Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs potatoes, peeled, cubed & boiled
• 1/2 c. melted butter
• 4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 c. sour cream
• 3.25 oz jar bacon bits (or chopped ham)
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Directions:

1. Combine potatoes & butter in large bowl.
2. Add cheese, sour cream & bacon bits, mixing thoroughly. Add salt & pepper.
3. Spoon mixture into slow cooker, cover & cook on high for 1 hour or on low for 2 hours, stirring every 30 mins.
   

Nacho Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. Velveeta Cheese, cubed
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 - 16oz picante sauce
• 1 lb. (hamburger, sausage or combination of both)
  

Directions:

1. Brown meat; drain
2. Combine meat with remaining ingredients.
3. Place in crock pot; cook on low until cheese is melted.
4. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
   

Crock Pot Lasagna

8 Lasagna Noodles
1lb Ground Beef
3/4 c. onion finely chopped
1(28oz) can tomatoes with juice, broken up
1(24oz) can tomato sauce
1 Cup creamed low fat cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregan
1/4 tsp dried basil
Salt to taste

Break lasagna noodles into bite size pieces.
Drain browned beef under water (drain well)
In 31/2 qt. crockpot, add noodles, browned beef and remaining ingredients---Stir well.
Cook 7-9 hrs on low or High 3-4 hrs

Buster Bar Torte

Ingredients:

• 15 oz pkg. Oreo cookies, crushed
• 1/3 c. butter, melted
• 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
• 11 oz jar fudge ice cream topping
• 1 c. peanuts, chopped
• 8 oz Cool Whip
  

Directions:

1. Mix crushed Oreo's and melted butter; press in bottom of 9x13 pan.
2. Freeze for 10 minutes.
3. Soften ice cream and spoon onto frozen crust; spread evenly then return to freezer.
4. Slightly soften fudge topping in microwave; cool.
5. Spread over frozen ice cream.
6. Sprinkle with nuts; return to freezer.
7. Spread Cool whip over top; decorate with cookie crumbs.
8. Return to freezer or serve.

This tastes like 'DQ cakes'

Heart jam cutout cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1/3 cup strawberry jam
• powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl.
2. In a mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture, lemon juice, and zest. Beat, scraping down sides, until combined. Shape dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 3 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350. Line several baking pans with parchment paper. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface until it's 1/2 inch thick. Cut out 11/2 inch heart shapes and place on prepared pans. For half the hearts, use 3/4 inch cookie cutter to cut a heart from center. Reroll these hearts and other scraps; repeat until all dough is used. Bake until golden 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
4. Spread jam on whole cookies. Dust cut-outs with powdered sugar. Sandwich together. Makes 6 dozen.
   

Rainbow Jello

Ingredients:

• 3 pkg. (3 oz. each) cherry gelatin
• 3 packets (.25 oz. each) unflavored gelatin, divided
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups white grape juice
  

Directions:

1. For red layers: Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add cherry gelatin and 1 packet unflavored gelatin; stir until dissolved. Remove from stove. For pink: Transfer 2/3 cup red gelatin mixture to a bowl and whisk in yogurt. For white: Pour grape juice into a bowl. Sprinkle on remaining unflavored gelatin and let stand 5 minutes. Microwave on high about 1 minute, until gelatin has dissolved.
2. To assemble, pour 2/3 cup of red mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Top with half of pink and white mixtures, refrigerating for 15 minutes after each addition. Repeat process with remaining gelatin, ending with red. Refrigerate completely until set, about 2 hours or overnight.
3. Dip bottom of pan in hot water to loosen. Invert onto a cutting board and slice into cubes.
   

Orange Julius

Click to enlarge.

Fun for snack time. We have animal crackers, graham crackers or mini donuts with it.

Marshmallow Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2/3 teaspoon vanilla
• dash of salt

Directions:

1. Heat sugar, water and corn syrup to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat.
2. Simmer uncovered 4 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients until marshmallows are melted and texture is smooth.
4. 20 large marshmellows, cut into fourths, can be substituted for miniature marshmallows.
5. Use over ice cream or other desserts.
   

