Desserts...

Crunch Carmel Cereal Treat - Katie Peterson

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup real butter
1/3 cup Karo Syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 family size Crispex cereal 18 oz.
small can cashews

Mix first three ingredients and boil for 2 minutes. Add soda. Put cereal and nuts in brown paper bag. Pour mixture over the cereal. Shake and then microwave for 1 minute. Do it 6 times, shaking for few seconds, then microwaving for one minute. Once your done, place on a cookie sheet to cool. Once cooled break up into a bowl.

Filled Strawberries - Karrie Tea

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Blend and add 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

1 tube of crushed graham crackers

Fill strawberries and roll in cracker crumbs.

Coconut Haystacks - Lacey Lounsbury

1 package milk chocolate chips (can also use semi-sweet chips)
1/2 package white chocolate chips
1/2-1 package coconut
mini cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread coconut out on a cookie sheet. Toast in oven for 2 minutes. Take it out, mix it around, spread it back out and place back in the oven. Toast again for 2 minutes. Repeat for a total of 3-4 times. Melt both chocolates in a glass or ceramic bowl in the microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until melted. Mix in desired amount of toasted coconut. Scoop mixture into mini cupcake liners. Place in refrigerator for them to set up.

Homemade Brownies with Mint Frosting - Amy Wilker

Cream 2 sticks margarine, 2 cups sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa.  Add 4 eggs, one at a time and beat after each.  Ad 1 ½ cups flour, ¼ tsp. salt, 2 tsp. vanilla, and nuts (optional).  Spread in greased dripper pan.  Bake about 20-23 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let cool, frost with mint frosting.

*Option – Instead of mint frosting, remove from oven after 20 minutes and cover with mini marshmallows.  Put in oven for 3 minutes, let cool and frost with chocolate frosting.

Mint Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs. melted butter or margarine

¼ cup milk

dash of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. peppermint extract

Combine melted butter and milk.  Add to powdered sugar and other ingredients until desired consistency (add more powdered sugar or milk if necessary).  Add couple drops of green food coloring.  

Almost! Chocolate Covered Banana Split Bites - Karrie Tea

Makes about 24

24 - 1 inch pieces from about 1/2 small pineapple

2 large bananas, sliced into 24 bite sized pieces

12 small to medium sized strawberries sliced in half

5 oz. good quality dark chocolate (I used 72%) - this is between 3/4 -1 cup if using a cup measurement for chocolate chips)

2 tsp. coconut oil

chopped nuts or coconut for rolling in (optional)

Chop fruit and assemble into stacks. Pres a popsicle stick through the fruit and freeze until solid.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper or a silicone mat. Melt the chocolate along with the coconut oil either in a double boiler or in the microwave using short intervals and stirring frequently to prevent burning. Once completely melted, remove the frozen fruit from the freezer. Dip the fruit in the chocolate, let the excess drip off for a minute and then place on the sheet to harden. If desired, dip the chocolate covered side immediately in chopped nuts or coconut before placing on the sheet to harden. Once the chocolate is completely hardened (you may need to place in the freezer for it to harden completely), remove from the sheet and place in an airtight container to store in the freezer until ready to serve. 

When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving. 

Bite Size Banana Cream Pie

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1 3/4 cups cold milk (a little less if you're using skim milk)

2-3 bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 batch of pie crust

In a medium bowl, whisk vanilla pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. (I'm not sure how long, mine refrigerated overnight.)

Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar into stiff peaks.

Using either a pastry bag with an open star tip, or using a zip-top bag with about 1/4 inch of a corner cut off, pipe about half a teaspoon of chilled pudding onto each pie crust piece.

Place a slice of banana on top of the dab of pudding. Then squeeze about 1 1/2 teaspoons of pudding onto each banana slice.

Refrigerate the pies while you prep the whipped cream into another pastry bag (or the same one with the tip washed), and then pipe about 1 1/2 teaspoons of whipped cream onto each pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-size pies.

