Ideas for Lemonades

Some simple yet intriguing variations on this summer favorite.


Basic Lemonade:
3 cups cold water
1 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar

Stir together and add flavors suggested below. Chill, serve over ice with garnishes.
1. Ginger
Fresh ginger root
Ripe pear slices
Sugar cane stalk for stirring

2. Watermelon
Watermelon puree
Watermelon slice to garnish

3. Lavender
Dried lavender
Fresh lavender leaves for garnish

4. Peach
Peach nectar
Peach slices to garnish

5. Blackberry
Fresh Blackberries
Fresh Sage leaves

6. Kiwi-Melon
Sliced kiwifruit
Honeydew puree
Honeydew slice to garnish

7. Raspberry
Raspberry juice
Fresh raspberries

8. Key Lime
Limeade
Key lime slices
Mint Leaves

9. Lemon Drop
Crushed lemon drops
Sugar
Lemon slice to garnish
(Before filling glass with lemonade, wet the rim and dip in the crushed lemon drops & sugar)

10. Papaya
Guava juice
Fresh Papaya slice for garnish

Aunt Sue's Salsa

6 large cans of diced tomatoes (I've used flavored diced tomatoes before like Italian Diced tomatoes, etc. For a spicier salsa, use Rotel)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups medium Salsa
1/2 cup catsup
1 small can diced green chilies (For more fire used diced jalepenos)

Mix everything in a very large bowl. Chill in the fridge and enjoy with chips, or on any mexican dish. It makes a LOT, but this is a sweeter, chunky salsa, that you eat by the whole chipful. It goes fast.

Summer Pink Lemonade Cream Pie

Submitted by Heather Sheehan
(Sorry for the photo; this pie was actually a very pretty pink)

1 graham cracker crust
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1 regular sized cool whip
1 pkg Pink Lemonade unsweetened Kool-aid (for less tartness, only add 1/2 pkg)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 drops red food coloring

Whip together everything but the crust. Pour into the pie shell & chill.

Caprese Salad

Tomatoes, sliced
Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
Basil Leaves, chopped
Balsamic Vinegar

Arrange tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil on the plate; drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Chilled Lemon Gingerale

2 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 medium lemons, sliced
1/2 cup lemon sherbet, softened
1 liter ginger ale, chilled

For mint ice cubes, combine the water, mint and lemon juice; pour into two ice cube trays. Freeze until set. In a pitcher, combine the lemons and sherbet; slowly stir in ginger ale. Add the mint ice cubes Yield: about 5 cups.

Homemade Cake Batter Ice Cream

Submitted by Heather Sheehan


4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tsp vanilla
1 box cake mix (flavor of your choice)

In a large heavy pot, heat milk and sugar over medium heat just until sugar is disolved, stirring constantly. Add cake mix. Add whipping cream and vanilla. Combine well. Chill first or put directly into the ice cream maker. Follow manufacture directions for icing the cream & enjoy!

Caramel Strawberry Banana Pudding

Submitted by the Schlossers

2 Pkgs instant vanilla pudding
1 tub of cool whip
2 cups milk
5 bananas
8 strawberries
1 box of vanilla wafers
Caramel sauce

Mix pudding with cool whip and milk. Layer with cookies, sliced bananas, strawberries, and caramel sauce. Serve cold.

Onion Dip

Submitted by Freda Hutzel and Laurie Schlosser

1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp sugar

blend well and serve cold.

Corn on the Cob Seasoning

Submitted by the Schlossers

1 bunch finely chopped Italian parsley
1 cup of shredded parmesan
1 Tbsp of garlic salt

They grilled up a bunch of ears and with butter and this seasoning, we were in heaven!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

8 jalapeno peppers

1/4 cup shredded Colby-Monterrey jack cheese
8 oz cream cheese
8 slices bacon, cut
black pepper
toothpicks

*Be sure to wear gloves when working with the peppers

Cut off stems and cut in half lengthwise, seed, rinse, dry, and set aside.
Mix cheeses until well blended.
Stuff the pepper halves with cheese mixture and wrap with bacon. Secure with toothpick and sprinkle with black pepper. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 375. Be sure the bacon is nice and crispy before serving.

Morning Muffins (From Make-A-Mix)

(Blueberry Crumb Variation pictured above)

2 1/2 cups Quick Mix (Posted below)
4 Tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk or water
Butter and honey if desired

Preheat oven to 425F
Generously butter muffin pans. Place Quick Mix in a medium bowl, add sugar, and mix well. In a bowl, combine egg and milk or water. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir until just blended. Fill prepared murrin pans 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot with butter and honey, if desired. Makes 12 large muffins.

Variations:
Dried fruit or Nut Muffins - Add 1/2 cup chopped raisins, dates, dried berries, or fruits, or nuts to dry ingredients. Before baking, sprinkle with Crumb Topping Mix (posted below).

