Cheesy Potatoes

Is there anything better, really? I don't think so. This recipe is tried and true. I've seen lots of different variations of it, most of which include melted butter in with the cheese mixture. I've made it that way before, but honestly, this recipe does not need any extra fat to taste good. It's got plenty even with my lower-fat version. :o) I use bread crumbs instead of corn flakes because I always have them on hand. So, here's how I roll:

-2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes
-2 cups 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
-2 cans 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
-1 cup low fat sour cream
-1/2 small onion, chopped
-salt & pepper to taste
-2 tbsp butter, melted
-1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425. Mix cheese, soup, sour cream, onion, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add frozen potatoes; mix well. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and add potatoes. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Toss melted butter together with seasoned bread crumbs and add to top of potatoes. Bake an additional 10 minutes until bread crumbs are browned and cheese is bubbly.

*I have to give a shoutout to my friend, Tonya, for inspiring me to make this tonight. She was serving cheesy potatoes with ham for her family tonight and upon hearing that, I had to make this for dinner. :o)

Grandma's Cheesecake

This is a family favorite, especially during the holidays!

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 stick butter, melted

Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool slightly.

Filling:
5 - 8oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese blocks in a mixer, gradually adding sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and then pour over cooled crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 - 60 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes before adding topping.

Topping:
3 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and then pour over partially cooled cheesecake filling. Bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes.

White Chocolate Fruit Salad

From my cousin, Mary Ann. Her words? To die for. :o) Enjoy!

-1 large can pineapple tidbits in its own juice
-2 regular cans Lite Fruit Cocktail
-2 regular cans mandarin oranges
-1 cup lite sour cream
-12 ounce tub lite cool whip
-2 small boxes instant Jell-O White Chocolate Pudding

Drain pineapple and save 1 ½ cups juice (you may need some of the juice from other cans to make the 1 ½ cups). Mix pudding with juice in a large bowl. Mix in sour cream. Mix in cool whip. Fold in fruit. Refrigerate.

*If you use fat-free sour cream, fat-free cool whip and sugar free pudding, this will count as 3 Weight Watcher points per cup.

Cookie Salads

My sister is in love with these two recipes. What could be better than cookie SALAD?

Keebler Cookie Salad
-2 c. buttermilk
-2 (3 oz. each) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
-1 (16 oz.) Cool Whip
-1 (13 oz.) pkg. Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies, broken into pieces

-2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained well

Mix buttermilk and puddings. Fold in Cool Whip, add oranges slices and cookie pieces. Chill and serve.

*Susie says not to add the cookie pieces until ready to serve. It keeps them crunchy, although she says this is still good the next day.

Oreo Cookie Salad

-1 (8oz) tub cool whip
-1 jar marshmallow fluff
-1 package oreo cookies, broken into pieces

Fold together and serve!

Sweet & Savory Pumpkin Dip

My new favorite! My sister-in-law whipped this up one day and it disappeared. I've made it twice since. Would be perfect on Thanksgiving as an appetizer. I'm planning on making it for my family. Can I also say for the record that I HATE pecans? The only exception is this recipe.

-1 (8oz) block cream cheese, softened
-1/2 cup pumpkin butter (Williams-Sonoma or Trader Joe's)
-4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
-1/2 cup chopped pecans
-3 green onions, diced

**Combine cream cheese and pumpkin butter; mix well with a whisk or fork. Stir in bacon, pecans and green onions. Serve with crackers and apple slices.

If you make this the day before, I'd hold off on adding the green onions until you're ready to serve.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

I doctored up a recipe I found using instant apple cinnamon oatmeal. I didn't have any, and threw in a couple of extras. My version turned out really good. I used my mom's homemade applesauce I had in the freezer. She makes the best... just chunky enough and very sweet and cinnamony.

Bread

-1/4 cup butter, softened

-1 cup sugar

-1 1/2 cups applesauce

-2 eggs

-1 tsp vanilla

-3/4 cup quick cooking oats

-1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp salt

Topping

-1 tbsp quick cooking oats

-1 tsp sugar

-1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, applesauce and vanilla and mix well. Add oatmeal, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Pour in a loaf pan and top with more oats, sugar and cinnamon. Bake in loaf pan at 350 for 60-65 minutes.

Chili .... Hold the Beans

Chris and Mason love chili, but they hate beans. So I worked up this little beanless number and it was a hit.

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2-3 tablespoons chili powder
28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 cans Campbell's tomato soup
1 cup plain bread crumbs (optional)
Cumin - to taste
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Hot Sauce -to taste

Cook garlic in the olive oil over low heat. Keep an eye on it - doesn't take long. Add in ground beef and brown.

Spray Crock-Pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add beef and garlic mixture. Add all remaining ingredients except the bread crumbs. Stir well. Keep on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally. Add in the bread crumbs only if you like a thicker chili.

And for goodness sake - please top this with sour cream and cheese!!