Cherry Cheesecake

2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 T. sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Combine crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press into bottom and up sides of 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

3, 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
16 oz. pie filling, any flavor

Combine 1st 3 ingredients on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Pour in pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and bake 30-40 minutes more, until golden brown. Loosen cake from rim of pan with a table knife. Chill at least 3 hours before serving. Remove from pan and spread pie filling on top before serving.

*placing a pan of water in oven during baking may prevent it from cracking but covering it with pie filling will keep anyone from seeing them anyway : )

Enjoy!

Crockpot "Sauteed" Mushrooms

(photo above is before cooking)

3 pounds fresh whole mushrooms (I use 6, 8 oz. containers)
1 1/2 c. butter, melted
3 envelopes dry ranch salad dressing mix

Place all mushrooms in a sprayed or lined crockpot. Combine melted butter with dry dressing mix. Pour over top of mushrooms. Cook on low for 4 hours. The butter mixture will look like it won't coat the mushrooms at first. Do not add anything else to the crockpot. Mushrooms will cook down.

These are delicious!! Enjoy!

(photo above is after cooking)

Caramel Pecan Cake with Caramel Icing

Cake:
1 1/2 c. butter, softened (3 sticks)
2 c. brown sugar, packed (1 box)
1 c. sugar
3 c. SR flour (or you can use 1 c. SR & 2 c. plain)
1 c. milk
8 oz bag Heath toffee bits
1 c. pecans, chopped (I used Fisher's cookie pieces)

Caramel Icing:
14 oz. can Eaglebrand milk, or store brand is fine
1 c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly spray a Bundt or angel food cake pan and a loaf pan. For cake: Beat butter until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add flour to batter, alternating with milk. Beat until combined. Stir in nuts and bits.Spoon batter into pans and bake 85+ minutes until wooden pick comes out clean. To prevent burning, cover cake with aluminum foil while baking. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto plate and cool completely. Make drizzle: In a medium saucepan, combine Eaglebrand milk and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Cool 5 minutes. Be sure to use the icing while it's still hot. When cooled, the caramel is harder to spread. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping, if desired. Yum! (I had enough to ice all of tube cake and most of loaf cake.)

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs. cubed stew meat
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 diced onion
2-4 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. water
8 oz cream cheese
1 t. garlic salt
half clove of diced garlic
1 can mushrooms, drained
sour cream, optional
egg noodles, cooked and drained, I used whole wheat

Place liner in slow cooker. Place meat in bottom. Stir all other ingredients together, except cream cheese, sour cream, and noodles, and place on top of meat. Cook on low for 6 hours. Cut up cream cheese in crockpot just before serving and turn up to high. Stir the cream cheese until all combined. Let set for 10 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes if desired. Add dollop of sour cream.

Pizza Rolls

(before baking above)

3 cans buttermilk biscuits (10 ct per can)

pepperoni slices (I used turkey pepperoni)

block of cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

mushrooms, optional

1 beaten egg

Parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

garlic powder

1 jar pizza sauce

Cut the cheese into squares. Flatten each biscuit out and spread thin layer of sauce on top. Stack pepperoni, cheese, and mushrooms on top. Gather up edges of biscuit and pinch closed. Line up rolls in sprayed 9x13 dish. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with seasonings. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Serve with more pizza sauce if desired.

*Different ingredients can be used, your choice. Enjoy!

(after baking photo)

Orange BBQ Ribs

1 c. Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce
3 T. Kool-aid orange flavor sweetened drink powder
4 lbs pork spareribs

Preheat grill to medium-low heat. Combine bbq sauce and drink powder. Place half the ribs in a single layer in center of heavy duty aluminum foil. Spoon sauce over ribs. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal, leaving room for circulation inside. Place on grill, cover with lid. Grill 1 1/2 hrs, or until tender. Remove from foil and serve.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2" chunks
2 c. fresh pineapple chunks, 1" pieces
1 red pepper, cut into 1" chunks
1 green pepper, cut into 1 " chunks
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms
zucchini/squash chunks
potato chunks
1/2 c. bbq sauce (I used sweet baby rays)
3 T. frozen orange juice, thawed

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Thread chicken alternately with vegetables and pineapple, onto 2 8" long skewers. (Place skewers side by side to thread for each kabob) Combine bbq sauce with juice. Brush kabobs with half of mixture and place on grill. Grill 8-10 minutes until chicken is done, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with Peach Honey Mustard Sauce (for Grill)

1/2 medium peach, peeled
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. honey
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
1 pork tenderloin (3/4 lb)

Place the peach, mustard, and honey in blender. Cover and process until blended. Set aside. In a large resealable Ziploc bag, combine the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add the pork and shake to coat. Using long handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with olive oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Place pork over preheated grill, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes until meat thermometer measures 160 degrees. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with peach sauce.

Yield: 2 servings

Creamy 3 Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese

16 oz. elbow macaroni, about 3 cups
3 T. margarine
1 1/2 c. milk, divided
2 eggs, beaten
16 oz. 1/2" cubed Velveeta cheese
8 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook macaroni in large pot of water until tender, but not mushy, about 8-10 minutes. Drain well and pour into large mixing bowl. Melt Velveeta cheese and 3/4 c. milk on low heat, stirring often. Pour melted cheese over pasta and stir. Add margarine, remaining milk, eggs, 1 c. each of shredded cheeses, salt and pepper. Mix well and transfer to sprayed 9x13 dish. Pour remaining cheeses on top. Bake until crust is golden brown and casserole is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, raw, cubed 1"*
8-10 medium red potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes
1/3 c. olive oil
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. black pepper
1 T. paprika
2 T. garlic powder
6 T. hot sauce
2 c. Mexican blend cheese
1 c. crumbled bacon, or bacon bits
1 c. diced green onion

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 9x13 dish. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, all seasonings, and hot sauce. Add cubed potatoes. Stir to coat. Carefully scoop into prepared dish, leaving behind as much of the oil/sauce mixture as possible. Place chicken cubes in this mixture to marinate in refrigerator. Bake potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. Once fully cooked, remove from oven, & lower the oven temp to 400 degrees. Top the potatoes with the marinated chicken.  Combine cheese, bacon, and green onion. Pour over chicken. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and topping is bubbly. Delicious! Serve with a tossed salad for a complete meal.

*may substitute cubed ham