Blueberry Muffins - Gently fold 1 cup fresh, frozen or drained blueberries into dry ingredients. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping Mix (posted below) if desired.

Oatmeal or Bran Muffins - Reduce Quick Mix to 1 3/4 cups. Add 3/4 cup quick rolled oats or all-bran cereal to dry ingredients before adding liquid ingredients.

Apple Muffins - Fold 1 cup grated raw apple into muffin batter before putting into muffin pans and increase baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Fresh Peach Muffins - Fold 1 cup diced fresh peaches into batter before putting into muffin pans and increase baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Orange Muffins - Add 1 Tbsp fresh orange peel or 1 1/2 tsp dried orange peel to dry ingredients before adding liquid ingredients.

Cranberry Muffins - Gently fold 2/3 cup chopped cranberries into muffin batter before putting into muffin pans.

Crumb Topping Mix (From Make-A-Mix Cookery)

This topping is a great crumb topping that you can use on cobblers, ice cream, muffins, or anything else you like.

1 1/3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup butter or margarine

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix well. With a pastry blender, cut in butter or margarine until mixture is very fine. Put in a 1-quart, airtight container. Label. Store in the refrigerator. Use within 1-2 months. Makes about 2 cups.

Quick Mix (From Make-A-Mix Cookbook)

This is an amazing mix that you make ahead of time and can be used to make just about everything from doughnuts, to breadsticks, to cakes, cobblers, & scones. I used this to make the muffins above that I brought to cooking club this month.

8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups instant nonfat dry milk or dry buttermilk powder
2 1/4 cups vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Blend well. With a pastry blender or heavy-duty mixer, cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal in texture. Put in an airtight container. Label with date and contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 10-12 weeks. Makes about 13 cups of Quick Mix.

Variation:
Use 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 4 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour. Increase baking powder to 5 Tbsp.

Moist Pie Crust Mix (from Make-A-Mix Cookery)

5 lbs all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp salt
1 (3 lb) can vegetable shortening
3 cups cold water (I use milk to make the crust stronger)
extra flour for rolling

Combine flour and salt in a very, very large bowl. Mix well. With pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Mixture will resemble cornmeal in texture. Add cold water all at once and mix lightly until the flour absorbs all the water and texture resembles putty. If dough is too sticky, add more flour, until the dough barely clings together in the bowl.

(Here is where I modify the recipe) Divide the dough into 16-18 balls. You can wrap each ball/loaf in plastic wrap and aluminum foil at this point for freezing, or prep them a little more (as follows) before freezing. Roll each ball into a pie crust large enough to fit a pan. Place a slightly larger piece of wax paper over the crust and roll both together. Place the finished rolls into a large bread or freezer bag (or wrap in aluminum foil) and freeze for later use. Use within 12 months.

If you have disposable aluminum pie plates, I like to actually line the pie pans with the dough and crimp the edges, ready for baking; and then place each pan in a gallon sized freezer bag and stack the bagged pans in each other for freezing. The pan freezing method is the most convenient way when you're ready to actually cook a pie with them. However, I would also freeze some rolled for those recipes that don't use a pie pan. (i.e. hot dog roll ups)

You then always have frozen pie crusts available for pies (see the pumpkin pie recipe that follows), quiches (Abigail submitted a great recipe that follows) or anything else you care to use it for. Try cutting a crust into triangle wedges (pizza style), brush with brown mustard, and roll a hot dog up croissant style in the crust for a tasty, easy, meal/snack (Bake until flaky and browned).

Pumpkin Pie (Libby's)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree (or use 15 oz fresh/frozen cooked pumpkin; but you might have to bake the pie longer depending on how moist your pumpkin is)
1 can (12 fl. oz) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie crust
whipped cream (optional)

Combine sugar and spices in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk with eggs. Stir in pumpkin and sugar/spice mixture. Gradually add the evaporated milk, stirring constantly.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. (May be significantly longer if you're using fresh pumpkin.) Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Asparagus/Broccoli Quiche

Submitted by Abigail Rich


(Note by JoDee: I made this with brocolli and leftover fondue cheese instead of the asparagus and swiss, and it was still fantastic. Great recipe!)

Ingredients
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 10 slices bacon
• 2 (8 inch) unbaked pie shells
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place asparagus in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

3. Brush pie shells with beaten egg white. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and chopped asparagus into pie shells.

4. In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over bacon and asparagus. Pour egg mixture on top of cheese.

5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven until firm, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Spicy Southwest Stew

Submitted by Abigail Rich


Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp butter
Cumin and chili pepper to taste

6 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (rotisserie works great!)
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed, drained
2 cans chopped tomatoes

Toppings:
Tortilla chips
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sliced green onions

To Make:
Saute garlic, green chilies, cilantro, butter and spices in soup pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes or until the flavors combine. Serve hot, topped with tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sliced green onions (or toppings of your choice).

