Seven Layer Dip

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.
3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.
From this website

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 medium baking potatoes (scrubbed and with the bad spots picked out)
~1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 t garlic powder/salt
~1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
~1/4 cube butter or margarine
~2 T milk
salt/pepper to taste

Bake Potatoes, cut a lengthwise slice from the top of each baked potato; discard skin from slice (I usually just mash it back in, it's up to you and how much you like the healthiest part of the potato!). Gently scoop out the center of the potato, leaving a thin shell. Add pulp to a mixing bowl, combine with other ingredients (put in cheese and butter first to melt).
Mash with a potato masher or electric mixer. Add seasonings to taste (I like a little bit of salt and pepper, All Seasoning, and/or Italian seasoning mix). Pile mixture back into potato skins, place on a baking pan (if you line it with foil, you can just toss it after baking instead of cleaning the pan). Bake at 425* for 20-25 mins or till lightly browned.
(Many of the ingredients listed are approximate ~ this is because it depends on the size of potato, how many you're baking and what you like the flavor to be. Experiment and taste as you go along and you'll find what you like.) From Better Homes CB

Spanish Rice

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (sub garlic powder if needed)
1 T cooking oil
1 28-oz can tomatoes (I like to use two cans of Italian diced tomatoes from Walmart, since they are already flavored and chopped fine)
3/4 cup long grain rice
1 t sugar
1 t chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet cook onion, green pepper, and garlic in oil till tender but not brown. Stir in undrained tomatoes, rice, sugar, chili powder, pepper/salt (hot sauce - optional) and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 mins or till rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese if desired. (Better Homes CB)

Fast Fettuccine Alfredo

3 T light cream or whipping cream
4 oz. packaged fettuccine
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 T butter or margarine

Coarsely cracked black pepper
Ground nutmeg

Let cream come to room temperature. Cook fettuccine. Drain well. Return fettuccine to the hot saucepan. Add cream, Parmesan cheese, and butter or margarine. Toss gently till fettuccine is well coasted. Transfer to a warm serving dish. Sprinkle with pepper and nutmeg. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings (Better Homes CB).

Raspberry Jello Pretzel Salad

Ingredients list:
1-½ cup Crushed Pretzels
½ cups Sugar
1 cube Butter, Melted
1 cube Cream Cheese, softened
½ cups Sugar
1 tub Cool Whip (8 Oz)
1 Large Box (6 Oz) Raspberry Jello
2 cups Boiling Water
1 bag Unsweetened Raspberries

Directions:
Pretzel crust
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Mix pretzel crust ingredients and press into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Let cool.

Cream:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip

Blend together. Spread on top of pretzel crust. Refrigerate until cool.

Jello:
6 oz. raspberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 bag unsweetened raspberries

Dissolve jello in water. Add raspberries, stir. Pour over cream mixture. Refrigerate until set.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Directions
Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat (don't forget to stab the meat several times with a knife or a fork, to let the root beer get inside the meat). Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well (we actually like to add a tiny bit of root beer, after all, it was cooked in root beer, why are we trying to ignore that, let's savor it!). Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns/rolls, etc.

TRIED IT:
This is one of AT's all time favorites, I love anything from the crockpot. I wish I could tell you I selected just the right kind of roast, but I just picked the cheapest one (which isn't a bad strategy, since cheaper roast usually = more fat marble = tastes better). No, I didn't use the whole two liter bottle in the crockpot, I just used enough to cover the roast, and kept the rest in the fridge (we don't buy soda, so it's a nice treat for the kids, this was the one thing I just bought what tastes best, since it was the bulk of the flavor for the meat and we had to drink it after. We do not like store brand root beer, blech). We added some rootbeer in with the BBQ sauce, and we never use the whole BBQ sauce container, just add until it looks/tastes nice. (Don't forget you can click on the photos to see them enlarged)

Crunchy Tossed Romain Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, broken
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
1 small head romaine lettuce, torn
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper; shake well. Discard seasoning packet from noodles or save for another use. In a skillet, saute noodles in butter until golden. In a large bowl, combine noodles, broccoli, romaine and onions. Just before serving, toss with dressing and walnuts.

Sesame Noodle Salad

1 package angel hair pasta
1 TBL olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
broccoli chunks
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Cook angel hair pasta like normal. Stir fry the red peppers and broccoli in olive oil.
In a bowl combine sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder, and sugar together.
Mix liquid mixture, pasta and vegetables together in a large bowl. Toss in sesame seeds. Enjoy!
From this Blog

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

1 (12 ounce) package uncooked tri-color rotini pasta
10 slices bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons dry ranch salad dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
1/2 cup milk, or as needed
1 large tomato, chopped
1 (4.25 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in rotini pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until evenly brown. Drain and chop.
In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper. Stir in milk until smooth. Place bacon, tomato, black olives and cheese in bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Toss with additional milk if the salad seems a little dry.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (or two T - the first time I made this it had too much ranch mix, IMO, so I use less, mix it up, and see how much more I need to add. This improves the flavor and makes it a less expensive recipe.)
1C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I usually add more than this, but as above, taste and add to avoid it getting too garlic-y)
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.
Note about green salsa:
La Costena works well with this recipe
Recipe from Here

Taco Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side (or bake @ 375* in clear pyrex with a little oil, until no longer pink).

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.
Find the recipe Here

Real Italian Lasagna

Meat Sauce:
1/2 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage

2 15-oz. cans Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped or grated

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tsp. sugar

About 1/4 tsp. baking soda (this neutralizes the acid)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or skillet with a lid, brown ground beef (or sausage), onions, and garlic until meat is cooked and onions are tender. Chop/Grate/or Blend Veggies (depends on whether or not you want anyone to know they're in there), add to meat.

