I have a confession to make.  I don't like to cook.  I know, I know, I'm a woman!  And as we all know, all women are supposedly born with wooden spoons in their hands and aprons around their necks!  By this age I should have mastered every recipe in The Joy of Cooking and be able to churn out whole wheat bread by the ovenful! 

But…I…don't.  It was always the last thing on earth I'd ever wanted to do.  I would rather do dishes and clean bathrooms and fold laundry and wash floors!  I'd almost rather iron! And when I do cook, I do stupid things like put baking soda in the pancakes instead of baking powder. (That was a real crowd-pleaser, let me tell you!)

I don't have much of a choice anymore, though.  Since my mom went back to school to renew her nursing license and my sister is working at the Crisis Pregnancy Center and on her new Stampin’ Up! business, I've become the family cook!  And it isn't as if I don't have anything to do myself, what with school, volunteering at CPC, computer programming, and running Christiana!  Needless to say, this is a very new and interesting situation for me.  Let's just say…I need help.

So, though I risk being accused of plotting to turn our beloved Christiana Magazine into Homemaker's Bimonthly, I make this simple request: would you help me out by sending your favorite quick, easy and, of course, tasty recipes?  I promise I'll try every recipe I print and let you know how it turned out!  This should result in some very interesting and most likely amusing stories, knowing the way things work--or don't work--at my house.

To get this thing started, here are my two favorite and oft-used recipes.

This recipe is fabulously easy and so tasty!  Even my dad, a self-proclaimed Casserole Hater, loves this stuff!  I always the double the recipe and it's gone the next day. This is the doubled version.

Tater Tot Casserole

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh chopped onions
Salt and pepper
2 cans green beans (or any other veggie mixture)
3 (10 ½ oz.) cans cream soup (mushroom, etc,)
1 package 16 oz. frozen Tator Tots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease two shallow 2 quart baking dishes. In 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook onions and ground beef until meat loses its red color.  Spoon off any excess fat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and add green beans. Spread meat mixture in baking dish; cover with undiluted soup (1 ½ cans in each dish) and top with single layer of Tator Tots. Bake for 45 min. or until hot and bubbly in the center.
 

This tasty, sweet, and probably not-very-good-for-you snack is a family favorite.  Whenever we need to bring a dessert or snack to a party or potluck, we bring Puppy chow.  It's always a hit!

Puppy Chow

9 cups Chex cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup margarine or butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Put cereal into a large bowl and set aside. In a 1-quart bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and margarine. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 ½ minutes, or until smooth. Stir after 1 minute. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, stirring until all pieces are evenly coated. Pour powdered sugar and cereal mixture into a large Ziplock bag. Seal the bag tight and shake it until all the pieces are well coated. Careful; it’s a bit messy! Store in the fridge.