May- Casseroles

Poppy Seed Chicken

Courtney Zaugg

2 c. chicken, cooked and diced ( I cook mine with a little lemon juice and seasonings so that it is nice and tender, and very flavorful!)

1 can Heart Healthy cream of chicken soup

1 ½ c. fat free sour cream

8 oz. crushed Ritz crackers (whole wheat or reduced fat)

1 stick butter

 1 T. poppy seeds

Combine chicken, soup and sour cream. Combine crackers, melted butter, and poppy seeds. Mix half the cracker mixture with the chicken; reserve the rest for garnish. Spread chicken in greased 2 qt. casserole. Top with crumbs, parsley, and paprika. Bake 350ᵒ oven for 30 minutes. Serve over noodles or rice. 

To mix it up a bit I added about 3/4 cup of sliced crimini mushrooms to the chicken/cracker mixture. You can add less or more depending on how much you like mushrooms. :)

Black Bean and Tortilla Bake

Jasmine Sagum

• 2 garlic clove, minced

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 2 cup chopped tomato

• 1 cup chopped green onion

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 4 teaspoons cumin powder

• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

• 2 (16 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn, drained (or frozen)
• 1 can tomatoes, drained

• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

• salt and pepper

• 12 soft corn tortillas
• olives?

• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (OPTIONAL)**

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray.
3. Add garlic, onions, tomato, green onion, cumin, and chili powder.
4. Cook on medium heat until onion is tender.
5. Add tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes more.
6. Stir in beans, cilantro, salt and pepper.
7. Spray a 9 inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Layer 4 tortillas, 1/3 cheese (if using), and 1/3 of the bean mixture; repeat 2 more times (reserve 2 Tbsp of the cheese for the top).
9. Top with 2 tablespoons of cheese.
10. Bake 20 minutes, covered, then 10 minutes uncovered or until bubbly.
11. **NOTE ON THE CHEESE: I made this without the cheese. The corn tortillas get very creamy when you bake them like this, so I didn't think it needed the cheese! Even Chase, who loooves cheese, thought it tasted great without the cheese. So, if you're making this for company or something, you can use the cheese, but if you want to save on the calories :) feel free to make it without the cheese, or put just a little bit on top.

April - (BREADS)

Laura Duvalois:

Zucchini-Apple Bread

Mix in Bowl #1
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 T. cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix in Bowl #2
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 T. vanilla
3 cups sugar

Combine bowls 1 and 2 with: 2 cups grated (with peels) zucchini and 1 cup peeled and grated granny smith apples Grease pans. Bake at 350 degrees 40-60 minutes. This makes 2 regular size loafs.

Linda Atwood:


Caramel Rolls

18 frozen rhodes rolls
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup butter

In bundt pan, arrange rolls evenly on bottom. In saucepan, heat brown sugar, marshmallows and butter. Pour over frozen rolls and let rise 6-8 hours. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

March (Soups and Salads)

Courtney Zaugg:

Cheesy Broccoli Chowder

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1 stalk celery, finely chopped (feel free to add more celery if you like celery; I don't, so I don't add much)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth (I usually use a mixture of low-sodium chicken broth and broth made with chicken soup base because it gives it such nice flavor)

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender. Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened. Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

(Courtney said to pass along that this isn't her favorite soup, but Sander loves it!)

Jasmine Sagum:

Mushroom, Potato Leek Soup

4 TBS olive oil

3 leeks, white parts only, CLEANED WELL, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, peeled & sliced

6 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken)

1 lb mushrooms, sliced (cremini and/or button)

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup milk (I use unsweetened rice milk, but you can use whatever milk

you have on hand (cow, soy, etc))

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup heavy cream (to keep this dairy free, and to save on uneeded

calories and fat, I use CASHEW CREAM instead (recipe follows))

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dried dill

3 bay leaves

pepper

Clean your leeks well. If you don't know how, here's a quick video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpGgm-dqYnI Make sure to clean them well, or you will be left with sand in your soup.