Desserts that didn't have a recipe... or didn't need one!

Misc. Dishes...

Banana Pepper Jelly

Ingredients:
12 oz. banana peppers
2 cups cider vinegar, divided
6 cups granulated sigar
2 - 3oz. envelopes liquid pectin
yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions:
1. After removing stems and seeds, puree the peppers in a food processor with 1 cup cider vinegar.
2. Combine puree with the additional 1 cup of cider vinegar and sugar in a large pot. Bring to boil and boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
4. Skim foam, if necessary, and stir in a few drops of food coloring, if desired.
5. Ladle hot jelly into jars, leaving 1/4 headspace. Adjust jar caps. Water bath 10 minutes.
Yield: 5- 1/2 pint jars or 3- 1 pint jars

Side Dishes...

Spicy Thai Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. white vinegar
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. Peanut Butter
2 cloves of garlic (1 clove=1 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Broccoli Slaw - Donna Maughan

12oz. package broccoli slaw
1/2 bottle Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Potato Salad Deviled Eggs - Karrie Tea

3 boiled potatoes
2 dill pickles
2 celery
mustard
mayonnaise
black olives
paprika

Great Activity & Appetizers

What a great activity!!  We had a great turnout and thank you to everyone you participated and came!  The food was great as always and the projects looked awesome.  First up: Appetizers...

Warm Bean Dip - Katie Peterson

1 - 8oz. package cream cheese softened
1 cup sour cream
2 cans (16oz. each) refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl. Mix in refried beans until combined. Stir in taco seasoning.

Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with both cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve with tortilla chips.

Ham Roll-ups - Daphne Lords

2 - 8oz. cream cheese
1 - 16oz. sour cream
Cream these 2 ingredients together until smooth.

Add:
1 small can of chopped green chilies (I use the mild)
1 can olives, chopped
12oz. ham
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
Mix together and then spread on flour tortillas (about 4). Roll and refrigerate overnight for the flavor to absorb.

Main Dishes...

Meatballs - Sadie Freeman
(I just realized that I missed taking a picture of the meatballs... so sorry!!  Believe me they were delicious!)

meatballs
1 cups salsa
1 cup ketchup
1 jar jelly

Cook in crockpot on high for 4 hours.

Just A Reminder!

Just a quick reminder about our upcoming Relief Society activity:

Recipe Exchange & Recipe Card Holder Project
Wednesday, October 10th 7pm
Bring any dish you would like to share with one copy of the recipe.
And if you payed for the project, all of the supplies will be set up and ready for you to make it!
Or just come to chat and enjoy the yummy food!

Peach Fest Recipes

I can't believe it's already October!!  Fall seems to be flying by!  I hope back-to-school went well for everyone and that everyone is enjoying this beautiful conference weekend... hopefully the sunny, mild weather can stick around for a little longer.

In September we had our annual Peach Festival.  I was able to get a hold of some of the recipes from that night... unfortunately, I was out of town that day so no pictures for these ones, sorry!

Peach Jam - The Watsons
Ingredients:
3 1/2 pounds peaches (8-10) peeled, halved, pitted & cut into chunks
1 1/4 pounds sugar (scant 3 cups)
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt

Directions:
Working in batches, pulse peaches in a food processor until chunky. Transfer to a small saucepan and add sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil & continue to stir, until bubbles slow and foam subsides, fruit rises to the top & the jam sticks to a spoon when lifted (about 12 minutes). Keep refrigerated until completely cooled. Makes 3 cups.

Easy Peach Cream Pie - Colene Flamm
1-1/2 pounds (3 cups) fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
dash salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place peaches in pie shell.  Beat eggs slightly in bowl; blend in sugar, four and salt. Stir in cream and vanilla; blend well. Pour over peaches. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until center shakes slightly when moved. (To prevent crust edges from becoming too brown, cover edges with foil if desired.) Serve warm; or  for firmer pie, chill before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.

