Mexican Pasta Salad

Fiesta Salad (so, so good!--and even better the next day)

1 16 oz bow tie noodles (cooked and drained)
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 1/2 c white frozen corn
3-4 chicken breasts cooked and cut into 1" pieces
8 oz grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 can sliced olives
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 green or red pepper, diced

Dressing:
1 dry pkg Ranch Fiesta Dressing (I've only seen it at WalMart)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar

Zebra Cookies

Here is what you were asking for Teri but I didn't add the kiss.

Ingredients

• 4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 48 chocolate candy kisses with white stripes
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the melted chocolate, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Unwrap the candy kisses.
3. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and roll each ball in the confectioners' sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Tops should be crackled and the edges should be golden brown. While the cookies are still hot, press a candy kiss into the center of each one. Remove to cool on racks.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup shortening

16 oz pumpkin

2/3 cup water

4 eggs3

1/3 cup flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup chocolate chips

Mix sugar and shortening. Stir in pumpkin, water and eggs. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder (and nuts or chocolate chips). Stir into pumpkin mixture, just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour into muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 18 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Makes 2 dozen.

Natalie's Guacamole

8 soft avocados, mashed
2 tomatoes
2 jalapenos (dependeing on how hot they are)
2 yellow hots
garlic salt {season to taste)
1/2 packet of guacamole seasoning(this is kind of strong, so add little bit at a time, then taste)
-guacamole seasoning is at Albertson's and Walmart in the produce section. They usually are
hanging by the onions or avocados.

dice tomatoes, jalapenos, yellow hots. Add to guacamole. Season to taste with garlic salt and guacamole seasoning

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus 2 tablespoons for icing
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Directions
Melt chocolate with 1 cup butter (2 sticks) in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly.
Put eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in chocolate mixture, salt, cinnamon, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and the flour.
Heat a waffle iron until hot. Lightly coat grids with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter onto center of each waffle-iron square to make 1 1/2-inch rounds. Close cover; cook until set, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, bottom sides up. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter, coating grids with cooking spray after each batch.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons cocoa powder; stir until smooth. Stir in milk.
Gently dip 1 surface of each cookie in icing so that just the waffle lines (not gaps) are coated. Repeat with remaining cookies and icing. Transfer to wire racks; let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Dust iced surfaces of cookies with confectioner's sugar. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

White Trash

3 cups air-popped popcorn
1/4 bag pretzel sticks
2 cups Fritos cornchips
1 pkg. White Almond Bark (white chocolate)

Place popcorn, pretzels and Fritos in a large bowl or cookie sheet. Melt almond bark and pour over mixture. Make sure to coat it thoroughly. Enjoy!

Mulled Apple Cider

(Makes 10 servings)

2 quarts bottled apple cider or juice (not unfiltered)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 square (8 inches) double thickness cheesecloth. (If you don’t have cheesecloth you can also use medical gauze or panty hose)
8 allspice berries or 8 whole Jamaican Allspice berries
4 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
1 large orange

Combine apple cider and brown sugar in slow cooker.
Rinse cheesecloth; squeeze out water. Wrap allspice berries and cinnamon sticks in cheesecloth. Tie securely with string or strip of cheesecloth.
Stick cloves randomly into orange; cut orange into quarters. Place spice bag and orange quarters in cider mixture. Cover; cook on High 2.5- 3 hours.
Once cooked, turn slow cooker to low to keep cider warm up to 3 additional hours. Remove and discard spice bag and orange before serving. Ladle cider into mugs. Garnish with additional cinnamon sticks, if desired.

Turkey Spice Butter

1 cup unsalted butter Softened
2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp thyme (dried)
1 tsp cumin ground
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Divide in half

Clean Turkey. Instead of baking turkey in a turkey pan bake it on a broiler pan. Crisscross celery sticks and carrots (which will be completely burned by the end) and put turkey on top. This helps the turkey cook evenly. Stuff the turkey with oranges, lemons and onions. When the turkey is done the thigh will read 180 degrees.

Bake Turkey 30 min @425 degrees (This smokes up the house so make sure you open your windows for some ventilation.) Doing this crisps the outside of the turkey so that it moist inside.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook turkey 3-4 hours basting with spice butter every 30-40 min.

