Plum Crumble

We picked up our Bountiful Basket on Saturday and we had 12 plums, some very ripe. I needed a way to use them quickly. I found this recipe on Tartelette and have scaled it down so that you could make one or how ever many you might need. 319 calories per serving

For the plums:
1 plum
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the crumble topping:
1/4 cup flour
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Prepare the crumble topping:

In a bowl, stir together the flour and cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and pinch of salt. Add the butter and sugar and start mixing everything together with your fingertips. You want to form a few large clusters of dough. It will be easier to grate once cold. Freeze the mixture while you prepare the fruit.

Preheat the oven at 350F and position a rack in the middle.

Prepare the plum:

In a bowl, combine the plum and the rest of the ingredients. Toss well. Spoon into a ramekin and place on a baking sheet as the fruit is most likely to release its juices, causing a spill. When ready to bake, grate the crumble over the ramekins (use a box grates) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with whip cream or ice cream.

Oven Baked Onion Rings

If you don't have a Pinterest account yet I highly recommend it! I love getting recipes from there, like this one:
4 cups Ritz crackers
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk you can do a sub of 1 T Lemon Juice and 1 C Milk)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet slightly with oil and set aside.

Place Ritz crackers into a food processor and process into crumbs, or place in a sealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer to a shallow bowl, add cayenne, and set aside. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings.

Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat. Dip onions 1 at a time into the buttermilk mixture, then into cracker crumbs and place on baking sheet.

Spray cooking spray evenly over rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Apple Oat Muffins

Found this recipe on the Internet. It is a tasty little morsel that is very filling. The original recipe was for 12 muffins, I cut it to 6. It said to shred the apple and I left it in chunks. I also substituted almonds for walnuts. 202 calories per muffin

1 cup oats
1/2 cup & 2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 & 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk - used less so I could use the whole egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup apple - I used Gala
1/4 cup almonds, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake papers. In large bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in apple chunks and nuts.

In medium bowl beat buttermilk, oil and egg until well blended. Stir liquid into dry ingredients until moistened, batter will be very thick and lumpy.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin-pan cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins begin to brown and toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Immediately remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or cool on wire rack to serve later.

Ice Cream Cake

This is a super simple dessert. Taking off the wrappers of the ice cream sandwiches is what takes the longest. The best part about this is that you can use as many or as few sandwiches as you would like. I used 36 sandwiches, 1 large cool whip and 1 small cool whip to serve 22 people. You can change this up by using different flavors of ice cream sandwiches and using crumbled Oreos, chocolate chips or any other favorite toppings.

20 ice cream sandwiches
1 large tub cool whip
hot fudge sauce
caramel sauce
2 Heath or Skor bars, chopped up

Place 10 ice cream sandwiches side by side on a cookie sheet, platter or in a 9x13 pan. Frost with 1/2 the tub of cool whip. Repeat last layer. Drizzle hot fudge and caramel over the top and sprinkle with candy bars. Freeze at least 1 hour. Serve with hot fudge and caramel.

Cornbread Croutons

Jamie commented the other day about the cornbread croutons on her salad so when I knew that she would be home for dinner I thought I would try and make some for her. I halved the recipe but I won't do that again just because they are so tasty you don't need a salad to enjoy them.

Mix up Donna's Delicious Cornbread.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet and spray with Pam. Pour into prepared cookie sheet and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes then run knife around edge and turn cornbread out of the pan and remove parchment paper. Turn the heat up on the oven to 425. While oven is heating up cube cornbread. Spread cubes on cookie sheet and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

Spread browned cubes on cooling rack and cover with towel. Let air dry overnight or until crunchy.

Lemonade Cupcakes

If you like lemon then you will like these, they almost make you pucker. Some other options that I have been thinking about are use either raspberry lemonade or strawberry lemonade and make raspberry or strawberry cream cheese frosting. I ended up with leftover lemonade and I should have used it in the frosting. I think that will be a for sure thing next time. This would also work well as a cake.

Lemon cake mix
Instant lemon pudding
1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
4 drops yellow food coloring
Powdered sugar

Make cake according to the directions on the box but add lemon pudding. Bake according to the directions on the box as well.

Mix lemonade concentrate and powdered sugar. Pierce top of warm cupcakes every with long-tined fork or skewer, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over top of each cupcake. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.

