7 Layer Dip

My husband is a professor who just finished a very challenging semester. He thought he deserved a special treat to celebrate. He loves 7 layer dip but I hate all the chopping involved. So we compromised. He chopped up the olives and tomatoes while I did the rest. It's always fun to work in the kitchen with him. I told him he had to wait 2 hours while it chilled. Twenty minutes later I hear the tell-tale squeak of the fridge door and the unmistakable sound of the chip bag being opened. He thinks he was being sneaky, but I am so onto him!

7 LAYER DIP


INGREDIENTS:
One or two cans of refried bean
One large container of sour cream (16 oz)
One package of taco seasoning
Shredded cheddar and Monteray Jack cheeses
Chopped tomatoes
One can of olives, chopped
4-5 green onions, chopped
3-4 Cups of guacamole
1/2 C salsa

1) In a bowl mix together the refried beans, half the taco seasoning, the salsa, and a couple tablespoons of sour cream. Spread the mixture into a large casserole dish (9X13)

2) In a separate bowl mix the sour cream with the remaining taco seasoning. Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the refried beans mixture.

3) Carefully spread the guacamole on top of the sour cream mixture. Take care not to mix the two together.

4) Toss the two types of grated cheese together, then spread them on top of the guacamole. Sprinkle with the olives, tomatoes, and green onions.

Chill for a couple of hours and then enjoy! Sneakily, if you must.

Citrus Grilled Chicken

I look for recipes from many sources. This recipe I just got in the mail from the realtor who sold us our house. It sounded good so I gave it a try. My husband, the super-awesome-grillmaster cooked them to perfection. And it was absolutely delicious. I would probably marinate the chicken for a little longer next time though. I used the leftover chicken to put in a salad the next day and felt like I'd paid $10 at a restaurant for a grilled chicken salad.

CITRUS GRILLED CHICKEN


INGREDIENTS:
1 Chicken (cut up), I used 4 very large chicken breasts instead
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C orange juice
1/4 C lime juice
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper sauce.

Combine all ingredients (except chicken) and mix well. Pour marinade over chicken in a shallow dish. Refrigerate for 4 hours, turning occasionally. Remove meat from marinade and grill.

Pumpkin Cookies

I know it's not Fall and you usually think of Fall as the time for enjoying pumpkin cookies. I just had some canned pumpkin that was about to expire so I used it. You'll love these cookies. There's something about the pumpkin and butterscotch flavors together that is awesome! I usually double this batch because this doesn't make that many cookies.


PUMPKIN COOKIES


INGREDIENTS:
1/2 C shortning
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C Pumpkin Puree 100%
1 Egg
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Cup Butterscotch chips

Cream shortning, sugar, pumpkin, and egg. Mix in separate bowl all dry ingredients. Combine. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Swiss Chicken

This is technically supposed to be Swiss Chicken but I used Mozzarella and it turned out great.

Swiss Chicken


Ingredients:
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 slices swiss cheese
8 slices ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water
2 C seasoned stuffing mix
1/3 cup melted margarine or butter

Place ham and cheese on chicken in a greased 9X13 pan. Mix water and soup together and pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing over chicken and drizzle margarine over stuffing. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. Check to make sure chicken is cooked all the way through.

Pasta Crab Salad

It's that time of year again! Time for grillin' some juicy hamburgers in the nice weather. So here's an awesome side salad to go with those burgers.

Pasta Crab Salad


Ingredients:

2 C dry pasta shells
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 C sour cream
1 small onion
1 lb. crab, shredded
1 C peas
Salt to taste

Cook shells. Mix mayo and sour cream. Add peas, onion, crab and drained shells. Mix well. Chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Yummy Cornbread

I tried this cornbread recipe the other day and it was delicious. Usually I think cornbread is too dense and gritty but this wasn't like that at all.




Ingredients

* 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups milk
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/3 cup cornmeal
* 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture.
2. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares; serve warm.