Best Play Dough

1 cup flour

1 T. oil

1 cup water

1/2 c. salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

food coloring

Mix all the ingredients together in a pot. Cook over medium heat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a ball. Stir constantly (this will be a work out). Remove from the heat and knead about 10 times until the dough is smooth. Store it in a plastic bag (stays soft for a long time.) This makes a soft, smooth dough that keeps its shape when molded. It will dry out, but not enough to make things like jewelry.

Stacy's French Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 TBS yeast
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS oil
1 TBS salt
6 Cups of flour

Stir first five ingredients and add 3 cups flour until smooth. Add remaining flour. Stir only to moisten flour. Cover and set in warm place for 10 minutes. Punch down mixture. Let dough rise and punch down every 10 minutes for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into two balls. Roll out each ball to a 9x13 rectangle. Roll the rectangle on the long side, pinching the seam together and tucking in the ends. Cut six slits diagonally across the top and brush with egg whites. Let rise for 30 minutes covered. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. We made this tonight and cut the bread length-wise to make pizza out of it. Yummy! My kids ate it, and that is saying a lot.

Desiree's Artichoke Dip

1 can drained whole or quartered artichokes

1 can diced green chilies

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves (not a huge deal if you use less)

Put everything into a blender until well mixed. Bake in a glass dish at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until light coating on top. Garnish with tomatoes or green onions. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chocolate Berry Trifle

3 cups cold milk

2 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool-whip thawed, divided

1 baked 9 in. square brownie cooled and cut into 1 in. cubes

1 pt. (2 cups) raspberries

POUR milk into large bolw. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup whipped topping.

PLACE 1/2 the brownie cubes in 2 qt. serving bowl. Top with 1/2 each of the pudding mixture, raspberries and remaining whipped topping. Repeat layers.

Refrigerate 1 hr. or until ready to serve. Makes 12 servings.

Desiree's BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup barbeque sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's you can find it for sure at Costco and Harmons.)

Marinate chicken in barbeque sauce, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Chop (or shred) into pieces and refrigerate. (I just put it all in my crockpot out on the patio for a few hours.)

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 jicama, peeled and diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 (15 counce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Combine chicken in large salad bowl with salad ingredients and toss. Serve with Ranch Dressing additional BBQ sauce and crispy corn tortilla chips. ( I combined all but the chips and chicken and let people put those on top.)

Stacy's Bread Bowls

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 TBS yeast
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS oil
1 TBS salt
6 Cups of flour

Stir first five ingredients and add 3 cups flour until smooth. Add remaining flour. Stir only to moisten flour. Cover and set in warm place for 10 minutes. Punch down mixture. Let dough rise and punch down every 10 minutes for 1 hour.

Divide dough into 12 balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 - 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
(personally I think that the 12 balls are really small, more like a cup of soup. I think it is more like 8 balls.)

Chrissy's Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breasts, sauteed
1 onion, diced, sauteed in butter
2 cloves garlic
1 (14oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14oz) can Mexican tomatoes
1 (4oz) can diced green chilis
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
1 (14oz) can water
2 cans beef broth
5 oz. roasted red pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Condiments

corn tortilla or chips
avocado slices
shredded jack cheese
sour cream
cilantro
lime wedges

Saute chicken, set aside. Saute onion and garlic until brown. Add rest of ingredients. Add juice of one lime and some of the cilantro. Puree and then add chicken. Simmer. Serve with condiments.