Amy's ENGAGED!!! :)Congratulations, Amy & Mike!!!

Pork Carnitas - January 2010

Pork Carnitas

1 4lb pork roast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp powdered cumin
1/2 tsp dried coriander or cilantro
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth

Mix all spices together (except bay leaves) and rub over pork roast. Place bay leaves in the bottom of a crock pot. Place roast with dry rub on top of bay leaves. Pour chicken broth around roast, being careful not to pour on the roast and rinse off the spice rub. Cook on low until meat pulls apart with a fork. Serve with warm tortillas, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or whatever you like. This spice rub is also good on chicken.

Mexican 7-Layer Dip-Jan at Lori's House

Spread 1 can refried beans on bottom of 8 x 8 pan.
Spread a thin layer of salsa on top,
Then a thin layer of sour cream. (You can mix the sour cream with a little bit of milk, it makes it easier to spread.)
Sprinkle grated cheddar or Mexican cheese on top.
Then sprinkle a layer of sliced olives on top of that.
Then dollop spoonfuls of guacamole around the edges of the pan.
Sprinkle the whole thing with shredded lettuce.

Chill for at least 1 hour and then enjoy! This works great with scoops chips so you can fill your chip with the dip.

By-LaVon Jacson

Red Hen Bread - January at Lori's house

This recipe is from Diane Botill, originally titled "Carolyn's Onion Bread." My children have re-named it

Red Hen Bread

1 T. yeast
1 1/4 c. water
1 c. milk
3 T. sugar
2 T. oil
2 tsp. salt
approx. 5 c. flour
2-3 T. dried minced onion
1 tsp. dill weed (original recipe called for dill seed, but I use weed)
egg white
poppy seeds

Mix yeast, water, milk, and sugar in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Add oil, salt, flour, onion, and dill. Mix until slightly sticky dough forms, then continue to knead for about 5 minutes if by mixer, about 10 minutes if by hand. Let rise. Shape into braids or loaves. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Let rise. Bake at 375 F for about 26 minutes.

Korrie's Notes: A single recipe makes about 3 lbs. of dough, which will make one large braid (about as long as a cookie sheet) or two smaller ones. I always double the recipe, and when I do, I use 1 1/2 T. yeast.

Jessica had her baby boy last night! :) Just thought you'd all like to know. I'll let her give you the details, but I will say that she and the baby are doing just great! :)

Cheese Logs

1 roll of goat cheese (the cheapest place I've found them is at Costco, they're only like $5!)
Craisins
basil (or any herb you think would be tasty)
Crackers

Let cheese get to room temperature. Chop up desired amount of basil and herbs. Cut the log in half. Roll the first log in craisins until it is covered. Roll the second log in the basil until covered, you may have to do some working to get it all covered. Set them both in the center of a plate surrounded by crackers, Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Satay

Marinade:
1/2 C. coconut milk
1 minced garlic clove
1 t. curry powder
1 1/2 t. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper (next time I'm leaving this out)
3/4 lb chicken breast cut into strips (I think I used more chicken and it was fine)

Marinate at least two hours.
Traditionally after marinating you soak bamboo skewers, thread the chicken on and grill it.
I just baked the chicken in the marinade at 375 degrees for an hour.

Sauce:
1 C. coconut milk
1 T. curry powder
1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
3/4 C. chicken stock
1/4 C. brown sugar
Bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes. It will thicken slightly.
Add: 2T. lime juice and 1t. soy sauce
Garnish with cilantro, peanuts and green onion

Crunchy Asian Salad

1 box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix
1 package (3 oz) Oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cups coleslaw mix
1 cup snow pea pods, strings removed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces (I didn't have these)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 can (15 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

1. Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.

3. In large bowl, stir together seasoning mixes from pasta mix and soup mix, sugar, oil, vinegar, water and soy sauce. Add pasta, coleslaw mix, pea pods, almonds and oranges; toss to combine.

4. Just before serving, coarsely crush dry noodles from soup mix; stir into pasta mixture. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

**I toasted the almonds and the crunched up raman noodles in a saucepan with some butter in it. Then, I left those on the side for people to add as desired.**

Scalloped Corn Casserole

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 can (16 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (16 oz) cream style corn
8 pats of butter
16-20 saltine crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 350. Place eggs in a large bowl, beat well. Add milk, sugar, salt and corn. Melt 4 pats of butter in a 1-quart baking dish. Add half of the corn mixture, top with half of the crushed crackers. Add remaining corn mixture, top with remaining crackers. Place 4 pats of butter on top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until corn is bubbly and beginning to brown on top.