1. In a large pot on medium-high heat, saute the leeks and carrots in half the oil for about 5 minutes.
2. Pour in the broth and seasonings.
3. Add potatoes and cook for about 20-30 minutes on medium heat, or until the potatoes are soft (the time will depend on how large you cut the potatoes).
4. Meanwhile, in a separate saute pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and saute them until they are cooked (about 10 minutes). Add these to the soup.
5. Once the potatoes are done:
6. In a small bowl add the flour to the milk and cream. Mix thoroughly and add the the soup. Stir well.
7. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes or until the soup thickens. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

Cashew Cream
(I use this recipe in place of heavy cream in all of my soup and pasta recipes!)

Place 1/2 cup cashews in your blender. Add enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes until very smooth. If you don't have a high-powered blender, like a blendtec vitamix, this can take up to 5 minutes.

Katie Naylor:

Spinach Salad

Spinach

3 Gala Apples

¼ c. thinly sliced purple onion

2 avocados, diced

1-2 cups candied pecans (broken into small pieces)

1 c. dried cranberries

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss with Poppy Seed Dressing just before serving.

Poppy Seed Dressing

½ c. mayonnaise

½ c. sugar

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. poppy seeds

¼ c. milk

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until needed. (You will not need

all of the dressing for the salad…use only enough to lightly coat spinach.)

Candied Pecans

Preheat oven to 300°.

Butter a large cookie/baking sheet.

1 egg white

1 tsp. water

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 c. Pecans

In a large bowl, beat until frothy, egg white and 1 tsp. water. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, salt and

cinnamon until well combined.

Add 4 cups Pecans to egg white mixture and toss until all pecans are coated.

Add cinnamon/sugar mixture to the pecans and toss to coat.

Spread the sugar coated pecans evenly over the buttered baking sheet.

Bake at 300° for 40-50 minutes (depending on your oven) turning the pecans every 15 min.

*Once the pecans are dry when you turn them, they should be done. (Mine usually take 40-45 min)

Remove from baking sheet and let cool on a sheet of foil.

Trish Atkinson

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2-3 large cooked, cut-up or shredded chicken breasts (I boil my chicken) Noodles (I use 1/2 a bag of "Country Pasta" - homemade style egg pasta (don't use egg noodles, they fall apart))

1-2 cups of carrots

1-2 cups of celery

1/2 of a large onion

4 bouillon cubes

3 cans of chicken broth

1 can evaporated milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

In a large pot combine chicken broth and bouillon cubes on med heat until cubes are dissolved. Then add chicken, noodles, carrots, celery, and onion. Bring to a simmer and simmer until vegetables are tender. Then add evaporated milk and cream of chicken soup and mix well. Eat and enjoy!! Total prep cook time is about 1 hour.

Abbey Morris:

Potato & Ham Soup

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1/3 cup diced celery

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup diced cooked ham

3 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes (check potatoes with a knife that it goes through easily- they are soft). I usually get a potato masher and mash a little bit, but it is up to you if you want full pieces of potatoes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

I have also added cheddar cheese and some cream which made it pretty rich. But it was AWESOME!

I serve this with banana bread and it is always amazing.

Costa Vida Sweet Pork Salad

Ingredients:

Pork Roast (4-5 lbs), thawed if frozen
3 cups Coke
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. (heaping) brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. powdered garlic
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 (smallish) jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 6-7 hours. Once done, remove roast and put on cutting board.

Add another 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and a cup of coke to crock pot and stir. Shred roast (it should easily come apart). Add shredded pork back in crock pot.

Cook on low another 3 hours (I did it for two and it was fine.)

SALAD:

Add cilantro, avocado, rice, black beans, tomatoes and any type of salsa on a bed of lettuce (I use romaine or mixed greens to get an added value) with the pork.

