Peanut Butter Balls

1 stick of butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup confectioners' sugar


Cream together the butter, vanilla, salt and peanut butter. Stir in 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Form the mixture by hand into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the remaining cup of confectioners' sugar. Set the balls in a single layer on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm. At this point the cookies may be dipped in melted chocolate or they can be left plain. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I came upon this recipe yesterday on http://www.allrecipes.com/, which is my favorite site to go to when it comes to finding a great recipe quick. These taste just like peanut butter cups! We just got a thing of chocolate that you can melt in the microwave and dip the balls in, and after a few minutes the chocolate forms a hard shell. Very simple and delicious! On the website it said that this recipe would make 100 peanut butter balls, but we ended up with about 50. And we were actually thinking about cutting the recipe in half, but I am so glad that we didn't! I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Touch of Heaven Ham Rolls

4 pkgs. Hawaiin Rolls
1 lb. deli Virginia Baked Ham
1 pkg. Swiss Cheese

Spread
2 sticks butter, softened
3 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 onion, grated
3 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Split rolls in half. Spread mixture on both sides of roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of swiss cheese on each roll. Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes.

I had completely forgotten about these until Vann and I went to Nashville for Thanksgiving, and my Mom and made them for everyone to snack on Thanksgiving Day. I can promise you that you will not be able to eat just one of these little suckers! Of course, these weren't the only thing on the table. When I had talked to Mom that morning, she told us not to worry about bringing anything to eat because there was plenty of food there already. I was thinking that there would just be a few things on the table, but when we got to the house, the whole kitchen table was crammed full of food. Sausage balls, peanut butter and chocolate desserts, ham wrapped pickles (which sound odd, but they were absolutely delicious!), touch of heaven ham rolls, veggies and dip, etc.

Basically, when it came time to eat our Thanksgiving meal, it was rough! But not too rough. :) The meal was absolutely wonderful! I would definitely suggest doing what our parents did and get your meal catered by Kroger if you get a chance. The meat was juicy (they cook the turkey for you), and all of the sides were out of this world. And the stuffing....oh, the stuffing....no Thanksgiving meal is complete without it. I felt like I was about to be thrown into the oven to bake I was so full. But anyway, add this to your recipe collection, folks! You won't regret it one bit.

Chicken Rotel

1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pound Velveeta, cubed
1 stick butter
1 small can English Peas
2 cans Rotel, not drained
1 onion, chopped
1 box Angel Hair Pasta
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente. In a saucepan, saute onions in 3/4 stick of butter. Add Velveeta, Rotel, and peas. In a casserole dish, combine pasta, cheese sauce, and chicken. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

This is an AMAZING recipe that my friend Elisabeth gave me a while back. Now, her recipe is actually different from this one. This is the way that Vann and I make it, and everyone that has tried it has LOVED it. Heck, Vann's brother-in-law even called it "chicken heaven" when he tasted it. You can't beat that!

Now, I actually put the onion in a food processor until it's almost mush, or until each piece is about the size of a McDonald's onion since Vann doesn't really like onions (I'm working on it....). Now, this recipe is good for about 6 people or so. This is great for us because we love leftovers, and this is DEFINITELY great leftover. In fact, I think it tastes even better the next day. This is an easy dish that I guarantee everyone will enjoy. :)

Pizza Biscuits

1 can biscuits
1 cup Kroger Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
Dried onions
Oregano
Pizza Seasoning
Desired Toppings

Roll each biscuit into 6 inch rounds. Spread 1-2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce onto dough. Sprinkle with oregano, pizza seasoning, and dried onions. Spread cheese on top, then add desired toppings. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until bottom of pizzas are golden-brown.

I ran across this recipe after my sister told me that she uses Pillsbury.com to get some of her recipes. I was looking around and happened to come across this recipe. Luckily, Vann and I already had all of the ingredients, so we thought we would give them a try. Since we only have a toaster oven to cook in at each of our places, we ended up burning the first one. Vann loved it, but I thought it was kind of gross. However, we had 8 of these to play around with, and by the 3rd one we were making them exactly how we wanted them. These would be great to bring to a tailgate or a party. They are so easy to make, and extremely delicious!