Add the remaining ingredients to the cooked meat, stir, and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Lasagna:
1 Recipe Meat Sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
8 oz. shredded mozzarella, divided
4 oz. shredded fresh Parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 16-oz. tub Ricotta

Béchamel Sauce
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) real butter, NO SUBSTITUTES
1/4. c. white flour
2 1/2 c. milk
Preheat oven to 350.
To prepare Béchamel sauce, melt butter over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan. When melted, whisk in flour until combined. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Heat until bubbly and thickened to a medium consistency (add white sauce to meat sauce if desired, so you don't have to layer both).

After you've made (and mixed) the Béchamel, combine 6 oz. mozzarella (about 1 3/4 c.), ricotta, Parmesan, and the beaten egg.

Using a ladle that measures 1/2 c. (or a 1/2 c. measuring cup), spread 1 c. of sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add 3 noodles. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture. Spread 1 1/2 c. sauce and repeat so you have 4 layers of noodles. You should end with a layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella (and some extra Parmesan if you have some left over).

Cover tightly with foil and bake about 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove foil. It will probably look a little runny. You still need to let it stand about 15-20 minutes. During that time, it will thicken up nicely and it won't even be that oozy when you cut it.

Found Recipe here

Easy Bread Sticks

1 T yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
2 T sugar
3 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 stick butter (can use less or more)
Parmesan cheese
garlic salt
dried herbs (basil, rosemary, parsley, oregano)

Mix yeast, warm water, and sugar together. Let sit until yeast activates (gets bubbly). Add flour and salt. Knead for 3 minutes (Or put it in your kitchenaid). Let rise for 10 minutes. Press into a 12 x 7 pan. Melt butter and pour over dough. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and herbs (to your liking). Let rise 15 minutes. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mint Brownie Frosting

6 T softened margarine or butter
2 C. Powdered sugar
2 ¾ C. more powdered sugar
1 egg
½ t. mint flavoring (or to taste)
2T Milk
Green food coloring

Whip butter slowly, add first wave of powdered sugar.
Add egg, then more powdered sugar (a little at a time) adding the milk also
Lastly, add the green food coloring carefully spread on the cooled brownies

Chicken Pasta Salad

16 oz or a little less cooked bowtie pasta

1-2 c chopped celery

1c slivered almonds

3 c red grapes sliced

1 c diced green onion

Salt/ pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 c mayo

1/4 c apricot preserves (or jam)

3 c diced roasted chicken

Warm Caramel Apple Cake

Cake:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 2 1/3 cups)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

Topping:
2/3 cup white frosting (optional: whipped topping alone is fine; buy a 12-oz container - or make it from scratch)
1/2 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping
Caramel topping, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, cook butter, whipping cream and brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into 13x9-inch pan. Sprinkle with pecans; top with sliced apples.

2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and apple pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Carefully spoon batter over apple mixture.

3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from pan. Place heatproof serving platter upside down on pan; carefully turn platter and pan over. Let pan remain over cake about 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over cake. Remove pan.

4. In small bowl, mix frosting and whipped topping. Serve warm cake topped with frosting mixture and drizzled with caramel topping.

Pie Crust

2 c flour
1/4 c water
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c shortening (I like the butter flavored)

In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup (of the 2 c) flour with the water and salt until it's a smooth paste. Cut the shortening into remaining flour until pea sized. Dump paste into shortening mixture, stir till forms a ball.

Easy Fruit Dip

1- 8 oz. pkg cream cheese - softened (you can put it in the microwave if it's just out of the refrigerator for around 10-15 seconds) or just leave it out overnight.
1 - 7 or 8 oz jar marshmallow cream
grated rind of 1/2 an orange (just the orange color...not underneath)

First blend the softened cream cheese till it's nice and smooth. Then add the marshmallow cream a little at a time and add the orange rind. Put in a little bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (good if you make it an hour or 2 in advance so the orange flavor seeps in....you could even make it the day before, and just stir up right before serving).

Ckicken Salad

12 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up (boiled or however you want to cook them)
2 stalks of celery, chopped finely
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cans water chestnuts drained and chopped up
2 cups green grapes, seedless and sliced in half
2 cups red grapes, seedless and sliced in half (if green grapes are sour, just use 4 cups of red grapes)
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 pkgs dry ranch dressing packages (Hidden Valley works well)
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained.

Combine all ingredients, adding mandarin oranges last.
(I've made this recipe without the water chestnuts, since they're expensive and not something I regularly have in my pantry - I just added more of another crunchy ingredient, pick your favorite, I added more celery and a tiny bit more grapes.)

Pecan Pie Bars

2 cups flour
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 6 oz package heath toffee chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Grease a 9x13 pan (I didn’t grease). Combine the flour and powdered sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender, until mixture resembles small peas. Press mixture firmly into the pan. Beat milk and egg in a separate bowl. Add vanilla. Stir in the toffee chips and chopped pecans and pour on top of crust. Bake at 350◦ for 20-30 minutes, until light brown.

Chicken Chimichangas

2/3 cup salsa
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 and 1/2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 tbsp. melted butter (Optional, use butter flavored spray to reduce calorie count)

Mix all but last 2 ingredients together. Warm tortillas and place 1/2 cup
chicken mixture in center of each tortilla. Fold sides over filling. Roll
up from bottom and place seam side down on greased baking sheet. Brush
with butter covering all exposed tortilla (or non-stick cooking spray). Bake at 375 for 30-40 min (Cover until the last 10 minutes if you don't want it so crispy).
Garnish with more salsa, green onion, sour cream, cheese and guacamole as
desired.