Cherry Pear Almond Crock Pot Dessert

by Sheila Merrill

 I made this and took it to one of the Wed. night dinners.  I came home with an empty crock pot.  It was a hit!

 

• 1  28 oz. can cherry pie filling
• 2  15 oz. cans diced pears in syrup
• 1   teaspoon almond extract
• 1   box yellow cake mix
• 1   stick butter, cut into small pieces
• 1   1.9 packet maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal
• Cool whip for topping 

 

Spray crock pot with butter flavored cooking spray, set aside.  In a large bowl, combine pie

filling, pears, (with juice) and almond extract.  Poor into prepared crock pot.  Sprinkle cake

mix over fruit mixture, dot with butter.  Sprinkle oatmeal over cake mixture.  Place a thickness of

 8 paper towels over crock pot and secure lid.  This helps to trap steam.  Cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

Do NOT lift lid for the first 3 hours.  Serve warm with Cool Whip.

Leek and Potato Frittata

by Christina Pillot

Yield:  4 to 6 servings

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, cleaned, thinly sliced (3 cups)
• 3 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 pound small red or white potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 6 large eggs
• Freshly milled black pepper
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley for garnish

1.  Set a rack on the middle shelf of the oven and preheat to 400 deg. F

2.  In a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, warm the oil.  Add the leeks and 2 tsp of salt and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.   Lower the heat, add the thyme, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover by 1/2 inch.  Cook over medium heat, covered until the potatoes are tender, but not falling apart, 8 - 10 minutes.  Drain and transfer to the skillet.


4.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and the remaining tsp of salt.  Season with black pepper.   Add the eggs to the skillet and stir to combine.   Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until firm and slightly puffed, about 20 minutes.

5.   Sprinkle with parsley, cut in wedges, and serve hot or warm.

Real Hummus Recipe

from Christina Pillot (via the web)

You shouldn’t, and can’t, compete with people who have been making hummus all their lives. On the other hand, you can still make a very tasty hummus the first time you try. It will taste 10 times better than any packaged hummus you can buy, and be 10 times healthier as well (read more here). With time, you will get the touch and become a hummus expert.
A hummus made right, will not make you feel heavy or bloated after you eat it. It will not make you – excuse my French – fart like crazy, either. It should go down smoothly, leaving you light and happy, and in a cheerful mood.
To solve the gas problem, BTW, you should soak the chickpeas in clean water for 10-15 hours, switch them at least once, and take off the foam that appears over the boiling water during the cooking. That’s all (and if you’re extra sensitive, put one bay leaf into the cooking pot).
Also, washing the chickpeas well between every two steps of the making, will help you leave out the aftertastes.
There are lots of different hummus recipes. I came across dozens of hummus recipes, and practically tried them all. The recipe before you is the best, in my opinion. Accurate and well tested – although you should feel free to experiment. Good luck!

Ingredients[4 extra-large bowls of Hummus]

• 1 cups dried chickpeas (the smallest you can find)
• 1/2 cup tahini
• juice from 1 squeezed lemons
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon + 1/8-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• salt
• olive oil
• parsley

How do I make that into Hummus? (Directions)
[Brut: 10-20 hours. Net: 30 minutes]
1. Poor the chickpeas over a large plate. Go over them and look for damaged grains small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the plate.
2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. Soak them in clean water over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then, wash it, and soak again in tap water for a few more hours. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume.
3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add the rest baking soda and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. It should take around 1-1.5 hours, during which it is advised to switch the water once again, and remove the peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains and keep the cooking water.
4. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue.
5. Add the tahini and the rest of the ingredients and go on with the food processor until you get the desired texture. If the Humus is too thick, add some of the cooking water. It should be thinner than the actual desired texture.
Serve with some good olive oil and chopped parsley.

Almond Mandarin Green Salad

by Lora Price

1 head romaine lettuce-shredded
1 can mandarin oranges-drained
½ cup celery-chopped
2 green onions-chopped
candied almonds
Dressing

Combine first 4 ingredients. Toss. Add Dressing and top with candied almonds JUST
before serving.

Candied almonds
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar.
Melt butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add sugar and almonds. Cook
until golden brown, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Pour onto wax paper. When
cool, break apart into small pieces. (This is good if doubled.)

Dressing
¼ cup salad oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (I use red wine vinegar)
1 ¼ teaspoon each salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
dash red pepper

Sweet Potato Casserole

by Lora Price

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
½ cup margarine, melted
1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup milk

Mix all ingredients together. Place in a greased baking dish.

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup self-rising flour
½ cup margarine, melted
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix ingredients together and spread over potatoes. Bake at 350 for 35 – 40 minutes.

AWESOME Nacho Bean Dip

by Lora Price

8 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 can refried beans
1 package chili powder seasoning mix
½ cup taco sauce
1 can jalpenos (optional)
1 ½ c. each – sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, grated (reserve ¾ cups of each
for topping)

Beat cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth. Stir in beans, chili powder,
seasoning mix, taco sauce and (optional) jalapenos. Stir in ¾ cup each cheddar and
Monterey Jack cheese. Spoon into lightly greased casserole dish and top with an addition
¾ cup each of the cheeses. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.
Leftovers warm up great. (There are never any leftovers. =)

Easy Fresh Fruit Cobbler

by Lora Price

2 cup fresh fruit (peaches, blueberries, blackberries, etc.)
¼ cup sugar
½ stick margarine
½ to ¾ cup sugar (to taste)
½ cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Mix fruit and ¼ cup sugar in bowl. Let stand 30 minutes or until juice forms.
Melt margarine in 2 quart baking dish. Make batter of remaining ingredients.
Pour batter over butter. Do not stir. Pour fruit and juice over batter. Do not stir.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until brown.

FISH!

Come and have some good eats. Come and be served by some energetic youth. Come and support youth mission in Tennessee this summer. Come to the Mountain TOP Fish Dinner Friday, April 1 from 5pm-7pm. Sign up on the fellowship hall doors.


(from Pastor Mike)

Caramel Monkey Bread

by Ronica Brownson

This is my favorite thing for breakfast, ever.  Perfect for company or Christmas morning, or in my case, as a birthday cake. Hey, when you're the baker, you make what you want!

• 18 frozen Rhodes bread rolls  (you can use a loaf of their bread dough, but waiting for it to thaw and cutting it in pieces is kind of a pain. This is much easier. Resist the urge to add more--there won't be enough caramel and the rolls will start creeping out of the pan like The Blob.)
• 1 box NOT INSTANT butterscotch pudding mix (the instant just turns the whole thing into a crusty, not caramelly mess.)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon (optional, I don't use it because I'm allergic. It's still fantastic.) 
• 1/2 cup or so of chopped nuts, if desired
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 T. milk or cream

The night before, or at least 8 hours before, grease a Bundt or tube cake pan. Add the nuts, if using, and the frozen rolls. Mix the pudding mix, sugar and cinnamon (if using) together, and add melted butter and cream or milk. Stir until it's fairly well mixed, then pour over the rolls in the pan. Cover with a piece of foil sprayed with nonstick spray, or the non stick foil. Set aside in a warm place to thaw and rise. (Overnight is ideal--do this just before you go to bed.)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Bake rolls about 25 minutes or until golden. To be safe, I usually set my bundt pan on a half sheet cookie pan just in case some caramel tries to escape. Nothing worse than burnt sugar on the bottom of the oven! Remove from oven, and turn out onto a large plate with higher sides to contain any caramel overload. 


Mmmm... caramel overload.






Photo by Lori D. Stone.