Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

I got this recipe from my friend Lisa, it's super easy and you make it the night before!

* 1 loaf of french bread
* 4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
* 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, diced
* 1 cup blueberries (I used frozen and it worked great)
* 8 eggs
* 2 cups milk
* 1/3 cup maple syrup
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

Tear the bread into small, bite-size pieces and layer half of the bread chunks on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cinnamon over the bread and the layer the cream cheese and blueberries on top. Spread the rest of the bread chunks over top and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, syrup and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the bread. Cover with foil and put in the fridge overnight. The next morning, set the casserole on the counter for 30 minutes to get to room temperature. Bake the casserole at 350 for 30 minutes with the foil covering it and then 30 minutes without the foil.

Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

Breakfast Biscuit or Appetizer

1 pkg. biscuits
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. cinnamon sugar mixture

Cut biscuits into quarters. Place into 8-inch round baking dish. Cover with melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over all. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden at 350 degrees. Also may substitute grated blue cheese and melted butter. Great appetizer.

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,175,148184-232200,00.html
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CHICKEN BROCCOLI VEGGIE SAUTE

3 TB spoons butter
4 skinless,boneless chicken breasts ( cut in ½ length wise )
1 cup chopped broccoli
½ cup very thinly sliced carrots
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1/3 cup milk
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of red pepper

Cook chicken in 2 TB spoons of butter until lightly browned
Remove , set a side
Cook broccoli , carrots , & mushrooms in 1 Tb spoon butter approx 5 min.
(I put the carrots in by themselves for about 5-10 before the other veggies so they wouldn’t be too crunchy!)
Mix soup , milk & seasonings, stir into vegetables , add chicken
Heat to boiling and simmer 5 min .

Yogurt Cake

White cake mix - prepare according to directions and fold in a container of any flavor yogurt. (I substituted applesauce for the oil for a low fat option and you can't tell at all.)

Frost with a tub of cool whip mixed with a container of the same kind of yogurt.

Simple and Delicious!

Alfredo Chicken Bake

1 box penne pasta (cooked & drained)
Cubed, cooked chicken breast, grilled or fried
Sliced mushrooms (about 1 carton)

Combine above ingredients in a large baking dish. Pour Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce over pasta mixture. (I used two jars of Great Value Alfredo Sauce).

Seeded, Diced Tomatoes (about 4 romas)
Monterey Jack Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Top with Monterey Jack cheese, diced tomatoes parmesan cheese. Bake @ 350º for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese starts to brown. (I broiled mine at the end to crisp up the cheese.) :)

Mint Grape Beverage

Ingredients

o 1 cup granulated sugar
o 1 1/2 cups water
o 1 cup fresh mint leaves, bruised
o 1 cup lemon juice
o 2 cups grape juice
o 1 (12 ounce) bottles ginger ale

Directions

1. Combine water and sugar and heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring, about 5 minutes.
2. Let cool slightly, and then pour over mint leaves.
3. Add lemon juice, cover and steep for 1 hour.
4. Strain, discarding solids, then add grape juice.
5. Chill well.
6. Just before serving, add chilled ginger ale to mint mixture.
7. Garnish with additional mint leaves and lemon slices (if desired) and serve over ice.

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes
from Taste of Home

8 med red potatoes, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 T butter
½ c milk, warmed
½ tsp salt
¼ c grated Parmesan

Cover potatoes and garlic with water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Drain well, but leave garlic in potatoes. Add butter, milk and salt. Mash with a hand mixer. Stir in Parmesan. Serves 3-4.

Spinach Dip

1 package (10 oz.) baby spinach, chopped, or 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeeze dried.

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 package Knorr Vegetable recipe mix

1 (8 oz.) can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)

3 green onions, chopped (optional)

Serve with fresh veggies, or bread. YUM.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 Tb butter at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk

Combine all ingredients but milk in a bowl of electric mixer. Mix on med-low until creamy; scraping down sides occasionally. Add milk gradually with mixer in high speed until frosting is smooth and desired consistency. Frost your cupcakes and refrigerate. The butter in the frosting will melt and ruin the smooth texture of the frosting if you leave it at room temperature. If you need to bring them to a function where they will be out for more than 2 hours, I would go so far as to partially freeze them before going so they stay cold.

Smashed Potato

Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper and other seasonings

Boil whole potatoes until fork tender. Drizzle cookie sheet with olive oil (don't skimp) Place potatoes on cookie sheet and mash down. Brush potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt (don't skimp) and pepper. You can add other spices like rosemary, basil, sage etc. Bake at 450 for 20 - 25 minutes.

