Poppyseed Chicken - tried and true!

5-6 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter
2 T poppyseeds ( I don't think I use nearly this much... )

Place chicken in greased 9x13 pan. Combine soups and sour cream, and most of poppy seeds, and spread evenly over chicken. Spread crumbs over soups, drizzle butter over crumbs, sprinkle a bit more poppyseeds over crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until bubbly. Serve over noodles (egg noodles) or rice.

Red Velvet Cake.

[ CAKE ]
1/2 c. Crisco shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. vinegar
Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs. Make a paste with cocoa and food coloring and add to the cream mixture. Mix salt and vanilla with buttermilk, add alternately with flour to creamed mixture. Mix soda and vinegar and fold into mixture. (Do not beat … fold only.) Bake in two 9″ layer pans for 30 minutes at 350.

[ ICING ]
5 Tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1 c. granulated sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 c. Crisco shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
Cook flour and milk until thick. Stir constantly. Make sure you cool milk and flour mixture (in refrigerator). Cream together sugar, butter, crisco, and vanilla well with electric beater. Add flour and milk mixture. Beat until right consistency to spread. This should get fluffy like whipped cream.

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups Bisquick (break up lumps before measuring)
2/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons margarine
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 salt or 1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp parsley flakes, cumbled
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir cheese into Bisquick. Add milk, mix well.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and drop onto paper. Put 2nd baking sheet under first.
Cook in upper 1/3 of oven 12 minutes. Remove from pan.
Melt margarine. Add garlic, salt, parsley. Brush over biscuits. Serve warm. Makes 12.

Layered Cookies in a Jar

1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda

Mix above and pack into a WIDE MOUTH QUART canning jar.

Next layer the following, in order, packing each layer firmly:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups chips (choc, pb, or M&Ms)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup flour

Place decorative fabric over lid and seal.

Attach following to the jar -

To make cookies you'll need to add:

3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

Cream butter, add vanilla and egg. Beat until smooth. Gradually add cookie jar mixture and stir until well blended. Place on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes at 350. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Brownies in a Jar

Layer:

2 1/4 cups white sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup chopped pecans (walnuts would probably work too)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Directions - pout sugar into QUART jar. Press down. Add cocoa and press down firmly, then pecans. Combine flour, powder, and salt. Pour into jar, press down and seal.

Attach these directions to jar:

Brownies:
1. Empty brownie mix into large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add 3/4 cup butter or margarine and 4 slightly beaten eggs. Mix until completely blended. Spread batter into lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done. Cut into 2" squares. Makes 2 doz.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie.

35 vanilla wafers, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 medium bananas, sliced
2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate (I just use a handful of chocolate chips)
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used chunky)
2 cups milk
2 pkgs. vanilla instant pudding
2 cups cool whip
2 Tbsp. chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350. Mix crumbs and butter, press into pie plate. Bake 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, then top with bananas.
Make chocolate curls, reserve for garnish (I didn't do this). Microwave remaining chocolate and peanut butter, stir until blended. Drizzle over bananas.
Pour milk into large bowl, add pudding mixes. Beat with whisk, gently stir in 1 cup of cool whip.. Spread over bananas.
Top with remaining 1 cup cool whip (I didn't do this part)
Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Top with chocolate curls and peanuts just before serving.

Enjoy!

Playdough

4 cups flour
2 cups salt
4 cups water
8 tsps. cream of tartar
6 TBS. oil
Food Coloring

Mix together in large saucepan. Cook until it holds together and pulls away from pan. Col and knead. You may add peppermint or almond extract for scent if you wish...

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
chopped cilantro
diced avocado

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.
**It is very important that you use MEDIUM salsa in this. Mild simply isn't flavorful enough. Be sure to serve with tortilla chips, and not tortillas. The salty crunchy chips make this so good!

Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies With Maple Brown Butter Frosting

2 1/4 cup self-rising flour
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks

* Whisk together flour and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
* In a large mixing bowl, cream butter.
* Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
* Add vanilla.
* Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined.
* Add flour/spice mixture to sugar mixture in three additions. Alternate with pumpkin in two additions, ending with flour mixture.
* Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate chunks.
* Drop on cookie tray lined with parchment paper.
* Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes about four dozen cookies.
* Let cool.


Cookie Dough

You can use an ice cream scooper to get evenly proportioned cookies. And make your cookies look as good as they taste. Just save some chocolate chunks and stick them right on top of the cookie batter before you throw them in the oven.

Maple Brown Butter Frosting

3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp maple flavoring

* Sift sugar and set aside.
* Melt butter over medium heat until golden brown. Watch closely so it does not burn.
* Add butter to sugar, scraping all the butter into the bowl.
* Add milk and maple flavoring. Stir until smooth.
* Spread on top of cookies with an knife or offset spatula.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies Balls

Ingredients:
Makes 16 balls

* 2 (1.4-ounce) chocolate-covered toffee candy bars
* 2 cups Rice Krispies
* 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
* 16 regular-size marshmallows
* 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
* Canola oil

Leaving candy bars in wrappers, use a rolling pin to pound and crush bars into small pieces. Place Rice Krispies in a large bowl and set aside.

Place peanut butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high until hot, about 45 seconds. Add marshmallows and microwave on high until softened, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, place peanut butter and marshmallows in a heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted, 2 to 3 minutes.)

Working quickly, stir to combine mixture with Rice Krispies. Stir until evenly coated. Add crushed candy bars and chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Coat your hands with oil and shape mixture into spheres the size of golf balls, making 16 treats. Pack in decorative tins or arrange on waxed-paper-lined wrappers and tie ends with ribbon. The balls will keep up to one week at room temperature.