Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Mix together all ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 or 60 minutes in a bundt pan coated with Pam.

Crockpot Tortilla Soup (Campbell's)

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cups frozen whole kernel corn

1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 soup can water

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into strips

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

• Stir the picante sauce, soup, chicken, corn, beans, water and cumin in a 4-quart slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Stir the tortillas, cheese and cilantro into the cooker. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

Em’s Potato-Corn Chowder

Ingredients

3 large potatoes
4 cups chicken broth – divided use
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, sliced wide
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 small can (11oz) whole kernel corn – divided use

Optional for garnishAdditional shredded cheese
Fresh green onions or chives
Crumbled bacon bits

Directions

Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Boil in 3 cups of chicken broth until the potatoes are fork tender Drain the potatoes reserving the broth (you’ll probably have about 1 1/2 – 2 cups left). Set both aside.

In a large pot pour the vegetable oil and saute the onion and garlic until tender. Stir in the chicken broth reserved from cooking the potatoes, add the flour, salt, basil and pepper. Mix very well. Gradually add another cup of chicken broth, then the 1/4 cup shredded cheese and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add the cornstarch and stir… the cornstarch will be lumpy and that’s okay… use an immersion blender to mix everything really really well. Add the milk, cream, half of the corn and half of the potatoes. Use the immersion blender again just for a short amount of time – about 10 seconds. Add the remaining corn and potatoes and heat through but do not bring to a boil.

Garnish with shredded cheese, green onions, chives and bacon bits if desired.

Credit: http://www.therepressedpastrychef.com/.

Hard Rock Cafe's Baked Potato Soup!

3 good sized potatoes (baked and cut into pieces)

1/2 a package of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup onions (I leave out and dump in some dried onion flakes)
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1/8 cup fresh parsley (I just dump some dried parsley in)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4-3/4 tsp red pepper (add only if you want more heat!!)
1/2 cup cheese

Chop bacon and reserve grease (or don't reserve grease and use vegetable oil in place). Heat grease and cook onions in bacon drippings (or oil) over medium high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add flour and stir about 3-5 minutes, until mixture starts to turn golden brown. Add chicken stock gradually, whisking to prevent lumps. Whisk until liquid thickens. Reduce heat to simmer and add cream, potatoes, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic powder, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes; do not allow to boil. Add grated cheese and heat until cheese melts smoothly. Garnish each serving with chopped bacon and cheese.
*This recipe makes 4 servings.

Grape Salad

4 lbs. grapes - red or green seedless, washed

  and stemmed         

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. sugar or Splenda

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. brown sugar or brown Splenda

1 c. chopped nuts

Mix sugar, cream cheese, sour cream and vanilla.  

Fold into grapes and place in a bowl.  Top with brown sugar topped with nuts.  Let set overnight before serving.

YIELD: 8 to 10 servings

Tex-Mex Slow Cooker Chicken (Betty Crocker)

what you need

1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

2 Tbsp.  (1/2 of 1-1/4-oz. pkg.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Tbsp. Flour

1   each green and red pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

1 cup Frozen corn

1-1/2 cups  TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

make it

TOSS chicken with taco seasoning and flour in slow cooker. Stir in vegetables and salsa; cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).

STIR just before serving; top with shredded cheese.

Bethenny's Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

4 large portabello mushrooms 1 clove garlic, minced Store-bought balsamic vinaigrette dressing 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons pine nuts, pan toasted 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 4-5 button mushrooms, chopped ¼ cup Parmesan cheese salt and pepper 1 tablespoon Parmesan

Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel.  Do not rinse! Remove large stems.  Cut off hard base, finely chop, and set aside. Mix balsamic dressing, garlic, Dijon, salt and pepper in a bowl. Using a brush, generously brush the entire mushroom with the marinade. Place mushrooms in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 1 to several hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine remaining ingredients (except pine nuts) in a small food chopper (I purchased a brand new one for .99 on eBay).  Otherwise, finely chop with a knife. Taste mixture and season with salt and pepper. Grill mushrooms on outdoor grill, grill pan or nonstick skillet.  When grilling, place a pan or some sort of weight on top of the mushroom, as this will make them crispier and remove some of the water.  Grill until lightly charred then flip and repeat. Place mushrooms on tin foil or a sheet pan and spread mushroom mixture on top of each portabello. Sprinkle with pine nuts and Parmesan and bake for 10 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, place under the broiler. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.