Chopped Onions

I like to use my Pampered Chef food chopper to chop up an onion & put it in the freezer for future use. I rarely use a whole onion before it should be so this way it doesn't get wasted. Also, it makes recipes come together quick when the chopping is already done. Works great for celery, onions/celery mix, or peppers.

Lemon Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour or 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 7 egg yolks (with all purpose flour or 5 egg yolks with cake flour)
• 1 cup egg whites (about 8)
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Move oven rack to lowest position.
2. Heat oven to 325.
3. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. Beat in water, oil, vanilla, lemon peel and egg yolks with spoon until smooth.
5. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until stiff peaks form.
6. Gradually pour egg yolk mixture over beaten egg whites, folding with rubber spatula just until blended.
7. Pour into ungreased tube pan, 10x4.
8. Bake about 1 1/4 hours or until top springs back when touched lightly.
9. Immediately turn pan upside down into glass bottle or metal funnel.
10. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool.
11. Remove from pan.
12. Glaze with Lemon Glaze if desired.

Vanilla Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2-4 tablespoons hot water

Heat butter in 1 1/2 quart saucepan until melted. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and consistency of thick syrup. Glazes a 12-cup bundt cake or 10-inch angel food or chiffon cake. For Lemon Glaze: Add 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel to melted butter. Substitue lemon juice for the vanilla and water.

Make your own evaporated milk

No need to pay a premium for those little cans of evaporated milk. You can make your own in two minutes or less.

• Ingredients:
  2/3 cup non-fat dry milk
  3/4 cup water
• Preparation:
  Mix the water and dry milk powder together. Then, use in place of the evaporated milk in any recipe.
• Yield: 1 cup (8 ounces)

Did You Know?
Evaporated milk is simply fresh milk that has had about 60% of its water content removed.

Seven Minute Frosting

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Directions:

1. Put egg whites, sugar, water and syrup in top of double boiler.
2. Beat until mixed well.
3. Place over rapidly boiling water.
4. Beat constantly with electric beater while it cooks for 7 minutes or until it will stand in peaks when beater is raised.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add vanilla.
7. Beat.
8. Fills and frosts 2 layer cake, 8 or 9 inch.
   

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pretzels, crushed
• 3 TBL + 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 8 oz Cool Whip
• 6 oz pkg strawberry gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 20 oz frozen strawberries

Directions:

1. Mix pretzels, 3 TBL sugar & melted margarine.
2. Put into a 9x13" pan.
3. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool.
5. Cream softened cream cheese.
6. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar; fold in Cool Whip.
7. Put over cooled crust.
8. Chill.
9. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water, add thawed strawberries & pour on top of cheese layer.
10. Chill; cut in squares when firm.
    

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients & Directions

Crust:

• Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
• Roll out and bake on round stone or pizza pan at 350 for 15 minutes. (I use a jelly roll pan)
• Sauce: 8oz Cream Cheese
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 Tbl milk
• Beat and spread on crust

Toppings:

• Cut up fruit arrange on top, sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi, sliced bananas, pineapple pieces, mandarin oranges, blueberries.

Glaze:

• 2 Tbl cornstarch
• ½ cup of mandarin orange juice
• ¼ cup of pineapple juice or lemon juice
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup sugar

Cook until clear and thick. Pour over pizza.

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar (divided)
• 1 3/4 cups egg whites (from about 12 large eggs) at room temp (separate when eggs are cold. 2 cups makes a higher cake)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Make sure rack is in lower 1/3 of oven.
3. Do not grease tube pan.
4. Stir flour with 3/4 cup sugar, set aside.
5. Place egg whites in a large bowl.
6. Add salt & cream of tartar.
7. Beat at low to medium speed until foamy.
8. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form.
9. With mixer running add remaining 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup at a time.
10. Beat well after each addition.
11. Beat until stiff peaks form when beaters are removed from whites, another 2-3 minutes.
12. Gently fold vanilla into whites with rubber spatula.
13. Sprinkle 1/2 of the flour sugar mixture over whites.
14. Fold in the mixture.
15. Do 15 strokes, rotating the bowl.
16. Repeat 3 more times, using remaining mixture.
17. Fold an additional 10 times.
18. Pour batter into 10" tube pan.
19. Run spatula through batter to remove any air pockets.
20. Smooth top.
21. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
22. Invert and cool.
23. 12 servings.