Holiday Wassail

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I LOVE it. It's become a favorite for me especially around the holidays.


CROCKPOT HOLIDAY WASSAIL PUNCH
1 qt. apple juice
1 qt. orange juice
2 c. cranberry juice
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 can pineapple nectar
1 cup sugar
3-4 cinnamon sticks
8 whole allspice
Navel Orange Slices

Combine all ingredients in listed order to your crockpot (4 qt. or larger) and cook on low setting for about 4 hours or until heated to desired temperature. You may also cook it on high initially for an hour and reduce the heat to save time. This reheats well for 3 days.

Submitted by: Megan Colette

Chicken Enchiladas

Super simple and easy...took them to a neighbor recently and she loved them so much I thought I'd share

Chicken Enchiladas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 can diced green chiles
1 can cooked chicken
cheese
olives (optional)
tortillas

Mix together soup, sour cream, chiles and chicken. Set aside about 1/3 of filling. Spoon filling inside tortillas, sprinkle with a little cheese and olives (optional). Roll up and place in pan. Cover with filling set aside earlier. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

http://video.about.com/bbq/Crock-Pot-Pulled-Pork.htm

I found this crock pot recipe online....it looks way nummy!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (eggless)


This eggless version is made to eat unbaked.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 to 6 tbsp. water
Instructions
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, salt, vanilla and chips. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, until you have reached a cookie dough consistency. Makes 2 cups.

Salsa

I was at Macey's one day and they were handing out samples of this nummy salsa. I grabbed the recipe and thought I'd share.

5-6 medium tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions
1 small can tomato sauce
2 chopped jalapeno (3-4 if you like it hot)
3-4 fresh yellow banana peppers
1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic salt
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Cut tomatoes in halves and grate with a cheese grater down to the skin. Discard the skin. Chop peppers, onions and cilantro. Add to grated tomatoes. Add tomato sauce. Season to taste, chill and enjoy. May add diced avocados just before serving.

Crepes

Crepes
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. melted butter
2 eggs
1 c. milk
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour 2 Tbsp batter into pan and quickly tip so batter covers the bottom. Batter should be thin, add extra milk if too thick. Cook one minute and turn.

Fill with favorite toppings an enjoy!


Chicken crepes

Crepes (see recipe above)

Chicken filling
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms
1 tsp. minced onion
1/2 c. sauted celery
2 c. chopped cooked chicken
1/2 c. chopped stuffed olives (optional)

Combine all ingredients. Spread 2-3 Tbsp. onto each crepe. Pour over the top a mixture of 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 c. sour cream. Sprinkle 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese over top. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.


Dessert Crepes

Crepes (see recipe above)

Toppings:
strawberries & whipped cream
nutella
powdered sugar
butter & cinnamon sugar

Frostings

My favorite frosting for anything is cream cheese frosting.  It's super easy to make.

Cream cheese frosting
Did you know you can soften cream cheese in the microwave too?  If you need to soften the cream cheese and butter in the microwave.  Just don't melt them.  It will change the texture of your frosting.

1 cube butter, softened
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
powdered sugar

Mix butter and cream cheese together until smooth.  Add vanilla.  Mix in enough powdered sugar to get the consistency you want.  Usually around 4 cups but you can add whatever.  If you need more moisture you can add a tsp. of milk at a time until you have the right consistency.

Basic frosting

1/2 bag powdered sugar
2 TB melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 TB milk (add a little at a time)

Stir until smooth.  Add food coloring to make fun colors.


Lion House chocolate frosting
Nice semi-rich frosting.  Tastes like fudge to me.

4 TB cocoa
3 c. powdered sugar
4 TB soft butter or margarine
2 to 3 TB milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix cocoa and powdered sugar in mixing bowl.  Add softened butter, milk, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.


Other frosting ideas:

You can color corn syrup with some food coloring and paint cookies with it.  It makes the cookies shiny and is really fun for kids to paint.  It tastes alright too!  The syrup will dry pretty fast so they won't remain sticky.

