The Times They Are A Changing

Easy Cheesecake Fruit Pie

Ingredients

1 prepared and cooked 9 inch pie crust (crumb or traditional)
1 - 21 oz can fruit pie filling (your choice)
1 container Kool Whip
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

Directions

Pour the pie filling into the crust.
In a bowl combine the Kool Whip, sugar, vanilla extract and cream cheese. Blend well with a mixer. Spoon over the top of the pie and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Crumb Pie Crust

Ingredients

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter, mix well. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan. Place pie pan in preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 7 minutes. Cool before filling.

Variations: Use any crumbled cookie such as shortbread, chocolate chip, ginger snaps, etc. (gingersnaps with a teaspoon of cinnamon are especially good with apple pie filling).

Applesauce Craysin Cake

Ingredients

1 cube butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ cup craysins (dried cranberries)
¾ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar together. Beat in eggs and applesauce. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly. Pour flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix. Add craysins and walnuts, mix thoroughly. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8 inch square pan.
Bake for 40 minutes. This cake may be served warm with whipped cream or cool and ice with a cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 - 3 oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 - 8 oz container Kool Whip

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar, beat until smooth. Fold in Kool Whip. Spread on the cake. Keep refrigerated when not serving.

Minestrone

This a perfect “stick to your ribs” soup that is a meal in itself. Just add a loaf of buttered Italian or French bread, warm out of the oven, for a complete meal.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 - 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 - 14 oz cans beef or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons basil
3 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons thyme
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup pasta, your choice

Directions

In a large soup pot, pour in olive oil and heat. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, broth and 1 ½ quarts water. Heat for 5 minutes and add oregano, thyme and salt, cooking until the vegetables are tender. Add the pasta and cook 10 minutes longer or until the pasta is done. 12 servings. After putting soup into bowls, garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Squares

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cooked
4 slices bacon, cooked
1 bell pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 - 11 oz package frozen French bread loaf
3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dice chicken and bacon. In a bowl combine the chicken, bacon, bell pepper, onion and tomatoes. In a separate bowl combine the garlic, basil thyme and mayonnaise, mix well.

Unroll the French bread loaf and press into the bottom of a greased 9X13 inch baking pan. Spread mayonnaise mixture onto the dough. Sprinkle the chicken mixture over the top. Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool a few minutes before cutting into squares. May be cut into small squares for appetizers or larger squares for the main part of the meal.

Basic Biscotti Recipe

Ingredients

6 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cubes butter, softened
1 ¾ cups sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Pour into the flower mixture and mix thoroughly. When it becomes difficult to stir, knead with your hands.

Divide the dough into four parts, rolling each piece into a loaf about 14 inches long. Place the loafs on parchment lined cookie sheets, 2 loaves to a pan. Flatten the loaves with your hands to about 3 inches thick. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the 350 degree oven.

When the loaves are cooled so they are just warm to the touch, cut diagonally, with a serrated knife, into ½ inch slices. Lower the oven to 325 degrees. Place the slices onto the cookie sheets so that the sides of the cookie shows on the left and right - the bottom of the cookie is down on the pan. This way the biscotti will toast evenly on both sides. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes.

Variations

Feel free to use your creativity.

* Change the vanilla extract to another flavoring or use a combination.

* Add any kind of chopped nuts you like.

* Add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips (add some peanut butter in exchange for some of the butter), white chocolate chips.

* Add dried fruit: dried cranberries, dried apricots, raisins.

* Add ½ cup cocoa powder for chocolate biscotti or 2 tablespoons instant coffee graduals for a coffee taste.

How to Make Biscotti

Biscotti is either a cookie you love or one you don’t care for, but you won’t know until you try making it. Personally for me, there isn’t a better cookie for a quick breakfast than biscotti. It’s a dry cookie and a bit crumbly. Here are my best tips on making the perfect biscotti.

* Use parchment paper. It has nothing with how good the cookie will taste, but it makes life so much easier. Just give it a try and see how much better you like it.

* It’s good to have a basic biscotti dough that you use most of the time and then add flavorings to it. Commonly you will find biscotti with orange, anis and chocolate. But, please try “out of the ordinary” extras. Be creative, that’s what cooking is all about.