(Lori's house Jan 2010)

December at Korrie's house

Orange Rolls

2 pkg Golden flake refrigerator rolls
1 cube butter
1/2 cup sugar
the zest from one orange

Spray bundt pan with Pam. Arrange rolls around pan loosely. Melt butter and mix in sugar and orange zest. Pour mixture over rolls evenly. Bake 375 for 20 min.

October - Jessica's House

Appetizer Meatballs

Meatballs (I brought frozen meatballs from Costco, but this is a really good recipe if you want to make your own meatballs)

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup crushed croutons
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and roll into 1-inch balls. Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes or until desired doneness. I turn the meatballs halfway through baking. Drain off any grease and place cooked meatballs into crockpot.

Sauce

• 1 20oz bottle of Coke or beer (the original recipe calls for beer but I used Coke. It's really good either way and the alcohol cooks out)
• 20oz ketchup
• 1 pkg onion soup mix

Mix all ingredients together. Pour over meatballs in the crock and stir well, coating all meatballs with sauce. Cook in a low crockpot 4-6 hours until sauce is desired thickness.

Sundance Cheesecake - September at Lori's house

Sundance Cheesecake

Beat for 15 minutes:
3 8-oz. packages cream cheese
1 ¾ c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
¼ tsp. almond extract

Pour into a prepared graham cracker crust in a 10” springform pan. Bake at 325 F for 40-50 minutes. Cool 1 hour.

Topping (beat 5 minutes):
1 pt. sour cream
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Spread on cooled cheesecake and bake 7 minutes at 450 F.

P.S. This is VERY good cheesecake recipe, but the one I brought to dinner group was NOT up to snuff! You see, Walmart deceptively packages their “fat free cream cheese” (someone please tell me: what’s the point in THAT?!?) very similarly to the regular cream cheese, and I picked up the wrong stuff by mistake. By the time I discovered it, is was too late to run to the store again. The resulting cheesecake had (I thought) a rather gelatinous texture, which was pretty nasty. It’s cheesecake. It’s SUPPOSED to be full of fat!

October- Jessica's House

Chicken Parmigiana

4-6 chicken breasts
2 eggs (beaten)
2 C bread crumbs
2/3 C Parmesan cheese (powder or fresh)
Shredded Mozzarella
Marinara sauce

Cut each chicken breast in half and pound until very thin. Roll in egg mix and then in bread crumb mixture. (Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together to make bread crumb mixture). Deep fry for a few minutes until browned on each side. Put in 9 x 13 pan. Cook at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Spoon on marinara sauce of your choice and top with mozzarella cheese. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

August- Marlana's House

O Henry Bars

1 C Sugar
1 C Light corn syrup
1 C Crunchy peanut butter
5 C Rice Krispies
1 pkg. Butterscotch chips
1 pkg. Chocolate chips

Boil sugar and corn syrup. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. Pour over Rice Krispies. Mix well. Put in a 9 X 13 inch pan. Cool. Melt butterscotch and chocolate chips together in microwave (about 2 minutes, then stir well) Spread over Rice Krispie mixture. Let them set up. Cut into squares and enjoy!

September- Lori's House

Pistachio Jello Salad

1 pkg. pistachio dry pudding mix
1 can pineapple or fruit cocktail, (do not drain)
1 (8 oz.) frozen whipped cream
1 pkg. mini marshmallows
A few drops green food coloring
Also can garnish with chopped pistachio's

Mix all together and let sit for several hours or overnight.

February- Korrie's house

Wanton Chicken Salad

Chop 1 Head of Lettuce
3 Chicken breasts- cooked and cubed
2-4 Chopped Green Onions
1/4 c Sesame Seeds
1/2 pkg. Wonton Skins

Dressing

4 T. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 C Oil
4 tsp. Vinegar

Slice Wonton skins and deep fry until crisp. Mix salad and add dressing and sesame seeds. Top with fried wontons.

April- Julie's House

Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. cool whip
1 tsp. vanilla
Few drops of food coloring (red or green)

Mix cream cheeses and sweetened condensed milk until well blended. Fold in the remainder of ingredients and refrigerate several hours to thicken. Serve with cup-up fresh fruit.

