Christmas Strata

We love to prepare this Christmas Eve, put it in the fridge overnight for all the flavors to soak together, then pop it in the oven while the presents are being opened Christmas morning.

1 lb ground sausage
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4-6 slices bread
dash pepper
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard

Spray 9 x 13 pan. Tear bread & layer in pan with sausage & cheese. Beat eggs, mix with remaining ingredients. Pour over bread mixture. When ready, bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Merry Cherry Christmas Fudge

*This recipe was submitted by Rosemarie Swallow

Cooking spray

36 maraschino cherries with stems

1 Package (12 oz) Semi Sweet chocolates morsels

6 -1 oz squares bittersweet baking chocolate chopped

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp maraschino cherry juice

1 cup chopped pecans

Melt chocolates in double boiler or in microwave (stirring every 30 seconds) until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk and cherry juice to chocolate mixture. Then stir in chopped pecans. Lightly spray an 8 in square pan with cooking spray and spoon in chocolate mixture. Dry cherries with a paper towel and place them in chocolate with tops of cherries and stems still showing. Cover and chill until chocolate settles and becomes firm. Cut fudge into 36 pieces. Keep refrigerated in air tight container.

TURKEY Cupcakes

This recipe was submitted by Ashley Braegger
 Ingredients:
Cake mix and ingredients to make it.
Candy corns
Chocolate frosting

You mix a cake mix like the box says and bake cupcakes instead of a cake. When the cupcakes cool you frost them with chocolate frosting. Then you add candy corns to make it look like it has a tail. I made rice crispy treats and then rolled them into little balls and covered them in chocolate for the head. I stuck the head on the cupcake using a toothpick. Then added some candy corns for the feet!!! It's a cute, easy, and FUN little family tradition that I do every year for my nieces and nephews and they LOVE it!!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a recipe I just found in a magazine. It is SO SIMPLE and OH SO YUMMY!!!!
(you can  make this two different ways so I will post both)

Ingredients:
2 yellow or white cake mixes
1 lg can (29 oz) of solid packed pumpkin (NOT the pie filling)
1 12 oz  bag of milk chocolate chocolate chips
 Preheat oven to 350* (This makes about 30 cupcake sized muffins)

You mix the cake mixes and the pumpkin together really well then add the chocolate chips. THAT'S IT!!! (DO NOT do what the cake mix tells you to)
Then put your muffin wrappers in your muffin tins. Fill the batter almost to the top of the wrapper. Bake for about 20~23 mins. (Mine baked for about 21 mins. I used a toothpick to see if they were done) Let cool or eat nice and warm these were a HUGE hit at my house this morning!!!
Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

** The other way to make this is to use
1 yellow or white cake mix
1 sm can (15oz) of solid packed pumpkin (NOT the pie filling)
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chocolate chips
Everything else is done the same way. This only makes about 20

Orange Jell~O Salad

This is my Mom's recipe, but I add a couple of things!!!
Ingredients:
1Lg. container of Cool Whip
1Lg. container of cottage cheese
1Lg. Orange Jell~O
1 15oz. can of Mandarin oranges (drained)
1 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple (drained, I added this)
1/2 bag of mini marshmallows (I added this)
Get a LARGE bowl and put the Cool Whip, Cottage Cheese, and Orange Jell~O in it and mix WELL. Then you add the oranges, crushed pineapple, and marshmallows and mix well again. Put a lid on the bowl and refrigerator at least one hour before serving!!!  This is way YUMM~O!!! ENJOY!!!

Jourdain's Beef Stew

Ok this recipe is one that I totally made up!!! It turned out WAY YUMMY!!! You cook it in the crock pot!!!

Ingredients:
6~8 Lg. potaoes
5~6 Lg. carrot sticks
4 Lg. sticks of celery
1/2 yellow onion finely chopped
1~3 lbs. of beef stew meat
2 Beef Stew Pkts.
First of all you will need to peel the potatoes and carrots then chop them to desired size. Chop the celery and onion as well and put them all in the crock pot. Mix together! Then in a separate pan  brown the beef stew meat. I didn't cook it all the way through because it will cook in the crock pot as well. Add the stew meat once its browned.
Then I got two Beef Stew Mix pkts. In a separate bowl  I added 6 cups of HOT water to the pkt mixes and stirred it together really well, then poured it over all veggies and meat in the crock pot, and gave it a quick stir. I turned the crock pot on HIGH for about 6 hours. If you want to cook it on low you would do it for about 8 hours. I just check the veggies and when they are tender it is done!!! I hope you ENJOY this as much as we did!!!! :)

SIMPLE Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) solid packed pumpkin in the can (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 (18 ounce) box spice cake mix
• 1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate chips 
• THAT'S IT!!! DO NOT MIX THE CAKE MIX LIKE THE BOX SAYS!!! 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together pumpkin and spice cake until well blended. Add chocolate chips to mix. Drop cookies on greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:
1 c. Crisco  
2 Lg. eggs
1 1/2 c. Sugar
2 3/4 c. flour*
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tap. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2tsp. Cream of Tartar

Mix and set aside:
2 Tblsp. Sugar
2 Tblsp. Cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl cream together the shortening, eggs, and sugar. Add the rest if the ingredients and mix together well. Put dough in the fridge for about an hour to chill. When it's chilled the break apart the dough and roll them into a walnut sized balls. Roll the balls into the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place on an ungresed cookie sheet/baking stone and bake at 375* for about 10 mins.

