Caramel Turtles

1 1/3 cups pecan halves
18 squares caramels, individually wrapped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice or break pecan halves lengthwise to make slivers for the four feet, head, and tail. For each turtle, arrange 6 nut pieces in a loose circle on foil-lined cookie sheet. Unwrap one caramel square and cut it in half. Set one half on top of the cluster of nut pieces. Once all turtles have been put together (and without disturbing the arrangement), place the tray of turtles in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes. The caramels will melt onto the nuts, creating the turtle's shell. Remove the tray from the oven and set a few chocolate chips on top of each caramel. Return to oven for a few seconds to melt the chocolate. Spread out the melted chocolate with the back of a spoon if you'd like. Remove foil with candies on it from the baking sheet and allow them to cool completely. Makes 36 turtles.

Chicken Rolls

1 pkg Cream Cheeese
2 c. Cooked Chicken-diced
½ tsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Chives
2 cans Crescent Rolls
Dressing mix, crushed (optional)
Combine cream cheese, pepper, and chives. Heat until smooth, over medium heat. Add chicken and mix. Unroll rolls and put about ¼ c. of mixture of wide end and roll up. You can roll in dressing mix if desired. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with chicken gravy.

Fried Ravioli

Olive oil, for frying
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
1 box store-bought cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated, for dipping

Pour enough olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F. While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli. When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.
Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

6 Chicken Breasts
1 (16 oz) jar of salsa
½ pkg. of taco seasoning

Layer in crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. During the last hour stir chicken to shred. Serve with your favorite taco toppings. This makes a ton of shredded chicken, so either cut recipe in half or plan on freezing some for later.

Green Chile Enchiladas

2 chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces
(1) 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed (makes it easier to mix if it’s cubed)
(1) 4.5 oz can diced green chilies
(2) 10 oz cans green Chile enchilada sauce. (I use Old El Paso for both this and the chilies).
Cheddar cheese
(1-2) small cans of sliced olives (optional)
Flour tortillas

Cook chicken until no longer pink (medium to med high heat). Add cubed cream cheese and chilies until melted. Add olives if desired.
Lightly spray 13x9x2 pan, pour thin layer of enchilada sauce over bottom.
Spoon chicken into tortillas. Roll and place seam down.
Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas cover with cheese and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until warm throughout and cheese is melted. I like to sprinkle some olives on the top before adding the cheddar cheese.

Harvest Soup

3 tortillas, cut in strips
2 T oil
1 cup salsa
2 14-oz cans chicken broth
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
1 small can of corn
1 large zucchini, coarsely chopped
Sour cream

In a large saucepan combine salsa and chicken broth; bring to a boil over med-high heat. Stir in chicken, corn and zucchini; heat through.Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook tortilla strips in hot oil until crisp. Drain on paper towel.Serve soup in bowls, top with tortilla strips and sour cream. 3-4 servings.

Chicken Quesadillas

3-4 chicken breasts, chopped.
1-2 cans Campbell’s Southwest Style Pepper Jack Soup
Sour Cream 8-16 oz, depending on how much you want
Cheddar Cheese
1 small can olives
Flour Tortillas

Cook chicken until no longer pink. Add soup and sour cream until melted. Leave heat on low. Add olives.
Butter one side of two tortillas, add chicken mix in between these, butter side out. Don’t put too much in or it will spill out. Sprinkle in some cheddar cheese.
Fry both sides of tortillas in a skillet on med to med high heat until crisp.

Fruit Salsa and Chips

3 Medium apples, peeled and finely chopped (Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady)
1 Pound fresh strawberries, washed and finely chopped
1 Kiwi, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
A little sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit
1 package four tortillas

Mix fruit together with the Fruit Salsa and Chips:
orange juice. Cut flour tortillas into pie shaped piece. Fry in hot oil on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towel. Sprinkle a small amount of sugar on each piece and use to dip in fruit salsa.

Mummy Dogs

Rhodes Dinner Rolls thawed, but still cold
Bun length hot dogs
Mustard and Ketchup

For each mummy dog, cut one dinner roll in half. Roll each half into a 22-24 inch rope. Wrap one rope around hot dog from bottom up 4 1/2 inches. Cut a 1 1/2 inch piece off of the second rope and set aside. then wrap the second rope around the hot dog from the bottom up 4 1/2 inches going the opposite way. Wrap the 1 1/2 inch pieces around the top of the hot dog. Place mummy dogs on a sprayed baking sheet. If desired, brush with egg. Bake at 350' for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool slightly and add mustard eyes. Serve warm with mustard and ketchup.

Crock Pot Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts
8 Ounces Cream Cheese
1 Package Dry Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup OR 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup & 1 small can of evaporated milk.

Mix cream cheese, dressing mix, and soup. Pour over chicken. Cook 6-8 hours on low in the crock pot. Serve over potatoes, rice or egg noodles.

Fried Burritos

Frozen chicken breast strips (chipotle flavored is best)
Black beans
Diced tomatoes
White rice, cooked
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheeses (I like cheddar and pepper jack)
Special ranch dressing*

Cook chicken on stove until warm; add beans, tomatoes, and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until hot. Put everything in tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, fold tortilla over once, and fry. Once golden brown on both sides, open and drizzle with my special ranch dressing.

*special ranch dressing: really good- leftover from my meal at Costa Vida.

Oven Baked Ribs

1 can Consume soup
½ c. brown sugar
3½ Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. ginger

Mix all ingredients together; pour over about 3 lbs. country style ribs. Let marinate 1 hour (or more). Bake at 350 for about 1 ½ hours or until sauce “caramelizes”, flipping ribs about halfway through.