Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

Submitted by: Ashley Garback

50 Nilla Wafers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1/4 cup butter
4 packages (8 ounces each) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 13" by 9" baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Mix crumbs, 1/2 cup nuts and butter; press into the bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan. Drizzle with topping; top with remaining nuts. Let stand until topping is set.

Ruth's Chris Special Sweet Potato Casserole

Submitted by: Heather VanLeeuwen

FOR THE CRUST:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
1/3 stick butter, melted

FOR THE SWEET POTATO MIXTURE:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick butter ( 1/2 cup), melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Goulish Meringues

Submitted by: Ashley Garback

2 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup regular chocolate chips

Beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Add sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks form.

Shape meringue in ghoulish ghost shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet using a pastry bag or a teaspoon. Use 2 mini chocolate chips for the eyes and a large chocolate chip for the mouth.

Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Meringue will feel firm to the touch but will not be browned.

Pumpkin Bars

Submitted by: Janet Smith

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Beat first four ingredients until fluffy. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a different bowl. Mix with the first mixture.
Spread into a greased 15" by 10" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar.

Cream first 3 ingredients and gradually add powdered sugar.

Rolls

Submitted by: Andrea McDonald

2 Tablespoons yeast
1/2 pound butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
4 cups + 3 1/2 cups flour

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.
2. In another bowl: cream butter, sugar and salt. Add 1 cup of boiling water. Slowly add yeast mixture.
3. Add 4 well beaten eggs, then 4 cups of flour. Mix well. Add 3 1/2 cups flour and mix well. Cover with a towel and let rise in fridge for 2 hours.
4. Remove from fridge and divide into 4 balls. Roll each section out round and cut into 8 "pizza slices".
5. Roll into crescent shapes and place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise 1 hour if using white flour or 2 hours if using whole wheat.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

October Recipe Group

We have scheduled our next recipe exchange!

Date: Thursday, October 16th
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Misty Sullivan's Home (4272 w. Elk Rim Rd.)
Theme: Fall Foods

We are excited to taste your favorite soup, stew, pumpkin, bread, apple, or other fall recipes!

Everyone is welcome to come whether you have a dish to share or if you are just on the hunt for new recipes.

If you can think of anyone else who may be interested in joining us, please invite them.

We hope to see you then!

Chicken Salad

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their desserts with us at Friday Night Frenzy. It was a fun night and the desserts were awesome! Below are the recipes that we collected that night. Enjoy!

Submitted by: Erica Williams

2 1/2 cups diced and chilled, cooked chicken meat
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced, seedless grapes
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream


In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks.
Combine meat, celery, grapes, almonds, parsley, salt, and mayonnaise with whipped cream. Chill.

Yummy Pumpkin Dessert

Submitted by: Brandi Montoya

In a small bowl mix:
1 stick melted butter
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup pecans (optional)

In a medium bowl mix:
1 big can pumpkin (approx. 3 1/2 cups) or 2 small cans pumpkin
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Optional: can use nutmeg, ginger or pumpkin pie spice at your discretion

Spread 1/2 of the cake mixture in a 9 by 13 pan. Pour pumpkin mixture over the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of cake mixture over top of pumpkin. Cut through with a knife to distribute topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping sprinkled with cinnamon.

Lemon Drop Cookies

Submitted by: Erica Williams

1 cup butter
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 ½ cups flour

Mix and roll dough into cylinder. Cut dough to create small, flat, round circles. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9-12 minutes or until the edges start to become golden. Cool before frosting.

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
Powdered sugar

Beat butter, milk and lemon juice. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frosting can be spread on cookies or piped on to make them look a little more fancy.

July 2008 Recipe Group

We just had our July group meeting!

Date: Wednesday, July 16th
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: Stephanie Maxfield's Home (9443 Liberty Creek Dr)
This month's themes: Salad and Ice Cream

Do you have a favorite pasta, potato, Jell-o, green, or other favorite salad recipe? Or how about a favorite homemade ice cream, sherbet, or ice cream topping recipe that people go crazy for? We are excited to taste your dishes!

Recipe groups are so much fun and we would love to invite everyone to join us! Recipe groups are held quarterly at different homes around our neighborhood. Everyone is welcome to come whether you have a dish to share or if you are just on the hunt for new recipes. Please feel free to eat, visit, and mingle with us!

