#2998 - Easy Fruit Cocktail Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box Duncan Hines orange OR yellow cake mix
1 - 15oz. can Dole fruit cocktail (do NOT drain)
1/2 cup Baker's angelflake coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup butter (melted)

Grease a 9 x 13 cake pan. Pour the fruit cocktail and its juice evenly into the cake pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the fruit cocktail. Sprinkle the coconut and chopped nuts evenly over the dry cake mix. Drizzle the melted butter over the whole top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

#2997 - Irish Potatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

6-8 medium red potatoes
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 TBSP minced chives
3 TBSP chopped fresh dill OR 3 tsp. dillweed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Wash and scrub the potatoes (do NOT peel). Cut the potatoes into wedges or slices. In a pot add the potato wedges, cover them with water and add 1 tsp. salt--cook/stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook until potatoes are fork tender. In a bowl add melted butter, chopped parsley, minced chives, chopped dill and pepper--stir to mix. Drain potatoes and place them in a serving bowl. Pour the butter mixture over the potatoes and toss gently to coat.

#2996 - Bacon Bread

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/29/13 so we can take the week off.

1 bread baguette
softened butter for spreading
1 block very sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 sliced of cooked bacon (crumbled)
2 green onions (washed and chopped)

Slice the bread, butter the top of each slice and place them butter side up on a greased jelly roll pan. Slice enough cheese from the cheese block for the number of bread slices that you have. Place a slice of cheese on top of each piece of buttered bread. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top of the cheese on each piece of bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted. As soon as you remove them from the oven, sprinkle chopped green onions on top of each piece before serving.

#2995 - Chewy Sugar Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/28/13 so we can take the week off.

2 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
a small bowl of white sugar for rolling

In a mixer add butter and 1 1/2 cups white sugar--beat for 3-4 minutes. Add egg--beat. Add baking powder, salt and vanilla--beat. Add flour--beat. Take a teaspoonful of batter and form it into a ball, roll it in the white sugar and place it on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with all batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

#2994 - Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/27/13 so we can take the week off.

2 sticks butter
2 1/4 cups Domino's dark brown sugar (packed) OR light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups Quaker quick oats
3 TBSP flour
1 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
2 tsp. vanilla

You MUST line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a saucepan over medium heat add butter and brown sugar--cook/stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat--add quick oats, flour, salt, beaten egg and vanilla--stir to mix. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls on to the parchment paper 2" apart (they are going to spread alot). Bake at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.Let them sit for a few minutes before transferring them from the parchment paper to paper towels to cool. These are very thin, crispy cookies.

#2993 - Baked Cherry Tomatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/26/13 so we can take the week off.

2 pints of cherry tomatoes (washed)
olive oil
salt, pepper and parsley flakes for sprinkling
1 container fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Grease a glass baking dish with Pam. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a bowl. Add some olive oil to the tomatoes--toss to coat. Spread the cherry tomatoes in the greased baking dish so that they are touching. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomatoes. Sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan cheese over the tomatoes. Sprinkle parsley flakes over the top of the tomatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until hot.

#2992 - Baked Mozzarella Tomatoes

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/25/13 so we can take the week off.

2 large tomatoes
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
salt, pepper and oregano to taste

Grease a glass baking dish with Pam. Slice each tomato into four thick slices. Place the eight tomato slices into the greased baking dish, then spray the tops of the tomatoes with Pam. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomatoes to your taste. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over each tomato. Sprinkle oregano over the top of the mozzarella cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and well browned. Use a metal spatula to serve them.

#2991 - Balsamic Tomatoes and Cheese

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/24/13 so we can take the week off.

6 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 large tomatoes OR 3 medium tomatoes
4 tsp. olive oil
3-4 slices mozzarella cheese
fresh ground black pepper

Wash the tomatoes, then slice them thinly and spread them on a plate. In a bowl add the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil--stir to mix. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the tomatoes. Sprinkle fresh ground black pepper over the tomatoes. Cut the mozzarella cheese slices into bite sized pieces. Place the cheese pieces evenly over the top of the tomatoes. Let them sit for 10 minutes before serving.

#2990 - Baked Squash and Zucchini

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/23/13 so we can take the week off.

