BEST CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE - THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN

Ingredients:
1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Small Box Instant Chocolate Pudding
8 oz. Sour Cream
1/2 C Water
1/2 C Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs
1 Bag Mini Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Mix everything together, adding chocolate chips last. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350º until done (40-50 minutes). Once cooled, invert onto cake plate.

Icing:
Melt 8 squares of baking chocolate in saucepan. Stir in 3 cups Cool Whip. Drizzle over top of cake. Can add nuts, raspberries, strawberries, etc.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe shared by Helen Spradlin. She brought it to our firm luncheon and it quickly became my favorite cake. She used sugar-free pudding mix and fat-free sour cream (but y'all know I'm not doing that!).

Helen didn't have a name for the cake so I gave it what I thought of...Best Chocolate Pound Cake This Side of Heaven! Enjoy!!!

FRITO CORN SALAD

Ingredients:
2 Cans Whole Kernel Yellow Corn, drained
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1/2 C Purple Onion, chopped
1 C Mayonnaise
1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
5 oz. Bag Chili-Cheese Fritos

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except Fritos. Add Fritos just before serving or they will get soggy.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe shared by Tracy Miller-Davis. She brought this to our November SCBMC dinner and it was well loved! 

Her variation - she omitted the green pepper and onion, and added 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained. 

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:
3 C Cooked/Mashed Sweet Potatoes
1 C Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Stick Butter, melted

Cream all together and spread in baking dish.

Topping:
1 C Brown Sugar
1/3 C Butter, melted
1/3 C Flour
1 C Coconut
1 C Chopped Pecans

Mix topping ingredients together and spread over potatoes. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe shared by my mother-in-law, Judy Caldwell. This is one of Rick's favorite Thanksgiving foods!

COPYCAT KENNY ROGERS ROASTERS' CORN MUFFINS

Ingredients:
1/2 C Butter, softened
2/3 C Sugar
1/4 C Honey
2 Eggs
1 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
3/4 C Cornmeal
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C Milk
3/4 C Frozen Yellow Corn

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° and spray 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, honey and eggs. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt and blend thoroughly. Add milk and mix. Add corn and mix by hand until blended. Fill muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned on top.

Recipe Notes:

This recipe was found in various forms on several internet sites. It has been years since Knoxville had a Kenny Rogers Roasters, but I remember these muffins well and this recipe is very close.

GRANOLA

Ingredients:
3 C Oatmeal
1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Honey
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 C Wheat Germ
1/4 C Flax Seed
1/2 C Brown Sugar

Directions:
Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add honey, cinnamon and salt and briefly heat with butter. Remove from heat and add oatmeal, wheat germ, flax seed and brown sugar. Pour onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in airtight container.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe found at The Happy Housewife blog (http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/granola/) with my variations added. Next time I will add more brown sugar and cinnamon. May also add nutmeg, slivered almonds or chopped pecans. A very tasty, healthy snack!

PUMPKIN CRUNCH CAKE

Ingredients:
15 oz. can Pumpkin
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 Eggs
1/2 C Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
Yellow Cake Mix, dry
1-1 1/2 C Pecans, chopped
2 sticks Margarine, melted

Directions:
Mix first five ingredients together and spread in a 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam. Then layer the next three ingredients. Bake at 300° for 50 minutes. Cool.

ICING:
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 tub Cool Whip
1/2 box Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Mix until smooth and spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe shared by co-worker Lauren Ridenour. It is very rich and super yummy!

APPLE DIP

Ingredients:
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 C Brown Sugar
1 T Vanilla
Chopped Pecans (as many as you like)

Directions:
Cream all ingredients together. Serve with apples, Teddy Grahams, etc.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe shared by co-worker Shannon Findley. The only way my family will eat apples!

JULIE'S CHEESE BALL

Ingredients:
2 Blocks Cream Cheese, softened
1 Jar Dried Beef, chopped
4 Green Onions, chopped
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp Accent

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and form into ball. Refrigerate. Serve with Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe shared by co-worker Julie Hall. Yummy appetizer she brought to work one day, and now shares every year during our "12 Snack Days of Christmas."

CHICKEN WING DIP

Ingredients:
2 Blocks Cream Cheese
2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1-1/2 C Ranch Dressing
1 C Frank's Hot Sauce
2 Big Cans Shredded Chicken

Directions:
Heat up on stove until all is melted (or you can put in crock pot). Sever with celery, tortilla chips, etc.

Recipe Notes:

Recipe shared by Whitney Davidson. She brought it to work and it was awesome! I had some with tortilla chips and pulled pork BBQ, which made a nice BBQ Nacho lunch!