Crispy Date Balls

When I made these tonight I almost cried because the smell and taste reminded me of my Mama and Daddy and the Christmas parties they used to throw when I was a child. I remember the friends and everyone laughing and having a great time with my friends. Mama always made tons of goodies and we ate and played games and sometimes had dumb skits and then we all went Christmas caroling in our neighborhood. It was the most fun! It was a tradition!

Here's the recipe:

1 stick of butter
1 c. of sugar
1 8oz. package of dates
1 c. chopped pecans
2 c. rice krispies
1 tsp. vanilla
powdered sugar

Put butter, sugar and dates in saucepan. Cook 10 min. until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, add nuts, krispies and vanilla. Cool. Roll into small balls then roll in the powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunchies

8	cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
3	tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	cup white vanilla baking chips

1.	Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
2.	In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.
3.	In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.

Meemee/Mama's Dressing...

1. Make cornbread following instructions on the box.
2. Saute 1 large onion (about 1/2 cup) and 2 cups chopped celery.
3. Add stuff mix ( do not cook)
4. Add day old bread and white bread chunks or whatever left over bread you have
5. Add 6 eggs
6. Add milk and chicken broth to make consistency that you want
7. Add salt and pepper to taste
At this point, the mixture should be wettish/soppy
8. Pour into an 8X12 pan and bake.

Tater Soup

My mama always made us potato soup when we were sick, so when Reagan was sick the other day, I tried my hand at it. I really wasn't sure how to start, so I looked up about 8 different recipes and decided to combine a few. Here's what I did:

Cube about 8 cups of potatoes (after peeling them, of course)
Cover just barely with water in a large pot & boil until tender
Add about 2 tablespoons butter & stir
Stir in 1 package of cream cheese
Stir in 2 cups of milk (less if you want it thicker)
Stir in 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
Salt & pepper the pot of soup
Serve into bowls; top with shredded cheddar cheese, bacos, & green onions

Chicken with Penne Pasta and Alfredo sauce

Last night I grilled chicken on the George Foreman with Italian dressing and put it on top of penne pasta (wheat) with Alfredo sauce. Reagan and I both enjoyed this dish. It's pretty simple and doesn't require much brain power.

Thanks Chef Pam for the inspiration.

Recipes

I'd like to keep a record of all my favorites here so that I can come back to them later... but also comment when I try something new.