Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 Uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 15oz. cans black beans, undrained
1 15 oz. can diced tomatos
1 15 oz. can Rotel
1 c. salsa
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cans cheddar cheese soup

Extras: tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, or cilantro

1. Combine all ingredients (except extras) in a large crock pot.
2. Cover, cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Just before serving, remove chicken and slice or shed into bite sized pieces, add back to soup.
4. To serve, put a handful of chips in individual soup bowls. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and or sour cream.

From About.com. This could easily be cut in half for two. My crockpot (a medium/large size) was full to the brim once all ingredients were added.

Hot Crab Dip

2 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (8oz.) container sour cream
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. garlic salt
3 (6 oz.) cans Lump (or med. grade) Crab meat, drained
1 C.(4oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
crackers or toasted French bread rounds

Combine first 7 ingredients, stirring until blended. Add drained, canned crab meat and mix well. Spoon mixture into a 9 X 13 baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam; sprinkle evenly with Cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve immediately with crackers or French bread rounds.

Delicious!

My friend Robyn made this last year for my bridal shower. I tried to never move more than an arm-length from it.

Apple Cobbler

Filling:
5 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Topping:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons chilled butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

Cinnamon Sugar:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Combine filling ingredients, except butter in a large bowl. Stir to coat and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Dot with the two tablespoons of butter. Bake for 10 minutes.

3. While the filling is baking, combine all topping ingredients except butter and water. Blend butter into the mix with finger tips or a pastry blender. Mixture should be chunky. Add 1/4 cup boiling water. Stir until just combined.

4. Remove filling from oven and drop spoonfuls of topping over it. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake until topping is golden - about 30 minutes.

If this sounds mysterious like the peach-blueberry cobbler, it's because it is the same thing, with the addition of two tablespoons of butter. It was quite tasty. It received rave reviews from the groom and was proclaimed "maybe his new favorite fall dessert." Score! Serve warm with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

Jalapeno Pot Roast

Recipe from CrockPot365

2-3 pound chuck roast
can of cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup jalapenos (from jar)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 yellow onion, sliced into rings
8 oz. sour cream (to be used at the end)
1 package Knorr Rice Sides - Spanish or Mexican flavor

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Place all ingredients in crockpot except rice and sour cream. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove meat and onions with tongs. Place sour cream in small saucepan. Use slotted spoon to rescue beans. Add to saucepan with sour cream. Add juices from crockpot to sour cream/beans until it becomes the consistency of gravy. Prepare rice according to package directions. Serve roast over rice and topped with bean and sour cream gravy.

This sounds a little weird, but it was really good.

Ginger Cookies

Recipe from First United Methodist Church, Monett, MO Cookbook (Mary K. Scott)

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cup flour
1 tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening. Add sugar gradually. Beat in the egg and molasses. Sift flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, and salt together and add to the other mixture. Cool 30 minutes to 1 hour in refrigerator. Roll into balls the size of walnuts and roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until puffed up and lightly browned. Let set a minute on sheet before removing cookies.

Chicken Squares

from Phyllis Garrett

2 cups cooked and cubed or shredded chicken
3 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Green onions - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Refrigerated crescent rolls

Create four rectangles using 2 crescent rolls per rectangle. Mix chicken, cream cheese, butter, green onion, and pepper. Place 1/2 cup of mixture on one end of each rectangle. Fold the other end of the rectangle over to form a square. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

Meatballs

This isn't especially unique, but they were tasty!

1 and a half pounds ground beef
1 and a half cups bread crumbs
3/4 cup milk
egg
1/4 cup or so finely chopped onion
1 and a half tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Form into 2 inch balls and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Serve with Knorr pasta sides in Stroganoff flavor.

Mom's Creamed Corn

2 - 16 oz bags frozen corn
pint of whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
12 teaspoons sugar
pinch of pepper

Bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix 4 tablespoons softened butter and 4 tablespoons flour. Stir. Add gradually to corn to thicken.

Mamie's Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 and 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
3 oz. cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread batter in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Frost with cream cheese icing.

Cream cheese icing: Cream together cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, beating until smooth.

Pumpkin Bread

From Cottage Living Magazine, November 2006

This recipe doubles and even triples really well. A single recipe will make four little loaves (bake for 36 minutes).

1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8x4 loaf pan. Stir together the first 6 ingredients.

2. In a separate (large) bowl, combine sugar, oil, and pumpkin. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg, beating until well blended. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating at a low speed until blended. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 5 minutes or until loaf is golden and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan.