Cobbler

Bisquick
1- 8oz. package of cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pie filling of choice
Crumble Topping (optional)

Directions: mix Bisquick according to biscuit directions adding just a little bit more milk to make the batter more spreadable consistency. Spread over the bottom of a lightly sprayed 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 for 6 minutes.

While that bakes, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with a hand mixer until well blended. Remove lightly baked crust from oven and drop cream cheese mixture by the spoonful all over the top of the dough.

Dump your favorite pie filling all over the top of the cream cheese mixture, then add crumble topping to the top. Return to oven and bake for additional 20-25 minutes.

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. melted butter
Mix together until crumbly looking

Laundry Soap

Yes - you read that right, I made laundry soap.

Here's what you'll need:
1 bar of soap
1/2 cup washing soda (different than baking soda)
1/2 cup borax

Grate your bar of soap fine. Use a food processer if you have one, it's a whole lot easier! Add your borax and washing soda to the food processor and mix away for a minute or so.

Use 2 tbsp. per load of laundry.

I've seen others on youtube video's who boil the soap, soda, and borax in a pot with one gallon of water to make liquid soap, but to be honest, I'm conserving my time and energy today and am going to keep it dry!

Tortellini Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef broth (make with bullion)
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. parsley
8 oz. pkg. cheese filled tortellini

Make your beef broth with the bullion in a 5 quart pot. Brown sausage in a seprate pan, drain, and add it to the broth. Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the drippings. Add to pot along with crushed tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to boil then let it simmer for 30 minutes. Add tortellini, green pepper, zucchini and carrots. Bring back to a boil just long enough to cook the tortellini (refer to package for time).

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

I know what you're thinking - you don't like cranberries, right? I first tried this when my sister made them for thanksgiving, and I loved them so much, I made it for a ward relief society dinner. Most of the women claimed to not like cranberry anything, and most of them loved this!

Spiced Cranberries
1 (12 oz) bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 small can of manderine oranges

Directions: Drain oranges and set aside. In a 2 quart sauce pan, cook cranberries over medium high heat until they start to pop. Once they begin to pop, add 1 cup of sugar. After sugar is added and mixed in, cook and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, and add in vanilla and cinnamon. Cook until all cranberries have popped. Mixture will be thick. Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in manderine oranges. Chill for several hours or over night.

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

3 cups shredded zucchini
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour

Make sure your oven rack is on the lower level. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix zucchini, eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool in loaf pans for 30 minutes. Turn out onto a cooling rack and cool additional 30 minutes before slicing.

Do you want a healthier version? Trust me, your kids will still snarf it up!
* For the flour - use 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, and 1/2 cup of quick oats.
* Add 1/2 cup of ground flax seed.
* Decrease the sugar by a half cup, you won't miss it, I promise!

Easy Sweet n' Sour sauce

This is one of my favorite recipe's! It's so quick and SO easy!

1 small bottle of Russian Salad Dressing (french or catalina will work - but not the creamy version)
1 jar of apricot, apricot/pineapple, or peach jam
1 pkg. lipton onion soup mix.

Bake your chicken in this sauce and serve it over rice. Steamed Asparagus on the side is my favorite with this dish!

Great with meat balls too!

Cheese ball

If you haven't heard of Delectable Addictions, check them out! I love using their dip spice packets to make cheese balls and other yummy stuff. They are a huge hit every single time! Delectable Addictions is small Utah company. And if you are from Utah, you can find their products year round at The Quilted Bear in Ogden and Midvale. You can also find them at a boutique that happens a few times a year here in Utah, called Kottage Kupboard! And there, you get to sample all their yummy stuff, and they usually run specials that will save you a little $ when you stock up :) And of course, you can always order online!

Here's what you'll need:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1-2 TBSP. mayonaise
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
1 Scrumptious Spinach Dip mix

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and referigerate atleast 5 hours to soften the spices and to let the flavors blend. Enjoy with your favorite cracker (or my kids like pretzles with them).