Russian Tea

5 apple cinnamon teabags
3 cups boiling water
2 cups pineapple juice
16 oz. orange juice concentrate
16 oz. lemonade concentrate
9 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar (can use half splenda)

Directions & Story:  Pour 3 cups boiling water over tea bags and steep for 5 minutes.  Remove tea bags.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer.  You can also add whole cloves and cinnamon sticks while simmering.

I got this recipe from the wife of Dale's commanding officer.  She had us over for dinner while the guys were deployed to Afghanistan and I think I drank the entire pot of this cider (I was pregnant so it's ok).  I then made it a few times throughout the holiday season.  It makes the house smell amazing and is a great addition to any holiday menu.  After simmering on the stove I put it in a crock pot to keep warm.

French Dip Sandwiches

1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
20 slices french bread

Directions & Story:  Place roast in a slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder.  Pour mixture over roast and add enough water to almost cover roast.  Cover, and cook on low heat for 10-12 hours or until meat is very tender.  Shred meat and use reserved broth for dipping.  Makes ten servings.

I made these a lot while teaching.  So nice to know a very tasty meal is waiting at home.  Every time I made this for guests they request the recipe which originally came from allrecipes.com.

Creamy Tomato Pasta

1 lb ground hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
14 ounces penne pasta
grated Parmesan for topping

Notes/Story: Cook the pasta in salted water al dente, according to package directions.
While pasta is cooking, brown the hamburger.
Add the onions and garlic to the hamburger and saute for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the entire can of diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce and heat through.
Pour in the cream and heat through. The longer you cook the sauce the thicker it will get so simmer it until it is the consistency you want.
Add the basil and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Finally, mix the hamburger sauce with the pasta and serve. Top each serving with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread and side salad.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of potato soup
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Notes/Story: Whisk all ingredients together and simmer 15 min. Serve with crusty bread. I made this for Mom when she came down for a healing touch class. It was very tasty but very rich. Could only handle one bowl-full!

Homemade hot chocolate

1.5 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
6 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Notes/Story: Add all the ingredients to a crock-pot and let simmer on low for 3 hours. So tasty and creamy! (But also very rich!) It makes quite a bit...so I would either halve the recipe or make it when there are a lot of people around.
A couple days ago we were in a winter storm warning (first time this year!) and I was hoping for a snow day so I could make this yummy treat for my roommates and I. There ended up being no snow day (of course) but the weather was still very snowy, blowy, and cold so I decided to make this hot chocolate anyways! Coming home from class to this really was wonderful!

Creamy Enchiladas

8 eight inch tortillas
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast (I bought rotisserie chicken and shredded it)
1 medium onion. diced
2 cups low-fat shredded cheddar or colby cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) light sour cream
4 ounces Neufchatel cheese (low-fat cream cheese), cubed
1/3 cup canned green chiles (do not drain)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh or dried cilantro
1 tbsp cumin powder (I used a little less)
1 tsp red or cayenne pepper (I used a little less)
Butter flavor non-stick cooking spray 

Notes/Story: Spray 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix together chicken, onion, and cheese. Fill tortillas with that mixture. Roll and place seam side down, side by side in single layer in baking dish.

In large saucepan heat broth, cilantro, cumin, and red/cayenne pepper until hot. Add sour cream, cream cheese, and canned green chiles. Heat until cream cheese is melted and everything is incorporated well, stirring frequently. (If sauce seems a little thin, you may thicken with a small amount of cornstarch whisked into sauce. Which I did.)

Pour sauce over enchiladas in pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

I found this recipe when I was searching for "Creamy Enchiladas." These are SO good. I ate them for 8 days in a row and didn't get sick of them.

Fudgy Brownie Cookies

1 package (18 to 21 oz. box) fudge brownie mix
1-¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cups packed brown sugar
2 whole eggs
½ cups butter, melted and cooled
2 Tablespoons water, or more as needed
1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Notes/Story:
Whisk together brownie mix, flour, and sugar. Using a heavy spoon, stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by butter and 2 tablespoons water. If the batter appears like there is too much flour, add 1 more tablespoon of water. Batter will be very thick. Fold in chocolate chunks. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on the cookie sheet. You want pretty thick cookies here to get the brownie feel, about 3 inches apart. Press down slightly. Don’t flatten completely. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

I made these for Grandma when Mom and Will went to the farm. Very good and chewy!