Grape Salad

Ingredients:

2 lbs of green seedless grapes
2 lbs of red seedless grapes ; I use 4 lbs of grapes since not a huge fan of green grapes
8 ounces of cream cheese
8 ounces of sour cream
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Topping ingredients

1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of crushed pecans; or whatev nut you prefer

Directions

Wash Grapes; Set aside
mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla til well blended
Stir grapes into mixture; pour in large serving bowl
Combine brown sugar and nuts, sprinkle of grapes
Chill overnight

Tomatillo Salsa

1 jalapeno
1 1/2 bunches of cilantro, no stems
12-15 fresh tomatillos, about 1 1/2 to 2 inch size, use less if larger
juice of 1 lime
1-3 teaspoons of sugar, or other sweetener
salt to taste


Boil the jalapeno in water; just place in water in microwave and cook on high for 3 minutes. Cut off stem and throw the whole thing in blender with all other ingredients. Make sure you have husked and cleaned the tomatillos first. Blend until almost smooth. Chill.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Cookie coating:
2 tablespoons sugar (I did 1 T of cane sugar and 1 T of white sugar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-Turn oven to 375. In a small mixer bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed till softened. Add brown sugar and beat till fluffy.
2- Add egg and vanilla. Beat well.
3- In a medium mixing bowl stir together whole wheat flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. With mixer on low speed gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating til well mixed.
4- In small bowl stir together sugar and cinnamon. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar-cinnamon mix. Place about 2 inches apart on un-greased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.
5- Bake for 8-10 minutes or till edges are firm. Use a spatula to lift cookies onto a cooling rack.

HOT FUDGE CAKE...need I say more??

1 cup sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Whisk ½ cup sugar with ¼ cup cocoa powder and set aside.

Whisk the flour, remaining ½ cup sugar, remaining ¼ cup cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk milk, butter, egg yolk, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips (the batter will be stiff).

Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared pan and spread into corners. Sprinkle reserved cocoa and sugar mixture evenly over the top. Gently pour boiling water over cocoa. Do not stir.

Bake until the top of the cake is cracked, sauce is bubbling and a toothpick inserted into cakey area comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 22-24minutes! serve with ice cream it's delish
from: my kitchen cafe

* This is by far one of my top five desserts so so so good!!:)

Stromboli

1 loaf of Rhodes bread dough or you can do make your own bread dough
1/4 lb of ham, pastrami, and salami
provolone and mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. of basil and oregano
melted butter of olive oil
cornmeal

method: set out bread dough to thaw or if you are making your own follow those directions. Once thawed lay dough out on a cookie sheet layer with ham,pastrami,and salami along the middle of the dough going lenghwise. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. of the basil and oregano then layer on the cheeses I used about a cup of the mozzarella cheese the sprinkle the remaining basil and oregano. Wet edges of dough and lightly spread olive oil/butter and sprinkle cornmeal. Carefully flip Stromboli over and repeat.

Bake at 375 for 20-22 minutes

* It's a really easy meal that look harder then it really is. Trust me you will like it!:)

Our version of Turkey Chili...

1 package ground turkey
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced I used half red and half yellow for color.
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder (I just used 1 1/2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp Cumin (I used a little less)
1/4 cup diced jalepeno peppers (I just used one small)
1 can diced tomatoes, chopped fine
1 jar Homemade Chili Sauce
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 small sweet potatoe diced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp creole or cajun seasoning blend
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar



I cooked the ground turkey in olive oil until it was done.
I added the turkey plus the remaining ingredients into a crock pot
Let the crockpot do its job and cook for about 4-6 hours.
Sweet but, Spicy. Perfect for those cold days. YUMMY!!!

Homemade Seasonings

FAJITA SEASONING:
In a small bowl, combine
1 1/2 t. cumin,
1/2 t. oregano,
1/4 t. salt,
1/4 t. ground red pepper,
1/4 t. ground black pepper,
1/8 t. garlic powder,
and 1/8 t. onion powder.

TACO SEASONING
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground oregano
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix well. Yield 3 tablespoons mix. Equal in strength to a 1 1/4 ounce package of commercial taco seasoning.

Sorta-fresh salsa

28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
¼ yellow onion, chopped
5 green onions, sliced
1 cup cilantro, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano

Combine all ingredients and let flavors marry for 1 hour before serving. Great with chips or Taco

Easy Carrot Cake

This cake is perfect for bridal or baby showers. Or anytime!

Mix together:
4 well beaten eggs
1 1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup sugar

Add:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 reg jars of baby food carrots

Bake at 350 on greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes.

Frost with cream cheese frosting. 1 1/2 cans. Cut into 24 pieces.

Wild Rice Soup

3 cups cooked wild rice
1 large onion finely diced
1 carrot shredded
1 rib celery finely diced
1 cup diced ham
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
8 cups chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup half and half
1 cup toasted almonds

Prepare rice according to package directions. In a large 4-5 quart soup kettle, saute onion, celery, carrots, and ham in butter until vegetables are tender. Sift in the flour a little at a time, stirring and cooking until the flour is well blended. Do not let it brown.

Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring until well blended. Stir in the cream of chicken soup. Add the rice, season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the half and half. Add the sliced almonds. Reheat gently, do not boil.
Serves about 20

Grape Salad

4 lbs. Grapes
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 oz pecans
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Wash and dry grapes. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Add grapes. Sprinkle pecans and brown sugar on top.

Cornbread and Fluffy Honey Butter

The best cornbread we have ever tasted, seriously.

½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny - don't be alarmed!). Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

Honey Butter:
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Whip all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened).

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe