Saltine Cracker Toffee

This is a great gift idea for Christmas. Line tins with plastic wrap

& fill with this yummy candy! We have given this as teacher gifts

before. They always love it!

1 tube saltine crackers
1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped pecans-optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil (up the edges too). Line with saltine crackers in a single layer. In a saucepan combine butter & sugar. Bring to a boil & boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltine crackers & spread the mixture to cover the crackers completely. Bake for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven & sprinkle chocolate chips over the top & let sit for a few minutes until melted. Spread chocolate over all the crackers & sprinkle with pecans. Cool completely & break into pieces. Yummy!

Li'l Cheddar Meatloaves

1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. cheese, grated
1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 t. salt
1 lb. lean ground beef
2/3 c. ketchup
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t. mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, beat the egg & milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion & salt. Add beef & mix well. Shape into eight loaves; Place in greased 9x13 pan. Combine ketchup, brown sugar & mustard; spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink & a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Yield: 8 servings. Great served with Cheesy Potato Casserole.

Fudge

My mom's recipe

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. milk chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla
Nuts, if desired

In medium saucepan, slightly warm up sweetened condensed milk. Add chocolate chips until completely melted & smooth. Add vanilla & nuts if desired. Pour into 8" square buttered pan. Let cool. Cut into squares.

Double Delicious Cookie Bars

1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 c. milk chocolate chips
1 c. peanut butter flavored chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 9x13 pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle crumbs over butter. Pour sweetened condensed milk over crumbs. Top with chips. Press down firmly with a fork. Bake 25 minutes or until lighly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Salsa

My neighbor, Jackie's, recipe:

8 c. peeled, chopped, drained tomatoes
2 1/2 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. chopped green peppers (I use a combination of red, yellow, orange & green)
1 c. seeded, chopped Jalapeno peppers
6 cloves minced garlic
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 t. pepper
1/8 c. salt

Bring all ingredients to a boil for 10 minutes. Place in qt. canning jars & process in boiling bath for 30 minutes. Makes about 4 qts.
*I quadrupled this recipe twice to make our salsa this year. We have 50 qts. of salsa! This makes a mild/medium salsa. My 2 year old eats it & it's not too hot. If you want it hotter, just add more jalepenos.

Chicken Azteca

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained
2 c. frozen corn
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
2 c. chunky salsa, divided
10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, cubed
cooked rice
shredded cheddar chees
Tortillas (optional)

Combine beans, corn, garlic, cumin & half of salsa in crockpot. Arrange chicken pieces over top. Pour remaining salsa over top. Cover, cook on high 2-3 hours or low 4-6 hours. Remove chicken & shred. Return to slow cooker. Stir in cream cheese. Cook on high until cream cheese melts. Spoon chicken & sauce over cooked rice. Top with shredded cheese. Or put in a tortilla with cheese & spinach leaves if desired. You can also put rice in the burrito too. This makes a lot. I usually halve the recipe & it feeds our family of 6 with leftovers.

THE Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter, at room temp.(this is very important)
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 1/4 c. flour
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In large mixer bowl, combine shortening & butter. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugars. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add eggs & vanilla. Do not overmix or you'll end up with tougher cookies. Combine flour, salt & baking soda in seperate bowl. Add flour mixture slowly to butter mixture. Add the chocolate chips. Drop dough on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely. They're done when they're edges are golden brown or a toothpick can be cleanly removed from the center. Remove from oven & let cool on their sheet for a few minutes. Cool on wire racks 5 minutes.

Olive Garden Alfredo Pasta

1/2 c. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. heavy cream
1/8 t. black pepper
pinch of salt
1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz.) box fettuccine pasta

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add garlic, cream, pepper & salt. Bring to a simmer. If it starts to boil, turn the heat down. Add the cheese & continue to simmer for 8 minutes until thick. While sauce cooks, cook pasta for 12 minutes. Drain pasta. Spoon pasta onto serving plates & ladle sauce over the top. Yield: 2-3 large servings.

Chicken Parmesan

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces pasta sauce
6 slices Monterey Jack cheese or mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 4 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is browned. Chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
Pour pasta sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice of Monterey Jack cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted & chicken is cooked through. Serve with pasta & additional sauce.

Chicken n' Ritz

3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cut in strips
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tube ritz crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in one bowl, crush crackers in another. Dip each piece of chicken in butter & roll in crumbs. Place in 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with rice & cream of chicken gravy. We like these with BBQ sauce too.

Corn Dogs

1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
1/4 c. sugar
4 t. baking powder
1 egg
1 c. milk
oil for frying
2 pkg hot dogs
16 wooden skewers

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar & baking powder. Stir in egg & milk. Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Insert wooden sticks into hot dogs. Roll in batter until well coated. Fry 2 or 3 at a time for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.

Lion House Rolls

2 T. yeast
2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening (butter or margarine also works)
2 1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. nonfat dry milk
5-6 c. flour
1 egg

In the mixer, combine yeast & water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, 2 c. flour & egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups of flour, one at a time, & beat until smooth.
Add about one more cup of flour, 1/2 c. at a time until it is mixed in. Turn dough onto a slightly floured board & kneed until it is smooth & satiny.Gather dough into a ball. Scrape bowl clean & spray with nonstick cooking spray. Return dough to bowl. Let rise until about triple in size (about 1 hour).
Use the last of the flour on the board for rolling & shaping. Don't use all of the flour unless needed. Let dough rest on board for 10 minutes. Cut or mold into desired shapes. Place on greased baking sheets. Brush surface of rolls with melted butter. Let rise until ready for the oven (about 1 1/2 hrs.) Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until browned to your satisfaction. Makes about 3 dozen rolls. Great with Honey butter.

Minestrone Soup

I like this soup because it's kind of a dump & forget meal. You just dump it in the crockpot & forget it. It's also healthy!
6 c. chicken broth
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce + 1 can of water
1 (15 oz) can white beans (cannellini or navy)beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 c. onion, chopped
1 T. Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. each Salt & pepper
2 c. cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 c. coarsely chopped fresh spinach or frozen spinach, defrosted
4 T. parmesan cheese

In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, carrots, celery, onion, seasonings. Cover & cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add pasta, zucchini & spinach. Cover & cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves & season to taste with salt & pepper. Ladle into bowls & sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Great with Lion house rolls.

We have also added 2 c. cut green beans & 1 c. corn to make it go further if you're feeding a crowd. Or we have substituted kidney beans for the navy beans.

Wendy's Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 (29oz) can tomato sauce
1 (29oz) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (29 oz) can pinto beans,with liquid
1 c. diced onion
1 can diced green chiles
1/4 c. diced celery
1 qt. stewed tomatoes
2 t. cumin
3 T. chili powder
1 1/2 t. black pepper
2 t. salt

Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain off fat. In large pot,combine beef, plus all remaining ingredients & bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2-3 hours. Or put in crockpot on low for 4-5 hours. Great with Golden sweet Cornbread & honey butter.