Chicken Tortilla Soup

(I double this recipe)


4 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 can (4 oz) green chile peppers
1 envelope (2 oz) noodle soup mix with chicken broth
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup tortilla strips
1 onion, chopped


1. COMBINE water, tomatoes, chicken, chile peppers, soup mix, cumin, salt and black pepper in a 4 qt or larger slow cooker.

2. COVER. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours. Top with cheese, tortilla strips, and onion.

**You can also combine the ornaments and cook on the stove.

Serves 2-4

Ham sandwiches

This recipe is stolen from a make-your-own cookbook site. I was browsing it to see how much it would cost to put all of our recipes in a cookbook. It would be about $6.35 a book if we ordered 100. Anyway, it's the holiday's and I'm way to busy to get that project going, but maybe someday. While looking there were a couple of featured recipes, the following was one and it sounded so good I didn't want to lose it...

Nina Taylor's Ham Sandwiches

1 tray frozen or fresh rolls, sliced in halves
1/2 c. butter or mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. grated onion
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
Ham slices
Swiss cheese, grated

Mix butter (or mayonnaise), mustard, onion, and poppy seeds together. Spread on each half of rolls. Layer ham slices and grated cheese. Top with other half of bread. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes (until cheese melts).

I'm gonna go to the store and get the ingredients I don't have and try it for dinner tomorrow, I'll let you know how it turned out.

toffee dip & pumpkin dip

At my kid's school we make desserts for the faculty and deliver them to the school the last day before Thanksgiving. This year I did something a little different. I made two different fruit dips, gave them with a pear and two apples and wrapped it up with a bow and a tag. Here are the recipes for the dips.

Toffee Apple Dip

[I found this recipe earlier this year. (It is from Becky Higgins.) And it has become a family favorite. It doesn't last long. And you eat it with apple slices, so you feel a little less bad about eating it.]

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. toffee bits (some stores have Skor bits and some have Heath - we prefer the Heath, but it's great with both)

Mix together and serve with apple slices.


Pumpkin Fruit Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
15 oz. can pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ t. ginger (I do not include this)

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy. Add pumpkin and spices, mixing well. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Serve with gingersnaps, apple slices and pear slices.