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Cajun Chicken Pasta

I absolutely love this dish.  It has so much flavor and is a fairly simple dish to make.  With chicken and pasta, what more could you ask for?

Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Yields:  4 Servings

Ingredients

1/2 lb linguine pasta
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 cup butter
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 green onion, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
parmesean cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken and cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in butter until no longer pink and juices run clear.  Add green and red bell peppers and green onions; cook for 2 to 3 min.  Reduce heat, and stir in heavy cream.  Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, and garlic powder and heat through.
4. Toss linguine with sauce and sprinkle with parmesean cheese.

From AllRecipes.com

Super Bowl Recipe Exchange: Cheese Ball

I'd always wanted a cheese ball recipe, but the ones I found always had ingredients that my husband and I don't really care for (we're incredibly picky), then I came across this one.  It's easy and it's fabulous!

Ingredients

2 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 jar dried beef, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
dash of garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Cream mayonnaise and cream cheese together.  Add onions and 1 tablespoon of dried beef and remaining ingredients and mix well.
2. Refrigerate at least one hour.
3. Form into a ball.  Coat ball in remaining dried beef.

*Serve with crackers

I actually made two smaller balls out of this recipe when I made it, or you could make one larger recipe.  You can also put nuts on the outside, but I don't care for nuts so I chose not to do that.

From Tastes for All Seasons - Department of Human Services Mississippi Association of County & Regional Directors 2004 - pg 7

To participate, just add the permalink to your blog post below!  Also, don't forget if you're not already a follower of Katie's Southern Kitchen to become one by looking for the link in the right hand column.  This will help you stay up to date with all our future Recipe Exchanges/Linky Parties!

Taffy Apple Dip

This is a great dip if you are wanting something a little bit healthier (although I'm not really sure how much healthier it really is with all that sugar, but at least it's served with apples!).  I will admit, this was not one of my favorite recipes, but it was still a keeper.  I used Granny Smith Apples with it when I made it which made for a great sweet and sour combination.

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together until creamy.

*Serve with slices of your favorite apple

From Tastes For All Seasons Cookbook - Department of Human Services Mississippi Association of County & Regional Directors 2004 - pg 8

Oyster Crackers

Do oyster crackers even need an introduction?  When I was growing up, these were a staple item during the holiday season, but they are great to have around at any time.  I love that these can just be thrown in a tin or a zip-lock bag and you can snack on them whenever you want...my jeans may not love that fact quite as much though!

(I cannot take credit for this picture.  I found it on the web.)

Ingredients

1 box unsalted oyster crackers
1/3 cup Wesson oil
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning


Directions

1. Mix all together and serve

I generally put the oyster crackers in a zip lock bag, mix together the other ingredients, pour that mixture over the crackers and shake.  Also, these tend to be better after they've sat for a day, but you can eat them immediately if you just can't resist!

From Katie's Kitchen

Onion Souffle

Don't let the name of this recipe fool you.  It is a very delicious dip.  My husband saw the name of it and turned his nose up at it refusing to try any...until it came out of the oven and he smelled it.  Of course he let me try it first and since I did not spit it back out, he decided he'd try some.  This is now one of his favorite dips.  He ended up eating it for his entire meal instead of just as an appetizer!

Ingredients

1 pkg cream cheese
1/6 cup mayonnaise
1/3 can (8 oz) parmesan cheese
1/3 onion, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together and bake for 20 to 30 min.

*Serve with corn chips

From Tastes For All Seasons Cookbook - Department of Human Services Mississippi Association of County & Regional Directors 2004 - pg 10

Layered Crab Dip

This is another recipe that I inherited.  A co-worker brought it one day and it was renamed "The Crack Dip" by my other co-workers who just could not get enough of this dip.  It's very simple and easy to make and is sure to be a HUGE hit!

Ingredients

8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz Pace Picante sauce
1 pkg ham, finely chopped
1 pkg crab meat, finely chopped

Directions

1. Mix sour cream and cream cheese together.  Spread in bottom of dish.
2. Pour Pace Picante sauce over bottom layer.  Next add ham, then crab meat.

