Cranberry Salad

This salad is a great alternative to cranberry sauce at the holidays. Even people who claim they don't like cranberries enjoy it.

2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup apples
1 cup sugar
1 box sugar free rasperry Jell-O
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water

Grind cranberries and apple in food processor. Prepare Jell-O using 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water. Stir in fruit and nuts. Refrigerate until firm.

Baked Ziti

This recipe is courtesy of Mr. Food. It's basically unchanged but, being the carnivores we are, I decided it needed some meat. Leave the meat out for a vegetarian friendly meal.

1/2 lb. ziti
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb. lean ground beef

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and stir in ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella. Brown ground beef in skillet, drain and stir into spaghetti sauce. Spread 1/2 of spaghetti sauce mixture in a 13x9x2 baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon in ziti and cheese mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella. Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and hot through.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is my favorite cake of all time. I got the recipe from my mother, who has been making it for probably the last 65 years. We both make if for just about every special occasion. No holiday or family get together would be complete without it.

4 rounded tbl. cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt


Frosting:
4 rounded tbl. cocoa
1 stick butter or margarine
1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted
6 tbl. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Melt cocoa, butter, shortening and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and stir in remaining cake ingredients. Beat with mixer until smooth. Bake in greased 13x9x2 pan at 400ºF for 20-30 minutes. Cool. Melt cocoa, butter and milk in saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and stir in remaining frosting ingredients. Beat until creamy. Pour and spread over cake.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Another great recipe courtesy of my sister-in-law. These bar cookies are so good they should be illegal.

CRUST:
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup margarine

FILLING:
1 (12 1/2 oz.) jar caramel topping
3 tbl. flour
1 pkg chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Combine crust ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer. Press half of crust mixture into a 13x9x2 baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine caramel topping and 3 tbl. flour. Remove partially baked crust from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Drizzle on caramel topping. Crumble reserved crust mixture over all. Bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes. Cool and cut into bars before serving.

Turkey Sour Cream Enchiladas

I came up with this recipe a few years ago when I was desperate for something different to do with an excess of leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Now it's a staple and I sometimes use chicken when I don't have turkey.

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 oz. diced green chilies
8 oz. sour cream
2 cups shredded, cooked turkey
corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

Blend soups, chilies and sour cream to make a sauce. Put half of sauce mixture into a bowl and stir in turkey. Place 1/4 cup (more or less) onto one end of a warmed corn tortilla and roll. Place seam side down in 13x9x2 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Continue until pan is full. Pour reserved sauce over enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350ºF. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned and sauce is hot and bubbly.

Green Chili Stew

I'd love to be able to take credit for this recipe. It was a favorite in the cafeteria at the Texas Instruments plant in Midland, Texas. When that plant closed, the recipe followed the the transferred employees to the facility here. I still sometimes go out to the plant and have lunch with hubby on days they serve this, but my homemade is better.

2 1/2 lb. ground beef
3 medium onions, chopped
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 tbl. salt
1 tbl. garlic powder
1 tbl. basil
1 tbl. cumin
2 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 7 oz. cans diced green chilies
1/4 lb. jalapenos, deveined, seeded and chopped
4 cans pinto beans
2 cups water

Drain juice from beans and save. Brown meat, onion and spices in a large dutch oven. Add other ingredients (except beans) and simmer uncovered for 1 hour 10 minutes. Add pinto beans and simmer for additional 20 minutes. Serve with tortillas. Makes 15 servings.

Note: Recipe may be halved. For a less spicy dish, use fewer jalapenos.

Poppy Seed Bread

I got this recipe from my mother who as been making it as long as I can remember. It's one of my favorite quick breads; not too sweet and just the right amount of crunch. I make mini loaves every year at Christmas for teacher gifts.

