Velveeta Beef Skillet Dinner

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups egg noodles, uncooked
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up
1 can (7 oz.) mushroom pieces and stems, drained
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

Brown meat in large nonstick skillet; drain.

Add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium; cover skillet with tight-fitting lid. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and just a little water remains in the skillet.

Stir in Velveeta and mushrooms. Cook until Velveeta is completely melted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream.

**Thoughts~I could do with never making this recipe again. It just didn't taste quite right to me.**

This recipe is from the Kraft Foods website.

Scalloped Potatoes

Peel and slice potatoes to fill an 8 x 8-inch pan. Slice some onions to scatter in that same pan. Next make the medium white sauce...

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk

Directions

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Pour the Medium White Sauce over the potatoes and onions. Dot with butter. Cover and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Uncover and continue to bake for 60-70 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4 to 6 people

Option~You can add ham chunks to this dish, and then it becomes a yummy meal.

**Thoughts~I love, love, love these scalloped potatoes! Even though I have my mom's recipe, I still say she makes them best. You can add ham to make it a complete meal.**

This is the recipe my mother has been using for years, and I adore her Scalloped Potatoes. The recipe comes from an old Betty Crocker's Cookbook. Well, it is older than me at least. ;-)

Fudgy Cheesecake Moons

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, cubed
6 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugars and vanilla; whisk in chocolate mixture. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; add to egg mixture and stir until smooth. Line a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan with waxed paper and grease the paper; spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla. Gently spread over chocolate layer. Drizzle caramel topping over cream cheese layer in vertical lines about 1 inch apart. Use a toothpick to draw right angles across the drizzled lines, about 1/2 inch apart.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 1 hour before removing from pan. Discard waxed paper. Cut with a 3-inch x 1-inch crescent-shaped cookie cutter. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yields 20 bars

This recipe and above photo come from the Taste of Home Halloween Party Favorites magazine displayed until November 17, 2008.

Dark Side Chocolate Caramel Tart

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
1/2 cup each chopped pecans, milk chocolate chips & semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs

Drizzle:
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon milk

Directions

In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture turns an amber color, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; slowly stir in cream (mixture will appear lumpy). Cook and stir over low heat until mixture is completely smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, press pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; trim edges. Prick the bottom with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips into crust. Whisk eggs, one at a time, into warm caramel mixture. pour over chocolate and pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until top is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a microwave, melt chocolate chips with milk; stir until smooth. Cut a small hole in the corner of a plastic bag. Fill with chocolate mixture; pipe a web over tart. Store in the refrigerator.

Serves 12.

This recipe and above photo come from the Taste of Home Halloween Party Favorites magazine displayed until November 17, 2008.

Apple-Cinnamon Bars

Ingredients

For The Bars:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped peeled apple (1 medium)
1 cup cinnamon-flavored baking ships (from 10 ounce bag)

For The Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add apple butter, eggs and vanilla; beat until well blended.

On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda and salt until well blended. Stir in apple and cinnamon chips. Spread batter in pan.

Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and top is evenly browned. Cool in pan on cooling rack at least 1 hour.

In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over bars. For bars, but into 8 rows by 4 row.

Yields 32 bars
3 points per bar

This recipe & photo comes from the Pillsbury Fall Baking cookbooklet, Spetember 2008.