Cranberry Salad or Cranberry Fluff

I think the "real" name for this salad is Cranberry Fluff. It's very much an old school, church cookbook, grandma's kitchen type recipe. When Paul and I got married I quit going back to mom and dad's for Thanksgiving since we do Thanksgiving and Christmas with Paul's family over Thanksgiving. Well, this salad is the one Thanksgiving dish I refused to miss. (I really miss the apple & raisin stuffing too though). I'm not convinced anyone in Paul's family eats it when I make it, but I don't care. I make it for me!

Oh and it's a good one even if you aren't fond of cranberries as all the other stuff makes it so sweet it tastes good!

2 cups frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 container of cool whip

Grate cranberries (I use a mini food processor) and mix with sugar. Let stand 2 hours. Add pineapple & marshmallows and refrigerate overnight. Add cool whip before serving. You may need to drain off some of the "juice" before mixing in the cool whip to keep it from being too soupy.

Tortellini Soup

I keep looking at the title and wondering if I spelled torellini correctly? Oh well, as long as it tastes good, right? This one is from mom's kitchen. I had to call her for it a few weeks ago and amazing had remembered most of the ingredients from memory. I had to strain the broth off a can of chicken and rice soup to get enough chicken broth though! Thanks for that idea mom!

1/2 lb italian sausage, browned & drained (I screwed up and used a pound)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 cups broccoli florets
2-3 diced carrots
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
9 oz dry tortellini
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
2 quarts milk (don't use skim! Whole milk or half and half tastes best)
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese

Simmer vegetables and pasta in chicken broth until pasta is tender and vegetables are soft. (add a bit of water if necessary) Stir in milk & spices. Heat until hot. Stir in cheese. Continue to simmer over low heat until thick.

This is good as leftovers but don't freeze it!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

When I was a teenager a good friend introduced me to the wonderful combination of pumpkin and chocolate in the form of muffins. Honestly, I think the recipe her mom made was supposed to have raisins in it but added chocolate chips instead. Anyway, this is one of my favorite treats in the fall and I ate it like it was going out of style the year I was pregnant with Leah. (2 loaves a week!). Oh and the recipe is great as a bread but tastes equally as well as muffins, just bake for 30 minutes instead of an hour. If you are opposed to chocolate feel free to omit the chips!

1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup water

1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon & ginger (or cheat and use pumpkin pie spice like I did)
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together the sugar & butter. Add eggs, pumpkin & water. Sift flour with soda, salt, baking powder & 1/2 tsp of each spice. Add to pumpkin mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill pans 1/2 full. Bake at 325 for about an hour.

Greek Stuffed Chicken

Ha ha ha! Mom called me from the grocery store for a recipe! This one I dug up a couple of years ago when Paul and I were doing the South Beach diet. I think is Stage 2 friendly. This is just the basic recipe. Adjust amounts according to how many chicken breasts you are using.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Frozen Chopped Spinach
Feta Cheese
Mayonaisse
Garlic
Turkey Bacon

Pound Chicken breasts with a meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/2 inch thick. Set aside. Mix feta cheese, garlic & spinach. Add enough mayo to make the mixture stick together. Less if you like chunky filling, more if you like it smoother. Put about 1/4 cup mixture on each chicken breast, roll up and secure with toothpicks. Wrap with turkey bacon and place in a baking dish. Bake at 350 until chicken juices are clear. About 35 minutes.

Chicken Carbonara Style Casserole

This recipe comes from my friend Wendy. I'm not sure where she got it from but it sure is tasty. It's what I requested she bring over after Jonah was born. Paul thinks that this would be better with shrimp or crab meat instead of chicken.

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb bacon
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion sliced
garlic
1 jar jarred garlic Alfredo sauce
8oz shredded cheese
80z small pasta (bow tie, rotini, wagon wheels, penne)

Cook pasta according to directions. Cut chicken breasts into small chunks and saute' until cooked through. Using the same pan, saute onions, mushrooms & garlic until soft. Chop bacon into small pieces and cook until crispy. Combine chicken, onions, mushrooms, bacon and pasta in a baking dish. Mix in the cheese and pasta sauce. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

Hoot Owl Cookies

This is a recipe that mom made with us when we were little and I requested this fall for Leah and I to make for our playgroup Halloween party. I did make one change which was to use candy corn for the noses instead of cashews. Leah's not a fan of nuts so we made the change. Just be sure to put the candy corn on AFTER you bake the cookies. Here is the recipe copied directly from an e-mail from family friend Julie Boleman who had the recipe when mom couldn't find it.

HOOT OWL COOKIES from Julie BoelmanBake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Cream :

1/2 t. salt

3/4 cup butter1 cup brown sugar

Blend in:

One egg

One t. vanilla

Add:

2 1/2 cups flour

2 t. baking powder

Divide the dough in thirds. To one third add

1 1/2 squares melted chocolate and

1/4 t. baking soda.

Roll white dough into two 10" by 4" strips. Form chocolate dough into two 10" rolls. Place chocolate rolls over the white dough; wrap white around the chocolate. Chill.Slice with sharp knife; place two slices together. Place a cashew nut for the beak; chocolate chips for the eyes; pinch dough for the ears.

On the backside of the recipe card Ida Mae Bock of Klemme, IA wrote: Julie, That's the recipe. Being "unambitious," I found it was easiest to shape the light dough if I measured waxed paper 10" by 4" and crease it to that size. (Have the waxed paper long enough to roll around roll when chilling.) I just pat the dough to size on the waxed paper.For Christmas, color the 1/3 dough red or green (instead of adding chocolate). Pinch the shape for bell; use a small piece of dough for the clapper.

Here's Leah making the cookies!