Orange Knots

15 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed
Zest of one orange
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine zest and sugar in a bowl. Roll each roll between hands and tie in a loose knot. Dip each roll in melted butter and then in the zest/sugar mixture. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. (more time may be necessary, depending on your oven)

After rolls are done cooking, brush with citrus glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. melted butter
3 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This recipe is easily halved for a smaller group.

4 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 whole orange, unpeeled, seeds removed and chopped fine
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
sprinkle ground cinnamon

Wash cranberries and set aside. Bring sugar and water to a boil. Add cranberries, ornages, and cloves. Simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until berries pop open. Add crushed pineapple, walnuts and cinnamon. Cool and serve.

Chicken Casserole with Red Sauce

2/3 cup oil
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 to 2 tbsp. minced garlic
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups cooked chicken breasts, chopped
1 cup sour cream
4 cups shredded Colby/Jack cheese, divided
1 can corn, drained
12 corn tortillas, cut into bite size pieces
1 small can chopped olives, drained

In a skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add flour, chili powder, salt and garlic and cook 5-7 minutes. Add broth and stir to combine. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. While sauce is simmering, combine chicken, sour cream, 2 cups of cheese and corn in a large bowl. Mix well. In a greased 9 x 13 pan spoon half the sauce, tortilla pieces and chicken mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups of cheese and olives over top layer. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Crockpot Burgers

2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. evaporated milk
1/2 cup saltine cracker crumbs
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup flour
2-3 tbsp. oil
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk

Mix together ground beef, egg, onion, cheese, ketchup, milk, cracker crumbs, salt & pepper. Form into 8 patties. In a separate shallow bowl, place flour. Dredge patties through flour. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and brown patties. In a bowl, mix together soup and milk. Arrange patties in a crockpot in alternate layers with soup mixture. Cover and cook on high setting for 3-4 hours. Makes 8 servings.

Maple Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

These are sinful....especially when you make them 'bite size'....it's so much easier to eat more than just one! ;o)

Pumpkin Cookies:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped pecans (optional -- I didn't use these)

Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each. Stir in pumpkin, lemon extract, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in nuts, if using. Drop batter by teaspoonful 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for about a minute on cookie sheet. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. Frost each cookie with Maple Frosting.

Maple Frosting:
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/4 cup powder sugar
2 tbsp. milk
3/4 tsp. maple flavoring

Combine all ingredients; mix well.

Bread Bowls

2-3 loaves frozen bread
2 eggs, beaten.

Thaw bread loaves according to package; keep cold. Divide each loaf into halves or thirds, depending on the size of bread bowls you want. Form each half/third into a ball. Place formed balls of bread dough on a prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled. Brush each bowl with egg. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool completely. Cut hole in top of each bowl and hollow out. Serve each filled with soup.

Baked Potato Soup

2/3 cups butter
2/3 cups flour
7 cups milk
2-3 green onions, chopped
5-6 potatoes, baked
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup sour cream
12 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

In a heavy sauce pan, melt butter. Whisk flour into melted butter. Add milk and whisk until slightly thickened. Add green onion and scoop potatoes out of skins into pot. Stir and let cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in salt and pepper. Add cheese and sour cream; stir until well blended. Lastly, add crumbled bacon, and serve.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
6 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Slowly add the milk. Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is hot without boiling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Makes 6 servings.

Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
salt & pepper to taste

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and brown sugar. Cook onions until they are translucent. Add broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in remaining ingredients; blend well. Simmer until soup is heated through, but do not boil.

Chicken and Creamy Rice Casserole

So, years ago, when someone had brought in a meal to our house for one reason or another, they brought a wonderful rice and chicken dish. Because I never asked for the recipe from the woman who brought it in, we've been on the search for a recipe that duplicated it. We have had no luck in our search....until now:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 3/4 cup instant rice, uncooked
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
2 cups water
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a bowl, combine all ingredients, except for the chicken. Pour into a prepared 9x13 pan. Gently push chicken breasts into the mixture until they are partly covered. Cover pan with foil, bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can corn, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can manwich
1 pkg. taco seasoning

Brown ground beef and onion in a saucepan; drain. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well and heat through. Garnish each bowl with shredded cheese, sour cream, and fritos, if desired.

Chicken & Biscuits

Now, this one comes from the Kraft Food & Family magazine, but it was totally worth posting here!!

1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I boiled and shredded mine for a change of pace)
1 16 oz. pkg frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (I really only used half a bag or else it would have been veggie overload for my kids)
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup baking mix
3 tbsp. milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream. Add chicken, vegetables and cheese; mix. Pour chicken mixture in a prepared 8x8 pan. In a separate bowl, place baking mix. Add remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and milk; stir until stiff dough forms. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. bake 35 minutes until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe was given to me. It belongs to my brother-in-law's grandmother, Mary Francis Hill. In fact today (Sept. 19th) was her birthday! Enjoy!