You can make a thin glaze with powdered sugar and water/milk and drizzle over cookies.  You can also make a chocolate glaze by melting chocolate chips (add some butter or shortening if you need to thin out) and drizzle that over the top of the cookies.

Before you bake the cookies, you can add sprinkles or broken lifesavers and they will bake into the cookie.  That way you don't have to frost at all!

Sugar cookies!!!

Hey Valentines day is kind of the season for sugar cookies for us.  I don't know why.  Maybe we are feeding our winter depression. :)  Anyway, here's my favorite sugar cookie recipes.

Melissa's sugar cookies
Especially good cookies and you don't roll and cut them out.  They taste kind of like dough even after cooked.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together first 4 ingredients.  Add egg and mix.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Roll walnut size pieces into sugar or sprinkles.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 7-8 minutes or until the cookie starts to crack on the surface.

Sugar cookies
The kind you roll out and cut and then usually frost.

1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients until well blended.  Roll out on floured surface and cut.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  For soft cookies, roll dough out thicker and watch your baking time.  For crispy cookies, make dough thinner and bake until starting to slightly brown.

Pan sugar cookies 
Easy because you just spread into a pan - no cookie cutters!

1 1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 cubes margarine, softened
2 TB milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and margarine.  Add eggs, vanilla, and milk.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Spread into a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Frost and cut into bars.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

This a recipe that was recommended to me by my daughter for a
good Sunday crockpot meal. It is super easy to make and soooo
good.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (boned & skinned) - I used two large ones
1/3 c. water
half pkg of dry Zesty italian dressing - (used regular and it turned out great)
3 Tbsp. butter or marg.
4 oz. cream cheese
1 or 2 cans cream of chicken soup
rice or noodles (cooked) - I did mashed potatoes

Directions:
Cook Chicken, water, Italian dressing and marg on high till
chicken shreds easily (about 4 hrs or so). Add cream cheese
and cream of chicken soup. Serve over rice or pasta.

Enjoy!!!

Banana Cream Pie

This recipe comes from my daughter's mother-in-law (Sheila Thorpe). It is delicious but don't be tempted to turn up the heat too much or it will scorch. She uses Marie Calendar's frozen pie crust but you can make a home made one if you want. Just before serving she tops it with whipped cream and slices bananas on top. Enjoy!!

Sheila's Banana Cream Pie (one pie)

3/4 c. sugar

3 rounded tbsp. corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. whole milk

3 egg yolks

2 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pastry shell

Combine sugar, corn starch and salt in a pan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until just a low boil. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. Take a little of the hot mixture into a separate bowl and mix in the egg yolks. Stir this mixture into the mixture on the stove. Cook on a low boil for another 7 minutes stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Remove and add butter and vanilla. Cool to room temperature and pour into pastry shell.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

This one is soooo good, I had to share! Try it this Christmas!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. pecans
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, flour, butter, salt, lemon juice and corn syrup. Mix thouroughly, then stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until set and golden.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I saw this recipe on Good Things Utah one day, and it looked so yummy so I wanted to post it here. I haven't tried it yet, although I need to soon, so if anyone tries it before I do, please leave a comment on what you think...


Prepared by GTU viewer Carrie Swenson

Ingredients:

2 T. yeast
1/2c. warm water
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
2/3 c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 egg, beaten
¼ c. melted, butter
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 t. cinnamon
4-5 c. bread flour
½ c. brown sugar, packed
2 T. cinnamon
2 T. melted butter
Method:


Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Wait 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, egg, sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon and cloves and mix well. Slowly add flour one cup at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl after each addition of flour. Turn into lightly greased bowl, cover and set in warm place until double in bulk. Punch down dough and let rest for 5 more minutes. Roll dough out into a rectangle.
Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle the dough with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Starting with long side of dough, roll up jellyroll style. Pinch seams to seal. With sharp serrated knife cut roll into 12 1 in. pieces. Place rolls, cut side up in greased 9*13 pan. Cover and let rise until double, 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake rolls at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with caramel frosting as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool until warm, add the rest of the frosting. Enjoy!

