Butternut Squash Bisque

4 cups butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 can chicken broth or 1 cup water w/ chicken boullion cube
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In 3 quart saucepanover medium heat place squash in enough water to cover it. Heat to a boil. Reduce to low and cover for 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Drain and blend in food processor until smooth.

In hot saucepan melt butter and add onion and garlic cook until tender. Add pureed squash, broth,salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat to boiling, reduce to low and cook 5 minutes.

Stir in heavy cream. Heat through stirring occasionally. If necessary thin with milk or water to desired consistency.

Garnish with parsley.

Cafe Rio style Enchiladas

4 chicken breasts diced and boiled or grilled
1 can black beans drained
1 1/2 cups rice cooked (tastes better with not instant)
1 can enchilada sause chile verde
1 1/2 cups cheese grated
1/2 cup cilantro fresh (this item I usually add to taste so may use more)
Tortilla shells


Cook chicken, cube, layer the ingredients onto your tortilla shell pour in a little enchillada sauce and wrap up tucking the ends under.

Lay enchilladas side by side in a glass 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with mozarella cheese then coat generously with remaining enchillada sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Butter Cream Frosting

1/3 cup butter
3 cups sifted powdered sugar, divided
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp evaporated milk

Beat butter and half of the sugar, blending well. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Gradually blend in remaining sugar. Add enough milk to make it of spreading consistency.

Red Velvet Cake

1 Cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp red food coloring

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and beat well after each egg. Add vanilla and beat. Sift dry ingredients together. Mix the buttermilk, vinegar, and coloring and add to butter mixture alternately with dry ingredients beginning and ending with flour. Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Stuffed Cheesy Mushrooms

1 pound medium mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (with tops)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp buter

Heat oven to 350. remove stems from mushrooms; finely chop stems. Cook and stir mushroom stems, onions and garlic in 1/4 cup butter over medium heat about 5 minutes until tender; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except 1 tbsp butter.

heat 1 tbsp butter in shallow baking pan in oven until melted fill mushroom caps with bread crumb mixture. Place mushrooms, filled sides up in pan. Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Per appetizer:
Calories 25
Protein 0g
Carbs 2g
Fat 2g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 50mg

Sydney's Favorite Pretzelmaker Pretzels

Mix 1st three ingredients and set aside about 5 minutes.
2 Tbsp yeast sprinkles on top of the sugar water
1 Cup brown sugar
3 Cups warm water


Add:
8 Cups flour (aprox.)
(put the first 2 cups into your mixer(Bosch). Pour water mixture all at once into the flour and mix with whisk attachments for 4 minutes. Take out whisk attachments and put in the dough hook. Add the remaining flour gradually, until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Check dough it should be soft but not sticky. Add small amounts of flour until it reaches this stage. Knead dough in machine for 5 minutes from this point.

Transfer dough to a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray and let rise until doubled (aprox 1 to 1 1/2 hour).

Break off pieces of dough the size a little bigger than a golf ball and roll out into long strands aprox 16". Twist into a pretzel shape.

Boil:
2 Quarts water
1/4 Cup baking soda


Put pretzel shaped dough into boiling water for 20 seconds on each side. Then place on cookie sheet. You can shake coarse salt sprinkled on the sheets if you like the tradtional pretzel.

Bake:
400 degrees conventional oven for 8 to 10 minutes. It may take a few minutes longer better to have more browned than doughy.

400 degrees convection oven for 4 to 6 minutes.

Cool for 2 to 3 minutes and dip into desired topping.

Topping:
Melted Butter
Pretzel Salt
Parmesan Cheese
Cinnamon/Sugar

Chicken Bake with curry sauce

# of chicken breasts per person (I used 7 breasts for this amount of sauce)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1/4 cup can milk or milk to thin sauce
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp curry
1 tsp lemon peel
1 clove garlic minced
grated fresh parmesean cheese to cover each chicken

Place chicken breasts into baking dish and cover with cheese. Mix all other ingredients and pour over chicken.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

This was a spur of the moment creation that turned out we liked so I am estimating the ingredients as close as possible.

Broccoli Salad

1 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 lb bacon cooked, crumbled
1/4 cup red onion chopped
1 head broccoli washed, chopped

Cook bacon and cool. Crumble set aside. Mix mayonaise, sugar and vinegar, add cheese onion, and bacon and stir. Add broccoli and chill in fridge 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

per serving 312 calories; 28 fat grams; 10 grams protein; 8 grams carb; 32 grams cholesterol; 475 mg sodium.

exchanges: 1 lean meat, 1/2 vegetable, 3 fat, 1/2 other carb.

Oreo Kisses

Oreo Kisses

1 package oreo cookies (divided… use cookie including the cream center)
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
chocolate bark

1. Finely crush all but seven cookies in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency.
2. Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.
3. Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
4. Then, begin to form the shape of a kiss. Flattening the bottom and forming a point at the top. (Mine ended up about 1.5" tall)
5. It helps to put the uncoated balls in the freezer for a few minutes to keep the mixture from starting to fall apart when you drop into the melted chocolate.
6. Melt chocolate as directed on package and then dip "kisses" one at a time into chocolate, tap off extra and slide them off spoon onto wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
7. Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy! Oh yeah, just eat the extra seven cookies.

Decorate:
1. Handwrite your messages or create them on the computer. Cut out the strips (about 1/4" tall and however wide you need).
2. Cut up some square sheets of aluminum foil (about 5.5" square)
3. Place dry kiss in center and start wrapping the foil around the base. Insert message near top and secure it by pressing the foil together at top.

Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes Tyler Florence

1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup

For the pancakes

2 cups ricotta
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
Butter, for cooking
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, optional
1 cup maple syrup, warmed on stove-top

I found this recipie on Nummy Kitchen and the only change I made to the recipie was decreasing the amount of ricotta cheese since it tended to make the pancakes seem doughy. It makes for a really moist pancake and I love to serve it with some raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries rolled up like a crepe.

The original recipie also called for roasted apples on top which I chose to omit.

Death by Chocolate

Every time we have a church supper, I have to make this. It's a favorite!

Yield: 1 - punch bowl
Ingredients
1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered English toffee
Directions
Prepare brownies according to package directions. Let cool.
Mix pudding according to package directions.
In a glass punch bowl, layer in the following order: 1/2 of the brownie, crumbled; 1/2 of the pudding; 1 toffee bar, crushed; 1/2 of the whipped topping.
Repeat layers in the same order. Save the last toffee bar to crumble and sprinkle on top before serving.
Refrigerate. Best if made the day before you serve it.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 C. Flour
1 3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Cocoa
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1/2 C. Oil
2 Tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Boiling Water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour pans (13x9" or two 9" or three 8" layers) Combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat 2 min. Stir in boiling water. Batter will be thin. Pour into pans. Bake 30-35 min for layers, 35-40 min for 13x9" or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack for 10 min. Remove from pans. Cool completely.

Top with either choice below, I prefer the Ganache.

Chocolate Ganache:

1 1/2 Cups milk chocolate chips
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla


FLUFFY FROSTING:

1 C. Cold Milk
1 Pkg. (4 serving) Instant Pudding mix - any flavor
1 tub (8oz) cool whip, thawed

Pour milk into bowl, add pudding mix. Beat with wire wisk 2 min. Gently stir in Cool Whip and spread on cake.