Chicken Tortilla Soup Like Max and Erma's

I found this recipe one evening after having a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup at Max and Erma's. It was so good but I didn't want to have to go to the restaurant just to have this soup. I figured there must be copycat recipe on the internet and of course there was. This recipe is from Robbie's Recipe Collection at http://recipes.robbiehaf.com. It tastes very similar to the restaurant version, in fact, I've never been back to the restaurant.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk ( I use 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream)

8 oz. Velveeta - cubed

10 oz. can RoTel tomatoes and chilies

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded ( I don't shred my chicken, I prefer chunks instead)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

flour tortillas - as needed, about 4-6 or Fritos

shredded colby jack cheese or mexican blend cheese (I use cheddar) - as needed

In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring often for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in small amounts of chicken broth at a time, then whisk in milk. Stir in the spices (the orginal recipe says to stir in the spices after adding the Velveeta, I find it easier to add them in after the milk as they do not clump up like they do when the Velveeta is added first). Reduce heat to low and stir in Velveeta cubes, stir until melted. Stir in RoTel and chicken. Once the soup is heated through, it is ready to serve at this point. However, if you wish to make tortilla strips, it can sit over low heat while they are made. Stir the soup occasionally. For the tortilla strips, cut tortillas into strips and deep fry in 350 degree vegetable or peanut oil until golden, then drain on cooling racks. I never use tortilla strips, I find that Fritos taste just as good and saves me some time. Ladle soup into bowls and top with shredded cheese and tortilla strips or Fritos.

Chicken and Stuffing Bake

Chicken and Stuffing Bake is an easy casserole that is just good comfort food. I got this recipe from my mom years ago and I am not for sure where she got it from. Also, I just made up the name because she just gave me the ingredients list. My picture is of a half a batch not a full one. This is a great recipe if you have left over cooked chicken.

Ingredients:

Cooked chicken(about 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1/2 can(6oz) of evaporated milk

Stove Top Stuffing Mix - made according to directions ( I always use 2 boxes for a full batch, I don't think one is enough)

season salt and pepper to taste

Mix chicken, soup, milk, season salt and pepper. Place in greased 9x13 baking dish and top with cooked stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Shrimp Cheese Ball

This recipe has been in my family for years. My mom always served it up at Christmas time and New Years Eve. I always looked forward to this dip.

Ingredients:

6 oz cream cheese softened

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. finely chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp. mustard

dash of salt and pepper

1 can of shrimp, drained (It's best to use a good quality canned shrimp. I used the Great Value brand from Walmart and it was not as good.)

finely chopped pecans to roll cheese ball in, optional

crackers of your choice

Mix all ingredients except pecans together. Refrigerate. As you can tell from my photo I did not shape the dip into a ball. That was because I was just serving this at home. For a prettier presentation you can shape the dip into a ball and roll in finely chopped pecans. Also, this dip does need to be made up ahead of time as it needs to chill for a few hours for the flavors to come together. Serve with your favorite crackers. My favorite crackers to serve with this dip is Wheat Thins.

Easy Ham and Cheese Appetizer Sandwiches

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com but changed it up to suit our tastes. These little sandwiches have quickly become a family favorite and I serve them up for meals not just as appetizers. I read in the comments section of Allrecipes.com for this recipe that once the sandwiches are put together you can freeze them at that point. Then when you need a quick meal or appetizer just pull them out of the freezer to thaw and bake as directed.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened

1 -2 tsp. of onion powder ( I don't measure this, so this is just a guess as to the amount I use, I just sprinkle it in.)

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of prepared Dijon style mustard

2 (12oz.) packages white party rolls

1 pound sliced honey ham from the deli

1 package or 12 slices of swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, onion powder, worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard. Slice rolls in half horizontally and set aside tops. Arrange bottoms in a single layer in 11x15 baking dish. Spread bottoms with the butter mixture. Top with ham and swiss cheese. Replace tops. Cover with foil and bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted(The baking time has always been more like 15-20 minutes in my oven).

Ranch Dip

This is an easy and yummy dip. It only takes 5 ingredients and is so simple to make. Serve it with your favorite crackers. Our favorite crackers to serve with it are the Keebler Club Snack Sticks in original and honey wheat flavors.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup milk

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

1 envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

1 8oz fancy shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the first 4 ingredients in stand mixer or with hand mixer. Stir in cheddar cheese. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Holiday Monster Cookies

I saw this recipe yesterday at Tasty Kitchen.com and I just got done making them. They are so good. They are so pretty, too. They are a flourless cookie, which intrigued me and all the ingredients of oatmeal, peanut butter, coconut, chocolate chips, and m&ms.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. baking soda ( I normally leave out baking soda in all my cookies but I added it in these and would not leave it out)

1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

4 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats ( I used quick cooking)

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup M&Ms, divided

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. According to the recipe on Tasty Kitchen you mix the ingredients together in the order listed but reserve half of the M&Ms. I creamed the butter and sugars, added eggs and vanilla. Then I added the baking soda, peanut butter, oats, and coconut and mixed. Next, I added the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup M&Ms and mixed. Drop by rounded tablespoons(I used my medium cookie scoop) onto baking sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in cold water. Press a few of the reserved M&Ms into the top of the cookies that have no M&Ms showing( I did this on all the cookies and ended up needing a little more than 1/2 cup). Bake 10-12 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. These cookies are best slightly under-done, so err on the side of taking them out too soon rather than letting them get overdone.