Recipe Box

Puppy Chow (for humans, not dogs)

From the kitchen of: unknown

If you make this, DO NOT tell people what’s in it, because it’s incredibly yummy, but there’s so much fat in that no one will touch it.

  • largest box of Crispix cereal
  • smallest jar of creamy peanut butter
  • 1 bag of milk chocolate chips
  • 1 bag of peanut butter chips
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 bag of powdered sugar

Melt the stick of butter in a saucepan, add both bags of chips and let those melt halfway. Add the jar or creamy peanut butter, melt all together.

When it’s smooth, pour it over the crixpix cereal in the largest bowl you can find, and mix, Then add the bag of powdered sugar and hand mix or cover and shake.

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Shrimp Dip

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  • Post category:Appetizers

From the kitchen of: Pat Mineart.

This is one of my favorite dips ever, and it’s really simple to make. It does make about twice as much as one would expect to set out at a party, so you could halve the recipe, or don’t make other dips.

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 8 oz. package cream cheese
  • 1 package dry Italian seasoning mix
  • 1 can tiny deveined shrimp

Crush shrimp and blend together other ingredients, then chill before serving.

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Super Nachos

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  • Post category:Entrees

From the kitchen of: Elsie the Cow

  • 1/2 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
  • 1(4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, undrained
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • dash hot pepper sauce
  • 1 pound shredded cheese
  • bag tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In skillet, brown meat and onion, pour off fat. Add beans, chiles, chili powder, hot pepper sauce and 2 cups shredded cheese, cook until cheese melts. Arrange chips on baking sheet. Top with meat mixture and remaining shredded cheese. Bake 10 minutes. Garnish as desired.

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Taco Dip

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  • Post category:Appetizers

From the kitchen of: unknown

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 package taco seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 (12 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 can refried beans

Brown beef and drain well. Add taco seasoning, dry mustard, chili powder, onion, green pepper, tomato, sauce and refried beans. Cook and mix well, until think, about 5 minutes on medium heat. Pour into 9×13 dish. Pour sour cream on top and add shredded cheese. Bake in 400 degree oven until cheese melts. Let stand 5-10 minutes, serve.

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Almond Pastry

From the kitchen of: Kelly Ackley.

  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
  • Betty Crocker Smooth & Creamy Vanilla frosting
  • Chopped walnuts (or almonds)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add 1 stick of butter to 1 cup of flour & bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 or one-and-a-half teaspoon almond extract. Quickly stir in 1 cup of flour & mix well until smooth & no lumps. One at a time (important) stir in 3 eggs.

Separately…

Mix 1 cup flour, 3 TBSP water, and 1 stick butter until smooth. Roll into a ball and divide in half. Pat out each half into two strips (onto a cookie sheet). Spread above mixture on each layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour–no more, no less!

Let cool and then frost and add nuts.

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Apple and Cheese Torte

From the kitchen of: Tami Putney.

  • 1 stick butter or margarine
  • 3/4 Cup sugar, divided
  • 1 teasp. vanilla, divided
  • 1 Cup flour
  • 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 4 thinly sliced apples
  • 1/2 teasp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespn. milk
  • 2 tablespn. toasted and slivered almonds

Cream together butter, 1/4 Cup sugar and 1/2 teasp. vanilla. Add four and when it’s well blended press the mixture into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 9" spring form pan. Beat the cream cheese, 1/4 Cup sugar, the egg and 1/2 teasp. vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Pour into the prepared crust.

Toss the apple slices lightly with 1/4 Cup sugar and cinnamon. Layer evenly over the cream cheese. Bake at 450 degree F. for 10 minutes and then reduce the oven to 400 degrees and continue baking for 30-45 minutes or until the apples test "done". Cool the pan and then remove the sides of the pan and place on a serving plate. Combine the powdered sugar and milk, drizzle over the torte and garnish with almonds.

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Apple Squares

From the kitchen of: Tami Putney.