To freeze:
Spoon stew into freezerware, leaving at least 1 inch from the lid to allow room for stew to expand.

Meatballs

Submitted by Amanda Bloomfield


These are a good freezer meal because you can make a big batch of them, cook them, and then freeze them plain. Then they can be make into different meals by changing the sauce. You can use them with spaghetti, sweet & sour sauce, BBQ sauce, etc.

1 pound ground hamburger (can mix hamburger & turkey)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
whatever other seasonings you like

Mix all ingredients together. Form into 1 inch balls. Place under broiler in the oven 15-20 minutes or until all done. You can make a much bigger batch if you want to do several meals at once.

If freezing - let cool completely. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer overnight. Then, place them in a zip lock bag in portions needed for dinners. This way, they won't stick together in the freezer. When ready to use, put them in whatever heated sauce you are using and stir utnil heated.

Cheese-Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

12 oz. Jumbo Shells (you can use manicotti pasta instead. It doesn't really matter.)
1-16 oz. ricotta cheese
1-16 oz. cottage cheese (or just use all cottage cheese if you don't like ricotta and vise verse)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 Parmesan cheese, grated ( I grate my own)
spinach, how ever much you want.
2 eggs or 6 egg whites
2 TBSP parsley
3/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
6-8 cups favorite marinara sauce

1.Bring water to a boil and add pasta. Cook about 10 min. Avoid over cooking. Cool pasta in a single layer on wax paper to keep pasta for sticking together.

2.While pasta is cooling mix together ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs or egg whites,spinach, and the dry seasonings. Fill each pasta with 2-3 TBSP of cheese mix.

3.Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x9 or 13x9 inch pan.(it just maters how much you will eat) Place the shells open side down in a single layer in the pan; cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for about 35 min. or until hot and bubbly. Fills about 36 shells.

To freeze you can put it all together then freeze it as is but then when you cook it it will have to cook longer, about a hour, and there will be more moisture in the dish. So you can take the tin foil off for the last 20-30 min. Or you can freeze the filled pasta individually on a cookie sheet with wax paper on it so the pasta wont stick to the pan. Then once when they are frozen put them in a freezer bag and put them back in the freezer. You can also freeze the sauce and cheese. When you want to eat the meal let the manicotti and sauce thaw. Then put it together from number 3 and enjoy.

Try both ways or different ways because you will have a lot of manicotti to experiment with.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Submitted by Karla Kelsch


1 pound (aprox) Whole Frozen Chicken Breasts
2 Cans of Diced Tomatoes (or 4 fresh tomatoes)
1 (10 ounce) Can of Enchilada Sauce
1 Can Black Beans
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) Can of Chopped Green Chile Peppers
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Cups Water
1 (14.5 ounce) Can Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
1 (10 ounce) Package Frozen Corn
1 Tablespoon Chopped Cilantro

7 Corn Tortillas
Vegetable Oil

1. Place all the ingredients into a slow cooker (except for the tortillas and vegetable oil). Stir Well. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken with two forks a little bit before you serve it.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup. (This are optional...if you feel like being lazy -like I do sometimes- just serve it with corn chips!)

5. I like to serve the soup with sour cream and cheese sprinkled on top!

Almond Glazed Blueberry Scones

Submitted by Trish Schroeder,

(Here's my scones, adapted from Tyler Florence at Food network. The ingredients are the same, but my method of doing the blueberries is different-he stirs them in, but that just made a purple mess. He also does a lemon glaze, and we prefer almond.)

Blueberry Scones
2 c. flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. sugar
5 tbs. butter (must use butter, needs to be very cold)
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. blueberries (I never measure mine, I just use as many as I think look right)

Rinse fresh or frozen blueberries in cold water and allow to drain while mixing dough. This keeps them from turning everything purple. Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in cold butter (use a pastry blender, or two forks). Make a well and pour in cream. Fold together. (I start with a rubber spatula, but end up using my hands to get it combined well.) Press or roll dough into a big rectangle on floured surface (honestly, I usually don't flour it, and I use a ceramic board) until about 1/2-3/4" thick. (Brush with cream if desired, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. When I do, I also sometimes sprinkle just a little granulated sugar on top.) Use your knuckle or desired instrument to make little divets in the surface and poke a blueberry in each hole. Use a pizza cutter to cut into triangles. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. They should just barely start to brown, but not as much as biscuits.

Almond Glaze
To make 1/2 cup of glaze, which is plenty for a full batch, I use: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbs. butter, 2-3 tbs. water, and 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract. I put it all in a glass bowl, microwave for 30 seconds, and stir. Then I use a spoon to drizzle over the scones.

(The lemon glaze is on the website linked above. We've also tried orange glaze and it was good, but you just can't beat the almond.)

I've also made cinnamon raisin scones by adding about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients and stirring in raisins at the end. Obviously I then omit the blueberries. They're yummy, and we've tried both the lemon & almond glaze (almond wins again), but blueberry is still the way to go.

