Crockpot Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 28oz. can peeled, diced, tomatoes
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 6oz. can tomato paste
2 15oz. cans kidney beans (I use one dark red and one light red)
1 packet chili seasoning mix
1 large onion, chopped

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet on stovetop. Put all ingredients including the prepared ground beef and onion into the crockpot and stir together. Cook on low 8-12 hours. Serve with saltines or oyster crackers, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, even hot dogs - whatever else you like with your chili.

Fall weather is upon us and I'm planning to make chili in the morning for Beggar's Night. It makes trick or treating so easy - dinner is ready when you walk in the door at the end of the workday, each person can eat as they're hungry and still get costumes and make-up on and everything ready for the all the little goblins that will be stopping by. Everyone has their favorite chili and this is my own take on it. It is very similar to what my mom used to make and my family loves it. It's even better reheated the next day.

Buckeye Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix
1 c. peanut butter
12 oz. cream cheese
6 Tblsp. milk
4 Tblsp. sugar
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full. Mix the filling: In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the peanut butter, 6 ounces of the cream cheese, 2 of the tablespoons of milk, and the 4 tablespoons of sugar. Mix it together into a stiff dough and roll into big gumball-sized balls (not as big as golfballs) and place in the center of the cake batter in each cupcake. Bake according to the cake box directions. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely. Make the frosting: In large mixing bowl put the other 1/2 cup of peanut butter, the remaining 4 tablespoons of milk and the other 6 ounces of cream cheese plus the vanilla. Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar, making sure the frosting doesn't get too thick.

When I made these I used the aluminum cupcake liners so I had the nice silver for the scarlet and gray tailgate party. I put the frosting on using a squeeze decorator so the tops were pretty, then I shaved dark chocolate on top (Giardelli extra dark chocolate bar using a vegetable peeler to shave pieces off) - you could substitute chocolate chips on top, some chocolate sprinkles, or even some Reese's pieces.

Today is a college football Saturday, so it's putting me in the mood for tailgate food. I got this recipe from a good friend of mine, Erin, who is a big OSU Buckeye fan. They are perfect for tailgate parties, though they are a little labor-intensive (but defnitely worth the trouble!). Thanks for the recipe Erin! (and thanks to Maria for taking the picture of them for me!)

Hash Brown Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 32oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. onion, chopped
1 stick margarine, melted
1 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pint sour cream
cornflakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine potatoes, soup, onion, cheese, margarine, and sour cream in large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour in greased 9" x 13" pan. Top with crushed cornflakes. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes, uncover and bake 45 minutes more.

This is an old stand-by - no potluck is complete without them. I have made these as a crockpot recipe as well: place in crockpot instead of the 9" x 13" pan and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Some recipes use crushed Ritz-style crackers instead of the cornflakes but I prefer the flakes. I make cheesy potatoes to go with ham for dinner some nights. These are great for brunch too.

Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1 large red onion
1 large vidalia onion
1 med-large yellow cooking onion
1 10.5oz. can onion soup, plus 2 cans of water
2 large cans beef broth
pepper

Rough chop all the onions. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8-12 hours. Serve in individual bowls with a slice of provolone melted on top. Make your own croutons or serve with crusty french bread.

There used to be a restaurant downtown that my husband and I would go to for lunch. This is my attempt to recreate their yummy onion soup. My creation is one of my husband's favorite meals! It's another easy meal that is ready for my busy family to eat whenever their schedules give them a minute to sit down and eat it.

Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 16oz. pkg spaghetti
1/2 stick butter or margarine
salt
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 lb. shrimp, large, peeled, deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced (I use 2 tsp of the prepared minced garlic in the jar)
pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling water. Melt butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Add garlic, pepper flakes, lemon juice and parsley. Cook till shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and put in large bowl. Add the shrimp mixture and toss to coat the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grated parmesan.

Mom made this one night when I stopped over. It has 2 of my favorite foods - shrimp and pasta - so I had to have the recipe. She gave the recipe to me and I made it, and I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was, and it makes a great meal even for company - delicious. I make it almost weekly now. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bites

Ingredients:
2 boxes of spice cake mix
1 29oz. can pure pack pumpkin (not the sweetened pumpkin pie filling...no, no, NO)
1 12oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dump both dry cake mixes in large mixing bowl. Add pumpkin and blend together well. Let dough sit 2-3 minutes, then stir in the chocolate chips. Batter will be very stiff. Drop dough by scant tablespoons onto cookie sheets, at least an inch apart from each other. Bake 12-15 minutes. Yield: Dozens of delicious pumpkin goodness.

My friend Denise made these for a work potluck last year. I loved them so I asked her for the recipe. You eat them like cookies but they remind you of muffins or cake and they're less messy. This was the first time I made them and it was so easy. And it made so many! I lost track of how many dozen I made. These are perfect for fall get-togethers - tailgating, Halloween parties, or marching band snacks. You can substitute carrot cake or other flavors of cake mix, but I've never tried those, just the spice cake mix. The house smelled like pumpkin spice for days afterward too.