Ground Beef Cheesy Noodle Casserole

Ingredients
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash of pepper
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce *
• 6 ounces of egg noodles
• 1 (4 ounce) cream cheese, softened
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown beef; drain fat. Add next 5 ingredients and simmer. Cook noodles; drain. Mix cream cheese with green onions and sour cream in a small bowl. Add cheese mixture to hot, drained noodles and mix well. In a 9 inch pan, alternate layers of sauce and noodles. Top with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

You can use the tomato sauce that has basil, oregano & garlic

This has been one of my new favorite meals and if you don't have tomato sauce you can blend some diced tomatoes and that will work as well.

Oreo Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 jar (about 12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping
2 Hershey chocolate candy bars broken into small pieces
1 package Oreo cookies
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 half gallon containers of ice cream - I used chocolate and cookies and cream

Directions:

1. Combine the caramel ice cream topping and the candy bar pieces in a microwave safe dish and microwave for about 1 minute, or until the chocolate is melted.
2. Lightly spray the inside of a 9" pan with cooking spray.
3. Place 24 cookies in a Ziploc bag and crush them into small pieces. Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter, then press the cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of your pan, forming a crust.
4. Chop up 12 cookies, set aside.
5. Scoop half of one flavor of ice cream into the crust, pressing into an even layer. Drizzle with 1/3 of the caramel-chocolate sauce and 1/3 of the chopped Oreos. Then, scoop half of the second flavor of ice cream over the first layer, pressing it into an even layer. Cover it with 1/3 of the caramel-chocolate sauce and 1/3 of the Oreos. Scoop the remaining flavor of the first ice cream around the edges of the pan and the remaining second flavor into the middle. Drizzle with the remaining sauce and Oreos.
6. Wrap loosely in foil and freeze until firm (at least 4 hours, overnight is best).

*Adapted from a Pampered Chef Recipe

Grandpa's Baked Beans

Ingredients:
Size #5 can pork and beans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 TB dark molasses
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 package smoked sausage links/cocktail links
Liquid smoke to taste (just a little goes a long way)

Directions:
Mix the BBQ sauce, molasses, mustard, and salt together. Then add the brown sugar, pork and beans, onion, sausage links, and liquid smoke. If possible, chill overnight, but at least for 3 hours. Bake at 350 for 30 - 45 minutes, serve immediately.

Ashley's Bountiful Brownies

Ingredients:
1 box of Brownie mix
Rice Crispies
1 bag of Chocolate Chips. ( I like milk chocolate chips)
Peanut Butter
1 Large jar of Marshmellow Cream

Step 1:
Make brownies according to packaging. I usually get the 9x13 pan size box. Any brownie mix will do. After the brownies bake let them cool.

Step 2:
Smear marshmellow cream all over the brownies. I find that if you heat the marshmellow cream up a little it makes smoothing it all over easier.

Step 3:
Melt 1 bag of chocolate chips. After the chips are melted, add enough rice crispies so that they are well coated, and there isn't excess chocolate. Or add enough rice crispies to cover the pan size you are using. At this point you can leave as is, or you can add a scoop of peanut butter to taste.

Step 4:
Put in fridge at least 1 hour before serving. You don't want to serve these babies warm.

Some drizzle caramel over the top before serving. You can add hot fudge, or any other toppings you would like.

Just make sure you put them in the fridge before you serve them. The marshmellow creme will melt and cause your topping to run off the brownie. That makes them not so bountiful!

Frog Eye Salad

1 box Acini Di Peppi pasta. Bring to boil, cook for 10 minutes, drain and cool.

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

Mix sugar, eggs and pineapple juice together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring very frequently, until thick. Cool and mix together with the pasta. Refrigerate for a few hours or over night.

Remove from the fridge and add:
1 can tidbit pineapple
2 cans mandarin oranges
1 17 oz. container of Cool Whip
10 oz. package of mini marshmallows

Mix gently and serve.

Spicy Ginger Pasta

Spicy Ginger Pasta -
When I found this recipe, it originally called for chicken and broccoli - no peppers. But since we're not big meat eaters around here and I can never have enough veggies, I nixed the chicken and added the peppers. I think it's 100 times better (any veggies would be great in this dish). Also, careful with the ginger and red pepper flakes. This dish can get super spicy in hurry if you're too generous with either.

8 – 10 oz Angel hair spaghetti
1 cup Broccoli florets
1/2 Red pepper
1/2 Green pepper
1/2 Yellow pepper
½ cup chopped peanuts

Sauce:1 cup Kraft Toasted Sesame dressing (I have always used the low-fat version of this dressing to make it a bit healthier and it's still packed with flavor).
3 Tb Soy Sauce
½ tsp Garlic powder
¼ - ½ tsp Red pepper flakes
½ tsp freshly grated ginger. I really love the ginger, so I never measure. I do WAY more than ½ tsp. I just keep adding and adding.