Jalapeno Poppers

Fresh jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size
Cream cheese, softened
Thin bacon, sliced into halves

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane. Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapenos with bacon piece (1/2 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

Bake on a pan with a rack in at 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much that it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish them off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of a bite to it.

Mmmmm....these were so good. We ended up buying 12 jalapenos, but only used 6 just to try them out. They were so incredibly easy to make, and SOOOOO good to eat. We didn't have a wire rack to put these on, so they were just a tid-bit soggy on the bottom. Oh, but it didn't matter. They were delicious! I would definitely recommend making these for a party. And make TONS of them! Also, I got this recipe from www.thepioneerwoman.com. I would definitely suggest going to her website and checking out her recipes. Everything that we have made so far from her has been wonderful. Just thought I would let you know :) Now, go try these out!!! You will thank me for this recipe, I promise.

Guthrie's Sauce

1/2 cup mayonaisse
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Worcestshire sauce
lots of pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Let chill for at least 2 hours to allow all flavors to mingle.

So yesterday I made the parmesan-dijon chicken again. However, this time we wanted something a little bit different. Vann picked up some hoagie buns at the store, and we still had some provolone left in the fridge from who knows what. I thought that it would be fun to try throwing some Guthrie's sauce onto the sandwich. So I went online and did a little research and found this recipe. It's ingredients that we already had in the refrigerator (even though I asked him to pick up more mayo because my luck would have been that when we got home there would have only been a smidgen left in the bottle).

These measurements are just something to go by. I ended up doubling the recipe because I know one helping would not last with the both of us. The first time I measured perfectly. The second time I made it I just threw everything together, and it was actually much better (not saying the first batch was bad.... it was actually delicious! but the second batch was closer to how we wanted it). This isn't going to taste exactly like Guthrie's sauce, but it's close. It actually tastes exactly like what my Dad used to make, though. Yum!

I highly suggest making you some parmesan-dijon chicken, melting some provolone on top, throwing it on a hoagie bun, and smothering it with this sauce. I promise you won't regret it :) And by the way, that was absolutely the best sandwich I have ever put in my mouth. No lie...

Brownie Pizza

1 (20-ounce) box fudge brownie mix
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tablespoons sugar
2 banana, sliced
1 cup fresh strawberries sliced
Maraschino cherries
Chocolate syrup, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare brownie mix according to directions on box. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until done. Remove from oven and cool. Beat cream cheese while adding pineapple and sugar together in a bowl. Spread mixture over brownie crust. Arrange banana, strawberry slices, and cherries over cream cheese mixture. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Add whipped cream on top and mint for garnish. To serve, slice as you would a pizza and enjoy!

I made this for Vann's sister's recipe shower she had this past Sunday, and it went over quite well! Vann picked up a Papa John's pizza box for us to put it in so it looked like we just scooped something up from there, but when everyone opened the box I think they were pleasantly surprised :) The icing for this was so incredibly easy, but it is probably one of the best things I have ever eaten. I had a hard time getting the icing to cover the whole pizza, but that's only because I kept on eating it when I was making it. The only real issue I had was getting the brownie out of the pan. Luckily Vann and his Mom were there to save the day (they are actually the ones that did all of the work to get it out of the pan. I just stood there and watched). That's what I get for actually thinking my non-stick pan would work. You know, I could have "the best non-stick pan in the world", and it still wouldn't work for me? I would get the only one that would have stuff stick to it...go figure. Sorry, I'm done ranting. But it's true... Anyway, by the time the shower was over, there was only a little bit left, which I take as a wonderful compliment. This is definitely a dessert that needs to be tried. And it has fruit on it which means you don't have to feel too guilty when you're on your 3rd or 4th piece, hehe!

Parmesan-Dijon Chicken

1 3/4 pound chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian....of course)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

In a bowl, mix melted butter and Dijon mustard together. Put bread crumbs and parmesan into a large freezer bag. Dip chicken into butter mixture, then put into bag, shaking well until chicken is completely covered. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, flipping once.

