Broccoli Casserole

1 package frozen broccoli, chopped
1/4 pound Velvetta cheese
1/2 stick margarine
Ritz crackers, crumbled

Cook broccoli until tender; drain. Mix ingredients and pt in casserole baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle ritz crackers over top and bake 5 minutes more.

Quick & Easy Nut Crescents
Mix together by hand the following ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup confectionery sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Shape into balls or crescents. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
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As someone who likes to eat healthily and refrain from consuming meat, I love my vegetarian chili crock pot recipe!

Yields: Approximately 5 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 oz cans butter beans drained
1 oz can kidney beans drained
1 oz can garbanzo beans drained
1 oz can/bag of yellow corn drained
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/2 medium onion, choppe
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped finely
Water

Seasoning (add to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup chili powder

Directions:

1. First, chop your carrots into bite-size pieces and boil these in water. They take longer than the other vegetables to soften so pre-soften them while you are chopping the other veggies.

2. Now that the carrots are boiling, clean and cut your other fresh vegetables (onion, celery, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers). Put these into the crock pot.

3. Drain all of your canned vegetables (beans, corn, tomatoes) and add those to the chopped vegetables.

4. Add approximately 2 cups of water to your vegetables. Add water so that there all of the vegetables are submerged and not peaking out. Keep in mind that the liquid will evaporate so if you like watery chili, add more water/broth. If you like your chili thick, reduce the amount of liquid.

5. Drain your carrots and add them to the rest of the vegetables.

6. In a separate bowl, mix all of your seasoning agents. After they are mixed, add them to your water.

7. Set your crock pot to medium temperature. It will take 2-3 hours until it is finished. If you want to cook it faster, set the temperature to high.

8. Make sure to check on your chili occasionally. Taste it to see if it's missing any flavor and add salt/cumin/chili pepper/etc. according to your
taste.

9. Serve it up hot. Don't forget to add some cheese and sour cream garnish if you please!
Source(s):
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1181020/easy_vegetarian_chili_croc...

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Buy a bag of pretzel, bag of chocolate, and red and green sprinkles.
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Beer rolls. Depending on the variety of beer that you use, these can vary in texture from something like a sweet muffin to a basic yeast roll. For more yeast-like rolls, use plain cheap beer--PBR or Coors Light, etc.
For sweet muffin rolls, use Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat Ale and for lightly pumpkin flavored rolls use Schafly's Pumpkin Ale.

12 ounces of beer/ale
2 to 3 cups bisquick
1/3 cup of sugar

Mix together in a large bowl. Use enough bisquick to make batter smooth and slightly sticky, just a bit thicker than pancake mix. Spray muffin tins with butter-flavored spray or line with paper liners. fill about 2/3 full. For a full-size muffin tray, one ladel of batter per cup is about right.

Bake at 350 degree for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

These used to be a holiday staple around our house until we decided to go gluten-free :(
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My favorite is lasagna of any sort! Arguably it doesn't qualify as inexpensive however since it's such a popular holiday meal you can get most of the ingredients on sale if you shop well ahead of time.

quote
Lasagna Ingredients:

16 pieces (about 16 oz.) Lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef
3 cups (about 28-oz. jar) spaghetti sauce
4 cups (2 lb.) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
2 teaspoons chopped basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In large skillet, brown meat; drain.

2. Stir in spaghetti sauce; simmer 10 minutes.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Lay flat on foil to cool.

4. Heat oven to 350°F.

5. In large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, oregano, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.

6. Spread about 1/3 cup meat sauce on bottom of 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce, overlapping edges. Spread one-third cheese mixture over pasta; spread with about 3/4 cup meat sauce.

7. Repeat layers twice, beginning and ending with pasta. Top with remaining meat sauce; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

8. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer, or until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
/quote
http://www.momswhothink.com/dinner-recipes/lasagna-recipe.html

Also, I always get the free Stouffer's Vegtable Lasagna that some groucery stores offer in lieu of a free turkey.
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PEANUT BUTTER BALLS!!! :)

Gotta have a remedy for the sweet tooth during the holiday season! Instructions are not to the "T", but they are too simple to mess up, and will please the most finicky(sp) eaters.

1.) Lots of peanut butter- You pick your favorite and amount- creamy PB is usually preferred.
2.) Honey- again, sometimes your palate is the best judge for the type you use.
3.) Powdered sugar
4.) Chocolate- i prefer Hersheys, but why not experiment and give some Godiva a go?
5.) If i remember correct, corn starch goes in with the melted chocolate.

