Watergate Salad

Ingredients

1 can (20 oz.) DOLE Crushed Pineapple, in juice, undrained
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

How to Prepare

MIX first 4 ingredients in large bowl until well blended.

STIR in COOL WHIP.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour.

*You can add mandarin oranges if you wish, 1 can. Personally, I love the oranges in it but this is my Mama's recipe, and she doesn't like the oranges. Also, we don't call it Watergate Salad...for some reason we have always called it "Pooka-looka" HAHA I don't know who started it, and I don't know why. But this recipe is definitely on the menu at all family gatherings; definitely a favorite!!

Sausage Balls

Ingredients

* 1 (1-pound) package ground sausage
* 3 cups baking mix (recommended: Bisquick)
* 4 cups grated sharp Cheddar
* 1/8 tablespoon pepper

How to Prepare

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a large glass bowl. Mix well with your fingers. The mixture will be very crumbly. Form into 1 inch balls, squeezing the mixture so it holds together, then rolling it between the palms of your hands to form balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. To prevent sticking, move the balls with a spatula halfway through cooking.

Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
*2 slices bacon, chopped
*½ pound unpeeled, diced potatoes
*1 pound boneless, skinless chicken-breast cut into 1" chunks
*3 green onions, sliced
*2 tbs. flour
*1 can chicken broth
*2 cups low-fat milk
*1 can cream corn

How to Prepare:

In large pot on stove, cover potatoes with water and 1 tsp. salt and cook until tender. Drain and set aside. In same pot, saute bacon pieces over medium high heat until crisp. Add chicken chunks and cook until no longer pink. Add onion and cook for one minute more. Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Add chicken broth and cook until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat and add milk and corn. Heat through but do not boil.
Serve immediately sprinkled with bacon.

BEST Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

* casserole dish (9 x 13)
* 1/2 red onion
* oil
* 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
* 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
* pepper
* 1 bag frozen vegetables (the carrots, peas, green beans combo works nicely)
* 2 to 3 medium-size potatoes
* butter
* milk
* 1 jar or can of gravy
* 1 cup grated cheese (more, if you're a cheese fan)

How to Prepare:

Defrost the frozen veggies (place them in a colander and run cold water over them if you didn't take the package out of the freezer a few hours before).

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and boil the potatoes.

While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the half red onion in a bit of oil, then add the ground beef, along with the Worcestershire sauce and pepper.

Once the mixture is cooked, toss in the now-defrosted veggies

Once the potatoes are cooked, mash them with a little milk and butter.

Add 1/3 or so of the jar of gravy into the ground beef and veggie mixture, and then spread it into the ungreased casserole dish. Cover all of that with first the mashed potatoes and then the grated cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes; when the gravy is all bubbly and the cheese has melted, your hearty dinner is done.

Pour remaining gravy over portions of pie :)

Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
* 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
* 2 cups fresh basil, washed
* 1 clove garlic, pressed,chopped or smashed,to taste
* 1/4 cup chopped black olives
* 3 cups cooked pasta, your favorite bite sized variety,cooled

How to Prepare:

1. Place basil, garlic, salad dressing and cheese in blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Make adjustments to spices as necessary.
4. Toss with olives and pasta.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to mix.
6. Overnight is good.
7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese on top.

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

* 3 red potatoes
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups creamy salad dressing

How to Prepare:

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool.
3. Peel the eggs and cut around the egg white; keep the yolk whole.
4. Dice the egg whites and potatoes. Combine in a mixing bowl and add the salad dressing.
5. Toss the potatoes and egg; crumble the egg yolk on top and serve chilled.

Hamburgers!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 slices Monterey Jack cheese
4 hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

How to Prepare:

In a medium bowl, using your hands, gently combine the ground chuck with the ketchup, basil, thyme, salt, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and pepper. Gently shape into 4 patties, each about 3/4 inch thick.

Grill the patties over direct medium-high heat until medium, 10 to 12 minutes, and turning once. About a minute before you pull off the patties, place a slice of cheese on each to melt.

Grill the hamburger buns, cut side down, until toasted, about a minute or two. Put the cheeseburgers together using lettuce, tomato, and ketchup, mustard, or whatever toppings you like. Serve.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

* 9 medium potatoes (3 lbs)
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 small container sour cream
* 1/2 butter or margarine
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Scrub potatoes. Leave skins on, if desired, or peel thinly and remove eyes. Cut into large pieces. Heat 1 inch water (salted, if desired) to boiling in 3-quart saucepan; add potato pieces. Cover and heat to poling; reduce heat. Cook covered 20-25 minutes or until tender; drain. Shake pan gently over low heat to dry potatoes.
2. Heat milk, butter, salt and pepper in 1-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted.
3. Add milk mixture in small amounts to potatoes in medium bowl, mashing with potato masher or electric mixer after each addition (use a hand held potato masher for the fluffiest mashed potatoes. If using an electric mixer, do not mix too long; overmixing releases more starch from the potatoes and they become gummy) (Amount of milk needed to make potatoes smooth and fluffy depends on kind of potatoes used.) Beat vigorously until potatoes are light and fluffy.
4. Add sour cream to mixture.
5. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Spoons potatoes into casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.

