Cranberry Waffles with Orange Syrup

Wafffes: 
1 cup flour
2 t baking powder
2 t orange zest
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t salt
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
4 T butter, melted

Preheat waffle iron.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (including cranberries). In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, egg and extract. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in melted butter. If batter is too thick, stir in milk, 1 tablespoon at a tim, to reach desired consistency. Cook in waffle iron until golden brown.

Syrup: 
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium head. Bring to boil. Boil 1-2 minutes until thickened. Makes about 1 cup syrup.

Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

• 1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

*crumble topping*

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

*brown sugar glaze*

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350 degrees. lightly grease a 13x9 inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

-

in a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. add to the wet ingredients alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. fold in the apples. pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

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to make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35-40 minutes. remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

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to make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla and water and mix until smooth. drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. serve warm.


recipe and photo from here.

Pumpkin Scones

recipe from Nicole Jones

Pumpkin Scones

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

blend cold butter into dry ingredients. mix wet ingredients together and add to dry mix. stir just until all moist. shape into round on a floured surface. cut into 6 wedges.

mix 1 egg and 1 teaspoon milk and brush onto tops. sprinkle with sugar. bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Egg & Spinach Quiche

Egg and Spinach Quiche Cups

10  ounces frozen chopped spinach

3/4 cup egg whites and one egg yolk

3/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped fine

hot sauce (optional)

1. Microwave the spinach on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Drain completely.
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with foil baking cups. Spray the cups with cooking spray.
3. Combine the egg substitute, cheese, mushrooms, spinach and onions in a bowl.
4. Add hot pepper to taste.
5. Divide evenly among the cups.
6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
7. May then be frozen if desired.

Makes 6 mini quiches. 

originated here, I changed it a bit

December Sign-Up

Hi ladies! Here is the sign-up for our December recipe club. It will be on December 6th at 7pm at Nikki Davis' house at Belle Monet. The theme is Christmas Brunch so bring your favorite traditional Christmas morning dish or something new that you've been wanting to try.

Also, I'd like to request that each person who brings a dish will also bring one copy of their recipe. We've had a lot of recipes that haven't been posted from past get-togethers so I think it would be easier if you brought a copy so that I can go in and get all of the recipes posted at once. Thanks!

Savory Dish- Ashley

Savory Dish- Brittany

Savory Dish-

Savory Dish-

Sweet Dish- Amy

Sweet Dish- Jessica

Sweet Dish- Valerie

Sweet Dish-Nicole

Turtle Pumpkin Pie.

Turtle Pumpkin Pie

-Ready made [or home made graham cracker crust]
-Caramel sauce
-Whole pecans
-Large Canned pumpkin filling
-Large Vanilla pudding mix
-Whipped cream

Super Easy! 
-Lay the pecans down flat on the bottom on the pie crust and pour the caramel sauce over the top of it until the tops of the pecans are almost covered. {I put mine in the fridge or freezer until it's cooled. if you don't, it will spill over a lot when you put the pie filling in}
-Mix the whole can of pie filling with the packet of vanilla pudding, keeping 2 tablespoons of the pudding powder aside for the whip cream. Spoon the mixture onto the pie, over the pecans and caramel sauce. Set aside in Fridge and cool again for about 5 minutes.
-Mix whip cream with the 2 tablespoons of pudding mix. Just to give the whip cream a little texture and flavor. Spoon over the chilled pie. We have done this for the garnish: sprinkled on crushed pecans, drizzled caramel, or sprinkled on crushed up health bar pieces. Any way is awesome!