Deanna Williams

Zucchini Soup

3 large zucchinis finely grated
1/4 onion finely grated
Butter
4 oz cream cheese
6 cups water
Chicken bouillon: amount equal to 6 cups of water
About 10 drops of worcestershire sauce (adjust to preference)

Sautee zucchini and onion in butter. Add cream cheese and melt. Add water. Boil, then add bouillon and worcestershire sauce. Simmer for about an hr. Enjoy!

April Felix

Easy Thai Coconut Soup
Recipe by Ourbestbites.com
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh minced ginger, or 1 ½ teaspoons ground dry ginger
2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk or light coconut milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 packages ramen noodes (discard seasoning packet)
optional: ¾ cup sliced mushrooms
1 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 cup diced or shredded cooked chicken
toppings: additional chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and lime wedges
Instructions
Heat medium sized pot to medium-high heat on stove top. Add olive oil, jalapeno, and ginger (if using fresh.) Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until jalapeno and ginger are softened and fragrant. If using ground ginger, add now and stir. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and salt and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to simmer and add noodles (note you will discard seasoning packet that comes with noodles.) Simmer 3-5 minutes, until noodles are softened. If using mushrooms, add them in the final 2-3 minutes of cooking the noodles. Add chicken and simmer for about 30 seconds to heat through. Remove pot from heat and stir in lime juice, chicken, and cilantro. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with additional chopped cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges if desired. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.
Note: This type of noodle absorbs liquid exceptionally fast, so you should serve the soup immediately. If you know you need to keep the soup warm for a while before serving, wait to add the noodles until a few minutes before you’re ready to serve.

Linda Atwood:

Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

8 oz. (1/2 bag) of baby spinach

1/2-1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion

1 large avocado, cubed

8 oz. mozzarella or Swiss cheese, shredded

1 12-oz. package bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained

Poppy seed dressing, to taste

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately. If you anticipate leftovers, just let your eaters dress their own salads because the dressing will make the greens wilt.

Poppyseed Dressing

1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. Kosher salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1 green onion, ends removed
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds

In a blender, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running the blender and add the oil in a steady stream and is fully incorporated into the dressing.

Pour the dressing into a serving or storage container and whisk in poppy seeds.

Laura Duvalois:

Apple Spinach Salad with Red Onion Dressing

1 bunch of spinach, torn
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 granny smith apple, diced and added right before serving
1/2 cup toasted, sugared slivered almonds
(I melt 1/4 c. + 1 T. sugar over med. high heat then mix almonds in and let dry on foil. Then break apart.)

Dressing:
1/8 red onion
1/3 c. oil
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix dressing in blender and pour over salad just before serving.

Caitlin Peterson:

Sweet Vinegar Dressing

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. apple cider

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dry parsley plakes

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Combine all ingredients together and blend well. Chill before serving.

Sweet Salad:

Slivered Almonds

Fresh parmesan cheese shaved

Strawberries, Grapes, Apples (or any kind of fruit you want)

Lettuce (or any kind you want)

February - Appetizers

Rice Cracker Snack

(Kris Thorne)

Rice crackers

Spread layer of cream cheese

Top with small dollop of red pepper jelly

Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

(Linda Atwood)

7oz jar roasted red peppers (about 1C diced)

4 C grated pepper jack cheese (or can use monterey jack which is what I did)
8oz cream cheese
3/4 C mayonnaise
2 T minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Remove peppers from jar and blot excess water with paper towels. You want to make sure they are dry so they don’t add moisture to the dip. Then dice ‘em up.In a bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave so it will be easier to stir. Add in mayo, onion, garlic, and dijon. Stir to combine and then add in grated cheese and the diced peppers. Place in an 8×8-ish dish (pie plate works). Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes. Baking time depends on the dish. It will start to bubble and brown on the outside edge, and you want it to be bubbly all the way through to the center. It will be nice and golden brown on top, especially around the edges. Serve immediately. You can serve it with anything that sounds good- tortilla chips, pita chips, crackers, veggies, or warm baguette slices.

Cinnamon Bread Rolls

(Risa Bakker)

24 - 36 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and yolks. Spread on bread; roll up, jelly-roll style. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar. Lightly dip rolls in butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Note: This is a kid-friendly recipe that can be made in an assembly line.

