Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

This dessert is one word........AMAZING!!!!! Andrew's Grandma Wibbeler fixes this every now and then and I love it so much! SO good in the summer! So refreshing!

What you need:
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

What you do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time. To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.

I am sure that several of you have either had this or you make it also. If you have any variations, I would love to know what they are....I love trying new things!

Stuffed Green Peppers

This is a recipe that I have been looking forward to trying for a long time and still have not tried, however, they look good and I wanted to share them with you. If you get to try them soon, let me know what you think!

What you need:
Green Peppers (with the mix, I'd say you could make 10-121 lb hamburger
1 onion
1 can tomato sauce
1 box yellow rice
Mozzarella Cheese

What you do:
Wash your bell peppers, cut off the tops and scrap out the insides. Dice onion. I went the quick route and made my rice in the microwave. 1 box of yellow rice, 2 Tbsp butter, 2.5 cups of water. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook on P-6 for an additional 15 minutes. Fry up hamburger and onions. Drain grease. Give your rice a good 'fluff'. Add tomato sauce and rice to the hamburger and onions. Add some cheese to the bottom of your bell peppers. Fill with mixture. Top with additional Mozzarella, and bake until at 350 until cheese is melted. (Don't forget to line your cookie sheet with foil for easy clean up). Enjoy!!!!!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball or Dip

With the holidays just around the coroner, I though it was a great time to start sharing ideas for parties. So many of us have parties to attend and most of the time I like to take an appetizer or two so I am going to be posting many holiday "extras" recipes!

This recipe was taken from Kelly Stamps at Kelly's Korner. She posted it on her blog, I tried it, and it is too good to not share!

What you need:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

What you do:
In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving. But it can be hard to form a ball so I skipped the nuts and just put the mixture in a bowl. (I think it's better that way!)

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

This is an easy meal that has easy ingredients........what more could you ask for?

What you need:
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
12 (6") corn tortillas
2+ cups shredded sharp cheddar

What you do:
Sauté onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and next 7 ingredients; remove from heat.Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces; layer one-third of tortilla pieces in bottom of a lightly greased 13" x 9" dish. Top with one-third of chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat layers twice ending with a layer of cheese.

Bake at 375° for 30 to 35 minutes. Freezes well and is yummy with a dollop of sour cream :)