Glenda's Garbage Bag Mix

This is an easy chex mix recipe that you don't bake.  The original recipe is from a local church cookbook and belongs to Glenda Koehn who also bakes the best cakes I've ever had.  It's expensive to make but is great to take to a night of cards with friends or to include in Christmas cookie baskets like I did this year.  From what I heard it was a big hit!

Ingredients

• 1 package oyster crackers
• 1 bag pretzels
• 1 box Crispix
• 1 bag Bugles
• 1 box Air Ritz crackers
• 1 box Corn Chex
• 1 box Honey Wheatables
• 2 cans mixed nuts
• 1 can cashews
• 1 Tbsp garlic salt
• 1 Tbsp dry dill weed
• 1 bottle Orville Redenbacher butter flavor popcorn topping
• 2 packages dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
• 3 unscented garbage bags

Directions

1.  Triple layer garbage bags together
2. Put all crackers, nuts and cereals into inner garbage bag
3. Shake and mix together until well combined
4. In a bowl mix together dill, garlic salt, ranch packets and popcorn topping oil
5. Pour spice and oil mixture over dry ingredients in bag and mix until all dry ingredients are well coated.
6. Set mix aside for 2 days, mixing twice daily
7. Bag into gallon size bags (makes about 4 gallons)

Serve and Enjoy!

Substitutions
As long as you have the same amount of dry ingredients listed above you can use any of these substitutions or any others that you think of to make the mixture just the way you like it.

•  Rice Chex
• Cheese Nips / Cheese Its
• Switch from the mixed nuts to only your favorites (Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews)
• Original Wheatables
• Add a little sweetness (M&Ms, Craisins, Bite size or mini candy bars, Banana Chips)
• Honey Nut Chex
• Cheerios
• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Garlic Chips
• Rye Chips
• Wheat Chex
• Cheetos (Puff or Crunchy)
• Fritos
• Goldfish
• Combos
• Golden Grahams
• Potato Skins

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cupcakes

Someone brought these to a Christmas party this year and they were amazing so I decided I needed to try and make them myself and they turned out pretty good.  Kind of expensive for a cupcake but well worth it!

Ingredients

• 1 chocolate cake mix (Betty Crocker - Chocolate Fudge is great)
• Follow cake box directions
• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 to 4 tablespoons milk
• 24 to 36 Reece's Peanut Butter Cups
• 24 to 36 Mini/Bite size Reece's Peanut Butter Cups
• Chocolate ice-cream topping

Directions
Cake

1. Pre-heat oven according to cake box directions
2. Mix cake according to cake box directions
3. Line cupcake tin with 2 liners each
1. Start with 24 and then fill more according to how much batter you have at the end
4. Place about 1 tablespoon of cake batter into bottom of each liner
5. Place 1 Reece's Peanut Butter Cup into bottom of each liner
6. Fill each liner about 3/4 full
7. Bake according to box directions

Frosting

1.  Cream together cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla
2. Mix in powdered sugar and milk to correct consistency
3. Add extra powdered sugar, peanut butter and milk as needed to get the taste and consistency the way that you like it
4. Using piping bag pipe frosting onto cupcakes
5. Cut Mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups into 4 pieces and top cupcake with one full cup
6. Drizzle chocolate topping onto cupcake

Serve and Enjoy!

Mexican White Cheese Dip / Queso Dip

I love this dip, it's fast and easy and delicious.  It's another recipe that I stole from someone else and then changed until it was the way we wanted it.  My favorite thing to do is make this when we do fajita/burrito night and put this on there as well.  And then I've got plenty left for leftovers too.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 pound White American Cheese
• 1/2 cup milk (Any will work but I usually have Whole in the fridge)
• Add additional milk to make dip thinner if desired
• 3 Tbsp butter (salted)
• 2 cans green chili's (4 oz cans)
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder (more to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin (more to taste)
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more to taste or for a hotter flavor)
• Pinch of salt
• Can substitute garlic salt in place of garlic powder but then you must eliminate the salt.  With the chips this gets a little salty for our taste.

Directions

1. On low heat melt together butter and cheese with milk, stirring frequently until melted and well blended
2.  Stir in green chili's and spices
3. Add more milk to reach desired consistency if needed
4. Keep on low heat stirring occasionally to keep from scorching and cooling too much
5. Enjoy!

How it's best

• With margaritas on the side of course!
• With chips (nobody likes it when you stick your finger in the cheese)
• Wrapped up inside of a fajita or burrito
•  Use fajita shells for dipping
• Over cilantro rice (this is delicious with fajita shells)
• Without the chili's you could use as more of a fondue and dip veggies or bread in it (haven't tried this yet)