Cream butter, cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and food coloring together. Add enough powdered sugar to create the frosting consistence that you want. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Tortellini Salad

Another tasty potluck recipe.

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 shallot, minced
1 lb. asparagus
2 - 9 oz. packages fresh tortellini
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 oz. Parmesan cheese

Whisk the olive oil, basil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Cook asparagus, boil 3 minutes, don't discard water. Transfer asparagus and cut and mix with vinaigrette.

Cook tortellini according to package in asparagus water. Drain and mix with asparagus and vinaigrette. Chill 30 minutes.

Toast the pine nuts in small skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Slice tomatoes into halves.

Just before serving stir the nuts, tomatoes and Parmesan into salad.

Cookie Bars

These were so good and I don't like coconut but it didn't bother me in this recipe.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Melt butter in microwave then pour into a 9x9 pan. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Evenly pour condensed milk over the crumbs. Sprinkle on the coconut, chocolate chips and walnuts. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 350. Let pan completely cool before removing bars.

Ranch Potatoes

This was another delicious recipe from the potluck.

1 pkg Ranch dressing seasoning
1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 lbs. Red potatoes
Seasoned salt
Oil

Wash and cut potatoes into quarters. Dip potatoes in oil then put them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the mixture of ranch dressing, bread crumbs and a dash of seasoned salt on the potatoes. Bake until soft at 350 for about 40 minutes.

Chicken Wonton Cups

When Mom and I were visiting Jamie, Beau and Christopher in Oklahoma the wives had a potluck because they all felt like they were in a rut with what they fixed. This was my favorite that wasn't a dessert of course.

24 Wonton skins
12 oz Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
Fajita dry packet
Onion, diced
Red bell pepper, diced
Ranch dressing
Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and place one wonton skin in each tin. Bake until slightly crisp, about 3 minutes. While wonton skins are baking, cook chicken with fajita packet.

Fill each cup with 4 - 5 pieces of chicken, onion, red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon ranch and cheese. Cook until cheese is melted, about 4 - 5 minutes.

Breakfast Quiche

We had a Relief Society breakfast the other day. We meet in Bobbette's backyard and got a chance to just visit. It started at 7:30 and went until 10 so that everyone could come when it was convenient. This breakfast quiche was served and I found it tasty and it works great when you need to feed a crowd but works great if you don't as well.

16 ounce frozen cubed hash browns
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup diced ham
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
Crumbled bacon

Put potatoes in 9 inch pie plate. Pour melted butter over potatoes. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Alternate ham and cheese on potatoes. Beat eggs and milk and seasoning salt together. Pour over ham and cheese. Optional, cooked bacon can be crumbled on top. Bake 30 minutes.

Can make day before. As soon as cool enough, refrigerate. Heat when ready to use the next day.

Lindsey's Best Pasta Salad

I love this salad that Lindsey makes, she is always required to make this salad when our friends get together because it is so good!

12 oz Bowtie Pasta
12 oz Raditore Colored Pasta
1-20 oz can Pineapple Tidbits, drained
2 cups Celery, chopped
4 Green Onions, chopped
1 cup Cashews
1 cup Red Grapes
1 cup Mayo
1-16 oz Kraft Coleslaw Dressing
4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and seasoned

A recommendation: I would cook the pastas separate, I did mine together and one got done before the other so one was too soft.

When I make my salad I leave out the celery and onions, I don't like the crunchy, and I used 'chewna' (canned chicken).

Blackened Beans & Grits

Jacques from South Africa first introduced me to Grits and of course I would love them. I love cornbread so why not? I do add corn when I make them. When I saw this recipe on Cooking During Stolen Moments I thought it would be a simple side dish for dinner. I didn't have all of the ingredients that she used so this is my version.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
Paprika
Oregano
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Coarse salt

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until tender. Stir in beans and tomatoes. Add seasoning to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 15 minutes.

3 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cup corn meal
Corn - optional

Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Mix corn meal with remaining water in a small bowl. Add corn meal mixture slowly to boiling water, stirring constantly. Add corn now if desired. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until thickened.

