Sausage Cheese Balls made by Kathie
2 packages uncooked Jimmy Dean fresh sausage
16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (or 4 cups shredded)
1 1/2 cups baking/biscuit mix
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shred cheese and mix all ingredients. Form into 1" balls. Bake 15 minutes on ungreased baking sheet until golden brown. Makes about 6 dozen. Sausage cheese balls can be frozen uncooked. For a firmer texture add an extra 3 cups of baking/ciscuit mix and an extra 2 cups of shredded cheese to the ingredients listed above.
Turkey Cheese Ball made by Andrea
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese - may use reduced fat
6 ounces deli smoked turkey, finely chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Decorations:
large round and oval crackers
1 sweet red pepper
small amount squirt cheese
1 cup pecan halves
2 mini brown m&m's
In a bowl mix the first 6 cheeseball ingredients until well combined. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
For the wattle and neck cut the red pepper to desired shape. Put a squirt of cheese on the end of the red pepper to look like a beak. Put 2 small dabs on the waddle to attach the M&M eyes. Put some crackers on the back of the cheeseball to look like feathers. Add the pecan halves for the rest of the feathers.Serve with assorted crackers.
Jasmine and Wild Rice with Apricots, Green Onions, and Cashews made by Kathie
1 cup (6 ounces) wild rice
1 14-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
1 cup (6 1/2 ounces) jasmine rice
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted cashews (about 3 ounces)
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Cook wild rice in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 55 minutes. Drain well. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat and mix in jasmine rice. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until rice is tender and broth is absorbed (about 18 minutes.) Let all rice cool for about 1-2 hours. Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, apricots, cashews, and lemon peel. Stir until onions are soft (about 1 min). Add all rice; toss to blend and heat through (about 3 mins). Season with salt and pepper.
Spanish Rice with Beans made by Gladys
3 1/2 cups of water
4 cups of white rice
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. of Sofrito(vegetables blended together like sauce)
1 small can of tomato sauce**
2 envelopes of Sazon Goya seasoning (con Cilante &Achiote)**
Sprinkle on Goya Adobo con Pimiento (w/pepper) (all purpose seasoning) (spread across the pot 2-3 times to season the rice)
Combine everything together with water and boil for about 7-10 minutes until water with ingredients is boiling. Add any type of canned beans (I use light or dark kidney beans, pink
(Rosada) beans, or green pigeon peas (gandules verdes)
Let boil with beans for about another 7-8 minutes and then add your white rice. Let the rice and beans come to a boil until all the water has evaporated. (I usually stick a Tbsp. in the middle of the pot and if it stands straight, then your water amount is fine. If it falls you have too much water). Once the water has evaporated, lower your flame and let cook for approximately 20-25 minutes. Stir fully every 10 mins so that rice cooks.
**this is what turns the rice red
Sofrito (vegetables blended together)
-refrigerate always
-can be used in rice and beans separately
-can be used when boiling ribs
-can be used in soup (for tasty flavor)
All spanish beans and cooking seasonings can be found at local grocery stores or at spanish grocery stores.
Note: I spray the bottom of the pot with PAM so rice won't stick and cleanup is easier.
Remaining rice can be regrigerated for a couple of days. Feeds 5-7 people.
Sweet Potato Casserole made by Sandie
2 large cans of sweet potatos, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
Mix all the ingredients above well and put in a casserole dish
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup coconut
Mix all the topping ingredients and pour over the top of the sweet potato mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Please Note: This chicken casserole and the following gingerbread cake were printed from the Southern Living Cookbook called "Ultimate Christmas Cookbook" which is being sold at Dillards Stores benefitting Ronald McDonald House Charities. The purchase of this cookbook will help families of seriously ill children have a comfortable haven near their child. Please consider buying one or more this holiday season.
Leslie's Favorite Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole made by Connie
2 (6.2 ounce) packages fast cooking long grain and wild rice mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 (8 ounce) cans sliced water chestnuts, drained
5 cups chopped cooked chicken
4 cups (1 pound) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups soft breadcrumbs (homemade)
1 (2.25-ounce) package sliced almonds, toasted
Prepare rice mixes according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add celery and onion. Saute 10 minutes or until tender. Combine water chestnuts, cooked rice, celery , onion, chicken, 3 cups cheese, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, and salt and pepper in a very large bowl. Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 15 x 10 baking dish or a 4 quart baking dish. Top the casserole with breadcrumbs. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and the almonds and bake for 5 more minutes. Serves 10-12.
Lemon-Drenched Gingerbread Cake made by Connie
3/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup water
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon joice
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
powdered sugar
garnishes - lemon rind, orange ring, frosting
Coat a 10 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed until blended. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients; add to molasses mixture alternately with hot water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 32-35 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool ccake in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine 1/2 cup sugar, 2/3 cup water, lemon juice, and lemon extract in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Poke holes in the top of cake using a skewer. Pour syrup over the cake. Cool completely. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish as desired.
Turkey Cake made by Andrea
Chocolate Cake Mix
Chocolate Frosting
Vanilla Frosting diluted with water to make it thin
Sprinkles of your choice- at least 3 kinds
9 Stella D'Oro Egg cookies
8 Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies
9 flower shaped Archway lemon cookies
1 Stella D'Oro Breakfast Treat cookie
Peanut M&M's (brown, yellow, orange, and red)
1 mini blue M&M for eye
several chocolate jimmies
1 gummy worm for waddle
1 candy corn for beak
Make cake according to directions in a round pan. You will only use one layer so freeze the extra layer for later. Place cooled cake on a large round platter. Frost with chocolate frosting. Dilute the white frosting thin and dip the Milano and Egg cookies into it and then immediately into the sprinkles of your choice. I used orange, chocolate jimmies, and a fall mixture. Arrange the cookies to form the feathers with the lemon cookies in the back, then the egg cookies, and the Milano's. Using the frosting as a paste put some M&M's on the lemon cookies. Add the breakfast cookie on the cake to form the face. Add M&M's and then the mini M&M for the eye and the jimmies for the eye lashes, the gummy worm for the for the waddle, and the candy corn for the beak. Decorate the body with the reamining M&M's.
Pilgrim Hat Cookies made by Andrea
These are the first cousins to the Halloween Witches Hats from the last entry!
1 cup vanilla frosting tinted yellow
32 miniature peanut butter cups
1 package (11 1/2 ounces) fudge striped cookies
32 mini orange M&M's
Turn the cookies upside down and frost with the yellow leaving a rim around the edges. Put the peanut butter cup in the middle and add the M&M as the buckle. So cute and so easy!
Turkey Cookies made by Stacey
Oreo Cookies
Chocolate Frosting
Malted Milk Balls
Candy Corn
Red Hots
Take the oreo cookies apart trying to leave the white frosting on one side. Put chocolate frosting on the other side and put the malted milk ball at the bottom. Put five candy corn pieces on the sides to look like the tail and fan out. Put a dab of chocolate frosting on the white side and set the feathered side upwards. Put a red hot on the malted milk ball with a dab of frosting. Let set an hour or more so they will stay together.
Pumpkin Pie made by Susie
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
1 cup half and half
1 9 inch unbaked pie shell
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whisk in the eggs and pumpkin puree and half and half until well combined. Pour into an unbaked shell and bake for 45 minutes or until set.
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
3/4 cup raspberry or apple juice
ice cream of whipped cream, optional
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine flour and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir just until moistened. Pour into a greased 1 1/2 quart baking pan. Sprinkle with blackberries. Pour juice over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm and top with ice cream or cream if desired. Serves 6-8.