Chestnut and Bacon Wraps

(Courtney Zaugg)

Ingredients:

1 can water chestnuts

1 package turkey bacon

Toothpicks

1 c. ketchup

½ c. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak 32 toothpicks in a bowl of water to prevent burning. Open bacon package and cut the strips down the middle so that they are half as long. Place a water chestnut in the middle of the bacon and wrap the bacon around, tucking the ends under. Spear with a toothpick and place in a 13x9. Repeat until you have used all the water chestnuts. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine ketchup and sugar. Spoon over the chestnut-and-bacon wraps and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve hot! Makes 32 wraps.

Soft Bread Sticks

(Lion House Lite Recipe)

(Laura Duvalois)

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F.)

3 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 T. vegetable or canola oil

3 cups flour

Cornmeal

1 egg white

1 T. Water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt and oil. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Spray bowl with nonstick cooking spray; place dough in bowl, turning to coat all surfaces with spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 10 inches long. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place bread sticks one inch apart on prepared sheet. Let rise, uncovered, until double in size, about 45 minutes. Beat egg white with 1 tablespoon of water; brush over bread sticks. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a large shallow pan filled with boiling water on lowest rack of oven, and put baking sheet with bread sticks on the middle rack. Bake bread sticks for 10 minutes, brush again with egg white and bake 5 minutes more or until golden brown. Makes 12 bread sticks. (Note: I buttered and added cinnamon and sugar.)

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

(Jasmine Sagum)

from: http://annies-eats.com/2010/03/05/baked-southwestern-egg-rolls/

• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

1. Preheat the oven to 420˚ F.
2. In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend.
3. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you. Keep the other wrappers covered with a wet paper towel so they don't dry out.
5. Place ¼ cup of the filling in the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free.
6. Dip a finger in water and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
8. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down.
9. Spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.
10. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa (I like to serve them with avocado ranch, recipe follows).

Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce

from: me :)

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (the dry stuff)
• several splashes of hot sauce (optional)

1. Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Let sit in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to set up.

Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls

(Kristin Krotosky)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce or any other favorite hot sauce
1 pound ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
1 large egg
1/2 celery stalk, minced
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the vegetable oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Combine the butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
Combine the hot sauce mixture, ground chicken, egg, celery, bread crumbs, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Roll the mixture into round, 3/4 -inch balls, making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

Fried Ravioli's

Jill Lucas

lngredients

. Olive oil, for frying

. 1 cup buttermilk

. 2 cups ltalian-style bread crumbs

, 1 box store-bought cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)

. 1/4 cup freshly grated Pannesan

. 1 jar store bought marinara sauoe, heated, for dipping

Directions:

Pour enough olive oil into a large ftying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F. While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the exess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli. When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden bronrn, about 3 minutes. Using a slofted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Artichoke with two types of dips

Ashley Smith

Ingredients:
1 large artichoke

For Creamy Salsa Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. fat-free plain Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0% is the best)
1 1/2 tbsp. salsa

For Lemon Butter Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. chopped garlic

Directions:
Cut stem off artichoke and remove small, tough leaves at the base. Slice an inch off the top of the artichoke and, if you like, trim the tips of the leaves with kitchen shears.

Place artichoke in a large microwave-safe bowl, base down, and add about 1/2 inch of water to the bowl. Cover and microwave for 6 - 8 minutes. Let stand for 1 - 2 minutes before uncovering. Leaves should detach easily from artichoke. Drain water and allow to cool slightly.

To make the creamy salsa, combine yogurt with salsa in a small bowl and mix well.

To make the lemon butter sauce, combine all ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, or until melted, and mix well.