Cheeseburger Bake

Unsure where I picked this recipe up but I used to make it quite often when the kids were little. If you don't like your biscuits soft on the bottom cook them on a cookie sheet and serve along side the meat mixture.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chopped onion
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese

Combine ground beef and flour. Brown with onion in skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper; heat. Turn into 8 or 9 inch square baking dish. Top with cheese and baking powder biscuits. Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Sloppy Joe Biscuit Pizza

Found this recipe on Cooking During Stolen Moments. It is very simple and tasty. A single recipe fits nicely on my half cookie sheet. When I doubled the recipe and cooked it on my large cookie sheet I learned that I needed to allow for more cooking time because the middle was still a little doughy. Omitted the 1/2 teaspoon cumin, didn't have it and I don't know that it needed it.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup milk - I found this to be a little dry and add just a bit more
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef with onions in a large skillet. Drain. Stir in ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and seasonings. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until flavors are combined. Remove from heat. Refrigerate until using.

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and slat. Cut in butter or margarine until crumbly. Add 1/2 cup milk and combine. Add remaining milk if needed. Knead dough for 1 minute, until it holds together. Press onto the bottom of a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes, just to prebake. Refrigerate until using or assemble as below and then refrigerate, baking just before eating.

+about 15 minutes baking time. Spread the sloppy joe mixture over the biscuit crust and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown around the edges and the cheese is fully melted.

Double Fudge Brownie Quart Jar Gift

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (clean inside of jar with paper towel after this layer)
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Optional - chopped nuts

Layer the ingredients in the order given. Place lid on jar

The card attached reads -
1 jar Double Fudge Brownie mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 325. In a large bowl, cream the butter and eggs. Add the Double Fudge Browning mix and stir until the mixture is well blended. Spread batter into a lightly greased or sprayed 9 x 12 inch pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan.

Oatmeal Cookie Quart Jar Gift

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups quick rolled oats

Layer the ingredients in the order given. Place lid on jar.

The card attached reads -
1 jar Oatmeal Cookie mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, cream the butter, eggs, vanilla and water. Add the Oatmeal Cookie mix and stir until the mixture is well blended. Drop the cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Cookie Dough Quart Jar Gift

Change the M&M colors to suit the holiday.

2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup red and green M&Ms
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Mix flour, salt and baking soda. Pour mixture in jar and tap lightly to evenly distribute. Layer the brown sugar, sugar and the M&Ms, tapping after each addition. Place lid on jar.

The card attached reads -
Cream 1 cup butter, 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Add ingredients from jar and mix well. Drop cookie dough by the teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Hot Chocolate Quart Jar Gift

3 cups hot chocolate mix
2 cups mini marshmallows

Pour in a layer of 1 1/2 cups hot chocolate mix in the jar, then 1 cup marshmallows. Repeat to layer the remaining ingredients. Place lid on jar.

The card attached reads -
Place 1/4 cup hot chocolate mix in your mug, then slowly add 1 cup hot water. Stir and enjoy!

Caramel Corn

Not exactly sure who belongs to this recipe but I found it with my Girl's Weekend papers.

1 pound brown sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
1 square margarine
1 15 oz. sweetened condensed milk
3 1/2 to 4 poppers full of popcorn

Combine margarine, sugar and syrup. Bring to boil. Add milk. Simmer, stir constantly until it forms a soft ball.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Lisa shared this recipe and I love it because it is so simple. I have used a chocolate cake mix and Christopher never knew that these cookies were semi-good for him.

Spice cake mix
1/2 can pumpkin
Optional - raisins or chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Easy Lower Fat Cake

This is a recipe from Lisa.

Take one cake mix and add a diet drink. Bake as instructed on the box, i.e. chocolate cake with a Diet Cherry Coke, cherry chip cake with Diet Sprite.

Oreo Cookies

These are the best cookies and they never last long when Becky shares them with us.

2 Chocolate or Devil's Food cake mixes
1 cup shortening
4 eggs

Mix together with mixer. This will be very thick. Roll into small balls. Put onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350. When you take them from oven, bounce pan on cabinet or stove to flatten. Cool completely.

Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup soft margarine
4 cups powdered sugar

Mix and refrigerate. Frost when cool. Put 2 cookies together. Freeze or refrigerate.

Fruit Smoothie

Remember sitting in the hot tub with the light snow following and enjoying Becky's smoothies at our cabin in the woods, Girl's Weekend 2003. It was so awesome!

12 oz. Sprite
10 ice cubes
8 oz. fruit of choice
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar

Mix in blender.

Apple Crisp

Another recipe from Becky from Girl's Weekend 2003.

