Grasshopper Pie

20 oreo cookies (40 halves, filling discarded, cookie crushed
5 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup hot milk
24 large marshmallows
1/4 cup creme de menthe liqueur
2 Tbsp white creme de cacao
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
optional:  A drop or two of green food dye.

Preheat oven to 425 F.  In a bowl, mix crushed orea cookies halves and butter.  Pat into bottom and sides of a 10 inch pie dish.  Bake in oven for 5 to 10 minutes; remove from oven and cool completely.  Once cooled, place in freezer to chill.

In a sauce pan, melt marshmallows in milk over medium heat.  Remove from heat and cool.  Add creme de menthe and creme de cacao, and mix well.  Add a drop or two of green food dye if desired.  Fold in whipped cream.  Pour into chilled pie shell.  Freeze for 3 or 4 hours.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Note:

We cheated and bought an oreo cookie crust that we just walked by in the grocery store and saw.....so that was nice.

Kelly and I are teaching Olya to cook and she really enjoys being in the kitchen.  So this was a fun evening and our dessert for the meal.  I had never had a Grasshopper Pie, it was really good.  Kelly said he made one as a pot luck dish when he was in graduate school......hahaha  So it had been a few years since he had eaten a Grasshopper Pie.  It was enjoyed by all with that great mint flavor.  Easy and tasty!

Chocolate Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2-½ sticks Butter, Softened
 2 cups Sugar
2 whole Eggs
3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
 2 cups Flour
 ¾ cups Cocoa Powder
 1-½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1-½ cup Good Quality Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
2 cups Good Quality White Chocolate Chips

 Preparation Instructions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, scraping the sides once. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients, then add in batches to the mixer, mixing until just combined after each addition.Gently blend in chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Using a cookie scoop, add 1 tablespoon portions to baking sheet. Dot the top of each cookie with 3 white chocolate chips if you’d like them to really show up on top. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are barely done but still soft and chewy. Let cool on a baking rack. Yummy!

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 12 Minutes Servings 36 Difficulty Easy

Crunch Fiesta Chicken Casserole

1 lb. shredded chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. salsa
1  small can chopped green chilis
2 c. pepper jack cheese
2 c. tortilla strips or crumbled chips

Combine first 5 ingredients with 1 c. cheese.  Put into an 8 x 8 sprayed pan and cover with other cup of cheese and chips.  Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. 

Can be served with additional sour cream, grenn onions, or avacado slices.

This recipe is very easy and really tasty.

Crockpot Spinach Dip

2 (10 oz.) frozen spinach - thawed & squeezed
1 (16 oz.) pepper jack Velvetta
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 3 oz. cream cheese
1 T. garlic powder

Combine.  Cook on low for 3 - 4 hrs.  Stirring once in a while.

We had this on Christmas Eve at Tami and Lynn's house and it was a big big hit!

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix  

1 (3 ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin

1 (15 ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

4 large eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup water

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

¼ cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream, cheese, softened

1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

½ teaspoon strawberry extract

7 cups confectioners’ sugar

Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease 2 (9 inch) round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin.  Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.  Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick instered in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium spreed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Beat in ¼ cup of the strawberry puree and the strawberry extract.  (the rest of the puree is leftover but can e used in smoothies or on ice cream for a treat).  Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.

Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake.  Garnish with slices fresh strawberries, if desired.

Note:  I made this for a birthday cake and it was a hit.  You may need to play with the icing, it was a bit thick, then I got it too thin.  If I made it again I would possibly double the cake recipe and have a 4 layered cake.   Then you may need to have more frosting but it make a lot of frosting.  Also you must like strawberries to like this cake.

Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Cake

1 cup butter, softened
1  3/4 cups sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1  1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1  1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 2 (9 inch) cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.  In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla with a mixer until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.  Spoon batter into prepared pans.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.  At this point, cake layers may be frozen for easier cutting.  To put cake together, split layers in half horizontally.  Place one layer, cut side down, on a serving plate.  Spread with a thin layer of Chocolate Frosting.  Spread one-fourth of Strawberry Sauce over frosting.  Repeat layers once.  Stack Chocolate Cheesecake layer, top side down, on cake.  Spread cheesecake with a thin layer of frosting and one-fourth of Strawberry Sauce.  Top with a third cake layer, cut side down.  Spread with a thin layer of frosting and remaining Strawberry Sauce; top with remaining cake layer.  Spread top and sides of cake with remaining Chocolate Frosting.  Garnish with strawberries.  Store cake, covered in refrigerator.

Chocolate Frosting

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa with a mixer until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth.  Gradually add heavy cream, beating until smooth.

Strawberry Sauce

1 (12 oz.) package frozen strawberries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. lemon juice
3 T. strawberry preserves

In a saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in preserves until preserves melt.  Can strain through a sieve to discard solids.  I didn't do this and tasted fine.  Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.  The original recipe called for raspberries instead of strawberries.  Either can be used.

Chocolate Cheesecake

1/4 cup butter
6  (1 oz) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
2  (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1  (8 oz) container sour cream

Spray a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick spray with flour.  Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; spray paper with nonstick baking spray with flour.  In a saucepan, combine butter and chopped chocolate; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Remove from heat; set aside to cool.  Preheat oven to 300.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, cocoa and vanilla with a mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in chocolate mixture and sour cream until combined.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Turn oven off, and let cheesecake stand in oven with door closed, for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.  Run a knife around edge of cheesecake to release sides.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before removing cheesecake from pan.  Cheesecake may be made ahead and frozen up to 2 month.  If the cheesecake is not level, simply use a knfe to trim it flat.  Use the same round cake pan as used for the cake layers so all layers will be the same width.

Tailgate Dip

1 red popper

2 jalapenos (unseeded)

1 can of corn

1/2 can diced olives

16 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dip seasoning mix

 

OK, this is a pinterest recipe and it's good.  Just throw everything in a bowl and mix.  Serve with crackers or corn chips.  The dip is thick and can be spread on a cracker but if you are good you can get it with a chip.  Enjoy!

 

Note:  I only used 1 jalapeno and took out the seeds because I didn't want it to be to hot for me.....hahaha