Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

 Recipe from Foodnetwork by Paula Deen

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons orange zest

2 (12 ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

2 Tbsp fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup bundt pan.

Combine sugar, pecans, and zest in a small bowl then set aside. 

Separate the biscuits.

Put 3/4 tsp cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. 

Fold each biscuit over the cream cheese and to seal press the edges down.

Dip the biscuits in the butter, then dredge in the sugar mixture.

Put biscuits curve side down into the bundt pan spacing them evenly do not stack.

Place any remaining biscuits around the tub to fill any gaps. 

Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

Immediately invert the cake onto a serving dish. 

Combine confectioner's sugar and orange juice, stir well.

Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. 

Serve warm.

Apple Dip

 8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mini chocolate chips

Caramel apple dip (buy in produce section it is in a tub)

Toffee bits

Cream together cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla. Spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom of a plastic container. Sprinkle with a layer of mini chocolate chips. Top with a layer of caramel apple dip. Sprinkle with a layer of toffee bits. Store in the refrigerator. Serve with apples. 

Cheese Ball

 Recipe: Carol Bingham

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (8 ounce) can pineapple, well drained

2 cups pecans, chopped

1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped fine

2 Tbsp onion, minced

1 Tbsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Mix softened cream cheese with pineapple, 1 cup pecans, green pepper, onion, and seasoning salt. Form into a ball and roll in remaining pecans. Refrigerate. Serve with crackers of your choice. 

Acini de Pepe Fruit Salad aka Frog Eye Salad

 Recipe: Marie Coombe

1 package acini

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/3 cup pineapple juice (use juice from drained pineapple)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained

2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained (save juice separately)

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup coconut

1 large frozen Cool Whip

Cook acini in 3 quarts of water with 1 tsp oil and 2 tsp salt. When tender rinse in colander and cool.

In the meantime, in a medium saucepan combine sugar, flour, pineapple juice (use the drained pineapple juice from canned pineapple) eggs, salt and lemon juice; cook until thickened. Cool.

In a very large bowl combine cooled acini and cooled sauce. Add mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, marshmallows, coconut and frozen topping; mix well. Place in refrigerator overnight. Will keep in refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. Add sliced bananas just before serving if desired. 

Pie Crust

Recipe: Margo Stevenson

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup shortening

1 extra large egg

1/4 cup cold water

1 Tbsp vinegar

Stir flour and salt together. Cut in shortening into flour and salt until pea size with pastry cutter. Beat egg and add vinegar and water. Slowly pour into flour mixture, blending with a fork as little as possible. Roll half the dough out on a floured pastry cloth until it fits a 9 inch pie pan. Roll up onto rolling pin and roll out over pie tin. Carefully press into tin and flute edge. Repeat for remaining dough. 

Nyla's Sweet Potatoes

Recipe: Nyla Miller

5 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked, and diced

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

1 cup pecans

Combine the first six ingredients. Mix brown sugar, flour, baking soda, softened butter, and pecans. Put on top of sweet potato mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. 

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

2 large eggs

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 unbaked pie shell

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. 

Beat eggs in large bowl.

Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.

Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. 

Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the pie comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. 

Salsa

Recipe from Carlos Lucas (Miguel's brother)

2 cans tomato sauce (12 ounces)

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp pepper

1 Tbsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp garlic

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

Boil and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Avgolemono Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Recipe from The Mediterranean Dish

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped carrots

1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped green onions

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 cup rice

salt and pepper

2 cooked boneless chicken breast pieces shredded about 6 to 8 ounces

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 large eggs

In a large heavy pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium-high. Add the carrots, celery and green onions, toss together to sauté for a minute or two then stir in garlic.

Add the chicken broth and bay leaves then raise the heat to high. Once the liquid has come to a rolling boil, add the rice, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Now stir in the cooked chicken.

To prepare the egg-lemon sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs. While whisking add 2 ladles-full of the broth from the cooking pot (this helps temper the eggs). Once fully combined, add the sauce to the chicken soup and stir. Remove from the heat immediately. 

