Cranberry Cocktail

Great for holidays!! My kids love this juice and love to use fancy glasses!


1 64 oz bottle of cranberry juice cocktail (I used cran-apple)
1 liter bottle of lime Perrier water

Gently stir together. Cut lime wedges to garnish glasses.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

This is very good! I sprinkled some fresh grated parmesan cheese on top, too (which the recipe doesn't call for). Also if you are serving this to young children, I would recommend omitting the red pepper flakes- they tend to make it a tad spicy!

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Canola/vegetable oil

Salt

6 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons olive oil

9 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped parsley

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 ounces linguine

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the linguine and cook until al dente, 7-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in another large heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minutes. Don't burn the garlic. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper and saute just until shrimp turns pink, five minutes. Remove from heat. Add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices and red pepper. Toss to combine. Drain pasta and toss with sauce and serve.


From Food Network's Barefoot Contessa

Spicy Corn Chowder

This is not that spicy- it is tasty- and it was not too spicy for my kids- who are 4, 5 and 6!

1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1 small-medium onion, finely chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 large red potatoes, diced
1 cup milk
16 ounces frozen corn
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute bacon until crisp and browned and the fat is rendered. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and reserve. There should be about 4 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper to pan. Saute until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the flour until thoroughly combined. Cook the flour about 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock, potatoes, bay leaf, milk, corn and cayenne. Simmer about 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Garnish with crispy bacon.

Creamy Bowties With Asparagus

1 pkg. bow tie pasta
1/2 c. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
10-15 spears asparagus, blanched
1/2 c. bacon, crumbled
1/4 c. toasted pinenuts (optional)
Fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente. Do NOT over cook.In heavy skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and saute a minute or so. Add Parmesan Cheese and bouillon cube(s). When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream and salt & pepper. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched asparagus. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley & Parmesan cheese and toss together. Serve immediately.

Summer Pasta Salad

1 16 oz box tri-colored rotini pasta
1 large crown broccoli, chopped
2 thick slices Provalone cheese, cubed
2 thick slices hard salami, cubed
1 can large black olives, sliced
1 16 oz bottle Ken's Italian with Aged Romano salad dressing


Cook pasta till al dente. Rinse with cold water, drain, and pour into large serving bowl and add everything but the dressing. Chill till ready to serve(chill dressing separately). Take dressing bottle and do not shake. Pour off half the oil at the top of the bottle, then shake the rest and pour on pasta till well covered, about half a bottle. Add more dressing if necessary or on leftovers.

Creamy Crab Dip

This crab dip is so yummy! Even if you don't like crab, you should try this recipe! You really can't taste the crab. It's very tasty! I made it once and sent some home with my parents. My brother and his wife tasted it and called right away asking for the recipe! **I don't like real crab (too chewy)-- so I use imitation.**

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2-1 tsp minced garlic
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated onion
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3-6 drops hot pepper sauce (go with more if you like heat)
12 ounces premium crabmeat, drained
4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, divided
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Paprika
Assorted crackers


Directions:
In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the first nine ingredients. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted and mixture is heated through. Stir in crab and 2 tablespoons parsley; heat through.
Transfer to a serving bowl; sprinkle with almonds, paprika and remaining parsley. Serve warm with crackers. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 3-1/4 cups.

Yummy Tortellini Salad

I made this recipe up- then I shared some with my mom and my sister and they both asked for the recipe- so here it is! Just add whatever meats/veggies you want- this is what I had on hand! But it is DE-LISH!!

1 pkg tortellini (I used 4 cheese tri-colored)
1 can black olives
4 oz cheese chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/3 c chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 stick summer sausage chopped
1 handful of bacon pieces

Mix together 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 1/2 tbsp white vinegar and 1/2 tsp Salad Supreme seasoning. Pour over top. Serve! YUMMMMMM!!

Creamy Chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1 Italian seasoning packet
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken
4 tbsp butter/margarine

Mix all ingredients except for the chicken. Put chicken in the crock pot. Pour soup mixture on top. Cook on high for 3-4 hours- or low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken and let it set in the sauce for 10 minutes. Serve. I served mine with noodles. I'm sure rice or potatoes would be fine with it, too. My kids and husband all loved it :)

My Favorite Banana Bread

This bread is easy (my kids love to make it). And it is the most moist banana bread I've ever had!

* 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1-1/4 cups sugar
* 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
* 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 5 eggs
* 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4 to 5 medium)
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup chopped nuts, optional
* 1 cup chocolate chips, optional
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, bananas, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in nuts if desired.
Transfer to two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

*** My chocolate chip tip... Do you ever make bread or muffins with chocolate chips and the chocolate all sinks to the bottom? Well, this tip will eliminate that frustration! Shake your chocolate chips around in flour and then add them into the batter! They will be evenly distributed in your bread (or muffins or whatever)!

Hazelnut Brownies

Make your favorite brownies. While they're still warm, spread Nuetella over them. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Serve. YUM!

Southwest Cheeseburger Soup

Brown one pound lean hamburger and drain. Add 2 cans Rotel, 2 cans minestrone soup (I like Progresso), and 2 cans beans ~ rinsed and drained (I use 1 can kidney and 1 can black ~ your choice). Simmer on stove until mixed and hot. Before serving, cube 1 pound of Velveeta and add to soup. Warm and stir until cheese is melted. Serve with chips.

Awesome Carrot Cake

This is the cake that my mom requested on her birthday. It is the most moist carrot cake I've ever had!


