Creamy Cranberry Salad

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 6 oz raspberry jello mix
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple
3/4 cup orange juice
1 apple with peel, grated
1 cup whipping cream
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Process cranberries in blender or food processor.  Pour sugar over cranberries, stir to dissolve.
Bring 3/4 cup water to boil.  Stir in gelatin and cool.  Stir cooled gelatin into cranberries, add pineapple, Orange juice, grated apple.  Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Whip cream and beat in cream cheese and powdered sugar.

In glass serving dish layer half the cranberry mixture, then the whipped cream mixture, Then the remaining cranberry mixture.

Bacon Pie Crust

We had a bacon Thanksgiving so a friend gave me this awesome recipe for a bacon pie crust.  It was perfect for this cranberry apple pie.  I'm thinking it would also be good in a chicken pot pie.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Kosher salt

2/3 cup cold water

4 oz thick cut bacon; finely diced and frozen (4-5 strips)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices and chilled

Directions:

• For the Crust: In a small bowl, stir the Salt into the Cold Water until it dissolves. In a separate bowl, use your hands to toss the Bacon with Flour until well coated. Pulse the Flour and Bacon in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Return mixture to large bowl. Add the Butter to the Flour mixture and then press in the Butter with your fingertips until coarse crumbs form with a few bigger pieces remaining. Add the Salted Water all at once, and quickly gather the dough with your hands into a large, shaggy clump. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, shape into disks, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Cranberry Apple Pie

Ingredients:
1 9 inch deep dish pie crust
6 apples peeled, cored, and chopped
1 12 oz pkg fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup quick cooking tapioca

Topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Invert pie shell over another pie pan of equal size.  This will keep the crust from shrinking down into the pan.  Bake in this position for 10 minutes, until partially baked. Turn right side up, and remove the extra pie pan from inside the crust.

In a large bowl, combine apples, cranberries, and sugar.  Cover, and set aside for about 20 minutes.  Mix in tapioca, and set aside for 15-20 minutes, until tapioca has absorbed fruit juice.  Spread mixture into the partially baked pie shell.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter.  Work mixture with fingertips until crumbly.  Spread mixture over the apple-cranberry filling. Brush exposed pie shell with lightly beaten egg. 

Place the pie on a cookie sheet to catch drips.  Bake 45-60 minutes on the bottom rack of the preheated oven, or until apples are tender when tested with a wooden pick.

Easy Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 lb savory sage or original recipe sausage roll
1 lg onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 14 oz pkg cubed stuffing
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, crumble sausage.  Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is brown.  In a bowl combine the sausage mixture with the cubed stuffing. Add the poultry seasoning, broth and butter.  Toss to combine.  Pour into a 13x9 inch pan.  cover.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

slow cooker mashed potatoes

I'm not sure how these are so much a crockpot dish when it really just serves as a way to keep the potatoes warm but they are really ready to eat without going in the crockpot. But they are very good and it was nice to be able to make the mashed potatoes ahead of time and kept warm until the rest of the meal was ready.

Ingredients5 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the potatoes, garlic, and bouillon until potatoes are tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. Transfer the potato mixture to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Footnotes

Peanut Blossoms

Ingredients:
1 bag Hershey kisses chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat 350. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate piece into center of each cookie. Cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Strawberry Cheesecake Dessert

I got this recipe from my sister, Kathy a long time ago. This is a super easy dessert that tastes really good. I particularly love the salty sweetness of the crust.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/4 cup crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted margarine or butter

Mix together pretzels, sugar and melted butter and press into bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 10 min. cool.

Center:
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cool whip

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip until creamy. Spread over cooled pretzels.

Top:
16 oz frozen, sweetened sliced strawberries
6 oz strawberry gelatin mix
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups hot water

Dissolve gelatin in the hot water. Add fruit and chill. When soft set pour over cheese mixture. Chill until firm (3-4 hours)

Crescent Rolls

Ingredients:

2 T yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 stick butter, softened

2 eggs

4-5 cups flour

Directions:

Mix first 3 ingredients and let sit 15 minutes until bubbly. Then add the salt, butter, eggs, and flour. Mix in enough flour so it isn't sticky. Let rise until doubled in size. Roll out into circle and spread melted butter on top. Cut like a pizza into triangles and roll the big end towards the small end until rolled up. Let rise again and bake 375 12-15 minutes.