Apple Dip

I made the mistake this week of trying 2 similar dip recipes at the same time, side by side. Of course I got into a hurry and dumped the wrong ingredients into the wrong bowl. The result was pretty tasty. Below are the 2 separate recipes. Our family has always enjoyed the first with the peanuts but when you combine both recipes with the peanuts and the toffee bits, it's even sweeter and a great treat to share!

Apple Dip #1
INGREDIENTS
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS
Blend ingredients and serve with apple slices.

Apple Dip #2
INGREDIENTS

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 pkg heath toffee bits

DIRECTIONS
Blend ingredients and serve with apple slices.

Chili in a Pumpkin

When Brandon and I were on his field trip earlier this week the cashier lady told me about a recipe I should try with the pumpkin. She said that the particular pumpkin we were buying was really good for baking. (I am completely oblivious to the differences in pumpkins). Anyway, it looked like a smaller "sugar" pumpkin.

She said to cut the top off the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and guts. Then dump 2 cans of chili inside. Spray the outside of the pumpkin with cooking spray and place it on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for approx 1 1/2hrs or until the inside of the pumpkin can be forked easily. About 3/4 way through the cooking time I placed another peace of foil over the top of the pumpkin because I was worried about it getting too dark.

Once the pumpkin is cooked, scoop out the inside of the pumpkin along with the chili and place into bowls. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

I was so excited to try this recipe that I just used canned chili that I had on hand. It was really good. Next time though i'm definitely going to make homemade chili to try in the pumpkin.

Cauliflower Soup

1 head cauliflower, rinsed and cut into large chunks
1 can chicken broth

Combine above 2 items into a pot and bring to a slow boil. Cover with lid and cook on medium high for 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

In a small bowl combine:
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. flour

Once cauliflower is tender, mash with a potato masher to desired chunk consistency. Stir roux into chicken broth/cauliflower mixture.

Slowly add 4 c. 1/2 and 1/2 milk.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Best Ever Lemon Squares

I made these lemon squares yesterday for a party and they turned out really good. The part of this recipe that caught my eye was that you line the pan with tin foil and after the dessert cools you lift it out of the pan and it makes it so easy to cut into squares. I found this recipe on a website called yourhomebasedmom where she recently put together a lovely lemon recipe collection. I would love to try every single recipe there; I love lemon!

Crust:
1 1/2 cup plus 4 T. flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar- plus extra for garnishing
4 T. cornstarch
12 T. butter, cut into pieces
Filling:
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 T. flour
2 tsp. lemon zest
2/3 c. fresh lemon juice
6 T. cream
1/4 tsp. salt

Don't preheat oven quite yet. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray. Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and cornstarch in food processor. Add butter and process to blend, 9 to 10 seconds, then pulse until coarse. Pour the dry mixture into lined pan and press over pan bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. While it chills, you can make the filling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When oven is preheated, bake the pre-chilled crust for 18-20 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned.

Filling: Lightly beat the eggs, sugar, and flour together in a bowl. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, cream, and salt and mix well.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling again, then pour filling over warm crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling no longer appears wet and shaky.

Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Lift from pan, place on a cutting board, dust with extra powdered sugar and cut into bars.

Taco Soup

Brown: 2 lbs. ground beef and 1 onion, chopped

Add:
1 qt. spicy v8 juice (tomato juice for really mild flavor)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
2 cans red kidney beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
2 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar

Simmer on low for 25 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, grated cheese and sour cream.

Buttermilk Banana Bread

I've never had a favorite banana bread recipe....until this one. Thank you to My Kitchen Cafe for introducing me to this recipe. Love it!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup mashed bananas (I use about 3 average sized bananas)
4 tablespoons buttermilk
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash baking soda

DIRECTIONS
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Mix until combined. Divide batter into greased and floured bread pans and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. This recipe makes about one large loaf of banana bread (I usually have a bit leftover for a mini loaf pan or I like to use the batter in all my mini's which will fill 5 loaf pans. *The timing will be completely different for mini loaves...around 30 minutes, so watch carefully).

Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS
4 medium red potatoes, boiled, cooled, peeled and diced
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1 c. diced baby dill pickles

Dressing:
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. dried dill (or 3 T. chopped fresh dill)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, green onions and pickles. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, dill, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad; mix gently. Referigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Baked Beans

INGREDIENTS
1 c. onion
5 (15 oz.) cans pork and beans
1 (15 oz.) can chili
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. molasses
1/2 c. ketchup
1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled, optional

Saute onion in 2 T. oil. Combine in large bowl, pork and beans, chili, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, and bacon. Pour into large casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. (I usually combine all ingredients into the crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours)

No Bake Cookies

What good would a recipe blog be if I didn't include my all time favorite cookie? Sorry nothing fancy here, just a good old fashioned No Bake Cookie! This is the easiest, fastest, tastiest chocolate cookie out there and I have been known to often double and triple the batch. Make sure you have a gallon of milk on hand :)

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 T. cocoa
1/4 c. butter

Heat to a boil (while stirring) and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add:

1/4 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. oats

Using a spoon, drop spoonfuls of cookie onto a cookie sheet covered with tin foil or wax paper. Let cool, if you can wait that long!

Fruit Tarts

I have been testing out these tarts trying to get them just right and last night I made them for a church activity. They were gone in no time with also several requests for the recipe so they must have been a hit. Good thing I had already tasted my share at home because by the time it was my turn to head up to the food table they had disappeared.

INGREDIENTS
Tart: 1 c. butter
3 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
"Pulse" in food processor until crumbly.

Add:
2 eggs

Pulse again until it forms a dough that holds together.

Take a small ball of dough and mold into a tart pan or small muffin tins. Try to make dough even and fairly thin on bottom and up the sides. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove tarts from pan while they are still hot.

INGREDIENTS
Filling: 1 (10 ounce) package vanilla or white chips, melted and cooled
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

DIRECTIONS
For filling, in a small mixing bowl, beat melted chips and cream. Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Fill cooled tart shells. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Top with mandarin orange slices, kiwi and raspberries. Serve immediately. (You may need to double the filling recipe depending on the quantity and size of your tarts).

Fiesta Wraps

My mom shared this recipe with me which I made for a church function dinner. I used parchment paper and raffia to hold the wraps together. They turned out great and my plate came home empty so I think that was a good sign!

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 lbs cooked turkey breast, cubed or shredded
2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 green onions, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:
1/3 c. lime juice (approx. 2 limes)
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed

DIRECTIONS
Combine turkey breast, black beans, corn, bell pepper, onions, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro. Set aside. In a small bowl combine lime juice, salt, oil, and garlic. Pour dressing over black bean mixture. Stir until dressing is thoroughly mixed through.

To make wraps, use jalapeno wraps (or other flavor) and shredded cheddar cheese. Serve immediately.

Merlie's Apple Salad

Nana shared this recipe with me about a year ago and we make it quite often, especially in the summer. The first time I tried this salad it sort of threw me for a loop because it looks like the usual fruit salad with whipped topping. The dressing is actually sour cream. Also, I'm not hugely crazy about a lot coconut but the salad doesn't taste right w/o it so don't attempt making it unless you have sweetened coconut on hand. And lately, when I throw this salad together I've been winging it on the quantities, so looking at the actual recipe I probably 1/2 everything for my little family.

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS
Cut and core apples in 1/2 inch pieces: 6 cups of apples

Drain:
2-3 cans mandarin oranges, drained

Add:
2 cups mini marshmallows, 2 cups coconut, and 3/4 chopped pecans

Add:
2 cups sour cream

Rouladen

This is a German dish that my husbands family makes. We have a tradition of celebrating our German heritage at Christmas, making recipes that have been passed down from his mothers family.

INGREDIENTS
12 pieces top round beef, pounded thin (1/4 inch thick)
Salt
Pepper
Mustard

6 slices of precooked bacon
1/2-3/4 c. onions, sliced
12 thin sliced pickles
Nonstick cooking spray
¼ cup butter
5 T. flour
2 cans beef broth

DIRECTIONS
Season beef with salt and pepper. Spread each piece with approximately 1 tsp. mustard. Top with a couple slices of onion, 1 sliced pickle, and 1/2 a slice of bacon. Starting at one short side of each beef piece, fold long edges over, then roll beef tightly. Secure with a toothpick.

Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Brown beef rolls in batches over medium-high heat. Remove from skillet.

In same skillet, melt butter. Add flour. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add beef broth, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture thickens.

Place beef rolls into a crock pot and poor broth mixture over top into slow cooker. 

Cover and cook on LOW 4-6 hours. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Note: a 2nd gravy option that we use is...

GRAVY:

1/2 c. pickle juice

1/4-1/2 c. mustard

2 packets of brown gravy mix

2-3 c. water

pepper to taste