Renae's Hot Fudge

2 c. sugar
4 T.butter
4 T. cocoa
1 can evaporated milk

Blend together and dissolve. Boil gently 2-4 minutes,according to how thick you like it. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. If it should curdle, put in blender and whip. Makes 2.5 cups.

(Thanks Sam for typing it and e-mailing it to me).

Fresh Tomato and Spinach Creamy Soup

I have made this soup twice lately and I just love it. Sad that the fresh tomatoes are gone now.

In a large soup pan, saute in olive oil:
diced onion
red pepper flakes
garlic
fresh or dried basil

When onion is soft and transparent add:
diced fresh tomatoes
cut up fresh spinach

Stir for a minute or two then add:
4 cups of water with 1 cup of Shirley J White Cheddar Cheese sauce mixed together.

Bring to a boil to thicken and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Potatoes

In a large saucepan, combine and heat on medium:
2 c. water
2 tsp. parsley flakes
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. pepper

When boiling, cook (stirring frequently):
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. carrots
1 c. celery
2 c. potatoes
2 c. broccoli or cauliflower

When tender, combine flour and milk mixture (after having whisked it until smooth):
3 c. milk
4 tbsp. flour

Stir in 1 pound Velveeta cheese and enjoy. Absolutely delicious!

Orange-Cashew Chicken & Rice

So fast and tasty. It's worth remembering to buy the cashews next time you're at the store.

Prep/Total time: 30 min

1 cup cooked rice
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges
1/4 cup chopped cashews (I didn't chop them and it was fine)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 Tbsp. canola oil (I skipped this)
1/2 cup chopped bok choy (didn't kow what it was so skipped it)
1/4 cup minced chives (didn't have any so...skipped)

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain the oranges reserving 2 Tbsp. juice. In a small bowl, combine the cashews, broth, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and reserved juice; set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, stir-fry chicken in oil until no longer pink. Add cashew mixture; cook 1 minute longer. (At this point I wanted the sauce a little thicker to pour over rice so I thickened it with corn starch and water.) Add the bok choy, chives and reserved oranges; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Fluff rice with a fork; serve with chicken mixture.

Sausage Potato Soup

Ingredients
16-24 oz smoked sausage (put in as much or as little as you'd like), cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion (I used half an onion)
2 cans cream of potato soup (or 3 if you'd prefer less corn)
2 cans creamed corn (Next time I make this, I think I will do three pototao soups and only one corn because it made for a lot of corn)
1 1/3 cups milk

Directions
* Over medium heat, melt a tiny bit of butter. Add sausage, green pepper, and onion and cook until sausage is brown. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through. Enjoy!As you can see, I'm a fan of easy. Let me know if you like it.

Spiced Wassail

Ingredients
1 can cranberry juice
1 can pineapple juice
1 can apple juice
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon, broken

Directions
* In large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Discard orange and lemon slices, cloves and cinnamon before serving.Warning: only make this recipe if you are okay with cranberries. It isn't as strong as straight up cranberry juice, but you can definitely taste them.

Chicken Cranberry Braid

I made this braid for dinner tonight. It was quite a hit! It was so easy and really worked up fast.
I was out of Shirley J Honey White Bread Mix so I made this one out of the Shirley J Honey Wheat Bread Mix.

Mix bread according to package directions, use 1/2 batch recipe. Let bread rest for 15-20 minutes after mixing, per instructions on bag.

Mix filling: 1 (12oz.) canned chicken, 1/2 c. chopped celery, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 c. almonds, slivered, 1/2 c. mayo, 2 TB Dijon mustard.

Remove bread to floured surface; roll out into approximately 12x18" rectangle. Place dough rectangle on 12x18" sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Make 4" cuts approximately 1" wide along each edge of the rectangle, leaving 4" in center for filling. Place filling in middle of dough rectangle, smooth to fill to the edge of dough cuts. Fold the edges of the dough over to middle of the pan, covering the fillings.

Alternate sides and tuck strips of dough under each other, giving the appearance of a woven top. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes in a warm place. Brush with egg whites and bake in 350 oven for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.















Slice and serve with Shirley J White Cheddar Sauce over the top.