room temperature. Beat 1 cup whipping cream in chilled medium bowl on high speed of mixer just until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:Stir together 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 2/3 cup sifted HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa in medium bowl. Add 1-1/2 cups whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat on low speed of mixer until stiff peaks form, scraping side of bowl constantly. (Mixture will be very stiff.) By hand, stir in milk, one tablespoon at a time, to make desired spreading consistency. Makes about 3 cups.

Tooting My Shoe Horn!

There are some really cute shoes out this fall!! I found some doozies at Target and wanted to pass it on. Target is THE PLACE to get stylish and/or fadish shoes for a reasonable price. So, get on your shoes that are soooo last week and head to Target (Tarjay). That's my tip for today!

My Friend

As I was dousing my kitchen sink with cleaner, it occurred to me that I really need to share a wonderful secret with all of you - Barkeepers Friend. It is a must have this fall for every kitchen. It looks absolutely fabulous kept under the sink and guests will oooh and aaaah over how great it makes your stainless sink shine. It is even an unbelievable solvent to use on stubborn pots and pans. So, go on and get THE must have for your kitchen's wardrobe - Barkeeper's Friend.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina (Giada De Laurentis)

This is a Brownell family favorite!!

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Bistro Spinach Salad (Jennifer Calhoun)

Bistro Spinach Salad
Dressing:1/2 Cup - Sundried tomatoes (I use the already prepared kind)
1/2 Cup - Tomato juice
1 Can Tomato soup with herbs
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 T Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 t Salt
1/8 t Pepper
Salad:
4 Chicken breasts
1 package couscous prepared to box directions
5 Cups Spinach leaves, torn into bite size pieces
1 Cup sliced Cucumber
1 (4.5 oz) jar Artichokes, drained and chopped
1/2 Cup sliced Vidalia Onion
2 T sliced Black Olives
1/4 Cup Shredded Fresh Parmesan Cheese
To prepare Dressing - In food processor - process tomatoes, tomato juice, soup vinegar, oil, garlic, salt and pepper until smooth.
To prepare Chicken - Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Brown in skillet (coated with Non-stick spray) until no longer pink inside.Slice to desirable size.In large bowl, mix chicken, couscous, spinach, cucumbers, artichokes, onion, olives and cheese.
Pour 1 Cup dressing (or to your liking) over salad and toss to coat. Enjoy.

Salsa Chicken - Crock Pot

32 oz salsa
3 chicken breasts
can of corn, drained
can of black beans, drained

Place all ingredients in crock pot on low for 6 - 8 hours. 30 minutes prior to eating, remove chicken, shred and place back into crock pot. Use in tortillas with cheese and any other toppings you may like. This is awesome!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Susan Hickey)

Chicken Tortilla Soup
2 cans Campbell's Chicken with White and Wild Rice Soup
1 can Swanson's Chicken Broth
2 can Del Monte Diced tomatoes (Italian Flavor)
1 large chicken breast, cooked and chopped (Leftovers are great for this) or you could use a small can of chicken

Just mix everything in a pot and warm. I serve with crushed tortilla chips and shredded mexican cheese on top.

Tex-Mex Chicken (Rebekah Francis)

1 can cream of chicken soup
½ Tablespoon cumin
2 Tablespoons Chili powder
2 cups chopped chicken
2-3 cups cooked rice
¼ sweet red pepper
1 cup Sharp Cheddar
¼ cup green pepper
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

Cook chopped chicken in small amount of oil in large pot; add peppers, then all other ingredients. Put in baking dish and sprinkle with small amount of cheddar cheese. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
** Minute Rice may be used instead of cooked, if so add ¾ cup water.

Beef & Mushroom w/ Egg Noodles (Beth Martin)

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup Beef stock
1/3 cup dry red wine (I use cooking red wine)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (8oz) package sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1 (2lb) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1/2 (16 oz) package extra wide egg noodles
3 Tbsp chopped, fresh parsley, divided
Baby carrots (optional)
Sliced onion (optional)

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a lightly greased 5qt slow cooker. Stir in mushrooms. Add roast to slow coker. (Add any of the optional ingredients...I usually add carrots about 2 hours in as we like them when they don't fall apart! Cover and cook on High 4-4 1/2 hours or until beef is tender and shreddable.

Prepare noodles according to package directions. Toss hot cooked noodles with 2 Tbsp parsley (for my family, we leave the parsley out). Spoon beef mixture over hot cooked noodles. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve immediately.

No Peek Beef Tips (Leslie Hellman)

2 lbs. cube stew beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (4 ox) can mushroom pieces (I don’t add)
½ pkg dry onion soup mix
1 Cup ginger ale or any other soft drink, not diet

Put in crockpot and cook all day or layer ingredients in a 2 qt. casserole dish in order give. Cover and bake at 300 for 3 hours but don’t peek. Serve with egg noodles or rice.

