Oreo Truffles

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen
What You'll Need:
1 package double stuffed Oreos
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
Vanilla flavored candy coating

What You'll Do:
1. In food processor, finely crush oreos. Save about 2 tbsp of cookie crumbs for garnish.

2. In a large bowl using your hands, mix together oreos and cream cheese until well combined.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.

3. Melt vanilla candy coating according to directions. Using a toothpick, roll each ball in candy coating.

Place back on waxed lined cookie sheet and sprinkle w/ reserved cookie crumbs. (The candy coating hardens pretty quickly so sprinkle with cookie crumbs immediatley after placing on cookie sheet.)

 *Remove toothpicks before serving :)

Keep refrigerated. ENJOY!!

Creative Kids Lunches

What You'll Need:
Muffin tins
Assorted lunch materials....

It's so cute and the kids love it!

CHILI

What You'll Need:
1 1/2 lbs. hamburger
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cans of stewed tomatoes or Hunt's tomatoes for Chili
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
2 heaping tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne red pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 cans Bush's chili beans

What You'll Do:
1. In large skillet, cook hamburger with onions and green peppers; drain grease.
2. Add all ingredients, EXCEPT chili beans to large pot, stir and simmer for one hour. Add chili beans and simmer for one more hour. (This is for the flavors to blend good. You can add everything at once and cook for about an hour and it will come out just fine.)

                                            Cooking the hamburger with onions and peppers...

                                                       Adding the remaining ingredients...

                                                                    WALA! CHILI!

Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups

Serves: 8

What You'll Need:
1 pkg. crescent roll dough
4 pieces string cheese
8 slices deli ham

What You'll Do:
Preheat oven according to package directions.
1. Unroll each crescent roll into triangles.
2. Slice each string cheese in half.
3. Place one piece of deli ham on each triangle then string cheese half. Roll into crescents. Place on baking sheet and bake according to package directions.

*Perfect for kids lunches!

Sausage Stuffed Shells

What You'll Need:
1 lb. ground italian sausage
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
jar spaghetti sauce
1 box jumbo shells

What You'll Do:
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Boil jumbo shells until al dente.
2. In large skillet, cook and crumble sausage with diced onion, garlic cloves, basil and oregano; drain grease.
3. Dump sausage mixture in large bowl and mix with half the mozzarella cheese. It should look kind of gooey.
4. In 9x13 baking dish, spread a layer of spaghetti sauce to cover bottom of pan. Stuff each shell with sausage mixture and place close together in pan. After stuffing each shell, dump more spaghetti sauce on top to cover the shells then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer.

PS-
Sorry about the picture. I took it after we dished up our plates. :)

Cafe Rio Barbacoa Pork MEAL - SO YUM!

Sweet Barbacoa Pork
What You'll Need:
2 lbs. boneless pork ribs
12oz. can Coke (not diet - can use caffeine free)
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash garlic powder
1/4 cup water

What You'll Do:
1. Put all the ingredients in a ziploc bag to marinade. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.
2. Pour meat and marinade in crock pot. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Keep the lid on to retain liquid.
3. When cooking time is done, DRAIN LIQUID. Shred the pork with two forks. Put the shredded pork and Barbacoa Enchilada Sauce (below) in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Barbacoa Enchilada Sauce
What You'll Need:
1 cup Coke
1 can diced green chilies
1 cup red enchilada sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

What You'll Do:
1. In food processor or blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.

Cilantro Lime Rice
What You'll Need:
1 cup uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice - NOT instant)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

What You'll Do:
1. In saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime juice, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat.
2. In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp. lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

*You can cook this rice in a rice cooker with all the above ingredients and it comes out just fine.

Black Beans
What You'll Need:
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can tomato juice
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

What You'll Do:
1. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook garlic and cumin in the olive oil until fragrant. Add beans, tomato juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
What You'll Need:
1 packet Traditional Hidden Valley Ranch mix (NOT buttermilk)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno

What You'll Do:
1. Mix all ingredients together in blender. Blend until smooth.

Note: The meat and beans are both very saucy, which is nice if they are being served buffet style because it keeps them really moist, but be sure to use slotted spoons to serve them.

*Serve all these ingredients together as a meal. My family likes them burrito style but I also really like them in taco salad shells. I can find them in my grocery store in the cold "mexican" isle. You have to bake them, but it is SO good. I also like salsa on mine instead of the tomatillo dressing. ENJOY!

(Picture to come...)

Nut Goodies

Yields: 8-9 dozen

What You'll Need:
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup eevaporated milk
1 lb. salted peanuts
1-1oz. sqaure unsweetened chocolate
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup vanilla pudding mix (not instant)
2 lbs. powdered sugar

What You'll Do:
1. Cut square of unsweetened chocolate in half or quarters. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt together the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, unsweetened chocolate square and peanut butter. Stir constantly using heavy spatula.
2. In large saucepan bring butter, pudding mix and evaporated milk to a boil then add all the powdered sugar. Use another heavy spatula! (This stuff should be stiff, kind of like play dough)
3. Use small papers and put a thin layer of chocolate in the bottom. Freeze until firm (about 5 minutes). Then put a small ball of the white stuff in each cup.
4. Add peanuts to chocolate mixture, stir until well incorporated. Cover white layer with dollop of chocolate-peanut mixture. Freeze until firm.

*You don't have to keep these frozen but you should keep them at least in the fridge.

*A special thanks to my mother-in-law, and HER mother for this amazing recipe!

Warm Carmel Apple Cider

Serves 4-5


What You'll Need:
4-5 cups Indian Apple Cider (any other kind just doesn't taste very good)
1/4 cup Hershey's caramel sauce
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp. cinnamon extract
dash ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick

What You'll Do:
1. In medium-large saucepan, pour all ingredients and stir constantly over medium heat, so the caramel doesn't burn. Stir until caramel is dissolved. No need to bring cider to a boil. Serve warm.

* Best served with whipped cream and dash of cinnamon on top. YUM!

If you want this for entertaining, I have it figured out for 65 people:
4 (1) gallon each Indian Summer Apple Cider
2 jars caramel
1 pint whipping cream
2 tbsp cinnamon extract
2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Sorry about the crappy picture. I took it with my phone in bad lighting.

A HUGE shout out to Melessa Paynter for this fabulous recipe!