• 3 cups grated carrots
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
•
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine grated carrots, flour, white sugar, baking soda, baking
powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in eggs, oil, 1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, pineapple
and 3/4 cup chopped nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted
into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, cream cheese,
1/2 cup butter or margarine and 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla. Beat until smooth, then
stir in 1 cup chopped nuts. Spread on cooled cake.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 3/8 cups sifted flour (for high altitudes add 1/4 cup additional flour.)
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together:softened butter, sugar, and egg. Sift together: sifted flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix and set aside: sugar, and cinnamon. Chill the dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Roll the dough into balls about the size of walnuts. Roll the balls in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place the balls about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until center is almost set and cookie appears lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Cookies will puff up at first, then flatten out with a crinkled top.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-½ lb.)
6 Thin Slices Smoked Ham
1 can (10-¾ oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
6 Slices Swiss Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.

PLACE chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with ham. Mix soup and mustard; spoon over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing.

BAKE 25 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165°F). Top with cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Yields: 6 servings

This is from the Kraft magazine 'Food & Family'.

Crescent Bacon Cheese Tartlets

1 can crescent dinner rolls
1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon
1 tbsp chopped green onion
1 egg
3 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp melted butter


Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough into 1 large rectangle on work surface. Press into 12x9-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Cut dough into 12 squares. Gently press squares into 12 ungreased mini muffin cups, shaping edges to form rims 1/4 inch high. Spoon cheese evenly into dough-lined cups. Top each with bacon and onion. In small bowl, beat egg and whipping cream with wire whisk or fork until blended. Spoon slightly less than 1 tablespoon mixture into each cup. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and filling is set. Remove from oven and brush edges lightly with melted buttter. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups

Aunt Elizabeth's Caramel Crackers

1 box of Club Crackers
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup chopped Pecans
1/2 cup sugar

Melt butter in a pan, I use a heavy one. Add sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has melted. Keep stirring and add pecans. When the mixture is smooth remove from stove. The crackers need to be laid out on a foil lined cookie sheet. Put about 1 tsp of mixtue on each cracker. Bake in oven on 350* for 2-10 minutes. You need to keep an eye on them. When they cool you can break them apart and they are ready to go!!!

This recipe was shared by a lady from our church. She brought them to a church function and they were awesome!!

Swiss Roll Cake

YUMMO!!!!!!!!!! If you like swiss cake rolls (don't kid yourself- you know we all do ;)), you have to try this cake!

1 package (13 ounces) Swiss cake rolls
2-3/4 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.9 ounces each) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
2 cups whipped topping


Cut each cake roll into eight slices; set aside any chocolate coating that separates from rolls for garnish. Line a 9-in. springform pan with cake slices, completely covering the bottom and sides. In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Pour over cake. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with any reserved chocolate coating. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
(From Simple and Delicious magazine)

Chocolate on Chocolate Cookies

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/2 C. oil
1 bag chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together.Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Leave on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Cool.

**If you want to add a little more flavor, of course you can also add peanut butter chips. You can add them to the recipe or omit the chocolate chips and just add the pb chips.**

Chocolate Turtle Cake

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup cocoa
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (use pero instead)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened orange juice
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups canola oil or vegetable oil

STREUSAL FILLING:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup coconut (optional)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Set oven to 350 degrees.
Set rack to second-lowest position.

Generously grease and flour a bundt pan (I use my Pan Release for this, make certain to well-grease your pan!).

If using the streusel, mix all streusel ingredients;set aside.

In an extra large mixing bowl, dump ALL cake ingredients; mix well until combined on medium speed of an electric mixer for about 3 minutes.

If layering with streusel, pour half of the cake batter into prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle the streusel mix evenly over batter. Top with remaining cake batter.

Bake for 45-60 minutes (may take a little longer to bake if making the cake with the streusel filling).


YUM!!!

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon dehydrated onion

1/2 tablespoon dehydrated garlic

1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary

1/2 tablespoon dried fennel



Directions:

Mix together and store in a shaker.

Shake or rub 1 tablespoon seasoning onto steaks, pork chops or hamburgers before grilling.

4 Cheese Farfalle Pasta

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes (I like to use the roasted garlic kind)
1 package (16 ounces) farfalle pasta (bow ties)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1&1/2 cups milk
1&1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1&1/2 cups grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup sliced fresh basil
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1. Drain tomatoes. Reserve 1&1/4 cups juice and set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk and reserved tomato juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add basil.

3. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, sauce, and reserved tomatoes. Stir in all cheeses & parsley. Toss gently. Place in a greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cube butter
1 ¼ cup heavy cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, mix together sugar, corn syrup and butter and bring to a boil. Cook to 237 degrees on a candy thermometer. Slowly add ¾ cup of the cream and bring mixture back to 237 degrees. Then add the remaining ½ cup cream and vanilla. Stir just until incorporated then take off heat and let cool slightly and thicken up a bit before drizzling over ice cream.

Creamy Crab Dip

* 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 2 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons grated onion
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 3 drops hot pepper sauce
* 6 ounces premium crabmeat, drained
* 4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, divided
* 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
* Paprika
* Assorted crackers

In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the first nine ingredients. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted and mixture is heated through. Stir in crab and 2 tablespoons parsley; heat through.
Transfer to a serving bowl; sprinkle with almonds, paprika and remaining parsley. Serve warm with crackers. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 3-1/4 cups.

This is really yummy! And, it is not 'crabby' at all-- I would actually even add a little more crab than the recipe calls for.

Old Bay Seasoning

1 tablespoon ground bay leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Combine all ingredients, then store in an airtight container.

This seasoning is great on seafood.