Cran-B-Que Chicken

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 can BBQ sauce
chicken, 3-4 breasts

Add all together in crock pot & cook. Serve with Veggies, rice, or potatoes as a side.

Sunday Pot Roast/Mexican Meat Mix

Pot Roast
1. Sear the roast on all sides in a skillet before placing in the crock pot to seal in the juices and to create some very tasty crispy ends.
2. Place in a crock pot on low for as long as possible(6 - 10 hours). The slower you cook it, the more tender it will be.
3. Do not salt or add water at first. Later if it is still dry in the pot (not likely) you can add about a 1/2 -1 inch of water to the crock pot. More likely you may have to drain some of the juices out of the pot so that the meat is not boiling (that will make it tough). You don't want more than 1 inch of liquid in the pot. Salt in the beginning will also make the meat tough. Sometimes I'll throw a packet of Lipton onion soup over the top for flavoring (however, better to wait to add this till later); but often as not, it tastes great with nothing else on it.
4. If desired, add chopped onions, potatoes, and vegetables, and maybe a little salt, for the last hour or two of cooking, depending on how soft you like them.
5. Cook as large a roast as your crock pot will handle and here's a wonderful recipe to do with the leftovers (from Make-A-Mix Cookbook).

Mexican Meat Mix
5 lbs beef roast or combination of beef and pork roasts (cooked low temp and slow)
3 Tbsp butter
3 onions
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
2 (7oz) cans green chili salsa (I've used regular salsa and it's still great!)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp flour
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
Juices from beef roasts

Drain cooked meat, reserving juices. Cool meat, then remove bones. Shred meat, and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and green chilies. Saute 1 minute. Add salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt, and cumin. Cook 1 minute over medium-low heat. Stir in reserved meat juices and shredded meat. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Cool.

Put about 3 cups mix each into 1-quart freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top. Seal and label containers. Freeze. Use within 6 months. Makes about 9 cups of Mexican Meat Mix.

This mix is perfect to use in just about anything Mexican: burritos, enchiladas, tacos, tostados, taco salad, etc. The flavor is fantastic, and I've even used tough meat before (that I cooked too fast on too high a temp) and it still was great. Wonderful on those nights you don't want to cook; just reheat and add some tortillas and toppings.

Best Ever Chex Mix

Submitted by Janet Schlosser

1 cup butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
6 cups rice chex
6 cups golden grahams
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup cashew halves
1 cup coconut
1 cup craisins
1 cup white chocolate chips

Stir butter, corn syrup and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 3-4 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour sugar mixture over the top and mix well. Spread on wax paper and let sit for one hour or longer. Store in an airtight container.

Orange Ginger Spice Cookies w/White Chocolate (courtesy of Our Best Bites)

3/4 C Butter flavored Crisco*
1 C sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 C molasses
Zest of 3 large oranges
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt
1/2 bag of white chocolate chips

*I made these with butter once and they flattened like pancakes. Shortening actually turned out with a much better texture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

With an electric mixer, combine shortening and sugar and cream until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg, zest, and the molasses and beat until completely incorporated.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt and then add to the mixture. Stir until combined. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set around the edges and you start to see "crackling" on the top. They'll puff up while they're baking, and as they cool they'll flatten. Don't overbake! You want to keep them nice and chewy-soft in the middle.

Then melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Take the cooled cookies and dip the edges in the chocolate; shake in the air a bit to let excess chocolate drip off. Lay the cookies on waxed paper or parchment until the chocolate is hardened.

Cheese Ball

Mix together with hands:
2 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
1 jar cheese spread with pimento
1 small can deviled ham
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Form into 2 medium balls. Roll into crushed walnuts until it is completely coated. Refrigerate.

Colored Popcorn Balls

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

Basic idea: Pop popcorn of choice. Melt marshmallows and butter together in a "rice krispy" style way. Add a packet of jello (color and flavor of choice: orange used here for Halloween). Pour over popcorn and with buttered hands, form into balls, and allow to cool.

Fun & Icky Halloween Snack Ideas

Finger Dogs


Slice 3 cuts for each knuckle, and shave off the tip for the nail. Broil in the oven until hot, toasted, and all cuts bulge. Serve with sourkraut (brains) and catchup (blood).

Lunch Meat Skull (not for the squeemish)

Wash a plastic skull decoration really well. Cut a dime sized hole into the center of the eyes.

Use very thin sliced lunchmeat of choice to cover the skull with meat. Tip: Be patient and apply meat one slice at a time, overlapping in a patchwork fashion. It will stick better to the skull this way. Insert a stuffed green olive into each eye hole (pimiento pointing out) for the eyes.

At this point you can cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate till later or serve immediately. Serve with crackers cheese and a relish dish.

Ghoul Aid (from recipezaar.com)

Submitted by Sarah Terry

Ingredients
1 package grape kool-aid
1 package orange kool-aid
3 quarts cold water
2 cups sugar
1 (1 liter) bottle ginger ale

Directions
1Mix all together, will be dark brown, black in color.
2Refrigerate.