3 cups flour
1 1/8 cups oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tbl. poppyseed
1 1/2 tsp. butter flavor
1 1/2 tsp. almond flavor

GLAZE:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. butter flavor
1/2 tsp. almond flavor

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans or bundt pan. Bake at 350ºF for one hour or until crack in top is dry. Brush glaze over warm (not hot) loaves.

Cream of Whatever Soup Mix

This mix is a great stand-in for canned cream soups in recipes. I've never added any of the flavor ingredients or tried eating it as soup, but I'm sure it would taste great.

2 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bullion
2 tbl. dried onion flakes
1 tsp. basil leaves
1 tsp. thyme leaves
pepper

Combine ingredients, stirring until evenly distributed.

To substitute for 1 can of condensed cream soup, combine 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cups cold water. Add your chosen flavor. Heat and stir until thickened. Use as you would the canned product.

Makes the equivalent of 9 cans of soup.

FLAVORS:
Mushroom: 1/2 cup chopped mushroom
Celery: 1/2 cup minced sauteed celery
Potato: 1 cup cooked, diced potatoes
Chicken: 1/2 cup cooked chicken
Vegetable: 3/4 cup cooked vegetables
Broccoli: 1 cup cooked chopped broccoli

Rice Oriental

I developed this dish when our favorite flavor of Hamburger Helper® was discontinued. The variation uses the Cream of Whatever Soup Mix I found on CafeMom. Both methods work equally well and I can't taste a difference between them.

1 lb. hamburger
onion powder
Garlic salt
1 c. cooked rice
1/4 c. soy sauce, or less
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. water

Brown hamburger with spices. Stir in rice, soy sauce, soup and water and heat through.

Variation: Use 1/3 cup cream of soup mix, 2 3/4 cup water and 1/2 cup raw rice. Stir into cooked hamburger, cover and cook 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Cheesy Mac and Chicken a la King

This combination may sound weird, but it is surprisingly good.

1 box macaroni and cheese
1 can chicken a la king (eg. Swanson’s)
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
Shredded cheese

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions. Stir in chicken a la king and shredded chicken. Transfer to a small baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350ºF for 20-30 minutes, or until hot through and cheese is bubbly.

Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti

7 oz. spaghetti, broken
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups shredded cheese, divided
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 tbl. pimiento (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine chicken, 1 cup cheese, soup, milk, pimientos, salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti; add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My take on the classic Toll House recipe. More cookie, less chocolate chips. Sometimes I leave the chips out altogether.

4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

In medium bowl, combine flour, soda and salt, set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by small teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375ºF for 8-10 minutes.

Strawberry Cake

This cake is one of my favorites. It was even my birthday cake several times when I was a child. My store doesn't carry strawberries in the 10-12 oz. size, so I have to buy the 16 oz. package. Just be careful how much berries and juice you use. It is possible to get too much of a good thing!

1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. strawberry Jell-O
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
10-12 oz. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and divided
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Stir together cake mix, Jell-O, water, oil and eggs. Add 5 oz. berries with juice and mix well. Bake in greased 13x9x2 pan at 325ºF for 20 to 30 minutes, or until done. Cool completely. Sift powdered sugar and mix together with melted butter. Beat in remaining strawberries with a hand mixer until desired consistency is reached. Spread onto cooled cake.

Sausage Balls

1 lb. breakfast sausage
1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups biscuit baking mix

Bring sausage to room temperature. Thoroughly combine ingredients in a large bowl. Form into walnut sized balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cheesy Rice and Broccoli

A simple to fix classic. This came from a Velveeta cookbook, natch.

10 oz. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
8 oz. Velveeta, cubed

Bring broccoli and water to a full boil in a medium saucepan set to medium-high heat. Stir in rice, cover. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in Velveeta until melted.

English Pea Salad

This is my own original recipe. I love pea salad, but I don't love the fat that comes on those at salad bars. I only put amounts because a recipe needs measurements, right? Don't measure anything for this recipe, just dump in what looks good.

16 oz. frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing

Stir all ingredients together and refrigerate before serving.