Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

All you really had to say to convince me to make this cheese ball was bacon & ranch! That's it and I was convinced it would be delicious and it was!! The evening that I made this appetizer we had some friends over and I think my friends husband and I could have eaten the whole thing ourselves. ;) It's addicting for all you ranch lovers like us out there. Definitely should make for your next party. I know I will. There are a lot of different cheese balls out in the recipe world. What is your favorite?

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz each) packages cream cheese (I used the fat free)
1 (1 oz.) packet dry buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced
5 pieces of turkey bacon, fried and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped black olives, optional
pecans or almonds, finely chopped for coating

Instructions:
Combine all the above ingredients except for the pecans or almonds.
After the ingredients are combined roll them all into a ball.
Lay out your chopped nuts on a flat surface.
Roll your cheese ball in the nuts until the ball is covered.

Recipe Source: Favorite Food Recipes

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Last Saturday night we watched the Texas Longhorns play football as a family. It's so much fun to see all the boys get so excited about a game wearing their burnt orange shirts. I absolutely love this time of year and watching football together. And there isn't a better meal to eat while watching a game than chicken wings! This recipe is messy, but easy & delicious! It is given the thumbs up from the men in my family. I hope that you enjoy them as well. What are you favorite types of wings? We love Buffalo sauce on ours.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 chicken wings
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Franks Buffalo Wing sauce

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
3. Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.
4. For more crispy wings broil for 5 minutes after they are done cooking or until you get the desired crisp that you are wanting. 

Source: All Recipes

Bean & Corn Salsa

I made this dip to go along with Pork Carnitas (that I will share with you tomorrow) and it is truly addictive!! Is so easy too. Throw everything into a bowl the night before and it's ready to serve the next day with your meal. It would be a perfect appetizer at a football party or your next bar b que.

Ingredients:

• 1 can black-eyed peas – drained & rinsed
• 1 can black beans – drained & rinsed
• 1 can yellow corn – drained
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes – do not drain
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 – 8oz. bottle Italian salad dressing

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Celebrations at Home

World's Best Queso

My step daughter told me about some queso that she had that was the BEST! I asked her what was different about it and she was told that there was cream of mushroom soup and that was all she could remember. Well, shortly after that I ran across a pin on Pinterest that was titled The Greatest Queso That Ever Lived and sure enough I looked at the ingredients and there was the cream of mushroom soup. I made the queso the other night and I must say it is pretty good. I don't think I will ever be able to just put Rotel and ground beef in my queso again.  ;)  The added cream cheese and ground sausage (that's what I chose instead of ground beef) made this dip delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 block (32 Oz. Block) Velveeta Cheese
• 1 package (8 Oz. Package) Cream Cheese
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel
• 1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 1 pound Ground Beef OR Sausage (or A Combination Of Both)

Brown ground beef or sausage (or both) in a pan over medium heat and set aside. Cut up the Velveeta and cream cheese into cubes and place into a crock pot. Pour in the Rotel and the cream of mushroom soup and stir ingredients together. Place the crock pot on low setting for an hour, letting the ingredients meld. After about 30 minutes, add the browned meat and continue to let cook, stirring as needed. 

Source: Tasty Kitchen

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Seven Layer Dip

 Do Not leave me alone with this dish!! I swear I will eat the whole thing!! I love every layer by itself so when you put it all together I go crazy. ;)

Ingredients by layer:
Layer 1: Refried beans (I use Old Elpaso)
Layer 2: Guacamole
Layer 3: Sour Cream
Layer 4: Rotel tomatoes
Layer 5: Mexican Cheese
Layer 6: Black Olives
Layer 7: Cilantro or Green Onions

Directions:
In a 8x8 or 9x13 dish spoon each layer on top of each other. We love to eat our dip with Tostitos tortilla chips.

Queso Blanco

 

I am a Velveeta cheese dip lover! I know, I know processed cheese is pretty icky but if you put some queso in front of me with Rotel, ground beef and a cold beer....  I will not turn it down. ;) YUMMY! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. ;)
So, that being said, I was stepping out of my comfort zone making a different type of queso the other night. This one is made with an American white cheese (which I found in the deli), green chili peppers and jalapenos! You could easily add Rotel or ground beef to this recipe, but I must say it's pretty good just the way it is. My whole family devoured it that night! Hope you like it too. Have a great day.

Ingredients:

1 1/4    pounds  white American cheese ( block cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes)
1    Can (4 oz) canned green chili peppers ( diced )
2    jalapeno peppers ( chopped )
2/3    cup half and half
1/2    cup cold  water

Directions:

Toss all ingredients into a microwavable-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. It might appear runny at first, but it will thicken up as it starts to cool down.
Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Source: Six Sisters Stuff 
 

Italian Sausage and Cheese Lasagna Rolls

 

Aren't these so pretty!! I love the way these rolls turn out every time I cook them. They look so fancy. ;) This is such a unique and delicious lasagna dish. The individual rolls are a fun and different way of eating lasagna. I have experimented with this recipe a few times and it never seems to go wrong. You can put spinach, chicken, mushrooms, hamburger meat or just what ever sounds good. I have even used Alfredo sauce (Chicken Alfredo Roll Ups) instead of pasta sauce and it really spices things up a bit!! :) These rolls I served  alongside garlic bread, & Cesar salad. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

 

Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles
1-2 jars of pasta sauce depending on how much sauce you like
15oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grate Parmesan (I'm always overly generous with cheese so I do more than a fourth) ;)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 lb Italian Sausage
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Brown your Italian sausage in a skillet.

