Light Waldorf Salad

This is a really yummy fruit and nut salad, made with yogurt. It's considered low fat and goes great with a cold chicken breast for lunch. This recipe makes four servings... so try not to eat the whole thing!

Light Waldorf Salad

Ingredients
2 apples, cored and diced
1 C. seedless grapes, halved
1 C. plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 C. chopped celery
1/4 C. chopped walnuts
2 T. raisans
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Ground cinnamon

Instructions
Combine apples, grapes, yogurt, celery, walnuts, raisins and juice.
Serve sprinkled with cinnamon.

Taco Soup with Black Beans

Another great crock pot recipe. The leftovers are almost better than the fresh soup! Consider adding fresh lime juice or chopped cilantro after cooking.

Taco Soup with Black Beans

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef, browned
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 can corn, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can red beans, undrained
1 env. dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 env. dry taco seasoning
1 small onion, chopped

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Squeeze about half a lime into the finished soup (optional).
Garnish with tortilla or chips, shredded cheese, sour cream.

Italian Meatloaf

This is a great recipe for a large family meal. A nice twist on your traditional meatloaf or even spaghetti and meatballs. Serve with your favorite pasta and sauce.

To remove meatloaf and other meats from the crockpot, make yourself some foil handles. Place three, double strips of heavy foil, crisscrossed on the bottom of the pot and ends left hanging over the top edge. Place them in the pot first and put your meat on top.

Italian Meatloaf

Ingredients
2 lbs. ground beef or turkey
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 C. quick-cooking oats
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 C. pasta sauce (use the rest with pasta)
1 tsp. garlic powder
onion slices

Instructions
Combine meat, eggs, oats, soup mix, pasta sauce, and garlic powder. Shape into a loaf and place in the crockpot. Top with onion slices.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve with pasta and additional sauce.

Ham and Potatoes

This is a great recipe for your leftover Christmas Ham. Just pop the ingredients in the crockpot and it's ready for dinner. This is the first in a series of crockpot recipes I plan to post. I love getting out the crockpot this time of year, you'll always have a yummy stew, casserole, or roast for dinner!

My family traditionally has lima beans with ham and potatoes. I would toss in some frozen lima beans with this recipe.

Ham and Potatoes

Ingredients
5-6 potatoes, sliced
About 2 C.+ ham, diced
8 oz + American or Velveeta Cheese, cubed
half a small onion, diced
1 can of cream of chicken soup (I use the healthy request, reduced fat stuff)
1/2 C. milk

Instructions
Layer potatoes, ham, cheese, and onion in the crockpot. Add the soup on top.
Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

Recipe Credit: Arrion Rathsack

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Growing up, Ben's Grandma Beckhoff would make chocolate cake at Christmas. I have since discovered it's one of Ben's favorites. While this is not the original recipe, it's pretty close. I have discovered that here in Texas, this cake is otherwise known as a "Texas Sheet Cake". A chocolate cake with a hint of cinnamon.

Don't forget to include a red hot and green frosting ivy leaves!

The photo shows Ben's sister Sarah Rathsack and his mom Brenda Rathsack decorating the chocolate sheet cake, Christmas 2007.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Ingredients
2 C. flour
2 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. butter or margerine
1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 C. buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions
Combine flour, sugar, soda, and salt. In saucepan, combine butter, cocoa, and 1 C. water. Bring mixture just to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add chocolate mix to dry mix and beat with mixer till combined. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute.

Spread onto greased 13x9x2 pan (or 15x10x1 pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Cool on wire rack, but frost while still warm.

Chocolate Frosting
In a saucepan combine 1/4 C. butter, 3 T. cocoa, and 3 T. buttermilk. Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Add 2 1/4 C. sifted powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp. vanilla. Beat till smooth. If desired, stir in 3/4 C. coarsely chopped pecans.

Decorate with red hot candies and use green frosting for ivy leaves.

Recipe Credit: Arrion Rathsack