Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

2 cups cooked ham, cubed

1/4 cup onion, chopped fine

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk

5 large potatoes, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cook onion in butter or margarine until tender, but not brown. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes more. In a 2 quart casserole, place half the cubed ham and half the sliced potatoes. Cover with half the sauce. Repeat layers. Bake covered in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover, bake about 30 minutes more until potatoes are done.

*even though the recipe doesn't call for it, we like to top it off with cheddar cheese*

Original Ranch Roasted Potatoes

This is a favorite at our house. Here is the original recipe from Hidden Valley. But we use whatever potatoes we have around and however much ranch mix we want. If you cut the potoatoes smaller like I do, bake at 400 instead of 450!

Original Ranch Roasted Potatoes

2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 packet/1 oz. Hidden Valley® Seasoning & Salad Dressing Mix

Place potatoes in a gallon size Glad® food storage bag and add oil; seal bag. Toss to coat. Add seasoning & salad dressing mix and toss again until coated. Bake in ungreased baking pan at 450°F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are brown and crisp.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Chicken Sandwiches..

This is my other 100% original chicken sandwich! This one I want to enter into a contest one day and maybe even win... one day!! I hope you like it!

Chicken sandwiches

Ingredients:
1-2 chicken breast cooked and cut into strips
1 package of the little breads from Costco
1 jar three cheese Prego sauce
1 package fresh basil, chopped
1-2 gloves fresh garlic, cut in half
1 package provolone cheese
1-2 tomatoes cut into slicesspinach

Directions:
*Cut the bread in half length wise. Butter each side of the bread. Grill or boil the bread until lightly browned. Rub each half of bread with garlic clove while bread is still warm. Spoon Prego sauce on each side of the bread and top with fresh basil. Then on one side of the bread add the chicken strips, tomatoes, spinach, and provolone cheese. Also add provolone cheese to the other half of the bread. Put on a baking sheet and broil until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Put the two bread halves together and cut sandwich in half and enjoy!!

Beef Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 can green chilies
1 can (10 oz. size) enchilada sauce
1 can tomato soup
6 flour tortillas (I use more than this calls for)
1 cup fresh or canned whole kernel corn
1 can black beans
2-4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a skillet, brown ground beef; drain. Stir in green chilies, enchilada sauce and tomato soup; set aside. Place two tortillas, overlapping as necessary, in the bottom of greased 13x9x2 pan or baking dish. Cover with 1/3 of the meat mixture; top with 1/2 cup corn; 1/2 can beans; sprinkle with 1 1/3 cups cheese. Repeat layers once, then top w/remaining tortillas, meat and cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 min.

*This is so good, even I like it and that says a lot since most of you know how I feel about beans! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Corn Bread Cupcakes and Honey Butter Frosting

I am usually not a huge fan of cornbread, but this recipe is so good, it's pretty much like eating a cupcake! And, the honey butter is the delicious frosting! I guarantee that your kids will love it, and you will too. You will be finding every excuse to make them every night.

Corn bread muffins

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbls. vegetable oil
1 pkg. (9oz) yellow cake mix
1 pkg (8.5oz) corn bread mix

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the eggs, water, milk and oil. Stir in mixed and mix well. Fill greased and floured muffin cups half full. Bake @ 350 for 18-22 minutes until muffins test done. Cool for 5 minutes: remove from pans to wire racks. 14 muffins

Honey Butter:
2 Tbls. honey
1/8 tsp. vanilla2 Tbls.
powder sugar1 cube butter

*Combine all ingredients until well mixed, spread over corn muffins!

BBQ Pulled Pork!

What you will need:
Crock pot
Pork or beef roast (whatever you prefer)
Barbecue sauce 40 oz bottle ( I prefer Sweet Baby Rays)
1-2 Lloyd's barbecue pork or beef shredded (it comes in a tub) ( I made this with a 5 lbs roast and used 2. So 3lbs or less needs only 1)

How to make it:
Put your roast in the Crock pot on high the night before let cook once it is cooked. Drain the juices and pull it apart so it is looking like shredded meat leaving it in the crock pot then add your full bottle of Barbecue sauce and the Lloyd's BBQ meat and mix it and then let it continue cooking until you are ready to eat.