Serve your steamed 'choke with dipping sauce(s). Here's the 1-2-3 on how to eat it:

1. Pull off a leaf and dip the base in sauce.

2. Place the base in your mouth, dip side up, and gently close your teeth around it.

3. Scrape it along your top teeth to consume the soft, delicious part (YUM!), and then discard the leaf.

Now repeat! And when all the leaves are gone, scoop out and discard the thistle-like choke, and enjoy the artichoke bottom (the BEST part)

DECEMBER: CAKES/CHOCOLATE

Pretzel Turtles
submitted by Laura Duvalois

Ingredients

• 56 small mini pretzels
• 56 chocolate covered caramel candies (Rolo's)
• 56 pecan halves (optional, I didn't use)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate covered caramel candy on each pretzel.
3. Bake for 4 minutes. While the candy is warm, press a pecan half onto each candy covered pretzel. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Cake Balls
submitted by Stephanie Partridge

1 cooked Pillsbury cherry chip cake
1 Pillsbury chocolate frosting
1/2 package andes mints
melting chocolate

In a big bowl stir the cake, frosting, and mint chips together. Let sit in fridge for about an hour. Form into little balls and place on wax or parchment paper on trays. Put in freezer for about 2 hours so that they harden and are easier to work with. Melt chocolate and dip the balls (or roll the balls) into the chocolate using two forks. Place back on trays and then stick in fridge or freezer until ready to serve.



Fantasy Fudge
submitted by Tara Turner

4 Cups Sugar
1 Can Evaporated Milk
1 Stick Butter

Combine in pan and boil to soft ball, stirring constantly.

1 12 oz Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar, broken into small pieces
1 7 oz Jar Marshmallow Topping
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Pour hot mixture over chocolate pieces, mix until melted. Add marshmallow, vanilla and nuts (if desired). Beat until smooth.

Pour into buttered 13x9 pan. Cool and cut into pieces. May be frozen.


Chocolate Bavarian Torte
submitted by Linda Atwood

1 devils food cake mix(any chocolate cake works fine)
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whipping cream, whipped

Mix and bake cake according to package directions, using 2 9-inch cake pans. Remove from pans and cool completely.
In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla till fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. Split each cake into 2 horizontal layers. Spread one on a serving platter. Spread with 1/4 of cream mixture. Repeat layers. End with cream on top. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate for a couple hours before serving.

**I like to add fruit to my cake either just on top or in each layer. Strawberries or raspberries work great.**

NOVEMBER: HOLIDAY FAVORITES

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
submitted by Elise Freeman

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/3 cups of flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar, pumpkin, molasses, and egg and mix until well combined. Add remaining ingredients and beat until a well-blended batter forms. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a bowl with your rolling sugar. Roll tablespoon sized balls of batter in sugar until well coated and place on sheet. The cookies will spread so give them a couple inches of room. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cookies look cracked.


Pumpkin Squares
submitted by Risa Bakker

1 small can pumpkin
1 2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon

Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients together. Pour into ungreased sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Frost when cooled.


Pumpkin Cake
submitted by Tara Turner

1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 15oz can pumpkin divided; 1 cup for cake, remainder for filling
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice divided; 1 tsp. for cake, 1/2 tsp. for filling

Combine ingredients and beat as directed on back of cake mix box(30 seconds on low then 2 minutes on medium). Bake cake in 2, 9-inch rounds(grease well or use parchment paper) at 350 for 22-25 minutes. Cool(I even freeze mine for a little while) then carefully cut both rounds in half.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cool whip
1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice and remainder of pumpkin

Mix all ingredients except cool whip until well blended. Fold in cool whip.

Layers(Bottom to top0
cake
filling
cake
filling
cake
filling
cake
drizzle with caramel and sprinkle pecans on top

Cream Cheese Wontons
submitted by Linda Atwood

8 oz cream cheese
1/4-1/2 cup mayo
Green onion, chopped
Garlic, minced
Ginger root, chopped(I usually just sprinkle in some ginger seasoing)
Wonton wrappers
Sweet and sour sauce

Mix together cream cheese, mayo, green onion, garlic and ginger. Drop a small portion onto the middle of a wonton wrapper. Place in a mini muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.