Twice Baked Potatoes

12+ potatoes
salt
cooking oil

3 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup margarine
2-3 tbsp. milk*

1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
paprika

After washing potatoes, pour some oil and salt on a plate. Roll each potato in the oil/salt mixture, and also using your hands, rub each potato until it is covered. Poke holes in potatoes with fork a couple times. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes (for smaller potatoes), or 55 minutes for larger potatoes.

Once potatoes are cooked, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Slice each potato in half lengthwise, and scoop hot potatoes into a mixing bowl; set empty skins aside in a couple 9x13 pans. Add to mixing bowl, 2 cups shredded cheese, sour cream, margarine and milk. Beat on high until potato mixture is well blended and smooth. (*You may want to add more milk, a little at a time, if mixture isn't smooth enough.) Now add garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper to potato mixture; beat well.

Scoop, or pipe, potato mixture back into skins. Sprinkle remaining cheese over tops of stuffed potatoes. Sprinkle paprika lightly over tops as well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until heated through. You can broil for to brown tops for 2 minutes, if desired.

Tater Tot Beef Hot Dish

I got this recipe from my friend, Kristen. It varies slightly from her version! Enjoy!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 can vegetarian vegetable soup**
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 can milk
1 pkg. tater tots
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown ground beef and onion. Place in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Mix two soups and milk together. Pour over ground beef. Layer tater tots over soup/milk mixture. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle cheese evenly over tater tots and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

**(if you use the kind of veggie soup that you don't add water to it, you'll need to drain it just a bit, or the soup mixture will be too liquid-y. If you use the soup that needs water added, just add as is -- no water!)

Karma's Cherry Cheesecake

This is a recipe my family got years and years ago from my childhood piano teacher, Karma Smith.



1 whole prepared Angel Food cake
2 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powder sugar
1 8 oz. tub cool whip
milk
2 cans cherry pie filling

In a 9x13 pan, break angel food cake into bite size pieces. In a separate bowl, mix together cream cheese and powder sugar. Mix in a splash or two of milk. Then add cool whip to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Add a little more milk to make sure mixture is spreadable. Pour over top of cake pieces. Spread evenly. Pour cherry pie filling over top of cream cheese mixture. Spread evenly. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Sunday Roast & Gravy

1 roast (whichever cut/size of beef you prefer)
2 cans cream of mushroom
1/2 cup beef broth
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together soup, broth, & dry soup mix. Place roast in crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour soup mixture over roast. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low. Remove roast and cut up. Leave gravy in crockpot to keep warm & serve with mashed potatoes.

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

4-6 thin slices of ham
4-6 slices of mozzarella
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to aout 1/4 in. thickness
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs

Place a slice of ham and a slice of mozzarella on each chicken breast; roll each chicken breast and secure with a tooth pick. Place chicken rolls in a greased crockpot. Mix soup and milk and pour over chicken. Sprinkle bread crumbs over soup mixture. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Remove toothpicks before eating. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Chicken in the Crockpot

I know...it's not super descriptive...but that's what we've always called it!

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-5 carrots, cut up
4-5 celery ribs, cut up
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of celery
1 can water
1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a crockpot. Cook on low 8 hrs. Before serving, make sure chicken is broken into bit size pieces. Serve over mashed potatoes, or cooked rice.

Chicken Taco Soup

3 cooked and cut up chicken breasts
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans refried beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can green chiles
1 tbsp. taco seasoning (more if you want it spicier)

Heat all ingredients in pan on the stove or in a crockpot until refried beans dissolve. Serve warm, with sour cream, cheese and corn chips on top.