Tips: I usually let it cook for about 14 Hrs and then drain and add the other ingredients and then continue to let it Cook for 3-4 more hours!

Serve it on rolls or Buns!
It is very delicious!

Best Chocolate Chip Pie EVER!!

Ingredients
Pie:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (2-sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts, optional
Whipped cream:
2 pints (4-cups) heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) pie plates; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, and mix until fully combined. Fold in the 3 cups chocolate chips and, if desired, the walnuts. Divide the dough between the prepared pie plates and smooth the tops with a spatula.
Bake about 30 minutes or until pies are golden and slightly firm to the touch but still soft. If the pies begin to darken too much before they are baked through, cover with foil and continue baking. Let pies cool completely on a wire rack.
While the pies cool, whip the cream and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form (tips curl). Fold in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate whipped cream until ready to use. Spread the whipped cream over the pies and serve.

*I made this for dessert this weekend and it was so good, I could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting!! It is basically like eating a GIANT chocolate chip cookie!! Mmmmmmm!! I halved the recipe to make just one cuz heaven knows I don't need 2!! And, I didn't have the stuff to make the whipped topping with, but it was still majorly delicious without it!! It would also probably be delicious with some vanilla Ice Cream too!!

Mint Brownies

Ingredients:
1 Box Mint Brownies and the ingredients required on the box plus an extra egg to make it fluffier.
Carmel
A handful of Andies Mint pieces (your can crunch them yourself or buy them that way)
Grasshopper Cookie crums
Ice Cream

Follow the directions on the brownie box up until your done adding all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. You want to sprinkle the Andies Mints into the batter and mix. Pour the mix into a pan evenly. Then you want to drizzle carmel in a line from one side of the pan to the next going the long way. You want to make several of these lines (about four or five.) Take a knife and going the short way in the pan you want to drag it gently from one side to the other. In doing so you are spreading the carmel into a nice line design and making sure there aren't any carmel clump suprises later. Cook in the oven for the directed heat and time. When it is a few minutes from being done take the pan out and sprinkle the grasshopper cookie crums onto the top of the brownies. Put the pan back into the oven for the remaining time to let the chocolate from the cookies melt. When they are done let it sit for a few minutes to cool. I like to have ice crem with it to even out the sweetness. It looks really nice to top off the ice cream with an Andies Mint. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cheescake- EASY I PROMISE!

This isn't my own recipe- I got it out of a book, but it's always easier to have someone sift out the bad ones and find the great ones for you, right??!!

Chocolate Cheesecake
Prep time: 15 min. Wait time: about 3-5 hrs.
Yield: 16 servings

CRUST

• 1 (9-oz.) pkg. chocolate wafer cookies, crushed (1 3/4 cups) *I used actual wafers the first time, and Oreos the second time. The Oreos were better and easier to find at the store.
• 6 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

FILLING

• 2 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 eggs1 (12-oz.) pkg. (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips, melted *I used Ghiradelli to make it extra special!
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 325*F. In medium bowl, combine crust ingredients. *I added a bit more cookie crumbs so it wasn't so goey. Press crumbs in bottom and 2 inches up sides of ungreased 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate.


2. In large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar; beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate; beat well. Add all remaining filling ingredients; beat until smooth. Pour into crust-lined pan.


3. Bake at 325* for 55-65 minutes or until edges are set; center of cheesecake will be soft. (To minimize cracking, place shallow glass pan, half full of hot water on lower oven rack during baking.) Cool in pan 5 minutes.


4. Carefully remove sides of pan. Cool 2 hours or until completely cooled. Garnish with extra cookie crumbs or chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. *mine set perfectly in less than 3 hrs.

To learn how to make those fancy chocolate curls, visit this Pioneer Woman Cooking blog. Her instructions are at the end of the pie recipe, about half way down the page. Mine were better on my second try. They were super easy and kind of fun :)

BBQ Chicken Pizza!!

