Pizza Salad

Tomato-Basil Dressing:
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves (or dry basil to taste)

Mix tomatoes, oil and garlic in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to blender. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and basil. Pulse to blend and set aside.

Salad:1 Boboli crust(baked at 450 degrees for 8-10minutes and then cut into 2" squares)
3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. diced mozzarella cheese
6 cups green leaf lettuce pieces (I use romaine)
1/2 of 3.5 oz. package of pepperoni, cut in half
Combine all ingredients and add dressing.
Toss and serve. To die for!!

Reese's Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup of peanut butter

1 Stick of butter

2 cups of powdered sugar

Mix in a medium sized bowl. Roll into balls. Dip into melted dipping chocolate. make 40 pieces.

Pumpkin Fudge

Pumpkin Fudge
by Emily Norton

1 ½ c. sugar

1 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2/3 c. evaporated milk

½ c. canned pumpkin

2 Tbsp butter

¼ tsp. salt

1 (12 oz) pkg white chocolate baking chips

2 c. miniature marshmallows

1/3 c. chopped walnuts (opt)
1 ¼ tsp. vanilla

Line 8" square pan w/foil & grease foil. Lightly grease sides & bottom of med. saucepan w/butter. Combine sugar, milk, pumpkin, butter, salt & pumpkin spice in saucepan. Stir constantly over med. heat. Bring mixture to boil-- boil for 12 min. Remove from heat & stir in baking chips & marshmallows until melted. Add nuts & vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill until set. Cut into small squares to serve. Cover & store in refrigerator.

Hot Chocolate

By Diane Call

(for those of you that missed this class)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa (can add more for stronger taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups hot milk (2 c. at a time in micro for 2 min)

Combine first 4 ingredients in saucepan. Slowly add milk, stirring over med heat. Heat thoroughly but do not boil. Serve hot with marshmallows or whipped cream. Store unused portions in covered container in refrigerator up to 5 days. Mix well before reheating.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

(This was taken before I added all additional toppings)

Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus refrigeration.

1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. of caramel (ice cream topping), divided

1 Graham cracker pie crust

1/2 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. Pecan pieces, divided

1 cup cold milk

2 Pkg. (3.4 oz each) Jell-o Vanilla Instant Pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tub of cool whip, thawed and divided

POUR: 1/4 caramel topping into crust, sprinkle with 1/2 of pecans. (the best part!!)

BEAT: milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with a whisk until blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cool whip. Spread into crust.

Refrigerate at least an hour. Top with remaining cool whip, caramel topping and pecans just before serving. Makes 10 servings.

Chunky Beef Noodle Soup

Got this recipe from my friend Emily. I haven't tried it yet, but if she says it's delicious (which she does), then it is.

1 lb. boneless round steak, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10-1/12 ounces)condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup uncooked spiral pasta
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

In large saucepan, cook round steak, onion and garlic in oil until the meat is browned and the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in water, tomatoes, consomme and seasonings; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 1-1/2 hours. Stir in pasta and green pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until noodles are tender, about 8 minutes. Add parsley. YIELD: 8 servings (2 quarts)

Soup Starter

I read about this idea online today {here} and thought "meh, why not?". I might be a bit more picky about what goes in it, but it could work!

Basically you just throw in all your leftover veggies, meats, gravies, mashed potatoes, rice, etc into a plastic tupperware in the freezer. When its full, you dump it all in a pot, add some chicken stock, seasoning, maybe some pasta, canned tomatoes or beans...and voila! Yummy soup! Eat with some good crusty bread and butter.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Carnation Café, Disneyland (from Delicious Disney)
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 cup diced celery
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 cups heavy cream

Optional Garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses

Directions:

In a 6 – 8 quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp.
Remove bacon and drain on paper towels (reserve half for garnish). In the bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in flour and stir constantly over low heat about 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Add stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust thickness by adding water or stock. The soup should have a creamy consistency. Season to taste, and garnish with toppings, if desired.

~Soak diced potatoes in cold water until ready to use to keep them from turning brown. To make bacon easier to chop, lightly freeze.

Cranberry Chicken

Cranberry Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 can whole cranberries

1 Lipton onion soup packet

1 cup Catalina Dressing

Directions:

Combine ingredients over chicken in baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over white rice.

~this recipe doesn't seem spectacular, buts its really good, kid friendly, and easy to make! Its also a nice change to the chicken/cream of...soup/rice recipes!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 pkg. yellow cake mix - minus 1 cup
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg

Filling:
1 lb. can pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Topping:
1 cup cake mix
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Grease 9x13 glass cake pan. After taking out 1 cup cake mix for topping, combine remaining cake mix, butter and egg. Press in bottom of pan. Prepare filling, mix until smooth, pour over crust. For topping, combine ingredients and sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cut in squares and top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

~another recipe from my cousin Kimi! We had it for dessert tonight and it was fabulous!
~Bethany S.

Pumpkin Pancakes

~My cousin Kimi tried these out and her family raved about them so she passed it on to me! Its from Martha Stewart's website. We ate them this morning and they were soooooo good. Canned pumpkin is getting its own spot in our year supply now!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 TBS sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp each cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp nutmeg

a pinch of ground cloves

1 cup milk

6 TBS canned pumpkin puree

2 TBS melted butter

1 egg

Directions:

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt, nutmeg, and ground cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together milk, canned pumpkin puree, melted butter, and 1 egg; fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium-low heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Makes 8.

~This recipe was barely enough to feed all 4 of us, so I'll be doubling it next time and freezing any leftovers for the next morning!

~Bethany S.