2 yellow squash
2 zucchinis
olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cover the inside of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with foil. Spray the foil with Pam. Wash the squash and zucchini. Slice the squash and zucchini into coin shaped pieces, then slice each coin shaped piece into four quarters. Place the squash and zucchini pieces into a bowl. Drizzle some olive oil over the top, then toss the squash and zucchini to coat. If not coated, add a little more olive oil and toss again. Spread the squash and zucchini pieces into the baking dish. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top. Cover the dish with foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

#2989 - Crockpot Pork

(by Shirley McNevich)

Note: this recipe is posted in advance for 12/22/13 so we can take the week off.

1 - 3lb. pork tenderloin
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP honey
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves (chopped)

In a bowl add the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes and chopped garlic--stir well to mix. Pour half of the broth mixture into the crockpot. Carefully place the pork tenderloin in the center of the crockpot. Pour the rest of the broth mixture over the top of the pork. Cook on high for 8 hours. While cooking, as often as you wish, use a spoon to pour some of the broth mixture over the top of the pork. You can also turn the pork once (halfway through cooking). When ready to serve, place the pork on a serving plate. Use forks to pull the pork. Serve the remaining broth mixture on the side, or pour it over the top of the pulled pork.

#2988 - Brown Rice and Sausage

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 - 3.5oz bags Uncle Ben's quick-cooking brown rice (boiling bags)
1 cup chicken broth (more if necessary)
1 onion (chopped)
1/2 of a green bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 of a red bell pepper (chopped)
1lb. good quality smoked sausage OR hot sausage

Boil both bags of brown rice in water according to box directions. While the rice is cooking, cut the sausage into coin shaped pieces. In a skillet over medium heat add the sausage pieces--cook/stir until sausage is browned. Cover a plate with paper towels and remove the sausage pieces one at a time and place them on the paper towels to drain. Reserve any sausage drippings in the skillet. In the same skillet add red bell peppers, green bell peppers, chopped onions and a little bit of the reserved sausage drippings--cook/stir over medium heat until tender. Add the chicken broth to the onion mixture--cook/stir until boiling. When rice is done cooking, open the bags and add the rice to the chicken broth mixture--stir. Add the drained sausage pieces, salt and pepper to the chicken broth mixture--cook/stir until hot. If you want more sausage flavor in the rice, add more of the sausage drippings.

#2987 - Baked Italian Cheese Bites

(by Shirley McNevich)

2/3 cup to 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
6 sticks mozzarella string cheese sticks
1 or 2 beaten eggs
warm marinara sauce for dipping

Open up the mozzarella string cheese packets and cut each string cheese into 1" pieces. Place them in a cake pan (so they are not touching), cover the cake pan with foil and freeze them for a few hours. After a few hours, grease a cookie sheet with Pam. In a bowl add the eggs--beat. In a skillet over medium heat add the Italian bread crumbs--cook/stir until bread crumbs are browned. Remove from heat and transfer the bread crumbs into a second bowl. Remove ONE string cheese piece from the freezer (for a test). Using tongs, dip the cheese piece into the egg mixture to coat, then dip it into the bread crumbs to coat, then dip it back in the egg mixture and dip it once again in the bread crumbs to coat. Place it on the greased cookie sheet and spray the coated cheese piece lightly with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then taste to make sure the cheese is melted to your liking. If the cheese melts too much and loses its shape, bake subsequent ones for less time. Once you have the time down dip, coat and place the rest of the cheese pieces all on a cooled/greased cookie sheet. Coat all of the cheese pieces lightly with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for the time you determined with the test piece. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

#2986 - Frozen Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups white, semi-sweet or dark chocolate candy melts
1 bag campfire sized marshmallows
nonpareils for sprinkling (optional)

Line cookie sheets with wax paper. Open the bag of marshmallows, take out 10 marshmallows and cut each of the 10 marshmallows in half. In a double boiler add the candy melts--cook/stir over low heat until melted. Using a toothpick, dip each marshmallow half into the chocolate to coat, place it on the wax paper, use a little chocolate on the toothpick to cover the hole, and sprinkle a few nonpareils over the top. Repeat until you run out of chocolate. Cool slightly, then place cookie sheets in the freezer overnight. Once frozen, you can place them in a freezer bag. Keep frozen. When ready to eat, let them stand for 5 minutes at room temperature.

