Goat Cheese / Gorgonzola Truffles

4 ounces cream cheese, softened 
1 (4-oz.) container crumbled Gorgonzola cheese or Goat Cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped onion 
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon 

Apple and pear slices
Grapes]

Preparation

1. Beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined. Cover tightly, and chill at least 1 hour or until firm (can chill up to 3 days).

2. Roll cheese mixture into 3/4-inch-round balls. Roll each ball in bacon. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve. If chilled, let stand 30 minutes before serving. Serve with apple and pear slices and grapes.


*NOTE I have made these then skewered them with a green grape on toothpicks for an appetizer. It went really well with wine tasting too! 

FRIED" HONEY BANANAS

FRIED" HONEY BANANAS...Great dessert without the guilt!
Serves 1
1 slightly under-ripened banana, sliced
1 tablespoon honey
Cinnamon
Olive oil

Lightly drizzle olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Arrange banana slices in pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Meanwhile, whisk together honey and 1 tablespoon of water. Remove pan from heat and pour honey mixture over banana.
Allow to cool and sprinkle with cinnamon.


NOTE** I tried it- it was a mushy mess. Not as pretty as the picture I saw. It tasted ok, but I 'd call this a major fail and probably won't be doing it again! 

Apple Cake

Apple Cake
6 medium apples cut into thin wedges
¾ cup brown sugar ( or white)
4 Tsp. honey
1 Tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
Mix all and leave at least half an hour, then add 1 cup chopped walnut + Raisin
For the cake:
¾ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 Tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ cup sour cream or single cream
Mix flour and baking powder.
Whip butter then add sugar and continue till it become creamy and white.
Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla, then fold with half of the flour mix, add half of the cream, then the rest of the flour and cream.
Remove apple mixture from the liquid, then add the liquid to the batter and mix well.
Spread in a 12x9 inches tray well, then arrange the apples on top in a decorative way, sprinkle with walnuts and raisins.Bake in a 350 F oven for 40 minutes, remove and cool

Apple Pie Coffee Cake

Apple Pie Coffee Cake 
1 package spice cake mix (regular size)
1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
GLAZE:
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Set aside 1 tablespoon cake mix. Set aside 1-1/2 cups pie filling. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, water, oil, extract and remaining cake mix and pie filling; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour half into a 10-in. fluted tube pan coated with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and reserved cake mix; sprinkle over batter. Spoon reserved pie filling over batter to within 3/4 in. of edges; top with remaining batter.
Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients. drizzle over cooled cake
https://www.facebook.com/nellsoldfashionrecipes

Strawberry whipped sensation.

Thought I had this recipe in here but couldn't find it. A friend asked me to make it a while back. It was a great success and every year she asks me to make it when she comes for Easter dinner. The original was a recipe taken from a magazine.

Enjoy!!
Strawberry Whipped Sensation recipe
time = prep:20 min total:6 hr 20 min
servings total: 12 servings
what you need
4 cups  fresh strawberries, divided
1 can  (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup  lemon juice
1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
8  OREO Cookies, finely chopped
1 Tbsp.  butter, melted make it

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Mash 2 cups berries in large bowl. Add milk, juice and 2 cups COOL WHIP; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

MIX chopped cookies and butter; spoon over COOL WHIP mixture. Cover with ends of foil; gently press cookie mixture into COOL WHIP mixture. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

INVERT dessert onto plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Frost dessert with remaining COOL WHIP. Slice remaining berries; arrange over dessert.

kraft kitchens tips
HEALTHY LIVING
Save 30 calories and 4.5g of fat, including 3g of saturated fat, per serving by preparing with fat-free sweetened condensed milk, COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping and Reduced Fat OREO Cookies.
SUBSTITUTE
Prepare using an 8x4-inch loaf pan.
NOTE
Be sure to leave enough foil extending over sides of pan so that there is enough to completely cover dessert.
servings total: 12 servings
nutritional info per serving
per serving:   Calories  220 Total fat  9 g Saturated fat  6 g Cholesterol  15 mg Sodium  95 mg Carbohydrate  32 g Dietary fiber  1 g Sugars  27 g Protein  4 g Vitamin A  4 %DV Vitamin C  50 %DV Calcium  10 %DV Iron  4 %DV


 There is a video on how to make this recipe at the link too ;)
Source:   http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/strawberry-whipped-sensation-109477.aspx

BLUEBERRY JAM

BLUEBERRY JAM (tastes of home magazine)

Good for diabetics because there is no sugar added

Ingredients
1/3 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
1 envelope plain gelatin
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Pour the apple juice concentrate into a saucepan; sprinkle with gelatin and allow to soften for several minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, finely chop blueberries, 1 cup at a time. Add lemon juice, spices and 2 cups of chopped berries to gelatin; heat over medium-low until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in remaining berries and mix well.
Pour into jars or plastic containers; store in the refrigerator up to three weeks.OR freeze up to one year. Yield: 4 cups.