Salads and Ice Cream

Thanks to all who attended our get together tonight! It was fun visiting with each of you and everyone made such great food, we are excited to have your recipes. Special thanks to Stephanie for hosting this month's meeting.

Jerk Chicken Salad

Submitted by: Stephanie Maxfield

1 tablespoon garlic oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk rub
1 pound chicken tenders
1 medium pineapple
1 red bell pepper
3 green onions
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:
2 limes
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayo
2 tablespoons pineapple preserves

Whisk together oil and jerk rub. Place tenders in mix and coat well, set aside. Peel pineapple and cut in half lengthwise. Reserve half for another use. Cut remaining in half lengthwise and remove core. Slice crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Heat grill pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add chicken, cook 3-5 minutes on each side, turning once. Remove from pan. Add pineapple to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side, turning once, remove from pan. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, set chicken and pineapple aside. Thinly slice bell pepper and green onions. Chop lettuce, set vegetables aside. Drain and rinse beans, set aside. For dressing, zest one lime. Juice both limes into bowl. Add lime zest, mayo and pineapple preserves to bowl, mix well. Layer chopped lettuce, beans, bell pepper, chicken, pineapple, bacon and green onions over each lettuce leaf. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Yields: 6 servings

For a kid friendly version replace the lettuce with 1 pound cooked Rotini pasta. After draining, toss with 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, add remaining ingredients, drizzle with dressing and toss gently.

Spaghetti Salad

Submitted by: Ashley Garback

1 pound spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cucumber, chopped
1 red onion, diced (optional)
2 tomatoes, chopped

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well. Transfer to large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk together salad dressing, cheese, seeds, salt, paprika, garlic powder and peppers until well blended. Stir in cucumber and onion. Pour mixture over spaghetti and toss lightly to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Frito Salad

Submitted by: Misty Sullivan

1 med. bottle Catalina dressing
1 can dark kidney beans
1 bundle of green onions chopped
1 green pepper chopped
4-5 tomatoes diced
Med. bag of Frito chips (not crunched)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix and Serve.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Submitted by: Ann Deakin

1 bunch fresh spinach leaves
10 large strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup Craisins
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Combine salad ingredients. Just before serving toss salad with desired amount of salad dressing. Enjoy!

Dilled Cucumber Slices

Submitted by: Robyn Hinderman

1 large cucumber, peeled if desired & sliced thin
1 medium onion, sliced thin & separated into rings
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dill seed (not dill weed)

Put sliced cucumber and onion rings in a medium sized bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour over the cucumber and onion slices. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours (1/2 day or over night is best) to season and blend the flavors.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Submitted by: Erica Williams

2 quarts half and half cream
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Combine half and half, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt in freezer container of ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Pink Lemonade Pie

Submitted by: Debbie Hermansen

1 pkg. graham crackers, crushed
1/2 stick melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1/2 can frozen pink lemonade concentrate

Mix graham crackers, butter and sugar and layer in bottom of 9x13 pan (reserve some to sprinkle on top). Soften ice cream and mix thoroughly with pink lemonade. Spread over top of crust mixture. Sprinkle remaining graham cracker & butter crumbs on top.
Freeze at least 1 hour before serving.

*You can substitute the lemonade and use frozen orange juice for a
"creamsicle" taste.

Oreo Ice Cream Dessert

Submitted by: Heather Van Leeuwen

1 package Oreos
3-4 Tablespoons margarine
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 jar hot fudge
8 oz tub of Cool Whip

Crush package of Oreos into crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of crumbs in a separate bowl to sprinkle on top of dessert at the end. Melt 3-4 Tablespoons margarine and add to Oreo crumbs, and then press into bottom of 9x13 pan. Add softened vanilla ice cream in an even layer on top of Oreo crumbs. Heat jar of hot fudge in microwave until melty and then pour on top of ice cream layer. Spread around the hot fudge layer as evenly as possible. Put in freezer to let those two layers set up a bit (maybe an hour or more). Spread softened cool whip on top of hot fudge layer. Then take the reserved cookie crumbs and sprinkle on top. Put dessert in freezer for all the layers to set up together. Take it out of the freezer just before serving.

Easy, Eggless Strawberry Ice Cream

Submitted by: Erica Williams

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups mashed fresh strawberries
2 drops red food coloring (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, strawberries, and food coloring. Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.