*On the flour I use anywhere between 2 1/2 cups to 2 3/4 cups. I just add it gradually until I get the desired consistency

BREAKFAST PIZZA

Ingredients:
1 can of cresent rolls                                                 
1 pkg. Sausage (browned)
1/2 c. chopped onion
2c. frozen hash browns thawed
4 lg. eggs
1/4c. milk
salt and pepper
1c. grated cheese
1 diced tomato
1/2 diced bell pepper

Directions:
Heat oven @ 375* spread cresent rolls out in a 9X13 cake pan. When you get them all spread out then add  thawed hash browns, sausage, and onions. In a separate bowl whisk eggs together with milk, and salt and pepper. Pour over the sausage. Top with shredded cheese and then add tomato and bell pepper over the top. Bake about 25~30 mins or until nice and golden brown.
My kids LOVE this recipe. We serve it with salsa and toast!!!

CROCK POT CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Ingredients:
6 large chicken breasts
2 small cans or 1 lg. can cream of chicken soup
1 small can cream of celery soup
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cup Minute Rice
2 cups of frozen broccoli
Salt and pepper, and any other seasoning you like. We like Mrs. Dash

Directions:
1.  Mix in crock pot the soups, seasonings, and rice.  Place chicken on top of mixture, then sprinkle diced celery over chicken.(I add a little more seasoning on top of the chicken)
2. Cook on low for 5 hours. (When there is about 1 1/2 hours left I add the frozen broccoli on top of the chicken)

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies

1 Cup butter or margarine, softened
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4-1/2 Cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
2 Cups steamed & pureed zucchini
2 Cups chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Stir in the zucchini & chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

Recipe submitted by Jodi Holmes

4 cups peeled, diced zucchini
1 grated carrot
1 grated onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream (don't use fat free - it has too much water)
1 box stove top stuffing
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crushed cornflakes mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Boil zucchini in salted water for 4 minutes - drain. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl and place in greased 9" X 9" casserole dish. Top with cornflake crumbs. Bake 45 minutes, uncovered.
You can also add chopped cooked chicken to make this a one-dish meal!

CRUNCHY CORN DIP

This recipe was submitted by Jamaica Mangum 
 

16 oz. cream cheese
2 packets of ranch dressing (dry mix)
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of green chilies 
1 cup chopped olives ( hand diced works best)
 
Mix together and enjoy with your favorite corn chips. Recipe 

can be cut in half but all the whole can of chilies.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

This recipe was submitted by Jamaica Mangum
2 cups crunchy peanut butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pure vanilla extract---(make sure the ingredients do 

not have gluten)
1 bag chocolate chips
 
Preheat over to 350
 
cream together peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs, baking 

soda, and vanilla. 

Fold in chocolate chips
 
spoon onto parchment lined cookie sheet
 
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
 

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork

This recipe was submitted by Rosemarie Swallow
1 - 1 to 3 pound pork roast - I used a 1 1/2 lb pork sirloin tip roast
2 - tablespoons grill mates pork rub
2 - cups root beer
1 - small onion, cubed
2 - cloves garlic, chopped
2 - teaspoons liquid smoke
2 - tablespoons Yellow Label Syrup (Found at Walmart)
1 - 18 oz bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce or use your favorite

Rinse the pork roast off with water and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub two tables spoons pork rub all over making sure to cover the whole pork roast. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Get the pan nice and hot and then add the roast. Sear the pork roast on all sides. Remove the roast from the pan and add to a crock pot. Add the onion, garlic, one teaspoon of liquid smoke and one cup of root beer.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. When done remove the roast from the crock pot and discard the liquid and onions. Let the roast cool and then shred the pork into pieces using two forks. Return the shredded meat to the crock pot. Add the remaining one cup of root beer, BBQ sauce, yellow label syrup and remaining teaspoon of liquid smoke and stir to combine. Cook the shredded meat an additional hour on low. Serve on hamburger buns, rolls or hoagies.

Very Berry Black Berry Dump Cake

This recipe was submitted by Rosemarie Swallow

4 - cups fresh blackberries, drained
1 - 3 oz box raspberry or blackberry jell-o
1/3 - cup sugar or splenda
1 - 18 oz box yellow or butter cake mix
1 1/2 - cups water
1 - 2 - sticks butter, melted
(your preference, but I recommed two sticks)
1/2 - cup pecans pieces, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread berries into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Mix jell-O and sugar together and sprinkle over the berries. Sprinkle the cake mix over the jell-o and berries. If using nuts add them now. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and then slowly add the water.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. Let cool before serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Note: I used fresh blackberries that had been frozen. If using frozen berries make sure to drain off any of the juice before adding them to the baking pan.