Ali's Broccoli Salad

I love it when Ali brings this to Allen family gatherings!!

1 Large Bunch Broccoli washed and cut into bite sized pieces

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

Chopped purple onion

crumbled bacon- I bought the bagged kind ready to use- not bacon bits but same area in store near salad dressings- fun discovery.

craisins

Dressing-

1 c. mayo

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

2 T. red wine vinegar

Mix dressing and chill.  Pour on salad right before ready to serve.

Mom's Minestrone Soup

1 or 2 lb. ground beef / sausage- cook and drain

28 oz. can tomatoes

1   14 oz. Kidney beans

15 oz. white northern beans

1 can green beans 

2 stalks celery

2 cups chopped cabbage

2 small zucchini sliced 

1 cup uncooked macaroni

3 cups water

1/2 c, red wine vinegar

2 tsp. beef bouillion

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. marjoram

2 carrots sliced (or you can use the shredded kind you buy in a package)

(frozen peas can be added at the very end)

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 

Serves 12

Pumpkin Muffins

(secret's in the sauce!)

3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ginger

½ tsp. cloves

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

14 oz. pumpkin

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients.  Cream the rest together; mix.  Fold in chips and bake 350 for 22-25 minutes.  Makes 2-3 dozen.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. warm water

dash of cinnamon

While muffins cool mix together and drizzle over.

Chicken Lasagna

A favorite meal to give away - freezes well and tastes great 

3 chicken breasts

6 uncooked “no-boil” lasagna noodles

1 cube chicken bouillon

¼ c. water

8 oz. cream cheese

2 c. mozzarella

26 oz. jar Prego sauce

Boil chicken, shred.  Dissolve bouillon in water, mix with chicken.  Add cheeses.  Pour some sauce in bottom of 8x8 pan.  Lay noodles, then chicken, then sauce, and repeat.  Sprinkle some mozzarella on top.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, uncovered.

Jeff’s variation on above; Amy thinks both ways are tasty:

Substitute the chicken with 1 lb. browned ground beef

Use beef bouillon instead of chicken

Substitute 4 of the 8 oz. of cream cheese with 4 oz. cottage cheese

Yummiest Chocolate Chip Cookies

So this is a recipe my co-worker tried and we all fell in love. The sea salt is the key to the magic :) Here's the link to the blog, or I copy/pasted the recipe itself below.

http://forme-foryou.com/2011/08/the-only-chocolate-chip-cookie-i-will-ever-need-to-know-how-to-make-for-the-rest-of-my-life.html

She has a lot of super picky tips, which I didn't follow...and I thought mine turned out just fine. Enjoy!

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. (8 ½ oz.) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 ½ oz.) bread flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt, such as kosher
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups; 10 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (8 oz.) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, preferably about 60% cacao content, such as Ghirardelli
Sea salt or kosher salt for garnishing

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. (Unless you have a plastic guard that sits around the rim of the bowl, this will make a big mess at first, with flour flying everywhere. I found that carefully holding a dish towel around the top of the bowl helped a lot.) Add the chocolate chips, and mix briefly to incorporate. Press plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Using a standard-size ice cream scoop – mine holds about 3 fluid ounces, or about 1/3 cup – scoop six mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, making sure to space them evenly. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool a bit more.

Yields about 24 5-inch cookies.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Crunch

I had forgotten how tasty this Gigi treat is...

1. Mix together and press into 9x13 pan:

1 1/4 cup flour

1 stick softened butter

1 cup chopped nuts

Bake 20 minutes @ 350

2. Cream well:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

Fold in: 1/2 of a 9 oz. tub Cool Whip, and spread over cooled crust.

3. Mix 2 small or 1 large pkg. instant pudding according to package directions. (Chocolate is best.) Spread over cream cheese layer and top with remaining Cool Whip.

4. Refrigerate overnight. Sprinkle nuts over the top if desired.

Butterhorns

1 Tbsp. dry yeast

1 cup very warm water

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup milk, scalded

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs, well beaten

4-5 cups flour

1/4-1/2 cup softened butter

Combine melted butter and milk. Stir in sugar, salt and eggs. While that is cooling (I put it in the freezer), soften yeast in water. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top. Once it's big and bubbly and the egg mixture is room temperature, stir it all together. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Don't add too much! Cover and allow to rise for 3-4 hours, or until doubled. turn out onto lightly floured board, knead just to coat dough with flour. Dough is very soft and should remain so. Divide in two. Roll each half into a circle. Spread each circle with softened butter. Cut, pie-fashion, into 16 pieces. Roll each piece loosely from large end to small. Place on greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise to double in size. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375.