Peanut Butter & Honey Balls

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Honey

1 cup powdered milk

Mix everything together until well blended. Roll into about 30 balls. Creamy peanut butter makes a smoother snack. Can melt chocolate chips and decorate top or dip balls in the chocolate. Or just add chocolate chips to each ball.  Enjoy!

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles

***This is a great recipe to use up extra veggies you may have accumulated throughout the week***

Ingredients:

1/2 package rice stick noodles
1 cup mixed veggies of choice, julienned or chopped small
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt, more to taste
cayenne, to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk
pinch stevia or drizzle honey, as desired

2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

To prepare:

1. Cook noodles as package directions. In the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, add vegetables and blanch. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil on medium high heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic and ginger, cooking for one minute, stirring well.

3. Add spices and toast, stirring constantly. Add coconut milk, salt and cayenne to taste.

4. Transfer coconut milk/onion mix to a small blender and puree. Add pinch of stevia, more cayenne or salt to taste.

5. Pour sauce over noodle/vegetable mix and stir to combine. Divide on plates and top with green onions and cilantro.

Serves 3-4

Chunky Green Olive Dip from Jeannie

1-8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup green olive juice
1/2 cup green olives, quartered
(or just use an 8 oz jar of salad olives in place of the olives and the juice)

Mash cream chees and olive juice with a fork until it is the texture of cottage cheese. Mix in the olives. Serve with ruffled potato chips. (For less salty, sub 1/4 cup water for 1/4 cup of the olive juice--Jeannie likes it salty!)

This recipe is flexible in exactness. If the salad olives come in 6 oz, so be it!

Tracy's Mother's Raisin Drop Cookies

2 cups raisins
1 cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup oil
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla
5 cups flour (but only 8 if doubled)
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup applesauce

Add water to raisins and boil 5 minutes in heavy saucepan. Cool for 30 minutes then add baking soda. Blend  oil with sugar, salt, and spices, creaming thoroughly. Add eggs, vanilla, and cooled raisin mixture. Add flour then baking powder. Stir in nuts. Bake at 400 degrees in the oven for 15 minute. Makes 5 dozen or more.

Lynn's Gooey Brownies--Fast and Easy!

Pour three Pillbury Fudge Brownie Mixes together. Add:

6 well-beaten eggs
2 cups oil
3/4 cup water

Bake 45-50 minutes at 350.

Frost with 1 package of cream cheese mixed with 1 cup of powdered sugar, blended well.

You can also add 1/2 jar of either butterscotch or caramel ice cream topping. You can swirl in fudge frosting and mini chocolate chips. Chill well and enjoy!

Hummus from Cristall

1 (14-15 oz) can chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 clove minced garlic
2 T. light cream cheese
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil

Puree everything in a food processor. It’s fantastic with pita bread, chips or veggies. You
won’t be able to stop eating this goodness. Makes 2 cups

Annette's Cream Filled Cupcakes

Bake your favorite cupcakes in paper liners. Mine for the Tasting Table was my favorite, Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix.

French Vanilla Creme Filling

1/3 C. Flour

1/3 C. Sugar

1 C. Milk

Combine in saucepan and cook over medium heat until consistency of thick paste.  Cool.

1/2 C. Butter

1/2 C. Shortening

3/4 C. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine and beat at high speed for 5 minutes.

Add milk mixture and beat 5 more minutes at high speed. Put in decorating bag with pastry filler tip. Insert into top of cupcake and fill just until cupcake puffs a bit.  I usually cut open the first one to see if it's enough, or too much.  Then frost the tops with your favorite icing and that covers the hole.  I sprinkled some pink sugar on top.  Fills 5 - 6 dozen regular size cupcakes. Keep leftover filling in the fridge. To use again, beat again until thick.

Buttercream Icing

1/3 C. Milk

1/2 C. Shortening

1 tsp. Vanilla, clear, if you want it white

1 tsp. Butter Flavoring

3 - 4 C. Powdered Sugar or more

Beat until smooth and holds shape.

Egg-less Chocolate Cake from Kim H.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup DARK chocolate cocoa powder (I used regular cocoa and it was still great)

Mix and "sift" your dry ingredients for about 3 minutes in large bowl.

In another bowl, mix:

2 cups water
3/4 cup oil
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla

Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and hand mix just until blended.

Pour into a 9 x 13 Ungreased pan.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes in 325 degree oven for a glass pan.  (40 minutes for a metal pan at 350).  Remove from oven when toothpick comes out clean.  Frost after cooled.  This cake is even better the following day.

Grandma's Oatmeal and Chip Cookies from Naiyana

Cream Together:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons hot water
6 eggs

Mix and then add:

1 1/3 cup powdered milk (optional)
5 cups white flour + 1 cup wheat flour or or all 6 cups white flour
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
6 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips

Bake for 9 minutes at 350.

No-Bake Granola Bars from Cristall

2 c. quick oats from food storage
1 ½ c. unsweetened shredded coconut (Good Earth or Winco bulk section)
½ c. uncooked 9-grain cereal (Good Earth or Winco bulk section)
1 ½ c. chopped almonds or any other nut/seed you have on hand
1 ½ c. chips (mini chocolate chips, carob, dark, semi-sweet, white) and/or dried fruit
¾ c. honey or agave
1 ¼ c. peanut butter or almond butter
A few shakes of cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix the oats, coconut, 9-grain, nuts, chips and/or fruit. In a smaller separate bowl, whisk the honey/agave and peanut butter, then pour into dry mixture and mix really well. Shake in some cinnamon and press into a 9x13-inch pan. Refrigerate before cutting into bars and wrapping in Saran Wrap.