Gave out as christmas gifts- it went over very well.

Bluberry Tarts with Maple syrup- good for diabetics

Since I'm finding more and more people in my life are diabetics, I've been trying more recipes for diabetics - they're healthier and they help you loose weight ;)

BLUEBERRY TARTS (FAMILY CIRCLE MAGAZINE)

Serves 8, makes 4 tarts: 281 calories, 12 fat, 3 protein, 42 carbs, 2 fiber

INGREDIENTS

PASTRY:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

1 tablespoon maple syrup

BLUEBERRY FILLING:

2 6oz packages fresh blueberries (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon zest ( I used about 1/2 to a tsp of lemon juice)

DIRECTIONS

1. Pastry: in a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add butter an dmix into flour with a pastry blender or your fingers until crumbly. In a small bowl, stir together maple syrup and 1/4 up plus 1 teaspoon cold water. Add water mixture to flour mixture and toss together with a fork until dough begins to come together. Gather dough into a ball; divide in 4 equal pieces. Flatten each into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours.

Blueberry filling: Place blueberries in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together maple syrup, cornstarch and lemon zest. Gently combine with blueberries. Set aside.

Heat oven to 375.

Roll out one pastry disc to an 8-inch circle. Transfer to a nonstick baking sheet. Fold over 1/2 inch of dough all around pastry, forming a decorative edge. Repeat with remaining pastry. Divide blueberry mixture evenly among pastry rounds, about 1/2 cup in each (spread berry mixture in a *single layer*).

Bake tarts at 375 for 35 minutes, until pastry is browned and filling is set.

Notes: I actually split the dough down further and made individual size tarts instead of one pie size one for two people. It worked out well- I kept an eye on it while cooking but it cooked for about the same time. Everyone loved them! Best of all the maple syrup I used was given to me by a neighbor who harvested it fresh!

Apple Pie (more then one way)

This is for the filling- again - the first recipe is the way I was taught.Just like Mom's ;) The second -scroll down- is an easy one that can be adjusted for diabetics.

*NOTE: For crust from scratch - go here
Pie Crust Recipe


2Tbs lemon juice
(helps keep apples from going brown- or you can use Orange Juice too)
1/3 cup firm packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
6 cups (aprox 6-8 medium)Granny Smith Apples
2 unbaked pie crust - for bottom and top.

Peel and Slice apples aprox 1.2 inch thick- if you have a spiral slicers GET ONE- they're fabulous (see pampered chef or bed ,bath ,and beyond stores)

Place apples in a bowl.Mix all ingredients in by hand until apples are well coated.
Pour mix into bottom pie shell.Dab 1-2 tbs of butter over top of apples before placing top pie crust on.
Rub top pie crust with milk and sprinkle with regular sugar and nutmeg. Cut slices into top pie crust so filling can 'breathe' while it cooks.

Loosely place a sheet of foil to cover top of pie- do not press down or seal on pie,just let it lay on top. Cook 400 degrees for 40 minutes- remove foil from top of crust and cook additional 10-20 minutes -until top is nicely browned.

I also place foil strips around the crust and seal it for the entire bake time to help prevent the crust edges from burning.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Here is another version I got from my sister in law -she is a nurse and this is a good one for diabetics because you can replace the sugar with splenda measure for measure.

6 cups thinly sliced apples
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar ( substitute 1 cup splendid )
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon butter

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add sugar mixture to apples, toss to coat.
Fill pastry, dot with butter, set top crust, seal and flute edge, cover edge of pie with foil.
Bake 375 for 25 minutes, remove foil, brush top crust with beaten egg white, if using regular sugar sprinkle some on top ( never tried it with splenda ) , bake for 20 to 25 minutes more till crust golden brown.

Summer Fruit Crostata

Summer Fruit Crostata from bare foot contessa on food network.
Ingredients

* For the pastry (makes 2 crostatas)
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
* 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) ice water

For the filling (makes 1 crostata):
nocoupons

* 1 pound firm ripe peaches, peeled
* 1/2 pound firm ripe black plums, unpeeled
* 1/2 pint fresh blueberries
* 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
* 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

For the pastry:
Directions

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you only need 1 disk of dough The other disk of dough can be frozen.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the baking sheet.
For the filling:

Cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the 1/4 cup flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep 30 min
Inactive Prep
1 hr 5 min
Cook 20 min
Total: 1 hr 55 min
Level:Intermediate Yield:6 servings

3 step mini cheese cakes

mini cheese cakes made with cream cheese.