Peach Cheesecake - Katie Peterson
(Yields 2 pies)
Topping Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 cups cold water
3 ounces Peach Jello
3 Tbs. cornstarch
8-9 fresh peaches peeled & sliced

Cheesecake Ingredients:
1 cup whipped cream (already whipped)
2 Tbs. sugar
1- 8 ounce package of cream cheese (softened/room temp)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 prepared graham crackers crusts

Cheesecake: Beat cream cheese & vanilla first then add whipped cream. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Let set up for a few hours before pouring topping on. (I've done it for just 1 hour and it was fine.) Also, you can freeze this portion for future use.

Topping: Mix together and bring to boil. (Make sure the cornstarch is added to the cold mixture before boiling) Boil for 2 minutes. Cool thoroughly, then add sliced fruit. Spoon on top of cheesecake. Let set up for a couple hours before serving. Enjoy!

EASY Mango & Peach Salsa made EASIER
2 mangos, peeled and chopped
2 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped
  -or you may use 8 oz. frozen mango and 8 oz. frozen peaches, chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic or 2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro or dried
1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
juice of one lime
dash salt and pepper

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients and chill. If you have a food processor, you can process all the ingredients in chunks, rather than dicing and chopping. Chill before serving.

Peach Crisp - Amy Tippits
Place sliced peaches in bottom of 8x8 pan.
Blend together: 3/4 cup oatmeal, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cups melted butter, 1 tsp. cinnamon.
Pour on top of peaches.
Bake at 350 for 45-60 min.

Grilled Peach Salsa - Tawnya Huntsman
Ingredients:
1 sweet yellow onion, minced
1 lb. yellow peaches
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 medium tomatoes, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 yellow pepper, minced
pinch of seal salt to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Be sure the grill is clean and oil the grates with a little olive oil.
2. Slice the peaches down the middle and remove the pit. When the grill is hot, place the cut side down onto the grill. Close the top of the grill. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes. You will see the grill lives on the peaches and they will be hot and juicy.
3. Let the peaches cool. When cooled, peel and chop into small pieces.
4. In a large bowl combine all other ingredients. Add peaches.
Let the salsa marinate in the fridge for several hours. Let the flavors mingle. This salsa is great on taco chips, chicken, and even scrambled eggs! Enjoy!

Desserts...

Apple Cake - Jan McArthur

1 c. margarine
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar (1 brown, 1 white)
2 eggs
Mix together and beat well.
Add 4 generous cups of peeled and diced apples

Add: 3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
Sift into mixture, this will be very thick.  Spread into a greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle the top with 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 cup chopped nuts.  Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.


Can't Leave Alone Bars - Lacey Lounsbury

1 white cake mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine cake mix, oil and eggs.  Press 2/3 into greased 9x13 inch pan.  Set aside 1/3.  Combine milk, margarine, and chocolate chips.  Melt in microwave.  Pour over crust.  Drop remaining crust on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.  Edges pull away from pan when done.  Cool, cut and serve.


Candy Corn Puffs - Luci Brock

Syrup Recipe:
1 lb. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
2 Tbs. Karo Syrup
6 Tbs. hot water

Bring to boil and cook to light crack stage (260 to 270 degrees)

Add food coloring if desired, pour over one 8 oz. package of corn puffs (Chester).  Stir to coat corn puffs then pour out onto wax paper to dry. Should be the color of a brown paper sack if you do not add food coloring.  *The syrup would be enough for 2 or 3 packages of puffs.


Chex Treat - Katie Peterson

2 c. sugar
2 c. karo syrup
Stir together in a pan over medium heat and boil for 4 mins... stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and pour over:
1 box Rice Chex
1/2 box Corn Chex
1 cup salted cashews
1 cup coconut (I use nutty guys brand found in the produce section at smiths)
1 cup slivered almonds

Stir well to coat evenly.  Lay out onto 2 greased cookie sheets until dry, then put into zip lock bags or tupperware to keep soft.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Peanut Butter Balls - Amy Wilker

2 c. crushed Rice Krispies
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar
4 Tbs. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. Candy Quick

Mix together all ingredients except Candy Quick.  Chill until easy to handle to shape into balls.  Chill again.  Dip in either white or chocolate Candy Quick.  Set candies on wax paper and chill. 

