TACO SALAD

Taco Salad

1 lb ground beef (browned and drained)

2-3 cups cheese (mild cheddar)

1 bag taco flavored Doritos (if you cant find those, Nacho flavor works)

Sliced black olives

1-2 tomatoes (diced)

Lettuce (shredded)

1 large bottle of Ranch Salad Dressing

Salsa (if desired)

• Brown the beef, cool slightly. Add remaining ingredients together, and mix well. Add in the ground beef, mix well. Serve warm or cold.

Chicken Chalupas

CHICKEN CHALUPAS

15-20 medium flour tortillas

1 Chicken or 4 chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)

2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup

3 8 oz cans of Ortega green chilies (diced)

1 pt. Sour Cream

1 lb Jack Cheese (grated)

1 lb Medium Cheddar Cheese (grated)

1-2 cans sliced black olives

1 medium Onion (diced)

• Combine soup, chilies, onion, sour cream and olives with 1/2 of the cheese. Reserve half of this mixture for the top. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce. Place 2/3 heaping tbsp of chicken mixture on each tortilla and roll them up, place in greased pan in rows. After they are placed in pan, top with remaining mixture and cheese.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake @ 350 degrees for 40 minutes (or until golden brown). Serve with salsa and chips.

These can be frozen before being baked or after. They re-heat very well! Enjoy!

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Broccoli Casserole

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 1/3 cup milk
• 6 boiled eggs
• 1 lg. can mushroom soup
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar)

Arrange cooked broccoli in buttered pan. Cover with sliced boiled eggs. Mix milk, soup and mayo together and pour over broccoli. Cover with cheese, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until golden brown on top.

***NOTE***

This recipe sounds strange, but I can tell you that it is DELICIOUS. I have taken this dish to several potluck meals for scouts and church, even family reunions and people just rave over it. It is a good time to make it around Easter time when you have lots of boiled eggs left over.

Fudge Sheet Cake & Frosting

FUDGE SHEET CAKE

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 stick of butter
8 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk (with 1 tsp vinegar)
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together 2 cups sugar, and 2 cups flour.

Melt in saucepan 1 cup water, 1 stick butter, 8 tbsp cocoa, 1/2 cup shortening. Add eggs (beaten), 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla. Add dry ingredients (sugar and flour). Stir together. Pour into sheet cake pan (prepared with grease & flour). Bake @ 400 for 20 minutes.

FROSTING

• 1 stick of butter
• 4 tbsp cocoa
• 6 tbsp milk
• 1 cup nuts
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 4 3/4 cup powder sugar

Melt on stove: butter, cocoa, milk. Stir in powdered sugar. Add nuts if desired, and vanilla. Pour onto cake while still warm.

French Dip Sandwiches

FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
(this is our family FAVORITE)

MEAT

• 2 Frozen (4lb each) Chuck Roasts
• Salt the roasts, place in crock pot.
• Add two cups water.
• Crock pot on low 10-12 hours (250 degrees)
• Once Roast is cooked, de-bone and de-fat the roast. Pour off juice, save 4 cups of the broth. Freeze the rest.

DIPPING SAUCE

• 4 Cups water
• 4 Cups broth
• 1 Cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp Rosemary
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp pepper

• Mix up the dipping sauce and heat it up. Serve the meat on fresh homemade (or other favorite hoagie) buns. Dip into the dipping sauce and enjoy!

A variation you can also do is to add cheese to the bread you are using. Any condiments such as tomatoes or lettuce would be good too. I have also toasted the sandwich and used the dipping sauce.

No Bake Cookies

1/2 Cup milk
1/2 Cup butter
2 Cup sugar
3 Cup quick oats
1 tsp vanilla
1 Cup peanut butter
6 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 Cup chopped nuts

• Put milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, peanut butter, and cocoa in a bowl. In a large pan, heat and stir until the butter melts and mix is smooth. Remove from heat. Add oats and nuts. Mix well, drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Chill until firm.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Cheddar Bay Biscuits
(Tastes a lot like Red Lobster rolls)

2 Cup Bisquick
2/3 Cup milk
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Margarine (melted)
1/2 tsp garlic

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto an un-greased cooking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic powder. Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

OVER NIGHT FRUIT SALAD

Over Night Fruit Salad

(Courtesy of Terry)

4 eggs

8 tbs Lemon Juice

8 tbs Sugar

24 oz Canned Whipping Cream

1 Can Fruit Cocktail

1 Can Pineapple Chunks

2 Can Mandarin Oranges

2 Bananas

1 Apple

1 Bag Mini Marshmallows

Walnuts, Chopped (Optional)

• Cook eggs, lemon juice and sugar in double broiler until thick and creamy. Add to the rest of the ingredients. Let sit overnight.

***SPECIAL NOTE***

This is a recipe my mom (Terry) has used as a tradition for Thanksgiving and Christmas since I can remember. It is one of the food items we all look forward to each year! It is DELICIOUS!!!

Sugar Cookie Frosting

Sugar Cookie Frosting
(Weight Watcher Point value is 1 point for frosting)

2-3 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup half & half cream, divided
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
additional powdered sugar as needed
food coloring

Beat together butter, vanilla, 1 tbsp of half & half and 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Add alternating portions of 1-2 tbsp half and half and powdered sugar, beating after each addition until well blended.