This time the seasonings I added were fresh rosemary, a tiny bit of garlic powder, red pepper, and cumin to each potato, then I added plenty of salt and pepper.

Black and Blueberry dump cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
4 cups fresh or frozen *blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter cut in little pieces
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix berries, sugar, and cinnamon in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Cover berries with dry cake mix. Place butter pieces over cake mix, do not stir.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until light brown. Serve warm or cold. top with ice cream.

*for dinner group I used 3 cups frozen blueberries and 1 cup frozen blackberries, but have made this with peaches and half peach half blueberry...every time it's really yummy! I bet you could use apples as well.

Chocolate chip cookie dough dip

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Vanilla wafer cookies, graham crackers, or fruit for dipping

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves.

2. Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool.

3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.

4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate. Garnish with additional chocolate chips or nuts, if you choose.

Refreshing Lime Drink

1 can frozen Limeade concentrate
1 bottle Sprite Zero
1 bottle Fresca

Put the frozen Limeade in a gallon size pitcher; add Sprite and Fresca until pitcher is full. Mix together and enjoy.

Smooth Jello Salad

1 sm. box strawberry jello
1 sm. box cook n serve vanilla pudding
1 sm. box cook n serve tapioca pudding

Mix with 2 2/3 cups water, bring to boil, stirring, boil for 1 minute.
Pour into container, let cool room temp 1-2 hours, then refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, stir in

1 8 oz. cool whip
1 pint strawberries

**You can mix up the recipe to make different flavors if you want: orange jello with mandarin oranges, raspberry jello with frozen raspberries, or even double the recipe and mix jellos.

Family BBQ

Hi Ladies, As most of you know we will be having a BBQ our our house for our families. So bring your hubbies and kiddos. Emily since you just brought a dessert do you want to bring a side dish? Marlana I am just going to do water or lemonade so do you want to bring a dessert? Erin I don't think we will need a bread since we may be doing hamburgers and hot dogs so do you want to do a salad? Monica will you bring a dessert as well? Nicki can you bring a side dish? With these changes it should help with us having enough food. Make sure to maybe double your recipe so we have enough for everyone. Thanks Ladies!

strawberry sheet cake

STRAWBERRY SHEET CAKE

* 12 oz fresh strawberries, stems removed and chopped (about 3 cups)
* 2 cups of sugar plus 2 teaspoons
* 2 cups of flour
* 2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
* 2 eggs lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup of buttermilk
* 1 teaspoon of baking soda
* 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Over the chopped strawberries, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Let them sit for an hour at room temperature so they can release some of their juices. The berries should reduce to about 1 1/2 cups. In a blender of food processor, crush the berries on a low speed for a few seconds—you want them juicy but still with some texture. Take 1/2 cup of the strawberry mixture for the frosting and leave the remaining crushed strawberries for the cake.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift the sugar and flour together in a bowl.

Melt the butter on low in a saucepan and then whisk it with the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and baking soda. Add the liquid to the flour and then stir in one cup of the crushed strawberries.

Pour batter into greased cookie sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when a knife comes out clean from the center. Let it cool and then frost with the strawberry cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

Note: The cake will be a little brown. This, I hear, is because of the alkaline reaction of the ingredients. Do not be alarmed!

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

* 1/4 pound of butter (1 stick) at room temperature
* 8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
* 3 cups of powdered sugar
* 1/2 cup crushed strawberries
* 2 teaspoons of lime juice (about half a lime)
* 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until blended. Add the strawberries, lime juice, lime zest and vanilla. Spread over cooled cake.

Creamy Potatoes and Peas

Usually use about 2 baby red potatoes/person. Usually 6-7 to have a few leftovers for 2-3 people. Quarter/halve the potatoes and boil to cook them. Toss in about ¼ cup peas for 2 minutes before potatoes are done cooking to cook the peas.

Make a white sauce:
½ c. butter (melt in saucepan)
Add flour until pasty
Add milk slowly until correct thickness
Add salt to taste and just a bit of garlic powder.

Oreo Brownies

1 bag double stuff oreos
1/2 bag milk chocolate chips
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
1/4 bag mini marshmallows
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350. Crush whole bag of oreos (I put them in my food processer). Grease a 9x13 pan and push down one half the crushed oreos. Then layer chocolate chips and marshmallows. Add the rest of the oreos to the top and drizzle the whole can of sweetened condensed milk. Cook in oven for 28-32 min. the marshmallows should be golden brown. Cool through before cutting.

