Chex Muddy Buddies

This recipe is popular around the holidays!

And it should come with a warning!

If you start eating it, you will physically have to take it away

from the table to

STOP!!!

9 Cups Rice Chex, Corn Chex or Chocolate Chex cereal

(or a combination of all three)

1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine

1 teaspoon Vanilla flavoring

1 1/2 cups  Powdered Sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In a 1 quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High for 1 minute; stir.  Microwave for another 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth.  Stir in Vanilla.  Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.  Pour into 2 gallon revealable food storage bag.  Add powdered sugar, seal bag; shake until well coated.  Spread on waxed paper to cool.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Grape Salad

Scott's mom started making this a couple of summer's ago
and it is very, very tasty~

Usually when Mam ma makes something, she can't tell us the recipe...
but she could for this one!
I apologize that the photo is off-- I can't figure out how to fix it--
and it's causing me to twitch...
might need to go and make a grape salad
to keep my mind off of it!

Grape Salad

8 oz. Sour Cream

8 oz. Cream Cheese

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

4 Cups Green Grapes

4 Cups Red Grapes

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Mix Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, granulated Sugar, and Vanilla.

Toss in red and green grapes and mix until fruit is coated well.

Top with Brown Sugar and Pecans.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

YUM!

Pasta Salad

 McCormick's Salad Supreme


My friends Joy and Michele,
who are truly gourmet's
served this salad one night at their house.

It was really yummy,
so I asked for the recipe.
I was shocked when they said it came from
the back of the seasoning bottle!!!

I'm still totally impressed with their cooking abilities...
ans extremely happy that I can make something as yummy as they do!
After all, I can read the back of a bottle!

Supreme Pasta Salad



1 bottle McCormick's Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning
veggies: red, green and yellow peppers, cucumbers and anything else that suits your fancy
Newman's Own Light Northern Italian Salad Dressing
Pasta

Mix 4 cups of cooked pasta, 3 1/2 cups chopped fresh veggies, 1 cup Italian dressing
and 4 tbsp. Seasoning.  Refrigerate until ready to eat. Toss before serving.

Very Tasty!
Great for Picnics or Pot Lucks!

Baked Potato Soup

Every Halloween my friend Nancy throws a Halloween Bash!
We all bring appetizers and desserts and she puts out a tremendous
spread of different soups. Her Baked Potato Soup is one of my favorites!
We are currently in a deep freeze in the south, so this warm and hearty soup
hit the spot today.

So now, I'm sharing it with you.
Thanks, Nancy for the great recipe!

 

Baked Potato Soup

4 Large Baking Potatoes

2/3 Cup Butter

2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour

6 Cups Milk

3/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

4 Green Onions, chopped and divided

12 Slices of Bacon

1 1/4 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

1 8oz. Carton of Sour Cream

Directions:

Bake Potatoes and scoop out the pulp.  Melt butter in a dutch oven over low heat; add flour stirring until smooth.  Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Gradually add the milk;  cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly.  Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp. green onions, 1/2 cup bacon and 1 cup of cheese.  Cook until thoroughly heated;  stir in sour cream.  Add extra milk necessary for desired thickness.  Serve with remaining bacon, cheese and onion.  Yields 10 cups

Melt in Your Mouth POT ROAST!!!

Some of you know I am not a cook!

If there is an easy way to get it done...I am there!

That's why I was a little hesitant to try this recipe.

I have ALWAYS cooked a roast in the crock-pot!

ALWAYS...I didn't know there was another way to cook it...

ok-- I knew, I just didn't cook it that way.

Until NOW!

I was reading through

this blog

The Pioneer Woman

(she's amazing by the way)

and came across her recipe for Pot Roast...so I tried it...

Never again will I cook another pot roast in the crock pot...Never!

 

 

POT ROAST

 

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Whole (4-5 lb.) Chuck Roast

2 Whole Onions

6 Whole Carrots

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 Cup Red Wine (optional, Can use Beef Broth instead)

2-3 Cups of Beef Stock

3 Springs of fresh Thyme

3 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

 

Generously salt and pepper your roast.  Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Cut the two onions in half and cut 6-8 carrots into 2 inch slices ( I always peel my carrots, but she says you don't have to).  When the oil is very hot (but not smoking) add the onion halves, browning them on both sides.  Remove onions and put them on a plate.  Put the carrots into the same pot and toss them until slightly brown.  Remove carrots to plate.  Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over.  Remove the meat and put with the onions and carrots.  With the burner still on high, use wither red wine or beef broth (I always use the broth, cause we don't have wine -- ha) to deglaze the pan.  When the bottom of the pan is deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat half way.  Add the onions and carrots.  Cover with lid and place roast in a 275 degree oven for 3 hours ( for a 3 lb. roast).  For a 4-5 lb. roast, plan on 4 hours.

 

Eat and enjoy!!!  I promise you, you are going to like this.  Personally, I have never used the Rosemary and Thyme because I never have fresh Rosemary and Thyme at my house.  One day I may add it and see what it does.  But my boys like it just as well without it, so I may not mess with a good thing!

 

Mia's Mac-N-Cheese

This is one of my all-time favorite comfort food recipes!!! My friend Mia from church has shared this recipe with several of us and any time someone fixes it and asks for the recipe we all say "It's Mia's recipe" so that is the reason for the title.  The recipe makes enough for a crowd! Or if you are taking dinner to someone, you can mix it up and put half in a pan to take and half in a pan to keep for your family.  Unless your family is like mine...silly  boys won't eat macaroni and cheese....I just don't understand it!!!  Here it is...

16 oz. uncooked Penne Pasta

5 Tbsp. Butter

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp each of Salt and Pepper

3 Cups Milk

2 Cups shredded Mozzarella

4 Cups shredded Cheddar or Velveeta (divided)

Cook noodles until done.  DO NOT overcook noodles, drain.  Place noodles, butter, salt and pepper, milk, mozzarella and 3 cups of cheddar/Velveeta mix to a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Mix the 2 eggs in another bowl and then stir into the noodle and cheese mixture.  Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Remove and uncover.  Stir mixture together-- add remaining cup of cheese and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.

It is so yummy!!! As per Mia's suggestion I usually use 1-2 cups of Velveeta cheese in the 4 cup cheddar line above.  It makes it a little more creamy, in my opinion.  And just a note...they sell "shredded" Velveeta in the cheese section at Wal-Mart!!!  Have you ever tried to shred Velveeta...sheesh!  Just so you know.  If I can't find the Velveeta, I just cut it up in small cubes and when you remove it from the over to stir it will all mix up in the end.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we all have!!!

Yum, Yum, Yum!

Cinnamon Honey Butter

2 sticks of butter-- room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup of honey
2 T of ground cinnamon

Whip in a mixer and put on larger amounts of biscuits, bread and enjoy the yummy-ness!!!

I found this recipe at http://www.flythroughourwindow.com/-- she has some really good recipes!
I'm going to try her refridgerator pickles next...