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. chicken bouillion (i've never seen them in pkgs, so I'm assuming I used 1-2 tsp. of the granules last time I made this)
1 cup milk

Boil chicken breasts in a full pot of water for about 25-30 minutes. Remover chicken from pot, cool, and rip into bite size pieces. Return chicken to pot with remaining chicken water, over med-low heat. Add to the pot the soup, chicken bouillion, and milk.

Dumplings:
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cup flour
3/4 cup water

In a large bowl, put shortening, salt, and flour. Cut with pastry cutter until coarse crumbs. Add wather and mix with a fork. Them form into a ball and roll out on a floured surface. Cut dough into about 2-3" strips. Add dumplings to chicken mixture and increase heat to a boil. Cook about 30 minutes and serve.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs. stew beef
1 large onion, sliced
2 cans cream of mushroom (or cream of chicken...I've used both with the same results)
2 tbsp. catsup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 to 1 pint sour cream
12 oz pkg. noodles, cooked

Place beef and onion in the crock pot. Mix soup, catsup, Worcestershire sauce and pepper together. Add to crock pot and mix well. Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours. Just before serving, add sour cream and heat through. Serve over cooked noodles.

Sour Cream Chicken

1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
4-6 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken broth

Place chicken in a slow cooker. Combine first four ingredients; sprinkle over chicken. In a separate bowl, combine soup, sour cream, and broth. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Serve over rice or cooked egg noodles.

Chicken Divan

(this may not be your 'traditional' chicken divan because of the lack of broccoli. Oh, and I should mention this NOT a fat free meal)

4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt, pepper, paprika, onion salt, garlic salt
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 cups mayo
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. dried onions

Place chicken in a prepared 9 x 13 pan. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, onion & garlic salts. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour over chicken. Bake for 2 hours at 275 degrees. Serve chicken with sauce. Sauce goes well over potatoes too.

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches II

4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
12 sandwich rolls*

Place chicken in a large saucepan, cover with water (I used chicken broth for more flavor...took about 6 cups of liquid to cover the chicken) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer one hour, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Reserve 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, from simmering. Allow chicken to cool and then shred. Place shredded chicken aside in a mixing bowl. In a sauce pan, melt butter; whisk in flour until smooth, over low heat. Stir in reserved broth; boil one minute. Add salt and pepper; stir in celery. Heat thoroughly. Pour sauce over chicken in the bowl and mix well. Serve on toasted rolls.


*I used Rhodes rolls. Allow rolls to bake and cool before splitting and filling with chicken mixture.

Chili Cheese Dip

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
3 (15 1/2 oz.) cans chili (I prefer the chili with NO beans)
2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
tortilla chips

Place all ingredients, except tortilla chips, in a crockpot. Cook on low for 1-1/2 hours. Stir to blend ingredients well. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Dip

2-3 cans cream of chicken soup
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1 sm. can diced jalapenoes, drained or undrained (depending on how hot you want your dip)
2 sm. cans diced chiles
1 can chicken, drained
tortilla chips

Place all ingredients, except tortilla chips, in a crock pot. Cook on low for several hours. The longer it cooks, the better it is. Serve with tortilla chips.

Caramel Apple Crisp

3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup cold butter
8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (I used Granny Smith)
1 package (14 oz) caramels, halved (I used caramel apple dip by the spoonfuls...it's all I had)
1 cup apple cider, divided

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the apples and caramels (again, I just spooned out dollops of the caramel dip over the apples) and 1 cup oat mixture (or about half of the half that's left -- make sense?); repeat layers. Pour 1/2 cup cider over top.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 min. Drizzle with remaining cider; bake 15-20 min longer or until apples are tender. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Here are some pics:

Pumpkin Bread

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until bread tests done.

Golden North Pole Nuggets

10 oz. pkg. peanut butter chips
2 T. shortening
6 oz. pkg. plain goldfish crackers (original flavor, not cheese or anything)
1 1/2 cups thin pretzel sticks, broken into bite-sized pieces

Combine chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl; heat on high setting for 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave; stir in crackers and pretzels. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper; let stand 30 minutes. Makes 2 dozen. (Of course you can double this really easily).

Sandies

1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar (+ extra)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Mix marg/butter, powder sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add flour, salt, and nuts. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. Roll balls in extra powder sugar when warm, and again when cool.

Best Sugar Cookies

2 sticks butter (or 1 cup margarine)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Chill 2 hours in refrigerator. Roll to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and cut out with cookie cutters. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Frost and decorate. I don't have a recipe, per se, for frosting. I just use the one on the back of the bag of powdered sugar.

Chocolate Snowballs

1 pkg. Oreo cookies
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. chocolate chips, melted for dipping

2 Tablespoons shortening

Slightly crush enitre package of Oreos in a large ziploc bag. In a mixing bowl, combine Oreos and cream cheese. Beat until completely combined. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and set aside. Melt chocolate chips with shortening. Dip oreo balls in melted chocolate and set on wax paper to harden. These can be put in fridge/freezer to harden faster. Also, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Also, I made some using the mint oreos and the peanutbutter oreos as well for a variety and they were all tasty!!

