Frosted Pineapple Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pineapple (well-drained)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Drain pineapple, reserving juice for frosting. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Add pineapple and vanilla; blend well. Drop onto cookie sheet by teaspoon. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Frosting:

6 Tblsp. butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tblsp. hot pineapple juice

Put butter in a small pan and heat to light brown. Heat juice (the microwave works best for me). Put butter in a bowl and add powdered sugar, then mix with vanilla and hot juice.

These are by far Tyler's most favorite Christmas cookies. They are the only Christmas goody that he asks me to make every year. I received this recipe from my mom. She used to make these every year too, but then as she discovered new holiday recipes she stopped making them. The first time I made these for Tyler, he savored each and every bite. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! :)

Chicken Salad Casserole

2 cups cooked, diced chicken
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
3 cups cooked rice (1 cup regular=3 cups cooked)
1 cup mayonnaise
salt to taste
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced almonds
crushed potato chips *

Mix together mayonnaise, soup, salt & lemon juice. Add to and mix with chicken and rice. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After about 25 minutes, remove from oven & top with cheese, almonds and potato chips.* Return to oven & bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

*I used Baked Lay's potato chips when I made this recipe because regular potato chips are too greasy for my taste. I also found that by adding the chips on top & baking them with the casserole, the chips became more soggy when I went to serve the leftovers. So, the next time I make this I'll serve the chips to the side.

I want to thank my Mom profusely for sharing this recipe with me! One of the sister missionaries, Sister Rust, who serves with her in the Madrid temple invited my Mom over to dinner a while back & this was what she served. Mom then emailed me this recipe & said that I just HAD to try it because it was so yummy. When I first looked at the ingredients I was a bit skeptical about it, but I made it last week and we all LOVED it! I was pleasantly surprised. This recipe makes GREAT leftovers too! I know there are some people out there who don't like hard-boiled eggs, or eggs in general, but if you love eggs the way me & my family do, this recipe is a MUST TRY! :)

C.O.P. Cookies

1 cup Crisco
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Tblsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup peanut butter
1 pkg. chocolate chips *

In a large bowl, cream Crisco and sugars. Add eggs, salt, baking soda and vanilla; mix well. Add flour, the oatmeal, then peanut butter, mixing well after each ingredient is added. Mix in chocolate chips last. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 345 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies sit for 5-10 minutes, then ENJOY!

* I would use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet, because these cookies are already rich in flavor because of the peanut butter. I made these for the first time last night for dessert. Tyler's mom sent me an email last year around Christmas time which provided a link to a website called http://www.northpole.com/, and through the link I found several different cookie recipes. Just click on the building that says "Mrs. Claus's Kitchen" and you'll find all kinds of yummy recipes. We all LOVED these cookies. The only bad thing about them is that they are really addictive! :)

Velvet Chicken

6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. container sour cream
1/2 cup butter (or margarine), melted
1 8 oz. pkg. pasturized processed cheese spread, shredded *
1 sleeve buttery round crackers, crushed *

Combine chicken, soup and sour cream. Spread in a greased 9x13 baking pan. Pour melted butter over top; sprinkle with shredded cheese, then crushed crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

*I used Velveeta and Ritz crackers the first time I made this. I came across this recipe in one of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks (http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/) and it is really yummy. If you love cheese, you've got to try this recipe.

Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together and drop by tablespoon fulls into muffin cups placed inside muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Frost with Cream Cheese frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat together until creamy; spread on top of cooled cupcakes.

This is probably my all-time favorite fall recipe. ENJOY!

Chicken Potato Bake

1 (3 pound) broiler or fryer chicken, cut up *
1 pound red potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 to 3/4 cup prepared Italian dressing *
1 Tblsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Arrange potatoes around chicken. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 to 30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and chicken juices run clear.

This was a very easy dinner to prepare. I remember making it for the first time back when Tyler & I were newlyweds, and how happy I was when Tyler commented on how good it was. *I've used chicken breasts and tenders with this recipe and they've all turned out very good as well. I've also used ranch dressing in place of the Italian. YUM!!

Peachy Strawberry Salad

1 (3 oz.) package strawberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1 (6 oz.) can lemonade concentrate
1 (8 oz.) carton Cool Whip
1 (16 oz.) can sliced or diced peaches, drained*

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add lemonade concentrate and chill until slightly thickened.* Fold in Cool Whip, then peaches. Pour mixture into 9x13 pan and chill until set. Cut into squares and serve.

*I've never used fresh peaches with this recipe, but I'm sure this recipe would be just as tasty. I also just set the lemonade on the counter until it's completely thawed before I add it into the jello. This is a VERY refreshing salad to have. I made it for a retirement party that my sister & I put on for our Mom last summer, and it was a big hit! :)