Hot Buttered Pretzels

* 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
* 1 cup warm water

Topping:

* 1/2 cup warm water
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* Coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
* 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Place all the dough ingredients in a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or mixer, for about 5 minutes, until it's soft, smooth, and quite slack. Dust the dough with flour (to keep from sticking) and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving enough room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and divide it into eight equal pieces. Let the pieces rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into a long thin rope (around 28 inches) and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip the pretzels in the warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar, and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with the salt. Let them rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8-9 minutes, until they're golden brown, reversing the baking sheets halfway through.

Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.
2. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until squash is just tender.

Cilantro Turkey Burgers

About 1 lb. ground turkey

1 T. montreal grill seasoning

2 T. worchestershire sauce

1 T. garlic powder

A hand full of cilantro, chopped finely

Mix all together. Form into patties. Grill about 7 minutes on each side and enjoy!

These go really good with whole wheat buns, swiss cheese and avacado.

Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Two 8 oz. cream cheese bricks

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 package dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix

4 oz. can of green chilis

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped pimento (I used fresh red pepper)

Two 4 oz cans of chopped black olives

One package Homestyle tortillas

Mix everything (except tortillas, obviously) together and spread on tortilla fairly thin.  Roll tightly and refrigerate overnight.  

*Note:  I halved the recipe and it still made a lot - I think about 8 tortillas worth.  Also, I only refrigerated them for an hour or 2, and they were just fine.  

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients
    •    1 large head fresh broccoli
    •    1 large head cauliflower
    •    2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
    •    1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
    •    1/3 cup sunflower seeds
    •    1 (16 ounce) bottle Catalina salad dressing

Directions
    1.    Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small to medium florets; combine with apples and oranges.
    2.    Pour enough dressing over ingredients to coat; toss and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve immediately or allow to chill and flavors to blend.

Serves 6

Chicken Enchiladas

Boil 3-4 chicken breasts and shred

Cook chopped onion (I use about 1/2 medium-large onion, just according to taste)

Add chicken

Add can of green chilis and enough enchilada sauce to make mixture wet

In each tortilla, add a little enchilada sauce, chicken mixture, and shredded cheese

Roll and put into a 9x13 pan

I always put a layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan before putting them in to make them more saucy and make sure they get wet all over.

Pour enchilada sauce liberally over the top and add a layer of shredded cheese.

Bake @375* for about 10 minutes with foil over the top, and 10 minutes without foil, until bubbly.

Ginger Snaps

2½ c. flour ¾ c. butter
2-3 tsp. ginger 1 c. sugar
2 tsp. soda 1 egg
½ tsp. salt ¼ c. molasses
1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter & sugar until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and mix well. Add dry ingredients, blend well. Form into balls and roll in sugar. Bake @ 350º for 8-10 minutes.

Cheddar Spoon Bread

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack (8 oz)
1 T. butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs

1. In a large saucepan combine milk and cornmeal. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly; remove from heat. Add cheese, butter, baking powder, sugar, and salt; stir until cheese melts.

2. Separate eggs. Add yolks one at a time, to cornmeal mixture, stirring after each addition just until combined (mixture will be thick).

3. In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).

4. Stir about one-third of the beaten egg whites into the cornmeal mixture. Gently fold remaining beaten egg whites into cornmeal mixture until combined. Spoon into an ungreased 2-quart casserole or souffle dish.

5. Bake in a 325* oven for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

"Peanutbutter Cup" Cakes

1 box devils food cake
24 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Make Cake mix according to package. Pour each cupcake cup 1/4 way full. Place a mini peanut butter cup in it and then over with more cake batter. Bake according to box directions. Frost with favorite frosting.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

**Disclaimer - lots of things went wrong when I made this, so there were improvisations.  If you follow this recipe, it may taste nothing like mine did - not that that's necessarily bad.  Just sayin'.**

1 large onion

2 T. butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. parmesan cheese

3/4 small can evaporated milk

2 pkg frozen whole, chopped broccoli

2 pkg frozen cauliflower

1/2 stick butter, melted

Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning

1 1/2 qt. casserole

Saute onion in butter.  Add soup, cheese and milk.  In separate saucepans cook broccoli and cauliflower according to package directions. Add to above mixture.  Add 1 tsp of Mrs. Dash seasoning.

Lightly spread bread crumbs over top of casserole after adding mixture.  Pour butter over top.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until bubbly.

Serves 10.

