Recipe for "Margarita" Dip

Don't let the name fool you, this dip is kid friendly :) And it is SO quick and easy. Cool and refreshing and perfect in the summer.

"Margarita" Dip

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup frozen limeade concentrate, partially thawed
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Beat cream cheese, limeade concentrate and orange juice in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in Cool Whip; cover.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Serve with cut-up fresh fruit and Nilla Wafers.
(I served it with cherries, nectarines, and apples, and got the mini Nilla Wafers)

YUMMY!!!

Recipe for Holiday Appetizer Dip

Here's a recipe that we've had in our family for many years. I love to have it any time, but it just seems to taste better at Christmas, so I make it more this time of year. The dried beef in it is the kind that's in a jar that is used for chipped beef on toast...the brand I think I get here is Armour. (Hormel also makes it)

Holiday Appetizer Dip

8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp milk
2 1/2 oz. jar sliced dried beef, finely snipped (about 3/4 cup)
2 Tbsp instant minced onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped green pepper
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Blend cream cheese and milk. Stir in dried beef, onion, green pepper and pepper. Mix well. Stir in sour cream. Spoon into 8-inch pie plate or small shallow baking dish. Sprinkle walnuts over top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot with assorted crackers.

Recipe for Cranberry Salad

So Thanksgiving and Christmas are almost here and this is my favorite time to cook. Well, I love cooking any time of year, but this is the best. Maybe it's because I love to eat all the great food we have for the holidays :) Here's a recipe I LOVE to make. I can't handle the jellied cranberry stuff in the can...this cranberry salad is good enough to actually be a dessert. I actually have passed up dessert before to have another helping of this!

Cranberry Salad

1 bag cranberries
2 c. sugar
1 large can crushed pineapple (optional)
2 c. mini marshmallows
Cool Whip or 1/2 pt. whipping cream
1 c. chopped pecans

Grind cranberries in food processor. Add sugar and let stand overnight (I put in refrigerator). Next morning - Strain and keep juice. Strain pineapple. Add pineapple, marshmallows and Cool Whip to cranberry mixture. Mix well. If too dry add cranberry juice to the right consistency. Add pecans. Refrigerate.

I know the recipe says pineapple is optional but I wouldn't dream of leaving it out. I'll see what other yummy recipes I can post before Thanksgiving.

Recipe

I haven't shared a recipe in a while, so I thought I'd post one that I just recently tried. This came from a friend of mine who is a very good cook. And since it's football season, this is perfect. We had it a couple of weeks ago while watching our team, Oklahoma State.

Monday Night Hot Wing Dip

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup ranch salad dressing
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the chicken breasts into a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until chicken is tender enough to be pulled apart with a fork. Drain and cool until cool enough to touch. Shred or chop chicken and place in a 1 to 2 quart casserole.
3. Mix the cream cheese into the chicken until well blended, then stir in the ranch dressing and hot sauce. Top with cheddar cheese.
4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbly.

I thought this was pretty good the first day, but thought it was even better when I reheated it the next day. YUM!!

Recipe for banana pudding

I want to share one of my favorite recipes. This is another one from Paula Deen, and it is beyond good...oh my goodness, it's one that'll be requested over and over. I love banana pudding, but this is not your typical banana pudding.

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: 12 servings.

I made this around Christmas and the Chessmen cookies had Christmas imprints on them, which made the dessert look very festive. Hope you try this and love it as much as I do :)

Recipe for Taco Soup

I love to cook, so I try a lot of new recipes. Some of my blogger buddies occasionally share good recipes, so I thought I'd share some recipes on my blog this year. I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and Kristen and I both loved it. It's a Paula Deen recipe and most of her recipes are delicious.

Taco Soup
1 3/4 pounds ground chuck
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Two 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, with juice
One 15 to 16 ounce can kidney beans, drained
One 15 to 16 ounce can pinto beans, drained
One 15 to 16 ounce can black beans, drained
One 15.25 ounce can whole kernal corn, drained
One 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
One 1.25 ounce package taco seasoning mix

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until browned, stirring until the meat crumbles. Drain well and return the meat and vegetables to the Dutch oven.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, corn, broth, and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Serves 10-12

I'm not a big fan of tomatoes, so I bought the petite diced. Also, I may have used a little more meat than it called for, and it came out a little too thick. So I added another can of chicken broth to get it to a consistency I liked. The first night we had it I added a little bit of velveeta cheese in my bowl and it was really good. The next night I put a little sour cream in and it was really good. It's really easy and makes a LOT!