My Favorite Broccoli & Rice Casserole

This is THE BEST Broccoli and Rice Casserole!  I love the spice from the Rotel!

2 cups cooked rice

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 stick of butter

1 can of rotel, undrained

1 jar of Cheez Whiz

1 package of frozen broccoli florets

salt and pepper, to taste

Heave oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together.  Bake until hot through and edges are brownish.  About 30-45 minutes.

Nutter Butter Ghost Cookies

From my friend Jinnie...

1 package of Nutter Butter cookies

1 package almond bark

Miniature chocolate chips

-Melt almond bark in microwave safe bowl per instructions on the package. 

-Submerge the cookies in the almond bark and then using a fork pull it out and shake of the excess almond bark and place cookie on wax paper.

-While the almond bark is still soft place mini chocolate chips in the place of the eyes and let harden.

Sugie's Dressing...

From my grandmother, Sugie...

3 Corn Kits cornbread packets, mix per recipe and bake
3 slices of white bread, toasted
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 raw eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
Salt and pepper
Poultry seasoning
1 1/2-2 tsp. baking powder
Shredded chicken
Chicken broth

Melt butter in a pan.  Add 3/4 of the green onions to the pan to soften.  Crumble cornbread in a big bowl and tear toasted white bread into small pieces.  To the cornbread mixture add, shredded chicken, cream of mushroom soup, eggs, flour & baking powder.  Mix well.  Also add chicken broth until it is the right consistency. (I used nearly all of a box of broth)  Mix well.  Add salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste.

Bake at 350 degrees until set...maybe 30-45 minutes.  Keep an eye on it...you don't want it to get dry.

For Gravy...
Boil 2 eggs and chop.  Add to this 1 can cream of mushroom soup,about 1/2-3/4 cup raw dressing mix, the rest of the green onions and some chicken broth.  Salt, pepper and a little poultry seasoning if desired.  Simmer until dressing mix in gravy is done, stirring often.

Cornflake Wreaths

From my sweet grandmother, Sugie...

This is one of my favorite memories from childhood.  My Sugie has made Cornflake Wreaths with us as long as I can remember.  She has even taken time each year to make them with my boys.  This year in mid-November she broke her hip which meant it was my job to make the Cornflake Wreaths.  At Thanksgiving the boys and I made them and they kept saying "that's not how Sugie does it!"  Cute!

1 stick of butter
1 package of small marshmallows
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 bottle green food coloring
5 cups of Corn Flakes
Red Hots for decoration

Melt stick of butter in a pot on medium heat.  While butter is melting put cornflakes in a big bowl that has been buttered and butter a big spoon.  Add marshmallows to melted butter and NEVER STOP STIRRING.  They will melt in a few minutes but keep stirring a few minutes more so they will "cook" longer.  If you don't let them "cook" longer your mixture will be VERY sticky and hard to work with.  Add your vanilla and food coloring and stir again.  Once the coloring is all stirred in pour the marshmallow mixture in the big bowl with the cornflakes and mix until all the cornflakes are coated with green.  Using your big spoon put scoops of the mixture on wax paper.  Then go back using buttered hands and form the wreaths.  Use the red hots for decoration to look like holly. 

Makes about 9 good sized wreaths.  We always make a double batch. :)

Squash Dressing

This recipe is from my friend, Jenny. The first time she made this I knew I loved it. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful. We ended up having this for our dressing at Christmas...mmmmm!

2 cups squash-cooked and drained
1 stick of butter or margarine
1 small chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 pkg. mexican cornbread mix, cooked according to directions.

Crumble cooled cornbread. Saute onions in butter. Mix with squash and cornbread. Add soup and mix well. Stir in eggs. Add black pepper to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Bake in a small casserole dish. Double recipe to fit in a 13 x 9 inch pan.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

From Kraft's Food & Family Magazine, Fall 2006:

25 Nabisco Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
4 bricks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves

Preheat over to 325 degrees (or 300 degrees if using a dark pan). Mix ginger snap crumbs, pecans and butter; press firmly on to bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.

