Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
1tsp dried parsley flakes
4Tb butter or margerine, divided
1/4 c sour cream
3 c shicken broth
4 c diced potatoes
1/4 c flour
16 oz processed American cheese (I use a 15 oz jar of velveeta)
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Just a tip here, I use a mandolin slicer tool for all these veggies; it makes things cut fast, cook fast, and are the right size for eating.

In a 3qt saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1Tbs butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-13 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cooka nd stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Ad to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

This is to die for with a loaf of fresh made bread, but I don't have a special recipe for that.

Tip-wise, I don't think my saucepan will hold this, but I'm also not sure how big my pan really is. I end up adding all ingredients together in my stockpot. I also tend to skip steps and I just brown the beef, then leave it in there to add the veggies, herbs and broth and let it all simmer together a little longer; I just taste-test it as I go.

This new favorite of mine comes from my mom who got it out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Be ready to share the recipe with anyone who tries it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 I actually got this from a Pampered Chef party--I didn't buy any products, but I've gotten many miles out of the recipe!

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (approx. 12 oz)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped or diced green chilies, undrained
tortilla chips
fresh cilantro, finely chopped
shredded cheddar cheese
thick slices fresh lime

Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat stockpot over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a little olive oil. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add chopped onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place a handful of chips in a bowl. Ladle soup over chips and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Garnish each bowl with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup (one of my favorite parts!).

I often make this when I have planned another dish during the week that uses chips and cilantro. I hate wasting ingredients, but if I don't plan for these ones in other meals, they'll go bad.

Potato Soup

Evvvvveryone loves a good creamy potato soup, but I found a neat little trick to take most of the hard work out of it! Frozen potatoes!!! (You'll never peel and chop again.) And I might be a tad biased, but this recipe tastes a lot better than most others I've tried. Since I made it up, a lot of the measurements are up to you... but it's pretty hard to mess up. Just start out small and taste to decide how much of the spices you want. I also like that I can omit or add in different veggies to make it different. But here is the general list of stuff that works for me!

POTATO SOUP

3 cans cream of potato soup

1 bag frozen southern style hashbrowns (cubes)

Milk (to fill one empty soup can)

1 can corn - drained

1 cup fresh (or frozen) broccoli flowerets - I chop them up very small

Bacon bits

Garlic powder

Pepper

Diced yellow onion (or dehydrated onion flakes)

½ cup (or more) heavy cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bring soup and milk to a gentle boil, add potatoes and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, chop broccoli into tiny, tiny bits. Add that and the corn to your boiling mixture. Add bacon bits, onion, and other spices to your own liking. When potatoes are soft, add cream. Start with ½ cup, but you can add more as you wish. The more the richer and yummier! Serve with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.

Cheese Crunchers

My mom has made this as a holiday dessert for as long as I can remember, so that's when I typically make it. But you can totally use this whenever you want! (I know my hubby would be absolutely content if I decided to make this on a weekly basis!)

Crust/Topper
1 12 oz bag butterscotch chips
6 Tbs butter
2 C graham crackers, crumbled-big crumbs
2 C chopped nuts

Soften and mix chips and butter. Stir until smooth. Add in crumbs and nuts. Set aside 2 C of the mixture. Pat remainder in a 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 3-5 minutes.

Filling
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 C sugar
4 eggs
1/2 C flour
2 Tbs lemon juice

Combine all together. Beat until smooth. Pour over crust. Crumble remaining crust mixture over all. Bake at 350 for 25 min. Cool, cut, refrigerate or serve immediately. Refrigerate uneaten portion.

Oven Roasted Chicken

Found this one last year and I think it's the BEST. The chicken is always moist and flavorful, and the leftovers can be made into just about anything. I'm making it tomorrow and felt I just had to pass it along.

1 whole chicken
garlic salt
seasoned salt (any kind of seasoning blend works)
lemon pepper

Preheat oven to 325.

Rinse chicken with cold water and remove giblets from inside. Lay chicken, breast side up, in a baking dish (just big enough to contain it and has a lid). Sprinkle seasonings generously over chicken; flip to breast side down and season generously again. Cover and bake for 30 minutes per pound. (I've noticed that going over by as much as 30 minutes has never dried it out.)

Remove chicken and place breast-side up on a plate to serve.

Now, if anyone else has a good recipe for how to turn the 1-2 cups of juice left over after all this into a stock or soup, I'm interested. I've never been able to save it properly, but I know it would be great in other dishes.

Swedish Cinnamon Twists

This is one of my favorites of all time. I got the recipe from Make-a-Mix Cookery. You have to start by making a Hot Roll Mix (which will make at least two batches of the following recipe).

