Apple Crisp (from Tastes Better from Scratch)

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced into small chunks

Apple Filling

3-4 large apples (Granny Smith or Fuji), peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 375o F.

In a medium size bowl combine the ingredients for the crumb topping. Blend with pastry blender or fork until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while the apple filling is prepared.

For the apple filling:
In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.(Original recipe also suggested serving with homemade caramel sauce.)

Sweet Cole Slaw

1 head shredded cabbage

1 cup sliced carrot (I use a mandolin to slice the carrot)

2-3 tablespoons diced onion

Dressing

2/3 cup Miracle Whip

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

1/4 teaspoon salt

Orange Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls (from The Novice Chef Blog)

For the dough:
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
7 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt

For the filling:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
8 oz fresh cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
zest of 2 large oranges

For the orange sugar topping:
Zest of 1 large orange
1/2 cup brown sugar

For the frosting:
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
orange zest for garnish

Directions:

Add yeast to 2 cups warm water. Stir and set aside for about five minutes.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and salt until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beat until combined. Slowly add yeast mixture and mix until well combined.

Gradually add 7 1/2 cups flour. When you begin adding flour, you want the paddle attachment to remain on. But once the dough starts to come together, switch to the dough hook. Once all the flour has been added, knead the dough on medium high speed for about 3 minutes. Then remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead dough by hand, adding a little flour if the dough is still sticky. Knead dough until it feels smooth.

Place dough in a well greased bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm area and allow to rise for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove dough from bowl and place on a ligthtly floured counter. Divide dough in half. With a rolling pin, roll one half of the dough into a rectangular shape. Spread dough evenly with 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle dough with 3/4 cup brown sugar, half of the chopped cranberries, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Lastly you want to sprinkle the orange zest, I did this by actually zesting the orange over the dough with my microplane.

Gently roll dough into one long roll. Cut rolls, using a piece of dental floss or thread, about two inches thick. In a small bowl, combine the zest of one orange and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Dip and twist the tops of the cinnamon rolls in the orange/sugar mixture. Place rolls in two greased 9X13 baking pans. Now repeat the same steps for the other half of the dough.

At this point you can either freeze your cinnamon rolls for a later date or eat them immediately.

To freeze: Wrap rolls/baking pans tightly in saran wrap, followed by a tight layer of foil. They will stay good in your freezer for up to one month (probably longer, but I have never made it past 1 month). When you are ready to make them, allow the cinnamon rolls to thaw overnight, or until completely thawed. Once thawed, remove all foil/saran wrap, and follow the directions for baking immediately.

To bake immediately: Cover with a towel and place in a warm area and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until the rolls have almost doubled in size. Once they have risen, bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then drop the temperature down to 350 and allow to cook for an additional 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove pans from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

To make the frosting-in a medium bowl combine, butter, powdered sugar, milk and orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Frost the cranberry orange rolls generously with frosting. Garnish with orange zest. Serve warm. (To reheat, heat in microwave for 15 seconds)

Very loosely adapted from: Two Peas and Their Pod

Zucchini Brownies (From the kitchen of Marcia Bales; shared by Teri Mortensen)

 

2 cups zucchini

1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup nuts (if desired)

Directions:

Grate zucchini and put in large bowl. Add sugar to zucchini and mix till well blended. Let sit for about ten minutes. Mix in oil and vanilla. Mix in flour, salt, soda, cocoa and then nuts, if you want. Mix well. Watch out for flour lumps. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes in 9"x13" pan.

If you want to make the cake version just double everything and bake longer. Mine I cooked about 15 more minutes. It depends on your oven. Use a toothpick to check for doneness. The cake version is what I made for the Wearever cookie sheets( for broadcast dinner).

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1-8oz. block of cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
2 cups powdered sugar

Frosting Directions:

 In mixer beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Melt white chocolate chips and add to cream cheese and butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Turn mixer low and add in powdered sugar. Turn up speed to medium and beat until smooth. Let cool about 10 minutes before frosting.

Tex-Mex Salad (Food Network)

Directions

Whisk 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and salt; add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Grill 4 ears corn (I just pan roasted 4 cups of corn); cut off the kernels and toss with 1 can drained black beans, 1 diced red bell pepper, 4 sliced radishes and 3 chopped scallions. Toss with the dressing, season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Sour Cream Potatoes

1 pkg hash brown potatoes
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Combine all and mix. Pour into 9" x 13" baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Black Bean Soup (Recipe courtesy of Dave Lieberman)

10 slices bacon, finely chopped

2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)

6 garlic cloves, pressed

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch cilantro

juice of 1/2 lime

Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Sour cream, for garnish

Grated cheddar, for garnish

Directions

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.