4 cups sliced pared apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup melted margarine

Place apples in greased 8x8x2" pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and oats. Add melted margarine. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes or until apples are tender and top is golden brown.

Chicken or Turkey Haystacks

This is a recipe that Becky introduced to me when we had Girl's Weekend at the cabin in Heber in 2003.

Mix a 16 oz. can or chicken or turkey with a can of cream of chicken soup, warm. Serve with your choice of the following:

• Hot rice


• Diced celery


• Chinese noodles


• Chopped tomatoes


• Grated cheese


• Crushed pineapple


• Almonds


• Shredded coconut

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

I have been experimenting with cupcakes this month and I think that they have turned out pretty well. My favorite would have to be the chocolate ones I made at Mom's. Steve wasn't fond of the frosting that I used, he prefers buttercream.

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 cup Sour Cream
4 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

To keep the chocolate chips from sitting on the bottom stir some dry cake mix into the a bowl with the chocolate chips. After you have mixed your cake according to the directions on the box fold in the chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes.

Chocolate Whip Cream Frosting

1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar or more to taste

Melt chocolate chips into whipping cream. Chill in the refrigerator. Whip to soft peaks.

Enchilada-Zagna

This recipe I found in the Sunday paper among the coupons. I thought that this recipe lacked flavor so next time I will add Frank's Hot Sauce or use medium enchilada sauce and serve with salsa.

3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
28 oz. mild enchilada sauce
8 oz. sour cream
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can diced green chilies, undrained
12 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x9-inch baking dish.

Combine enchilada sauce and sour cream in medium bowl. Combine evaporated milk, cheese and chilies in medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture on bottom of prepared baking dish. Layer with 4 tortillas, 1 cup enchilada sauce mixture, 1 1/2 cups chicken, 1 cup cheese sauce; repeat layers one more time, starting with tortillas. Top with remaining tortillas, enchilada sauce mixture and cheese sauce. Cover with foil.

Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover; cook for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Sour Cream Substitute

For baking -

• 7/8 cup buttermilk or sour milk plus 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup yogurt plus 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup sour milk plus 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter

For cooked sauces -

• 1 cup yogurt plus 1 tablespoon flour plus 2 teaspoons water
• 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.

For dips -

• 1 cup yogurt - drain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 30 minutes in the refrigerator for a thicker texture.
• 1 cup cottage cheese plus 1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk, briefly whirled in a blender.
• 6 ounces cream cheese plus 3 tablespoons milk, briefly whirled in a blender

For lower fat -

• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus 2 tablespoons skim milk, whipped until smooth in a blender
• 1 can chilled evaporated milk whipped with 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Found this information at about.com

Pico de Gallo

Beau and I LOVE this pico! I have made 3 batches this month! I forgot to take a picture before we ate it all but you get it :)

8 Roma Tomatoes (I used 6 because I'm not a fan of too much tomatoes)
1/2 White Onion
1 Jalepano (We use 2, we like it spicy)
1/2 Lime, Juice
Pinch of Sugar
Cilantro, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper....to taste (we use quite a bit of season salt)

Cranberry Sauce

I like craisins and cranberry juice so why not cranberry sauce. I kept seeing recipes for homemade sauce so I gave it a whirl. I didn't have the exact ingredients, like an orange, can you believe that they didn't have an orange at the store they had tangerines but no oranges, so I did my own thing.

3/4 cup water

1/4 orange juice

2/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste

12-16 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries

Combine the water, orange zest and juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cranberries and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer uncovered, about 15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.

Sweetened Condensed Milk Substitute

1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter

Coconut Cream Pie

Thanksgiving is the only time I make this because Steve is the only one in my immediate family that will eat it. It is one of his favorites, it ranks right up there with banana cream.  I have also included the proportions for mini pies.

1 (9-inch) baked pastry shell
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 2/3 cups water
1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (7 oz.) sweetened, shredded coconut
Whipping cream or Cool Whip

In heavy medium sauce pan, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir in sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; add margarine and vanilla. Cool slightly. Stir in coconut. Pour filling into pie shell. Chill 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipping cream.

4 mini pie crusts
1 T cornstarch
9 T water
4.67 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
2 t butter
1/4 t vanilla
coconut

Buttermilk Substitute

1 tablespoon white vinegar
Milk enough to equal 1 cup

Let sit for 5 minutes.