#2985 - Turkey Meatloaf

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
1/2 of a red bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 of a green bell pepper (chopped)
1lb. ground turkey
1 cup chunky salsa
1 beaten egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup water

In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil, chopped onions and chopped bell peppers--cook/stir until tender. In a bowl add ground turkey, salsa, beaten egg, salt, pepper and minced garlic--mix with your hands. Add cooked brown rice, onions and peppers--mix with your hands. Form the mixture into a loaf and place it in a greased bread loaf pan. Carefully pour 1/2 cup of water into the bread loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, adding more water if necessary so it doesn't burn. Bake until heated through.

#2984 - White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 or 2 tsp. peppermint extract (optional)--only use if you like a lot of peppermint flavor
1 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
2lbs. good quality white chocolate

Line a jelly roll pan with wax paper. In a double boiler add the white chocolate--cook/stir until melted (if you feel comfortable melting the chocolate in the microwave with a microwave safe bowl, that's fine too). Remove from heat--add the peppermint flavoring and 1/2 cup of the crushed candy canes--stir to mix. Pour the mixture into the jelly roll pan, then sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes evenly over the top. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm. Remove from refrigerator--break into pieces.

#2983 - Peanut Butter Munch

(by Shirley McNevich)

9 cups any flavor Chex cereal
1 cup Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate bits
1/2 cup Jif peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups Domino's powdered sugar

Place the cereal in a large bowl. In a microwave safe bowl add chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter--microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second increments and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from microwave--add vanilla--stir until mixed. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal--stir with a wooden spoon until cereal is well coated. Pour the coated cereal mixture into a 2 gallon Ziploc bag along with the powdered sugar--close the top of the bag and shake well to coat. Spread the mixture in a single layer on wax paper to cool and harden. Once cooled, put mixture in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.

#2982 - Easy Almond Bark

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups good quality MILK chocolate chips/pieces OR white chocolate chips/pieces
1 TBSP Crisco shortening
1/2 cup chopped almonds (toasted)

Line a 9 x 13 cake pan with wax paper. In a skillet over medium heat add chopped almonds--cook/stir quickly until chopped almonds are browned. Remove from heat and set aside. In a double boiler add milk chocolate pieces and Crisco--cook/stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat--add 1/4 cup of the chopped almond pieces--stir until mixed. Pour the chocolate mixture evenly over the wax paper. Sprinkle the rest of the chopped almonds all over the top of the chocolate. Cool completely, then refrigerate until solid. Break the mixture into pieces.

#2981 - Pecan Brittle

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 tsp. baking soda
4 TBSP butter (NO SUBSTITUTES) + extra for greasing pans
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups Kayro lite corn syrup
1 cup water
1 TBSP salt
2 cups toasted whole pecans

Butter two 15" jelly roll pans. In a saucepan add white sugar, corn syrup, water and salt--cook/stir until temperature reaches 290 degrees (use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature). Once the mixture gets to 290 degrees, quickly add the whole pecans and the butter--cook/stir CONSTANTLY until candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees. Remove from heat--add baking soda--beat vigorously with a spoon for at least a minute. Pour half of the mixture into each of the jelly roll pans, and use the back of the spoon to spread the mixture very thin (if it starts sticking, grease the back of the spoon with Pam). Cool completely. When cooled, dump out the brittle from each pan and use the handle end of a knife to crack the brittle into smaller pieces.

#2980 - Scratch Cherry Coffee Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
Topping: 1 - 21oz. can cherry pie filling; 4 tsp. white sugar; 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a mixer add eggs and 1 1/2 cups white sugar--beat. Add canola oil and orange juice--beat. Add baking powder--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Pour HALF of the batter into a greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Drop all of the cherry pie filling by spoonfuls on top of the batter. Spread the rest of the batter over the top. In a bowl add the 4 tsp. white sugar and cinnamon--stir to mix. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, then without opening the oven door increase the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-45 minutes.

