Cherry Cake

This recipe has been in my family many years. It is not a cake at all and is more on the order of cheesecake so I am not for sure how it got its name. It is one of our family's and especially my husband's favorite dessert.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)

1 1/4 cup chopped pecans

2 envelopes of Dream Whip

1 8oz cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

2 cans cherry pie filling ( you can use blueberry or strawberry if desired. We prefer the original cherry)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter. Add flour and pecans to butter, mix well. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely. Mix Dream Whip according to package directions. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar, then add to Dream Whip and mix until well blended. Spread over cooled crust. Spread pie filling over top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate.

Cheesy Ranch Potato Bake

I got this recipe from Allrecipes. com. I changed a few things. This is a really good recipe and great side dish.

Ingredients:

4 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes ( I left the skin on but it would be just as good without)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt ( I used Lawrey's Season Salt)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 tablespoons butter, cubed ( I used margarine)

1 (8 oz) package shredded colby-monterey jack cheese blend ( I used cheddar and I used a bit more than 8 oz.)

1 (8 oz) bottle Ranch dressing ( I used buttermilk ranch dressing that I made from the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix packet)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Place the potatoes in the baking dish. Season with chili powder, salt, and pepper. Evenly distribute the butter over the potatoes. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and mix in the cheese and ranch dressing. Continue cooking 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Fall Snack Mix

I found this recipe on a recipe blog called Sunday Baker a couple of weeks ago. I finally got around to making it tonight and it is so good. If you would like to check out Sunday Baker's blog post for it go to http://comeandpeek.blogspot.com/2008/08/fall-snack-mix.html, she has step by step photos of the complete recipe.

Ingredients:

1 box of peanut butter Ritz

1 bag of mini-pretzels, any preferred shape

1 large jar of roasted peanuts or any nut variety you prefer ( I just used the Walmart brand party peanuts and I used half of a can, I think pecans would be wonderful in this recipe)

1 bag of M&M's ( I always buy mine from Sam's Club so I just used 2 cups from my big bag)

1 bag of candy corn

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup butter (I used real butter not margarine)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray. In the roasting pan, mix the pretzels, peanut butter Ritz, and peanuts.

In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will sputter and foam up so be careful. Pour the hot mixture over the pretzel mix. Stir to coat everything. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, stirring mixture after the first 15 minutes. Pour onto wax paper immediately after removing from the oven. Let it cool for a few minutes and then start breaking apart the pieces that are stuck together. Let cool completely. Put into a large bowl and mix in M&Ms and candy corn.

Slow-Cooked Chili

This is not a traditional chili but it is our favorite chili recipe. I got this recipe from Mr. Food many years ago. It is so easy to make. You basically dump almost all the ingredients in a slow cooker(crock pot) and let it cook. It's a great recipe for days when you don't have time to cook or just don't feel like cooking.

You will need:

2 pounds boneless beef chuck or round, cut into 1/2 inch peices ( I just buy stew meat that is already cut up therefore saving me more time)

2 cans (15.5oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed ( I have never used the beans because I don't like them)

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel is the name brand for these tomatoes)

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 medium onion chopped ( I have never used the onion either as my husband doesn't like onions and there is plenty of onion in the salsa)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup thick and chunky salsa( any kind that you like will work, I usually use Pace Picante Sauce as we prefer that to salsa - I use Medium heat which gives this chili a bit more spice)

The following ingredients are optional. Mr. Food did not include them in his recipe, however, I never serve this chili without them.

Fritos

Shredded cheddar cheese

diced onion

sour cream

In a 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 quart slow cooker, combine all the ingredients except the salsa; mix well. Cover and cook on high setting for 5 to 5 1/2 hours, or on low setting for 8 to 9 hours, until beef is tender. Just before serving, stir in the salsa; cook for 2-3 minutes, until heated through.

Serve in a bowl topped with the optional ingredients of your choice.