I have been wanting to make this chicken FOREVER, but just haven't had the time to due to Vann and I's popularity (tehehe!). I went into this project thinking that we wouldn't be able to taste the mustard on the chicken once it was done, but boy was I wrong! I ended up cutting the ginormous chicken breasts into smaller pieces, which made devouring them so much easier to do since we didn't have to use a fork and knife to get the goods in our mouths (that's what hands are for, right?). The chicken was so incredibly juicy. The flavors were different, but in a really good way. And, as always, we had to think of a way for Vann to make it into a sandwich. I believe he ended up melting some provolone over the chicken, and then added more Dijon to the mix, and placed it on a hamburger bun. However, I'm not quite sure, so I'll have to update you as soon as I get my facts straight.

Pizza Pockets

2 cans crescent rolls
8 slices provolone cheese
shredded italian cheese
pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, etc.
italian seasoning
basil
oregano
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
Croutons, crushed


Take 2 cresecent rolls triangles and form into a rectangle. Pinch the perforations together well so there are no open spaces. Sprinkle a dash of each seasoning on dough. Then, layer cheeses and whatever toppings you choose. Fold and pinch each corner together until there are no openings. Coat the top of each pocket with butter, then sprinkle with crushed croutons. Bake at 350°for 12-15 minutes, or until each pocket is golden brown. Great dipped in Kroger six cheese pizza sauce.

So yesterday when I got off work, I was bound and determined to try one more thing before Vann's sister's recipe shower. I had a few things in mind, but I was just so exhausted I didn't feel like putting in the time to make them (isn't that awful?). So I sat there and pondered, and thought, and pondered some more. Well, I happened to come across a recipe for Chicken Crescent Pockets. They sounded delicious, but in my opinion they still required too much work (ya'll don't understand, I was feeling the ultimate lazy yesterday....sad, I know). But then I got to thinking about it, and I thought that they would be absolutely wonderful with pizza toppings inside. And there you have it, folks. That is how pizza pockets were born. Sorry there aren't really any specific measurements. This is one of those recipes that you just take and have your way with. I put basil, oregano, italian seasoning, Italian cheese blend, provolone, pepperoni, and dried onions in ours. And for the croutons we bought a $1 bag of Kroger brand garlic and cheese croutons. Mmmmm, they added such a nice finishing touch to the whole shebang. We decided that these are most definitely going into our meal rotation. So, go have fun and make these the way you like 'em! Be careful, though, because these little pockets fill up quick!

Chicken Parmesan Burger

1 lb. whole chicken breasts
1/2 onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, grated
1/4 cup basil, fresh and finely chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan, fresh
1/2 jar marinara
2 tsp. Italian Sausage seasoning
12 slices sour sour bread
6 slices provolone

Take chicken, cut into large chunks and place in food processor. Pulverize. For some reason the meat sticks together better this way for burgers than store bought pre-ground chicken. Mix chicken with onion, garlic, basil, parmesan, and seasoning. Shape into 6 burgers. Fry burgers up in a pan over medium heat or grill until cooked through/no longer pink.

Turn broiler on high and toast buns & and heat marinara while chicken is cooking. Once chicken is done, place burgers on cookie sheet. Top with a small ladle of sauce, cover with slice of provolone and place under broiler until cheese is melted (not browned). Serve immediately.

First, I would like to say that these were yuuuuummmmmy! Second, I would like to apologize for the mess in the background...but that's what my kitchen alwyas looks like when I cook, so at least I'm keepin' it real. We didn't have fresh basil just sitting around, nor did we have fresh parmesan. So, instead, we used dried basil and Kraft parmesan, which was still scrumptious. I can only imagine how great these would be with fresh stuff! Also, we didn't use marinara sauce, but used Vann's wonderful succa. However, for those who do not have access to such an amazing creation, marinara would be wonderful (and hey, you could even use the marinara sauce recipe given below....now THAT would be some tastey goodness!).


These burgers didn't take long at all to whip up. To be honest, I was a little nervous since this is a chicken burger (you know, just like one would get nervous about a turkey burger...or at least I do...we have yet to venture down that road. But maybe we shall one day...), but they had such a great flavor to them, it would be hard not to like them. Heck, Vann even liked them! Needless to say, these have been added to our permanent recipe collection.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (10 oz.) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup hot sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low until hot and bubbly.