* Usually a recipe will call for you to make certain sized loaves out of the cookie dough. But, in reality, you can make any size, large or small loaves, even regular cookie shapes.

* Try wetting your hands before forming the loaves if the dough is sticky.

* Biscotti is baked twice. The dough should be a golden brown and “not” hard when you take them out of the oven after the first baking.

* Don’t cut the biscotti until it is at the warm stage. When you can handle them without burning your hands, they are ready to cut.

* Don’t put pressure on the loaves when you are cutting them. Using a long serrated knife will give you a clean cut without pressing down.

* No matter what your recipe says about cutting, you can cut both straight across fro shorter biscotti or at the diagonal for longer ones.

* For the second baking your recipe will give you a lower temperature and a longer baking time. You want the cookies to dry out some without cooking them too much.

* Once the biscotti is cooled completely you can decorate them with drizzles of chocolate or whatever your heart desires. However, I like them plain just as well.
They can also be dipped on one half of the cookie and sprinkled with nuts.

* Store your biscotti in an airtight container at room temperature. They should keep quite well for months.

Spectacular Chicken

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons rosemary
3 chicken breasts, halved (6 pieces)
2 ½ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix mayonnaise, thyme and rosemary (crumble the rosemary).
Spread the mayonnaise mixture onto the chicken breasts.
Roll the chicken breasts into the Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
Place in a 9X13 greased baking pan.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze juice over the chicken.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, uncovered.
Serves 6.

Serve with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups potatoes, peeled, diced
1 cup sour cream
8 oz cheddar cheese
½ teaspoon salt
Chives, chopped

Directions

In a pan, sauté in butter, onion and garlic. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in large pot of water. When the potatoes are tender, drain and mash. Add the sour cream, cheddar cheese and salt, Mix thoroughly. Garnish with chives. Serves 6.

Northwestern Meatloaf

Ingredients

3 slices bread
3 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
½ cup carrots, shredded
½ cup zucchini, shredded
3 tablespoons honey mustard
¼ cup brown sugar
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Break the bread into small crumbles. In a large mixing bowl, combine bread, ground beef onion, shredded carrots and shredded zucchini. In a separate bowl, mix together honey mustard, brown sugar, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper, mix thoroughly. Mix the mustard mixture in with the ground beef mixture. Work with hands until all ingredients are well blended.

Mold the ground beef mixture into a loaf and place into a greased loaf pan.
Cook for 1 hour. If there is excess fat, drain before serving. Serves 6.

Serve with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups potatoes, peeled, diced
1 cup sour cream
8 oz cheddar cheese
½ teaspoon salt
Chives, chopped

Directions

In a pan, sauté in butter, onion and garlic. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in large pot of water. When the potatoes are tender, drain and mash. Add the sour cream, cheddar cheese and salt, Mix thoroughly. Garnish with chives. Serves 6.

Easy Cinnamon Apple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 can apple pie filling
1 - 18 oz yellow cake mix
3 eggs
Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the butter into a 9X13 inch baking dish. Swirl around so pan is buttered on bottom and sides. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, mix well.
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the bottom of the pan.
Pour the pie filling over the brown sugar mixture, evenly over the bottom of the pan.
Prepare the cake mix per package directions with eggs and oil.
Pour cake mix batter evenly over the apple pie filling.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean.
Serves 12. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Variations

Use a spice cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix.

Substitute apple pie filling for any other pie filling, raspberry, blackberry or cherry and omit the cinnamon.

Vegetable Penne Pasta

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
4 zucchinis, slice in rounds
2 crook neck (yellow) squash, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes chopped
1 small can sliced olives
10 oz penne pasta
¼ cup butter
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot cook penne pasta per package directions. Drain and rinse when cooked. Poor back into the hot pot with the butter, and Parmesan cheese, stir. Return to warm stove burner while vegetables cook.

Heat a skillet with the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, zucchini and crook neck squash. Sauté for five minutes. Lower heat and add the tomatoes and olives, cook an additional five minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir past and pour it onto a serving platter. Pour the vegetable mixture over the top. Garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Serves 6.