"Fancy Without the Fuss"

Toss it Together Pasta

Ingredients:
1 box linguine or thin spaghetti – whichever you prefer
1 container of grape tomatoes sliced
½ cup chopped pecans
Broccoli
Garlic – 4-5 small cloves
Fresh Basil
Shredded parmesan cheese
2 tsp Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 T Olive Oil
1 T Butter

Directions:
Start boiling your pasta in a large stockpot. Be sure and add salt to your water.  Melt butter with olive oil in a sauté pan over a med high heat. Add tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes then add in garlic. Tomatoes will shrivel a bit. Next add in broccoli.  If frozen simply run it under hot tap water for a bit to soften it up. Cook for a bout 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally.  Next add in your pecans and cook for about a minute. Make sure broccoli is tender. At the end add in the lemon juice and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Once your pasta is cooked, drain and mix it with your broccoli tomato mixture. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice
3 T honey
3 T olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/16 tsp ground black pepper
2 avocados, peeled pitted and cut into wedges
8 ounces strawberries, halved

Directions:
Whisk the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Arrange the avocados and strawberries on 6 salad plates. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the fruit salad. Serve immediately..


Garlic Cheesey Bread

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp fresh parsley and basil
1 – 1 pound loaf of Italian Bread
1- 1 ½  cups shred Italian Blend Cheese

Directions:
In a small bowl combine butter, garlic and parsley and basil. Slice bread into even pieces down the loaf about ¾ inch thick. Without cutting through the bottom crust. So slices stay attached. Spread slices with the butter mixture about 1 tsp per slice. Sprinkle with cheese. Wrap bread tightly in foil. T this point you can refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake bread in foil in a 275 degree oven for 15 minutes or until butter has melted and bread is hot. Remove from oven and open toil at eh top. Place back into the oven and bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is just starting to brown. Unwrap carefully and serve hot.


Cherry Pie Nests

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray
4 sheets of frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup  cherry pie filling
1 tsp orange zest divided
Vanilla ice cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a nonstick muffin pan with vegetable oil spray and also lightly spray both sides of  each sheet of phyllo dough and lay on top of each other. Once you have all 4 sheets sprayed, cut the dough into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into fourths to make 16 squares. Be sure and lay a damp paper towel over the remaining phyllo dough to keep it from drying out.

Place 4 squares in each  muffin cup adding one square at a time. Overlap the layers to form a little nest and mold to the shape of the cup.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake for 4 minutes or until golden. Allow your nests  to cool completely. Gently remove the cooled nests from the muffin pan.

Combine pie filling and ½ tsp orange zest. Fill each nest with about 2 tablespoons of the  pie filling mixture. Top with ice cream and serve immediately. Share

"Fall Favorites"

Marilyn’s Savory Stuffed Pumpkins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 jar (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

4 sugar pumpkins

vegetable oil

Directions:

Wash pumpkins; cut circles around stems. Remove tops. Scoop out seeds and strings. Place on a greased 15 in. X 10 in X 1 in baking pan. Rub oil over outside of pumpkin. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs or until pumpkin is tender. Once they are cooked, keep them in a warm oven.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add soup, mushrooms, soy sauce and brown sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rice and water chestnuts. Take out your warm pumpkins and scoop your beef mixture into each pumpkin.

Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

2 (5ounce) pkgs. Romaine Lettuce

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup cashews

1 apple coarsely chopped

1 pear coarsely chopped

¼ cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large serving bowl. Toss to mix. Pour salad dressing over salad and toss.

Dressing Ingredients:

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tsp red onion finely chopped

1 t salt

2/3 cup oil

1 T poppy seed

Directions:

Combine sugar, lemon juice, onion and salt in a blender. Cover and blend well. While blender is running add oil. Blend until thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and blend an additional 10 seconds to mix.

