Cheese Crisps

Is it a chip?  Is a cracker?  Does it matter?  It's delicious!!  Another winner from Carla Hall.

Ingredients:
block of gruyere cheese
sesame seeds

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3.  Cut cheese into very thin slices.
4.  Put cheese on cookie sheet and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
5.  Bake for 5-8 minutes until cheese is  melted, bubbly, and golden brown.
6.  Remove from oven and cool until ready to handle.

Enjoy!!

Savory Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
45 oz broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp salt
1/3 c flour
1/3 cold water
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 (12oz) can beer (optional)

1.  In a slow cooker, combine the first eight ingredients.
2.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
3.  Combine flour and water until smooth; stir into soup.
4.  Cover and cook on high 30 minutes longer or until soup is thickened.
5.  Stir in cream cheese and cheddar cheese until blended.  (This is a great place to use an immersion blender if you have one!)
6.  Stir in beer, if desired.
7.  Cover and cook on low until heated through.
8.  Serve with desired toppings - croutons, popcorn, crumbled bacon, green onions, etc.

Stuffing Stuffed Peppers

This was a crowd-pleaser at a recent dinner party with friends.  So much so that I didn't have a chance to get a photo :)  This would also make a great meal for the day after Thanksgiving to use up that extra stuffing!!

Ingredients:
6 large red bell peppers
4 c stuffing *
2 c gravy
Shredded gruyere cheese
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper


1.  Preheat oven to 375.
2.  Cut the top off each pepper, remove stem, seeds and ribs from inside.
3.  Drizzle olive oil in each pepper and season with salt and pepper.
4.  In a large bowl, toss together the stuffing and gravy.  Spoon mixture into peppers until full.
5.  Place peppers in a greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes.
6.  Remove dish from the oven and top each pepper with cheese.
7.  Turn the oven to broil and put peppers back in for 2-3 minutes.



* I used this version with ground Italian sausage added in.  You could use any stuffing recipe you like and consider adding in leftover turkey instead of the sausage.

Chocolate Nutella & Sea Salt Fudge

A great holiday treat!!

Ingredients:
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1 c Nutella
3 Tbs butter, at room temp, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Sea Salt

1.  Line an 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
2.  In a medium glass bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, chocolate chips, Nutella, and butter.
3.  Form a double boiler by setting the bowl over a medium pot of gently simmering water.  The water level should be low enough that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. 
4.  Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, 5-7 minutes.
5.  Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, spread the top smooth with a spatula, and sprinkle with sea salt. 
6.  Refrigerate until fudge is firm, at least 2 hours.
7.  Once firm and cool, cut into bite-sized pieces.

Apple and Onion Stuffin'

Super duper simple.  Easy peasy.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
4 Tbs butter, softened
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 or 4 apples, chopped
salt/pepper
2 Tbs poultry seasoning*
8 c cubed stuffing mix*
2-3 c chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a skillet over med/high heat, heat oil and 4 Tbs butter. 
3. When butter melts, add celery, onions, and apples.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning*. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
4. Then add stuffing cubes and mix completely.
5.  Moisten with stock until all of the bread is soft.
6. Pour stuffing into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
7. Serve hot or at room temp.


*If you are using seasoned bread crumbs, omit the poultry seasoning.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

A great alternative to pumpkin pie!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

Ingredients for the cake:
-1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
-2 1/2 c flour
-2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
-2 large eggs
-1 1/2 c sugar
-1 (15oz) can of pumpkin puree

Ingredients for the frosting:
-1/2 c very soft, unsalted butter
-1 (8oz) pacakge very soft cream cheese
-1/4 c honey

1.  Preheat oven to 250. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter and pumpkin puree.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix gently until smooth.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
6.  Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool complete on a rack.
7.  Frosting: Whisk together butter, cream cheese, and honey until smooth.

Asian Slaw

Ha!  Just cleaned off my desk and found this recipe buried at the bottom of a paper pile.  I made this several times this summer - great salad for summer BBQs and potlucks as it does not contain anything that will spoil in the sun!

Asian Slaw
Ingredients:
- 2, 3oz packages of ramen noodles
-2, 8.5oz packages of slaw mix
-1 c sliced almonds
-1 c sunflower seeds
-1 bunch of green onions, chopped
-1/2 c sugar
-3/4 c vegetable oil
-1/3 cup vinegar

1. Crush noodles and place in the bottom of a large bowl.
2. Then, add slaw mix, almonds, sunflower seeds, and green onions.
3. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, oil, and vinegar.
4. Pour dressing over salad. chill for 24 hours.
5.  Toss before serving.