Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2c. butter, softened
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4c. powdered sugar
2 Tbl brown sugar, packed
3/4c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Blend until fluffy. Add sugars and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Shape dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Serve with sugar cookies, vanilla wafers and graham cracker sticks.

Mandarin Cookie Salad

2 cups cold buttermilk
1 (5.1 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (11 0z each) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (11.5 oz) package fudge striped shortbread cookies, coarsely crushed

In a bowl, whisk the buttermilk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping and oranges. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Fold in crushed cookies.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

1 can cream of corn
1 can regular corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups diced chicken
5-6 potatoes diced
2 bay leaves
1 small diced onion
Salt and Pepper
garlic powder (to taste)

Put in crock pot on low and cook for 6 hours until potatoes are soft.
Remove bay leaves and serve in bowls over a scoop of cooked rice.

Baked Potato Soup

2/3 C butter
2/3 C flour
1 cup sour cream
3/4 tsp salt
7 c milk
1/2 tsp pepper
4 green onions, sliced
6-12 bacon sliced, cooked & crumbled
2 cups frozen corn (optional, but I like it)
1 ¼ cup shredded cheddar
4-5 large baked potatoes, cooled, peeled and cubed (I boil them instead, it's faster.)

In a large soup kettle, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk. Heat and stir constantly until thickened. Add potatoes, green onions, and bacon (and corn). Reduce heat; simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until cheese is melted. Serve.
Serves 8 to 10.

Mexican Casserole {Aunt Jeri's}

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 can olives, sliced
1 16oz container sour cream
1 16oz container cottage cheese
1 4oz can green chilies
2 C grated colby jack cheese
Tortilla chips

Brown beef and onion, drain. Add tomato sauce, garlic salt and olives. simmer for a few minutes.
in a medium bowl combine sour cream, cottage cheese and green chilies and set aside.
Crush chips
In a greased 13x9, layer...
Crushed chips - meat mixture - cottage cheese mixture - colby jack cheese - top with more crushed chips
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes

Hominy Casserole from Pioneer Woman

8 slices thick bacon

1 large onion, finely diced

4 14.5-ounce cans white hominy, drained

2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 seeded, finely diced fresh jalapeno (optional, for heat. I left it out)

(Save some cheddar, bacon, and chilies for sprinkling.)

Preheat to 350. Fry the bacon until almost crisp; remove from skillet and drain all but a couple of tablespoons bacon grease. Crumble the bacon and set aside.Add onion to skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in hominy and stir for a couple of minute until warm. Add cheese, chilies, jalapenos (if using), and bacon and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.Pour mixture into a large baking pan and sprinkle with a little more cheese, bacon, and green chilies, if desired.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until hot and heated through.

*My changes to this recipe: I used precooked bacon, which wasn't thick, so I doubled the bacon slices (& microwaved them). I used dried onion in a little canola oil. And I used medium cheddar. It's also easy to halve this recipe in an 8 x 8 pan.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

1/4 C butter
3 C fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 C flour
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1 1/4 C milk
2 1/2 C chopped cooked chicken
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 C steamed broccoli
1/2 C parmesan cheese
Hot cooked spaghetti noodles

In skillet melt butter, add mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually add mik and broth stirring constantly until smooth. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens, stirring often. Add garlic salt, pepper, chicken and broccoli. Heat through. Stir in parmesan cheese and serve over hot cooked pasta.

I've made this with and without broccoli. Either way is good!

Delicous Brownie Krispies

1 box brownie mix + ingredients to make them. I used Western Family original.
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy Peanut Butter
3 TBS butter
2 cups Rice Krispie type cereal
Bake brownies according to package directions in a greased 9×13″ baking pan. Two minutes before they are supposed to be done, pull brownies from the oven and sprinkle marshmallows across top. Return to oven for 2 minutes to soften marshmallows. Remove from oven and cool completely.
For Topping: combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds at a time until mixture is melted and smooth. Add cereal and stir to coat. Pour over marshmallow layer and spread evenly. Place brownies in the refrigerator for at least an hour until chilled.

Brown Paper Bag Microwave Caramel Popcorn

4 bags microwave butter popcorn

2 cups brown sugar
2 cubes butter (1 cup)
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
BIG brown paper bag (like the ones they bag your groceries in at Harmon's)

Pop popcorn, discard any unpopped kernels and dump popcorn into brown paper bag, set aside
In a 2 qt microwavable glass dish combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Heat for 3 minutes in the microwave. Stir. Microwave for another 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in baking soda. Pour hot syrup over popcorn in bag. shake or stir to coat. fold down the top of the bag and place it in the microwave for 1 min. Shake and microwave again for 1 min. Pour onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper to cool and set. Store in airtight container.

This is such an easy recipe and one that you can have the kids help with!

PUMPKIN CAKE

2 cups  flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 15oz can of pumpkin
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 recipe cream cheese frosting

In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt: set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat together eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add the flour mixture; beat until well combined.

Spread batter in an ungreased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting. (recipe below)  Store in refrigerator. Serves 20

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
In a medium bowl beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla till fluffy. Gradually add  powdered sugar, beat until smooth.

This recipe came from Erin. It's so good and makes a ton!