Crescent Mummy Dogs (from allrecipes.com)

Submitted by Sarah Terry (Sarah used refrigerated biscuit dough so that they would be less "poofy". They were quite tasty!)

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
2 1/2 slices American cheese slices, quartered
10 large hot dogs
Cooking spray
Mustard or ketchup, if desired

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Crescent Rolls: Unroll dough; separate at perforations creating 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. Recipe Creations: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.

With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half).

Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like "bandages," stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for "face." On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on 'face.'

Footnotes
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 15 to 19 minutes.

Pizza Bianca (From Cooks' Illustrated)

Serve the pizza by itself as a snack or with soup or salad for a light meal. Once the dough has been placed in the oiled bowl, it can be transferred to the refrigerator and kept for up to 24 hours. Bring the dough to room temperature, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, before proceeding with step 4. When kneading the dough on high speed, the mixer tends to wobble and move on the counter. Place a towel or shelf liner under the mixer and watch it at all times during mixing. Handle the dough with slightly oiled hands. Resist flouring your fingers or the dough might stick. This recipe was developed using an 18- by 13-inch baking sheet. Smaller baking sheets can be used, but because the pizza will be thicker, baking times will be longer. If not using a pizza stone, increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees and set the rack to the lowest position; the cooking time might increase by 3 to 5 minutes and the exterior won’t be as crisp.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
1 2/3 cups water (13 1/2 ounces), room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (whole leaves)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place towel or shelf liner beneath stand mixer to prevent wobbling. Mix flour, water, and table salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until no patches of dry flour remain, 3 to 4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Turn off mixer and let dough rest 20 minutes.

2. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over dough. Knead on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and knead until dough is glossy, smooth, and pulls away from sides of bowl, 6 to 10 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)

3. Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl and pour 1 tablespoon oil over top. Flip dough over once so it is well coated with oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until nearly tripled in volume and large bubbles have formed, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to middle position, place pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.

5. Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto baking sheet along with any oil in bowl. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan, taking care not to tear it. (Dough will not fit snugly into corners. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to stretch again.) Let dough rest in pan until slightly bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 30 to 40 times and sprinkle with kosher salt.

6. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes, sprinkling rosemary over top and rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Using metal spatula, transfer pizza to cutting board. Brush dough lightly with remaining tablespoon oil. Slice and serve immediately.

Chicken Pot Pie

Submitted by Abigail Rich

3 whole chicken breasts
2 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 package sliced mushrooms
2 yellow squash, diced
1/2 cup peas
2 cups chicken broth + 4 Tbsp
2 Tbsp flour
1 pkg ready-make pie crust (top & bottom)
1/2 tsp thyme, tarragon, and sage each

Preheat oven to 375. Cube chicken into 1 inch pieces and saute in olive oil with herbs. Add all vegetables except peas to pan. Add chicken broth. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Add peas. Mix flour with 4 Tbsp chicken broth and add to pan to thicken sauce. Pour into prepared pie dish. Cut vent holes in the top of the pie crust, and place pie dish on a baking pan before placing in oven. Bake for approx. 45 minutes until crust is golden. (be creative with the vegetables you use - sweet potatoes, zucchini, etc. are also delicious.) Enjoy!

Quick Coconut Pudding (Very Fresh Tasting)

Submitted by Shirley Parr

Pour 2 pkgs coconut cream instant pudding into 2 cans COLD coconut milk, plus enough cow's milk to equal 4 cups liquid into large mixer bowl. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Cover and place bowl of pudding in fridge for an hour to set pudding.

Pumpkin Tomato Soup

Submitted by Janet Schlosser

2 cans tomato soup - large
1 can pumpkin puree
6 carrots
1 onion
8 medium tomatoes
1 cup cream
1 Tbsp dill
salt & pepper to taste

Saute onions, chopped carrots, diced tomatoes in butter add herbs, salt & pepper until soft. Add to soup and pumpkin and heat through. Add cream and let simmer for an hour until ingredients meld together.

Granola

Mix together:
6 cups oats (or 5 cups oats & 1 cup wheat germ)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar (or 3/4 cup of honey)
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped almonds (try other nuts or seeds)
1 cup dry milk
1 cup raisins (or craisins or other dried fruit)
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Blend:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp maple extract
1 Tbsp salt

Mix the two blends together. Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 1 1/2 hours, stirring half way through. Occasionally stir until cool, then put into Tupperware container.

Penne with Spinach Sauce

Presented by Janet Schlosser

Ingredients
1 lbs whole wheat or multi grain penne
3 garlic cloves
2 oz goat cheese
1 oz reduced fat cream cheese
3//4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 oz fresh baby spinach leaves
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.

Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 cup milk (can use powdered milk)
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp uncooked whole wheat

Blend on highest speed for 4-5 minutes or until batter is smooth.

