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.