Pomegranate Baked Apples

Ingredients:

¾ cup chopped pecans

1 16 ounce bottle pomegranate juice

¾ cup apple cider

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp black pepper

8 small Granny Smith Apples cored

¼ cup butter cut into pieces

Sugared piecrust leaves

Directions:

Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until nuts are toasted. Cook pomegranate juice in a large saucepan over medium high heat, stirring often, 18-20 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup. Remove from heat and carefully stir in apple cider. Pour cider mixture into a lightly greased 8 inch square baking dish. Stir together brown sugar, next 3 ingredients and toasted pecans. Cut ½ inch from top of each apple. Place about 3 T of pecan mixture into each apple cavity, pressing down and mounding on top. Arrange apples in baking dish with cider mixture. Top apples evenly with dices of butter. Bake apples at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until apples are tender and sauce is slightly thickened. Let stand 10 minutes. Place apples in serving bowls; spoon sauce from baking dish over apples and serve with sugared piecrust leaves and vanilla ice cream.

Sugared Leaves

Ingredients:

½ package refrigerated piecrusts

1 T sugar

Directions:

Cut piecrust in to leaf shapes using cookie cutters. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 450 for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes.

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"Homemade Pasta"

Homemade Pasta

Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
4 large eggs whisked

Directions:
Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board or tray. Or in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add your eggs. With a fork begin beating your eggs together while incorporating the flour. Begin by using the inner rim of the flour and continue adding flour to the egg. Keep pushing the flour up to retain the “wall” of flour to keep the well shape. The dough will come together in an unkempt mass when about half of your flour is incorporated. Next begin kneading the dough with both hands. Add more flour if the dough becomes too sticky. Once the dough is together, remove the dough from your board or tray and knead about 3 minutes more. Scrape up any left over bits of dough and lightly dust the surface with more flour. Your dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes all the while dusting with more flour as needed. If your dough is too dry add about 1 tsp of water and work you’re your dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place in a re-sealable plastic bag and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Cut into 3 sections and begin feeding your dough through your pasta machine.


Smoked Gouda Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
Salt to taste
2 T butter
1 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 T All purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 ounces of smoked gouda cut into small pieces
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat butter in a large sauce pot. When melted add garlic and cook for 1 minutes then whisk in flour. Cook an additional minute. Whisk in stock then cream. Bring to a bubble and stir in cheese for about 2 minutes until melted. Stir in a little pepper and salt and cook 3 minutes more. In a serving bowl toss hot pasta with sauce or pour directily over your pasta along with your tomato sauce.


Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
½ cup chopped carrots
1 small green bell pepper finely chopped
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
1 T sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp of black pepper
1 - 32 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 T of Italian blend spices – oregano, basil
2 T Tomato paste

Directions:
In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the carrots and sauté for about 3 minutes. Next add celery, bell pepper and onions and cook until soft. Add in garlic and cook for about a minute. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper ,bay leaf and spices. Add in sugar and taste. If you need more of anything else add at this time. Keep warm until ready to serve.

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"The Crew's Favorite Desserts"

Grandma Kring’s Chip Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
2 cups sugar
4 egg whites
3.5 ounces of grated dark chocolate. (Bittersweet)
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
Directions:In a mixer, creme your butter and sugar till fluffy. Mix in the milk and egg whites. In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients on a low speed. Once it’s all incorporated, mix in your grated chocolate with just a few turns of the mixer. Pour batter equally into two - 8 inch square baking pans. Bake cakes in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.


Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients:
1cup butter
2 1/2 cups of sifted powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Cream the butter and blend in the powdered sugar. Add vanilla and stir all together. Cut your cakes in half to form 4 rectangle pieces. Place a small amount of icing on the top of one half, then place the other half on top. You will have two rectangle cakes. Finish icing the cakes with frosting. Then for the added decoration, melt ¼ cup of semi sweet chocolate and spread or stroke the melted chocolate with a fork over the frosting to give a streaked appearance. Note: You do not need to heavily coat the cakes with frosting. When you streak with the chocolate it will cover up any bare spots you might have.


Val's Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup margarine
3 beaten eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans and halves
1 T Vanilla

Directions:
Blend sugar, syrup and margarine in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Blend hot mixture into eggs. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour into a deep dish pie shell. Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly. This recipe makes one pie.