#2979 - Cake Mix Banana Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
2 very ripe bananas (peeled and mashed)
3 eggs
1/3 cup water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup Breakstone's sour cream
Frosting: 1 stick softened butter; 1/2 cup Crisco shortening; 2/3 cup milk; 1 cup Domino's powdered sugar; 2 TBSP flour

In a mixer add cake mix, water, eggs and sour cream--beat well. Add baking soda and mashed bananas--beat. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool completely. Frosting: in a mixer add softened butter and Crisco--beat. Add milk--beat. Slowly add powdered sugar--beat. Add flour--beat until smooth. If too thick, add a little more milk. If too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Frost the cooled cake.

#2978 - Pie Plate Cheesecake

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
4 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 can of your favorite pie filling (optional)
Topping: 1/2 pint Breakstone's sour cream; 1 TBSP vanilla; 6 TBSP white sugar

In a mixer add cream cheese--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add 1 cup white sugar and vanilla--beat until smooth. Pour the batter into a greased 10" deep dish pie plate. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. While it's baking, in a bowl add sour cream, 1 TBSP vanilla and 6 TBSP white sugar--stir until well mixed. After the cheesecake has baked for 40 minutes, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top. Return it to the oven and bake for 15 minutes longer. Cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Optional--spread your favorite pie filling over the top.

#2977 - Potatoes and Hash Browns

(by Shirley McNevich)

2lbs. frozen nugget sized hash browns
1 - 12oz. can Carnation evaporated milk (NOT condensed)
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 stick butter (melted)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can French's French Fried Onions (more if you wish)

In a large bowl add add evaporated milk, mushroom soup, salt and pepper--stir until mixed. In a separate bowl add hash brown nuggets and melted butter--stir to coat. Add hash brown mixture to soup mixture--stir to combine. Pour the whole mixture into a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle the french fried onions all over the top, return to oven and bake 30 minutes longer.

#2976 - Cheesy Potato Casserole

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/4 sticks butter
8oz. Velveeta cheese (cubed)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 - 10.75oz. can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
8oz. Breakstone's sour cream
1 - 30oz. bag Ore Ida frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
a heaping handful of salted potato chips (crushed)
black pepper

In a saucepan over low heat add 1 stick butter and the Velveeta cheese cubes--cook/stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and pour cheese mixture into a large bowl--add chopped onions and the cream of chicken soup--stir until mixed. Add sour cream--stir until mixed. Add the hash brown potatoes--stir until all hash browns are coated. Melt the 1/4 stick of butter and add the crushed potato chips to the melted butter--stir to coat. Scoop the hash brown mixture into a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle some black pepper over the top if you wish. Spread the potato chip mixture over the whole top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

#2975 - Pasta and Peas

(by Shirley McNevich)

2 cups any shape of pasta (cooked and drained according to box directions--do NOT rinse)
2 TBSP olive oil
3 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 - 14oz. cans Swanson chicken broth (or make your own)
1 cup diced tomatoes (more if you wish)
oregano (as much as you wish)
black pepper (as much as you wish)
1 - 10oz. bag frozen peas
grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Cook and drain pasta according to box directions--do NOT rinse. In a saucepan add the olive oil and crushed garlic--cook/stir over medium heat until garlic is browned. Slowly add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black pepper and oregano--if too thick add up to 1/2 cup water and stir again. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Retrieve any garlic pieces and discard them. Add the peas--simmer until peas are hot. Add drained pasta--turn heat to medium and cook/stir until pasta is hot. Serve mixture with grated Parmesan cheese.

#2974 - Skillet Chicken Parmesan

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 TBSP olive oil
6 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper both sides of each of the chicken breast halves. In a skillet add olive oil and chicken--cook over medium heat until bottoms are browned, then flip the chicken and cook the other sides until browned. Add the pasta sauce and 3 TBSP of the Parmesan cheese--reduce heat to medium low, cover the skillet and cook until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese and all of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of the chicken--keep over heat until cheese melts.

