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.

Big Ed's Cajun Shrimp Soup

Recipe Name: Big Ed's Cajun Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 chopped green pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 clove garlic or more
3 cups tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (V-8)
1 8 oz. bottle clam juice
1/2 c water
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c uncooked white rice
3/4 - 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Hot pepper sauce to taste

Instructions:
1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute green bell pepper, celery, onions, and garlic until tender. Stir in V-8 juice, clam juice, and water. Season with thyme, basil, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, and stir in rice. Reduce heat, and cover. Simmer 15 minutes until rice is tender.

2. Stir in shrimp, and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Remove the bay leaf, and season with hot sauce if you desire.

(I used three 15 oz. cans of V-8 juice, and skipped the water. I also added a tsp. of sugar to get rid of the acidy taste.) I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it had a 5 star rating and they were right. It is good soup and the bonus is that it is easy and low fat.)

Apricot Cream Jello

Recipe Name: Apricot Cream Jello

Ingredients:
2 small boxes apricot jello or 1 large
1 lg box lemon instant pudding
cool whip

Instructions:
Follow directions for 2 small boxes or 1 large box of Apricot Jello. ( I usually use about 1/2 cup less water so it will be sure to set). Make one box of lemon instant pudding according to directions on package. Add together while warm. Chill half a day. Top with Cool Whip.

Raspberry jello

Recipe Name: Raspberry jello

I haven't made any jello recipes in a long time and then we had this jello cook-off thing at church. I'll post a couple of my favorites... both very easy and very good.

Ingredients:
10 oz frozen raspberries
1/2 c powdered sugar
8 oz. cool whip
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg raspberry jello

Instructions:
Boil 1 cup water. Mix with jello until dissolved (about 2 minutes). Add frozen berries. In separate bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cool whip. Mix until smooth. Combine with jello and pour into 8 inch square dish. Refrigerate until set.