Cashew Caramel Fudge

Ingredients:
½ cup butter
1/3 cup baking cocoa
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup milk
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
30 caramel candies unwrapped (or one whole bag)
1-2 T water
1 cup finely chopped cashews
½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
½ cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in a sauce pan and cook until melted and starts to boil. Remove pan from heat and stir in powdered sugar a cup at a time and then vanilla. Pour into a buttered 8 x 8 baking dish and set aside. In another pan heat caramels and water until melted. Remove from heat and stir in cashews. Spread over the cocoa mixture and set it aside. Melt chocolate chips together in the microwave and pour evenly over caramel nut layer. Refrigerate until firm. When you are ready to eat, take it out of the fridge at least an hour or two before time. The caramel needs time to soften up again. Cut into bite sized pieces.

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"Halloween with Mad Dog Melinda"

Marshall's Brains

Ingredients:
Assorted Chex cereals
Pretzel sticks
Peanuts
1 stick Melted margarine
popped popcorn
white chocolate chips


Directions:
Mix all the ingredients, except the popcorn, and warm in a preheated oven on 350 degrees until crisp. Remove, then add the popcorn. Once it has cooled add the chocolate chips. Put mixture into a cowboy hat that has been lined with dark tissue paper. Lay the hat onto its side on the table, fill with the mixure and allow it spill out on the table.


Haints and Spooks in the Pasture Cake

Ingredients:
1 baked cake
1 can vanilla frosting
curved pretzels
green sugar
shredded wheat cereal
crushed graham cracker cookies
pretzel sticks

Directions:
Using a cake mix, bake a cake in a 9” x 13” pan and frost it with vanilla icing. Use upside down pretzels twists to make a corral fence around the top edge of the cake. Use green sugar for grass, and shredded wheat to make hay bales. Crush up some graham crackers for dirt, and put some plastic horses on top of the crumbs.Make a hay barn out of pretzel sticks.

For the Haints and Spooks

Ingredients:
Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies
white chocolate bark – for dipping
small 6-oz bag of mini-chocolate chips
wax paper


Directions:
Melt bark over low heat or in microwave. Dip cookies completely into the melted bark one at a time and place on wax paper. Before they cool completely, add 2 chocolate chips to each cookie for the eyes. Once they harden you can arrange them in your pasture.


Whistle Berries and Wrangler Bits

Ingredients:
Two 16 oz. cans pork and beans in tomato sauce
One 16 oz. pkg. hot dogs
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 tsp. Liquid smoke (found near the barbecue sauce section)
1/8 tsp. hot sauce


Directions:
Combine all ingredients; stir well. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 8" square baking dish or a cast iron skillet. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes.

For the Wrangler Bits:
Slice the hot dogs in half. Then carefully slice off the tip to make a "finger nail" on the end. Place some ketchup on the nail bed and slice little cuts along the hot dog to look like creases in the finger. Cut part of the hot dog off in length to resemble the size of finger you wish to make. When you are finished, arrange your hot dog fingers in with your beans and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.


Owl Hoot Eye Balls

Ingredients:
1 can of vanilla frosting
1 box of vanilla wafer cookies
Green or blue Gummy Life Savers candy
Red gel icing
mini chocolate chips


Directions:
Spread frosting on vanilla wafers. Put one life saver on each wafer. Place a chocolate chip in the middle of the LifeSaver. With the red gel icing and a toothpick, draw bloodshot lines on the frosting.

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"Swept Away to the Caribbean"

Caribbean Style Tilapia

Chutney
Ingredients:
4 Tilapia steaks
1 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 small onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 T oil
1/2 cup celery (chopped)
1 diced mango
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
13. cup mango juice
2 tsp light brown sugar

Marinade
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
few shakes of hot sauce (your preference)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Wash and pat dry your tilapia. Lay a large piece of foil in your baking dish. Make sure there’s enough to wrap and close your foil packet. Place tilapia in you baking dish. Make marinade by mixing oil, lime juice, salt and pepper, hot sauce, paprika and nutmeg. Pour the marinade over fish and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Not any longer or the fish will start to cook with the lime juice.
Next it’s time to make your chutney. Put the oil into your saute pan. Cook the onion, green pepper and celery just until soft. Add in garlic. Stir and cook for about a minute. Stir in tomatoes and mango pieces. Mix together the brown sugar and mango juice and pour into pan. Let this simmer for a few minutes so it will start to reduce. Pour mixture on top of fish. Seal up your foil packet and lay in your baking dish. Seal up the foil and bake at 400 degrees until fish is flaky. About 15 minutes.