Once desired consistancy is reached, divide the icing into separate bowls. Add food coloring of choice and mix. Frost those cookies!

Sugar Cookie Creations

After spending the ENTIRE day baking cookies, making fudge and pretzels yesterday, I just didn't have it in me to finish decorating cookies. Bethanie and I decorated some of them today. This is our loverly creation, well...some of them!

Simply Sensational Truffles

SIMPLY SENSATIONAL TRUFFLES
(Courtesy of Binny)
(1 Truffle = 4 Weight Watcher points)

2 ½ packages of BAKERS SEMI SWEET BAKING CHOCOLATE
1 package (8 oz) Cream Cheese


Toppings: Peanuts, Walnuts, sprinkles


MELT 8 chocolate squares as directed on package. Set aside. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add melted chocolate, mix well. Cover. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Meanwhile, cover baking sheet with waxed paper.

SHAPE chocolate mixture into 36 balls using about 2 tsp for each ball. Place in single layer on prepared baking sheet.

MELT remaining 12 chocolate squares as directed on package. Dip chocolate balls, one at a time in melted chocolate. Return to baking sheet. Sprinkle with suggested coatings. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Store in tight container in fridge.

Soft Rolled Sugar Cookie Cutouts

SOFT ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES
(1 cookie is 2 Weight Watcher points (frosted)

43 min | 15 min prep
SERVES 48 , 4 dozen

1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening, butter, and sugar together; stir in eggs and vanilla; stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until dough (which will be very soft at this point) comes together.

Cover dough and refrigerate 6-8 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Once dough is thoroughly chilled (it will be stiff at this point) roll out about 1/6" thin on a lightly floured surface; cut cookies into desired shapes and place them onto an un-greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 375° for 7 minutes or just until edges of cookies begin to brown; allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes; remove cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.

NOTE: Yield will depend upon size of cookies and upon how thin you roll the dough. Dough rolled 1/6" thick yields 48 three-inch cookies.

Frosting: The frosting recipe I used is posted on 12-23-08.

Popcorn Balls

POPCORN BALLS

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
¼ Cup Butter
8 oz Marshmallows
½ Tsp Vanilla
¾ Cup Popping Corn
8 oz M&M’s
8 oz Peanuts (optional)

Pam (to spray on hands)

Melt butter and vegetable oil with Marshmallows. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour mixture over popcorn, add M&M’s & Peanuts. Form into popcorn balls.

Pecan Tarts

PECAN TARTS
(6 Weight Watcher points each)

Crust
3 oz. cream cheese softened
1 stick butter softened
1/2 cup flour

Mix together, then add 1 more cup of flour and 1/8 tsp of salt. refrigerate for 1 hour then make into 18 balls. put ball in un-greased muffin cups and shape into bottoms and sides. Make sure crust is thin.


Filling
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
dash of salt
2 tbsp. butter melted

Mix all ingredients together except pecans. Sprinkle half of pecans in bottom of muffin cup pour filling over that and then top with the rest of pecans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool them before removing from muffin tins.

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

3 ½ Cup Sifted Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 Cup Oil
4 Eggs
2/3 Cup Water
2 Cup Canned Pumpkin
3 Cup Sugar

Sift together dry ingredients, including sugar in mixing bowl. Make a well with dry ingredients and add all remaing ingredients. Mix together until smooth.

Grease and flour 3 loaf pans, and divide dough evenly. Bake, cool slightly, then turn onto cooling racks to finish cooling. Wrap in foil or plastic.

BAKE: 350 1 hour

Ginger Bread Cut Outs

Ginger Bread Cut Outs

½ Cup Shortening
½ Cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
½ Cup Molasses
1 Egg
1 tbsp Vinegar
2 ½ Cup Flour


In mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer. Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat till combined, scraping bowl. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vinegar till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 3 hours or until easy to handle.



Grease cookie sheet; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thick. Use cookie cutters for desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. 36-48 cookies

BAKE: 5 minutes @ 375

Frosty Orange Dream Squares

FROSTY ORANGE DREAM SQUARES


40 Nilla Wafers (finely crushed about 1 ½ cup)
2 Cup Cold Milk
2 Pkg. Vanilla Jell-o Instant Pudding
1 Tub Cool Whip thawed and divided
2 Cup Orange Sherbet, softened

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Mix wafer crumbs with butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan; set aside.

Add milk to dry pudding mixes in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. Spoon evenly over crust. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Add remaining whipped topping to Sherbet; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Spoon over pudding layer; cover.

Freeze at least 3 hours. Store left-overs in freezer

Fantasy Fudge

FANTASY FUDGE
(1 inch square is 3 Weight Watcher points)

3 Cups Sugar
¾ Cup (1 ½ sticks butter)
5 oz Evaporated Milk (about 2/3 cup)
1 ½ Pkg. Chocolate Chips
1 Jar Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Crème
1 Cup Walnuts (optional)
1 tsp Vanilla

Spray pan with oil. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow crème; stir until completely melted. Add walnuts and vanilla. Mix well.

Pour immediately into prepared pan. Spread to form even layer in pan. Let stand at room temperature 4 hours or until completely cooled. Cut into 1 inch squares. Makes 3 lbs. Freeze left overs.