{I always chill for another 20+ minutes before serving. just to help the caramel seep into the pecans.}

Cranberry and Pecan Brie En Croute

Cranberry and Pecan Brie En Croute

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 8 ounce wheel of Brie
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1  egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Soak dried cranberries in a small bowl of water for one minute so that they are not hard. (I soaked mine in orange juice, just for a little extra flavor)
3. Lay thawed puff pastry sheet on a cookie sheet.
4. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in pecans and toast for about 3 minutes.
5. Place Brie in the middle of the puff pastry.
6. Place pecan mixture on top of Brie.
7. Place brown sugar on top of pecan mixture. The heat of the pecan mixture will help melt the brown sugar.
8. Drain cranberries. Place them on top of brown sugar.
9. Bring the edges of the puff pastry up and press them together making sure to seal the dough. If you have excess dough you can cut a leaf or decoration to add to the top of the Brie.
10. Using a pastry brush, brush the entire pastry with the beaten egg.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven or until the pastry is a golden brown.
12. Serve with crackers or just by the slice.

recipe from here

November Sign-Up

Hey ladies! It's that time again to sign up for our next recipe club. Our next get-together will be on November 1st at 7pm at Ashley Reeve's house in the Gables. The theme is Thanksgiving so bring your favorite traditional Thanksgiving dish or something new that you've been wanting to try.

*p.s. I will be having my baby this Thursday so if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment on this post for Jessica or email her at jessica.e.peterson@gmail.com.

Main Dish-
Main Dish-
Main Dish-
Side Dish- Emily
Side Dish- Alexis
Side Dish- Jessica Peterson
Dessert- Nikki Davis
Dessert- Andrea Tao
Dessert- Amy

Grape Salad

(Recipe from Amy Powell)


GRAPE SALAD

• 4lbs of seedless grapes (green or purple) 
• 1 tub Cool Whip (or 8oz package of cream cheese) 
• 1 8 oz container sour cream 
• 1/2 cup white sugar* 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 4 ounces chopped walnuts (or pecans) 
• 4 tbsp brown sugar 

Wash and dry grapes. In a large bowl, combine Cool Whip, sour cream, vanilla, and white sugar. Add grapes and mix until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with brown sugar and walnuts, mix again and refrigerate until serving. 


* I do a little less white sugar if using Cool Whip, and usually mix about half the topping (brown sugar and nuts) into the salad and sprinkle the rest on top. I usually add more nuts into it too.

Stuffed Peppers

(recipe from Brittany Jensen)

Stuffed Peppers

• 1/2 onion
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 3 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. each)
• 1/2 c. water (or half of a tomato sauce can)
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 1 can corn
• dash cinnamon
• 1/2 c. rice
• 3-4 peppers, depending on size

Chop onion and fry in skillet, once they've begun softening, throw in the hamburger and fry all together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add all the rest of the ingredients, bring to boiling. Let simmer covered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, clean and cut peppers in half, chop off stems and remove seeds. Place in a glass pyrex dish. Add hamburger mixture to fill the peppers. Bake 1 hour at 350.

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars

Desser from Amy Twitty
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 16oz can pumpkin
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups chocolate chips
4 eggs

Mix all together and put into 11x17 pan. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frost with

8 oz cream cheese
half cube butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat until smooth and spread over cooled cake. AND ENJOY!!!

caramel apple cider

Hot Caramel Apple Cider
Recipe and photo by Our Best Bites
1/2 gallon apple cider (64 oz or 8 C)
1/2 C orange juice, fresh squeezed or good quality bottled like Simply Orange
1 orange
8 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 t ground allspice
1/3 C jarred caramel sauce* more to taste if needed
optional: caramel flavored syrup
sweetened whipped cream (or from a can is fine!)

Pour 8 cups of apple cider into a large stock pot on the stove pot. Set heat to medium-high. Add orange juice, cinnamon sticks, and allspice.

Thoroughly wash your orange and then gently stab the whole cloves into it. If you find it hard to do that without destroying the cloves, use a toothpick to poke little hole first and then insert the cloves.  (If you are doubling the recipe, you can still just use one orange, just double the number of cloves you poke into it).

Gently drop the whole orange into the pot. Bring cider to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer on low for 60 minutes and longer if you wish. If you’re keeping the pot on the stove for an extended period, keep an eye on the orange. If at any time it splits open, remove it from the pot. If the white pith is exposed it will add a bitter taste to your cider. If you’re going to have the pot warming for hours on end, take out the orange. After you’ve simmered for an hour, add caramel sauce and stir to combine and dissolve. Add more caramel to taste if needed.