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. We actually made this a couple of weeks ago, but for some reason I didn't even think about posting it. It was soooooo good. This is definitely going to be one that will be made during football season while following my AU Tigers (oh how I love Auburn football....le sigh....). Instead of using chicken crackers like the recipe suggests (even though I didn't put that up there), Vann and I used Tostitos, and believe it or not, onion rings. Meeeeeeeow! It was wonderful. However, I will go ahead and give you a nice little warning that these do make a grand exit, if you know what I mean. Ah, and make sure that when you go and buy your hot sauce that you don't drop it at the check-out counter and break it. I blame Vann.... :)

Taco Bake

1 lb. ground round
1 pkg. taco seasoning
15 oz. can tomatoes with green chilis
8 oz. seashell pasta (I used wheel pasta)
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown ground beef; drain. Add taco seasoning and tomatoes with chilis. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions; drain. Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl. Spray bottom of 9x13-inch pan with Pam. Put pasta in bottom of pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. Spoon ground beef mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool about 15-20 minutes before serving.

Bah! This was delicious! I made this and the Sloppy Joes at the same time so basically I wouldn't have to cook for the rest of the week. Along with this Vann made some hot Rotel, and we got some crescent rolls to dip in it. By the time I should have eaten dinner I couldn't because I was so full from snacking on everything. However, that's why leftovers are sooooo wonderful, because now I can enjoy each dish the way it should be enjoyed! In fact, I'm going to go heat up some Sloppy Joes and maybe have a little spoonful of Taco Bake on the side...or do I want a full serving of Taco Bake and a Sloppy Joe later? Oy! The choices you have to make when you make too many good dishes all at once, tehehe :) Hope you all enjoy! By the way, next time I make both of these, I think I'm going to use ground turkey instead of ground round. The ground round was good, but I like ground turkey a lot better. But don't tell Vann I said that :)

Sloppy Joes

2 pounds ground beef
1 large can Bush's baked beans
1 cup ketchup
4 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain fat. Add beans to meat and mix together well. Add the rest of the ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook until hot and bubbly. Best served on onion buns.

When I came across this recipe, I was excited (but apprehensive!) because it had baked beans in it, and the picture looked absolutely amazing. The explosion of flavors that hit the back of our tongues when we took a bite of these was absolutely wonderful. Now, once all of this was thrown together, Vann and I decided to add a few extras to it to make it our own. We added some shredded sharp cheddar cheese (which was magnificent!), along with some more ketchup and mustard (and next time I think I'll put in some onions....yum!), and some other ingredients. Now, he wanted to toss in some Worcestershire sauce, however, I was not brave enough to add such an ingredient to an already perfect concoction. Maybe next time, baby, maybe next time...

"Sloppy joe, sloooppy, sloooppy joe!"

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I just want to preface this post by saying that when I made these, I didn't actually measure out anything. Vann and I made these to taste, and you know what? They were scrumptious. We had to give ourselves a couple o' good pats on the back for these, that's how good we did. Not tootin' my own horn or anything like that....just sayin'. Ahem. Anyway, as I was saying...we didn't measure. We just added things here and there until the potatoes tasted exactly the way we wanted them to. However, to give everyone some guidelines, I will include measurements.

8 baking potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 green onion, diced
2 sticks butter, room temp., cut into pieces
shredded cheese

Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 hr. and 15 minutes, making sure they are cooked thoroughly. Once they are done, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the goods, only leaving the shell, and plop in a mixing bowl. Add all of the ingredients to taste. (We just sprinkled, added, sprinkled, added, and sprinkled some more until we liked what we tasted. And when it came to butter, we happened to have the Country Crock tub of butter in the fridge, so I just took a spoon and globbed some in the bowl). Stir everything together with a fork until they become the consistency of mashed potatoes (which won't be hard since they will basically be like that when you scoop out everything). Fill up the potato skins with the potato mixture. Put back into the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are warm all the way through.

You know, before I made these, I had never tasted a twice-baked potato? Nonetheless actually made them. But I sure am glad I found a recipe for them! I would definitely suggest just getting a package of Hormel Real Bacon. It tastes just as good, and it makes it much easier. Not saying that cooking bacon in the microwave is a hard task... but not having to go back and forth between the microwave and mixing bowl would have been nice...ah, whatever, you get my gist. We still had bacon in the fridge from the loaded baked potato salad, so I used the rest of that up. But next time, I will definitely be purchasing some Hormel BB's.

