Fool-Proof Fudge

3 cups milk chocolate chips *
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a large saucepan or double boiler, melt chips, milk & salt over low heat (very important not to rush the melting process). Remove from heat & add vanilla. Spread evenly into foil-lined 8-9-inch square pan. Allow to cool, then turn fudge onto a cutting board, peel off foil & cut into squares.

I've always loved good fudge, especially during the holiday season. This is by far not only the best tasting fudge I've ever tried, but this is also a very easy recipe. * I only use Ghiradelli chips for this fudge, because I think it gives it the best flavor.

Hearty Winter Soup

1 can Campbell's bean with bacon soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 14-oz can stewed tomatoes, chopped & undrained *
salt & pepper to taste
shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium stockpot, combine soups and tomatoes; add salt & pepper. Heat until boiling; let stand several minutes before serving. Top with cheese.

This was another quick & easy soup to prepare for dinner. I made this for my family last week and they all loved it. It tastes especially good on a cold night. * I don't like buying stewed tomatoes because they're made with celery & green peppers, so I just bought a can of regular diced tomatoes instead. I highly recommend this soup, especially if you love tomatoes.

Baked Potato-Cheddar Soup

2 cans cream of potato soup
2 15-oz. cans sliced potatoes, drained
1 pint whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pour soups, potatoes, whipping cream and milk into an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish; mix well. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour. Ladle into serving bowls, sprinkle with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

I found this recipe in my "5 Ingredients or Less" cookbook from Gooseberry Patch. I don't usually make soup for my family for dinner, but once the temperature drops outside & it's colder I LOVE eating a bowl of nice, warm soup. This was very quick & easy to mix & put into the oven & not worry about it until it was time to eat. Tyler & the kids all loved it too. I felt like it was missing a few things though, so the next time I make this I'll most likely add chicken, corn or broccoli. The recipe also says that bacon bits & green onions are also optional ingredients. This is the thing I love most about cooking - you can always make your food however you like it. :)

Baked Pork Cutlets

2 cups finely-crushed Ritz cracker crumbs *
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt *
1/2 tsp. dried sage *
6 boneless pork chops
1 cup plain yogurt

In a medium-sized bowl, combine cracker crumbs, Parmesan, garlic salt and sage; set aside. Coat each chop with yogurt, then dip both sides into crumb mixture. Place in greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

This recipe also came from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook". I've always loved pork chops & this was a really yummy way to have them. * The next time I make these, I'll probably just use regular bread crumbs, because I didn't like the taste of the crushed Ritz crackers very much. I thought 2 tsp. of garlic salt was way too much, so next time I'll be adding less, and insted of dried sage I used ground sage, which worked just fine as well.

Oatmeal Chocolate Cake

1 cup quick oats
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Place oats in a bowl. Pour boiling water over oats & let stand 10 minutes. In a large saucepan, melt butter and chocolate squares over low heat. Remove pan from heat. Add brown sugar, white sugar and eggs to chocolate mixture and stir until well-blended. Mix dry ingredients together & then add chocolate mixture & oats. Stir in half of the chocolate chips. Pour mixture into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until done.

I just had this for dessert while the kids & I were visiting my aunt in Altamont. She found this recipe in the "Essential Mormon Cookbook". It was VERY yummy & it's also a great way to use up any extra oats if you have them in your food storage.

Twix Bars

Crust
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour

Cream butter & sugar & add flour. Press into ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown; cool.

Filling
2 sticks butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 Tblsp. Karo Syrup (light)
3/4 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan & slowly bring to a boil. Stir constantly; approx. 5-10 minutes. Pour over cooled crust. Immediately cover w/ a bag of milk chocolate chips. After a few minutes, spread the melted chips over the crust evenly. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

My aunt served these to my Mom when she was visiting her before she left on her mission. When my Mom came home from this visit she made them for me to try and they were sooooooo good! I love the crust especially. It tastes much better than the cookie part that they have in the regular Twix candy bars. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did. They went FAST! :)

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

2 cups orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 pkg. frozen strawberries OR 1 quart fresh strawberries
1/2 banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker. If using frozen strawberries, add all of the other ingredients first, then put the strawberries in last. Makes approx. 4-6 servings, depending on how much each person wants to drink.