Pineapple Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1/2 cup diced apple
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 cups shredded carrot
3 slices pineapple

Directions:
Combine green pepper, apple, salt, sugar, vinegar, and cabbage in a large bowl. Top with shredded carrots and pineapple. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat!
Shrimp Fritters

Ingredients:
1 pound of large shrimp – peeled and deveined
1 medium size onion (chopped)
1 medium sized tomato (chopped)
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons sweet pepper (chopped)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons celery (chopped)
2 eggs well beaten
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
hot pepper to taste
Directions:
Add all ingredients together making a stiff batter. Add water and cream a little at a time to get the consistency that you need. Separate the batter in large spoonfuls and deep fry in an oil heated skillet or a deep fryer. Your oil will be ready when it reaches 375 degrees

Pina Colada Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients:
½ cup vanilla wafers or graham cracker crumbs
½ cup flaked coconut
3 T butter or margarine, melted

Filling Ingredients:
3 (8ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 8 ounce can Pineapple, crushed (drained)
1 cup sour cream
3 T Coconut Rum
2 tsp coconut extract
Whipped Cream for topping
Cherry on top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine cookie crumbs, coconut and butter. Press onto bottom and sides of 9 inch spring form pan. Bake 10 minute and cool.

For filling, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time. Then add in pineapple, sour cream , then rum and coconut extract. Beat until smooth. Pour into crust and Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack. . Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Spread whipped cream over top of chilled cheesecake and garnish, with toasted coconut - if desired - and some cherries on top.

Kim’s Crazy Caribbean Cooler

Ingredients:
1 can Papaya pineapple juice
1 ounce grenadine
1 can of pina colada mix
1 cup of ice
rum to taste

Directions:
Mix first four ingredients in a blender till smooth. Add rum to your glass as you want, or leave it without. Share

"BLT's the Southern Way"

Spicy Basil Mayo

Ingredients:
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain fat free yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup green onions chopped fine
½ lemon
¼ cup chopped basil
2- 3 shots of pepper sauce - or to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix until well blended. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to use.

Batter for Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup self rising cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk
3 to 4 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
a few dashes of hot sauce - or to taste
Vegetable oil

Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients; mix until smooth. Add additional milk to thin, if necessary; Batter should resemble pancake batter. Working in batches, dip
tomato slices into batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into bowl. Fry in 2 inches hot oil in a large heavy skillet until browned, turning once carefully with tongs. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes sliced thinly
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the sweet potatoes into a reseal able plastic bag. Add oil, salt, and pepper. Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. Spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Cook for 30 -45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until evenly cooked and slightly browned. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.


Southern Style Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 bag of pre- mixed cabbage
2-3 T Dill pickle juice
2 T Sugar
1 tsp Celery salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 T prepared Mustard
½ - ¾ cup mayonnaise

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and place in refrigerator until ready to eat.


Grilled Pound Cake with Pineapple

Ingredients:
1 store bought pound cake cut into 3/4 inch slices
4 T of unsalted butter melted
1 can of sliced pineapple (or use fresh) reserve 2 T of juice
1/2 cup brown sugar plus an additional 1/2 cup
1 tsp of cinnamon plus an additional 1 tsp.
fresh whipped topping -or you can use frozen that's been thawed
1/4 tsp of coconut extract

Directions:
Cut the pound cake into slices and brush melted butter on both sides of each slice. Place on hot grill pan. Turn once you see light brown marks appear. When it is done, take the cake slices off the grill pan and place on a plate. In the sauce pan of melted butter, add in the 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 2 T of the juice from the pineapple. Stir together until it is well blended and becomes a sauce. On a plate sprinkle the additional brown sugar and cinnamon and place a slice of pineapple onto the plate to coat both sides. Then place the pineapple onto your grill pan and grill for about a minute on both sides. Now it's time to plate up your dessert. Add your coconut extract to your whipped topping. On your dessert plate, place some of your brown sugar sauce, add a piece of your grilled pound cake and a slice of your grilled pineapple, add a little more sauce and stack another slice of cake and another slice of pineapple and a bit more sauce. Top it off with a dollop of your whipped cream. Share