Snickers Brownies (Leslie Hellman)

1 14 oz can condensed milk, divided
1 German chocolate cake mix
1 ½ cups salted peanuts
1 stick butter melted
1 (14oz) pkg. caramels
1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Reserve 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons condensed milk. Mix remaining milk, cake mix, peanuts and butter in a large bowl. Spread or crumble half of mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking pan; set aside remaining mixture. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture is soft. Meanwhile, combine caramels and reserved condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high until melted, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Keep warm until ready to use. Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Working quickly, use a large spatula to spread warm caramel over chips. Crumble remaining cake mixture on top. Press with a spoon to set. Bake 18-20 minutes longer or until brownies separate from sides of pan. Do not overbake to prevent caramel from hardening. Cool and cute into squares.

French Toast Casserole (Laura Stubbs)

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
3 tsp ground cinnamon divided
3 tart apples thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 load bread in 1 inch slices
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 TBSP vanilla

Combine sugar, butter, 1 tsp cinnamon in a 13x9 pyrex dish. Add apples and raisins toss. Spread evenly and put bread on top. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla, 2 tsp cinnamon, pour over. Cover and refrigerate. Bake on 375 covered for 40 minutes and uncovered for 5 minutes.

Oatmeal Casserole (Callie Warren)

I mix mine the night before then bake in the morning.
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups quick oats (I use old fashioned and it is fine)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 apple chopped
1/4 cup raisins (golden ones make it really sweet)
cinnamon to taste

1. Mix first seven ingredients
2. Add apple and raisins
3. Spread in a 9x13 pan, individual baking cups, or I find a deep dish smaller baker makes it creamy.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon on the top.
5. Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes
Serve warm.

Easy Chicken Parmesan (Leslie Hellman)

Chicken Parmesan

3 chicken breasts cut horizontal
1 egg
Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese
spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water

Mix water and egg with a whisk. Dip chicken in water/egg and dredge through bread crumbs. Cut chicken in half. Grease a 9x13 pyrex with Pam. Add a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Put chicken on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Add remainder of spaghetti sauce. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake on 350 for 30 - 40 minutes.

Freezable Stuffed Peppers (Staci Smith)

Can freeze up to a month, Can use ground beef or turkey
4 oz. sweet Italian Sausage
4-6 Peppers ( I like Tri-Color but red and green are yummy)
1 tbl olive oil
1 med. onion
8 oz. ground meat
2 tbl garlic
2 cups white or brown rice
1 can diced tom.
1 cup shredded moz. cheese
1/2 cup parm cheese
parsley (garnish)

Add olive oil in saute pan with onion, add meat and sausage, lil s&p, add garlic,....drain.....mix with tom, rice, mozz, parm, ......stuff the peppers....heat at 450 top with marinara when cooking. then w/parsley and parm chz

Suffering from B.O.O.M.G.S.?

Atlanta and surrounding burbs are being hit hard by a lot of rain, and I mean A LOT!! I am getting serious cabin fever and bored out of my gourd syndrome, aka BOOMGS. As I sit here pondering what I can do this evening at home AGAIN, it occurs to me that I should add more recipes to the blog. This is a plea for any others suffering from cabin fever and BOOMGS to do the same. We can accumulate a lot of rain, I mean recipes, and have a great resource for our weekly menus.

Dosage: take two glasses of wine, type up some recipes and call me in the morning.

Let's Just Pretend It's Cold Outside

Chilly Night Chili (Southern Living)

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (8 oz) cans tomato puree
2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans, undrained
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 cup water
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp pepper
Hot cooked rice
Toppings: shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced olives

- Cook ground beef and onion in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain beef mixture, and return to Dutch oven.
- Add tomatoes and next 9 ingredients to Dutch oven.
- Bring chili mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes. Serve over rice (or Fritos)with desired toppings. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Way to Easy!!

Chicken and Rice Bake (Kaye Starley)

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long grain rice
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

- In a 2-qt shallow baking dish mix soup, water, rice, paprika and pepper. Place chicken on rice mixture. Sprinkle with additional paprika and pepper.
- Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until done. Serves 4
**I doubled the rice mixture and it was fab!

Taco Soup (Southern Living)

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 cup chopped red onion
1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1 oz) envelope Ranch style dressing mix
2 (15.25 oz) cans whole kerbel corn, undrained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, undrained
2 (10 oz) cans chili-style diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 (12 oz) can light beer
1.5 cups water
Toppings: shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, cilantro

- Cook beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.
- Combine meat mixture, taco seasoning mix and next 7 ingredients in a 5 1/2 quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours. Serve with desired toppings. Makes 16 cups.

The Crock-Pot is No Crock!

Spaghetti Casserole (Southern Living)

1.5 lbs ground round
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (26 oz) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces
3 cups (12 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

- Cook ground round and onion in a large skillet, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain meat, and return to skillet. Stir pasta sauce into beef mixture.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and pepper.
- Spoon one-third of meat mixture into a lightly greased 5-quart slow cooker. Spread half of broken spaghetti over meat; pour half of white sauce over noodles, and sprinkle with 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Repeat layers once. Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese. Top with remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese.
- Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Testing is Not My Flave

If you are able to read this, then I have, somehow, managed to successfully start a blog! Hopefully I have passed the first blogging test.

Now for the food stuff. The goal of this is for us to share recipe ideas as well as weekly menus. Let's not forget a joke here and there. Let's get cookin'!