Potato Casserole

Those of you who know me well know that I LOVE cooking.  And I LOVE getting a new recipe!!!   I'm not stingy... when I get a recipe that I love, I always share =)
So, I actually got this recipe about two years ago from my husband's Aunt Snoozybird (that's what we call her) in NY.  She had made it for a family picnic and after tasting the yummy deliciousness, I HAD to have the recipe!  It was incredible!!!   Let me interject a WARNING here for all of you who are being mindful of calories and fat: This is not, I repeat NOT, low-cal!!!  In fact, it's pretty much FULL of calories and fat, but ya know, it's one of those feel good, comfy foods and it's ALWAYS a hit at any gathering.
So, here is Aunt Snoozybird's Potato Casserole Recipe... I'm not sure where she got it, so I'm just crediting her.  And I WISH I had a picture, but I don't.  When I share a recipe, I always like posting a pic of the dish I made, but I haven't made it today.  Just wanted to share the recipe ;)

Aunt Snoozybird's Potato Casserole Recipe:

1 pkg. frozen hash browns
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pint sour cream --- told you it wasn't low-cal =)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
6 Tbls melted butter/margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Thaw potatoes well ( I grease a casserole dish and put them in the oven to thaw out really well.  Just keep a close eye on them)
Mix ingredients together and put into a well greased dish

Can be mixed ahead and stored in the fridge and also freezes well to use later.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until it bubbles in the middle.

This is definitely a down home, southern recipe even though my aunt is from NY... It's one of those warm, comfy, stick to your ribs dishes!!  So, ENJOY!!!  But make sure you schedule extra exercise that day to work off all that sour cream, cheese and butter ;)

My Little Snickerdoodle

There are many things I LOVE about the holidays.  One of those many things being the food!  Who's with me?!!  I mean, really!!!  All diets go out the window when you eyeball all those fabulous holiday dishes.  I Love it!!!  I don't only enjoy EATING the food, I enjoy the cooking and preparation of it as well.  I'll admit it; I LOVE COOKING!!  I LOVE IT!! 
Every year, at Christmas time, my family makes Snickerdoodles for a lady in our church.  This lady lost her husband five years ago.  Her husband had a tradition of making Snickerdoodles every Christmas morning.  Without fail, his family had Snickerdoodles on Christmas!  Our friend was telling us about this when we were visiting with her after her husband had past away.  She had made the statement, "No Snickerdoodles this Christmas".  My husband and I both gave each other a glance and right then at that moment, we secretly vowed that she WOULD have Snickerdoodles every Christmas!  And so, every Christmas morning for the past five years, I get up and make a batch of Snickerdoodles to take to our friend on Christmas morning to continue the tradition her husband started so many years ago.
The very first Christmas we did this, I was telling her that I wasn't fond of the recipe that I had, but the cookies still tasted ok.  Through her tears, she excused herself to the kitchen and returned with a little 3X4 note card with her husband's very own Snickerdoodle recipe on it.  That is now the recipe I use every Christmas morning!
This is, by far, the BEST Snickerdoodle recipe I have ever tasted!!  I LOVE them!!! And so, I decided to share the love and pass this glorious recipe on to you!  I would also encourage you to share in a tradition with your family.  There is something special about looking forward to and KNOWING you are going to have a particular item for the holidays.  Something as simple as Snickerdoodles can really warm the heart!  Enjoy!!

Bearl's Snickerdoodle Recipe:
Mix together:
1 cup Crisco
1 cup butter/margarine
3 cups sugar
4 eggs

Sift together:
5 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp backing powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Stir together flour mixture and Crisco mixture.
Roll into balls the size of walnuts.  Roll in mixture of 4 TBSP sugar and 4 tsp of cinnamon.
Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake only until lightly browned.
Oven temp: 400 About 8 to 10 minutes.
Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

Easy Holiday Treat YUMMY!

Ok, who doesn't like chocolate?!!! (rhetorical question)
I LOVE chocolate!!!  And I love mixing it with other goodies to make those goodies even better!!!!  =)
So, here is a YUMMY, EASY treat that your kiddos can do!!  My daughter is three years old and had no trouble whatsoever making these.  I did the microwaving, she did the rest!
Chocolate Covered Pretzels:
All you need is :

• a bag of pretzels (we used the big stick pretzels.  Wal-Mart brand just $1.50)
• Microwavable Chocolate =)  The baking isle is full of it!!!!   I used the big blocks of it by Plymouth Pantry (just $2.50)
• Wax Paper
• Mixing bowl and spoon
• Sprinkles (optional, but makes the pretzels look more festive)

****Of course, if you are letting your kiddos help, PLEASE be careful when working with the hot chocolate and the mixing bowl will be hot when you get it out of the microwave.****

Break chocolate into small squares and microwave....use the instructions on the package...

• Use a spoon to help coat chocolate on the pretzel sticks.

*You can put as much or as little on the pretzels as you want, but come on, its CHOCOLATE so the more the better!!! =)
This was Kensey's favorite part.... well, aside from actually EATING the chocolate covered pretzel....



• Place the chocolate covered pretzels on wax paper to let them cool and harden

• Sprinkle fun little sprinkles on your pretzels =)

• Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes

• ENJOY!!!

Chicken/Avacado Wrap

Ok, I was hungry for something and didn't know what it was... DANGEROUS!!!! Those can be the days that you want to eat everything in the kitchen and still not get satisfied!!! So, I took inventory of what I had in the kitchen (good place to start) and decided I wanted something wrapped in a tortilla. This was after fighting the urge to find whatever I could find and DEEP FRY it!!! Not good.
So, I took out a chicken breast (boneless/skinless) and decided on some type of chicken wrap...what happened next was pretty spectacular!!
So, here is what I came up with... variations can be made to suit your taste buds...

1 chicken breast : sliced into stripes and grilled
1 avocado : I smashed mine up and added salt and lemon juice, but you could just add slices if you would like...
1/4 Red Bell Pepper : sliced
1/2 Roma Tomato : diced
Cheese : whatever suits your fancy.. I used provolone and Monterrey jack... it's what I had in the fridge LOL
Wrap it all in a tortilla or wrap of your choice and be prepared to enjoy!!

You HAVE to try this DIP!!!!

Ok, I LOVE to cook and put thing together in the kitchen... just can't help it!!! It's the Domestic Diva that is buried somewhere deep inside of me trying to get out, I suppose. So, when I run across a new recipe that sounds scrumdiddlyumptious I HAVE to try it. I ran across one of those recipes the other day. It is actually a recipe for a shrimp/artichoke dip. This is the PERFECT time of year for such a recipe with holiday parties and such. It's the perfect little appetizer, so I thought I would share it =)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

1 Pk (1 ounce) Hidden Valley(R) Original Ranch(R) Dip Mix
1 Container (16 ounces) sour cream
1 pk (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
*1 can (4 ounces) cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
1/2 cup diced red pepper

Stir the dip mix and sour cream in a large bowl. Add the cream cheese and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the shrimp, artichoke hearts and red pepper and mix lightly.

*I didn't have shrimp in a can... all I had was frozen large shrimp, so I used those and chopped them in smaller pieces. Worked perfectly.

I like this dip with Triscuits(R) and/or Wheat Thins(R)
YUMMY and DELICIOUS!!!!