Caramel Frosting

¼ c. butter
½ c. brown sugar, packed
2 T. milk
¼ t. vanilla
Pinch of salt
½ c. to ¾ c. sifted powder sugar

In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over med. Low heat 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, salt, and powder sugar. Beat with Electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more sugar for desired consistency.

Pumpkin Bars

I got this recipe off another site called "Celery Go?". They are delicious so I thought I would share the original post.

Pumpkin Bars

Before I post this recipe, I want to give full credit to Dr. Deborah Dean, a professor of mine from BYU who first introduced me to these delightful treats! I hope she won't mind my re-posting the recipe here. I just made these again the other day, and think that they are a wonderful fall dessert.

4 eggs
1 16oz. can pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Pour batter onto large, greased cookie sheet (similar to a jelly-roll pan). Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. When cooled, frost with the following cream cheese frosting. (We make ours with Tofutti cream cheese, and no one has ever been able to tell the difference, a fact I'm fairly proud of!)

1 package cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-5 cups powdered sugar depending on your sweetness preference. (we use 3-4)
2-3 tablespoons milk (if needed to thin the frosting to spreadable consistency. We don't usually need it, but the Tofutti cream cheese may not be as stiff as the real stuff...)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love this recipe. Not only is it easy, it doesn't take much time and I think a little healthier.

1 Spice Cake Mix
1 Can of Pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 Bag of Chocolate Chips

Mix the Spice cake mix (mix only, do not add any other ingredients called for the cake), 1 can of pumpkin and the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl and scoop onto cookie sheet. I like to use my Pampered Chef cookie dough scooper because it makes them almost perfectly round, but spoons will work fine too. Cook at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is and there you go......Nummy, Nummy

Fall soups and rolls

We recently had a bunch of people over for dinner and we served soups and rolls. I had some requests for the recipes, so I thought I'd post them here too. I'm sure you all have some favorites for the fall, too. I hope you post them. Everything here is super yummy!

Chili (courtesy of Shelley Blackwell, who got the recipe from Jamie and Bill Blackwell!)

1 pound hamburger

1/2 white onion

garlic salt

1 pkg. taco seasoning

2 pkgs. ranch dressing

1 can rotel (canned salsa)

2 cans stewed tomatoes

2 cans corn

2 cans white hominey

2 cans red kidney beans

2 cans pinto beans

Brown meat with onion and garlic salt. Add taco seasoning. Empty into large pot. Add all cans and ranch packets and 2 cups water. Heat! Serve with chips, cheese, sour cream and green onions.

The chili we had was a modified version of this recipe. I did not add the corn or white hominey. I also used my fresh pureed tomatoes in place of the canned tomatoes and salsa, and added some dried peppers.

White Chicken Chili (courtesy of Emily Christensen)

4 chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
1 sliced onion
1/2 t. garlic salt

Put all in stock pot and boil until chicken is shreddable. Take chicken out and shred with 2 forks, put back in stock pot.

Now add:
4 cans white great northern beans
1 8 oz. jar green salsa
2 cans diced green chilies
3/4 of a 16 oz. sour cream

Heat through. Serve with shredded cheese, extra sour cream and tortilla chips.

Rolls
Mix together dry ingredients:
3 c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. sugar
2/3 c. powdered milk
1 t. salt
3 T. whole egg powder (or add 3 eggs with the liquid ingredients)
2 T. yeast
2 T. vital wheat gluten
Add liquid ingredients:
3 c. warm water
½ c. margarine or butter
Mix well. Add up to 6 or 7 cups of white flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Raise in warm place for 1 hour. Roll and cut dough into desired shape. I like to roll the dough into 4 circles, cut like a pizza for 12 rolls in each circle, and roll from the big side first. Raise in a buttered pan (I put ¼ c. butter or margarine in each pan) for another hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes. Yield: 4 dozen rolls (I often ½ this recipe.)

