Sopapilla Cheesecake

Found this recipe on Pinterest & loved it.  Was very easy to make & delicious!
http://myellowumbrella.blogspot.com/2010/10/sopapilla-cheesecake.html

Chicken Sandwiches

I got this recipe from the Weavertown cookbook. I found it when I was lookin for a recipe to use some leftover turkey & it was a hit with everyone in my family! It's also very easy to make & a great way to use up leftover turkey or chicken.

3 C cooked chicken or turkey pieces
1 1/2 C saltine cracker crumbs
2 C chicken broth
1/2 C celery, chopped
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and put in baking dish. Bake at 350* until browned, approximately 1 hour. Can also be made in crockpot. Serve on rolls. I also put a slice of American cheese on each sandwich.

Pancake Syrup

One Saturday morning hubby made pancakes & we realized after he made the pancakes that there was very little syrup left, so I looked in my cookbooks to see if we had ingredients to make some. And I found a recipe we liked & I've been using it ever since.

1 C white sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C corn syrup or molasses
2 C water
1 tsp vanilla or maple flavoring

Mix and simmer for about 5 minutes. I store mine in the refrigerator.

Dried Beef Casserole

1/4 lb. dried beef, cut in small pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 C macaroni, uncooked
1 1/2 C milk
1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all together. Put in greased casserole dish and bake at 350* for 1 hour. I occasionally add chopped hard-boiled eggs.

Please help Brianna!

I am participating in the iPad challenge through thepuzzlingpiece.com in order to get an iPad for Brianna & to raise awareness for Autism. I would appreciate it greatly if you would be willing to make a purchase to support this great cause & allow my daughter to have a voice. All you have to do is follow this link and put either my name-Kris Zimmerman or Brianna Zimmerman in the challengers line. It is very important that you put at least one of our FULL names in the challengers name space as that is how we receive credit. http://www.thepuzzlingpiece.com/products_ic.html It has to be one of the 8 items under the iPad challenge pieces tab, no other items on the website qualify.
After we sell 60 of the items we get an iPad. This challenge was started by a mom with a son on the autism spectrum & she's trying to get as many iPads as she can in the hands of children with autism. Please help mine & Brianna's dream become a reality! If you have any questions, feel free to email me & PLEASE forward this on to as many people as you can. It would be much appreciated!!
God Bless you all for caring!

Kris Zimmerman
dankris@dejazzd.com
kookinkris@gmail.com

Info on Brianna for those who don't know her.

My daughter, Brianna is 12 and is diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome and PDD-NOS. She is VERY limited verbally & most people cannot understand the little bit of speech that she does have. She loves to interact with people but it's hard for her to get her point across if people cannot understand her speech. She uses some sign language but she also is also VERY limited in her fine motor skills. She has been using a communication book with flip pages and does well with it but that is limited because you can only carry around so many pages. She would benefit greatly having an ipad to use with a communication app such as Proloquo2Go so that she could have a "voice". She could also use it to type since she is learning to type & spell. I feel if she would have a way of communicating with a device like this she would better be able to express her wants and needs and therefore help in lessening her frustrations and prevent meltdowns. She has had access to an ipad while her TSS is here as she has one & Brianna is able to use it and her fine motor skills are developed enough that it is definately an option for her to use. She is able to read simple words, it is mainly sight reading, she isn't able to sound words out at this point. It would mean so much to Brianna and our family if she would be able to communicate with a voice so she can better interact with her classmates, friends, siblings and cousins so she can feel like an important part of society and not be frustrated because people don't understand her. Her teacher and Speech therapist are the ones that suggested an ipad for Brianna, they feel it would benefit her greatly in school, home and the community. We want her to be as independant as possible and this would help with her independance. She would be able to answer test questions at school, interact with her classmates, better participate in class, order food when dining out, interact with her three younger siblings and share what she knows as we all know she knows a lot more than what she is able to express at this point since her methods of communication are so limited now.

Sticky Bun Ring

Found this recipe on Pinterest the other day & I have made it 3 times already. It is SO easy & VERY good!! I took it to a support group meeting yesterday & to another meeting I went to today & everyone raved about it. I also made it for supper last night & my children & hubby went crazy over it.

You can check out the recipe here-http://all-things-delicious.blogspot.com/2011/03/sticky-bun-breakfast-ring.html

Absolutely devine!!!

Spinach Dressing

I got this recipe from my Aunt Edith, she brought this salad to a picnic this summer & I loved it!

1 lb. bacon-fried & crumbled
6 hard-boiled eggs, diced or sliced
1 C oil
1/3 C ketchup
1/4 C vinegar
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients together & pour over 2 bags of baby spinach.

Lazy Wife's Dinner

I got this recipe recently from my sister-in-law, Dawn. It is very easy & my family all enjoyed it.

1 can cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
1 C macaroni, uncooked
1 1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C frozen vegetables, any kind
1/2 lb. velveeta or american cheese, cubed
2 C diced potatoes
1 C diced carrots
1 C cooked ground beef or sausage

Mix all ingredients together. Only meat should be cooked before adding. Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours @ 350 degrees.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

This is a fabulous recipe I found on Pinterest. It is as wonderful as all the reviews/comments claim it to be. :) And it is VERY easy to make. Here is the link-www.cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/2011/07/cinnamon-roll-cake.html

Ham & Cheese Omelet Roll

I got this recipe from my friend Elaine & it is delicious!

