Cookie Monster Salad

1 Cup buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk measure 1 cup milk + 2 tsp lemon juice, let set for 5 minutes)
1 sm. Pkg. intsant vanilla pudding
12 oz. Cool whip
2 cans mandarine oranges, drained
1 20oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 pkg, fudge stripe cookies, crushed

Mix pudding and buttermilk, add cool whip. Add. Fruit. Add crushed cookies just before serving.

Easy Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 (1 oz) package of ranch dressing mix
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheese
1lb bacon cooked and broken into small bits (I put the bacon in a large baggie and broke the pieces up with a rolling pin.)

Directions:
In a medium size bowl mash the cream cheese. Stir in the ranch dressing mix and the cheeses into the cream cheese. Shape the mixture into a ball. (It is a very large ball so I made 2 smaller balls). Cover the ball with the bacon bits. Refrigerate covered.

NOTES: The longer it refrigerates the better it tastes. Mine was in the fridge for 5 days before I served at the party. Also - I let the cheese ball sit out a few hours at room temperature before serving so it was nice and easy to cut.

Tara's Sausage dip

I think that this is Tara's sausage dip. Well, this is how I made it for the BYU game party.

1 log of Jimmy Dean ground sausage
2 blocks cream cheese, softened
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained

Brown the sausage. Drain. Add the cream cheese and can of tomatoes and green chilies. Heat until cheese is melted. Keep warm and serve with Frito chips or cubes of diced bread. (I kept it in a crock pot to stay warm.)

Veggie Cheeseball

1 block cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 small red pepper diced
1 small yellow pepper diced
3 stalks of green onions, chopped
1 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until blended well. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and press cheese mixture into the lined bowl. Chill in fridge for 30 mins. Flip over onto a plate and remove plastic wrap. Eat with crackers. We like wheat thins!

Cucumber Dill Sandwiches

I made this for book club and apparently it was a hit.

1 8oz package Cream Cheese

1/2 package of dry Italian seasoning mix (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup sour cream (more or less to desired consistency)

dill

cucumber sliced thin

French bread

Or homemade bread cooked in a bread tube.

Mix cream cheese, Italian seasoning and sour cream. This is kind of to your preference. You want it kind of thicker but still spreadable.

Slice bread to 1/4" thickness then scoop cream cheese mixture on top 1/2-1 Tablespoon. top with a cucumber slice then sprinkle a bit of Dill on top. Not too much as I hear dill is a very strong seasoning.

Fondue Recipe

I don't know the official name, but as it took my mother-in-law and I a while to find this in our time of need, it is going on the website so I will be able to locate it next time. Also, as a note, it says to cube all the cheese, but I shredded mine instead, it melted fabulously...

6 Tbs Butter
3 Tbs Flour
1/4 c Kirschwasser
1 c Whole Milk
3 oz Emmenthaler or any other type Swiss Cheese, cubed
3 oz Gruyere Cheese, cubed
3 oz Raclette Cheese, cubed
3 oz creamy Blue Cheese or Fontina, cubed (I used Fontina, it is more mild than the Blue)

Melt the butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour. Constantly whisk for 1 minute or until the mixture is creamy and bubbling. Slowly whisk in the Kirshwasser. Whisk in the milk. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Slowly add all the cheese, stirring until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth (you may have to add more milk if it gets too thick).

Transfer to the fondue pot.

Now it says to serve with crusty french bread, torn into pieces and different veggies. My new theory, thanks to Tara, is serve with roasted red potatoes, brocolli, cauliflower and green beans... seriously to die for.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

From Rachael Ray (I made some modifications)

1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, half a palm full
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons italian dressing
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!

Cowboy Caviar

1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
cumin, to taste
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1 can shoe pegged corn, drained
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno, diced
1 avocado, diced

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with chips. (It's a type of salsa)

Chewy Lemon Bars

1 lemon cake mix
1 egg
1/2 c. butter, melted
3 3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 eggs, beaten
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix together cake mix, egg, and butter. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 in. pan.

In a separate bowl, mix together powdered sugar, beaten eggs, softened cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture over bottom layer of cake mix.

Bake 30-40 mins., or until top layer turns a light golden brown.

Chocolate-Banana Snacks

10 toothpicks

1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 medium bananas

1/3 c. milk chocolate ready-to-spread frosting

1 tsp. multicolored candy sprinkles

Line small cookie sheet or plate with wax paper. Peel bananas and cut each banana into 5 chunks. Place banana chunks on wax paper. Insert toothpicks into each chunk. Place in freezer for 20 mins or until bananas are frozen.

Meanwhile, place chocolate chips in glass bowl and heat in microwave for 60-90 secs or until chocolate is melted. Add frosting and mix well. Microwave for another 15-20 secs. or until desired dipping consistency.

Dip each banana chunk into chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles. Return to wax paper. (If chocolate mixture becomes too stiff to dip, microwave on High for 5-10 secs. or until softened.) Freeze dipped banana chunks for 1 hour or until chocolate is firm and bananas are frozen.

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. Regular Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained
2 cans (8.5 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 cups frozen hash brown potato cubes, thawed
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup each diced green, red and yellow bell pepper (optional)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Separate crescent rolls into sixteen triangles. Place in two ungreased 12" rimmed pizza pans with points toward the center. In each pan, press rolls together, seal perforations and form a circle 1" larger in diameter than bottom of pan. Turn edges under to make a slight rim. Sprinkle cooked sausage evenly over each crust. Top with potatoes; add peppers and/or green onions, if desired. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper in small bowl: stir well. Pour half of the egg mixture evenly over each pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set and crusts are golden.

