Taco Soup

Taco Soup

Melissa Summers

1 lb ground beef

1 can kidney beans (undrained)

1 can corn (undrained)

1 large can tomato sauce

1 small can diced tomatoes

1 cup water

1 pkg taco seasoning

Cook ground beef and mix with all the other ingredients in large pot. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until hot.

Serve with any of these options: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, olives or anything that sounds good.

Butter Toffee

Butter Toffee
By Melissa Summers

30 Hershey kisses

2 cups butter – room temperature

2 cups sugar

Cook the butter and sugar in a large pot on medium high heat for about 12-15 minutes until it reaches HARD-CRACK on the candy thermometer.

Pour on jelly roll cookie sheet and spread evenly with spatula.

Let harden a few minutes until you can touch it and it will not indent but is still hot.

Place 30 Hershey kisses on the toffee. Let them melt and then spread evenly over toffee.

Let cool 4-5 hours or overnight. Break up with a knife.

Brown sugar and cinnamon spiced bundt cake

Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Spiced Bundt Cake

by, Melissa Summers

1 spice cake mix

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. water

1 cup oil

Mix together.

4 eggs - add one at a time. Mix well.

mix 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Set aside.

Grease and flour bundt cake pan. Layer 1/2 the cake mix, then the cinnamon and sugar mixture, then the remaining cake mix.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. milk

Mix well and pour over the top of the cake.

Raspberry Delight

Raspberry Delight
by Melissa Summers
This is my mom's recipe I remember her making and I loved it. I decided to make it for Thanksgiving this year and it was just as good as I remember it. It is very rich, a little goes a long way. So you may want to half the recipe if you are just making it for your family.

Raspberry Delight

By Melissa Summers

Combine:

2 cups flour

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Press into 9 X 13 pan and bake at 375 degrees until 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful not to let it cook to long. You don't want the crust to be hard. Remove from oven and cool and then crumble up crust and place 1/2 of the crumbs in bottom of the same pan and pat down. Save the rest of the crumbs for later in the recipe.

Combine thoroughly:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

Whip 2 cups of whipping cream and add 1 tsp. vanilla and add to cream cheese mixture. Smooth evenly over crumbs, then cover with remaining crumbs. Chill thoroughly.

Top with the following:

Mix 1 package raspberry jello and 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for 2 minutes. Add as many frozen raspberries as you would like, could be a lot or just a little. Let cool and then pour over cream cheese mixture in pan.

Chill thoroughly. Serves 24.

Pumpkin Squares

Pumpkin Squares

by Melissa Summers

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs beaten

1 16 oz. can pumpkin

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup oil

1 tsp. salt

Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda and salt and set aside. Combine eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil in another bowl. Add dry ingredients. Grease a cookie sheet and pour batter in pan. Cook for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool completely.

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese softened

½ cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla

4-4 ½ cups powdered sugar

Mix until all the ingredients are combined and smooth.