*Serve with wheat thins

From Elizabeth's Kitchen

Cheese Dip in a Bread Bowl

I inherited this recipe from a friend.  I admit so far I've only cooked it once, not because it's not good (it is VERY good), but because I have recipes for dips that are a little easier to fix.  Even then, this recipe is not terribly hard to fix as the hardest part is hollowing out the bread bowl.  However, if you are not in a huge rush, this is a FABULOUS recipe.

Ingredients

16 oz cream cheese
16 oz sour cream
3 cups sharp cheese, shredded and divided
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 small jar Armour chip beef
1 round bread loaf

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Hollow bread loaf.
3. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, 2 cups cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and beef.
4. Pour mixture into bread bowl and sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup cheese (may add more cheese to top if necessary).
5. Bake at 350 for 35 to 45 min.

*Serve with corn chips

If I remember correctly, I had to add some more cheese to the top to make sure there was a good coating.  We LOVE cheese at our house!

From Anna's Kitchen

Olive Cheese Ball

A friend of mine's Aunt sent me this recipe to post for the Super Bowl Recipe Exchange.

Ingredients

24 oz cream cheese
1 jar dried beef
1 small jar olives
1 small jar mushrooms
green onions to taste
3 tsp accent
parsley flakes

Directions

1. Chop and shred beef, olives, mushrooms, and onions.  (You can use food processor or food chopper.)
2. Mix into softened cream cheese.
3. Add accent.
4. Form into a ball and roll in parsley flakes.
5. Chill overnight.
   

Spicy Tailgate Dip

My mom sent me this recipe to post up for the Super Bowl Recipe Exchange.  She doesn't have a blog to be able to post it herself, so I'm posting it for her on my site.  If you ever want to participate in the recipe exchanges, but are like my mom and don't have a blog to post the recipes to, just e-mail them to me at katiessouthernkitchen@gmail.com and I'll get them posted on here for everyone to use.

This is a great variation to the traditional Ro-Tel Cheese Dip.

Ingredients

1 lb pork sausage, browned and drained
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, cubed
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 1 to 2 hours, until heated through and cream cheese is melted, stirring several times.
3. Stir good to mix and serve with corn or tortilla chips.

From Lynn's Kitchen

Chex Mix

This is another classic at our house, especially during the holidays.

Ingredients

4 cups rice chex
4 cups corn chex
1 cup pecans
1 cup pretzels
6 Tbsp margarine
2 tsp seasoned salt
7 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
   
2. Melt margarine.  Combine margarine, seasoned salt, and Worchestershire sauce.
3. Mix sauce with chex.
4. Bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Make sure you use margarine and not butter...butter leaves a greasy residue.  I always use a glass measuring bowl and melt the margarine on the stove top.  I just throw the stick of margarine, seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce all in the measuring cup, turn the burner on about 3 (Med-Low) stirring occasionally until the margarine is melted.  I throw the chex and the sauce all in a big zip lock bag and shake, then pour into a metal baking pan and bake making sure to stir every 15 minutes.

From Katie's Kitchen

Caramelized Sweet Potatoes

My husband's Aunt showed us this quick recipe and we have fallen in love with it.  It's great as a snack, side, or even dessert.  In fact, it's probably a little better as a dessert as it can be pretty sweet.  We ate this along with garlic chicken and Rice-A-Roni the other night and it was DELICIOUS!

 

Cook Time:  10 Minutes
Yields:  2 Servings

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup brown sugar
(I completely estimated on the measurements as it is all by taste really)

Directions

1. Wash the sweet potatoes.  Take a fork and poke holes in the potatoes.
2. Microwave the potatoes on high for 10 minutes.
3. Cut potatoes in half.  Add butter and brown sugar to taste.
4. Mix together and eat!

From Donna's Kitchen

Garlic Chicken

This is a recipe that's great to throw together when you need to go to the grocery store...at least that's what I do a lot!  We almost always have frozen chicken tenders and all the seasonings so this works great for us.  We had this with Rice-A-Roni (yes, it's true, some things I fix do come out of a box) and caramelized sweet potatoes.

