Crab and cream cheese appetizer

An appetizer that is lovely and everyone will like!!! It comes from Lisa Wachob, who is a friend and held my first valley baking/cooking class at her home last week. She gave me the recipe and I made it first thing in class so all the "girls could nibble on it. If you have a Cuisinart or other food processor, it works great in this recipe. I mean, who doesn't love crab??

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

small red onion finely chopped(in food processor, if possible)

1 small garlic clove(mince with onion)

2 Tbls. Worchestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 Tbls. fresh lemon juice

1/4 teas. salt

1/2 cup chili sauce

Fresh snipped parsley, for garnish

Combine the first 7 ingredients and beat with hand mixer until smooth. Spread evenly on a 12 1/2 inch flat plate. Spread chili sauce over the first layer, leaving a 3/4 inch margin all around. Shred crab, and pile on top. Garnish all over with parsley. Serve with crackers. Yummy!!

Rich and Easy Chocolate Topping

If you love chocolate, you'll love this recipe!! It comes from my bridge friend, Ann Marie Kottenstette. She said it is from an old Hershey's pamphlet she got years ago, and her family loves it. Made it myself the other night and everyone oohed and aahed. It is simple to do too. Viva la ice cream with chocolate sauce!!

1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa( I like their new "Special Dark" 100% cacao, chocolate cocoa)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla(as always Mexican vanilla gives the most flavor)

Combine cocoa and sugar in small saucepan; blend in evaporated milk. Add butter and salt. Cook and stir constantly till mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Serve warm over ice cream or other desserts. Makes about 2 cups sauce.

Oriental cabbage salad

This yummy, crunchy salad came from my friend, Carol Nystrom. We had a cooking class recently and I taught several of my friends here in the valley about baking, and they in turn brought lots of good things. We had a blast and I think everyone learned something!! this salad is crisp and different and went perfectly with the Sausage-Leek-Artichoke quiche we made(It is in the blog also). The original recipe calls for Napa cabbage, but Carol says it is great with regular cabbage and could certainly be made, Using both mixed. Enjoy!

4 TBLS. butter or margarine

2 pkg. Ramen chicken noodles..... Lightly brown noodles in butter and cool. ADD NO SEASONINGS AT THIS POINT.

2 bunches green onions, chopped

1 Large head Napa Cabbage, or regular cabbage or the 2 mixed, chopped

4 oz. sunflower seeds

4 oz. sliced almonds

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

scant 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 TBLS. good quality Balsamic vinegar

1 TBLS. soy sauce

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 Pkg. Ramen seasoning from the chicken noodles above

Heat all of the above EXCEPT OLIVE OIL in the microwave for about 1 minute. Cool 2 or 3 minutes and add olive oil. Chill in the refrigerator.

Assemble salad.. Toss cabbage with noodles, green onions, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds. Toss with dressing just before serving.

Sunday Morning Biscuits

This is just the best biscuit recipe from my mom, Nancy Aton. We fixed these New Year's Day 2010 and used them for ham sandwiches. They are light, fluffy and just plain delicious. would be wonderful as "Biscuits and Gravy" too!!

2 cups unbleached flour

4 tsp. baking powder ( cut down to 3 1/2 tsps. at high altitude)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup(1 stick) slightly softened butter

2/3 cup cream or whole milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in medium bowl. cut in butter,using a pastry fork, until the size of peas. Quickly add cream and stir until just moistened. Gather into ball and turn onto a floured board. Knead lightly about 5 times. Cut biscuits with a 2 inch cutter or smaller if you like.Place on lightly oiled(sprayed) baking sheet. Brush with cream. Bake about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Can freeze these after cutting them out on baking sheet and then transfer to plastic bag. Will need to bake a little longer, about 18 minutes or so. Makes about16 biscuits.

Oatmeal Cookies "the Best"

The only thing I really like raisins in are these cookies from the original "Colorado Cache" cookbook. the difference is you soak the raisins before putting them in the cookie, making them plump and delicious A great cookie for a cold winter's day. DELICIOUS!

1. 3 eggs, well beaten


2. 1 cup raisins


3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


4. 1 cup butter ( I use butter flavor Crisco at high altitude because butter runs too much. Could try half butter and half Crisco too).


5. 1 cup brown sugar (I use light brown)


6. 1 cup white sugar


7. 2 1/2 cups flour


8. 1 teaspoon salt


9. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


10. 2 teaspoons baking soda


11. 1 1/2 cups oatmeal


12. 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ


13. 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans


14. 1 teaspoon water or so

Combine eggs, raisins, and vanilla and let stand for one hour, covered with plastic wrap. Cream together butter or shortening and sugars until well blended. Add flour. salt, cinnamon and soda to sugar mixture. Mix well. Blend in egg-raisin mixture, oatmeal, wheat germ, and chopped nuts. Add a teaspoon of water so dough is not so dry to work with, I found it needed that. Dough will be stiff. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto UNGREASED cookie sheets and flatten slightly with fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Judy's Pineapple Cake

My friend, Judy Kennerson, gave me this recipe a couple of years ago to make her birthday cake for our bridge group. I just made it again for her and the gals in bridge group asked me to post it to my recipe site. I made a couple of additions to the cake which I think make it extra good. It called for walnuts in the original and I changed that to toasted pecans and I also toast coconut and sprinkle it on the top as all the bridge girls like coconut so much. Good cake to take to pot lucks too. Here you go bridge friends...

1. 2 cups flour
2. 2 cups sugar
3. 2 teaspoons baking soda
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 2 Extra large eggs ( Original called for large but think it makes the cake a little lighter to use the extra large)
6. 2 teaspoons vanilla
7. 1 - 15 ounce can crushed pineapple ( Can use 20 ounce but I substituted this instead so not so dense)

Combine all of the above and mix in large bowl until well blended. Pour into a GREASED 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. When cake comes out of the oven HOT, combine the following and spread on cake. Top with 3/4 cup toasted coconut!!!

1. 1 stick butter, softened
2. 1 8 ounce cream cheese
3. 2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
5. 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Ann's Famous Gingerbread Cookies

I truly love this gingerbread cookie recipe. I usually try to make a big batch between Halloween and Thanksgiving, and then again at Christmas for gifts. It makes a crispy, light gingerbread, that melts in your mouth. roll the dough thin and decorate the men with raisins, red hotsa, and sugar sprinkles. The other cut-outs I just use sugar sprinkles in various colors. This recipe originally came from "Taste of Home" magazine about 14 years ago. Grandkids love these too!! They take a little time, but are worth the effort and sit back and enjoy the compliments-

1. 1 cup butter, softened


2. 1 cup sugar


3. 1/2 cup dark corn syrup


4. 1 teaspoon EACH ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger


5. 2 large Eggs, beaten


6. 1 teaspoon vinegar


7. 5 cups unbleached white flour (I use Pillsbury or King Arthur)


8. 1 teaspoon baking soda


9. Red hot candies, raisins and sugar sprinkles in assorted colors

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and spices; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in the eggs and vinegar. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into sugar mixture to form a soft dough. chill for several hours. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters and place on GREASED cookie sheets. Reroll scraps and cut them out also. Decorate with red hots, raisins and colored sugar sprinkles. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to cooling racks. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.