macaroni salad

"This is a salad that everyone seems to love. I always get lots of compliments on this recipe and it is just a pleasing taste that seems to suit everyone."

Ingredients:

4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar 2/3 cup white sugar 2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 large onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup grated carrot (optional) 2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (optional)

Directions:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.
2.	In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.

Stuffed Mushrooms

• 16 extra-large white mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry
• 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
• 6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2/3 cup panko crumbs
• 5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.
Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

cranberry applesauce jello

Ingredients

• 2 packages (3 ounces each) strawberry gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1-3/4 cups chunky applesauce

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cranberry sauce and applesauce. Pour into a 6-cup ring mold coated with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Unmold onto a serving platter. Yield: 12 servings.

Macaroni and Cheese

The addition of cottage cheese and sour cream turns the ordinary macaroni and cheese into a deliciously creamy casserole. To counter the mild cottage cheese, a sharp cheddar is also used in this great macaroni and cheese recipe.

Makes 6 Generous Portions

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz dry elbow macaroni
• 1 1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
• 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 2/3 cup plain bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp melted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta one minute less that the directions call for. Drain very well and add to a 9 x 12 inch baking dish
   
2. Stir in the cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, stir the bread crumbs and melted butter together. Sprinkle evenly over the top, and bake for 35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and bubbling.

dinner rolls

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 1/2 cup warm milk 1 egg 1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions:

1.	Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
2.	When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.	Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Pumpkin cookies from Jess Thomas

1 cup of Butter
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1tsp vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

Frosting
3 TB Buttter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of milk
2 cups of powder sugar

Crean butter and sugars.
add pumpkin egg and vanilla.
mix well.
sift all dry ingredients and to creamed.
drop onto greased cookie sheets.

Britani's Pumpkin Stew

Pumpkin Stew

Here you go Ladies, the Pumpkin Stew recipe!
This is a favorite for us this time of year!


2 pounds beef stew meat (cut up into pieces)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried apricots (I cut these up into tiny pieces)
3 tablespoons oil
3 white potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large tomatoes chopped (I just get the cans with the tomatoes already chopped),
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium pumpkin
1 large green pepper, diced
Melted butter or margarine
2 to 3 teaspoons salt or to taste
1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
2 cups beef or vegetable broth

Select pumpkin that will set straight and firm. Cut meat into 1/2 inch cubes. Brown Meat, onion and garlic in hot oil in large heavy pot. Add tomatoes, green pepper, salt, pepper, honey apricots, white and sweet potatoes and broth. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Meanwhile, cut off top of pumpkin and discard. Scoop out seeds and stringy portion. Brush inside with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir corn into stew and carefully ladle into pumpkin shell (if all stew won’t fit into pumpkin, cook separately over low heat until tender and use it to refill pumpkin at time of serving). Place pumpkin in shallow baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until pumpkin and meat are tender.
Carefully transfer pumpkin to a large serving dish, if desired. At table carefully ladle stew out of pumpkin, scooping out pumpkin meat along with each serving


Side note: I make this the day before. I just leave it in the pot I made it in over night. Then the next day when its time put it into the pumpkin to warm up in the oven. This will take awhile because your stew is cold. So instead of heating it up in the pumpkin, I just heat it up in the pot its in and then add to the pumpkin.
The pumpkin is more for looks than anything!!