Baking Bacon

I had heard about baking bacon but never tried it. Baking bacon is an easy, mess-proof way to prepare this pork product. You don't have to turn it or deal with spatters.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with sides with heavy-duty foil. Arrange the bacon on the pan, side-by side, being sure not to overlap the pieces. In fact, leave a little space between the bacon slices so they have room to brown and crisp.
Don wrote me and said that to give the bacon that pretty 'ridged' look he wads and unfolds the foil first so it is wavy, then puts the bacon on it. That gives the fat somewhere to go so the bacon isn't sitting in the fat as it cooks and shapes the bacon while baking.

Bake the bacon for 10-17 minutes for thin-cut, or until desired doneness. I myself like my bacon very crisp, so I bake it 16-18 minutes. For thick bacon, add another 4-6 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, drain on paper towels, and use.

Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie

I was told that Robert and Jen would eat a chocolate cream pie so I went searching the internet. When I found this recipe by Emeril I knew that it had to be good. I cheated and used a pre-made chocolate crust, it was half the price of Oreos, but it was really tasty. Very rich!

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
4 egg yolks
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1 (9-inch) Chocolate Cookie Crust, baked, recipe follows.

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Place 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie.

When ready to serve, top the pie with the remaining sweetened whipped cream and serve immediately.

Graham crackers to yield 2 cups crumbs
Chocolate sandwich cookies (white centers removed) to yield 1 1/2 cups crumbs (recommended: Oreo)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the graham crackers and chocolate cookies to make crumbs.

In a bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. (It will seem like an excessive amount of crumbs, but will compress down quite a bit with pressure.) Cover the crust with plastic wrap and top with another 9-inch pan, pressing quite firmly to make a smooth surface. Remove the pan and the plastic wrap from the pressed crust prior to placing it into the preheated oven. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before filling.
Yield: 1 (9-inch) crust

Chicken Fettuccine Casserole

I get emails from Pillsbury all the time with meal ideas. Beau and I tried this one and really liked it!

1 Package (9 oz) fettuccine
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 C half-and-half
1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken
1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes
2 Slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled (I used bacon bits)
3 T shredded parmasan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches, with cooking spray. Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package.

While fettuccine is cooking, melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and bacon.

Add fettuccine to chicken mixture; toss gently to mix well. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot in center.

Feather Light Overnight Rolls

This recipe is from a family cookbook that was given to me by Lorraine Thompson. I like this recipe because it is one that can be mixed up a day before and refrigerated or frozen after formed for later use. When I used this recipe before it didn't take 4 hours for the dough to rise, could be my house was too warm from all the cooking. Jamie and I made two batches today and we are going to freeze them so it will make life a little easier on Thanksgiving.

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold water
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs, beaten
7 1/2 cups flour

Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add butter, sugar and salt. Remove from heat. Pour into a large Tupperware bowl that has a good lid. Add 1 cup cold water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. When the butter mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture and eggs. Stir briefly. Add flour and stir together. put greased lid on bowl and refrigerate over night. When ready to toll out, divide in thirds. Flour surface of breadboard. Roll dough out in a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread dough lightly with butter. Cut dough down the middle. Cut each half into about 6 triangles using a pizza cutter. Roll each up beginning at the wide end to form crescent shape. Oil baking sheet. Put on 3 baking sheets, about 12 rolls per sheet. Let rise about 4 hours. Bake at 400 for 10 - 12 minutes.

Make ahead
Freeze after dough has been shaped into crescent rolls and placed on cookie sheets. Once frozen, put rolls in freezer bags. When ready to use, return them to cookie sheets, cover lightly with Pam-coated plastic wrap and let rise 6 hours or until light. Bake.

Lasagna

This recipe came to me from one of my Young Women's leaders. Steve loves this recipe and it freezes nicely.

1 lb hamburger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon whole basil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large can tomatoes
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
lasagna noodles
2 eggs
3 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 lb mozzarella cheese

Brown meat slowly; spoon off excess fat. Add next five ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook noodles in large amount of boiling salter water until tender; drain; rinse. Beat eggs; add remaining ingredients except mozzarella.