Hot Roll Mix
5 lbs. all-purpose flour (I prefer Pillsbury)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 Teaspoons salt
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk
Combine together and put in large airtight container to store. Use within 6 months.

Bread mixture:
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
4 to 5 cups Hot Roll Mix
Cinnamon Filling, see below
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Powdered Sugar Glaze, see below

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if desired)
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts in a small bowl.

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoon hot water
Combine powdered sugar, melted butter and hot water in a small bowl to make a thin glaze.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Set aside. Bring buttermilk to a boil in a small saucepan (or in microwave); buttermilk should curdle. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, baking soda and 1/2 cup melted butter. Let buttermilk and butter cool then add eggs. When mixture is lukewarm, add dissolved yeast mixture. Gradually stir in 4 cups Hot Roll Mix until the soft dough forms a ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add additional Hot Roll Mix if necessary to make a soft, but not too sticky dough. Lightly butter bowl. Put dough in bowl and turn butter top. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Generously grease 2 baking sheets. Prepare Cinnamon Filling. Punch down dough. Roll out to a 12"x20" rectangle. Brush dough with 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling lengthwise over half of dough to within 1/2 inch of long edge. Fold rectangle in half lengthwise to cover filling. Seal dough edges with the edge of a plate. With a pizza cutter, cut dough into 24 strips, about 3/4-inch wide. Twist each strip twice and place strips 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 t0 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Prepare Powdered Sugar Glaze, and brush on while rolls are still warm. Makes 24.

Pumpkin Delight

This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, Karen Reid, years ago. She loved to make it instead of pumpkin pie.

1 yellow cake mix (set aside 1 cup)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 beaten egg
Mix together these three ingredients and press into 9x13 cake pan.

Filling:
1 large can pumpkin
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
Mix the filling ingredients together and then pour over the cake mixture in 9x13 pan.

Topping:
1 cup cake mix
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix the topping ingredients together until crumbly and then put on top of filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Low Sugar Berry Cobbler

This is a great cobbler to make last minute and it is very low in sugar if you care about that sort of thing.

Ingredients:
3 cups (more or less) frozen triple berry mix or fresh blackberries
1/4 C margarine or butter, cut up into smaller pieces
1 Tblsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix above ingredients together in a bowl, place into shallow baking dish (2 inch high sides) of approx 8X10 inch size

Topping:
1/2 C Flour
3/4 C rolled oats (old fashioned, not instant)
1-2 Tblsp brown sugar
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 C margarine or butter
Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter to mix. Then smoosh together with fingers until crubbly and butter is fully incorporated.

Sprinkle topping over berries and bake at 3:50 for 30 minutes or until topping is light brown.

Serve with whipped topping or whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

These ALWAYS please a crowd and are super easy to make. Just buy three things from the store, and the rest you have in your pantry!

1 box brownie mix (I've always used Betty Crocker Supreme with the chocolate syrup pouch)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 pouch (1 lb, 1.5 oz) chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 container chocolate frosting (semi-sweet is better than milk-chocolate in my opinion because the brownies are already really rich)

Heat oven to 350; grease bottom of 13x9 pan.

Make brownies as directed on box. Spread in pan. Make cookies as directed on pouch. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter; press down lightly. Bake 35-40 minutes. Cool completely, about an hour. Frost with frosting and cut into small-ish pieces.

Karlie's Awesome Brownie Recipe

Better than a box, and not too much work!

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Grease an 8x8 glass pan; preheat oven to 350.

Blend butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and gradually add to the wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Great as is, or top with the following frosting recipe. (Allow brownies to cool before frosting.)


Creamy Brownie Frosting
3 Tbsp softened butter
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp lite corn syrup or honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk


Cream butter, cocoa, corn syrup or honey, and vanilla together. Mix in the sugar. Add milk slowly until it reaches the desired consistency.

Four Layer Dessert

One: 1 ½ cup flour

1 ½ stick butter

¾ cup pecans (optional)

1 Tbsp sugar

Mix and press on bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 15 min. Glass pan may take 5 more minutes. Let cool.

Two: 8 oz. cream cheese

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup cool whip

Beat together and pour on top of cooled crust.

Three: 2 sm. pkg. instant pudding (chocolate

or lemon)

3 cups cold milk

Beat together and spread over cream cheese layer.

Four: Spread remainder of cool whip on top.

This recipe comes together very quickly! It's so perfect for having guests over, or an event you need to bring something to. It may read to be very simple and maybe even ho-hum, but let me assure you, I've NEVER met anyone who didn't freak out after tasting it. I like that I can use sugar-free pudding mix and help cut some carbs. It's a huge favorite at our house! Enjoy!