December - Korrie's House

Peppermint Punch

1 quart peppermint ice cream
1 cup milk
2 liter bottle Sprite, 7-Up, or gingerale (I used Sprite)

Place ice cream into punch bowl and allow to soften slightly. Blend in milk and gingerale and mix until frothy. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

December - Korrie's House

Rocky Road Fudge

2 lbs. milk chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup raw or roasted almonds
5 oz small marshmallows

Directions:
Cut chocolate into small pieces. Chocolate can be melted over a double-boiler or in the microwave. If using the double-boiler method, be sure not to get any water into the chocolate. I use the microwave, but this must be done very slowly to avoid burning the chocolate. I start at 3 minutes on the lowest power possible. Always melt chocolate on low in a microwave. Stir chocolate until smooth and no lumps.

Pour cream in a pan and heat until almost scalding. Remove from heat and let cool to body temperature.

Pour warm chocolate into mixing bowl (I use my mixmaster for this step) and begin to beat. Slowly pour cream into chocolate, mixing the entire time. Beat for 10 minutes. Chocolate should pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and be a consistency that will hold its shape. Fold in almonds and marshmallows. Pour out into a buttered pan and let set. When set, cut into 1-inch pieces.

September - Lori's House

Brazilian Lemonade (serves 4)

2 limes
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
Ice

Directions:

Wash limes thoroughly. Cut off ends and slice into eight wedges. Place limes in a blender with sugar, sweetened condensed milk, water, and ice. Blend in a electric blender pulsing five times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove rinds. Serve immediately over ice. This does not keep well over night, so don't make more than you will drink.

September - Lori's House

Beef Brisket

1 2-1/2 pound beef brisket

Dry Rub:
1 Tbsp dried thyme leaves
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 tsp ground mustard

Directions:
Mix sauce ingredients and set aside to let flavors blend. Mix dry rub ingredients and rub over the brisket. Brisket should be cooked in a low temperature oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees and roast for one hour. Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Roast 5-7 hours until fork tender. You can pour some of the sauce over the brisket for the last hour of cooking, but you don't have to. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Slice across the grain and serve with sauce on the side.

May - LaVon's House

Lorraine's Dip

1 loaf round bread (style of choice)
1 jar dried beef (or package corned beef)
1 pint sour cream
1 pint mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. parsley
2 Tbsp. dill weed
2 Tbsp. Bon Apetite
2 Tbsp. minced onion

Slice dried beef in thin slices and mix all ingredients well. Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours to allow flavors to blend. Hollow out a round loaf of bread and save pieces. Before serving, fill hallowed out bread with dip. Arrange bread pieces around bread and serve. I usually buy an extra loaf of french bread and cut into large pieces so there is more bread for dipping.

February - Korrie's House

Giant Ding Dong Cake

Cake:
1 (18.25 oz.) package devil's food cake mix
1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Filling:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup shortening
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/4 Tbsp water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and instant pudding. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, oil and water. Mix until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire rack before removing from pan. Slice a 1-inch thick slice off the top of the cake and set aside. Scoop out the cake from the center of the cake leaving about 1-inch thick sides and bottom. Discard or save for another use. To make the filling, whisk together the flour and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside to cool completely. Once the flour and milk mixture has cooled, beat the 1/2 cup shortening, butter, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the milk mixutre and continue to beat for 4 more minutes. Spoon into the center of the cake and replace the layer sliced from the top. Combine the chocolate chips, 1/4 cup shortening, corn syrup, and water in the top of a double boiler. Heat, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Pour warm glaze over the top of the cake and smooth over the sides. Refrigerate until serving.

January - Maria's House

Roasted Tomato Pasta Salad

1 lb. rotelli pasta
15 roma tomatoes
string cheese

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar firmly packed
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, pressed

Directions: Wash and core tomatoes and slice in round slices, about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. I leave the skins on, but you can remove them if you like. Lay out flat on a cookie sheet. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over tomatoes. Bake at 425 for 40-50 minutes. I like more sauce on the salad, so I will usually double or even triple the sauce recipe.

Cook pasta, drain and cool. Mix the roasted tomatoes and sauce into the pasta. Pull the string cheese into strings and add to pasta. You can use shredded mozarella cheese to save time. The recipe calls for 2oz cheese, but I usually put more like 5oz. It depends on how much cheese you like! :)

October at Jessica's house-Olive garden salad

Olive Garden salad

1/2 cup mayo
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 T corn syrup
2 T romano cheese
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dry italian seasoning
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1 T lemon juice

Mix in blender. Serve over lettuce with croutons and jumbo olives.