Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray pan with vegetable pan spray.  In a large bowl, cream butter with sugars.  Add egg and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in flour, baking soda and salt; mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spread dough into prepared pan with spatula.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool on rack 5 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cool before cutting.  Decorate.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Sweet Potato Fries

From: Allrecipes.  The Platt Fam had this as a side-dish the other night and it was a hit, even with the kiddos!

Here's the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ts-Sweet-Potato-Fries/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS 

4 sweet potatoes, cut into large French fries

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the cut sweet potatoes into a microwave-safe dish with the water. Cook on in the microwave for 5 minutes on full power. Drain off liquid, and toss with Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Arrange fries on a baking sheet in a single layer.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once, or until fries are crispy on the outside.

Mom's Apple Crisp

Recipe from: Kay Ferguson

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 to 1 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Stir together all of the above. Pour into 9” x 13” baking pan.

Topping:

1 cup melted butter 1 cup quick cooking oats
1-1/4 cups brown sugar, packed 1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir together above ingredients for topping. Crumble on top of the apples.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until apples are tender
and bubbly. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream of ice cream.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Recipe from: Melinda McCarthy
Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces
4 c sliced strawberries
1/3 c canola oil
¼ c white wine vinegar
½ c white sugar
¼ tsp paprika
1 T minced onion
2 T sesame seeds
1 T poppy seeds
¼ c sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, onion, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds.
In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and the strawberries.
Pour dressing over the spinach and strawberries. Sprinkle almonds on top. Toss to coat.
Serve immediately.

NOTES
Leave dressing on the counter until ready to use. Do not put it in the fridge since it will become too thick to toss with the spinach. Also, salad must be prepared immediately before serving. It will not store in the refrigerator.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Mmm, Mmm, Good!
Recipe from: Melinda McCarthy
Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chili peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn
1 T chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Chicken Salad

Really good on croissants! I don't like Miracle Whip, but I can't taste it in this recipe.
Recipe from: Melinda McCarthy (given to me by my friend, Jennilyn Christian)

INGREDIENTS
4 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
1 c. apples, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 c. grapes
3 green onions, chopped
2/3 c. light mayo
1/3 c. light Miracle Whip
cashews

DIRECTIONS
Mix together and chill until ready to serve. Mix in cashews just before serving.

Kiersten's Swedish Pancakes

Recipe from: Kiersten McCarthy

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 tsp. sugar
½ c. flour
1 c. milk
½ tsp. salt

Directions:

Mix together and cook in butter in a small frying pan.
You can make them thin and put any topping you like on them.

Baked Potato Soup

The ultimate comfort food!
Melinda McCarthy (given to me by my friend, Katrina Mumford)
Serves: 8

4-5 medium potatoes, baked
½ medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. water
1 c. half & half or milk
1 c. instant potatoes
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. thyme (rub between hands to crush them)

1. Melt butter; sauté onions until light brown. Add flour; stir well. It will be like paste.

2. Add broth, water, instant potatoes, and spices. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.

3. Cut baked potatoes into large chunks. Add to pot with half & half; bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. You will want to stir occasionally, as it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

4. Serve with cheese, scallions, chives, bacon bits, salsa, sour cream or any other topping that you desire.

Hint: Have everything pre-measured, including baked potatoes ready, before you begin. When you need to add things, there isn’t time to measure them without the flour mixture burning.
Use a wire whisk to stir with until you add the potato chunks. Your soup will be much smoother. After adding the potato chunks, use a wooden spoon.

Pickled Bean Dip

From Melanee Steinhorst

1 can each of the following:
Black eyed peas
Pinto
Small red or pinto
Small kidney
Navy
Black
White shoe peg corn

1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 bell pepper

Bring to a boil:

¾ cup cider vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 T water
1 cup sugar
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Boil 1 minute. Cool. Pour over beans and veggies and let sit overnight. Serve with chips.

Savory Sausage Stuffing

Savory Sausage Stuffing. From FamilyFun magazine.

1 lb loaf of sturdy bread
1 lb Italian sausage links, mild or hot (fully cooked)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 bulb fennel, finely chopped or 2 cups finely chopped celery (or a combination)
1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and/or thyme)
1/2 cup pin nuts, pan toasted (optional)
Salt and ground pepper to taste
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Slice bread into 3/4 inch cubes and allow to air-dry for several hours (or dry in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes). Transfer the bread to a very large mixing bowl and set it aside.
2. Score the casings on the sausages and peel them off. Cut them into 1/4-inch pieces.
3. Melt the butter in a very large sauté pan. Stir in the onion, fennel, carrot, and bay leaf and sauté over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the mushrooms and sausage. Cover and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove from heat.
4. Remove the bay leaf and add the sautéed mixture, fresh herbs, and toasted pine nuts to the bread. Gently toss the mixture and add the chicken broth, 1/4 cup or less at a time, until the bread seems moist but not soggy. Taste, adding salt and pepper. Add the eggs and mix gently. Stuff turkey. Makes 10 servings.