#2973 - Skillet Pasta and Beans

(by Shirley McNevich)

6oz. dry spaghetti OR fettuccini (cooked and drained according to box directions--do NOT rinse)
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 - 15oz. can Italian diced tomatoes
1 - 15oz. can cut yellow string beans (drained)
2 cups cooked chicken OR turkey (cut into bite sized pieces)
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Cook pasta according to box directions--add the broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking, then drain the pasta/broccoli but do NOT rinse. In a large skillet add the Italian diced tomatoes and the drained yellow string beans--cook/stir over medium heat until boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken/turkey pieces--cook/stir until meat is hot. Add the drained pasta/broccoli to the tomato mixture--cook/stir until pasta is hot. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

#2972 - Oreo Cookie Truffles

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 bag original Oreo cookies (finely crushed)
1 - 8oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
1lb. Baker's white baking chocolate (OR Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate)

In a mixer add cream cheese and crushed cookies--beat on low speed until well blended. Remove bowl from mixer--shape mixture into 1" balls and place them on a Saran wrap covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate until cold. Melt baking chocolate according to box directions. Use a toothpick to dip each ball into the melted chocolate, set the coated ball back on the cookie sheet, and use the toothpick to get a little more melted chocolate so you can cover the hole where the toothpick was inserted. Repeat with all of the balls. Let cool, then refrigerate them.

#2971 - Hawaiian Salad

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 - 3oz. box lime Jell-O
1 - 3oz. box lemon Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 - 20oz. can Dole crushed pineapple (drained)
1 - 5oz. can Carnation evaporated milk (NOT condensed)
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 cup mayo

In a large bowl add the lime Jell-O powder, lemon Jell-O powder and boiling water--stir with a whisk until dissolved. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then add drained crushed pineapple, Carnation milk, chopped pecans, cottage cheese and mayo. Stir until well mixed. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

#2970 - Chocolate Mousse Balls

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 regular sized Hershey bars
1 - 8oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
1 box Nilla wafer cookies


In a double boiler break the Hershey bars into pieces and melt them--cool the melted chocolate until cooled but before it starts to harden. In a 9 x 13 glass baking dish add the melted chocolate and the Cool Whip--stir until mixed, then spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish with Saran wrap and refrigerate until cold. Once cold, take 1/2 of the box of Nilla wafers and crush them. Remove chocolate mixture from refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap. Take a teaspoonful of the chocolate mixture and form it into a ball, then roll the ball in the crushed Nilla wafers. Repeat with all of the chocolate mixture, and crush more Nilla wafers if needed. Place the completed balls on wax paper on cookie sheets and refrigerate until cold. Keep refrigerated. Optional--you can add chopped peanuts and shredded coconut to the crushed Nilla wafers before rolling.

#2969 - Hope Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 orange (for the juice and zest)
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dates (chopped into very small pieces)

In a saucepan add raisins--cover them with water, bring to a boil, boil them for 5 minutes, then drain them. In a mixer add Crisco, white sugar and eggs--beat. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and vanilla--beat. Add buttermilk--beat. Peel the orange and squeeze out the juice--add orange juice to batter--beat. Grate just the outside of the orange peel (zest) and add it to the batter--beat. Add flour--beat. Remove bowl from mixer--add chopped almonds, drained raisins and chopped dates--stir until mixed. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

#2968 - Mozzarella Soup Balls

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 block of mozzarella cheese (cut into 1" cubes)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup flour (more if necessary)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (more if necessary)
1/2 to 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
wooden skewers

Cut the mozzarella cheese block into 1" cubes. Place the cubes on a plate (making sure they are not touching each other), then place the plate in the freezer for a few hours. Once they are hardened, transfer the cheese cubes into a freezer safe Ziploc bag and continue freezing them overnight. The next day, prepare any type of soup that you wish (tomato soup works really well). When soup is almost hot and ready to be served, you can prepare the mozzarella balls. In one bowl add egg whites--beat with a whisk. In a second bowl add the flour. In a third bowl add the panko bread crumbs and Italian seasoning--stir until mixed. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray it with Pam. Take one frozen cheese cube, coat it all over with flour, coat it in egg whites, then roll it completely in the panko mixture and place it on the greased foil. Repeat with as many cheese balls as you wish, making sure they are not touching each other. Spray all of the cheese balls lightly with Pam. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Scoop hot soup into bowls. Spear three baked cheese cubes on to each skewer and place the skewer on top of the bowl. If you don't have skewers, just serve them on the side so they can be dipped. Note: the cheese MUST be frozen or you will have a mess on your hands.