Taco Pasta Salad

1 package (16 ounces) spiral pasta
1 pound ground turkey or sausage
3/4 cup water
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 bottle (16 ounces) Catalina dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add water and taco seasoning; simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.
 Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add sausage mixture, cheese, green pepper, onion, tomato and olives; mix well. Add the dressing and toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos - from Alison's Pantry

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans, drained
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained
2 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 1/4 C frozen corn kernels
2 14.5 oz cans Ro-tel
3 Tblsp Taco Seasoning
1 Tblsp Cumin
1 Tblsp Chili Power
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 small can chili peppers, chopped
1 package hard or soft taco shells

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, ro-tel and taco seasoning in a slow cooker.  Place chicken on top and cover.  Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for  hours.  A half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.  Return chicken to slow cooker and stir.  Serve in the taco shells.  Serves 12

Crock Pot Meatloaf ..

2 lbs ground beef or turkey
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 C milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 slices bread, crumbled or torn into small pieces
1/2 C diced onion
1 envelope dry Ranch Dressing mix
1/2 C ketchup

Directions:
Mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Allow to soften (about 20 minutes). Combine this mixture with ground beef, onion, ranch pack, and ketchup. Mound in a greased crockpot. Cover the top of the mixture with additional ketchup. Put the cover on and turn crockpot on high for 15 minutes, then reduce to low and cook for 7 hours.

Dorito Chicken and Cheese Casserole

3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of corn, drained
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 medium sized bag of nacho cheese Doritos, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread the bottom of the pan with half of the Doritos . Reserve one cup of cheese. Mix together remaining ingredients in a large bow. Pour chicken mixture over the Doritos. Top casserole with the remaining cheese and Doritos. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Recipes provided by www.texanonlinecookbooks.com
 

Heaven in a Crockpot

1 box Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup butter, melted.
4 eggs
1 pouch Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix
Mix it all together.
Cook about 3 hours on low.
Top with vanilla ice cream.

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

 Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt

 1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

 

Ferrero Rocher Brownie Bites with Caramel Icing

Ferrero Rocher Brownie Bites with Caramel Icing Makes 24 bite-sized brownies

1 (18.5 oz. box) brownie mix (plus necessary eggs, oil & water per package instructions
24 Ferrero Rocher candies
4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2-3 tablespoons caramel "sauce"
1 cup confectioners sugar

Remove all wrappers from the candies.

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

Prepare brownies according to package directions.  Grease a mini-muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each cup approximately 3/4 full with batter.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove from oven and immediately press a candy into the center of each brownie bite.  (The top of the candy will protrude a bit from the brownie...it's OK...you'll cover it with icing.)  Cool for a couple of minutes in the tin then carefully remove the brownie bites from the pan to a cooking rack.  Allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting, use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer and beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.  Add the caramel sauce* and blend.  Add the confectioners sugar and whip until creamy and smooth.  Using a pastry or plastic bag with a piping tip, pipe the frosting onto the top of each brownie bite.  Chill in the refrigerator to set the frosting a bit before serving.

*To make homemade caramel sauce, simple empty the contents of a small can of sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan.  Stir constantly for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat.  (Do not let it scorch.)  The milk will begin to deepen in color and thicken.  Remove from heat when the caramel will thickly adhere to the back of your mixing spoon.  The longer you cook it, the harder it will become when it cools until it is difficult to work with.  To thin it, add a small splash of milk and mix well.  

*You will only need two tablespoons of caramel to make the icing...other ways to use the remaining caramel ice cream topping, straight off the spoon, etc