(cooks.com)

corn, bean, and avocado salsa

1 bottle of Italian dressing
1 avocado
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of corn (drained and rinsed)
red onion
cilantro

I used about 3 tablespoons of red onion and cilantro, but add to taste. Mix everything in a bowl and let sit for a couple of hours.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Caramel Fruit Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
¾ C. brown sugar, dark
½ C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients either with a blender or by hand. Serve with fruit or pretzels! Makes a great after school snack.

Symphony Brownies

Symphony Brownies

One box of brownie mix
2 large chocolate bars

Mix brownie mix according to package directions. Pour half of the batter in an 8x8 pan. Place chocolate bars side by side in pan on top of batter. (I used Symphony bars this time but I have used other kinds of chocolate bars in the past.) Pour rest of batter on top of chocolate bars. Cook brownies according to package directions.

Spinach, artichoke & chicken penne

* Salt
* 1 pound penne rigate or whole wheat or whole grain penne rigate
* 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 small pieces)
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 3-4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
* Black pepper
* 2 slightly rounded tablespoons flour
* 1/2 cup dry white wine (I didn't have any on hand..so i just used extra chicken stock)
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 1 cup cream or whole milk
* A few grates of nutmeg
* 1 box chopped frozen spinach (10 ounces), defrosted, wrung dry and separated
* 1 can artichoke hearts in water (14 ounces), drained well and chopped
* 1 cup grated Asiago or provolone cheese (I used asiago)
* Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, poach the chicken: Place the chicken in small pan and add water to the top of the meat, but do not cover completely. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer to cook through, 10-12 minutes. Shred the meat into small pieces with forks or dice into small pieces. Set aside.

While the chicken cooks, heat the olive oil in large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Melt the butter into the olive oil, then add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onion and garlic and stir for 1 minute, then whisk in the white wine. Add the stock and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the cream and season with nutmeg. Thicken the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat, then stir in the spinach and artichokes and heat through. Melt the Asiago or provolone cheese into the sauce and turn off the heat.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce and chicken to combine, adjusting the salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

10 Small Red Potatoes
4 Small Leeks
4 Large Carrots, peeled and cut into large slices
1 Red Onion, peeled and cut into pieces
2 Red Peppers, cut into wide strips
8 oz Fresh Mushrooms
2 T. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Pepper

Lightly coat a cookie sheet with olive oil. Scrub potatoes and steam in a small amount of water for 20 min, then drain well. Cut leeks in half and wash well to remove grit. Cut each potato in half. Arrange potatoes, leeks, carrots, onions, red peppers and mushrooms on cookie sheet. Drizzle 2 Tblspns olive oil over veggies and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until veggies are cooked and tender when pricked with a fork, basting about every 15 min with pan juices.

Pasta Salad with Pinenuts and Sundried Tomatoes

I am sorry this took so long. It has been a crazy month!

4 half chicken breasts
Lawry's Season Salt
Cajon Seasoning (I use a burbon rub from Cabellas)
1/4 to 1/2 cup Hienz 57 Sauce
16 oz. bag of pasta (I use Farfalle)
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 jar sundried tomatoes cut julienn style and drained
1 red onion chopped
1/2 bottle Cardini's Ceasar Salad Dressing (I use low fat)
1/4 bottle Newman's Own Vinaigrette (I use low fat)
1/2 to 1 cup pinenuts

Cut up chicken breasts sprinkle with Lawry's Season Salt and grill in frying pan. Once cooked sprinkle with Cajon seasoning and coat with Hienz 57 sauce. Cool. Cook the pasta, cool and place in a large bowl. Add peppers cut into strips. Add sundried tomatoes and red onion. Add chicken mixture. Mix all together and add the dressings. Add pinenuts just before serving.

green bean casserole

Sorry ladies...especially Marlana for being so late to post this! Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

For the topping:

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 
  
• For beans and sauce:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved (i just used the frozen organic beans from costco that I always have in my freezer)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (i didn't have freshly ground nutmeg, so I just used the ground nutmeg)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring some water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an pot. Add the beans and blanch. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet (i just used a regular saute pan) set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

4 medium size white potatoes (i.e. russet)
2 long skinny yams
1 pt.whipping cream
milk
butter
salt and pepper
flour

Partially precook yams at 450. I cooked mine for about a 1/2 hour wrapped in aluminum foil. While they cool, peel the white potatoes. Spray your baking dish. Arrange a single layer of white potatoes. Cut up one Tbs of butter into small cubes and sprinkle over potatoes. Next, sprinkle flour over the potatoes and butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper over that. Next arrange a layer of yams over the white potatoes and repeat the process with the butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Then repeat again with a layer of white potatoes, butter, flour, salt and pepper. Do not over fill your baking dish! Pour the pint of cream over the potatoes, then cover with milk just to cover all of the potatoes. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until potatoes are soft and the top starts to golden.

cranberry almond wild rice pilaf

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup brown rice
1/4 wild rice (the black kind)
1& 1/2 teaspoon instant chicken, beef or veggie bouillon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a medium saucepan cook onion, celery, and garlic in hot butter until tender.

