cHoCoLaTe CoVeReD cHeRRiEs

Source: Taste of Home

•1 cup butter, melted
•1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
•3 pounds confectioners' sugar
•54 maraschino cherries (about two 10-ounce jars), patted dry
•1 pound milk chocolate candy coating, melted

Directions
• In a large bowl, combine butter and milk. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until a smooth dough is formed. Divide in half; cover with plastic wrap.
• Shape remaining portion of dough into 1-in. balls; flatten to 2-in. circles. Wrap each circle around a cherry and gently reshape into a ball. Dip into milk chocolate coating; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 9 dozen.


Nutritional Facts: 1 piece equals 129 calories, 4 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 17 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein.

CooKiE DoUgH TrUffLeS

Source: Pam Price

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2-1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1 1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating....or 1 1/2 bags milk chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and add milk. Add miniature semisweet chocolate chips and pecans, mixing well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on waxed paper; chill for 2 hours. Melt chocolate chips, using 2 forks dip cookie balls into chocolate. Place on waxed paper and chill to set. Store in fridge for at least 1 hour.

DoUgHnUts (SpUdNuTs)

Source: Bethany Braithwaite

1/2 cup shortening
1 egg beaten
6 cups flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup mashed potatoes
2 Tablespoons yeast
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Cut shortening into 5 cups flour. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add potato, sugar, salt, egg, milk, and yeast to flour. Mix well. Knead dough using rest of flour till smooth. Rest 10 minutes. Roll to 1/2 “ Cut on flour surface. Let rise 45 minutes. Fry in hot vegetable oil.

Glaze: 1lb (about 4 cups) sugar; 1/2 cup boiling water; 1 teaspoon vanilla

CaRaMeL AppLe cHeeSeCaKe BaRs

CrUsT:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened


cHeeSeCaKe FillInG:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

AppLeS:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

StReUseL toPPiNg:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

CaRaMeL tOppInG:
1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

CrUsT: In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

cHeeSeCaKe FiLLiNg: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

AppLeS: In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

StReUseL ToPPiNg: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

EaSy ChiCkEn CoRdOn bLeU

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

For the Cordon Bleu:
3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have 6 total thin chicken breasts)
12 slices good quality deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs (preferably fresh)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced Swiss cheese

For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

*Note: Save the heels of your bread and store them in the freezer until you need them, then grind them up quickly in a blender or food processor. You can also toast your bread to get the dry effect before putting in your blender or food processor.

Directions:
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.

Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with slices of Swiss cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.

Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.

When the chicken is almost done, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.

Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.


Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce. Makes 6 servings.

CoCoNuT SyRuP

7-8 Tablespons butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

SpiNaCh LaSagNe RoLLs

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

9 lasagne noodles, cooked
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
1 (15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
salt and fresh pepper
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced (optional)
32 oz tomato sauce (I use spaghetti sauce)
9 Tablespoons part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Make sure you drain the spinach well. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, Italian seasonings, chicken, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry by patting them with a paper towel. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over a noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.