Candy Bar Cookie Squares

1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 snickers candy bars (2 oz each), chopped

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, brown sugar, eggs and butter. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl occasionally. Stir in chopped candy. Spread into an ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake at t350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cut into squares.

Makes 2 Dozen

Broccoli Au Gratin

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen chopped broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

Cook broccoli according to package directions; drain. Stir in the soup and cheese. Transfer to a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish; sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 4

Spicy Zucchini Quesadillas

Serves 4

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 tsp plus 2 Tbsp butter, softened and divided
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
8 flour tortillas (7 inch)
8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

In a skillet, saute onion and red pepper in 1 tsp butter for 3 minutes. Stir in zucchini and taco seasoning; saute 3-4 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat. Spread remaining butter over one side of each tortilla. Place tortillas butter side down on a griddle. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese and 1/4 cup zucchini mixture over half of each tortilla; fold over. Cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa, sour cream and jalapenos.

Mediterranean Baked Fish

Serves 4

1 pound frozen cod fillets, thawed
2 zucchini, sliced
1 can stewed tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup sundried tomato vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese with lemon, garlic, and oregano

Preheat oven to 400. Cut fish into 4 equal pieces. Mix zucchini and tomatoes in 9 inch square baking dish; top with fish. Spoon 1 Tbsp of dressing over each piece of fish. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Pasta Salad

Serves 4

2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup pitted ripe olive sliced
1/3 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Add broccoli to pasta during the last 2 minutes; drain. Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix lightly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Warm Broccoli Cheese Dip

2 jars (8 oz each) process cheese sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
Assorted fresh vegetables and wheat thin crackers

In slow cooker, combine the cheese sauce and soup. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in the broccoli, mushrooms, and jalapeno. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or until heated through. Serve with vegetables or crackers.

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Serves 10

2 cans cut green beans, drained
2 cups diced fully cooked ham
2 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup mayo
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp butter, melted

In an ungreased 13x9 pan, layer the green beans and ham. Combine the soup, mayo and mustard; pour over ham. Sprinkle with cheeses. Toss bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Serves 12

2 pounds red potatoes, thinly sliced
2 onions, sliced, separated into rings
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Place potatoes and onions in large pot. Add enough cold water to cover vegetables. Bring to boil and cook for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan. Add flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper; mix well. Cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring until well blended. Bring to boil on medium heat; cook 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute or until cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Drain vegetable mixture; spoon half of it into a greased 13x9 pan. Cover with half of the cheese sauce. Repeat layers. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes or until heated through, removing the foil after 30 minutes.

Grilled Roast Beef Sandwiches

Serves 4

1 medium onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 slices sourdough bread
8 slices deli roast beef
16 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened

In large skillet, saute onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic in oil until tender; sprinkle with salt and pepper. On four slices of bread, layer two slices of cheese, two slices of beef, and a fourth of the vegetable mixture. Top with the remaining cheese and bread. Butter outsides of bread. On a hot griddle, toast sandwiches for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Chicken Delight

2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups cooked wide egg noodles
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown onion and bell pepper in butter. Combine all ingredients except parsley flakes and cheese. Spray 13x9 pan with nonstick spray. Pour casserole mixture into dish. Top with parsley and cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Hash Brown Quiche

2 Tbsp oil
2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1/3 cup sliced green onions
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2.1 oz microwaveable bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, chopped

Heat oil in skillet. Add potatoes and green onions. Cook 8-10 minutes. Spread potatoes to evenly cover bottom of skillet. Mix eggs, bacon, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour egg mix evenly over potatoes. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook 10 minutes till eggs are set. Sprinkle with cheese and tomato. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes.

Zesty Shrimp and Pasta

Serves 6

1 pound cleaned large shrimp
3/4 cup italian salad dressing
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and cut in halves
1 Tbsp parsley
1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated pasta, any variety, cooked as directed on package
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and stir shrimp in 1/2 cup dressing for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, onion, artichokes, and parsley. Continue cooking till shrimp turn pink and veggies are tender. Toss with hot cooked pasta and remaining 1/4 cup dressing. Sprinkle with parmesan.

I forgot to take pictures!

We took the new camper out for our first camping trip this weekend. Packing is so easy now! All the necessities stay in the camper (toothbrushes, soaps, dishes, non perishable food, even our clothes). Beds will stay made. The only thing I have to do to hit the road is stock the fridge with the perishable food stuff. takes about 15 minutes max. It's so great and very little stress on me. The stress and work of camping is what made me dislike it in the first place. Camping was not relaxing for me, it was a pain in my behind. But now (insert a chorus of angels singing), no stress - at least not till we get to the campsite.......

John and I don't always get along on road trips. He is, under normal circumstances, the easy going one, no stress, no worries,...I, on the other hand, worry about everything, stress about everything, and need order and routines and lists, I like lists. We switch personalities, though, when we are traveling. He gets so stressed that I'm pretty sure at any moment his head is going to spin right off his head and go flying into outer space. I don't think I ever get that bad, he might think differently though. Backing this new 30 foot trailer into the campsite proved to be a little bit difficult. We reserved a spot online and it was a good spot, but online they don't show you the little curves of the driveway. We got a crooked spot, not really crooked, but just enough to make it difficult for us. And they lined the camper driveway with trees so that made it even more difficult cause we HAD to keep the truck on the driveway as we backed the camper up. A nice old guy that was camping near us came and helped us navigate the camper backward. We even let him give it a try. We felt better when he said the layout of the driveway and trees wasn't any good and he had a hard time with his efforts.

So, the camper is parked, the jacks are down, its all leveled, and the slideout is out - that took about 15 or 20 minutes. That's it, we're done. We are camping! It was too hot to stay outside unless you were in the lake. I don't swim in the lake (most everyone knows my snake story...and if you don't, it's not something i can tell, i have to act it out). So the kids and John are off to swim and I'll just soak up the AC for a bit. That was the weekend. We grilled outside and washed dishes inside! That was real nice. Christopher and I both started and finished a book and read a gazillion magazines. Katie and John brought books that were bigger than the dictionary, so they didn't finish theirs.

To pack up, all we did was sweep the inside and pull the slideout in. Again, no stress! Even the moment we were dreading most wasn't bad - the emptying of the gray and black water tanks. We were scared and grossed out before we started. But it was SO easy and neither one of us vomited or were splashed with yuck!

I forgot to take pictures this time. Not sure where we are going next, but I'm ready and I'll take pictures then.

Turkey and Bacon Club Salad

Serves 4

1 bag (8 oz) mixed salad greens
8 slices oven roasted turkey breast strips
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup bacon bits
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup creamy poppyseed dressing

Place greens in bowl. Top with everything else.

Lemony Orange Blend

Serves 8

1 tub Country Time Lemonade sugar free drink mix (from the tower of tubs)
4 cups cold water
4 cups orange juice

Pour all into pitcher and stir.

Mixed Berry Grunt

Serves 8

Berries:
3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
2 tsp orange zest

Dumplings:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp butter

In a 9 inch covered skillet, mix together strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sugar, orange juice concentrate and orange zest. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in buttermilk. Melt butter and stir into mixture just until a loose dough forms. Drop dough over berries in skillet in dumpling shapes. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes without lifting cover.