Stir in rice, bouillon, pepper, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and add cranberries, simmer covered until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Stir in almonds and serve.

Potato skins

6 Potatoes (baked)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
5 slices cooked bacon,diced
2 green onions, diced
sour cream

Cut baked potatoes in half and scoop out the middle. Cut each slice in half again. Place on a baking sheet. Fill each potato with cheese, bacon and green onions. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Fill each one with a small scoop of sour cream.

7-Up Apple Juice Drink

32 oz bottle of 7-up type pop (I used Diet Twist-up - cheap Walmart brand)

1 can apple juice concentrate

Can also use ginger ale or white grape juice concentrate.

Juice concentrate should be slushy, and it's also good if you put the pop in the freezer to get it a bit slushy as well.

Parmesan Fondue

1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cubed

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker. Serve with bread cubes.

This could be a main dish if you served it with meat and vegetables.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

From Taste of Home

Taken from Perry's Plate (My friend Natalie's blog)

¾ c. shortening

¾ c. sugar

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1 ½ c. flour

1 tsp. salt

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 ½ c. mini chocolate chips

Filling:

2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream sugar and shortening. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and soda. Add to creamed mixture. Fold in chips. Set aside 1/3 of dough. Press the remaining 2/3 of dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake crust at 350 for 8 min.

Beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Spoon over crust. Place flattened discs of reserved cookie dough over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Cool. Store in fridge.

Cranberry Blue Cheese Salad

Put a bunch of lettuce in a bowl.

Sprinkle with dried cranberries.

Sprinkle with blue cheese.

Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Add dressing.  I used a raspberry vinaigrette.

Bet you needed the "recipe" for that!  I feel like I'm insulting your intelligence by even posting about it!   ;)

Taco Cups

By Anne Coleman click here to see it posted on Family.com
Hands-On Time: 5 minutes

Ready In: 5 minute

Yield: 8-12 servings

Ingredients
1 bag Tostitos® Scoops!®

1 can refried beans

1/2 lb cooked taco seasoned meat (I left the meat out and just added some taco sauce to each one)

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sliced black olives

Directions
1. Set chips on a large platter and layer with beans, meat, cheddar, salsa, sour cream and black olives.

Chili cranberry meatballs

1lb frozen meatballs
1 jar Heinz Chili sauce (found in the ketchup isle)
1 can cranberry sauce

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 1-2 hours. Serve as an appetizer or on a roll as a sandwich.

Creamy Herbed Potatoes

Creamy Herbed Potatoes brought by Toni

Ingredients

• 4 whole To 5 Whole Russet Potatoes
• 1 stick Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Whole Milk (Half-and-Half Works, Too)
• 1 teaspoon Finely Chopped Rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Finely Chopped Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Finely Chopped Chives
• ½ teaspoons Finely Chopped Sage

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice potatoes very thinly.

Add butter to a large skillet over medium low heat. When melted, add diced onion. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese to the pan and stir to melt. Pour in cream and milk, stirring to combine.
Season with plenty of salt and pepper, then add chopped herbs.

Place potatoes in a buttered baking dish. Pour contents of skillet over the top. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly. Allow potatoes to sit 15 minutes before serving.

Sweet Chili

1 lb. meat (ground beef, shredded beef or pork)
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/8 to 1/4 cup chili powder
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
2 cans red kidney beans
2 can black beans
2 cans pinto beans
2 oz honey

Cook meat. In a slow cooker mix ingredients together and let simmer. Serve warm.

Junior Mint Brownies

Junior Mint Brownies

5 1/2 ounces *Junior Mints
1 1/2 cups butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk until well blended.

Sift in cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend well.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Arrange Junior Mints in a single layer over batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top, covering the Junior Mints. Use a knife or spatula to smooth the top of the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

*use mini York Peppermint Patties instead of Junior Mints. Part of the white mint will remain unmelted, so your brownies will have a nice white stripe in the centre when you slice them into squares.