White Pizza Dip

Not sure how I lived my first 37 years without this dip! A friend of mine from church made it and I immediately demanded the recipe. Now I take it everywhere. Perfect dip to keep going back to over and over again. And so easy to put together!

1 package Lipton garlic and herb soup mix (comes in a box)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
mini pepperoni (I use about 15 of 'em)
cubed Italian bread for dipping

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine soup mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, pepperoni and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Transfer mixture to a 1-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over the top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve warm with the bread.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

The kids and I decided we wanted breakfast for dinner. :)

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup pure pumpkin purée

1/3 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup milk

1 medium apple, diced

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

Combine oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, syrup, milk, and egg. Mix with oat mixture. Fold in diced apples. Bake in an 8x8 baking dish at 350 for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with brown sugar on top. Yum!

Cindy's Tabouli

My Aunt Cindy made this last week's for my cousin's baby shower. It was a huge hit! It is the perfect summer salad!

1 cup bulgar wheat (look for it in the International aisle)
1 cup boiling water
2 large carrots, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium cucumber, diced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves
feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Put bulgar wheat in a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let it stand for 10 minutes, then stir gently. Mix together dressing and pour over bulgar wheat. Add remaining ingredients annd toss gently to mix. Cover the salad and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Corn Flake cookies

I'm sure you've all had these before, but to me they're extra special. My maternal grandmother doesn't like to cook or bake (she's obviously NOT from West Virginia). But she always wanted us to have a sweet treat so she would make us these cookies. My mom just made a batch with Emma and so it brought up all those happy memories.

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of white Karo
1/2 cup of peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups Corn Flakes

Bring sugar and Karo to a boil. Remove from heat. Add in the peanut butter and stir. Add in the vanilla and stir. Add in the corn flakes, stir and then drop by tablespoon on to wax paper.

* I like to add in mini M&M's too ... but grandma doesn't know that. You can also melt a little chocolate and drizzle over them.

Crockpot Chicken Soft Tacos

This is so simple! We use it as a filling for soft tacos with a little cheese sprinkled on top. You could also use it for enchiladas.

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup medium or hot salsa
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream

Spray your Crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Add in chicken. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Add sour cream during the last 30 minutes and stir. Shred chicken, serve as you please and ENJOY!

Maryland Steamed Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

I made this for both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve this year. My mom always made it on special occasions growing up, especially after we left the east coast and moved to Illinois. There is no other way to eat shrimp, in my opinion!

*2 lbs uncooked, deveined shrimp (works well with or without shells)
*2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (no substitutes!)
*1 cup beer
*1 cup apple cider vinegar
*1 tsp salt

In a large pan or soup pot, combine Old Bay, beer, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp. Cover and turn off heat. Wait until there all of the shrimp turns pink. (If your shrimp is too cold, you may need to turn the heat back on and return to a boil for a couple seconds.) Drain. Serve immediately or chill for several hours and serve cold. I prefer it cold.

For the cocktail sauce:
*Ketchup
*Pure Horseradish
*Lemon Juice
*Worchershire sauce

Combine all ingredients to taste. I like mine spicy, so I add lots of horseradish.

You could buy prepared cocktail sauce, but as a seafood snob, that goes against my beliefs. It tastes so much better when you make it yourself.

Use the directions for shrimp to make Maryland Shrimp Salad. Chill the shrimp, chop it into chunks, add mayo, chopped celery, a little lemon juice, pepper and more Old Bay to taste. Serve on wheat toast with lettuce and tomato. My favorite sandwich ever!