Boil you lasagna noodles according to your package directions.

While the pasta is cooking combine your cheese, egg & sausage in a bowl. (I leave a little bit of the sausage out so that I can crumble it on top of the rolls.)

When the pasta is done drain, and then lay them on parchment paper side by side. Carefully spoon the mixture onto each noodle evenly. Roll up and place in a greased 9 x13 that has a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom.

Top with remaining sauce, cheese, and sausage crumbles. Bake 45 minutes.

Stuffed Chicken, Black Bean, & Corn Quesadillas

 

My husband and I LOVED this recipe and ate on it for several days!!  The stuffing made a lot and it was just the two of us eating this meal so we had left over for a couple of lunches and neither of us complained. The quesadillas are easy and very tasty! You could easily serve these as a main dish, as a side, or appetizers. It's very versatile! :)

Ingredients:
8 burrito sized tortillas
2 large chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1 can Rotel
15 oz can black beans, drained, and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, do not thaw
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
salsa
guacamole

Directions:

I slow cook my chicken in Rotel tomatoes for 4 hours on high until I can easily shred with a fork.  This seasons your chicken perfectly for a dish like this one.

In a food processor, chop parsley and red onion.

 
Dump diced onion and parsley into a large mixing bowl. Mix in black beans, frozen corn, taco seasoning, and cheese until well blended.

Place 1/2 cup filling on half of a tortilla and fold. Cook over medium heat on a non-stick griddle. Flip when cheese has begun to melt and cook an additional 2 minutes. Repeat for remaining tortillas and filling. Allow to cool slightly, and slice each quesadilla in half with a pizza cutter. Serve with shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole, & sour cream.

Source: Mostly Homemade Mom

Seasoned Party Crackers

 

Oh my goodness, if you are on any type of diet don't even bother making these little bits of goodness! They are so delicious and addicting. You CAN NOT eat just one!! My family loves having them out at every holiday or vacation to snack on. I keep them in a glass jar in the kitchen and you can constantly hear the clinking of the lid closing as someone tries to sneak just a few more.

Hidden Valley Ranch Oyster Crackers

Ingredients:
12-16 oz oyster crackers
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Recipe
1/4 tsp lemon-pepper
1/2- 1 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 - 1 cup salad oil

Directions:
Combine Hidden Valley Ranch mix and oil; add dill weed, garlic powder and lemon pepper. Pour over crackers, stir to coat. Place in warm oven for 15-20 minutes.

Source: My Sweet Mom :)

 

Devil Crackers:

Ingredients:
2 gallon zip lock bags
1 box saltine crackers
2 cups canola oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder or garlic salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 package ranch dressing mix (dry)

Directions:
Place two sleeves of crackers in each zip lock bag.

Mix together oil, garlic powder/salt, pepper flakes and dry ranch dressing.

Pour 1 cup into each zip lock bag over the crackers. Seal zip lock and turn bag over and over coating the crackers. About every 15 minutes flip zip lock over again doing this for a couple of hours.

Place paper towels in bottom of air tight container and pout 1 bag in container. Place paper towels over crackers and pour 2nd bag over towels.

Source: Ms Margaret (my son's Mothers Day Out coordinator)

Taquito's

 

My family LOVES taco's. We love both beef and chicken taco meat. I make our meat using McCormick's Taco Seasoning, which is what I used for this recipe instead of the ingredients given below. You can buy it for both beef or chicken. It is so good! I use the meat in taco shells, on nacho's, chalupas, and even in crescent rolls all bundled up into a little piece of heaven. ;) This recipes has you putting the meat into flour tortillas and placing them in the oven to get a little crispy on the outside. Yummy!! One thing though, that we learned, was to let them cool for a bit. We got so excited to try these that we took big bites and burned our mouths because they were still piping hot inside. Please be careful and let them cool. :)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing on taquitos
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1 cup salsa, plus more for dipping
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
10 flour tortillas or you could use corn
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack
Sour Cream & Guacamole (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook them for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the beef and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to break it up while it cooks, until it is no longer red, about 3 minutes.

(I substituted the following with the taco seasoning) Stir in 1/2 cup salsa, the chili powder, and the salt and pepper. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes.

Place the tortillas on a plate and cover them with damp paper towels. Microwave them until warm and pliable, about 45 seconds. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the beef mixture, spreading it to an inch from the edges. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the beef.

Roll up the tortillas and place them on a foil lined baking sheet with the seam sides down. Brush the taquitos lightly with vegetable oil, then bake them until the filling is heated through and the tortillas are lightly browned, about 8-12 minutes. Serve them hot with sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa.

Recipe adapted from: Six Sisters Stuff