Grape Salad

This has to be one of my favorite fruit salads.  Here it is:

8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine.  Add red grapes. 

There is not an exact measurement on the grapes.  It depends on how creamy you want it.  I used 3-4 lbs of grapes.  You can also use a combination of red/green grapes.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

I have to share this recipe from my friend, Carrie.  She wrote about trying it on Facebook and got a lot of requests for the recipe.  I gave it a try tonight for supper.  I will make some notes at the bottom so please read through.

2 cup chopped celery
0.25 cup finely diced onion (about half an onion)
2 to 4 c. cooked, chopped chicken (1 deboned chicken or 4 chicken breasts)
1 (6 oz) package Uncle Ben's™ long-grain & wild rice, cooked according to package directions
2 (8 oz each) cans water chestnuts, drained*
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed*
Cook celery and onion in microwave in microwave-safe bowl until tender.  Mix celery, onion, chicken, prepared wild rice, water chestnuts, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup and mayonnaise.  Place in 9-by-13-inch pan. Top with crushed Ritz crackers.  Bake at 350 degrees for 2 (see below) hours.

*I did not use the water chestnuts, but am sure they would add a little crunch.  Also, did not use the Ritz crackers.  I have found that my family does not care for cracker crumbs on top of foodf.  The other thing is that I only cooked this for 1 hour which was plenty long.  Since everything is already precooked, you are pretty much just heating the casserole up.

Cheesy Mac and Corn

So I have tried this once before and remember liking it, but have never actually made it.  It is in the oven now and smells really good. 

1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, undrained
1 c. macaroni
1/2 c. butter
8 oz. cubed processed cheese (Velvetta)

Mix together creamed corn, whole kernel corn and uncooked macaroni.  Slice the butter and mix into the corn mixture along with the cheese.  Place in a buttered cassarole dish and cover.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover, stir and bake uncovered for an additional 30 minutes. 

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Ok, I have to bring treats to work tomorrow so when I found this easy recipe I knew I just had to give it a try.  And of course I couldn't bring them to work without sampling them to see if they were any good.  They are YUMMY!  I hope they taste as good tomorrow.  So here it is...

2 rolls slice-and-bake chocolate chip cookie dough
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
2-8 oz. cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice one roll of cookie dough into 24 slices and put in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Beat eggs until fluffy.  Add sugar and cream cheeese; beat until smooth.  Pour over the sliced cookies.  Slice the second roll of cookie dough and put on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until cookies turn brown.  Cool and refrigerate.

Notes:  I ended up using a little dough out of my second roll to help cover the bottom.  I also ended up cooking mine for 60 minutes.

Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes

Did you pick up your 5 lb. bag of potatoes from HyVee for $.99 this morning like I did?  Well, I have them peeled and boiling and thought I would share what I plan to do with mine.  Here is my recipe for refrigerator mashed potatoes.  Once I get this work done we will be able to enjoy them all week.

5 lb. potatoes

6 oz. cream cheese

1 c. sour cream

2 tsp. onion salt

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

Cook potatoes in water. Drain.  Mash until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Cool. Cover and place in fridge. May be used within 2 weeks. To use, place desired amount in greased casserole, dot with butter and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Three-bean Taco Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
2 c. water
16 oz. refried beans
16 oz. kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 1/2 oz. chili beans, undrained
15 1/4 oz. whole kernal corn, drained
14 1/2 oz. stewed tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 c. chunky salsa
1 envelope taco seasoning

In a dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water, refried beans, kidney beans, chili beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.

This recipe went over very well.  It made quite a bit, which was great for leftovers.  I would think this could all be combined in a crockpot on low for 4 hours too.

My idea...

I have been thinking about this for a while and have decided to give it a try.  Here it is...  As our family tries a new recipe, I'm going to put it up on here and let you know what we thought.  That way they are handy for both you and I to look back on.