Directions: In a large bowl, mix peanut butter, honey, and powdered sugar together. Its a rigorous task, but fun for kids and adults alike. The measurements of honey and powdered sugar is something you will have to experiment with. Start with say, half cup honey and 1/4 cup +/- powdered sugar per pound of peanut butter and adjust to taste. Next, roll up your mixture into about a 1 inch ball. Make as many as you would like per your ingredient amount. Toothpick the balls tops then refridgerate thereafter for a good hour or so to let them harden a bit. Now start melting your chocolate. I'm fairly certain corn starch goes in with the chocolate, but im unsure of the ratio. When chocolate is warm, soft, and dippable, get out your balls, and dip away, laying the finished product on wax paper, then back into the fridge to harden the chocolate. Folks also call these little boogers "buckeyes" because they dip up to about 2/3 to the top, and a little "buckeye" is left revealed. Have fun and Merry X-mas!
Source(s):
Good 'ol days back home

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My family likes the following treats:
Hay stacks
Melt one package of chocolate chips or butterscotch chips over low heat; stir in 1 package of dry chow mein noodles. Make "hay stacks" by dropping mounds onto wax paper; allow to cool and store in an air tight container.

Meringue Kisses
2 egg whites
1 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp flavoring (almond, lemon, orange, vanilla, peppermint)
Beat egg whites til stiff, gradually add sugar and continue beating egg whites.
Add flavoring. Place on baking sheet in preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. (OPTIONAL, you may add a couple of drops of food coloring, or nuts to this recipe)

Warm CRANBERRY Wassail
http://www.oceanspray.com/recipes/Warm_Cranberry_Wassail.aspx?id=1720&nid=8

Easy Spiced Apple Cider
1 64 oz bottle apple juce
1 small pack or RED HOTS CANDY
Heat apple juice in crock pot, add the RED HOTS, stir occassionally to dissolve. Serve.

Ritz Cracker Cookies
1 box Ritz crackers
1 package white almond bark
1 jar peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

Make peanut butter sandwiches with the crackers and set aside. Melt the White almond bark according to directions. Dip the peanut butter-crackers in the white chocolate covering completely. Set on wax paper or foil until cooled and dried then store in airtight container.

Pineapple Casserole
1 large can crushed pineapple (own juice or heavy syrup)
1 cup grated cheese
1 roll of Ritz Crackers
2-3 TBSP Butter
(0ptional: nuts or ham)
Layer pineapple in bottom of buttered or sprayed casserole dish. Layer cheese. Crush the Ritz crackers, then sprinkle on top. Dot butter on top of crackers. Bake in 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

I have lots of other recipes I'll be happy to share if you want.
Source(s):
Some recipes have been borrowed from friends and family members and adapted to suit my family's taste.

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Mama's Casserole. You take the following ingredients:

Pan for baking
1 box stuffing
1/2 cup of water
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry basil
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, split into two servings

Mix stuffing, water, garlic and cook according to directions on stuffing box.
Cook chicken on the stove, either boiled or fried in oil. Dice chicken when cooked.
Layer chicken, basil, and 3/4 cup of cheese.
Top with stuffing mix.
Top with remaining 3/4 cup of cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
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Basic Christmas Cookies (3 ingredients)

1 cake mix- any flavor
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix together and drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The great thing about these cookies is you can adapt them to make so many varieties. For instance, chocolate cake with mint candies mixed in makes a chocolate mint cookie. Add walnuts to a fudge cake mix, roll balls in powdered sugar before baking and watch them disappear. (easy version of chocolate crinkle cookies) A fantastic treat is vanilla cake mix with macadamian nuts and coconut added for a tropical twist. The idea is to create as many different kinds of cookies using what ever you have on hand in the kitchen. Kids love making these because on cake mix can cure several cravings. We make these at least twice a week at our house.

You can also add the goodies to the cake mix, pour everything into a canning jar and attach the recipe to the top for quick Christmas presents. The recipient does not need to know the powdered mix is a cake mix with extra stuff added. Layering the cake mix with chocolate chips and nuts makes the jar more attractive. We gave a lot of these out last year too.
Source(s):
Cake Mix Cookie Recipe we have used for years.

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Fast, easy, and favorite?

That's easy... Eggnog.

1 liter milk (whole, 2%, skimmed... whichever you prefer)
5 eggs (more or less to taste)
2/3 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract (more or less to taste)
a bit of ground nutmeg
rum (more or less to taste)

Using a blender or an egg beater, mix the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Add as much rum as you like.

Sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg.

It's simple... it's fast... it's easy... all of those ingredients are cheep, except for the vanilla extract, in which case use artificial vanilla, and it's completely in harmony with the holiday spirit.
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