2pkg (8oz each) Cream cheese- softened.
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 oreo cookies ( Vanilla wafers work too)

1 kiwi peeled , cut into 6 slices
36 blueberries(1/2 cup)
12 raspberries or blackberries ( about 1/3 cup)
( suggested serving- you can use whatever fruit in season you'd like!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed- until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended.
Place 1 cooke in bottom of each of 12 medium paper lined muffin cups. Fill evenly with batter.
Bake 20 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Cut kiwi slices in half. Top each cheesecake with seasonal fruit just before serving.

Easy Apple Dumplings

Easy apple Dumplings
Source: http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=940

makes 16 servings

2 Packages of crescent rolls (8 in each)
2 Granny Smith Apples -- peeled & cored into 8 slices
2 sticks of real butter -- melted
2 cups of sugar
1 can of Sprite

Place one apple slice in each triangle - wrap and place in sprayed pan.
Combine melted butter with sugar and pour over wrapped apples in pan.
Then pour Sprite over all ingredients Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at
300 degrees for 45 minutes. Then, turn off oven and leave dumplings for another 15 minutes. Remove & enjoy!

Fastest Cake In The West!

Fastest Cake In The West!


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can cherry pie filling
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans


Procedure
Mix all ingredients and put in a 9 x 13 pan. DO NOT GREASE.
Bake at 350' for approximately 35 minutes.
Very moist cake. Serve with HUGE dollop of whipped cream!

Serving Information
Serves: 12

Raspberry Crumb Bars

Raspberry Crumb Bars
1 c. butter, softened
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. salt
12-oz. pkg. chocolate chips, divided
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. raspberry jam

Combine butter, vanilla, sugars, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Press 1-1/4 cups of mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13"x9" baking pan. Set remaining crumbs aside. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; remove from oven. Combine one cup chocolate chips with condensed milk in a small saucepan; melt over low heat until smooth. Spread over crust. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over chocolate mixture. Drop jam by teaspoonfuls over crumbs; sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of jam. Bake at 350 degrees for an additional 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack; let cool one hour. Cut into bars.
Makes about 2 dozen.

Fried Bananas (bananas In Batter)

1 oz. sugar
1/2 oz. butter
9 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup rum
1 teaspoon limejuice
8 ozs. flour
oil

Procedure
1. Peel bananas and cut into thick chunks.
2. Soak in rum, sugar and lime juice.
3. Mix remaining ingredients except the oil.
4. Dip banana chunks into the batter using a spoon. Fry lightly in hot oil.

Apples - you can freeze them!

Whats the best way to freeze apples? - Yahoo! Answers
How to Freeze Apples at Home
All About Apples The New Homemaker
Freezing Apples - How to Freeze Apples

Water Melon Marbles

1 water melon
1/4 pint rum
2 oranges
2 tablespoons sugar
* cherries
Procedure
1. Cut the melon in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds, then with a ball-scoop remove the
flesh of the melon. The shell can be kept to be a serving dish if wished.
2. Place the melon balls in a bowl. Mix the rum, orange juice and sugar together, and pour
over the melon balls. Refrigerate for at least on hour.
3. To serve, place a cocktail stick in each ball and pile up on a bed of cracked ice in

Banana Bread with Cream Cheese

This banana bread recipe is made with biscuit mix or Bisquick and cream cheese.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups biscuit mix (Bisquick, Pioneer, etc.)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

PREPARATION:
In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas, the eggs, and vanilla. Stir in biscuit mix and pecans just until ingredients are moistened. Pour into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
Bake banana bread at 350° for 1 hour, or until wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in center. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking if too brown. Cool banana bread before slicing.

Cheddar Apple Breakfast Lasagna

Cheddar Apple Breakfast Lasagna Yield: 6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 30 minutes
Category: Breads & Breakfasts - Breakfast Dish
Ingredients: 1 cup sour cream 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 pkgs. (9 oz. each) frozen French Toast (12 slices) 1/2 lb. sliced, cooked ham 3 cups (12 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided 1 can (20 oz.) apple pie filling 1 cup granola with or without raisins Directions: 1. In small bowl, blend sour cream and brown sugar; chill.
2. Place 6 French Toast slices in bottom of greased 9x13 baking pan. Layer ham, 2-1/2 cups cheese and remaining 6 slices of French Toast. Spread apple filling over top; sprinkle with granola.
3. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 25 minutes. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake about 5 minutes more until cheese is melted and casserole is hot. Serve with sour cream mixture.