Side Dishes...

Asian Slaw - Ann Marlowe

1 head of Napa Cabbage (Chinese cabbage) chopped (not too fine)
2-4 Tbs. chopped cilantro leaves
3 green onions, sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
2 Tbs. Planter dry roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped. (The first time I made this salad I chopped them but I like it better if they are not chopped... just thrown in from the jar.)
1/4 c. Good Seasons Asian Sesame with Ginger Dressing
(I could not find this brand in the grocery store but I did find Marketside Sesame Ginger Dressing in the fresh food section at Walmart grocery store and it was yum!)


Chicken Salad - Sue Outcelt

Chopped chicken
Diced tomatoes
Diced onions
Mayo
Grated mozzarella
Grated mild cheddar cheese

Mix all together, spread on crackers or bread... enjoy!


Poppy Seed and Chicken Pasta Salad - Katie Peterson

Bowtie or curly pasta, cooked
About 1 cup cut and cooked chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 c. salted sunflower seeds
1 can drained mandarin oranges (cut into half size pieces)

Cover with enough poppyseed dressing to desired likeness. (I use Briannas in the glass jar.)

Breads...

Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread - Sarah Ricks

3 very ripe banana, mashed
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. oil
1 egg
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. bag of Reese's Mini cups

Preheat oven to 350. Grease your loaf pan (I used an 8x4 pan) with butter or shortening.  In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.  In a large bowl stir together your bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.  Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Batter will be lumpy. DO NOT OVER-STIR.  Fold in your Reese's Mini cups and spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake for approx. 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and remove from loaf pan, transferring bread to a cooling rack.


Grandma's Banana Bread - Rachael Parkhurst

 5 banana
4 eggs
1 cup or 3/4 c. shortening or butter

-cream ingredients-

3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar

-cream ingredients-

4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Cream ingredients. Grease and flour pan, fill only 3/4 full of batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 mins. or until knife comes out clean.


Dorothy & Judys' Whole Wheat Bread

Make sure measurements are LEVEL.

Dry ingredients
5 c. whole wheat flour
1 Tbs. yeast (Instant Dry)
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. dry milk
4 Tbs. Gluten Flour
4 Tbs. dehydrated butter
1/2 c. -total- seeds: such as millet, flax, sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, sesame, etc.

Wet ingredients
500 ml. cold tap water
1/4 c. dark molasses
2 Tbs. olive oil
Heat (on high) in microwave 1-1/2 minutes until water is warm. (stir, then check temperature with your finger , should be 110 degrees).

Thoroughly mix all dry ingredients so seeds mixed well.  Set aside.

Place warmed, wet ingredients into bread mixer, start mixer.  Add the mixed dry ingredients into bread maker.  Let it finish the kneading cycle.  Remove from bread mixer.  Knead dough ball on ledge with small amount of flour. (or use oil, works better).

Place into loaf pan sprayed with Pam.  Cover with moistened cloth and let rise.  Before baking, spray loaf again with Pam.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  place loaf into oven for 10 minutes.  Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 25 min. (if dividing the dough in half - smaller loaves - bake only 20 min.)

Remove from oven, remove bread from pan, and place on cooling rack.  Butter the top and sides.  When cool, slice and enjoy!

Main Dishes - August

Another great recipe exchange night!  Again we had lots to sample from and a great variety and everything was delicious!  Let's start with the main dishes...

Stuffed Zucchini - Colene Flamm

2-3 med. zucchini
1/2 c. onion
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/3 c. oil
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. canned tomato sauce

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp and chop it up.  Saute onions in oil and add zucchini.  Add beef and cook with seasonings.

