Homemade Oreo Cookies

2 devils food cake mixes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup shortening

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Roll into ball and slightly press down on pan to give cookie a round shape.

Filling:
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 cube butter
1 lb (about 4 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and put in between cookies.

From the kitchen of Kelly.

Lemon Tart

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup(1 stick) could unsalted butter(cut into smaller pieces)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a food processor or mixer, combine ingredients for crust. Pulse together until a dough starts to form in clumps. Press into tart pan, making sure to cover bottom and sides evenly. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork and place in freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Place tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake until crust is a golden-brown color, approximately 12 minutes(check it at about 9-10 min. Mine was done in that amount of time.) Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling:
5 oz. cream cheese
1/2 sugar(can add an extra 1/4 cup)
3/4 c. fresh lemon juice(about 3 large lemons---DO NOT use concentrated lemon juice!!)
2 large eggs
Zest from 1 lemon(get zest before juicing)

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth. Add sugar. Mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each egg. Stop and scrape bowl halfway through. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until smooth.(This will be pretty runny, but will set once cooked)
Pour filling into tart crust and bake on cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes, or until filling is set. Let tart cool on wire cooling rack. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
Use whipping cream as an optional topping. It can be piped on in stars or served on top with each piece. For extra flavor in the whipped cream, add a tsp. of lemon zest.

*Note: I bought my tart pan at the local kitchen supply store for around $7. But I'll be you could find one at Walmart.

From the kitchen of Kym Allen(I got this out of the book "Lemon Tart" by Josi Kilpack.)

Ratatouille

This is a great recipe for this time of year when gardens are starting to be ready to be picked!

Ingredients

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Tips: The recipe calls for an Italian eggplant, I can never find one or when I do it's more expensive, so I just look for a long skinny eggplant and make it work.

From the kitchen of Megan.

Original recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/

Baked Beans

This is a yummy (the picture doesn't do it justice!), easy (crockpot!) recipe that is perfect for any end-of-summer potlucks and/or family reunions you may have.

BAKED BEANS

1/2 lb bacon, cooked and broken up
1/2 lb hamburger
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped

Cook hamburger, pepper, onion together until hamburger is done. In a crockpot combine hamburger mixture with:

1 32 oz can pork and beans
1 16 oz can kidney beans
1 16 oz can butter beans
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 T mustard
2 T molasses
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Mix all together and cook for about an hour.

From the kitchen of Kelly.

Two for One!

I have been on the hunt lately for new recipes for my family to expand our repertoire of dinner meals. This chili recipe (slightly adapted) comes from the Weight Watchers cookbook that I happened upon at a family member's house. Dieting or not, they have some really tasty meals! I have also included a recipe for sweet cornbread, which comes from a friend I met in college.

SPICY CHILI

Ingredients:

4 t. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
3/4 lb ground beef
1 T chili powder
2 t ground cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t ground coriander
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-16 oz. can pinto or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Garnishes to taste:
fresh cilantro, chopped
sour cream
chopped red onion


Directions:

1. Chop all the vegetables. This is easily the most intense part of this recipe.


2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onions, carrot, celery, peppers, and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.

3. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink.

Note: To save money, I generally buy higher fat hamburger. I prefer to cook the meat separately so I can drain the excess fat before adding the beef to the vegetables. I'll add the meat when it is still slightly pink so it can absorb some of the flavor of the vegetables before being fully cooked.

4. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and coriander. Cook for 1 minute longer to allow spices to soak in.

5. Add the tomatoes, beans, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

6. Serve, topped with sour cream and red onion and additional cilantro if you like.


This chili freezes very well, just don't add the cilantro until you're ready to serve it.

SWEET CORNBREAD
sorry, no pictures!

Ingredients:

1 c corn meal
3 c flour
1 1/3 c sugar
2 T baking powder
1 t salt
2/3 c oil
6 T butter, melted
4 eggs
2 1/2 c milk

Directions: preheat oven to 350

1. Combine all wet ingredients.

2. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Pour batter into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 min. Alternately, you may cook this as muffins instead, baking for only 12-18 minutes. Makes approx. 3 dozen muffins.

from the kitchen of laura w.

Great Grape Salad

This is an awesome summer salad (it's usually too expensive to make in the winter, wait until grapes are on sale), and is so refreshing. I get asked for this recipe all the time.

4 lbs grapes (about 2 bags - I always use red)
8 oz cream cheese - softened (you can use neufchatel)
1 cup sour cream (you can use lowfat if you like)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Grape Nuts (I actually use Western Family brand because they are cheaper, but they taste just the same).

With a hand mixer blend cream cheese, sour cream, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Wash grapes and drop one by one into cream cheese mixture. Coat all evenly. Add Grape Nuts just before serving (no longer than 1/2 an hour).

Tips: Make sure your cream cheese is SUPER soft before you start, or you will end up with lumps. I usually put mine in the microwave on auto defrost for about 30-60 seconds. Don't let it melt, but it can be very soft.

Make sure you pluck those grapes carefully and don't leave any stems in - run each one through your fingers to double check.

If you are making this for a party or a big group go ahead and coat the whole salad with grape nuts. However, if you are just making it for your family and you'll want to eat it over a few days, just drop grape nuts on individual sized servings and leave the rest plain in the fridge until you are ready to use it. That way the grape nuts won't get soggy.



From the Kitchen of Tannie Datwyler

My Mom's Shepherd's Pie

I learned that "Shepherd's Pie" categorizes any meat and vegetable combination with mashed potatoes on top...so, pretty much anything you want to throw in the pan. Here is my mom's version that I grew up with.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
2 c. instant mashed potatoes
1 pkt. brown gravy mix
1 c. water
frozen peas
1 1/2-2 c. cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Brown meat. Drain any fat and season as desired. While the meat is cooking, prepare the mashed potatoes.

You can use real potatoes, and boil and mash them before starting anything else. I am all about making this as easy as possible, so instant mashed it is.

2. When the meat is fully cooked, add gravy mix, 1 cup of water, and as many frozen peas as you would like. Stir until all gravy is mixed it. Leave on burner until everything is heated through.


3. Pour the meat/peas mixture into the bottom of a 5 qt. casserole dish (9x13 cake pan works just as well, too).


4. Add mashed potatoes and spread evenly over the meat.


5. Add cheese.

You can grate it if you like. Again, I'm all about making it quick and easy, so I slice it for quicker application. :)

6. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I like it a little crunchy around the edges...some gravy will also "leak" up.

from the kitchen of laura w.