Queso Dip

In college, we used to splurge and buy Queso Dip on special occasions...(I think it was about a dollar more than Salsa)...Awwwh the good old days when high class meant the expensive tortilla chips!!

2 lb Velveeta Cheese
2 can diced tomatoes with Green Chilies, drained
(Rot-tel or Del Monte are both nice.)
2 lb hamburger
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Brown the hamburger. Dice the Velveeta cheese. Combine all four ingredients in a saucepan and cook until it is hot all the way through. You can also put all the ingredients in a crockpot and put it on high for an hour or so. You are just heating the cheese through. Serve with chips.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

I've made my displeasure for blue box Mac and Cheese known on many occasions. I hate that stuff. I suppose I'd eat it if I was stranded in a desert and was trying to make it home to my husband and kids, but I would complain and gag the whole time. That being said, I do enjoy homemade Mac and Cheese...the kind you make with real cheese...not powder!! This is a pretty good recipe for Mac and Cheese. The kids love it, too.

1 package (8 oz) elbow macaroni
1/4c butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4c flour
2c milk
8 oz Swiss Cheese

Cook the macaroni as directed on package. In a frying pan, saute onion in butter. Add salt and pepper. Stir in flour and cook over low heat. Stir in milk. Cube cheese and stir into mixture. In a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, mil the macaroni and cheese sauce. Bake at 375˚F for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

It's that time of year again...when the pumpkins are in season and all the trees are lovely shades of yellow, orange, and red. I love this time of year. It's the time of year that I start putting pumpkin in everything!!!

2 1/2c Bisquick
1c milk
2 eggs
1c pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin)
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp cinnamno
1/2 tsp nutmeg

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, and eggs. Mix in the spices. Add the bisquick. The consistence of your batter is going to vary depending on how "wet" your pumpkin puree is. Don't be afraid to add a bit more bisquick to get your batter to a good consistency for pancakes.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using about 1/8-1/4 of a cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides. Serve hot with syrup.

Goulash Soup

The Goulash we ate growing up was a concoction of macaroni noodles, tomato sauce, and hamburger. Kinda like Spaghetti, but all mixed together and made with a mysterious packet of powder Mom bought on the spice aisle. It was alright, but imagine my surprise when I ordered this while stationed in Germany. Hmmmmm....the beef, the peppers, and potatoes simmered in this yummy broth and served with crusty bread. This was not my mother's Goulash, but it was heavenly!

3T butter or oil
1 lb beef (cut into 1" cubes)
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp paprika
2 Bay leaves
1 Tbs lemon juice
4c beef stock
2c water
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
3T tomato paste

Brown meat in butter. Remove meat, leave the drippings. Saute onions in drippings until translucent. Add garlic, peppers, and tomato paste. Saute for 10 minutes. Add caraway seeds, paprika, and lemon juice. (The is where the original recipe tells you to run the soup through a blender and return it to the pot, but I like it better chunky so I skip this step.) Throw beef and all your sauted vegetables in a pot. Add beef stock, water, and bay leaves. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add potatoes. Simmer an additional 45 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.