Apple Cake

Apple Cake

Mary Sims

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. salad oil
2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. chopped apples (peeled & cored)
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix eggs, oil, and sugar. Blend really well. Add flour, salt, baking soda and mix well. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Add chopped apples and nuts. Bake in a greased tube pan at 350 for one hour (or until it looks done). Cool 30 minutes and remove from pan.

Optional topping: (I've actually never done this, but it you would like to...here are the directions)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
3/4 stick margarine
Heat for 4 minutes. Pour over cake.

Enjoy!

Hearty Italian Soup - adapted from Southern Living

Here's the recipe for the Hearty Italian Soup, which I adapted from a Southern Living recipe. Hope you enjoy! ~ Stephanie

Ingredients

• 1 (16-oz.) package mild Italian chicken sausage
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (48-oz.) container chicken broth
• 2 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1.5 cups mini pasta shells
  
• 1 (5-oz.) package baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
• Parmesan-Pepper Cornbread Biscotti

Preparation

• 1. Cook chicken sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove sausage from Dutch oven, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Sauté onion in hot drippings 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and return to Dutch oven.
• 2. Stir chicken broth and next 4 ingredients into sausage mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes.
• 3. Stir in spinach and next 2 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese. Serve with Parmesan-Pepper Cornbread Biscotti.

Recipe inspired by Kelly Mapes, Fort Collins, CO, Southern Living
OCTOBER 2011

Black Bean Dip (a staple)

... compliments of Cam on... ALL THE TIME... (I always make this dip.. so easy, so good, yum!)

2 cans black beans (drained)
2 cans white shoe peg corn (drained)
1 small jar of salsa (whatever heat you like: mild, medium, hot, etc..)
a bundle of cilantro (leaves pulled off and chopped up - discard the stem)
about 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 small red onion chopped up

So basically you just combine all the ingredients above... I use whatever sort of corn I have in the pantry... and I prefer more corn to black beans, but play with the ingredients until you get it the way you want. I'm not sure how much red wine vinegar I put in, I just keep adding until it taste just right... (always a little more than initial taste would suggest).

Also, if you are mixing and then serving later, mix everything up and save the cilantro to stir in right before you serve.

Warm Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Bars (without the fire!)

... compliments of Cam on 10-6-2011....

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
START TO FINISH: 55 MINUTES
24 BARS

(Betty Crocker recipe)

Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 cups milk chocolate chips (18 oz)
4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 - Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, stir together cookie mix and cracker crumbs. Stir in butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased 13x9 inch pan.

2-Bake 18 - 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over baked layer. Let stand 3 - 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate even over baked layer.

3-Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 5 - 6 inches from heat 20 - 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted.

Cool 10 minutes then cut 'em up and enjoy! Who doesn't love a s'more??

White Chicken Chili (crockpot)

... compliments of Bonnie on 10-20-2011....

Combine the following in a slow cooker:

• Packet of McCormick's White Chicken Chili Seasoning Mix
• 1 lb of chicken
• can of white beans/ cannelloni
• can of diced tomatoes (drained)
• can corn (drained)
• 2 cup chicken broth

*You can add/eliminate as you like with the corn and tomatoes (think Mexican, jalapenos, etc...)

Right before serving, shred the chicken a bit.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, cilantro, hot sauce, what ever suits your flavor!