Frozen Fruit Slush

1 bag of frozen fruit (strawberries, pineapple, mangoes, or whatever fruit you love)

2 bottles of lemon lime soda

Place frozen fruit in a punch bowl and pour in soda and mix. Serve with a ladle and pour into a cup.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup corn syrup

6 cups rice crisps

1 bag chocolate chips

Cook corn syrup and sugar over medium heat and bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanut butter and mix well. Add rice krispies. Mix well in large bowl. Spread onto greased cookie glass pan. Melt chips in microwave. Frost with melted chocolate chips. Cool. Cut into bars.

Butterfinger Cake

Mom found this recipe on Pinterest, from a site called Plain Chicken. I made it for a Christmas party we are going to:

1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar caramel ice cream sauce topping
1 (8oz) tub Cool-Whip
1 package of 8 Mini Butterfinger bars, crushed

We froze the butterfingers overnight and crushed them right in the plastic Ziploc bag with a rolling pan.

Bake cake according to direction on the package. I had to add 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup water, and 3 eggs to the cake mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 28-33 minutes.

While cake is baking, mix milk and caramel topping until well blended. When the cake is done and while it's still hot, poke holes in it with a fork, straw, or toothpick. Pour milk mixture over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely.

Sprinkle half the candy bars crumbs over cake. Spread Cool Whip over the top, then sprinkle the remaining candy bars on top. Chill.

Parmesan Penne

1 lb Penne

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup flour

1/2 hot milk

1 medium onion, chopped.

2 tbsp butter

Cook Penne as directed on bag or box. Drain. In medium sauce pan, saute onions in butter. Add flour and milk and cheese, and stir on low heat until thickened. Fold in penne and stir. Serve hot. Feed 4-6 people. I would skip the onions as they take away from the cheesy flavor.

Chicken Ranch Lasagna

I found this recipe on Real Mom Kitchen blog, and changed some of the ingredients and cooking methods. Overall, it was a pretty good lasagna. I may try it with penne next time:

2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk

1 (1 oz) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1/8 tsp pepper1 (8oz) lasagna noodles, cooked

1 C cheddar cheese, grated

2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Boil the chicken breasts for 20 minutes or until done in the middle, and cut chicken up into bite size pieces, then refrigerate. Boil lasagna noodles as instructed on the box. Rinse noodles with cold water and refrigerate. Combine evaporated milk and Ranch dressing packet in saucepan. Heat over low heat, whisking until dry ingredients are dissolved. Stir in chicken and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes whisking frequently. Layer a quarter of lasagna noodles, poultry sauce, and mozzarella cheese in greased 9×13 pan. Repeat layers again until you run out of ingredients. Top with sauce and cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Malibu Chicken

I love the Malibu chicken at Sizzler and here's a recipe for something that tastes similar:

Roll the chicken breast in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Brown on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes in skillet with vegetable oil and butter. Place breasts in baking pan and top each breast with a piece of ham and a piece of swiss cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Candy Corn Fudge

I found this recipe on Pinterest, from a site called Something Swanky.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups white chocolate chips (I found that Nestle Toll House melted best)
• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
• Food coloring: yellow, orange (I used gel)

Directions:

1. Line a 9x9 baking dish with wax paper.
2. In a large saucepan, combine white chips and sweetened condensed milk over medium-low heat. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Pour 1/3 of the mixture into prepared baking dish and chill for 15 minutes. (Keep remaining fudge in saucepan, heat off).
4. Stir fudge over low heat until melted and smooth again (should only take a minute or two).
5. Pour 1/3 of mixture into a medium mixing bowl and whisk in orange food coloring (or 2 yellow + 1 red). Pour over the white layer in baking dish. Let chill for 15 minutes.
6. Again, reheat the remaining 1/3 of fudge over low heat until melted and smooth. Whisk in yellow food coloring and pour over orange layer in baking dish.
7. Let chill for 3-4 hours or overnight (best results).

Crock Pot Roast

3 lb roast

8 red potatoes

15 baby carrots

1 pkg dry onion soup mix

1 cup water

1 tsp celery salt

1/2 onion chopped

Brown roast in a pan. Dice potatoes and onion. Put roast, either as a whole or cut in half, in crock pot, and line with carrots, onions, and potatoes. Add soup mix and water on top. Cook in crock pot for 8 to 10 hours, stirring occasionally. When it reaches 8 hours, taste carrots and potatoes to see if they are tender.

Creamy Spaghetti

1 can tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce

1/2 lb spaghetti

1 pkg cream cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp butter

Cook spaghetti. I an skillet, melt butter and then add cooked spaghetti. Add tomato paste and sauce and stir. Add cream cheese and grated Parmesan cheese and mix until warm. Serve with cooked meatballs.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Inspired by Campbell's recipe, with a few alterations:

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 cup frozen broccoli

3 chicken breasts, thawed

2 tbsp butter

1/2 lb medium macaroni shells

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni as instructed on bag or box. Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is soft. Drain. Cut chicken breasts and cook chicken in a greased skillet. Add butter till melted. Add cream of mushroom soup, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, mixing all together. Add macaroni and broccoli to mixture and stir, until hot. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Cheesy Potato Soup

1 bag Bear Creek Creamy Potato Soup Mix

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese

bread bowls (1 per person)

Prepare soup as directed on the bag. Then stir in cheddar cheese and serve in bread bowls.