Raspberry Pretzel Salad

I just made this last night and it was so yummy I wanted to share!!! Raspberries, cream cheese, cool whip and pretzels. WOW! This was so delicious! The pretzels added the perfect addition. This is a must try recipe!

Raspberry Pretzel Salad

Ingredients:

Layer 1-

2 cups of pretzels (crushed)

1 1/2 cubes of butter or margarine melted

3 T sugar

Combine crushed pretzels, butter and sugar. Bake and 400 for 10 min. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Layer 2-

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

8 oz. cool whip (softened)

3/4 cups of sugar

Cream together cream cheese, cool whip and sugar. Pour on top of Pretzels and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

Layer 3-

1 pkg Raspberry Jell-O (Lg box)

2 cups of boiling water

1/4 cup of cold water

2 packages of frozen raspberries or fresh raspberries ( I got 2 small cartons of fresh raspberries and used a potatoe musher and mixed them up a little bit!) You could use strawberries, mixed berries.

Mix together Jell-O and water. Pour into large bowl and mix in the raspberries. Pour on top of cream cheese mixture and refrigerate until Jell-O is hard.

Taco Soup

• 1 lb. ground beef and seasonings pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder
• 1/3 package Taco seasoning {this shows how extra lazy I am, you can make your own taco seasoning}
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
• 1 can of basil, garlic & Oregano diced tomatoes
• 1 can of any kind of diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup of water or more depending on consistency
• 1 can of red or kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed

TO GARNSIH

• shredded cheddar cheese
• Fritos/chips
• sour cream
• green onions

1. Brown and season ground beef with pepper, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder the ground beef and drain. Add everything else except the frozen corn.

3. Let cook for 1.5 hours then add corn cook for 30 more minutes, that is eat so easy and very yummy!! At first it looks really thick but it will cook down

5. Garnish with all the toppings!

Cornbread

These are so yummy! I love to make them into muffins they are much easier to eat! Good with any soup!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk use milk and cut back 2 tablespoons and use lemon juice instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Parmesan Rolls With Rhodes Rolls

My Mother in law makes these and they are my favorite roll in the whole wide world, I think I can eat 10 of them! I sometimes I use my own roll recipe or most times I don’t have time so I use frozen Rhodes rolls. These are easy and taste so yummy, a favorite at our house!

Ingredients

-Rhodes dinner rolls

-1 cup of Parmesan cheese

-1 cube of butter

Directions

There is really no measurements, Just Melt butter a cube of butter in the microwave, then add parmesan cheese and stir. You don’t want it too thick, but thick enough that it sticks to the roll…

Roll frozen roll in mixture and put on cookie sheet to rise normally.

Follow directions on Rhodes Rolls Package and Enjoy yummy parmesan rolls.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This picture is a couple years ago in our old house, but we do this madness every year! My mom made this when we were younger. My husbands mom makes the same soup but uses turkey. This soup is great for freezing and an easy meal for later, just leave the noodles out and cook it together with the soup when you are ready to eat it! I love after thanksgiving to use the leftovers and make this soup. We make it everytime we have chicken or turkey and it is yummy and feels so good on the soul! The turkey is not as soft as the chicken but I think the turkey is better because the meat stays together better! I guess it just depends what time of year you make this!

Ingredients

· 1 precooked Roasted Whole Chicken or Turkey with carcass and meat on it

· 5 stalks of celery washed with leaves (will need more for finished soup)

· Whole onion cut in half with peel left on

· 6 carrots peeled and chunked into 3rds (will need more for finished soup)

· 1 T whole peppercorns

· Water to cover

· 1 can of Cream of Celery Soup (to be added later to finished broth)

· Egg Noodles ( I get mine at Costco or Walmart they are called Country Pasta Homemade style egg Pasta)

· Chicken Bullion Cubes to taste

· ¼ cup of sugar

Directions

Use stockpot and put the chicken and first seven of the above ingredients in and cover with COLD water. (If using left over turkey put the turkey carcass in with a good amount of meat on it!)

Put lid on and bring to a hard boil and then just turn down and let boil slowly for 2-3 hours.

After boiling for several hours drain the soup with all the ingredients into a strainer with a pot or big bowl underneath to reserve and to strain your broth. Then you will have a pot of yummy homemade chicken broth.

Throw away all the boiled vegetables and save the chicken on a platter to cool so you can remove the meat.

In the meantime put the broth back on the stove on high. I add a little sugar about ¼ of a cup for flavor and then you need to salt and pepper to taste. I also add a couple of chicken bullion cubes or powder to make it a little stronger. Put the can of Cream of Celery in the broth and mix in. It will take quite a bit of salt; just keep tasting it, throughout the process of making the soup keep tasting the broth and adding salt and pepper as needed in small increments (**do NOT put all the salt you need in the beginning of the process or by the end when some fluid has evaporated our broth will be too salty..just add a bit at a time!

Now add FRESH vegetables..For Chicken noodle soup I just use carrots and celery and I slice them really thin. Be sure to add some celery leaves and chop them up really small and add them to the soup as well.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle take chunks of chicken and add it to the broth with the vegetables.

Bring soup to boil with the vegetables and meat and then you can add egg noodles. Just add the noodles to the boiling broth and let boil slowly for another hour. You can leave this cooking on low for several hours.

You will have a big pot of wonderful homemade chicken noodle soup, tastes even better the next day!

Tortilla Lasagna

This is a favorite of mine. We eat this regularly in our home. It is easy and very yummy, and feeds an army!

1 Lb. ground beef
½ onion chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce 24-26 oz.
16 oz. Cottage cheese
1 egg
½ pound grated Mozzarella cheese
½ pound grated cheddar cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 package flour tortilla shells

Brown hamburger and onion in a pan and drain well.
Combine with the spaghetti sauce. In large bowl combine beaten egg, and all the cheeses. Save a little of the Mozzarella and cheddar for the topping.
Put a layer of the tortilla shells in a 9x13 pan. Tear them to fill in all the spaces. Then add a layer of sauce and a layer of cheese. Repeat several times ending with the sauce and a topping of the grated cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot. On your individual plates top with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, green onions and chopped olives as desired.

Old-Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies and Frosting

 

My best friend growing up ERIN and her MOM would make these all the time.  I always got to help eat and make the cookies and I love them!  These cookies are very soft and freeze really well also. 

 

Old-Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. sour cream

4 1/2 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream, and cream well.  In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add creamed mixture and blend well.  Chill for 1 hour.

Roll our on lightly floured surface, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut as desired.  Baked on greased cookie sheet at 350 for 8 to 9 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Bake until LIGHT golden brown-no more than 10 minutes. When you take them out they will seem underdone but aren't. Let them cool on the pan and they will be perfect and moist. It you like them harder and more crunchy just bake them a little longer.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz block) softened
1 tsp vanilla (I used almond extract for half of the frosting)
¼ tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk OR LESS
food coloring (if desired)
For frosting combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk a little at a time (YOU DO NOT WANT TO MUCH, I usually just add 3 TBSP) and mix until smooth and spreading consistency. You may not need all the milk!