Stuff the mixture into the zucchini shells.  Arrange in an oiled baking dish, cover with tomato sauce and bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.


Monterey Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. bbq sauce
1/4 c. real bacon bits
1 c. colby and jack cheese, shredded
1 - 14 oz. can Rotel, drained
sliced green onions
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound out chicken breasts to flatten. Season with pepper. Grill chicken until no longer pink (we used our George Foreman grill) and place on baking sheet covered with foil. Top each chicken breast with one Tbs. bbq sauce, 1/4 c. cheese, 1/4 c. Rotel, green onions and one Tbs. and one Tbs. of bacon bits. Place in oven and bake until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

*You can choose to marinate chicken before cooking. Marinade: 1/4 c. olive oil, 2 T. soy sauce, 2 tsp. McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Marinate for about half hour.

Summer!

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful summer!!  July is flying by with the 4th behind us and 24th of July around the corner.  Hopefully everyone is having fun and being safe.  We took a break from a Relief Society activity in July but we'll be back in August with another recipe exchange, so mark your calendars...

Wednesday, August 8th 7pm
Relief Society Exchange
Bring your favorite dish to share (anything!) or just come and enjoy the food and have fun chatting!

Misc. Dishes...

Zucchinni Bread
 - Sam Jensen

3 beaten eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. grated zucchinni
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. nuts (optional)

Mix well. Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Desserts...

Rhubarb Crush
 - Colene Flamm

4-5 c. rhubarb
1 - 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 c. sugar - plus 2 Tbs.
3 Tbs. corn starch (softened in water)
2 c. cracker crumbs

Cook diced rhubarb with pineapple and 1 cup sugar. When rhubarb is tender thicken with corn starch. Set to cool.

Prepare cracker crumbs with 2 Tbs. sugar.

Fill serving dishes 1/3 with cracker crumbs and 2/3 with rhubarb and pineapple mix. Sprinkle with cinnamon, then add remainder of cracker crumbs and top with whipped cream.


Brown Paper Bag Caramel Corn
 - Amy Wilker

3/4 c. butter (make sure not "light" margarine)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. Karo syrup
1/2 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil on stove. Time for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Stir well.

Popcorn: Put 4 quarts popped corn in large paper bag (best to use 2 bags, one inside the other). Pour caramel sauce over popcorn in bag. Fold top down twice. Shake bag, put in microwave for 45 seconds on high. Shake well, put in for 45 seconds again, shake well, put in for 45 seconds. (3 times)  Pour into pan to cool.


Whoopie Pies
 - Heather Rigby

Ingredients:
For the cakes:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. softened butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg

For the filling:
1/2 c. softened butter
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
3) In a large bowl with a hand mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until evenly blended, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg, increase the speed to high, and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute more.
4) Pour half the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, and beat at medium speed until just blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat again.
5) Use a cookie scoop or spoon to place a heaping tablespoon of batter on a prepared cookie sheet. Add more more of batter, evenly spacing them, until there are nine on each sheet. Slightly flatten each mound with a spoon.
6) Bake the cakes one sheet at a time for 10 minutes (they should be moist and spongy). Let them cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Reline the sheets (I reuse the same sheets of parchment paper) and scoop, shape, and bake the remaining batter.
7) Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl until evenly blended, about 2 minutes. Optional: If you want to give the filling a particular color, you can fold in drops of food coloring at this point.
8) To make each pie, spoon and spread a  heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the bottom of a cake, then gently press another cake on top.
Makes 18 pies


Strawberry Mango Banana Frozen Yogurt
 - Shannon Kinghorn

Shannon said she used her food processor to mix the frozen fruit with Greek yogurt.

Main Dishes...

Basic Bechamel (White sauce or Alfredo) 
 - Marissa Empey (She didn't have time to make it for us but still provided the recipe so we can all try it out!)
Serves 2

1 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 c. half and half
Nutmeg and Salt

Microwave: Melt butter and add flour, cook approx. 30 sec. until bubbling. Add half and half, cook until sauce begins to thicken, stirring every 30 sec. Sauce will thicken more as it cools. Add Nutmeg and Salt to taste.

