Grandma Dugan's Pistachio Cake

This was an award winning "Jell-O" recipe! Recipe and photos courtesy of Donna Hawkins
Love this photo of the actual hand written recipe!

Donna Hawkins: "One thing I left off the recipe: dust with powder sugar."

Karen's Refrigerator Cake

Refrigerator Cake
Recipe and picture courtesy of Karen Dirgins-Graves

aka the easiest cake to make in the history of cake making:
What you need--1 package of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers1 bowl of whipped cream (you can use Cool Whip, but it doesn't turn out as good)

Directions:
Sandwich the cookies with the whipped cream to make a cookie log, then ice the whole thing with whipped cream. Refrigerate overnight for the cookies get a chance to soft.

Whipped Cream: 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 2 tbsp. confectioners sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla. Beat with a electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Karen's Tadals or Anise Drop Cookies

Picture and Recipe courtesy of Karen Dirgins-Graves

Cookies:

6 eggs
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. anise flavoring
2 tbsp. baking powder
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Icing:

3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 hot milk

pinch of anise flavoring

Cream together eggs, butter, and sugar. Add anise.
Mix dry ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture.

Drop by teaspoonful onto a nonstick cookie sheet.

Bake at 350, 8-15 minutes. Allow to cool before icing and add sprinkles.

Valerie's Shephard's Pie

Recipe courtesy of: Valerie Alava Ross

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
Couple cloves crushed garlic
3/4 cup chopped carrots
Small can corn
1 Can beef gravy
Mash potatoes
Shredded cheese
Browned ground beef in garlic.

Directions:

Drain meat. Sauté onion and carrots in meat till soft. Add corn and gravy and mix well. Transfer to greased baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese.

Bake @ 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or till bubbly.

Swedish Glog (mulled wine)

Ingredients:

2 cups water
12 cardamom seeds
2 whole cloves
1/2 orange, zested
1 cup white sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup blanched almonds
4 cups Muscatel wine, or orange Muscat
4 cups port wine (or Burgundy)
2 cups brandy

Directions:

Bring water to a boil with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest; stir in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat, and allow to steep overnight.
Place the raisins and almonds into a large saucepan. Strain the sugar water into the raisins, then pour in Muscatel, port, and brandy. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until hot but not simmering.
Serve warm in a mug with some fruit and almonds in each cup.

Our Family's Thanksgiving Stuffing

Ingredients:

This recipe serves 4. For Thanksgiving we double the recipe.

6 Tbs Butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 tsps chopped fresh Sage or 1 tsp dried
1  1/2 cups chicken broth
8 cups cubed bread crumbs of prepared stuffing in bag
*optional* 1/2 cup cooked crumbled sausage and/or dried cranberries

Directions:

Melt butter in saucepan over medium hight heat. Add celery and onions and cook for 4-5 min.
Remove from heat.

Add broth to stuffing in a large bowl and mix lightly.
Place into turkey or in a casserole dish covered.

Jessica's Lasagna Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of: Jessica McCoy

Ingredients

... 1 cup marinara sauce

3/4 pound ground beef

12 wonton wrappers

8 ounces shredded mozzarella

3 ounces Parmesan cheese

4 ounces Ricotta cheese

(optional) basil for garnish

Directions

1)Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

2)Brown beef and season with salt and pepper. Drain.

3)Cut wonton wrappers into circle shapes using a biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass. You can cut several at a time.

4)Reserve 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 6 tablespoon mozzarella for the top of you cupcakes. Start layering your lasagna cupcakes. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Top with a little meat and marinara sauce. Use around 1-2 teaspoons of all the ingredients depending on your personal preference.

5)Repeat layers ending with marinara sauce. Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

6)Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each lasagna out.

7)Garnish with basil and serve.

Jessica's Garlic Roasted Mashed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of: Jessica McCoy

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered

... 2 heads garlic, cut in halves

1/2 cup cream

2 tbsp. melted butter

2 rosemary or 1 tsp. rosemary

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preparation:

Boil potatoes in water with salt for at least 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and mash potatoes until smooth. Using potato ricer is preferred but it is optional as a standard masher can be used.

Slice head of garlic in half and set aside in a square of aluminum foil. Add some olive oil and a little bit of salt on the top of garlic. Top with fresh or ground rosemary. Put the other half of garlic back on top, as if making a sandwich, and add another table spoon of olive oil. Wrap tightly in the aluminum foil. Bake in oven at 400 degrees at least 40 -45 minutes. Remove from oven and peel.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan combine cream and butter. Stir until smooth and well combined over low, medium heat. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl with mashed potatoes combine, peeled baked garlic, cream and butter mixture, salt and pepper. Stir until well incorporated. Adjust seasoning according to taste.

Serve on a platter with favorite main dish.

Enjoy your roasted garlic mashed potatoes!

Jessica's Lemon Raspberry Triffle

picture courtesy of: Jessica McCoy

Recipe courtesy of: Epicurious.com

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Raspberry-Lemon-Trifle-105181#ixzz1eP0fkxu9

Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup water

Curd

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

Fruit and topping

4 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 16-ounce frozen pound cake, thawed

2 cups chilled whipping cream

Preparation

For syrup:

Combine sugar, lemon juice, and water in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 minute. Cover and chill.

For curd:

Whisk eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Add butter and lemon peel. Stir over medium heat until curd thickens to pudding consistency, about 10 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of curd. Chill until cold, at least 4 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead.)

For fruit and topping:

Combine 2 baskets raspberries and 1/4 cup sugar in bowl. Mash berries coarsely with fork. Let stand until juices form, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Cut cake crosswise into 8 pieces. Cut each piece into 3 strips. Line bottom of 3-quart trifle bowl with 8 cake strips, trimming to fit. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons syrup; spread with 2/3 cup curd, then half of mashed berries. Repeat layering. Top with remaining cake, syrup, and curd. Cover; chill overnight.