Add and blend on low:
3 eggs (can use powdered eggs)
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp honey or sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Bake on hot griddle.

Ratatouille

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

For one recipe:
sliced in rounds-
zuccini
summer squash
roma tomatoes

Arrange overlapping in a small casserole dish. It's customary to create a pattern.

Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt & pepper and parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover & allow to brown for 5 more minutes.

Easy Apple Strudel

Submitted by Sarah Terry

INGREDIENTS
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and coarsely shredded
3 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup golden raisins
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place apples in a large bowl. Stir in brown sugar and golden raisins; set aside. Place puff pastry on baking sheet. Roll lightly with a rolling pin. Arrange apple filling down the middle of the pastry lengthwise. Fold the pastry lengthwise around the mixture. Seal edges of pastry by using a bit of water on your fingers, and rubbing the pastry edges together. Whisk egg and milk together, and brush onto top of pastry.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

German Chocolate Pie

Submitted by Abigail Rich

8 oz German chocolate
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cups crushed pecans
1 10 inch graham cracker pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In microwave, melt chocolate and butter on a low setting, stirring several times to prevent burning.
When chocolate/butter is melted, stir in sugar, salt, vanilla, cornstarch, and eggs until well blended.
Stir in evaporated milk and stir until smooth.
Pour into pie crust and bake for 15 minutes.
Mix coconut and pecans together and add to the top of the pie.
Continue baking another 30 - 35 minutes until center is set. Enjoy!

German Rouladen

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

Ingredients:
Very thin slices of beef
salt
pepper
paprika
dry mustard
Maggie
2 onions
dill pickles
1-2 cups water
6 whole allspice
2 pieces bay leaves

You can buy the best meat for rouladen at the German Store.  Ask butcher slice high grade lean beef very thin.

Lightly sprinkle over each slice of beef salt, pepper, paprika, dry mustard, and a little Maggie (if available). Chop up one onion and sprinkle over meat. Add dill pickles (finely sliced lengthwise). Roll up meat (like jelly roll) and secure with skewers or toothpicks (or may be tied with string). Brown roll on all sides in butter or margarine.

Place in baking pot on top of the stove with all the juice. Add water, allspice, bay leaves, and other onion (cut up). Simmer, covered, for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Add water if needed. Thicken drippings, before serving, to make gravy. Serve with potatoes or potato balls and red cabbage.

Chicken Stir Fry

Submitted by Trish Schroeder
4-6 servings

4 chicken breasts
1 can pineapple
1 can water chestnuts (if desired)
16 oz bag of frozen stir fry veggies
Frozen broccoli (if desired)
Rice
Sauce

Cook chicken using desired method (grill, broil, bake, boil, anything is fine) and chop into bite size pieces. For the veggie mix, start with the can of pineapple, drain & reserve the juice. Saute in a hot pan, no oil needed, until pineapple begins to brown. To the hot pan add the bag of frozen stir fry veggies. Sometimes we add a can of water chestnuts and brown with the pineapple or extra frozen broccoli with the frozen veggies. Add the chicken to warm through. Serve with rice and desired sauce.

Simple sweet and sour sauce: combine to taste-ketchup, reserved pineapple juice (or lemon juice), and granulated sugar.

Chinese Restaurant Almond Cookies

Submitted by Sarah Terry

INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup lard
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
96 almonds

DIRECTIONS
Sift flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together into a bowl. Cut in the lard until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add egg and almond extract. Mix well.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Set them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Place an almond on top of each cookie and press down to flatten slightly

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) oven for 15-18 minutes. Cool on rack.

Fried Rice

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

1-2 green onions, as desired
2 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
4 Tbsp oil
4 cups cold cooked rice
1-2 Tbsp light soy sauce or oyster sauce
Add peas & carrots if desired

Wash & finely chop vegetables. In a bowl, lightly beat eggs with salt & pepper.

Add 2 Tbsp oil to frying pan. Let pan & oil get hot then add beaten eggs. Cook, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry. Remove eggs & clean out the pan.

Add 2 Tbsp oil to hot pan. Add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Stir in sauce as desired.

Add vegetables to rice & heat through. Add scrambled eggs. Mix thoroughly. Serve hot.

**Note - add green onions right before you serve to keep it crisp.

Banana Fosters Crepes

Submitted by Sarah Terry


Crepe Ingredients
(Makes thirty-two 6-inch or twelve 10-inch crepes)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups whole milk, room temperature, plus more if needed
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
1 tsp vanilla

Filling Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of coarse salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 small Basic Crepes
1/2 cup creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream

Crepe Directions
1. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in butter & vanilla. Strain mixture into a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if needed.
2. Heat an 8- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with butter. Ladle or pour 3 tablespoons batter (for small crepes) or 1/3 cup batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat bottom evenly with batter. Cook until top of crepe appears set, bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 minute. Run a spatula around edge of crepe to loosen. Slip spatula under crepe, and gently flip in one swift gesture. (If it doesn't land quite right, that's OK; use the spatula to unfold or rearrange it.) Cook until bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and cover. (The first one will not be your finest.) Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed (every 2 or 3 crepes). Serve immediately.

Filling Directions
1. Warm butter and sugar in a saute pan over medium heat until butter melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Add bananas, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla, and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add rum. Return to heat. If using a gas stove, tip pan away from you carefully until the vapors from the rum ignite. (Or light with a long match.) Cook until flames stop, about 1 minute. Divide bananas among crepes; reserve sauce in pan.
2. Fold each crepe in half, then fold in half again. Drizzle crepes with reserved sauce, and top with creme fraiche or ice cream. Serve immediately.

Sparkling Peach Punch

Submitted by Sarah Terry

Makes about 12 (5-ounce) servings.

Ingredients:
1 16-ounce package frozen sliced peaches
1/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
4 cups sparkling wine, or unsweetened pineapple juice
Cubed or crushed ice

Directions:
1. Thaw peaches at room temperature but do not drain. Place peaches and their juice in a blender container or food processor bowl. Add sugar. Cover and blend or process until smooth.
2. Transfer pureed peaches to a 2-quart pitcher. Stir in orange juice and lemon juice or lime juice. To serve, slowly stir in sparkling wine, or pineapple juice. Serve over cubed or crushed ice.

Make-ahead tip: After stirring in orange and lemon juices, cover and refrigerate overnight or until serving time.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Submitted by Trish Shroeder

1 pork roast
BBQ sauce (Head Country BBQ Sauce is the best)
Hamburger Buns

Cook roast in the crock pot covered in BBQ sauce until tender. Shred the meat with a fork and cover with more BBQ sauce. Serve on hamburger bun.

Grilled French Bread and Veggie Salad

Submitted by Janet Schlosser


1/2 Loaf of French or Italian Bread
1 Yellow squash
1 cucumber
1 bell pepper
1/4 block cheese (favorite - mozzarella balls go really well in this salad)
1 Tomato

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Grill cubed bread until toasted and lightly browned. Add veggies and drizzle with dressing.

Firecracker Burgers

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chunky salsa
4 frozen breaded cheddar cheese jalapeno peppers, thawed (I've used the cream cheese poppers as well and they were still great)
1/4 cup guacamole
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
4 lettuce leaves
1/4 cup salsa con queso dip
1/4 cup sliced plum tomatoes
2 Tbsp sliced ripe olives
4 thin slices sweet onion

In a bowl, combine the beef and salsa. Shape into four patties. Place a jalapeno popper in the center of each; wrap beef around the jalapeno, forming a ball. Reshape into patties, about 3 1/2 - 4 in. in diameter and 1 in. thick.

Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink. Spread guacamole over toasted side of bun tops. On each bun bottom, layer lettuce, a burger, con queso dip, tomatoes, olives, and onion; replace tops

Yield: 4 Servings

Ginger Chicken

Submitted by Heather Sheehan


Combine:
1 can Gingerale
1/3 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cups soy sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Marinate 1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken overnight.
Grill as desired.

Rattafruitti

This dish was inspired by the making of Ratatouille, which was inspired by the movie. I just made it with fruit and ice cream instead of veggies and tomato sauce.


Fruit of choice (bananas, strawberries, apricots, kiwi, mangoes, etc.)
Cheddar Cheese
Angel Food Cake Bar
Ice Cream
Rich Hot Fudge Sauce (recipe below)
Frozen Blueberries
Whipped Cream

Pick several fruits that are about 1/2 dollar sized in circumference to your preference & different in color: I chose the fruits listed above (ok so the last isn't the right size, but I love them, so I used them and then cut the slices to size with a round spice jar lid.) Slice all the fruit very thin with a mandolin (or as thin as you can with a knife.) Slice the cheese and Angel Food Cake as thin as you can and cut into circles with a 1/2 dollar sized jar lid. In a Tupperware bowl, stack the fruit, cheese, & cake, with each circle sightly exposing the one underneath, alternating flavors and colors, in a spiral fashion until you run out of most items. This can then be covered and saved in fridge until you're ready to serve the dessert.

In a small bowl, heat the blueberries in the microwave until thawed and slightly cooked. Beat until smooth or mash and remove skins. Store in fridge.

When you're ready to serve, Heat up some fudge sauce, drizzle some on plate. Drizzle some blueberry sauce on plate, & place a scoop of ice cream in middle. Carefully pick up a small length of rattafuitti layers and place around and up the sides of the ice cream. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Hot Onion Souffle’ Dip

Submitted by Heather Sheehan


1 large yellow onion, chopped.
2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened.

Best if spread on something firm such as crackers, bagel chips, or fresh veggies.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients well in large bowl.
Pour into 2-quart souffle’ or casserole dish.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned on top.
Allow to cool on stove top 10-15 minutes before serving.

