Bayou Blondies.

Bayou Blondies

1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 large eggs, divided
1 (18.25-oz.) package yellow cake mix
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar

1. Combine pecans, butter, 1 egg, and cake mix, stirring until well blended; press in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan.

2. Beat remaining 2 eggs, cream cheese, and powdered sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour over cake mix layer.

3. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Crispy Praline Cookies.

Crispy Praline Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl, blending well. Drop cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute; remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Crispy Praline-Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels; bake as directed.

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Brownies.

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Brownies

1 (16-oz.) package Nutter Butter cookies, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 (1.5-oz.) packages chocolate-covered peanut butter cup candies, coarsely chopped
2 (2.1-oz.) Butterfinger candy bars
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Combine crushed cookies and butter in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture into bottom of a greased aluminum foil-lined 13" x 9" pan, allowing foil to extend over ends of pan. Bake at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes.

Combine condensed milk, peanut butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth.

Sprinkle chopped candy bars, chocolate morsels, peanuts, and coconut over crust. Drizzle condensed milk mixture over coconut.

Bake at 350° for 27 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool in pan. Use foil to lift uncut brownies out of pan. Peel foil away from sides of uncut brownies, and cut into bars.

Smoky Mountain Snowcap Cookies.

Smoky Mountain Snowcap Cookies

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt white chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate is smooth.

Beat butter and 1 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer 5 minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended. Add vanilla, beating well. Add melted chocolate, and beat 30 seconds.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in walnuts. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Freeze, if desired.

Homemade Chocolate Waffles.

http://blogs.babble.com/nibblers/2009/12/03/holiday-recipes-whole-wheat-chocolate-waffles/

Spaghetti Carbonara.

Spaghetti Carbonara
from Ruth Reichl

Says Ruth..... "Contrary to the recipe so often used in restaurants, real carbonara contains no cream. The real thing also uses guanciale, cured pork jowl, but to be honest, I like bacon better. I think of this as bacon and eggs with pasta instead of toast. It's the perfect last minute dinner, and I've yet to meet a child who doesn't like it."

1 pound spaghetti
1/4 to 1/2 pound thickly sliced good quality bacon (I prefer Nueske's)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 large eggs
Black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. When it is boiling, throw the spaghetti in. Most dried spaghetti takes 9 to 10 minutes to cook, and you can make the sauce in that time.

Cut the bacon crosswise into pieces about 1/2 inch wide. Put them in a skillet and cook for 2 minutes, until fat begins to render. Add the whole cloves of garlic and cook another 5 minutes, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp. Do not overcook; if they get too crisp they won't meld with the pasta. Meanwhile, break the eggs into the bowl you will serve the pasta in, and beat them with a fork. Add some grindings of pepper.

Remove the garlic from the bacon pan. If it looks like too much to you, discard some, but you're going to toss the bacon with most of its fat into the pasta. When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs and turn them into a sauce. Add the bacon with its fat, toss again, add cheese and serve.

Spiced Chicken.

Spiced Chicken
From Ruth Reichl & Gourmet Today

Fragrant and deeply savory, this spice rub balances the heat of chili powder and black pepper with the more floral notes of coriander and cinnamon. It jazzes up bland chicken breasts nicely, and legs give even juicier results. The quick pan sauce adds an extra shot of flavor.

2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 chicken breast halves (with skin and bones) or 4 whole chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks separated if desired, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup water

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 450F.

Stir together spices, salt, and 1 tablespoon oil. Rub evenly all over chicken.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch ovenproof heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chicken, turning once, 6 to 8 minutes.

Turn chicken skin side up, transfer skillet to oven, and roast until just cooked through, 16 to 18 minutes for breasts, about 25 minutes for legs. Transfer to a platter.

Add water to pan and deglaze by boiling over high heat, scraping up brown bits, for 1 minute. Transfer sauce to a bowl and skim off fat.

Serve chicken with sauce on the side.

Chewy Ginger Snaps.

These won a recipe contest on NPR.org......

Chewy Ginger Snaps

3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses (plus a little extra)
1 egg
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

*For more ginger flavor, you can add crystallized ginger.

Cream shortening, sugar, molasses and egg until fluffy. Sift together flour, soda, salt, and spices. Stir into molasses mixture. Form into balls and roll in bowl of sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven and remove before they look done.

Chicken Casserole D'Ibervile.

Chicken Casserole D'Iberville

2 (3-pound) whole chickens
1 cup water
1 cup dry sherry
2 celery stalks
1 onion, quartered
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 (6-ounce) packages long-grain and wild rice mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 (8-ounce) packages sliced mushrooms
1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 sleeve round buttery crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 (6-ounce) can French-fried onions, crushed
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Bring first 9 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven. Let chicken cool. Pour broth through a fine wire mesh strainer into an 8-cup liquid measuring cup; discard solids.

Cook rice according to package directions, substituting 4 1/4 cups reserved chicken broth for water and omitting butter. (Add water to broth to equal 4 1/4 cups, if necessary.)

Skin, bone, and coarsely chop or shred chicken.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; add mushrooms and green onions, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, chicken, sour cream, and soup. Spoon mixture into 8 (2-cup) casserole dishes, 8 (5 1/2- x 3 1/2- x 2-inch) mini-loaf pans, 3 (8-inch or 9-inch) square baking dishes, or 1 (4-quart or 15- x 10-inch) casserole dish.

Stir together crushed crackers and fried onions. Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter, paprika, and garlic powder. Sprinkle casserole evenly with cracker mixture.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until bubbly.

To make ahead: Cover casseroles tightly with foil, and freeze unbaked up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake as directed. (Casserole may also be baked frozen. Plan to double the baking times.)