Serving size:

Makes 2 pizzas

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

Pillsbury Grands Refrigerator Biscuits (Home style, Butter, whatever)
Your favorite spaghetti/pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni, sausage, ect.

Preheat oven as directed on the biscuit package (I think it was 375*, but I could be totally wrong). Grease a muffin tin. Place biscuits, one to an opening, in muffin tin. Gently press the biscuit to form a cup around the sides of the muffin tin ... sort of like making a little cup to hold sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake empty 'cups' for 8 minutes until puffy and just slightly brown. Remove from oven. Add a TBS of sauce, then sprinkle cheese, then sprinkle toppings. Return to oven and continue baking until cheese is melted and toppings are golden. Kids will love it!

Hot Pizza Dip

8 oz. package cream cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup bottled pizza sauce
1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped (optional)
3/4 cup pepperoni slices, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Spread over the bottom of a greased 9 inch plate (I use a tart pan or a pie tin). Combine the cheeses. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheeses over the cream cheese layer. Top with the pizza sauce, peppers and pepperoni. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with bread sticks.

Note: If I were ambitious I would make my own bread sticks, I am scared of making bread so, I don't. Instead, I buy Tahoe Joe's garlic herb pizza dough and make bread sticks out of that. For one pan of dip 2 packages of bread sticks just about covers it.

Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa

12 tomatillos peeled and well rinsed
1 small onion quartered
6 Lg garlic cloves
2-3 serrano chilis stemmed (depending on how hot you want your salsa)
1/2 C chopped cilantro
2 Tbs. fresh lime

Place first 4 ingredients into pan over high heat for 5 min or until thoroughly charred. Place in blender. Use on/off and chop coarsely. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let chill in refrigerator before serving. Yum!

Parmesan Pull Apart Bread

2 T. butter
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
shredded Parmesan cheese
1 package grands biscuits

Using the 8" saute pan melt butter, add garlic pressed with garlic bread, and Italian seasoning. Open grands biscuits and quarter all biscuits. Only 4 whole biscuits(cut up) will fit in the pan at one time. Coat biscuits well. Place in 375 degree oven and bake for 10-11 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Also a Pampered Chef recipe

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Tara and Jeff have both stated this is good with Costco Taquitos... I serve it with tortilla chips and celery sticks.

20 oz canned chicken (or boil fresh chicken, about 1 pound, and shred)
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup hot sauce (Franks Buffalo Sauce works the best)
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients, reserving about 1/2 the shredded cheese to top dish.
Bake at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese on top has melted.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 large butternut squash, sliced in half and seeds removed
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 c. Chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 c. Chicken broth or stock
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400* F. Place squash pieces in a flat baking pan. Pour about 1 c. water around squash. Bake until soft, about 1 hour. Remove to a plate and cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop out pulp. Set aside.
In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add squash pulp and about 1 cup of broth to pot and mix well. Transfer to a food processor or blender in batches and process until smooth. Return to pan and add the remaining 4 cups broth and seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, until flavors are blended, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.

Veggie Bars

Upon request from Tammy, here is the veggie bar recipe. These tasty treats are always a hit for any occasion, but we usually have them as a Christmas appetizer.

You will need:

2 crescent roll tubs
3/4 c. mayonaise
3/4 c. cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1 pkg. of Ranch Dressing Mix
Chopped up veggies (any of your favorites. I usually go to Safeway and go to the salad section and get pre-chopped veggies called Salad Confetti. This cuts out a lot of chopping. I do however add to the salad confetti 1 red, green, or orange pepper chopped up.)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)

First open the crescent roll tubs and lay them flat onto a jellyroll pan. Press the triangular pieces together to form 1 large rectangle. They may or may not fill your pan. Don't worry if they don't. Bake as directed, however I had to pull mine out a minute early because they were looking too golden brown. Let cool.

Then whipped together the mayo, cream cheese, and sour cream and ranch dressing packet.
On the cooled flat crescent spread the cream mixture on like thick frosting. You may not need all of the cream mixture. I usually have some left over. Then sprinkle on the cheese. Next sprinkle on the veggies. Cut out into bars and serve or refrigerate until serving.

Good luck!

Hot bean Dip

1 can refried beans (16 ounce)
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 can chopped green chillies
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. salsa
3 TBS. taco seasoning
3 green onions, chopped

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl and use a mixer to blend well. Place in a 2 quart size dish coated in PAM. Bake @ 350* for 30 mins. Top with green onions. Serve with chips.

Autumn Cheesecake

This is Tammy McKissicks amazing cheesecake recipe. Very pretty too.


1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 TBS. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. Margarine or butter, melted
**********************************
2 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
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4 c. thin peeled apple slices
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1.4 c. chopped pecans

Crust:
Combine crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and margarine; press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350* for 10 mins.

Cheesckae:
Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blened. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vannilla; Pour over crust.

Topping:
Toss apples with combined sugar and cinammon. Spoon apple mixture over cream cheese layer, sprinkele with pecans. Bake at 350* for 1 hour 10 mins. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.

Variation:
Add 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans with crumbs for crust. Continue as directed.