Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

3 ½ C chicken broth

3 celery ribs, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, chopped

½ tsp pepper

2 C frozen corn, thawed

¼ C butter or margarine

¼ C flour

2 C milk

8oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Bring the first 6 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the corn.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, whisking until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually add in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until blended.

Stir cheese mixture gradually into the vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

3 C finely grated carrots *
2 C all-purpose flour
2 C sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

* I purchase a small bag of baby carrots and run then through my food processor with the shredding blade. I then change the blade to the regular blade and pulse it 4 or 5 times to really get the carrots into fine pieces. Since I eat about 5 or 6 of the baby carrots before I shred them, the bag ends up being just the right amount for the recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, oil and vanilla and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour batter in to 3 greased and floured (or use baking spray, with flour) 9 inch cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes until the cakes test done. Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely. When cake is cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz powered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 C butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C chopped pecans (optional)

Cream the cream cheese and butter with a mixer. Add vanilla and mix well. On low speed, add the powered sugar a little at a time. Make sure to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom at least once then mix a little more. If desired, add the nuts and mix in with a spatula.

A few tips:


You can use 8 inch pans for this recipe if you would like, you will need to bake it a little longer, however. And since it is 3 layers, the cake will be a little taller than the average cake and you will also have a little extra frosting.

The edges of this cake will be crispy when the cake cools; this is normal. Once the cake is frosted and sits for a time, the edges will soften.

Oreo Cookie Dessert

This is a yummy recipe that the kids will love. Not to mention adults. And anyone that loves Oreo's!























Oreo Cookie Dessert


1 stick melted margarine
1 pkg Oreo Cookies
2 small boxes instant French Vanilla pudding
3 C. milk
8 oz. cream cheese- very soft
8 ox. container Cool Whip

Set aside 14 Oreo's. In a food processor, crush up the remaining cookies * until they are finely crushed. Melt margarine and add cookie crumbs mixing well. Pour in to a 9X13 pan and press lightly.

In another bowl, combine the pudding, milk and cream cheese and mix well. Pour over the crust.

Top with Cool Whip and then the reserved cookie crumbs. Refrigerate a few hours until ready to serve.



* I have not made this recipe for a few years and this time when I made the crust, it was very greasy. I am pretty sure it is because they don't put as many cookies in the packages as they did just a few years ago, but somehow, manage to charge more! So, I crushed up about 4 more cookies that I had in the pantry and sprinkled it over the crust.