Steak and Gravy

2 lbs round steak cut into serving size pieces
Flour
1 package dried onion soup mix
Oil

Roll steak pieces in flour. Brown in oil, remove. Make gravy with flour and soup mix. Add water to make thin. Pour gravy into crock pot and add steaks. Cook on low for 2-3 hours, or until steak in tender and gravy has thickened to your liking.

So I was going through my recipes, and I wanted to try something of my Grandmother's that I had never made before. This isn't the exact recipe that I was given. I modified it for us so that we would be able to have plenty of leftovers that Vann could take home with him, and that I could have after work. I was so nervous about how this would turn out. Especially since it's my Grandmother's recipe...I mean, nothing ever tastes as good as what Grandma makes! But I've got to give myself major props for this one, if I may say so myself! It was incredible! The meat was tender, the gravy was nice and thick, but not too thick, and the onion soup wasn't overpowering at all. In fact, it was perfect. I made the loaded baked potato salad to go along with this, and we got a great deal on a loaf of sourdough bread at Kroger. Needless to say after we both ate we were stuffed like turkeys.

Now, when Vann ate his, he had a great idea to make a sandwich. He just took the sourdough bread, lightly toasted it, then put some American cheese on the steak, heated it up enough to where to cheese was nice and melted, and threw it on the bread. Either way you choose to eat this, I guaruntee you will love it.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

8 potatoes, cubed
2 teaspoons salt
6 slices bacon, diced and crisp cooked
6 green onions
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz. sour cream
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup Miracle Whip

Cube and boil potatoes with salt until soft. Drain. Crumble bacon and slice onions. Combine sour cream, pepper, Miracle Whip, bacon, onions, and cheese. Mix with potatoes. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Vann and I went to Winn Dixie the other day, and luckily went over to the deli section to take a gander. Ah, thank goodness we did, because it was then that I stumbled upon their loaded baked potato salad. We ended up getting half a pound of it, and needless to say it didn't make it to the end of the day. Well, instead of paying a butt load over and over again for that wonderful goodness, Vann suggested that I try to find a recipe. Low and behold, I came across this. I was a little worried about how it would turn out...but in the end I had absolutely nothing to fear. I managed to do this with just one electric eye and a toaster oven, and even then it was simple. However, next time I am going to replace the Miracle Whip with mayo and see if I like that even more (I'm not exactly Miracle Whip's #1 fan...).

Caro's Chicken Supreme

3 Boneless chicken breasts
7 Tbsp butter
2 tsp. flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
Mushroom slices (optional)
Onion (optional)
Salt
White pepper



Sprinkle chicken with salt. Heat 5 Tbsp. of butter in skillet. Cook chicken 4 minutes on each side over medium heat until chicken is done. May need to increase time based upon thickness of chicken. Take chicken out of skillet and set aside. If adding mushrooms and/or onions add them to the leftover butter in skillet and sautee' until cooked. Set mushrooms and/or onions.




Sauce: Heat other 2 Tbsp. of butter in skillet over medium heat. Add flour, pinch of salt, white pepper (to taste), and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until the it thickens. Add dry white wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Add heavy cream. Poor sauce over chicken and it is ready to serve. Goes well on a bed of rice with a side of asparagus. If you want to cook it early you can put it in a casserole dish in a 300 deg. preheated oven. Enjoy!

Baked Hashbrown Potatoes

1 lb. frozen hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small onion (chopped)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 stick oleo
1/2 tsp. pepper
shredded cheese (optional)

Mix all ingredients, put in a baking dish.

TOPPING
1/2 pkg. of Ritz crackers
1/2 stick oleo

Mix together, put on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

This is a recipe that my Grandmother has in the cookbook that she compiled for the family one year. Now, hash browns are another food that I could eat every day for the rest of my life (especially the ones from Waffle House. Scattered, smothered, covered, diced, and capped. Mmmmmmm....but I digress). Once again, this is a recipe where you can just throw everything into the casserole dish, mix it all together, and throw it in the oven. No need to dirty up dishes when it really isn't necessary. In fact, this could just be a meal itself. Fattening, yes. But filling, and oh-so-yummy!

