White Chili

This recipe is one of my favorites, and a nice alternative to traditional chili. 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 medium onion 1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 Tbs vegetable oil 2 - 15 oz can Northern Beans, RINSED WELL 1 - 14 oz can chicken broth 2 - 4 oz cans chopped green chilies 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 4 oz. cream cheese 1 - 8 oz. container sour cream 1/2 cup whipping cream Saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add rinsed beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat, stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and cream.

Oven Chicken Salad

This dish is true comfort food. 1 - 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts 2 cups diced cooked chicken 3/4 cup diced celery 1 TBS chopped pimento 1 - 3-1/2 oz can french fried onions 2 TBS mayonnaise or Miracle Whip 1 pkg. chicken gravy mix 1 cup milk Drain water chestnuts. Combine chicken, celery, pimento, water chestnuts, half of the onions, and mayonnaise or Miracle Whip in large mixing bowl. Prepare chicken gravy according to package directions, using milk instead of water. Pour gravy over chicken mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour into 1 quart baking dish, top with remaining onions. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until heated through. Cover with foil if onions are browning too quickly to prevent burning. NOTE: I am not a big fan of celery, especially chunks of it in any dish! I substitute celery flakes, to get the flavor without the "chunks".

The Very Best Corned Beef

I found this recipe on the Simply Recipes Website ( http://simplyrecipes.com). 3 lb. corned beef in package 1/4 cup honey mustard 2 Tbs brown sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain corned beef from the package and discard the spice packet. Lay corned beef, fat side up, on a large piece of heavy duty, wide foil (you may have to get a bit creative with the way you wrap the beef if your foil isn't wide enough). Spread the top with honey mustard; sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Wrap the corned beef with foil in a way that allows for a little space on top between the corned beef and the foil, and creates a container to catch the juices. Place foil-wrapped packet in a shallow roasting pan and bake for 2 hours. Open the foil wrapping, spread a little more honey mustard over the top of the meat, and broil it for 2-3 minutes until top is bubbly and lightly browned. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then place on a cutting board and cut at a diagonal across the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices***. ***NOTE: Another option is to let the meat cool, then use a meat slicer to cut thin slices of corned beef for sandwiches.

BBQ Crockpot Pulled Pork

This recipe is SO easy and SO good! 1 pork shoulder (make sure it will all fit into your crockpot) 1/4 cup water Salt and pepper BBQ Sauce A good amount of time and patience Warm the crockpot for approximately 15 minutes before placing pork inside. While it is preheating, rub salt and pepper on the outside of the pork shoulder. Add pork and water to crockpot. Cover and turn up to high, cook on high for one hour. Then, turn to low and cook for 7-9 hours. Leave crockpot covered; no peeking! Remove pork from the crockpot. Discard fat, reserve juices. Shred the pork using a fork and knife, or pull apart with your fingers (gloves will help protect your hands). Return meat to the crockpot. At this point, you can either continue cooking the pork in a small amount of the reserved juices, or you can add BBQ sauce to the meat. Either way, cover the crockpot and continue cooking for one more hour. Once cooking is complete, serve on warm buns or rolls. Coleslaw may be served on the side, or directly on the sandwiches.

Bacon-Corn Chowder

I found a basic recipe for this dish online and tweaked it to suit our tastes. It's wonderful, and cooking it in the crockpot makes the whole house smell SO good! 1 lb. bacon, diced small 1 medium onion, diced small 2-1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and diced small 3 cans whole kernel corn (NOT drained) 1 can creamed corn 2 cans cream of chicken soup 2 cans cream of potato soup 1 can evaporated milk salt and pepper to taste Cook potatoes in large pan in water until done. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup potato water. Place potatoes and water into crockpot. While potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet cook bacon and onion together until bacon is cooked but not crisp, and onion is golden. Drain off grease, place bacon and onion in crockpot. Add cans of soup, kernel corn (liquid and all), creamed corn and evaporated milk to crockpot. Stir until well blended. Cover crockpot, turn to low, and forget about it for a few hours! NOTE: If chowder seems a little thin, use instant potato flakes (about 1/4 cup at a time) to thicken it up during the last hour of cooking. NOTE: With bacon being in the recipe, I did not need to add any additional salt. However, I did add some pepper to give it a little extra flavor.

Easy Cherry Cake

I found this recipe online, but can't find the Website now, unfortunately..... 1 pkg Golden Yellow cake mix, pudding-type (oil and eggs as called for on cake mix package) 1/2 cup water 1 can cherry pie filling (or fresh pie filling if available) 1 can Buttercream frosting Prepare cake mix according to package directions, using oil or butter and eggs, and 1/2 cup water. Spread batter in greased and floured 13x9 pan. Spoon cherry pie filling evenly over the batter, then swirl into the batter just enough to give a marbled effect. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, until cake bounces back when lightly touched. Cool completely; frost with Buttercream frosting.

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

I found this recipe on the Kraft Foods Website - - it is amazing! 1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs peanut butter 1 cup cold milk 1 pkg (3.4 oz_Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding 2-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip 1 Oreo Pie Crust 2 Squares Bakers Semi-Sweet Chocolate Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup peanut butter until well blended. Add milk and dry pudding mix; beat 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup Cool Whip; spoon into crust. Refrigerate until ready to use. Meanwhile, microwave remaining Cool Whip and chocolate in microwaveable bowl 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Cool completely. Spread chocolate mixture over pudding layer in crust. Microwave remaining peanut butter in small microwaveable measuring cup or bowl 30 seconds, stir. Drizzle over pie. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.