Stove-top: Same procedure, medium to low heat, stirring constantly.


Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
 - Sarah Ricks

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. green salsa
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
2 Tbs. sliced green onions
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded Mexican flavored cheese
small flour or corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Ad the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20-30 seconds).
Spoon 2-3 Tbs. of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.
Make sure the taquitos are not each other.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

To freeze: Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes. (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together.)


BBQ Chicken Salad
 - Robyn Anderson
Serves 4-6

3 c. cooked, cubed chicken
2 c. BBQ sauce (see recipe below)
3 Romaine lettuce hearts, cleaned and chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small bag of frozen corn, cooked
1 c. Colby Jack cheese, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
Ranch dressing
Tortilla chips

Directions: In medium bowl, add the cooked, cubed chicken and bbq sauce. Stir to coat chicken with sauce, set aside.
In large bowl add the romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, cheese, green onions and cilantro; toss together. Divide the salad evenly among plates. Top each salad serving with the desired amount of bbq chicken. Serve with tortilla chips and dressing. Enjoy!

Homemade BBQ Sauce 
Makes 3 1/2 cups

2 c. Ketchup
1 c. water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 Tbs. brown sugar
5 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 Tbs. fresh ground pepper
1 Tbs. onion powder
1/2 Tbs. ground mustard
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

Directions: In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring often.

Side Dishes...

Triple Berry Salad
 - Katie Peterson

1 lg. pkg instant vanilla pudding
32 oz. container vanilla yogurt (or strawberry)
8 oz. Cool Whip
Frozen or fresh berries

In a large bowl whisk together pudding and yogurt until well mixed. Add Cool Whip. A few hours before serving add frozen fruit. (I used a package of frozen mixed berries from Walmart.)


Cookie Salad
 - Amy Tippetts

Mix:
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 small instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can crushed pineapple, with juice
12 oz. whipped cream

Chill and add just before serving 3/4 pkg. crumbled fudge stripped cookies.

June Appetizers...

Last night was our second recipe exchange activity and it was another success!  I know summer can be a busy time but we still had a good turn out with great food and lots of fun conversation.  We were also treated with the spotlights of Heather Rigby and Shannon Kinghorn.  So here goes another round of recipes!  I know I've already used this blog as a resource to find some of the recipes we've been able to sample.  This time around, we're including the name of the person the recipe came from, that way if you have any questions you can direct them to the right person.  Can't wait to try some of these out myself!!

Let's start with appetizers...

Grilled or Sauteed Shrimp
 - Donna Maughan

Thaw:
12 oz. pkg frozen shrimp - deveined, peeled, cooked

Saute for a few minutes or microwave
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 small onion, minced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

Mix shrimp with ingredients above and salt and pepper to taste. Marinate an hour if possible. Either saute 3 or 4 minutes per side or grill on aluminum foil folding up edges to catch juices.

Bean Salad/Dip
 - Wynette Butikofer

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 Anaheim pepper
1 white onion

Chop the above vegetables and put in a bowl.
Add 4 cans of black eyed peas (drained).
Add about 3 Tbs. of garlic (I use the kind that comes in bottle).
Add about 1 Tbs. of basil (I use the kind that comes in a bottle).
Stir until well blended.
Add Wish-Bone Italian Dressing until saturated.
I serve mine with "scoops" tortilla chips.

Bacon Wraps
 - Leah Stallings

1 lb. bacon cut into thirds
2 cans whole water chestnuts

Combine all of the following ingredients for the sauce-
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper

Wrap bacon around chestnuts and secure with a toothpick. Dip in sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. on foil lined cookie sheet.

Just a reminder...

