Cobb Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing

 

For the dressing;

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons Morton's Nature's Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
For the Salad:
2-3 heads of Romaine or iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
1/2 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 - 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avacado, pitted peeled and diced
1 cucumber, peeled seeded and diced
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin and seperated
1 cup grated cheese
small can sliced black olives
2 - 3 chopped hardboiled eggs
cooked chicken (optional)

Directions:

For the Creamy Balsamic Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in blender
For the Salad:
Add all ingredients to a large bowl (more or less of each ingredient depending on personal preferences). Toss with desired amount of dressing and serve.  - Tricia

CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans Ro-Tel (lime & cilantro or regular)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn (drained)
1 onion, chopped or 1/2 - 3/4 c. dryed onion
2 cans chicken broth
1-2 cups of water
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp chile powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried cilantro

tortilla chips
sour cream
shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

chopped avacado

fresh limes

Put chopped onion, cans of beans, rotel, corn, chicken broth, water, and spices in CrockPot and stir to mix. Put chicken breasts on top of mixture and make sure they're at least partly submerged in liquid. Cook on high 8 hours. Before serving remove the chicken breasts from soup and shred, if needed. Return chicken to CrockPot, stir to combine.

Serve with chips, sour cream, cheese, avacado, and fresh limes.     - Tricia

Lemon Crisps

1 c  butter, room temp 1 1/2 c sugar 2 egg 3 + Tbsp lemon juice 3 + Tbsp lemon zest 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp sal  2 1/2 c flour (may need a little bit more Preheat oven to 350F Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg, juice, zest and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop by teaspoon onto lined baking sheets and bake 12 min until lightly golden around edges. Let cool on sheets one minute before placing on racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen. Lemon Icing You probably won't need this much icing, but it depends on how much icing you want to put on the cookies.1 1 cube cream cheese 2 Tbl. softened butter 4 c. powdered sugar 1 shake salt 4-6 Tbsp lemon juice (use more if needed to thin icing) Beat together.  Fill sm. sandwich bag with icing.  Cut corner off bag and squirt icing out of hole, making a zig zag pattern on cookies.                                                                           - Tricia

Spanish Rice

2 Tbl. butter
1/2 c. diced onion
1/4 c. diced green pepper
1 lb. hamburger
2 c. canned tomatoes
1 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1 c. uncooked rice

Brown hamburger with salt and pepper, green pepper, and onion.  Drain excess fat.  Slightly brown rice in butter.  Add to hamburger.  Add tomatoes, water, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Stir once.  Put lid on and turn heat to low.  Simmer for 1/2 hour.          - LouAnn Gilliat

Pepper Steak

3 c. hot cooked rice
1 lb. lean round steak (ask butcher to cut thin on an angle if not already packaged this way)
1 Tbl. paprika
2 Tbl. butter
2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. sliced onions (seperated)
2 green peppers, cut in strips
1 1/2 Tbl. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1 Tbl. soy sauce
2 large tomatoes cut into eights

Pound steak into 1/4 inch strips and sprinkle with paprika.  Allow to stand while preparing other ingredients.  Use large skillet, brown meat in butter.  Add broth, cover and simmer for 30 min. Stir in onions and green peppers.  Cover and cook 5 min. more.  Blend cornstarch, water, and soy sauce.  Stir into meat mixture.  cook stirring, until clear and thickened - about 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and stir gently.  Serve over beds of rice.  (Serves 6)          - Norma Haynie

Italian Casserole

Layer 1:
Salt and pepper, brown and drain 1 lb. hamburger.  Add 2 lg. cans tomato sauce and 1 pkg spaghetti mix.

Layer 2:
1 pkg cooked egg noodles mixed with: 1 pkg. cream cheese, 1 c. sour cream, and chopped green onions

Layer 3:
Grated cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.       - Tricia

Strawberry Pie

1 c. smashed strawberries
1 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
Boil stirring for 5 minutes and then strain mixture.  Put strained mixture back in pan with 1/4 c. sugar, 2 1/2 Tbl. corn starch and a shake of salt. Cook until clear and thick; add whole berries and pour into baked pie crust.     - Norma Haynie

Layer Cookies

1 pkg graham crackers
1/2 c. butter
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Roll crackers and add melted butter.  Place in bottom of 9x13 pan.  Layer chips and then coconut.  Put most of the milk over that; then sprinkle nuts and drizzle the rest of the milk.  Bake 350 for 25 min.      - Tricia

Fudge Nut Bars

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 c. oatmeal
12 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. sweetened condensed milk
2 T. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream 1 c. butter and sugar together, mix in eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Stir in rolled oats.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and set aside.  Make filling in double boiler over boiling water (or in microwave); mixing together chocolate chips, milk, 2 T. butter and salt.  Stir until mixture is smooth.  Remove from het and stir in nuts and 2 tsp. vanilla.  Spread about 2/3 of dough on bottom of greased jelly roll pan.  Cover with fudge filling.  Dot top with remainder of cookie dough.  Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes or until lightly browned. (Susan Munk's recipe)
- Tricia

Best, Easiest Popcorn Ever

Place in microwave for 2 min (stirring at mid point):
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter

Add:
9 - 10 large marshmallows and microwave til melted (1-2 minutes

Pour over a batch of popcorn and mix.       - Tricia

Orange Creamsicle Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping thawed
1 sm. pkg instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (6 oz.) container frozen concentrate orange juice - slightly thawed

Mix above together until well blended and serve with fresh fruit.     - Tricia