Peanut Butter Pie

Yum! Yum!

I made this for the kids tonight, and they loved it. Dave passed on it, until he took a taste, and then headed to the cupboard for a plate. I can't laugh at him, since I did the same thing. :)

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 carton (8 oz.) Cool Whip
• 1 graham cracker crust
• salted, chopped peanuts for garnish, optional
• chocolate syrup for garnish, optional

In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip; pour into crust. Chill until serving. Garnish as desired.

As a side note, I always buy natural peanut butter, so the texture was a bit different than it would have been with Skippy or Jif. Also, I think the natural PB probably made it a little less sweet tasting.

Chicken Tortilla Chowder

This recipe from Taste of Home uses alot of convenience items that I don't usually cook with, but the results turned out pretty good. The tortilla strips soften and cook up like noodles. The family really liked it, so I think I'll file this one away for the times I need a quick dinner.

• 2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of potato soup


• 2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup


• 2 cups milk


• 1 can (14 oz.) reduced sodium chicken broth


• 1 can Mexicorn, drained


• 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies


• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken


• 3 flour tortillas, cut into small thin strips


• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, heat the soups, milk and broth, stirring frequently. Add corn, chicken and chilies; bring to a boil. Stir in the tortillas strips. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted.

I served this with sour cream, salsa, and an extra sprinkling of cheddar cheese. I must say it was pretty tasty. Yum!