Just a little reminder that General Conference is this weekend, March 31st and April 1st.  Sessions are at 10am and 2pm with the Priesthood session at 6pm on Saturday.  Make sure to watch!  If you don't have it on your tv it is also being broadcast at the stake center.  Also, don't forget it is also available to watch or listen to on www.lds.org.

What a great opportunity to hear the words of the prophet and other leaders of the church!  Hope everyone has a wonderful conference weekend!!

Update!!

Just an update that the April Recipe Exchange Night has been canceled!  It was scheduled to be on Wednesday, April 11th but was canceled due to the stake Relief Society activity...

Be Calm and Carry On
Saturday, April 14th 1:00-3:30pm
Stake Center
Five mini classes followed by a key speaker and light refreshments.

We hope everyone can make it to the stake activity this month and look forward to our ward relief society activity in May!

A Great Birthday!

Wednesday was the Relief Society Birthday Dinner.  It was a great night!  We're so glad for everyone who joined us for the fun.  We enjoyed delicious Hawaiian Haystacks with rolls and of course yummy birthday cake and ice cream.  It was fun to see everyone and catch up and then we got to enjoy a wonderful program that was put together by Sis. Butikofer.  We got to hear from different readers who spoke for some of the Relief Society presidents in the past.  It was great to learn so much of the history of this great organization and to be reminded how lucky we are to be apart of it.  It's amazing all of the wonderful things that Relief Society has done and is continuing to do.

For those of you who are interested, here is the recipe for the Hawaiian Haystacks gravy:

-2 packets Chicken Gravy Mix
-2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
-2 cans Chicken Broth
-1 cup water

Combine gravy packets and water.  Add cream of chicken soup and chicken broth and heat over medium high heat until hot.  Add salt and pepper to taste and cooked/shredded chicken to serve. If it needs thickening add a mixture of water and cornstarch or flour, add by slowing pouring and mixing with a whisk.

I'd like to thank everyone who helped and participated in making it a great night!  Thanks to those who participated in the program, Sis. Butikofer for putting that together and making the yummy cakes, the Relief Society Board for the dinner and putting it all together, and Sis. Flamm and Katie Peterson for all of their hard work.  Thanks ladies!

Don't forget the next Relief Society Activity is the Recipe Exchange Night on April 11th at 7pm.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Relief Society Birthday Dinner!

Our next activity is coming up!

Relief Society Birthday Dinner!
Wednesday, March 14th 7pm
at the church
Dinner (& dessert) and Nursery Provided

We hope everyone can come enjoy a yummy meal and a great program, all to celebrate the wonderful organization that is Relief Society.  See you there!


...Mark your calendars! Our ward April activity is going to be another Recipe Exchange Night on Wednesday, April 11th at 7pm.  The first recipe exchange was a huge success so we are excited to have another one.  Be thinking what you would like to bring and share with everyone... but we had so much food last time that if you want to just chat and sample, please come!  I'm excited already!

Misc. Dishes...

Ba-Nilla Burgers

mini Nilla Wafers
banana slices
peanut butter
nutella
sprinkles

Assemble by putting nutella and peanut butter on banana slices and sandwich between two mini Nilla Wafers. Roll sides in sprinkles.


Jalapeno Jelly

3/4 lb. jalapeno peppers
2 c. cider vinegar, divided
6 c. sugar
2 -3oz. envelopes liquid pectin
green food coloring

1. After removing stems and seeds from jalapenos, puree in food processor with 1 cup cider vinegar.
2. Combine puree, additional 1 cup cider vinegar, and sugar in large saucepot. Bring to a boil; boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
4. Skim foam, if necessary, and stir in a few drops of food coloring, if desired.
5. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust 2 piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.


Apple Pancakes

2 apples or 1 cup applesauce
2 c. pancake mix
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients.  Heat skillet to 325 degrees. Coat skillet with oil or cooking spray. Drop two tablespoons of batter for each apple pancake. Fry 2 minutes on each side (may vary depending on your skillet).


And the best recipe... Love it!