Cheesy Potato and Bacon Soup

3 cans cream of potato soup
2 cans evaporated milk
6 strips cooked bacon
1/4 cup pepper jack cheese
3/4 cup cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Add cheese right before serving.

Fish Tacos for 2

4 fish sticks of your choice

4 corn tortillas

shredded cabbage

salsa

sliced avocado

"spiced" ranch dressing--we used 4 tablespoons of ranch dressing and 2-4 teaspoons of Iggys chili water, but you can spice it with just hot sauce.

Cook fish sticks according to the package. Soften corn tortillas so they are bendable. Place one fish stick in tortilla with a handful of shredded cabbage and drizzle with spiced ranch dressing. Top with salsa and avodado.

Chicken Tamale Pie

This is such a simple recipe, and so so Yummy! I love the sweetness of the cornbread along with the spicy-ness of the salsa. Its delish...give it a try! :)

2-3 breasts of chicken, boiled and cut into small pieces

1 16 oz. jar salsa or green chile verde sauce (either one is excellent)

1 lb. bag of marie calendar cornbread mix, prepare as package directs

Place cut up chicken into a 8x10 cake pan. Pour whole jar of salsa over the chicken. Pour cornbread over the salsa, spread evenly(its ok if salsa shows through).

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream.

Winter Salad

1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup craisins
1 apple, cubed
1 pear, cubed

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
2 t. chopped onion
1/2 t. salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 t. dijon mustard
1 T. poppyseeds
2/3 cup oil
Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender. Blend and slowly add oil. Toss with salad right before serving.

Caramel Apple Croissants

2 apples
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 cup Mountain Dew
cinnamon

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple in 8 slices. Roll apple slices in crescent rolls. Place in 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

*note: this can be made healthier by using I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Splenda, and Diet Mountain Dew. Also, I used half the amount of butter and sugar and it was still yummy!

Potsticker Dumplings

Mine never look as pretty as the picture above, but we love these. Recipe and picture from kraftfoods.com

1 lb. ground pork- browned
1-1/2 cups chopped napa cabbage (about 3 oz.)
4 green onions, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Brianna's Ginger Salad Dressing *this dressing is what makes these so yummy. Make sure to get the Brianna's brand!
1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
1 pkg. (12 oz.) round won ton wrappers (about 4 doz.)
10 tsp. oil, divided

After you have browned the pork, mix with cabbage, onions, egg and 2 Tbsp. of the dressing and soy sauce. Spoon onto won ton wrappers, adding about 1 tsp. of the pork mixture to each wrapper. Moisten edge of each wrapper with water; fold in half to form a half-moon, pressing edges together to seal. If desired, edges can be pleated with five or six folds.

Heat 2 tsp. of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add 10 dumplings; cook 1 to 1-1/2 min. and turn so both sides are browned. Repeat with remaining dumplings.

Combine remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing, remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. water. Serve as a dipping sauce with the dumplings.

Chewy Lemon Cookies

Everyone that I have made these for loves them! They are a really light cookie which makes them kind of addicting! The bonus is that they are super easy to make!

1 lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1 8oz tup cool whip (thawed)

powdered sugar

Mix ingredients together until well blended. Chill in the fridge for about two hours. Take out of fridge and roll dough into balls and roll balls in powdered sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Lasagna Soup

This is a new one I got from Family Fun magazine.  When I made it I didn't realize that I had used Spicy Italian Sausage,  and I would recommend not using it because the soup was extremely spicy.  But other than that it was very good.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (bulk or with casings removed)

2 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons oregano

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 28 0z. can diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

2-3 bay leaves

8 oz. fusilli pasta

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1.  In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the sausage and saute, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink.  Drain any excess fat from the pot.  Add the onions and saute until soft.  Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute for about 1 minute.  Add the tomato paste and saute until the paste turns a rusty brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2.  Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender to the bit, following the time recommendations in the pasta package.  Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the basil.  If desired, season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.  In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, the parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper.  To serve, place a scoop of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle with some mozzarella, and ladle the soup on top.  

Makes about 13 cups.