Layer half the noodles in 13x9x2 inch baking dish; spread with half the cottage cheese filling; add half the mozzarella cheese and half the meat sauce. Repeat. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. If assembled early and refrigerated bake 45 minutes. If assembled early and frozen bake 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Eclair Cake

As I was looking for recipes that I thought might work well for our family reunion I remembered that Becky had given us this recipe. As I was rummaging through my recipe cards I found a piece of paper with the same recipe and remembered making it along time ago. One way I found to speed up the process was to buy a container of Milk Chocolate Frosting and microwave it until it was melted and then spread on top. I thought it was just as good but maybe the ease made it tasty to me.

Graham Crackers
3 cups Milk
1 9 oz. Cool Whip
2 small pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding

Butter bottom of an 8" x 12" dripper. Put 1 layer of graham crackers. Cover with 1/2 of pudding mixture. Repeat with crackers and pudding. Cover with another layer of graham crackers. Beat ingredients of frosting together and spread over last layer of crackers. This is better after it is refrigerated for 4 to 6 hours.

Frosting
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 squares Unsweetened Chocolate
3 tablespoons Milk
2 teaspoons Corn Syrup
2 teaspoons Butter or Margarine

Dreamsicle Fruit Salad

I found this recipe and made it as a last minute take-a-long to a ward activity. I didn't even chill it. They were having a best side dish contest, and I won! I thought I would share it :)

1 (1oz) package sugar free-fat free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
3/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 (20oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (15oz) can sliced peaches, drained
1 (11oz) can mandarin orange segments, drained
2 bananas, sliced
1 apple - peeled, cored and sliced

In a medium mixing bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, and orange juice. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Mix in sour cream. In a large salad bowl, combine fruits. Gently mix in orange dressing. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

One thing that I did add: I took Nature Valley Oats & Honey Granola Bars and crumbled them on top! 

Lemon Dreams

My Mother-in-law loves lemon (Lemon Chicken, Lemon Meringue Pie, etc.) and when I ran across this lemon recipe on Your Homebased Mom I thought I would make them for her. I found them to be very sweet and the lemon should be tangy so I have altered the recipe to match my taste buds.

1 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 2/3 cup flour

Filling:

2/3 cup sugar - I used ultrafine because I had it

1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon margarine

1/4 – 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add flour and mix until smooth. Roll out with powdered sugar about 1/4” thick. Cut out with 1 ½” cookie cutter. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

For filling:

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel and salt. Stir in egg, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Cool. Add powdered sugar. Put a spoonful of filling on one cookie and top with another cookie. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes approx. 1 ½ dozen.

Lemons

Lemon Basics:
After salt and pepper, lemon may be the most commonly used flavoring ingredient in the culinary arts.Used in everything from baking to sauce making to meat and vegetable cookery, lemons bring their own tangy flavor and bright aroma, while actually enhancing a dish's other flavors. Lemon is said to be a "flavor catalyst," meaning that it interacts with the taste buds so that the flavors that follow are more pronounced.

Lemon Varieties:
The most common lemon variety is the Eureka lemon. Its slightly smaller, smoother cousin, called the Lisbon, is more likely to be available in the winter. Flavorwise, there's not much difference between the two.Another variety, called the Meyer lemon, is quite small and significantly sweeter than the ordinary lemon varieties. In addition to being smaller, the Meyer lemon is also more fragile, making it unsuitable for large-scale commercial distribution. They tend to be found at farmers' markets — and in people's yards.

Storing Lemons:
Lemons will keep for several days at room temperature, and interestingly, a room temperature lemon will yield more juice than one that is cold. However, lemons left at room temperature for too long are susceptible to mold. The best way to store lemons is in the refrigerator, either in one of the crisper drawers or in a plastic bag.While the fruits themselves do not do well when frozen, the lemon peel can be removed and frozen, then used later in recipes that call for lemon zest.

Squeezing Lemons:
The average lemon contains three tablespoons of juice. To get the maximum amount of juice, roll a room-temperature lemon on the counter before cutting it open. Applying light pressure with your hand as you roll it. This bursts the tiny juice-filled cells in the lemon's flesh, allowing more of the juice to be extracted. Zest is the shiny, yellow outermost layer of the peel, which contains powerful flavor compounds. The white part of the peel just beneath the zest is quite bitter and shouldn't be used.

Cooking with Lemons:
Lemons are highly acidic, and this acid will react with different foods in different ways.For example, the acid will help dissolve connective tissues in meat, which is why lemon juice is commonly used in marinades — it helps tenderize tougher cuts of meat. But be careful not to overdo it: too much acid, or marinating for too long, can have the opposite effect, causing the muscle fibers to get tougher.The acid in lemon juice can also curdle milk, and while it can cause green vegetables to turn a drab olive color, it will help vegetables such as potatoes and turnips maintain their white color.

