Here’s how I did it (this serves 2, and I didn’t eat all of mine):

4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed and finely chopped (you can use the part of the stem above the knobby part)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red or green pepper
1 tsp olive oil
pizza sauce (probably around 3/4 cup)
6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
12 slices of turkey pepperoni (or more if you want)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute the chopped mushroom, onion and pepper in a non-stick skillet with the olive oil. Remove from the pan when done, and let it sit on a couple of paper towels to remove excess moisture.

While the vegetables are cooking, put a silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet (or lightly oil the pan to keep the mushrooms from sticking). Lay mushrooms on the sheet, gills-side up, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until softened. If there is liquid in them when you remove them from the oven, dab dry with a paper towel.

Lightly salt the mushrooms, and then add the toppings: first sauce, then vegetables, followed by shredded cheese and pepperoni.

Return to the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and barely starting to bubble/brown.

Enjoy!

Original here.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4-5 oz light cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces chocolate chips – I used about 10 oz, but all I had were milk chocolate chips…will use semi-sweet next time!

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine dry ingredients (flour through soda) in a bowl and set aside. In mixer, blend butter, sugar, egg, cream cheese, and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing with each addition, until all are incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Grease a cookie sheet. Drop dough by the spoonful onto sheet lined with parchment paper, or better yet, a silicone mat, at least 1 inch apart.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, but watch carefully…I took these out of the oven right before the “golden brown around the edges” stage and they were PERFECT.

lovely, i know, cooling on a paper towel...but i was lazy and didn't get out my cooling racks.

recipe found via pinterest

4 cups golden grahams cereal
2 cups cocoa puffs cereal
2 cups thin pretzel sticks
1 cup reese’s pieces (I’ve already admitted my love for these)
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
10 oz white chocolate baking bars, chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, mix cereals, pretzels, reese’s pieces and peanuts; set aside

In a microwavable bowl, microwave white chocolate until melted and chocolate can be stirred smooth.  Pour over ceral mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

In a large resealable plastic bag, toss half of the cereal mixture with 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar until evenly coated.  Repeat with the remaining cereal mixture and remaining powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Inspiration here via Pinterest, of course. (Aaaand realizing now that I completely forgot the pepperoni when I made these, so I won’t include that in the recipe, but I’m sure it’s delish. Oh well.)

Here’s what you need:
bread (I used a loaf of artisan french bread – any will do, but I prefer something that like for this kind of sandwich)
slices of provolone and/or mozzarella cheese
slices of avocado
slices of tomato
butter
garlic salt

You’re basically just making a grilled cheese sandwich here, so no rocket science. Butter a slice of bread, lightly sprinkle with garlic salt, and put on a skillet or griddle. Top with a slice or 2 of cheese (we used a slice of provolone and a slice of mozzarella), a few slices of avocado and tomato, and another piece of bread with butter and a light sprinkling of garlic salt.

NOTE: Flipping these sandwiches is difficult, so use caution not to let them come apart!

this was the second time we made these, and i smashed the avocado up a bit, which made them easier to flip BUT harder to eat. i'd still recommend slicing the avocado.

Serve with a bowl of soup or a salad. YUM.

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 cups shredded mexican cheese blend, divided
2 packages (1.9 oz each) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells

Cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in taco seasoning and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat; stir in 1/2 cup cheese blend.

Place tart shells in an ungreased 15×10 baking pan.  Fill with taco mixture.

Bake at 350 for 6 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese blend; bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

2/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/3 cups Reese’s mini pieces candy

Heat oven to 350.  Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Beat shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until fluffy;  beat in egg and vanilla.  Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to sugar mixture.  Stir in oats and candy pieces.  Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool 10 (TEN) minutes on cookie sheet.  Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

I know lots of people call this Texas Caviar, but I kind of think that’s a dumb name, so I call it New Year’s Day Dip. This particular recipe came from my parents!

1 can black-eyed peas
1 can red kidney beans
1 can shoepeg (sweet white) corn
1 jar diced pimentos

Put all ingredients in a colander and drain; transfer to a large bowl, and to that add:

1 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly (I use the light green part, but not the stalk part)

In a small saucepan, combine:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Pour liquid over the bowl of vegetables, and refrigerate for a couple of hours. STRAIN BEFORE SERVING (so your serving bowl should not be full of liquid).

this is what it looks like before it's strained.

Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos – Scoops work best!

Serves about 12 so definitely a good recipe for a get together.

• 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for casserole (I actually bought unsalted butter for this and then forgot to use it and it was fine)
• 6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces (really I just quickly ripped it apart)
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tspns coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 cups grated romano cheese
• 1 pd elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a 3 qt casserole dish; set aside.  Place the bread in a bowl.  In a small saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter.  Pour the butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss.  Set the breadcrumbs aside.

Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat.  Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat.  When the butter bubbles, add the flour.  Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly pout int he hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick 8-12 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat.  Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 cup romano; set cheese sauce aside.

Boil pasta until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone, 2-3 minutes.  Transfer the macaroni to a colander and rinse under cold running water.  Stir the macaroni in to the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup romano, and the breadcrumbs over the top.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Rolos
Devils food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
powdered sugar

Mix together the cake mix with the oil and eggs.  Cover rolo with cake mix, just enough to cover the rolo.  Bake on a GREASED cookie sheet for about 8 minutes at 350.  I let my cookies sit on the pan another couple of minutes after taking them out of the oven.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Seriously, SO SO good.

*The first batch out of the oven, I didn’t let them sit and transferred right to a cookie rack.  The caramel started oozing onto paper towels below the cookie rack.  Letting them sit for a couple of minutes before transferring prevented this from happening!

And it turned out great! EDITED TO ADD: I just read Sonya’s recipe that she posted yesterday, and laughed out loud…this is practically the same thing!! Oh well

Bennett devoured, Luke and Jack Henry ate it ok, and Matt and I really liked it.

1 1/2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken (for me, this is the perfect recipe to use up some dark meat from a rotisserie chicken that I’d put in the freezer a couple of weeks ago)
4 oz light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup of skim milk (more if needed)
3 Tbl (more if you’d like) jarred pesto
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
black pepper
Half a box of pasta, cooked according to package directions (we used Rotini, but whatever you have would be fine)

Boil the water and cook the pasta. While that is cooking, mix together the cream cheese, milk and pesto, and then add in the parmesan and chicken.

Drain the pasta, mix in the other ingredients, top with black pepper, and you’re finished. Add more milk to make it creamier.

Variations: I think feta would be good with this, too, but in an effort to make it more kid-friendly, I used parmesan.

Next time, I’m adding in chopped broccoli. Somehow, a bag of frozen broccoli that I swear I had was missing, so that didn’t happen tonight as planned, but it would be good in this.