Graham Cracker Toffee

These are just a little bit of heaven. Seriously, they are amazing! This recipe is from my good friend Leslie. She always has great recipes to share and I think this is one of the best. Don't mind the 3 sticks of butter ;)

3 sticks of butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 bag chocolate chips

1 - 1 1/2 cups toffee bits

graham crackers

Line a cookie sheet with graham crackers. In a small saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and peans. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Pour mixture over graham crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. When the chocolate starts to melt gently spread with a spatula. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Cool. Cut into squares.

Savory Rice

This is such an easy side dish. So much tastier than plain rice, but the flavor is subtle enough you can serve it with almost any main dish. It's best prepared as the recipe states, but I've used minute rice and it's almost as good. If you do use minute rice follow the water to rice ratio on the box rather than the recipe.

2 cups long grain white rice

5 cups water

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, fresh or dried

5 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules

8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

Saute onion in butter just until tender. Combine remaining ingredients in a sauce pan or rice cooker. Simmer about 20 min or until all the liquid is absorbed.

*recipe from the Favorites cookbook.

Green Chili Enchilada Casserole

This dish is so quick to prepare. It's much easier and faster than filling and rolling traditional enchiladas. AND it's delicious! You can add a small can of jalapenos along with the green chilies for a little kick!

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into small pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

2 cans (4ounce) green chilies

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

8 flour tortillas, cut into strips about 1 inch wide

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add chicken, cook in oil until lightly browned. Add onion, pepper and garlic powder. Cook until onions are tender and chicken is cooked throughly. Add soup, sour cream and chilies, stir until well combined. In a greased 9"x13" glass baking dish, layer half of the tortillas, half of the chicken mixture, and half of the cheese. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

It''s great on it's own, but you may serve with any of the following:

salsa

sour cream

guacamole

shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes

sliced olives

chopped avocados

Stuffed Green Peppers

I thought since we've been over my grandma's wrongdoings in the kitchen, we should move on to something she did right! Her stuffed peppers were always right! She seems to have misplaced her recipe, so this is as close as I can get. It's pretty close though and it's dang good! No side dished required! Maybe some good crusty bread or a side of fresh fruit is all you need.

4 green Bell Peppers, tops removed, seeded and membranes removed

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup minute rice, uncooked

1/2 cup water

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 small can diced tomatoes or 2 small tomatoes seeded and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Boil peppers in salted water for 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large skillet brown ground beef. Drain grease.* Add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes. Add rice, water, tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in half of the cheese. Fill peppers with mixture. Place filled peppers in shallow baking dish. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over peppers. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

*When I brown ground beef for a recipe like this I always drain the grease when the meat is done. I also rinse the meat with hot water to remove as much of the grease as possible.

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I keep hearing about these cookies, how easy and how good they are. So, I decided to give them a try. They are both easy and good. In fact, they are extremely easy. Not the best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies I have ever had, but really good. Factor in the ease of preparation and they are fantastic ;) I will defiantly make them again.

1 box Spice Cake mix

1 can pumpkin

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Combine cake mix and pumpkin. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Winner!

The winner of our giveaway is Laurie George! Thanks to everyone who entered. Check back often for more great recipes and more great giveaways!

Pesto Orecchiette

Does everyone shop at Costco? I find the best stuff there. For example, their pesto sauce. It's made with all fresh ingredients and no preservatives. It is way more pesto than we can eat before it expires, try as we might ;) So, I use what we can and freeze the rest.*

This is not much of a recipe, but it is so easy and so good! Orecchiette is perfect for this. I buy this pasta at Target. You can probably find it in most specialty markets as well. It's shaped like a little ear. The center of the pasta is more thin and gets nice and soft. The edges are thicker and stay a little chewy when cooked. I find mine usually take a little longer to cook than the package recommends. So, try one when they should be done, before you drain them. Also, remember to salt the water well. That is the only chance you will have to season the actual pasta.

This is also great topped with grilled chicken.

1/2 pound pasta, cooked

1-2 tablespoons pesto sauce

fresh mozzarella, parmesan or feta cheese

Mix pasta and pesto. Top with cheese of your choice.

*Freezing Pesto

Spray an ice cube tray with non stick spray and fill with pesto sauce. Freeze it for a few hours, once the pesto has frozen solid pop the cubes out and store in a ziplock bag in the freezer.