I bought some strawberries last week at the grocery store, hoping to make some strawberry waffles for breakfast over the 4th of July weekend. But then after I'd gotten home I realized that I didn't have enough strawberry syrup, so I pushed the strawberries to the back of the fridge & almost forgot about them. Then as I was making dinner tonight, I thought about this smoothie recipe so that the strawberries wouldn't be wasted. I made this in my home ec. class when I was a senior in high school, and it's really refreshing.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked
approx. 2 cups chicken, boiled until fully cooked
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 to 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Spread broccoli evenly into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Mix chicken with remaining ingredients. Pour on top of broccoli mixture. Sprinkle desired amount of bread crumbs and more cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve on top of baked potatoes, rice or noodles.

I have my cousin Megan Murphy to thank for this recipe. She & her husband Ryan invited us to dinner at their new house a couple of months before we moved, and this is what she served us. She put the casserole on top of baked potatoes and it was SOOOOOO scrumptious. Broccoli, chicken & cheese are quite the winning combination. Thanks Megan!! :)

7-Up Cake

3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. each lemon and vanilla extract
5 eggs
3 cups flour
3/4 cup 7-Up

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar with hand mixer; add extracts. Add eggs, one at a time; mix well. Alternate adding flour and 7-Up; mix well. Pour into floured and greased bundt pan. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cake should be golden brown when done.

I found this recipe in the cookbook that my mom gave to me when I was first married, called "5 Ingredients Or Less". It quickly became one of my most favorite cookbooks. I made this the first time years ago when Tyler & I were living in our first apartment. We received a bundt pan for our wedding and I wanted to try it out. I served it as a strawberry shortcake and Tyler loves it. He raved and raved about it the first time I served it. I always make this cake every time we have strawberry shortcake, because to me, it's SO much better than sponge cake! :)

Lush Pie

1 1/2 squares butter, melted
1 1/2 cups flour

Mix together and pat into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes; cool.

1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups Cool Whip (16 oz.)
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

Mix well in a large bowl. Place half of the mixture on top of cooled crust. Then, mix 2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding & put on top of the Cool Whip mixture. Put into the fridge for about 10 minutes, until pudding is slightly set. Place remaining Cool Whip mixture over the top of the pudding, and chill until ready to serve.

I don't know who gave my Mom this recipe, but it is soooooo good, especially now that the weather is starting to get warmer. I also love how this is still considered a pie. I'm still not very good at making the more traditional types of pies, but this recipe isn't nearly as "intimidating" for me. :)

Cream Cheese Crock Pot Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts, or 8-10 chicken breast tenders
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
4 Tblsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced *
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup water or chicken broth

Spray crock pot with Pam.* Put in chicken & sprinkle with dry seasoning packet. Mix butter and cream cheese. Add soup, then water (or chicken broth), and then the garlic.* Place mixture directly on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

*Instead of using fresh garlic, I just use 1/8 tsp. of garlic powder, which is equivalent to 1 clove fresh garlic. I also use Reynold's plastic crock pot liners every time I use one & it saves tons of scrubbing time. I have my sister Elena to thank for this yummy recipe. :) She served this one night while the kids & I were over at her house, and it was soooooooo good! When she went to serve the chicken, she drizzled the gravy over the rice. It was VERY tasty. I made it last night after church and even both of my kids loved it, which usually doesn't happen very often. :)

Ham & Potatoes

1 32-oz. pkg. frozen hash browns
1 1/2 cups ham, cooked and chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups shredded cheddar

Mix all ingredients together except one cup of the cheese. Place in a greased 3 1/2-quart to 5-quart crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours, or set at high heat for approx. 2-3 hours, then set back to low heat for 2-3 hours more if you want it to get done just a little bit faster.

I found this recipe in my "101 Things to do with a Crock Pot" cookbook. It's very tasty especially when served with a nice house salad and yummy rolls.