* This Recipe was created and brought to you by my good friend Cami Nelson!

Pizza Dough:

1 Cup Warm Water

3 Cups Flour ( or 2 +)

2-3 T. Honey

3 T. Olive Oil

2 tsp. Yeast

1 tsp. Salt

*Mix all ingredients together but the flour, then add the flour starting with 2 cups and then add more as needed. Let dough rise for at least one hour. Then with lots of Patience spread the dough out over the pan! You can use a round pizza pan or a cookie sheet. The dough is temperamental at first, but the more you spread it the more workable it becomes! After dough is spread, poke holes in it with a fork, this is to prevent air bubbles. Then with a spoon spread your favorite BBQ sauce over the bottom. (My favorite is Sweet Baby Rays Original!) Then top with Mozzarella cheese, chicken, spinach, bell peppers, etc. (whatever your favorite toppings are.) Bake at 425 for 15-20 min. Enjoy!

*Caution: This may cause extreme weight gain and addiction. Over Eaters Anonymous my be required after the first bite! I do not take responsibility for any scales that my break or addictions that may occur!

This is a great regular Pizza sauce recipe also if you are craving just a regular old pepperoni pizza:

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 0z. water

2 1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. dehydrated onion

1/16 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 tsp. oil

1/4 tsp. sugar

* I am not sure what a 1/16 tsp. is... so I just guesstimate on all of these ingredients and it still comes out really good! Enjoy!

Million Dollar Cookies

2 cups of sugar

2 cups of Brown sugar

2 cups of butter (only)

Cream together then add:

4 eggs

Combine:

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups of flour

add to mixture

then add

5 cups of oats

2 12oz packages of chocolate chips



Bake at 400Degrees on ungreased cookie sheet for 6 min. Let cool on cookie sheet.

It makes a ton so be sure and use a big bowl!

Italian Chicken 'n' Pasta

I made this up as I went, yesterday, and it was such a big hit, I decided to spruce up the leftovers a bit and take a picture for the blog. It looked much prettier the first time around because I used real chicken breast, not the quick canned stuff (I didn't have anything thawed at last minute today)... Anyway, it was so good, my 2 yr old took one bite, then loudly proclaimed, "Mmm. Yummy chicken!" My husband agreed and so did I, so now I'm sharing.

I don't think I really made this entirely up. I've had something similar, but not quite the same, many times. This is just another version...

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breast
Zesty Italian Dressing
Italian style/flavor bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese (I just used it from the can, I'm sure fresh would be much better)
White onion
1 box whole wheat spiral pasta
Cucumber
Chopped Carrots
Grapes

*I completely guessed on the amounts of ingredients I used below. I don't measure when cooking, usually, so just go with your instincts and what you like.... which you really should do when cooking anything...

Directions:

Let chicken breast thaw and marinate in Italian dressing at the same time. I let it sit for about 2-3 hours. Heat frying pan to high, then generously coat the pan in Pam spray. Put chicken and about half the Italian dressing in pan.

While the first side of chicken is cooking, pour the uncooked pasta into pot with some water and carrots sliced up. Let the pasta/carrot mix cook until pasta is cooked through.

While pasta is cooking, chicken should be done on one side. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on the chicken breast before turning over. If the pan is starting to dry out, pour a little more of the Italian dressing in to keep chicken and bread crumbs from burning. Don't put too much dressing in, you don't want the crumbs to get soggy. Pour some more bread crumbs over the cooked side of chicken. Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Add about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of chopped onions to the frying pan, and stir them a bit so they cook nicely and don't burn.

When the pasta is finished, drain and rinse with cold water. Move the pasta around a lot to really let the cold water run through it, otherwise, you'll have to put it in the fridge for a long time to cool. Throw some cut up cucumbers into the cooled pasta. Stir about 1/2 cup Italian dressing into pasta. Then stir in about 1/2 cup or more, Parmesan cheese into pasta. Add grapes last and stir together again.

Serve with breaded chicken breast on top of pasta.