Try to avoid eating very many of these squares on the day you make them, as they improve immeasurably on the second and third day! This recipe originally came from a Pillsbury bake-off. Makes 12-15 squares)

  • 2 cups unbleached white flour
  • 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
  • 1-2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sour cream or yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups apples, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 apples)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and margarine. Blend at low speed, until the mixture forms fine crumbs. If you want to include them, stir in the nuts now. Place 2 3/4 cups of the crumb mixture into an ungreased 13×9 inch pan. Press down firmly. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the apples) to the remaining crumb mixture. Blend well. Stir the chopped apples into the batter. Spoon the batter evenly over the crumb base in the pan. Bake at 350 deg. F for 30-40 minutes. If you use the larger pan, bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool before cutting. Better yet, let it wait 24 hours before cutting. Store loosely covered.

Difficulty: easy. Time: 15 minutes preparation, 40 minutes baking. Precision: approximate measurement OK.

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Irresistible Apple Pie

From the kitchen of: unknown.

  • 6 cups sliced, peeled Jonathan apples (about 6 pounds, or 6 medium apples)
  • 2 tablespoons of orange juice
  • 1/3 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss apples and orange juice in large bowl. Combine brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Toss with apples until coated. Set aside and make pie crust.

Pie Crust

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup Crisco (3/4 stick)
  • 5 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in Crisco using pastry blender or 2 knives until all flour is in to form peas-sized chunks.

Sprinkle with water, one tablespoon at a time. Toss lightly with fork until dough forms into a ball. Divide dough into two equal parts. Press between hands to form two 5 to 6 inch pancakes.

Four pancakes lightly on both sides. Roll bottom crust between sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap on dampened countertop.

Peel off top sheet. Trim one larger than the upside-down 9-inch pie plate. Flip into pie plate. Remove other sheet. Trim edges even with pie plate.

Finishing Up

  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar

Spoon filling into unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter. Moisten pastry edges with water.

Roll top crust the same way as the bottom. Peel off top sheet. Flip onto filled pie. Remove other sheet. Trim 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold top edge under bottom crust. Flute. Cut slits in top crust for steam to escape.

Brush top crust with milk. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover top with sheet of foil to prevent overbrowning.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 10 to 20 minutes longer or until apples are tender, filling in center is bubbly, and crust is golden brown. Cool pie to room temperature before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie.

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Fat Free Applesauce Spice Cake Or Gingerbread

From the kitchen of: Tami Putney.

  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. cloves
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 3/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
  • 2 tsp. ginger (optional)

Combine the molasses and applesauce in a large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients and stir into the liquid. (If the batter seems very dry, add a little more applesauce or a little water.) Bake in a nonstick or pan-sprayed 8*8-inch baking pan, in a 350 degree oven, for 30-45 minutes or until it tests done.

The optional gingermakes an acceptable gingerbread. I have also had success leaving out the ginger and adding 3 or 4 tablespoons of cocoa (I guess you could use carob) to make a tasty but not very sweet or rich chocolate cake. If you use cocoa you might need to add extra sweetening, but that depends on your taste.

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Baklava

From the kitchen of: unknown.

  • 3 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1/2 pound walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/2 pound blanched almonds, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 1/2 pounds filo pastry
  • 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

In a saucepan, combine 3 cups of the sugar, the water, honey, lemon juice cinnamon stick and whole cloves, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves, and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, almonds, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves and set aside.

Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn’t dry out and become brittle. Remove 8 filo sheets, fold, cover and refrigerate for the top layer. Using a pastry brush, brush a 15 1/2 by 11 1/2 by 3 inch baking pan with some of the melted butter. Lay a filo sheet on the bottom of the pan, brush with butter, and repeat using a total of 8 sheets. Sprinkle a handful of the nut mixture over the top filo sheet. Layer 3 more filo sheets, brushing each with butter, and sprinkle again with a handful of the nut mixture. Continue until all the filo sheets and nuts are used, being sure to brush each sheet with butter. Use the reserved 8 sheets of filo for the last, top layer.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Using a long, very sharp knife, cut the baklava into small diamonds: First make 6 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts. Cut straight down until the tip of the knife touches the bottom of the pan, and keeping the knife straight, cut in a straight line all the way. Next, cut diagonally across the lengthwise cuts to form diamonds, starting in one corner and making cuts until you reach the opposite corner.

Heat the remaining butter until it bubbles and pour it over the top of the pastry. Bake for 1 1/4

hours or until evenly golden and flaky. Remove to a rack and spoon the cooled syrup over the entire pastry. Cool in the pan, then serve pieces individually, placing them in decorative paper cups if desired.

Yield: 55 to 60 diamonds

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