Waffles

I love waffles but don't cook them much since it is just me and my husband at home now. But we made them yesterday while the kids were home for conference. Here is a fun recipe for you to try!


2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (or a little more) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 cup buttermilk OR (and I prefer the substitution) 1 1/2 cups sour cream thinned with 1/4 cup (I used a lot more) milk.
2 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
canola or other neutral oil for brushing the waffle iron

1) Combine dry ingredients. Mix together the buttermilk(or sour cream/milk) and the egg yolks. Stir in the butter and vanilla (if you are using it).

2) Brush the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat it. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Beat egg whites with whisk or electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Fold them gently into the batter.

3) Spread about 1/2 cup of batter onto the waffle iron (depending on the size of your iron) and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

Real maple syrup (a splurge, but worth it) sets off the tanginess of the waffles and takes them from good to great. Serve with fresh fruit and bacon and you are good to go.

Fun Strawberry Spinach/Lettuce Salad

One bag of Baby spinach
One bunch of Romaine Lettuce
One Red Onion sliced into Rings
1 c. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1-2 c. sliced Strawberries
1 bag Heath Chips
Layer all ingredients above and chill.

Dressing:
1 c. mayo
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 T. poppyseed
Mix together and put on above ingredients right before serving. Delicious!!!

Fluffy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

My daughter had this at her super saturday. It was delicious!!!! Enjoy!

1 Ready Crust Graham Cracker Pie Crust

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup 100 % pure pumpkin

2 eggs

Mix cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin pie spice on medium speed. Stir in pumpkin. Add eggs and mix until blended. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Serves 8.

Macaroni Shrimp Salad

I love salads in the summer - actually all year long. Here is a delicious one!

2 cups small deveined shrimp (The lady that gave me the recipe likes fresh from the case)
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 packet of ranch dressing ( regular not buttermilk)
3tbs mayo- or more depending on your own taste
3 tbs miracle whip- or more depending on your own taste
1 bunch of green onions

cook macaroni as directed on package
add all other ingredients and mix well
if possible make the day before so that all the flavors have time to blend and the salad has time to chill

Home-made Ice Cream Sandwiches

This recipe is from one of my college roommates. Her daughter posted it on her blog and I thought I would share!!!

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

*Just a note of warning, check your cupboard before you start these. You'll need at least 4 cups of chocolate chips.

2 C flour

1/2 C cocoa powder

2 t baking powder

3/4 t salt

4 large eggs

2 t vanilla extracct

2 t instant coffee (I didn't have any and they tasted great w/o)

10 T butter, softened

1 1/2 C packed light brown sugar

1/2 C sugar

16 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

2 C semisweet chocolate

Ice cream of choice

Whisk together all dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together effs, vanilla and coffee until coffee is dissolved. In mixer, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 3 min.). Beat in egg mixture until combined. Beat in cooled melted chocolate, until combined. Add flour mixture until combined. Stir in chips. Cover bowl and let rest for 30 minutes, until dough is a scoopable fudge consistency. Resist the urge to stick all five fingers in there to lick.

Once dough is rested, I scoop out in 1 T size balls onto and ungreased pan. You can use parchment paper if you're feeling sassy. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are a little cracked and the middle is soft set. Let cookies cool on pan for 5-10 min. then cool on a rack completely.

Get out your favorite ice cream (we used vanilla, so as not to be too rich). Place a small scoop on one cookie. Top with another. Do a little happy dance. Eat. Sigh. Eat some more. Sigh some more. Praise whoever invented the ice cream sandwich.

You could pre make a bunch and freeze them. Or just keep your cookies on hand in the freezer, bring them to room temperature and put the ice cream on then (that's what I prefer ... no crunchy frozen chips for me).

Enjoy!!