Good Easy Chili

Ingredients:

* 1 or 2 teaspoons shortening or vegetable oil
* 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of good quality lean ground beef or ground sirloin.
* 1 large white onion, chopped
* 3 heaping tablespoons good quality chili power.
* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
* 1 teaspoon cumin (omit if you don't like cumin)
* salt and black pepper to taste
* 1 large can (about 25-32 oz) Ranch Style Beans
* 1 large can (about 25-32 oz) pinto beans
* 1 small can (about 15 oz) kidney beans (optional)

How to Prepare:

Coat the bottom of a big pot (6 quarts or so) with oil or melted shortening. You don't need much, just enough to keep the meat from sticking. Now add the meat and let it cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Don't let it start to stick.

When the meat is starting to cook and is breaking apart, add the chopped onion and stir it into the meat. Now add the powdered ingredients and stir them all in. Stir this a few times while it's cooking.

When the meat is almost done, add the beans. Rinse the cans with a little water to get all of the sauce out of the cans.

At this point your chili should be slightly watery. If it's not, add a little more water (or beer). Let this simmer for about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

After about 20 minutes, taste it! If you think it needs more flavor, add more seasoning, like chili powder. The most common reason I've seen for having a flavorless batch of chili is not enough chili powder. So if it's bland at this point, add some more. DO NOT BE AFRAID!

Let this cook for about an hour and a half, stirring and tasting occasionally.

It can be ready to eat any time after the meat is cooked but gets better after about an hour or so.

Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons butter
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
* 1 teaspoon onion powder

How to Prepare:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder, seasoning salt and onion powder. Saute about 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Totally Amazing Cookies N Cream Mudd Stuff

Ingredients:

2 boxes vanilla instant pudding
3 cups whole milk (2% is ok)
1 12oz container of Cool Whip
1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
1 package of Oreo Cookies (Double Stuffed makes it BETTER!)

How to Prepare:

Prepare the pudding like normal, but with 1 1/2 cups of milk per package instead of 2 cups. Add Cool Whip, then add cream cheese. OK HERE'S THE FUN PART...Put half of the package of oreos into a large zip-lock bag. Make sure it's closed tight! Now, smash them! You can use your hands, a big spoon, or a hammer if you want to(HAHA). Add the bag of crumbled oreos to your other ingredients. Mix it all up! Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Once settled, add your remaining oreos to the top! You can half them, crumble them, or keep them whole. Enjoy!

Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Dip

OK, so sometimes when I make this recipe I completely change the amounts of cheese, hot sauce, and/or ranch depending on my mood. Feel free to do the same thing!

Ingredients:

*One 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese, softened
*One cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
*Two small or one large can(s) of Chicken
*One small bag of shredded cheddar cheese
*Half a bottle of Ranch Dressing

How to Prepare:

In a large mixing bowl, mix ranch and cream cheese. Add chicken, hot sauce, and most of the cheese. Pour the mixture into a small glass baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Add more hot sauce if you wish. Bake for 15 minutes at 325. Great served hot OR refrigerated!!

Really Simple Tomato Mac N Cheese

Ingredients:

*Box of Velveeta Shells & Cheese
*One cup of shredded cheddar cheese
*One can of Ro*Tel (spicy or mild, depending on your taste)

How to Prepare:

Make shells and cheese according to recipe on box :) (Told you it was easy!) Add cup of shredded cheddar; stir until it melts. Add Ro*Tel and mix. Yum yum!

Homemade Biscuits

Ingredients:

* 2 cups flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder (3 teaspoons)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 to 1/3 cup shortening
* 2/3 cup milk or buttermilk or yogurt

How to Prepare:

First get out your big bowl. Put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl. Drop in the shortening and use your fingers to casually mix it in with the dry ingredients. Don’t get too serious about it because it is better to under mix at this point than over mix. There should still be a few lumps of shortening, the size of peas, or even a little bigger. Two minutes or less of mixing should do it. Next add the milk. Stir it up into a soft dough. On dry days you may need another spoonful or two of milk. Form the dough into a soft ball. Get a piece of waxed paper and lay it on your counter. Sprinkle the waxed paper with a little bit of flour. Place the dough ball on the flour and knead it exactly 10 times. No more, no less. This activates the gluten in the flour just enough, but not too much. Next flatten out the dough with a rolling pin or your hands so it is about 3/4″ thick. Cut into biscuit shapes with a biscuit cutter, or the rim of a clean cup or can. I use a tomato paste can for small biscuits and a tuna can for large biscuits. Works really well. Lay the biscuits onto a cookie sheet or pizza pan and bake them at 425° for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on their size. Makes about a dozen medium sized biscuits. You can brush them with melted margarine when you take them from the oven if you want them to look pretty when they arrive at the table.

90 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup milk
* 1/4 cup margarine, softened
* 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 egg
* 1 cup brown sugar, packed
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup margarine, softened
* 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

How to Prepare:

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.
4. Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm

Delicious Crab Dip

Ingredients:

* 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
* 1 - 2 tbsp milk
* 1 tsp lemon juice
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
* 1 med. tomato, seeded and chopped
* 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
* 4 oz flake or chunk style imitation crabmeat (feel free to use fresh crab if you can afford it!)
* 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
* 2 or 3 tbsp green onion, chopped

How to prepare:

* In a small bow, combine cream cheese, milk, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Cream until combined.
* Finely chop onion and add to cream cheese mixture along with pressed garlic; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture over bottom of small serving bowl. (clear is nice -- that way you can see the layers)
* Coarsely chop tomato and bell pepper; sprinkle over cream cheese mixture. Top with crab meat. Chop parsley and green onion; sprinkle over crab meat.
* Serve with crackers, veggies, crusty bread, etc. :) I like serving this with toasted wonton chips.