Garnish with fresh parsley if you like. 

Caramel Popcorn Recipe

 Recipe from Kelsey Hunzeker

1 cup light corn syrup

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup whipping cream

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp vanilla

Boil 5 to 8 minutes to keep caramel soft. If you boil longer the caramel will just harden when it is cool. 

Cream of Chicken Soup

 Recipe from amindfullmom.com

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tsp seasoned salt

Heat butter over medium heat.

Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking occasionally to remove the raw flour taste, until a thick paste forms.

Slowly whisk in chicken stock, blending well. Once chicken stock is well combined in the roux, slowly whisk in milk and add in seasoned salt.

Over medium heat whisk until the mixture comes to a boil again and cook until thickened, about 2 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and use in whatever recipe calls for cream of chicken soup.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

 Recipe from foodnetwork.com and Ina Garten

1 pound carrots, peeled

1 pound parsnips, peeled

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded (about 2 pounds)

3 Tbsp good olive oil

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 1/4 inch cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking so don't cut them too small.

Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve hot. 

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

 Recipe from madeitateitlovedit.com

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp garlic

1 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

salt and pepper

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

In a skillet add butter and minced garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes.

Salt and pepper all sides of the shrimp.

Toss shrimp into sautéed garlic. 

Cook for another few minutes. 

Add lemon juice and sauté the shrimp. Add chopped parsley.

Season with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if you want. 

Stuffed French Toast

10 to 14 slices of French bread

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1 pint strawberries, sliced

4 large eggs

1 Tbsp orange zest

3/4 cup cream

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp butter

Beat cream cheese until smooth, add 3 Tablespoons sugar and almond extract and  mix well. Spread some of the cream cheese mixture on one side of two slices of French bread, put sliced berries on one of the slices and top with other slice of bread to make a sandwich. 

Preheat skillet to medium. Add oil and butter, let melt in pan. 

In a large shallow bowl combine eggs, cream, 1 tbsp sugar and zest. 

Dip assembled sandwiches into egg mixture and cook until golden brown on both sides. 

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm syrup and more fruit. 

Jimmy Dean Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Recipe from Jimmy Dean received from allrecipes.com

1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits

2 1/2 cups milk

1 (9.6 ounce) package sausage crumbles

1/4 cup flour

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bake biscuits

Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat 5-6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk; cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Becky's Donut Recipe

 Basic Sweet Dough for Donuts

2 envelopes (4 1/2 tsp) yeast, soaked in

1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 cups milk

1 cup butter

2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar (honey or corn syrup)

Rind and juice of 1 lemon

4 eggs

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg or cardamom

8 to 10 cups all purpose flour

1. Scald milk and cool.

2. Cream together butter, salt, and sugar

3. Add slightly beaten eggs, lemon, spice, lukewarm milk and soaked yeast.

4. Work in flour.

5. Knead, keeping dough somewhat softer than for loaf bread.

6. Cover and let rise one hour in greased bowl or until double in size.

7. Punch down dough and roll out onto floured surface. (About an inch thick)

8. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size.

9. Heat oil in pan about 4 inches deep. 

10. Flip donut shapes so that risen side is down in oil. Deep fry on each side until golden brown and no longer doughy.

11. Place on paper towels until cooled, then decorate.

Pretzel Berry Salad

6 ounces raspberry gelatin powder

2 cups boiling water

Ice cubes

10 ounces frozen raspberries

2 cups pretzels, crushed

3 Tbsp sugar (for crust)

1/2 cup butter, melted

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sugar

9 ounces Cool Whip

8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained

Stir Jello into boiling water until dissolved. Add ice cubes until measuring cup reads 3 cups. Add frozen raspberries and set in refrigerator. Mix together 2 cups of crushed pretzels, sugar and butter. Put into a 9x13 inch pan and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Take out and stir a little. Beat the cream cheese until fluffy and add sugar. Mix in Cool Whip and pineapple. Spread onto the cooled crust. When Jello is partially set pour on top of cream cheese mixture and refrigerate. Garnish with more Cool Whip.