Vegetable Beef Soup.

Vegetable Beef Soup

1-1.5 pounds lean stew meat or roast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion (or 1 one bag frozen diced)
2 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine

Brown onion, then add beef and sear for about 3 minutes. Add wine & broth to cover, then bake at 350 for about 90 minutes.

1 bag frozen veggie soup mix (1 pound bag)
1 bag frozen veggie soup mix with tomatoes (1 pound bag)
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 28. oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
Ground pepper
Water to cover, about a quart

Add all to cooked meat, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about an hour.

Lemon Bars.

Lemon Bars

1 box lemon cake mix
1 stick butter
1 egg

Combine and press into oiled pan.

8 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1 lb. powdered sugar

Cream the cheese until smooth, with no lumps, scraping the sides of the bowl. Alternate adding eggs & powdered sugar until combined. Don't over mix then pour evenly over cake mixture. 

If possible, refrigerate overnight. Bake at 250 degrees fro 50-60 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely before slicing. I like an 8x11 pan for this, as it keeps the crust at a good thickness.

Curried Potato Salad.

Curried Potato Salad

2 pounds medium red potatoes
1/4 cup diced green onions
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup shredded carrot
5 thin salami slices or pepperoni slices, cut into thin strips
2 TBSP chopped pimento stuffed olives
1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped golden raisins
3/4 tsp seasoned salt

Cook potatoes until tender. Drain, cool, and cut into cubes. Saute green onions in oil for 2 minutes. Stir in curry powder, allspice, and red pepper; remove from heat. Add potatoes, tossing gently to coat. Stir in celery and next 4 ingredients. Stir together sour cream, raisins, and salt, then pour over potato mixture and toss gently. Cover and chill.

Egg Custard Pie.

Egg Custard Pie

2 pie crusts
1 tsp ground nutmeg, freshly grated
6 large eggs
1 quart whole milk
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Evenly sprinkle nutmeg onto bottom of crusts. Whisk eggs together with remaining ingredients. Pour into pie crusts and bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 and bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserting into the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks and then chill for at least 1 hour.

Warm Peanut Butter Sauce.

Perfect over ice cream, or anything else sweet!

Warm Peanut Butter Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup whole milk
1 TBSP light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
6 TBSP peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together first four in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened and sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, whisk, and serve.

Mexican Chicken Soup.

Mexican Chicken Soup

1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 quarts chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
2 TBSP chopped cilantro
2 TBSP lime juice

Saute oil & bell pepper in oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and next 8 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and lime juice. Garnish, if desired, with lime slices, tortilla chips, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and more fresh cilantro.

Chicken & Rice Salad.

Chicken & Rice Salad

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup cooked chicken flavored rice
1/2 cup minced celery
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 TBSP minced fresh dill
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
3 TBSP mayo

Combine all in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Serve in lettuce leaf cups.

Shrimp Pasta Salad.

This get better in the refrigerator, so make a day ahead!

Shrimp Pasta Salad

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
3 TBSP ketchup
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 tsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, & deveined
1 lb. macaroni, cooked & drained

In a large bowl, combine all, cover, and chill at least 4 hours, preferable overnight.

Pecan Caramel Cheesecake.

Duke's Pecan Caramel Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

1 14-oz. package caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup plus 3 TBSP half & half
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
3 8-oz. packaged cream cheese, at room temperature
1 14-oz. can condensed milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
pecan halves

Combine crumbs, brown sugar, and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Reserve 10 caramels. In a heavy saucepan, combine remaining caramels and 1/2 cup half & half. Over medium low heat, cook & stir until melted and smooth. Stir in chopped pecans. Spread over prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes.

In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla and mix well. Pour over caramel mixture and bake for one hour, or until set. Cool completely.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, cook & stir reserved caramels and 3 TBSP half & half until melted and smooth. Immediately spread over cooled cheesecake. Garnish with pecan halves. Chill thoroughly. Refrigerate any leftovers.