To microwave one frozen, unbaked 8-inch square casserole: Casserole must be in a microwave-safe dish. Cover dish with wax paper. Microwave at HIGH 15 to 16 minutes or until casserole is bubbly, giving dish a half-turn once.

To microwave one thawed, unbaked 8-inch square casserole: Follow directions to microwave a frozen, unbaked casserole, reducing microwave time to 7 to 8 minutes.

Sausage with Beans and Escarole

We tried this recipe and really liked it. We didn't have Escarole, so I substituted fresh spinach (6-9 oz).

Other tips:
Leave the juice from the canned tomatoes if you want it soupy.
Serve over Quinoa cooked in remaining broth (or water).

Sopapia Cheesecake

This cheesecake is such a hit at work that I have only heard about it. Here is the recipe.

Marshmallow Pudding.

I ran across this recipe in the Memphis cookbook, Party Potpourri. I don't have this cookbook, but is is on my list. This just screams "CHRISTMAS!" to me.

Marshmallow Pudding

2 10-ounce bags marshmallows
2 10-ounce bottles maraschino cherries
2 cups broken pecans
1 cup bourbon
1 pint whipped cream
1 large angel food cake
1/2 pint whipping cream, optional
Additional cherries, optional

Cut marshmallows into bite-sized pieces. (A pair of kitchen scissors helps.) Drain cherries and chop coarsely, saving juice. Combine marshmallows, cherries, and pecans in a large bowl. Pour juice and bourbon over mixture. Cover and let stand overnight in refrigerator, stirring several times. Whip 1 pint whipping cream and fold into mixture just before serving. Angel food cake may be sliced in individual servings, putting the pudding on top, or the whole cake may be cut into 2 layers and filled with the pudding. Pudding will fill cake layer, hole, and top generously. Ice with additional 1/2 pint cream, whipped, and decorate with additional cherries. Serves 16.

Oyster Dressing.

I detest oysters, so would never make this, much less eat it, but I know some people love it and consider it an integral part of holiday menus.

Oyster Dressing

¼ Cup Butter
¼ Cup Olive Oil
4 Cups Onion, ¼" dice
2 Cups Bell Pepper, ¼ dice
2 Cups Celery, ¼" dice
1 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
2 Tsp. Dried Thyme
6 Dozen Oysters, drained and diced into ½" pieces (save oyster liquid)
1 ½ Gallons Stale French Bread, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 Tsp. Salt
½ Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
¼ Cup Parsley, chopped

Heat margarine and olive oil in a heavy 6-quart pot, add onions, bell peppers and celery. Cook until vegetables are translucent. Add garlic, thyme and oysters and cook about 4 minutes (while this is cooking, moisten bread cubes with oyster liquid; add water if necessary to moisten well). Add moistened bread cubes, salt and pepper and cook about 5 minutes stirring so it does not stick. Remove from heat and put into a greased 9x13x2 baking pan. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parsley and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes one 9x13x2 baking pan.

Pesto Sauce.

Pesto Sauce

2 cups basil leaves
2 large cloves garlic
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoons pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Put all the ingredients except the cheese into a food processor and pulse until well mixed.

Stir in cheese.

This keeps well in the refrigerator if you seal the top with a layer of oil. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies.

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies

They are perfect because they don't have raisins.......

2 1/2 cups instant oats
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Melt the butter and add to dry ingredients. Mix well. Add the egg and the vanilla.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a well-greased cookie sheet and flatten with the back of the spoon. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown. Remove from oven, let sit a minute or two and then remove from the sheet. If they stick to the cookie sheet, put them back into the oven for a minute.

Green Bean Casserole.

Green Bean Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 (9 oz. each) pkgs. frozen cut green beans, thawed
1 1/3 cups FRENCH'S® French Fried Onions (formerly Durkee)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar
crumbled bacon (optional)

Mix soup, milk, sour cream and pepper in a 1 1/2 -qt. baking dish. Stir in beans, cheese, and 2/3 cup french fried Onions. Bake at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot. Top with remaining 1/3 cup onions. Bake 5 minutes until onions are golden.

Perfect Banana Pudding.

I know that many people insist that banana pudding must be the classic cooked style. I do not. I find this very simple version to be pretty much perfect. And utterly addictive.

Banana Pudding

1 large package instant vanilla pudding (you could use banana if you want)
2 cups whole milk
1 can condensed milk
1 large container Cool Whip
6 bananas
1 bag vanilla wafers

Mix pudding & milk for one minute using electric mixer. Add condensed milk and 1/2 the cool whip. Mix until well blended. In a large dish or trifle bowl, layer pudding, bananas, & wafers. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Cover and refrigerate.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

1-1/2 cups rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1 large bag frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 large onion chopped
1 stick butter
1 can mushroom soup
1 pound Velveeta cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

To make rice, place rice, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and put on low for 20-25 minutes until rice is done.

In a large dutch oven, saute 1/2 large onion diced fine in 1 stick of butter. Add 1 can of mushroom soup and 1 pound of Velveeta cheese to make a sauce. In the microwave steam the chopped broccoli according to the bag. Add rice and broccoli to the sauce.

Thanksgiving from Southern Living.

Southern Living magazine has posted some excellent recipes for the holidays! Here is a compendium of 50 great cookie recipes. And here is a list of 22 pecan based recipes. And, of course, recipes for the full complement of traditional Thanksgiving meal dishes, plus a list of 29 possible side dishes.

Orzo Pasta with Shrimp.

Orzo Pasta with Shrimp

8 ounces uncooked orzo pasta
3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon Filippo Berio Olive Oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/4 pounds raw small shrimp, shelled and deveined
1-1/2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente (tender but still firm). Drain.

2. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; set aside.

3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until golden.

4. Add shrimp; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque (do not overcook).

5. Stir in pasta. Add tomatoes, cilantro, parsley and lemon juice. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.