Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes

5 pounds russet, red or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces light or regular cream cheese
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X9-inch baking dish and set aside.

Place the cut potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by one inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they are tender.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash them a few times and add the rest of the ingredients. Mash and mix well to desired consistency. Scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking pan. Dot with 1-2 tablespoons butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned on top and heated through.

Delicious! Also from melskitchencafe.com

Creamy 5 Cup Fruit Salad

1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Combine the fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled. You might notice that after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, quite a bit of liquid from the fruit pools at the bottom. If eating the leftovers, I like to gently pour some of this off before eating.

from melskitchencafe.com

Lime Chipotle Rice

This recipe is a variation of the rice that is serve at Chipotle restaurants.

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down to simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

Hot Fruit Salad

1/4 c butter, melted

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 cans (15 oz each) sliced peaches, drained

2 can (15 oz each) sliced pears, drained

1 jar (23 oz) chunky applesauce, or 2-3 apples, chopped

1/2 c dried apricots, chopped

1/2 c craisins or raisins (or both)

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for at least 2 hours. It may take a bit longer if you use apples instead of applesauce.