Beer Cheese Soup

This stuff tastes like it comes from a fancy restaurant. What a great thing to serve on a cold Football Sunday afternoon. The original recipe calls for Cheese-Whiz. I'm sure that's DELICIOUS but its very expensive (3 jars would be about $18). Velveeta is about 1/2 the price and my soup lovers never knew!

2 1/2 lbs Velveeta (that's right - a package and one-half!)
3 cans (15 0z) chicken broth
2 12oz cans beer - open the cans to settle a little
salt & pepper to taste
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 lb. bacon (for topping)
green onions or chives, chopped

Chop bacon and fry in a pan, set aside. Put chicken broth in large soup pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-ish and add Velveeta. I like to slice/chunk it up a little. Stir until cheese is melted. Add beer and seasonings. Stir until hot, I like to simmer for an hour (if you have time).

Serve with crumbled bacon & green onions on top.
Garlic Bread and a salad goes great with this.

Crab Quiche

Feed crab to teenage boys? Is that affordable? Every now and then Walgreens has a sale on canned crab that I can't pass up. They are about 6oz (same as regular tuna can) - I use this for this recipe and it's excellent! As for pie crust, try Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, they are pretty good and of course EASY. I keep them on hand especially for Quiche! Unless you have the talent to make your own, frozen just doesn't seem as good.

3/4 C mayonnaise
2 T flour
3 eggs
3/4 C evaporated milk
2 cans crab meat - drained well (about 1 C)
1 1/2 C shredded cheese (swiss or Monterey jack - combo of mozzarella & cheddar is fine)
1/2 C green onions, chopped
2 tbsp parsley (fresh or dry)
Optional: a couple tablespoons of chopped roasted red pepper adds a nice touch if you have it on hand
9" unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, mayonnaise, flour, and milk until thoroughly blended. Stir in crab, cheese, and onion. Spread into pie shell. Take strips of foil about 2" wide to wrap around the edges of your pie crust so they don't burn, remove the foil about the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Ice Cream Topping

This is fast, easy, and delicious! You probably have all of these ingredients on hand!

1 C sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 Tbsp butter
1/4 Cup water (more or less to make a stirable consistency)**see note
1/2 tspf vanilla extract

**Note: if you have leftover coffee from the morning use 1/2 water 1/2 coffee for a great flavor. it won't taste like coffee - it's just a "hmmm that's good" taste

Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt in small saucepan. Add enough water to make stir able constancy. Add butter to cocoa mixture. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

Enjoy!

Can't Leave Alone Bars

These are easy to make (from a cake mix) and delicious as a dessert, snack or kids lunch treat.

INGREDIENTS
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, cubed

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs and oil. With floured hands, press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Set remaining cake mixture aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips and butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds; stir. Microwave 30-45 seconds longer or until chips and butter are melted; stir until smooth. Pour over crust.
Drop by teaspoonfuls of remaining cake mixture over top. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting. Yield: 3 dozen.

Tuna Burgers

This is a great, inexpensive meal that my family loves. Add this to your menu planning once a month (or even twice) and watch your grocery budget shrink!

1 can tuna in water drained and mashed with fork (we prefer white albacore)
10-12 saltine crackers, crushed
1/4 c. onion diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg (1 egg per can of tuna used)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mash together ingredients with a fork and allow to sit for 30 min (in the fridge) to allow crackers to absorb moisture. Form into balls then gently pat out to form a small cake(1 can makes 4 small cakes). Heat skillet on med-high heat add olive oil and a small amount of butter. Add cakes to oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. You want them a little crisp, don't flip them too early they can fall apart - the crispy sides help keep them together. We add sliced cheese at the end to melt on top and serve on hamburger buns with mayo, lettuce and tomato. No matter how much I make - we never have any leftovers of these!