 

Cook Time:  10 Minutes
Yields:  4 Servings

Ingredients

3 Tbsp butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tsps garlic powder
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp onion powder

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder, seasoning salt and onion powder.  (I always use half per side)
3. Saute about 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear.

From AllRecipes.com

Chicken Spaghetti

This is such a quick and easy recipe, but is extremely tasty.  You can even freeze a portion of it to save for later!

Cook Time:  30 Minutes

Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 (8 ounce) pkg spaghetti

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can Ro-Tel

1 lb processed cheese

1 pinch garlic powder

Directions

1. Boil chicken in a large pot of salted water.  When chicken is done, remove from pot, keeping water/broth at a boil.  Shred chicken and set aside.  Put spaghetti in boiling chicken broth and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until done.  When done, drain broth.
2. Return pot with cooked spaghetti to stove, put over low heat.  Add shredded chicken, soup, Ro-Tel and cheese.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  When cheese is melted, dinner is ready!

I generally dip half of this up into a freezer/oven safe dish and freeze it.  To reheat, set out the dish and let it get to room temperature.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

From Katie's Kitchen

Super Bowl Recipe Exchange

Just a reminder that we will be hosting a Super Bowl Recipe exchange NEXT FRIDAY, January 15th!!!  If you haven't done so already, please grab the button below and post it on your blog somewhere to let others know you will be participating, and hopefully they will decide to participate as well.  The more the merrier and the more that participate, the more recipes we get to try!  You can view a link to the original post about the Super Bowl Recipe Exchange HERE.  On that post, you will find exact instructions on how to participate.

Also, for those of you who do not have blogs to post your recipes on, but would still like to participate in the recipe exchange...  Please e-mail your recipe to KatiesSouthernKitchen@gmail.com and I will host those recipes here on my blog so that everyone will still get to enjoy your recipe.

<a href="http://www.katiessouthernkitchen.blogspot.com"><img border="0" view&current="Super-Bowl-Party-Button-2.jpg" = alt="Photobucket" src="http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae145/Katie21784/Super-Bowl-Party-Button-2.jpg" target="_blank"/><img href="http://s966.photobucket.com/albums/ae145/Katie21784/?action /></a"/></a>

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb ground chuck
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 (28 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup water
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 (4 1/2 oz) jar mushrooms
1 (15 oz) carton ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

1. Cook beef and Italian seasoning in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles; drain.
2. Combine spaghetti sauce and water in a small bowl.
3. Place 4 uncooked noodles in bottom of lightly greased 5-quart electric slow cooker.  Layer with half each of beef mixture, spaghetti sauce mixture, and mushrooms.
4. Spread ricotta cheese over mushrooms.  Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
5. Layer with remaining noodles, meat, sauce mixture, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover and cook on High setting for 1 hour; reduce heat and cook on Low setting for 5 hours.

I have a 1.5 quart slow cooker so I put foil in the slow cooker, make the lasagna and put in freezer, reserving half of the sauce.  When frozen, I take out and vacuum seal and then make second serving in crock pot and set to cook.  Then when I want to have it again, I take out of freezer, unwrap and put in crock pot insert the night before and place in fridge.  Next morning, I take out of fridge and cook.

From Lynn's Kitchen

Sausage Casserole

My mother-in-law introduced me to this recipe as she cooked it for us one morning while we were visiting.  I woke up craving this very recipe this morning and thought I'd share it with everyone.

Cook Time:  15 Minutes
Yields:  8 Servings


Ingredients

1 lb pork sausage
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
3. Brown sausage in skillet and drain.  Stir cream cheese into cooked sausage.
4. Roll the dough from one can of crescent rolls into bottom of baking dish.  Bake for 5 minutes.
5. Spread sausage mixture over the baked crescent rolls.  Top the sausage mixture with the remaining can of crescent rolls.  Bake until the top layer is golden brown; about 8 minutes.

From Judy's Kitchen