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.