Beat cream and 3 tablespoons sugar in bowl until peaks form; spread over trifle. Mound remaining berries in center.

Creamy Pumpkin Trifle

Recipe courtesy of: Dashing Dish

Ingredients

1 (18.25-oz) box spice-style cake mix (you could also use reduced sugar cake mix for even lower sugar/calories!)

1 1/2 (15-oz) cans pure pumpkin

1 (1 oz) box no sugar added instant vanilla (or butterscotch) pudding mix

1 cup fat free milk (or milk substitute of choice)

1 tbs brown sugar (or sweetener of choice)

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice!)

2 (12-ounce) containers light whipped topping

*Optional: 1/3 cup gingersnaps, crushed

Method

To make the cake layer, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine cake mix, 1 can pumpkin puree, and 1/2 cup water in a large bowl. Mix until well combined, and transfer into the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. When completely cooled, crumble the cake (or cut into small squares depending on the look you want) and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix together for about 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in 1 container of cool whip, and 1/2 can of pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices until well blended.

In a trifle bowl or (a large pretty glass serving bowl), layer a fourth of the cake, half of the pudding/pumpkin mixture, a fourth of the cake, and half of the whipped topping. Repeat layers until the trifle glass is filled to the top. (I like to end with the whip cream layer!)

Garnish with cinnamon or crushed gingersnaps if desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until ready to serve. (Also tastes great when made the night before!)

Note: *You may also use wineglasses or individual dessert glasses for individual trifles!

Servings: 16 (~1 cup per serving)

Calories: 175 per serving

Weight Watcher Points Plus: 6 per serving



Jessica's Pizza Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of: Jessica McCoy

Ingredients

2 cups of flour, white or wholewheat

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup powder milk

1 cup of water

2 medium eggs

1-2 tomatoes, seeded and cut

1 cup fresh or canned mushrooms, cut

1/2 green or red bellpepper, cut in small pieces

1 cup seeded olives, black or green, sliced

100grs Mozzarella cheese (low fat)

Directions

Combine flour, salt, sugar, milk powder, baking powder. Add water, olive oil, and eggs and blend with handmixer, to obtain a liquid consistency.

Add oregano to the mix and pour into a greased and floured muffin tray.

In each cupcake, Add pieces of mushroom, tomato, olive, bell pepper and top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 180degrees C for 30-45 min.

Drop Yeast Rolls

Recipe courtesy of: Lucinda Graniel

My Mom's 'drop' yeast rolls. 2 yeast pkg.s, 2 Tble.s warm water, dash sugar. Mix, set aside. 1 cup cooled, scalded milk, 3 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup sugar, dash of salt, and yeast prep. Add 2 cup flour and whisk well, add 2 more cup and fold in with wooden spoon. Add 1/2 more cups if needed to make a loose batter. Let rise. mix down. Spoon onto greased pan, let rise 10 min. Baked at 350* until brown.( 20 min.)



Michael Symon’s Turkey Dumpling Soup

Ingredients

FOR THE DUMPLINGS:

1 cup Flour

2 Eggs

1/4 cup Milk

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 cup Chopped Chives

FOR THE SOUP:

8-10 pound Turkey (removed from bones)

1 1/2 gallons Turkey Stock (made from Turkey)

2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter

1 large Onion (diced)

2 large Carrots (diced)

1 bunch Celery (diced)

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1 cup Tarragon (chopped)

Roasted Turkey Meat pulled and roughly chopped

2 gallons Chicken or Turkey Stock (prepared or a good quality brand)

Directions:

FOR THE DUMPLINGS: Make a well in the flour in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add the eggs and milk mixture to the well, then add the nutmeg and chives and whisk all together until smooth.

FOR THE SOUP: Heat butter over medium heat in a large stockpot. Add the vegetables with a large pinch of salt, and sweat the vegetables until translucent. Add the pulled turkey and stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 45 minutes.

Bring soup to a boil and cut in dumplings by placing batter on a damp cutting board and using a bench scraper or knife to cut into bite sized dumplings. Drop the dumplings into the boiling soup, and wait for them all to float to the surface. Let boil another minute, add tarragon, and serve.



Pumpkin Pie French Toast

                                                      Makes 8 slices

Ingredients:

8 slices Challah bread (sliced about 1 inch thick) or sliced bread of your choice.

1 cup pumpkin puree (or substitute with “Pumpkin Pie Filling”, and omit the spices.

4 eggs

1 ½ cups whole milk OR fat free half and half

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp sugar

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

butter or vegetable oil

Directions:

Add the pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, milk and spices to mixing bowl, whisk well to a smooth batter.

In a baking dish, soak the slices of bread, flip to the other side to coat.

Heat a griddle or nonstick pan and add a pat of butter or vegetable oil.

Cook the French toast in batches until golden, 2-3 minutes on each side.

Serve hot with a pat of butter and hot maple syrup!



Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Topping

                                                   Prep Time: 20 Min

Ready In: 35 Min

Makes 26 cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup baking cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Filling:

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup shortening

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk

Pinch salt

Chocolate Ganache

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (chips or bakers chocolate)

1/2 cup heavy cream

½ tsp instant coffee granules

Directions:

Cupcakes:

In a mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil, water and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Cream Filling;

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, shortening, confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla and salt; beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Insert a very small tip into a pastry or plastic bag; fill with cream filling. Push the tip through the bottom of paper liner to fill each cupcake.

Ganache:

Cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally