Witches Brew Dinner

Witches Brew Dinner - Adapted from Bev Rankin

1 small to medium pumpkin
1 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 pounds ground beef
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked rice
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained (optional)
1 can slice mushrooms (optional)
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp parlsey

Cut off top of pumpkin and thoroughly clean out seeds and pulp. If desired draw a face on outside of pumpkin with permanent marker or acrylic paint. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet saute onions and peppers. Add hamburger and brown.
Drain drippings and add soy sauce, brown sugar, and soup.
Simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add rice, water chestnut, mushrooms and parsley.
Spoon mixture into cleaned out pumpkin shell.
Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin with filling on a baking sheet.

Bake 1 hour at 350 or when the inside of pumpkin is tender.

OREO & Fudge Ice Cream Cake

OREO & Fudge Ice Cream Cake - from Kraft Foods

1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
8 OREO Cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

Pour fudge topping into medium bowl. Whisk in 1 cup whipped topping. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. Stir in chopped cookies.

Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; top with half the whipped topping mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sandwiches. Frost top and sides with remaining whipped topping. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet.

Freeze 4 hours or until firm.

Chicken & Biscuits

Chicken & Biscuits - from Kraft Foods

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup Sour Cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg.(16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup all-purpose baking mix
3 Tbsp. milk

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Combine soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, vegetables and cheese.

Mix baking mix, remaining sour cream and milk just until mixture forms soft dough.

Spoon into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 min. or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

Easy Chili

Easy Chili - Hillbilly Housewife

1 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
15 or 28 oz can of tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
4 cups cooked pinto or kidney beans(see note below)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp dry parsley (optional)

Get out a big pot, four quarts or bigger. Plop the ground beef and the chopped onion into the bottom of the pot and start frying it over medium heat. Break it up into small chunks as you cook it. When it is all the way brown and grey, with not a speck of pink left, drain off the fat. Open up the canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Add their contents to the big pot on the stove. Also add about 2 or three cups of water for simmering. Add the beans(canned or home cooked), chili powder, salt and pepper (and parsley if you like). Stir it all up and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the chili merely simmers, and allow it to cook, covered or not, for about an hour. It will be edible in 20 minutes, but tastes better after longer simmering.

To serve, you can ladle this over bowls of hot rice, or you can serve it in soup bowls with big wedges of cornbread dripping with margarine. Either way, it’s mighty fine eating. Serves 6 or 8.

NOTE: Measure up about 1-1/2 cups of pinto beans or kidney beans, or a combination. Put them in a big pot on the stove with plenty of water and bring them to a boil. Allow them to boil for a minute or two. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let them sit for at least an hour. After that you simmer them for about an hour or two, watching that they don’t run out of water. When they are tender, they are done.

If you decide to use canned beans, use at least two 15 oz cans, better to use 3 or 4 though. I’ve used pinto and kidney beans most often, but have substituted black beans, northern beans, pork’n'beans, and others as necessary.

Our Classic Layered Summer Salad

Our Classic Layered Summer Salad - adapted from Kraft Foods

8 cups chopped lettuce
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 pkg (6 oz) chopped ham
8 slices of bacon, crumbled
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup parmesan
1 Tbsp sugar

Layer salad in large clear bowl lettuce, 1 cup cheese, tomatoes, peas, ham and 1/2 bacon.

In a medium bowl mix, parmesan and sugar. Spread mix over salad to seal in flavors; cover. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon just before serving. Makes 12 servings, 1 cup each.

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak - from Kraft Foods

2 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 egg whites
2 cups water, divided
1 Tbsp. oil
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Mix meat, stuffing mix, onion, egg whites and 1-1/2 cups of the water until well blended. Shape into 8 (5-inch) patties.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add patties; cook 6 min. on each side or until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Drain fat from skillet.

Combine barbecue sauce, remaining 1/2 cup water, the Worcestershire sauce and pepper; pour evenly over patties. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook an additional 5 min. or until sauce is slightly thickened and heated through.

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup - from My Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

*Serves 4
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots)
3 cups chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) cream cheese
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes.

Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn't burn.

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft/melty. I usually place the unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwave it for one minute at 30% power. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well.

Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.