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Roll

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Filling:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts. (Optional)

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 2 cups powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

COOKING TIP:
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint Cookies

½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup shortening
½ cup butter (softened)
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs yolks (keep eggs whites for later use)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped nuts
Jelly

Heat oven to 350. Mix together brown sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla and egg yolks. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together, shape into balls.

Beat egg whites slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. Press thumb deeply in center of each. Bake until light brown about 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet; cool. Fill thumbprints with jelly.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. It’s very important that the cream cheese is at room temperature and that you beat it well before adding ingredients or it won’t mix in well with the other ingredients. Add pumpkin purée, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl and make sure the cream cheese is well incorporated, beat again. Add eggs and egg yolk last. Do not overbeat the batter once the eggs are in.

Pour filling into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 50-55 minutes. The center of the cheesecake will jiggle, the cake will set up once it’s cooled and refrigerated. Turn oven off and let cheesecake stay in oven with oven door open for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes on the counter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Top with fresh whipped cream. Whip up 1 cup of heavy cream then add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar.

**TIPS**

The first time I made this cheesecake, it cracked right down the middle of the cheesecake. Overcooking a cheesecake can result in large deep cracks, it is very common to have little cracks in your cheesecake. There are lots of different tips that can prevent cracking in cheesecake.

#1 Add your eggs very last to your batter. Overbeating eggs are the ingredient that will hold the air. So beat everything else together well then add the eggs last and beat until combined, no more.

#2 Don't over-cook your cake more then 1 hour. Don’t be afraid to take it out of the oven when it jiggles.. The cheesecake will set when cooled.

#3 Cooling the cheesecake. Basically cheesecake is very susceptible to quick changes in temperature. If the cake contracts too quickly when cooking, it will crack. There are a couple of different ways to cool your cake, A good way to do this is to leave the oven door open and let it sit for a good 30 minutes or more once it is done, with the oven off. Other methods include removing it from the oven and covering the top with a plate to have it gently cool, with the benefit of some moisture trapped by the surface of the cake, or just cooling it on top of the oven where it is still warm. The bottom line is to cool the cheesecake slowly before you stick it in the fridge.

With all of this info, there is still the possibility that you will get a crack. It’s not the end of the world. Just start your first slice on the crack and add some topping. No one will ever know!

Sausage and Herb Stuffing

Sausage and Herb Stuffing

• 16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 1/2 pound loaf)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 onions)
• 1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
• 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large-diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.

In the same saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

Add the chicken stock and cranberries to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm.

Creamy Cranberry Dressing

Creamy Cranberry Dressing

1 cup sugar
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vinegar
2 heaping TBSP mayo
2/3 cup Craisins
1 1/2 - 2 cups vegetable oil

Measure all ingredients, except oil, in the blender or food processor.
Blend until combined.
With the blender or processor on medium, pour in the oil in a slow & steady stream until the dressing emulsifies.
Store in an air tight container in the fridge.


** You can serve this dressing with any kind of salad you like.
My favorite is baby spinach leaves, diced roma tomatoes, craisins, feta cheese, halved red grapes, and chopped pecans.

Cranberry-Mustard Pork Tenderloin

CRANBERRY MUSTARD PORK TENDERLOIN

1- 16 oz can whole cranberry sauce
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
½ cup brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 TBSP salt
2- 1 lb. pork loin roasts


Mix all ingredients except pork roasts in a medium bowl. Place roast into greased crock pot. Pour cranberry mix over the roasts. Cook on high heat for 1 hour. Turn down to low and cook an additional 4 hours. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

FRUIT SALSA AND CINNAMON CHIPS
Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 10 min Ready in : 45 min

Ingredients
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Here we go. . .

All right, ladies, I hope you all enjoyed your night out last night. The food was delish as always. Thanks for hosting, Natalie!

I think I have decided it would be nice to have our recipes posted to this blog so we can get them easily when we need to. After each recipe club, I would like us to try to post our recipes to this blog, so they can all be archived together. That way, in the future, if we want to do a recipe book as well, it will be easy to compile them all together.

If you don't know how to do this, let me know and I can help you out. I'm going to start posting recipes I have brought along with others I have from you as time allows. So, check back often and find your favorite recipes here! Maybe I'll even start bringing my camera along and take pictures of all of the yumminess!