7 Layer Dip

It's New Year's Eve and you know what time it is? Time for 7 Layer Dip!

Ingredients:

2 cans of bean dip
1 Pint sour cream
1/2 package taco seasoning
2-3 avocados
2 squirts lemon juice
(or guacamole instead of the avocados and lemon juice)
garlic salt
grated sharp cheese (I've used mild)
chopped green onions
diced tomatoes
1 can sliced black olives

Using a 9 inch square pan, spread the bean dip on the bottom. Mix the sour cream with the taco seasoning and spread it on top of the bean dip. Mash the avocados and add the lemon juice and garlic salt to taste. (Or make or buy guacamole.) Spread on top of the sour cream mix.  Next layer the cheese and then the green onions, diced tomatoes and the black olives. Serve with Fritos or Tortilla chips.

Have fun eating on New Year's Eve!

Grasshopper Pie

Here is the chocolate wafer cookie crust recipe that I use:

50 Oreo Cookies, crushed (I use my food processor)
1/2 C butter, melted

Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the crushed cookies and put the rest of the crushed cookies in a 9" x 13" pan, add the melted butter and stir until mixed. Press lightly onto the bottom of the pan. This makes a pretty thick cookie crust. If you want it thinner, just use fewer cookies (maybe 40 instead of 50).

 Grasshopper part:

1 carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream (Edy's was really, really good, but I only use that when it's on sale!)
12 ounces of Cool Whip  This doesn't come in a 12 oz container any more so I usually get 2 8oz containers (usually cheaper than buying a 16 oz) and use a whole one and split the other one in half. It doesn't have to bee perfectly measured.

Soften the ice cream in the refrigerator. Make sure the Cool Whip isn't frozen so it's soft enough to mix. Mix the ice cream and the Cool Whip together and place on the prepared cookie crust. Sprinkle with the reserved cookie crumbs.

Freeze for a couple of hours before eating!

Pennsylvania Dutch Stuffing

I'm pretty sure you all have this recipe somewhere because I think I've repeated it a hundred times! Well...maybe less than that. This is my mother's recipe for stuffing which is her mother's recipe for stuffing and I don't know how far back it goes, but it is a family thing that I missed my first year away from home for Thanksgiving when I was in college. Funny, I never ate it growing up but when it wasn't available, I craved it and now it is my own family's favorite. There aren't any specific amounts for the recipe so what I have done is looked at what I do and then I came up with the amounts I used. If you are only cooking for two you will have plenty of leftovers. I use the word "plenty" with a little caution: there never seems to be enough.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of cheap bread, cubed (I use the store brand butter top.)
1 head of celery, chopped (I mean the whole thing that you buy, leafy greens and all except the bottom.)
3 medium onions, chopped
2 sticks of butter (1 C)
mashed potatoes (I use 4 medium size potatoes to make the mashed potatoes:  quarter and boil the potatoes; mash, add butter, salt and pepper to taste and about 1/4 C milk.)
1 egg
1 T milk
1 T Flour

Use a large pan! Saute the vegetables in the butter until the onion is clear. Add the bread a little at a time (it helps to fit it in the pan). Fry it up until the bread is cooked (but, of course, not burnt!) Mix the egg, milk and flour together and add to the stuffing in the pan. Stir until cooked. Mix with the mashed potatoes. Stuff your turkey and and enjoy!

Stuffed Squash

This is the other recipe that works well in a pumpkin. I actually like this recipe better for eating a meal cooked in a pumpkin. Bake the pumpkin for an hour to an hour and a half covered with foil in a 350 degree oven. Do not cut in half. Be sure to put the pumpkin on a pan!

1 Squash (Butternut works well!) cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and add a pat of butter (or two) and brown sugar. Cover with foil and bake for an hour at 350 degrees.

Filling:

1 lb of ground pork or turkey (I use turkey), browned, season with 1 T of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
Mushrooms if desired.

Saute the veggies.

Mix the veggies with the meat and add:
3/4 C of sour cream
1 T of prepared yellow mustard
1/4 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Add filling to squash. Sprinkle with a little more Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Spoon liquid from the bottom of the baking dish over the top when serving.

This is really yummy and when you use the turkey, it's pretty healthy, too! Enjoy!

Hamburger Chinese Rice

The next two posts are great meals for putting in a pumpkin for Halloween. Gut the pumpkin and bake it for an hour to an hour and a half first, just to get it softer before you add the rest of the ingredients. I would cover it with foil and leave the top off. Make sure your pumpkin is small enough to fit in the oven and be sure to use a pan underneath. The pumpkins for pies are a little too small.

1 1/2 C Rice (I use minute rice)
1 or 2 lbs hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper*
3 stalks celery, chopped*
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of water
1 T soy sauce
Chinese noodles (don't use when baking in a pumpkin.)

Cook hamburger, onion, celery and green pepper. Combine all ingredients and pour in a 9" x 13" pan. Cook for 45 minutes, covered, at 350 degrees. Then uncover and put Chinese noodles on top. Cook for 15 minutes more.

*Leave out the green pepper and celery to make it more kid-friendly. I used to leave it out when you were young because none of you would eat it. When I started leaving it out, you ate it!

Risa's Chocolate Banana Bread

As long as I'm at it...These are heavenly! Yum. Yum!

1. Cream together:
    1 C Soft Butter
    2 C Sugar
    4 Eggs

2. Mix in:
    6 bananas, mashed
    2 t Vanilla

3. Sift, then add to batter and mix well:
    3 C Flour
    2 t Baking Soda
    1/8 C Unsweetened Cocoa

4. Stir in:
    1 C Sour Cream
    1 C Chocolate Chips
    1/4 Bag of mini Chocolate Chips

Place in 2 greased and floured (bottom only - yes, yes the 4H way!) 9 x 5 loaf pans.  Bake at 350 Degrees for 60 to 75 minutes.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I thought I would add this as well. This is from Shelley's BYUI cookbook.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1 C vegetable Oil
2 C Brown Sugar
1 t Vanilla
2 Unsweetened Chocolate Squares, melted
3 C Zucchini, grated
4 C Flour
1 t Baking Soda
1 t Cinnamon
1/2 C Nuts, chopped (optional)
1 t Salt
1/4 t Baking Powder

Beat 3 eggs. Add oil and sugar. Beat well and add vanilla, chocolate, and zucchini. Mix together and add the remaining ingredients and then place in a greased and floured (again bottom only) baking pan. (My notes say it will make 4 small loaves or one regular size loaf (8.5" x 4.5" x 2.5"). Bake 45 to 60 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack.

Zucchini Bread

Here you go Rachel! I knew I would forget to get this on when I got home, but, hey, at least it's only been a couple of days instead of weeks...or months...or years....

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar
1 C Vegetable oil (I use Canola)
2 C Zucchini squash (grated)
2 t Vanilla
1 t Salt
1 t Baking Soda
1/4 t Baking Powder
3 t Cinnamon
3 C Flour

Combine sugars, eggs and oil. Beat until well blended.

Add zucchini and vanilla. Mix until blended.

Mix flour baking soda, BP, salt and cinnamon. Add to mixture.

Again this is the chocolate lover speaking...add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips. This tastes good if you pour a little batter in first, add a level of chocolate chips, then add the rest of the batter.

Place in two greased and floured loaf pans (greased and floured on the bottom only).

Bake one hour at 325 degrees.

Stuffed Green Peppers

This is from American Woman All time Favorites Cook book. One of my favorite meals. You should like cooked green peppers and meatloaf if you are going to make this one.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 green peppers, cut in half lengthwise
1/3 C uncooked oats
1/3 C Catsup (or ketchup whichever way you want to spell it! The cookbook spells it Catsup!)
1/4 C finely chopped onion
1 egg, beaten
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/4 C Catsup

Remove seeds and membrane from green pepper halves and cook in boiling salted water 3 minutes. Invert and drain thoroughly. Combine oats, catsup, onion, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add to ground beef mixing lightly but thoroughly. Pack approximately 1/2 cup meat mixture into each pepper half. Place peppers in a baking dish. Top meat mixture on each pepper with 2 teaspoons catsup. Bake in a 350 degree oven 30-35 minutes. 6 servings.

Chocolate Wonder

Ingredients:

1 C Flour
1 1/2 C Powdered Sugar
1/2 C Butter (salted)
8 Ounce Cream Cheese (softened)
12.5 Ounce Cool Whip (I use the name brand. I can't find a 12 ounce tub any more so I usually buy 2 8 ounce tubs - they are usually on sale and cheaper than the 16 ounce - and measure.)
2 Small Packages Chocolate Instant Pudding
3 C Milk (2% or whole)
Mini Chocolate chips (optional)

1st Layer

Mix flour, 1/2 C powdered sugar and butter until crumbly. Press lightly into the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan. Bake 25 minutes at 300 degrees. Cool.

2nd Layer

Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, cream cheese and 6 ounces of Cool Whip. Spread on first layer.

3rd Layer

Mix the pudding with the milk until just set and pour over the 2nd layer. Cool in the refrigerator until completely set.

4th Layer

Spread 6 ounces of Cool Whip over 3rd layer and sprinkle with min chocolate chips.