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 C milk
2 T flour
1/4 tsp salt
12 eggs, blended
2 T dijon mustard
2 1/4 C shredded cheese, divided
2 C finely chopped ham, or use fried bacon

Line a 15x10 in. pan with parchment paper. Press in bottom of pan & up sides, pinch corners to prevent egg mix from going under paper. Grease well. Beat cream cheese & milk until smooth. Add flour & salt; mix again. Add eggs, mix well. Pour egg mixture into bottom of pan. Bake 30-35 min. @ 375 degrees or until eggs are set & puffy. Remove omelet & spread with mustard; sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese, top with ham or bacon . Start at one short side and roll up jelly-roll fashion, removing paper as you roll. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top & bake 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. and then slice.

Blender Tomato Soup

My cousin gave me this recipe soon after I was married & I have made it many times. I love creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches on a cold winter/fall day.

2 1/2 C tomatoes (raw or canned juice)
2 T flour
1 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp chopped onion
1/8 tsp pepper
2 T soft butter
1 tsp salt
dash of garlic powder

Heat 2 1/2 C milk in a kettle. Put all the above ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add tomato mixture to heated milk and stir. Serve immediately.
Makes about 5 servings.

Cranberry Applesauce Jello

My sis-in-law often makes this when she has our family & it is delicious & loved by children & adults alike. I finally asked for the recipe & made some this week & it was SO easy to make. Gotta love that!

1/2 C strawberry jello
1/2 C raspberry or cranberry jello (I used raspberry)

2 C boiling water
1 C cold water

Stir boiling water into jello. Stir until jello is dissolved, add cold water & stir.

In a separate bowl mix together:
2 C applesauce
1 can cranberry sauce

Then add to jello & stir until blended. Refrigerate until set.

Dinner-in-a-dish

A friend of mine shared this recipe at a recipe exchange several years ago & I finally made it last night & everyone LOVED it. I was surprised but the children gobbled it up & kept asking for more. :) I used a 9x13 pan & there was just enough left for hubby's lunch.

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 qt. green beans
4 lg. potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Brown ground beef & drain. Peel and slice potatoes. In a greased casserole dish, layer potatoes, beans, ground beef and onion. Salt & pepper each layer. (I just used pepper because I'm trying to cut back on sodium) Mix milk & soup; pour over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours

Three-Cheese Spirals

This is one of our favorite baked mac & cheese recipes! You sure can't go wrong with this much cheesiness. :)

1 pkg. (16 oz) spiral pasta (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
1 egg
1 1/2 C (12 oz) sour cream
1 1/2 C (12 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
1 lb. process American cheese, cubed
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the egg, sour cream and cottage cheese; process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; add American & cheddar cheeses. Drain pasta; stir into cheese mixture until evenly coated.
Transfer to a greased shallow 3 qt. baking dish. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; stir. Bake 15-20 min. longer or until bubbly and edges begin to brown. Yield: 8-10 servings

Chili Cornbread Salad

My friend, Karen brought this salad when our group of friends went camping & it is quite different & SO good! And very easy to make too.

2 pkg. cornbread mix
4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp oregano

Mix together along with ingredients on cornbread mix package. Pour in 9 x 13 pan & bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Set aside & let cool.

Dressing:

2 C sour cream
2 C mayonnaise
2 pkg. ranch dressing mix
Mix together and set aside.

Mix the following together:
2 can black beans
2 can corn, drained
2 med. tomatoes or 2 cans petite chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 C cheddar cheese, shredded
10 strips bacon, cooked & crumbled
Reserve some bacon & cheese for top.

Layer crumbled cornbread, dressing, bean mixture in bowl. Repeat layers. I put it in 2 bowls & it worked great.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

This recipe came from my friend, Rosa & they are delicious! We're having them for supper tonight. :) 1 lb ground beef 1 C chopped onions (or to taste) 1 can (16 oz) pinto or kidney beans, rinsed & drained 1 can (16 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies (I used salsa) 1/3 C water 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 C shredded cheddar cheese 1 C shredded monterey jack cheese 6 flour tortillas (6 in.) In a skillet, cook beef & onion until beef is browned & onions are tender; drain. Add the next 8 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer for 10 minutes (I skipped this step). Combine cheeses. In a 5 qt. crockpot layer about 3/4 C beef mixture, one tortilla and 1/3 C cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Delicious!! Serve with salsa & sour cream.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

I baked these cookies on Tuesday, first time for this recipe & it's definately a keeper. We all loved them. I loved them a little too much. :(

1 C butter or margarine
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
2/3 C cocoa
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 C peanut butter chips (12 oz. pkg.)

Cream butter; add sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla; blend well. Combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake!

Hot Crab Dip

I usually take this dip to my extended family Christmas dinner & it gets all in a jiffy.

1/2 C milk
1/3 C salsa
3 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, cubed
2 (8 oz) pkgs. imitation crabmeat, flaked

Combine milk & salsa. Transfer to a greased slow cooker. Stir in cream cheese and crab. Cover & cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring every 30 min. Serve with assorted crackers.

Peanut Butter Oreo Cookie Dessert

I got this recipe from a church friend. Can't go wrong with chocolate & PB. :)

Mix together:

30 oreo cookies (crushed)
1/3 C butter, melted

Set aside 1/4 cup.

Press into 9x13 ungreased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 min. Cool completely.

1 3/4 C cold milk
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
Mix 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 6 oz. german chocolate bar (crushed) and 12 oz. cool whip.
Pour onto crust then sprinkle with remaining oreo mixture.

Creamy Taco Dip

I've had this recipe for so long I don't even remember where I got it. It is always a hit when I make it for parties.

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 C sour cream
1 jar (8 oz) salsa or taco sauce
2 tsp cumin
1 can refried beans
1 C shredded lettuce
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, diced

Beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Stir in salsa & cumin, set aside. Spread refried beans over the bottom of serving platter I use 8x10 casserole dish. Spread cream cheese mixture over beans, leaving 1 inch uncovered around edges. Top with layers of lettuce, cheese & tomato. Serve with tortilla chips.