Butter Pecan Fudge

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powder sugar
1 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the butter, sugars, cream and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Stir in powder sugar until smooth. Fold in pecans. Spread into a buttered 8 inch square pan. Cool to room temperature. Cut into 1 inch squares. Store in an airtight container in the refridgerator.

Lemon Snowflake Cookies

1 pkg. lemon cake mix (or any, really, I used Strawberry)
2 1/4 cups Cool Whip, thawed
1 egg
2 cups powdered sugar, in separate bowl, set aside

Mix cake mix, cool whip, and egg with electric beaters until batter is well mixed and sticky. Drop batter by teaspoonful into bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat. Bake on ungreased (however, I always grease mine) cookie sheet at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Pesto Sauce

(given to me by my friend, Jessica Lewis)

2/3 cups fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. pine nuts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic

Put all ingredients together in a blender or food processer. Blend well. Pour over hot pasta to serve.

Lime Punch

1 pint lime sherbet
2 cups milk
1-6oz. can frozen limeade concentrate, slightly thawed
2 liter Sprite, chilled
Additional scoops of lime sherbet

Place first three ingredients in covered blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Divide among six glasses. Add Sprite to fill glass. Top with scoop of sherbet and serve.

Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips

This recipe comes from HERE! Enjoy!

10+ chicken tenders, thawed and rinsed
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1 tbsp. water
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
olive oil

In three shallow bowls combine the following: bowl #1-- flour, salt, pepper; bowl #2 -- eggs (beaten), water;
bowl #3 -- bread crumbs, parmesan cheese. Take your chicken and coat it in the flour mixture first; shake off excess. Then dip in egg mixture; coat completely. Last, dip it in the bread crumb mixture; coat completely. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet and brown chicken strips about 30-45 seconds on each side. Place browned chicken in a 9x13 pan and bake the rest of the way through at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve with choice of pasta or other side.

Bird Nests

30-40 large marshmallows
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. green food coloring
4 1/2 cups corn flakes
jelly beans Melt marshmallows and butter. Add vanilla and food coloring. Stir. Stir in corn flakes. On wax paper, shape little mounds of mixture. Press 3-4 jelly beans in the middle of the mound (while still pretty sticky).

Cherry Dessert Bars

1 yellow cake mix
8 tbsp. butter, melted & divided
1 1/3 cups oats, divided
1 egg
2 cans cherry pie filling
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
2 tbsp. brown sugar

Mix yellow cake mix, 6 tbsp. melted butter, and 1 cup of oats together. It will be crumbly. measure out 1 1/4 cups of the mixture and set aside. With the remaining amount, add 1 egg, mix and press into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Spread cherry pie filling over top of cake mixture pressed in pan. Combine your reserved cake mixture with 2 tbsp. of melted butter, 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 cup nuts (optional), and 2 tbsp. brown sugar. Sprinkle over top of cherry pie filling. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. It's really good served warm with vanilla ice cream on top!

Cream Cheese Rangoons

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 green onion, chopped finely
wonton wrappers
peanut oil

Mix together cream cheese and onions with an electric mixer, until creamy. Put a heaping teaspoonful in the middle of each wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper using warm water and your finger. Pull two opposite corners of the wrapper together and sort of pinch shut. Pull the other two opposite corners together sort of tucking them in under the first pulled corners. Pinch together at the top to seal wrapper. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry about 4-5 wontons at a time for 2 minutes. (if the wontons are not completely submerged in the oil, after 1 minutes, flip them so they can get crispy all around). Serve warm, with sweet and sour sauce. I read this somewhere: to reheat, place on a rack on a cookie sheet and heat at 350 degrees for 10 minutes!! Enjoy!!

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

4 T. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped (I only did about 1/4 of an onion)
1 can cream of musroom soup
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper in taste

8 multi-grain or wheat buns, split
optional: pickle slices

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; brown for 5 minutes on each side. Arrange chicken in a slow cooker; set aside. Add onion to skillet; saute until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients, except buns and pickles, to skillet; stir well and pour over chicken in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with a fork. Return to slow cooker, stir well, and spoon chicken onto buns and garnish with pickles if desired. Makes 8 sandwiches.

Cafe Rio Chicken

(disclaimer: I've never actually been to Cafe Rio, so I really have no idea if this even tastes the same! But I thought it was good, nonetheless!)

6 chicken breasts
1 small bottle of italian dressing
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. cumin

Mix all ingredients together in a slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Return to liquid in crock pot. Serve in flour tortillas with grated cheese.

Tasty Onion Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. ground mustard
6 oz. French's Fried Onions, crushed

In one shallow bowl, combine butter, Worcestershire sauce, and ground mustard. In another shallow bowl, place crushed onions. Dip each chicken breast in the butter mixture and then roll in crushed onions. Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until juices run clear. (I had to cook mine about an extra 10 minutes because my chicken breasts weren't completely thawed when I went to cook them.)