Information taken from All About Lemons by Danilo Alfaro

Photo from Sell Your Used Cellphones

Honey-Glazed Pork Chops

This was a recipe attached to the meat package. I used a skillet that I could place in the oven so I bypassed the baking dish, one less pan to clean.

4 Pork Loin Chops, 3/4 - 1-inch thick
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Honey
Nonstick Cooking Spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Coat large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops. Cook until brown, turning once. Remove chops. Place in 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine brown sugar and honey in small bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds; stir to combine. Spoon half of honey mixture over tops of chops, spreading evenly. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Turn chops; spoon remaining honey mixture over shops, spreading evenly. Bake until internal temperature is 160 degrees F., 15 - 20 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

I found this Campbell's recipe in a magazine. Beau and I really like it! I altered it a little...

1 can Cream of Chicken
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 C Pace Picante Sauce
2 t Chili Powder
2 C Shredded Chicken, cooked
1/2 C Shredded Cheese
6 Tortillas

Cook the chicken and then shred it. Heat soup, sour cream, picante sauce, chili powder and chicken in sauce pan. Scoop some into tortilla and add cheese then roll and place in greased glass casserole dish. After all tortillas are rolled put remaining chicken mixture on top and bake @ 350 for 20 mins. Add cheese and bake for another 5 mintues.

Blueberry Scones

My mom introduced Beau and I to blueberry scones w/frosting from Great Harvest...well I found a recipe that I actually like better than theirs! :)

Scones:

2 C Flour

1/4 C Brown Sugar

1 T Baking Power

1/4 t Salt

1/4 C Butter, chilled

1 C Fresh Blueberries

3/4 C Half and Half

1 Egg

Mix flour, sugar, powder, salt in a bowl.

Cut butter into mixture, fold in berries.

In separate bowl beat cream and egg.

Add to flour mixture and mix with spatula until dough forms.

Cut dough in half and for into two 6 inch rounds and cut into 6 wedges.

(I just scooped some out onto a cookie sheet about 3 inches round)

Bake @ 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

(Mine were done after 15, but it could be the junky 50 year old oven I have)

Frosting:

8 oz C Strawberry Cream Cheese

1/4 C Butter, soft

1 C Powder Sugar

1/2 t Vanilla

Cream cheese and butter. Mix in vanilla and gradually add sugar.

Homemade Pizza

This recipe is Tami's. She said you can use all white flour if you prefer. She also recommends using a pizza stone, it cooks the pizza more evenly.
Dough:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

Sauce:
2 - 3 tablespoon olive oil
2 large clove garlic
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
salt
pepper

Mix dough together, knead well and let rise 30 minutes. While dough is rising mix sauce ingredients together and refigerate until dough is ready.

Roll out dough, spread sauce and top with your favorite toppings. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes. Makes 1 large pizza.

Cowboy Caviar

This is Tami's recipe. Any other veggies (olives, celery, etc.) that your family might like can be added.

1 cup whole corn, drained - frozen or canned
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 2 green onions, chopped
bell pepper, chopped
red onion, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
garlic
cumin
pepper
cilantro, chopped (optional)
Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing
fresh lime

Combine all ingredients, adding according to your family's taste, except the dressing. Add juice of lime and dressing to taste. Best served after ingredients have mingled for a couple hours. Serve cold with chips.

Mixed Berry Empanadas

This was an experiment and I thought it worked quite nicely. Quick and easy and you could use any flavor canned pie filling your family likes. They taste great the next day as well.

16 oz. mixed berries - mine were frozen
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
8 - 10 flour tortillas
butter

Place berries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. While berries are thawing, mix cornstarch into the cold water. After cornstarch is dissolved add to berries and cook until berry mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.

Butter the top of each tortilla, stacking them and placing them between two damp paper towels. Heat in the microwave until softened.

Scoop 1/4 cup berry mixture into the middle of a tortilla and fold like a burrito and place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet with the seams down. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream.

Water Punch

This is the punch that we served at Jamie and Beau's wedding reception.

5 quarts water
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon citric acid
1 tablespoon lemon extract

Stir.  Add sliced oranges, lemons, limes or any other citric fruit.