Red Pepper Pesto Dip

I had this one at a party the other night and it was very, very delish! I couldn’t stop eating it. It’s yummy with crackers and yummy with tortilla chips. And just generally yummy.

Prep: 10 minutes Total: 30 minutes

• 1 tub (8 oz) light cream cheese spread
• 1 large red pepper chopped (about 1 1/4 cups) – I tried this recipe with yellow pepper and it was still awesome)
• 1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
• 2 tbsp. pesto sauce
• crackers or chips for dipping.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything (except the crackers/chips) until it’s well mixed. Spread into a 9 inch pie plate or an oven-proof serving dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly. Let it stand for a few minutes before serving.

From the kitchen of Nicole Hindes.

 

French Onion Soup

• 1 1/2 lbs onions thinly sliced (6 cups)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 3 10.5 ounce cans condensed beef broth
• 1 tsp worchestershire sauce
• 6-8 slices french bread toasted
• shredded swiss cheese

In large saucepan, cook onions in butter 20 minutes or until tender.

Add beef broth, worchestershire, salt and a dash of pepper and bring to boiling.

Sprinkle toasted bread with cheese. Place under broiler till cheese is slightly browned. Place soup in cup and top with cheese bread.

Makes 6-8 servings.

From the kitchen of Judy Chapan.

 

Pumpkin Bread

• 2 c flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup raisins

In bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, baking soda, and cloves.  Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together brown sugar and margarine till well combined.  Beat in eggs.  Add pumpkin and milk.  Mix well.  Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Pour into greased 9X5X3 loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

From the kitchen of Judy Chapan.

 

Orange Glazed Carrots

• 6 medium carrots
• 2 T butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1t parsley

Cut carrots in half crosswise then lengthwise into 2 or 3 sticks.  Simmer covered in a small amount of boiling salted water, about 10 minutes.  Drain.

Melt butter, stir in brown sugar till dissolved.  Add carrots, cook over medium-low about 10 minutes, turning often.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Serves 6.

From the kitchen of Judy Chapan.

 

Upside Down Cake

• 1 can 20 oz Dole Pineapple slices
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 10 marashino cherries
• 1 pkg 18.25 oz yellow cake mix

Drain the pinapple slices and save 3/4 cup of the juice.

Stir, in a small skillet, the melted butter and brown sugar. Arrange the pinapples on the bottom of a cake pan and pour the mixture over them.  Place a cherry inside each slice of pineapple.

Prepare the cake mix as directed/replace some of the water w/ the saved juice.  Pour evenly over pinapples.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

From the kitchen of Judy Chapan.

 

Chicken and Pasta Primavera

• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 bag combo frozen veggies (16 ozs)
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 4 cups cooked spagetti (hot)

Mix milk, cheese, garlic powder and veggies in pan.  Heat to boil.  Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes or until tender-crisp.

Add chicken and heat through.  Serve with spagetti.  Serves 4.

From the kitchen of Judy Chapan.

 

Yellow Jello Cake

• 1 yellow cake mix
• cool whip
• strawberry jello

Prepare cake as directed.  Cool.  Using fork, poke holes all over cake.  Prepare jello as directed.  Pour liquid jello gently on top of cake and in the holes of the cake.

Refridgerate until jello hardens.  Spread cool whip on top of the cake.  Serve.

Yum!

From the kitchen of Amy Blough.

 

Cheesy Bacon Bites

• 1 3 oz pkg. cream cheese
• 2 T chopped onion
• 1/8 t ground black pepper
• 1 pdg. (8 oz) regridgerated crescent rolls.
• 1/4 cup real bacon pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cream cheese, bacon, onion and pepper in a bowl. Seperate crescent rolls into 2 rectangles. Spread cheese mixture on rectangles and roll up starting at the longest side – and seal.

Cut each roll into 16 slices. Place slices cut side down on flat baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

From the kitchen of Regan Blough.

 

Warm Banana Crumble Cake

Crumble topping

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 4 T cold unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces

Cake:

• 3 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 stick plus 3 T softened unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 mashed bananas
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/4 t baking powder
• 1 1/4 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 large banana diced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. For topping, put all ingredients in bowl and mix with 2 knives until crumbly. Set aside.

For cake, mixa ll ingredients excepped the diced banana on low speed for 30 seconds, then high for 3 minutes. Stir in banana by hand. Pour into a greased and floured 13X9 baking pan. Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake until browned, test with toothpick, about 40 minutes.

Let cool 1 hour before serving. Can be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature, covered.

To serve, reheat in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

From the Kitchen of Carissa Blough.

 

Bruschetta

• 8-10 plum tomatoes, cut into tiny cubes
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/4 c red onion, finely chopped
• fresh basil to taste, chopped fine
• 3 T red balsamic vinegar
• 2 small teaspoons sugar
• French bread brushed with olive oil, lightly toasted at 35o degrees for 5-7 mintues.

From the kitchen of Meghan Jungbluth.