Pepperoni Pizza Dip

From: The back of a Nabisco cracker box

Ingredients:
1 8-oz tub of cream cheese
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded pizza or mozzarella cheese blend
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/3 cup chopped red peppers
1/3 cup chopped green peppers

Crackers for dipping (I used Nabisco round saltines and Ritz crackers)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream cheese and pizza sauce until well blended; spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

Top with next four ingredients.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until heated through and shredded cheese is melted. Serve with crackers.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Well, I say thumbs up, but I literally got to fill up about half a cracker with this dip. It was GONE and all I got was a scoop of what was left on the bottom of the plate! That tasted good, at least, and everyone was raving about it. I didn't put the peppers on this because I forgot I was going to make it until about 20 minutes before people were going to start arriving for Hunter's birthday party. So I just threw it all together really quickly which did NOT include chopping peppers! I think the peppers would be delicious though - I'll throw them on next time! Highly recommend this easy and yummy dip!

Chili's Skillet Queso

From: Everything in Moderation

Ingredients:
16-oz box Velveeta cheese
1 cup milk
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
15-oz can Hormel chili (no beans)
4 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Cut the Velveeta into cubes. Combine the cheese with the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until cheese melts.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! I haven't eaten at Chili's in at least a year or more I think, so I can't remember what the dip tastes like. I do know I loved it. I loved this recipe too, but I can't promise you it's the real Chili's recipe. It's definitely delicious. Not too spicy, and just the right mixture of flavors. I highly recommend it and I'll be making this in the future for sure - probably for an upcoming birthday party!

O'Henry Bars OR Scotcharoos

From: Joyful Momma's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup karo syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

In a small sauce pan, bring sugar and karo syrup to a boil over medium high heat.  Stir constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Whisk in until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, pour the sugar sauce over 6 cups of Rice Krispies and gently stir until well combined.

Press into a greased 9x13 pan.

In microwave, heat the chips 30 seconds at a time and stir well in between heatings.  Heat just until melted, taking care to not burn them.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in dish.  Spread evenly and let cool.  Slice into bars.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! I can definitely see how these don't last long once they're made. What a great combination of flavors! I've never heard of these before but I am so glad I found this recipe. Perfect for family or church gatherings, or just when you have a craving for something sweet! I definitely recommend these and I'll be making these again!

Sweet Potato, Corn and Jalapeno Bisque

From: Here

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 4 ears corn
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• pinch of ground cinnamon

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add in the sweet potatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove from the heat and puree using an immersion blender. 

Stir the jalapeno, corn kernels, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and cinnamon into the soup. Simmer until heated through.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Sweet and spicy? Yes, please! Bring it on! I had sweet potatoes sprouting in the pantry and jalapenos coming up in the garden, so I decided to make this for lunch. I absolutely love this combination of flavors. If you want it to be really spicy you don't have to seed the jalapenos. I did,and there is a zing of surprise every couple of bites, which I like. This is also a really simple recipe. So it definitely is highly recommended by me for you to try! 

Chocolate Mousse Pie

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
7 ounces of milk chocolate candy bars with almonds
16 large marshmallows or 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 pastry shell or graham cracker crust

Place the candy, marshmallows and milk in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool. Fold in whipped cream; pour into crust. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Not too sweet and not too chocolately, which is what I was worried about. Very smooth tasting and the best thing of all - super easy to put together! You could whip one of these up in less than 20 minutes (not including refrigeration time). I highly recommend this and I know I'll be throwing one of these together again in the future!