Creamy Pumpkin Pie

Ok I don't have step by step pictures. Give me a few weeks and if you really want them, it will have to wait for Thanksgiving. This is however a picture of the pie.





1 Cup canned pumpkin
½ Cup cold milk
1 5¼ oz. Pkg. vanilla instant pudding
1t. Pumpkin pie spice
2½ cups cool whip-thawed

1 graham cracker piecrust

Combine pumpkin, milk, pudding, & pumpkin pie spice in small bowl. Beat at lowest speed of mixer until well blended, about 1 minute. Fold in 2-½ cups cool whip (I use 3 ½ cups).Spoon into crust. Freeze until firm. About 4 hours. Top with remaining cool whip... Or just plop a spoonful on top of each pie.

Cranberry Chicken

This is one of those recipes that I love because it has very few ingredients, and you can throw it all in a crockpot.

Ingredients:
8oz Catalina dressing (I used Russian here)
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 envelope Lipton onion soup
1/3 c water in dressing bottle
chicken breasts (as many or as few as you want) (can be frozen)


Directions:
Dump it all in the crockpot. Stir if you are feeling like putting a little effort in (Probably won't effect it one way or the other). Cook on low for about 4 hours, or until chicken is done. Serve over rice. Sorry I don't have a picture of the finished product, but the kids gobbled it up before I could reach for the camera.
NOTE: You can cook this in the oven. Using thawed chicken, mix all the ingredients and bake in a dish for one hour at 350 degrees.

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 lb ground beef
1 onion finely chopped
3/4 c shredded carrots
4 celery ribs finely chopped
1 Tsp basil
1 Tsp parsley
6 c. chicken broth
8 c cubed potatoes
3 c. milk
3-4 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large pot, combine butter, hamburger, onion, carrots and celery.

Cook and stir until beef is browned. Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are done (about 12-15 minutes).

Add milk and cheese. Stir until cheese melts, without bringing to a boil. Serve. It will need salt and pepper, but I'm never sure how much, so I give it a few shakes while I'm cooking the soup, and then let everyone season it as they please. Makes enough for my family to have 2 bowls and still have leftovers.

HAMBURGER VEGETABLE SOUP
5 Cups water
6 Beef Bullion Cubes
1 regular size can diced tomatoes
I cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup sliced celery
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried minced onion

Place above ingredients in 3 quart saucepan, cover and boil for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, brown 3/4 pound hamburger and drain.

Add browned hamburger and 3/4 cup frozen peas. Boil an additional 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.

This is an easy meal to fix when you get home really tired - takes only 40 minutes start to finish.