Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl

This is actually a Kraft recipe.  It is super yummy!  And it looks awesome too.

Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl

3cups  sliced fresh strawberries
3Tbsp.  sugar
2pkg.  (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2cups  cold milk
1pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2cups  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
2cups  frozen pound cake cubes (1 inch)
1square  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Combine berries and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Blend in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP; spoon half into 2-1/2-qt. bowl.  Top with cake, berries and remaining cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 4 hours.  Melt chocolate; drizzle over trifle. Top with remaining COOL WHIP.

Potato Salad

This is the best potato salad ever! It is delicious!  Thanks to another one of my amazing Aunts!

Potato Salad

10 medium red potatoes
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 a large bunch of celery, washed and chopped fine, including the leaves.
1 lg. onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp pepper(or to taste)
Lawry's seasoning salt to taste
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise, or until moistness you prefer (do not use miracle whip!)
1 1/2 tsp. mustard, or to taste
8-12 boiled eggs, mashed or finely chopped
2 small cans olives, or desired amount

Boil potatoes with skins on until tender.  When still semi-warm peel and dice to size you want. Sprinkle with the apple cider vinegar.  Add the onion, celery, celery salt, dill weed, pepper and seasoned salt.  Chill over night in an air tight container.  The next day add the mayonnaise and mustard.  Then fold in eggs and olives.  Sprinkle a little more dill on top.

*You can make it all in one day, but by leaving the potato, onion, celery and seasoning overnight will  help enhance the flavors.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These should have probably been my very first post on this blog.  These cookies are pretty much a staple at our house.  When our freezer is empty of cookies I get no rest until there are more!  And, If I let them, my boys(husband included) would live off of chocolate chip cookies. (And yes, my husband is the worst.  He will eat them for breakfast).   Anyway, this is the cookie recipe I grew up with, and the recipe I have actually says this is a Mrs. Fields and a Nieman-Marcus recipe.  I especially like the "hidden" oats in this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
5 c. oatmeal (measure before grinding).  Blenderize until powdery
24 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 oz. chocolate bar, grated (optional)
3 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Then add the eggs and vanilla.  In separate bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and blenderized oats.  Slowly add to cream mixture until combined.  then add chocolate chips and extras.  Roll into size of golf ball( I like to do some mini cookies too).  Bake 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 10 -12 min.