Two Holiday Desserts to Try Out!

I made these for our church's Harvest Dinner last weekend, and they were both a success!

First, Strawberry Pretzel Salad, a Paula Deen recipe. However, I've also seen it in "The Pink Lady's Requested Recipes," a cookbook by a Calera lady who ran a teahouse with awesome salads, veggie dishes, and desserts. So what I'm trying to say is that I think this recipe has been around the block in the South a few times. The buttery-pretzel crust gives the super-sweet cream cheese filling a nice salty contrast, and the top layer is loaded with frozen strawberries (buy the plain strawberries and cut them in half; don't do the syrupy ones).

It took me a few times to get this just right; the trick is that you have to let the pretzel crust cool really well before putting on the cream cheese-Cool Whip-sugar mixture, and then let that set up pretty good in the fridge before putting on the strawberry Jell-O topping. Otherwise, the crust is all crumbly and/or the white part stays goopy.

I also made a Caramel Pecan Pie for the dinner, and it was AMAZING! Seriously, I'm a fan of pecan pie, but this was even better. As Paula Deen would say, it took pecan pie over the top. The recipe calls for 36 caramels, but I just used a bag of caramel bits from the chocolate chip section, and it worked fine.

I bought one of those refrigerated pie crusts that comes with two, and I used the other one to make empanadas from leftover chili and pieces of cheese! That's a way to make leftover chili fun to eat!

Oh man, going on the Food Network site got me excited for some holiday cooking! Sweet potato casserole, cranberry-pear pie, caramel apple pie--yum yum!! Maybe I'll actually start posting on here sometimes.

The Best Green Beans!

My mom found these green beans at Sam's a few weeks ago. They taste exactly like fresh homegrown green beans. But, without the snapping and 45 min-1 hr of cook time. I cook them the same way that I do fresh green beans. Fry a little bacon in a saucepan or a little bit of olive oil and saute them for a couple of minutes, then add a few cups of water and some bouillon cubes lastly some finely chopped onion, salt and pepper. Then cook for about 10-12 minutes. We've been eating them almost nightly, they are so delicious. Check 'em out!

22 Minute Cake

This is Phylliese Sawyer's recipe from the Edmond Church of Christ Cookbook:

2 C. flour
2 C. sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 C. shortening
3 1/2 T. cocoa
1 C. water
1/2 C. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. In a small pan, mix and bring to a boil: butter, shortening, cocoa, and water. Pour over flour mixture. Combine buttermilk, eggs, soda, and vanilla-add to other and mix all together. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 22 minutes. When cake has been in the oven for 18 minutes, combine icing ingredients except powdered sugar in a small pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar and beat well to remove the lumps. Pour over cake when it's removed from the oven.

Icing
1 stick butter
3 1/2 T. Cocoa
1/3 C. milk
1 lb. powdered sugar.

I love this recipe for church events. It makes a huge pan and I always get lots of compliments. Always giving credit to my friend Phylliese!

Baked Fudge

I want to try this so, I'm linking it here so I don't lose the recipe.

Here's the recipe. I'll let you know how it goes.

Chili's Salsa

From Copykat.com

As you can see, I've adopted the recipe for our tastes!

1 (14.5 oz) can Tomatoes and Green Chilis (Rotel)
1 (14.5 oz) Whole Peeled Tomatoes with juice
1 T. + 1 t. Jalapenos (canned, diced, not pickled) I actually use fresh!
1/4 C. yellow onion (diced) I usually use more!
3/4 t. Garlic salt I like fresh, about one clove
3 t. of chopped cilantro This is just a guess. Add more or less to taste.
1/2 t. Cumin
1/4 t. sugar
2-3 t. lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

In food processor, place jalapenos and onions. Process a few seconds. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and spices. Place in a covered container and chill for a couple of hours to blend the flavors. Serve with your favorite thin corn tortilla chips.

Savory Beef Stew

This is a delicious version of beef stew. It's from allrecipes.com.
INGREDIENTS

* 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
* 1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
* 2 cups water
* 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth, undiluted
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 6 small potatoes, quartered
* 6 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
* 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons cold water



DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, brown meat in salad dressing over medium heat. Add the next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Add the potatoes, carrots, green pepper and onion. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine flour and cold water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf before serving.