Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Crust

6 cups Sweet Potatoes (6-8 lg if using fresh yams) - bake, peel & whip sweet potatoes
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup softened Butter
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Canned Milk

Mix all together. Put in 9x13 greased pan.

Crust:
2 cups Brown Sugar
2/3 cup softened Butter
2 cups chopped Pecans

Mix until crumbly & put on top of sweet potatoes mixture.
Bake @350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

I got this recipe from Josh's Aunt Maryanne & it's seriously the best sweet potatoe recipe out there!!

Marvelous Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

From the Essential Mormon Cookbook- these mashed potatoes can be made a day or two ahead and be stored in the fridge (I did that last Thanksgiving and it worked out GREAT! They are very tasty too!)

5lbs potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. garlic salt
pepper to taste

Combine mashed potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, milk, garlic salt and pepper. Mix well and place in large, greased casserole dish. If making ahead, refrigerate. Otherwise, cover and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

*if refrigerated first, let stand 30 minutes at room temperature and then bake as directed

Makes 6-8 servings

Macaroni and Cheese

SO EASY!

7 oz macaroni noodles (whole wheat works great) UNCOOKED
16 oz container of cottage cheese (low fat works great)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups boiling water
12 oz american cheese (order from the deli in thick slices and then cube it)

Mix all ingredients together in 13 x 9 and bake @ 400 for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake additional 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I like to bake uncovered so you end up with a crispy cheesy top.

Spicy Corn and Black Beans

1 Tbsp oil (canola or olive)
1/2 cup chopped onion
11 oz can niblets corn (you can use a 15 oz can too, just make sure to drain it)
15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
4 oz can chopped green chilis
1 Tbsp cilantro chopped (I like to add another Tbsp)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oil in frying pan, add onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Reduce heat to medium and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

This recipe is quick, easy and healthy. We love it as a side dish to Mexican food or even as a salsa.

Lime Rice

4 T. butter
2 1/2 cups white rice
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Juice and zest of 2 large limes
4 T. chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1 small can diced green chilis
2 T. chopped onion flakes
2 -3 cloves crushed garlic

Put all ingredients in rice cooker. When done, mix well and serve.

-or-

In cooking pot mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix well and serve.

Mexican Rice

6 servings of white rice
1 container of sour cream
2 small cans of diced green chiles
4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Cook rice. Use medium size bowl. Spread thin layer of sour cream at bottom of the bowl. Spread layer of rice. Sprinkle cheese and chiles over rice. Repeat these steps (sour cream,rice,cheese, chiles) until done. Finish with one last layer of rice and some cheese sprinkled on top. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

This is great to serve with tacos or burritos!
Sorry the directions aren't perfect sounding. =) This is a recipe that my mother-in-law made up and so there's no real "written" recipe.

Parmesan Cheese Potatoes

Boil and mash 15 potatoes
Then add:
8 oz Cream Cheese
16 oz Sour Cream
1 cube of Butter
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Seasonal Salt (to taste)
Garlic Salt (to taste)
1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Put in 9 x 13 baking dish and top with shredded Monterrey/Colby Jack cheese.
Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Yummy!!

Cheesy Ranch Potato Bake

1 lb Southern style hash browns
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix (I only use 1/2 of the envelope, 1 full envelope was a little strong for my family)
3/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup Shredded Colby-jack cheese (1/2 cup reserved for topping)
1/2 cup melted Butter (reserve half for topping)
1/2 teas Salt
1/2 teas Pepper
2 TBL dried onions
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

Add all ingredients to a bowl, mix well and spread into a greased casserole dish.
Add reserved cheese to top of potato bake.
Mix reserved butter and crushed crackers in separate bowl and sprinkle on top.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

This recipe is really good. The ranch dressing and the crushed crackers on top make this recipe really tasty. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Baked Beans

1 Green Bell Pepper chopped
2 stalks Celery chopped
10 slices of cooked Bacon crumbled
1 clove of garlic (I put the garlic through my garlic press)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 TBL of White Vinegar
1 bottle of Chili Sauce (Heinz makes it, find near the ketchup)
1 15 oz. can Kidney Beans drained
1 15 oz. can Lima Beans drained
2 15 oz cans Pork & Beans NOT drained

Combine ingredients in Crock Pot and let it cook on low around 7 hours or on high around 4 hours. Stir occasionally. This recipe is great to make ahead of time. They are even better the next day. I got this recipe from my neighbor and they are awesome! This makes a good amount so they are great to take to family BBQ's or pot lucks.

Peppery Scalloped Potatoes

1 can cream of mushroom soup undiluted.
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2- 1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
5 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour

In small bowl combine the first four ingredients, set aside. In a 13 x 9in pan, layer 1/3 of the potatoes, 1/3 of the butter, and 1/3 of soup mixture. Repeat layers 2 more times. Bake uncovered @ 350 for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Serves 6-8.