Remove 1 1/2 cups plain batter; place in small bowl. Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter. Spoon half of the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half of the reserved plain batter. Repeat layers. Cut through batters with knife several times for swirl effect.

Bake 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Store in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Bread

One of our sweet church member, Joan Moore, shared this recipe with me. It is unique in that it has no eggs and is a very dense bread. Mmmmmm!

3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup warm water
1 can pumpkin
1 cup cooking oil

Mix all together. Prepare your loaf pans (I use the 9 inch long and get 2 loaves out of one batch) by using Crisco to grease the sides and bottom of the pan and then lightly flouring them. Place 1/2 of the batter in each pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-70 minutes or until the middle set and the middle can be poked with a toothpick and come out clean.

Broccoli Casserole

16 oz. package frozen chopped broccoli
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers, crushed

-Cook the broccoli in the microwave 3 minutes (in a microwave-safe bowl, covered in plastic wrap). Add the cubed velvetta, stir and cook 2 more minutes.

-Put into a casserole dish and bake for 10 -15 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir to mix the cheese in well.

-Add crushed Ritz crackers on top and bake 5 more minutes.

Corn Casserole

I love this during the holidays!

2 can cream style corn
1 pkg. mexican cornbread mix
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 small jar pimentos
garlic powder to taste

-Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Easter Cookies

You will need:
-1 cup whole pecans
-1 teaspoon vinegar
-3 egg whites
-pinch salt
-1 cup sugar
-1 large plastic zip bag
-wooden spoon
-mixing bowl
-cookie sheet
-wax paper
-tape
-Bible

-Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important: don't wait until you're half done with the recipe). Place the pecans in the large plastic zip bag and let the children beat them with the wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat Him. Read John 19:1-3.
-Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon of vinegar into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.
-Add egg whites to vinegar. Tell the children that the eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.
-Sprinkle a little salt into both hands of each child. Let the children taste it from one hand and brush it from the other hand into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
-Say: "So far the ingredients are not very appetizing." Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.
-Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity God sees in those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
-Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.
-Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Give each child a piece of tape and have them seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.
-Go to bed (Make sure the oven is off). Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
-On Easter morning, open the oven and given everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow. On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Submitted by: Angela Mills

This is VERY similar to Candy's Pumpkin Crisp recipe posted below but here is my (more complicated) version...

For the crust:
-1 pkg. yellow Duncan Hines cake mix (not the pudding kind) (reserve 1 cup for topping)
-1/2 cup soft butter
-1 egg

Mix cake mix and butter for pie crust. Then mix in slightly beaten eggs. Press into a 9x13 inch baking pan.

For the filling:
-two eggs slightly beaten
-12 oz. can evaporated milk
-15 oz. can pumpkin
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. ginger
-1/4 tsp. clove
3/4 cup sugar

Mix well and pour over crust in pan.

For the topping:
-1 cup reserved cake mix
-1 tsp. cinnnamon
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 cup soft butter

Mix all together and sprinkle over the top of the filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. The middle will still be a little jiggly but will harden as it cools. Cool and refrigerate. Serve with Cool Whip.

Pumpkin Crisp

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (18.25 oz) package butter-flavored yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted
Cool Whip

STIR together first 5 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture;sprinkle evenly with pecans. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans.
BAKE at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temp with cool whip on top.

Pumkin Bread

submitted by: Jennifer Pritchett
3 c sugar
1 c oil
4 eggs
1 (16)oz can Pumpkin
3 1/2 c flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2/3 c water

Cream sugar and oil together, add eggs and pumpkin, sift remaining ingredients, add alternating with water, pour into pans. Bake 350 for 1 hour. I bought the small alum. loaf pans and am giving these as gifts to my neighbors. I bought colored plastic wrap and attached some candy corn, ribbon and pumkin poem to make an inexpensive but tasty treat. The poem will be posted on my blog a little later if you want it.