Meal Planning with Connie

This spread is my favorite! I first tried it at Judy R.’s house years ago. It was love at first bite! Judy and I are just crazy about this concoction. Our husbands can’t stand it! This works out well for Judy and me. More for us!! Judy makes a big bowl of this yummy spread at the holidays. She and I sit down at her kitchen table with it and a box of crackers and have a feast! Olive Spread 8 ounces softened cream cheese 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 cup chopped pimento-stuffed green olives 2 tablespoons juice from the olive jar Directions: Mix all the ingredients well. This spread will keep in the fridge for weeks. Serve with crackers. This is a great filling for finger sandwiches, too! This recipe is easily adapted into a cheese ball. Just increase the cream cheese to 12 ounces and eliminate the olive juice. Form mixture into a ball, and roll in chopped nuts. Serve with crackers.

Many thanks to Tonya H. for this great and versatile dessert recipe! It's good for brunch, too!! Strawberry Delight 2 cans crescent rolls (I use store brand. Not Buttery roll) 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1 stick margarine 1 can strawberry pie filling 1. Cream together sugar and cream cheese. 2. In a sprayed 9x13 pan, roll out 1 can of crescent rolls in bottom of pan. Pat out so there are no seams. 3. Spread cream cheese/sugar mixture evenly over rolls. 4. Next pour straberry pie filling over mixture. Spread evenly. 5. Roll out another can of crescent rolls and place on top. 6. Cut margarine into pats and place evenly on top of rolls. I usually place it along edges and into perforations. Can also half the pats. 7. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown. GLAZE: 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 Tb. milk Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cobbler. (This dessert was initially made with apple pie filling. If using ap...

Touchdown Taco Dip 1 can (9 ounces) bean dip 4 ounces cream cheese softened 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix 1 garlic clove, pressed 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 medium tomato, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup) 2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced 1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, slices 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley Additional sour cream (optional) Tortilla chips 1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spread bean dip over bottom of a small baking dish. Combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning mix. Press garlic over cream cheese mixture; mix well. 2. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over bean dip. Grate or sprinkle cheddar cheese over top. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. 3. Sprinkle tomato, onions, olives and cilantro over dip. Garnish with additional sour cream, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips. If you double recipe, substitute 1 can re-fried beans for the bean dip and double remaining ...

I've make a truck load of this over the past few years! The first time I ate this dip was at one of our annual Sunday school Christmas parties. It was an instant hit with everyone! I went out and immediately bought a bottle of Captain Rodney's Boucan Sauce at The Gift Shop. Because this recipe was making the rounds at holiday get-togethers all over town, there was a "run" on the sauce. I got the very last bottle. People were literally lined up waiting for the next shipment! The Gift Shop’s owner, Paulette, and I had a good laugh just the other day about the number of bottles of Captain Rodney’s Boucan Sauce she has sold over the years. Many were to me! I've given many a bottle to family and friends! *Warning: This is very addictive. Most people double the recipe! Captain Rodney's Cheese Bake, or as we call it at our house- Boucan Dip Dip: 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 8 oz. cream cheese 2 green onions, finely chopped (optiona...

We made a quick trip out to the orchard for some fresh early peaches. They are $7.50 for a five pound flat. The cashier said they should have peaches every day for the rest of the season. They taste delicious! I kept three or four peaches for us, and Larry carried the rest across the street to our sweet neighbor, Mr. Ray, who came to Larry’s rescue last week. Larry was loading the lawnmower into the truck to take it down to Dude’s house, when he had a slight mishap. The mower flipped over, pinning him underneath. While he lay trapped beneath the mower in our drive, with gasoline spilling all over him, he yelled at the top of his voice for one of us inside to come and help him. Unfortunately, we were all oblivious to his peril. Fortunately, Mr. Ray was more alert than us and came to Larry’s aid. Praise the Lord for Mr. Ray’s assistance and that, other than some bad bruises and scrapes, Larry is fine. A basket of fresh fruit makes a lovely gift. I picked up a cute metal and wic...

Sour Cream Pound Cake with Fresh Peaches Sour Cream Pound Cake 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter 3 cups sugar 1 cup sour cream 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 3 cups all-purpose flour 6 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Sift the baking soda and flour together; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately - one-third at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Spoon into greased and floured (I use sugar for dusting the pan) Bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert on to wire rack or cake plate. Top with fresh fruit or powdered sugar. I always cover my cakes with a clean, cotton kitchen cloth while they cool .

These muffins are a favorite of our Sunday School Class. I've tweaked the recipe a bit, and this is the way I think they taste best. I almost always have a coupon for these, and they are often on sale, as well. Cinnamon Pecan Muffins Pre-heat oven to 350. Spray muffin pans with cooking spray. Melt ½ stick butter, and let it cool a bit. (I cut the butter into about 4 pats and zap it for about a minute in the microwave, before I combine the batter ingredients. The butter will be cool enough to use when it’s called for. The reason it needs to cool is so that it doesn’t “cook” the eggs when you add them. The directions on the box call for oil. You may want to use it instead of butter. I just like the taste and texture the butter gives the muffins.) 1 Box Betty Crocker Cinnabon Cinnamon Streusel Premium Muffin and Quick Bread Mix 1 cup chopped pecans 2 eggs ¾ cup milk Pour muffin mix in mixing bowl. Add pecans, stirring well to coat nuts. (This keeps all the nuts f...