Fresh Pico De Gallo

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

Chop finely:
1 Red onion
2-3 tomatoes (avoid using Steak tomatoes-little flavor.)
1 c. Cilantro
2 ripe but firm avocados
1 c. mango, peaches, or pineapple; any one. (Canned may be used if fresh is not available. Strain the juice.)

Add:
1 can of corn
1 can black beans (strained and rinsed.)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. lime juice

For more of a kick, finely dice 1 Jalapeno pepper. Remove the seeds and membrane to avoid too much heat, unless that's your desire!

Strawberry Vinegrette

1 package (16 oz) frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
6 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp poppy seeds

Place the strawberries in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Add lemon juice and sugar. While processing, gradually add vinegar and oil in a steady stream; process until thickened. Stir in poppy seeds. Transfer to a bowl or jar; cover and store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Sirloin with a Tangy Chocolate Sauce

2-3 sirloin steaks

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Coarse sea salt to taste

1 Tbsp cracked pepper

1 Tbsp minced green onions

1/4 cup cranberry juice with a dash of lemon juice (grape juice w/dash of lime zest works too)

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup beef stock (I used beef gravy, and it worked well)

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1/2 (1 oz) square bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used a special dark chocolate bar)

Brush the steaks on all sides with 1 Tbsp olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.  Heat another Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.  Add the steaks, and cook to your desired degree of doneness.  Once done, remove the steaks from the skillet and keep warm.

Stir in the minced onion, and cook or 1 minute.  Pour int he juice(s) and balsamic vinegar.  Simmer until the mixture reduces to the consistency of chocolate syrup, 2-3 minutes.  Add the beef stock and rosemary, and return to a simmer.  Once the sauce has begun to simmer, whisk in the chocolate until it melts and slightly thickens the sauce.  Pour sauce over steaks to serve.

Fontina Potatoes Au Gratin

2 Tbsp butter

2 tsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2/3 cup milk

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

2 Tbsp minced chives

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth.  Gradually stir in milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

In a greased 3 cup baking dish, layer half of the potatoes, fontina cheese, white sauce , and chives.  Repeat with the other half of those ingredients. 

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and top is lightly browned.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. 

Yield: 2 servings. 

Chocolate Dipped, Stuffed Cherries

1 1/2 pounds fresh dark sweet cherries with stems

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp ground hazelnuts; I used marzipan (almond paste) and it turned out great

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 cups vanilla or white chips

2 cups chocolate chips

10 tsp shortening, divided

Pit cherries through the sides, leaving the stems intact.  Ina  small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Stir in nuts and syrup.  Pipe into cherries.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt vanilla chips and 5 tsp shortening at 70% power (or in 15 second increments.)  Stir until smooth.  In another bowl, melt the chocolate chips with 5 tsp shortening; stir until smooth. 

Holding stems, dip half of the stuffed cherries into the vanilla dip; allow excess to drip off.  Place on waxed paper let stand until set.  Repeat with the other half of the cherries in the chocolate dip.  Reheat dips if necessary, and drizzle the white dip over the chocolate cherries and vise versa.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 5 dozen cherries

Mixed Berry Lemonade

3-5 lemons (depending on size and strength)

1 cup sugar

2 cups mixed berries (not frozen)

5-6 cups water

Place the berries with 2 cups of water in the blender and puree completely.  Strain the mix and discard the seeds. 

Juice the lemons and add juice to the berry puree and the rest of the ingredients in a pitcher.  Mix well and serve cold.

Chilled Raspberry Soup

1/3 cup cranberry juice

1/3 cup sugar

5 1/3 cups raspberries

1 1/3 cups sour cream

In a blender, combine the juice, sugar, and raspberries; cover and process until blended.  Strain and discard seeds.  Stir in the cour cream.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Serve in small portions.

Chocolate Chip Scones

1 2/3 cups flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon 18 tsp salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk chocolate English toffee bits

1 Tbsp butter, melted

Glaze

1/4 cup powdered sugar

4 1/2 tsp spreadable cream cheese

2 1/4 tsp milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir in cream just until moistened.  Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times.  Pat dough into an 8 in circle and cut into six wedges (or cut with cookie cutters).  Separate and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.  Brush with butter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 16-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over scones.  Serve warm.

Orzo Pasta Salad

This is my friend, Janet Schlosser's, recipe and it's absolutely fabulous!

1 box of orzo pasta
1 bag dried cranberries
one bunch (extremely finely chopped) parsley
one container of feta cheese
one cucumber (peeled and seeded and finely chopped)
one red onion (finely chopped)

Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
Garlic Salt to taste
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1 Tbs dried mint
Dash of salt and pepper
pinch of sugar
1 tsp of yellow mustard

whisk all ingredients and pour over salad mix. Chill overnight but serve somewhat room temperature. Enjoy!