Fall Favorite Recipes Part 1

I love a good tried and true recipe. I keep a white binder full of pages pulled from the nine hundred magazines I get subscriptions to, and over the years the list of favorites has started to add up. For me a good recipe is both simple and tasty. Occasionally there are some dishes worth slaving over, but for the most part simple is better for me. Today I am posting a Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe from the Fix it and Forget it crock pot cookbook (fantastic cookbook) and a recipe from my mom for Pumpkin Crunch.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:
This gets made so often I know it by heart. It is a crock pot workhorse that you can not mess up. I love to make this as a meal to take to someone because it is simple, hearty, and freezes well.

3-4 Frozen Chicken Breasts
2 Cans Black Beans
2 Cans Rotel (whatever spice you like- I buy the original)
1 14oz can tomato sauce
1 4oz can green chilies
1 cup salsa (any kind is fine, again choose your spice level here)
Put all this in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. I have done it longer and you can't go wrong. About 30 min before you serve it shred the chicken with two forks. It will pull apart and be delish.
Garnish with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream. I think this is hearty enough to be a meal, but making up some quesadillas to go with it is yummy too.

Pumpkin Crunch:
This has a pumpkin pie vibe to it but is a little different and a huge hit at parties.
1 29oz can Pumpkin (the big one)
1 cup sugar
1 tall can Evaporated Milk (the 10 or 12 oz one- I forget)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix these ingredients and pour into a 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle 2/3 of a Spice cake mix and 1 cup pecans on top. Drizzle with 1 stick of melted butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or cool whip.

Yummy stuff! This is making me hungry. Tomorrow I will post Butternut Squash Bisque and Bacon Dip.