Raspberry White Chocolate Dream Bars by Kim

Found these online and made them for a Bunco party....YUM!!

1 Box white cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 sticks melted butter
1 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
12 oz. white chocolate chips

Combine cake mix, milk, butter and nuts. Makes a very gooey dough. Spray a 9x13 in. pan and spread half of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Melt jam in the microwave (about a minute on high) and spread on top of hot crust. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over jam. Crumble remaining dough on top and bake an additional 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

Skillet Chicken Thighs by Kim

This recipe came from my mom and it is definitely a house favorite for my whole family. I really like it served over Parmesan cous cous. It is just enough for me, Josh and the boys because of how much the thighs shrink...for more people, doubling the recipe would be necessary. Also great as leftovers.

4-6 chicken thighs, bone in
salt, pepper and paprika
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp catsup
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp instant minced onion

Remove skin and fat from chicken. Sprinkle thighs with salt, pepper and paprika. In a 10-inch skillet, melt about a Tbsp of butter or margerine over medium-high heat; add chicken and brown on both sides. In a cup mix together all remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover tightly and cook over low heat until chicken is tender - about 40 minutes. If sauce is not quite thick, remove chicken and keep warm; reduce sauce by boiling. Pour thickened sauce over each thigh.

Cake Balls by Lisa

My friend, Kimberly Lombard, gave me this great idea for Valentine's Day treats for the kids' parties. I used a combo of Paula Deen's recipe, Kimberly's, and my own.

1 pkg. cake mix (I used strawberry to be festive)
1 16 oz. container prepared cake frosting (I used cream cheese frosting, but I may try regular next time to see if the balls harden better.)
1 pkg. chocolate bark for melting (I used white)
Food coloring (optional)

Prepare the cake mix. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Break up the cake while still warm. I used a hand mixer. Mix in the tub of frosting until well blended. Place bowl in fridge for about three hours or so.

Take out and form mixture into balls on waxed paper. Put in freezer for an hour. This will help the chocolate to harden quickly later.

Melt the white chocolate according to package directions. Set aside a small amount for a colored drizzle. You can pick up each ball with a toothpick to dip, but I just did it a little messier by throwing each one at a time into the pot with the chocolate and rolling around until coated. Then, I placed on wax paper to harden. You can drizzle with another color at this point if you would like.

Finally, for a cute presentation, after the chocolate has hardened, very carefully insert a small stick inside each ball (on the ugly flat side), wrap with some cellophane, and tie a little bow. So yummy! So cute!

Beef Patties with Rice by Kim

This is my own version of a dish Josh grew up with.

1 lb ground chuck
Dale's seasoning
seasoned salt
garlic salt
pepper
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
brown rice, cooked according to package directions

Season ground beef to taste with Dale's, seasoned salt, garlic salt, and pepper and mix well (squishing it together by hand works best). Shape into 4-6 patties. Place in glass baking dish and bake at 400 degrees to desired doneness (I bake mine about 30 minutes...leaves a tiny bit of pink in center). Remove from oven and drain off grease. Stir together Cream of Mushroom Soup and milk and pour over patties. Bake for about 10 more minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and brown at edges. Serve over brown rice.