Velveeta Pasta

Velveeta Pasta
2 lbs. hamburger
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed
6 tsp. butter
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg. wide noodles, cooked & drained
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Brown burger with onion and pepper. Drain. Add soup, tomatoes and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Stir in noodles. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

30 days of Halloween Food

Every day in October I am going to highlight some Halloween dishes that look fun. I have tried a few and have plans to try several this year. Each year we have family up for my Halloween dinner and I can hardly wait for it. Also last year I threw a Scentsy party in October and it was so fun to prepare Halloween treats for it that I thought I would do it again this year. Watch for me to announce the date so you can be sure to be there!

Everyday I will post at least one Halloween dish. I've been busy combing through magazines and have so many I want to highlight that I'll probably do 2 or 3 a day, depending on my speed, schedule and sanity. Most of my recipes come from the last several editions of Taste of Home Magazines, but I might do a few others from other places. Happy Haunting!

Tips & Tricks

When we make a meal with rice we always cook extra rice because we like it so much. But when we reheat it the next day it seems dry. I tried wetting a paper towel, wringing out the excess water, and then covering my plate with the damp towel. It seems to help lock in moisture. I also tried this yesterday when I microwaved a scone to warm it up.

Hershey's Great American Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've tried a few different Chocolate Chip Cookies over the years, but I think this recipe is my favorite.

Hershey's Great American Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups (12 oz.) Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
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Heat oven to 375°. Beat butter, granulate sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly. Remove form cookie sheet to wire rack; cool completely.

Tips & Tricks

Tonight while making bread & scones I tried a few things to help speed up the process. My bread wasn't raising as fast as I would have liked it to, so I dug out my electric heating pad that I use when my back bothers me. I turned it on to the lowest setting and set my dough bowl on top. It shot up amazingly fast!

When I make scones it's usually to go with Navajo Tacos and my Chili recipe. I like to make bigger scones so we only need to eat one with the meal. Awhile back in a conversation (I don't remember where) someone mentioned that people tend to eat things in twos. Made sense to me. I've started making things, like enchiladas, in smaller sizes. We still eat two, but now in smaller portions.

Tonight while making scones I decided to try the small size for two reasons. The above mentioned and I figured if I rolled out a really big one, I could then cut it out into portions. Wow, that was SO MUCH FASTER! They don't look perfect because some edges are round from the rolling pin and then the others are straight from the knife, but I think I cut my time in at least half.