Directions: Cook pasta according to package. When there is 3 minutes left, add the broccoli. Meanwhile, in a fry pan add a bit of olive oil (or plain Veg oil). Fry peppers. (When frying, I turn the heat way up to get the pan super hot before adding the peppers. It browns the peppers a bit, while keeping them a bit crunchy). Add the sauce to the pan. Turn down heat and saute until pasta is ready - makes a nice reduction sauce.
Put pasta in bowl. Pour sauce on top. Gently mix. Sprinkle peanuts on top.

Turkey & Swiss with Spicy BBQ dip

Turkey & Swiss sandwich with Spicy BBQ dip - Ok, this sounds so basic, but trust me the combo of the toasted sandwich with the magic dip (we may as well say it's magic because that's how it tastes in your mouth), makes this one of our favs.

1 Loaf french bread
3/4 lb deli turkey (make sure you get the yummy turkey from the deli. It makes all the difference.)
Provolone and Swiss cheese
Red Leaf lettuce or spinach
Roma Tomato
Red onion
Avocado (you can slice them, but we like to smash the avocado to it's more like a spread. Makes dipping a lot easier too).

Dip: And yes, this is hands down, the-not-to-be-trifled-with, money maker.
½ c brown sugar
½ c BBQ sauce (spicy honey from Kraft is best. Gives it a bit of a kick with a touch of sweetness)½ c water

Cut bread length-wise (don't cut all the way through). Place turkey on one side, and cheese on the other. Broil on low until cheese is bubbling and browned. While sandwich is cooking, heat ingredients for dip in small pot. Heat until sugar is dissolved. When sandwich is done, dress with toppings, cut into slices, and serve with hot dip.

Baked Cheese Dip

2 Loaves French Bread
16 oz Cream Cheese
8 oz Sour Cream
8 oz Salsa
3 C Shredded Cheese (I like to get the pre-shredded Mexican Blend)
Hollow out one loaf of bread by cutting off the top and pulling out the bread. Place it on a cookie sheet at bake for 5 min. at 450 degrees just to crisp it up.
Mix all the other ingredients together. Spoon into baked bread loaf and place bread lid back on top. Wrap in aluminum foil, place on cookie sheet. Bake 1.5 hrs at 350 degrees.
Cut the other loaf into chunks for dipping.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:
11 ounces dry Fettucini pasta
1 TB butter
2 tsp balsalmic vinegar
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
5 ounces Pesto sauce (I use Classico Traditional Basil Pesto)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan, add the vinegar, and sautee the mushrooms and pine nuts. Add the chicken when mushrooms become tender. Heat until the chicken becomes warm.

Toss the pasta, pesto sauce, and mushroom/chicken mixture together and serve.

Makes two large servings.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

a small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

Lime Slush

Lime slush!

1 Can of Limeade
3 Cups of Sugar
8 Cups of Water
Juice of 6 Limes

Freeze, Let thaw for 1 hour. Serve with Sprite or 7 UP

Porcupine Grill Balsamic Dressing

1/2 cup honey
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
½ tsp. sesame oil
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

This dressing is super yummy!

White Chicken Chili

This recipe is so easy!!

Ingredients:
· 1-2 lbs. chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
· (can use canned chicken or turkey chunks but I think the chicken breast is better)
· 4 15 oz. cans Northern White Beans, do not drain
· 2 14 oz. cans of chicken broth
· 4 4oz. cans chopped green chilies
· (can add or subtract depending on spiciness desired)
· 1 T. dried minced onion
· 2 tsp. Garlic powder
· 2 tsp salt
· 2 tsp. Cumin
· 2 tsp. Oregano
· 1 tsp. Black pepper
· can also add ½ tsp cayenne pepper if desired
· 2 c. sour cream
· 1 c. milk, half and half or whipping cream

Method:

Pour all ingredients into a large pot. Bring to slow boil, add sour cream and milk, half and half or whipping cream.
This makes a lot! Usually half of this feed a family.

Sorry there isn't a picture, I'll have to make it again and take a picture.

Homemade Oreo's

1 devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs

Mix the above ingredients together. Roll the dough into dime-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Don't make the cake as you normally would just put it in the mixer. Once mixed it will give you a "crummy" batter but when you roll the batter everything sticks together.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool cookies.

FROSTING:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cube of butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 4 cups powdered sugar

Mix all of frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost BACKS of cookies and place together to make sandwich cookie.

I found that I had too much frosting left over so you might want to half this recipe to start out with.