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

1 Ready Crust Chocolate Pie Crust (16 oz.)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)
1 egg
3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lemon juice, divided
1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth, add egg and 3 Tbsp. lemon juice; mix well. Pour half the batter into the crust. Combine remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice with preserves in a small bowl. Spoon half the preserves over batter. Pour remaining batter on top. Using knife, swirl remaining preserves into a decorative pattern. Bake at 300 degrees for 55 min. Cool. Refrigerate leftovers.

This recipe is even easier than the last one, but it's just as tasty. I didn't get really creative with my design. I just stuck the knife in the batter and swirled it around a little bit. No need to get picky. I mean, it's going to taste the same no matter how pretty you make it look, right?

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

1 (6 oz) chocolate pie crust
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 egg
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
**Chocolate glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese until fluffy; gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix well.

Arrange raspberries on bottom of crust. Slowly pour cheese mixture over fruit. Bake 30-35 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool.

Top cheesecake with chocolate glaze; chill. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

HELPFUL HINT: Soften cream cheese in microwave on high 15-20 seconds.

**CHOCOLATE GLAZE**
In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt 2 (1 oz. each) squares semi-sweet baking chocolate with 1/4 cup whipping cream. Cook and stir until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat.

I got this and another cheesecake recipe (which will be posted after this one) at a grocery store that my Grandmother always goes to. It's extremely easy to make, but extremely hard to stop eating :)

Veggie Patches

2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg, beaten
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1/2 cup each finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, green bell pepper, tomato, and black olives
3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Unroll the dough and press over the bottom of a 10x15-inch baking pan, pressing the perforations to seal. Brush with the egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes. Let stand on a wire rack until completely cool. Beat the cream cheese, mayo, and salad dressing mix in a mixing bowl until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust. Sprinkle evenly with the broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, bell pepper, tomato, black olives and cheddar cheese. Cut into small squares to serve. Recipe may be halved. Makes 3 to 4 dozen squares.

Once again, Christy gets the credit for this recipe. Now, as many of you know, anything with ranch dressing is at the top of my list. The flavors all mix together so well. It's a light appetizer that is extremely delicious. Though, after eating a few squares it becomes not-so-light.... But why feel guilty? It DOES have veggies on it :)

Chicken Dip

1 large can, plus one small can chicken breast chunks
2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2 envelopes ranch salad dressing mix
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. chopped jalapenos

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Chill, covered, until serving time. Serve with crackers. Serves 18 to 20.

Sadly, I can't take credit for this recipe at all. No, the credit must be given to my beautiful sister, Christy. She gave me this recipe after I went up to Tennessee to spend the weekend with her and Phil. As you can tell, it's an extremely easy recipe that takes no time at all to throw together. Get you a box of triscuits, and you're golden!

Marinara Sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano, dried
1 tsp. basil, dried
1 whole bay leaf
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Over medium heat, heat oil in a large pot until hot. Add onion and garlic, saute for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to appear translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir to mingle flavors. Add in the herbs and bay leaf. Sprinkle in sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally.

I'll be honest. I got this recipe from my Family and Parenting class that I took my senior year of high school. We made strombolli that day, and this is the recipe my teacher gave us. But it is delicious. Whether eating this with cheese sticks, strombolli, etc. this definitely beats anything you would ever find in jar.

My Favorite Chicken Casserole

2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium onion, chopped
2/3 cup mayonaisse
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups crushed potato chips

Cut chicken into pieces. Mix soup and mayo with chicken. Add the rest of the ingredients, but only half of the potato chips. Blend well. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining potato chips. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Best served with chicken flavored rice.

Ok folks. This is a recipe that everyone should always have handy. I'll be honest...this is my favorite dish. Period. If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, this would be it. Trust me, it's that good! Fresh out of the oven, refrigerated, leftover, you just can't beat it. I would go ahead and recommend doubling it, because you'll need to! And don't even fiddle with mixing everything in a separate bowl. Just throw everything into the casserole dish, stir it all together, then throw it in the oven. It's a simple dish that screams comfort food. You can't beat that!