When ready to serve, ladle into mugs, top with whipped cream, and give it a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Quick and Easy Chili

Quick and Easy Chili

• 1/2-1 lb. hamburger, cooked and drained
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 15oz can kidney beans, drained
• 1 15oz can chili beans, Undrained
• 1 15oz can pinto beans, drained
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 package chili mix
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup sugar

combine all ingredients in a crock pot and heat on high or low depending on your time.

Caramel Bars

(recipe from Amy Powell)


CARMEL BARS

- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups oats ( quick or rolled)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups butter ( melted)
- 12 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 1 (17 ounce) jars Mrs Richardson's caramel topping

1. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and melted butter.
2. Press half the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan (coated with
nonstick cooking spray).
3. Bake for 17 minutes at 325 degrees.
4. Remove from the oven and cover equally with chocolate chips and
caramel topping.
5. Crumble the rest of the oat mixture over the top and bake for another
17 minutes at 325 degrees.
6. Cool for at least 3 hours before cutting

October 4th Recipe Club Sign-Up

Our next recipe club will be on October 4th at 7pm at Jessica's house. The theme is 'Spooky Eats.' Sign up to bring your favorite pumpkin, halloween, or fall recipe!

Main Dish- Valerie
Main Dish-
Main Dish- Brittany
Side Dish- Emily
Side Dish- Liz
Side Dish- Amy
Dessert- Ashley C
Dessert- Nicole
Dessert- Melanie
Dessert- Ashley

Mini BBQ Chicken Skewers

(Recipe from Emily Brady)

• 1/4 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon beef bullion
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper

Brine chicken in heavily salted water for 2-3 hours (or until chicken is thawed if using frozen.) Remove from water and pat dry with paper towel. Slice chicken lengthwise into half-inch strips.

Place skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high. Thread chicken onto skewers. Salt and pepper chicken and set aside.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Turn to medium low; add ketchup and stir. Pour in the 8 combined ingredients and combine until smooth. Remove from heat. (You can pour a little bit of the sauce in a bowl and set it aside for dipping once the skewers are done.)

Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6-8 minutes, basting with the BBQ mixture during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Makes 24 skewers. Serve with set aside BBQ sauce and ranch for dipping.


*Ranch Dipping Sauce

• 1 packet hidden valley ranch mix
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar (Optional- to give it a buttermilk ranch twist)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Caramel Toffee Apple Dip

8 oz cream cheese
1 c. Brown sugar
1/4 c. Powder sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 c. Toffee bits (you can find these in the chocolate chips section)

Mix everything but the toffee, let sit in fridge for 1 hour. Add toffee bits right before serving.

Black Beam, Tomato & Corn Salsa

Grape Tomatoes (I get the big box at Costco)

1 bag frozen corn

2 cans black beans

1 bundle of cilantro

1 TBSP Ranch dressing

Lime Juice to taste

Just slice up the tomatoes, and cilantro and mix with the rest of the ingredients. 

Serve with scoop chips! 

Sunrise Punch

(adapted from here)

• 4 cups Pineapple Juice
• 4 cups Cranberry Juice
• 2 (11.5 oz.) cans apricot or mango nectar
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)
• 6 cups ginger ale

Combine pineapple juice, cranberry juice, apricot/mango nectar, and lime juice. Chill. Add ginger ale just before serving.

Soft Pretzels with Jalapeno Cheese Sauce

Pretzels
adapted from here

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
non-stick spray
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Kosher salt

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.


Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.


Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Jalapeno Cheese Sauce
from here

1 T unsalted butter
1 T flour
3/4 cup milk
1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
1 cup Colby Jack cheese
1/2 -1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk to combine, cooking about one minute until smooth.  Add milk, whisking to incorporate.  Add garlic and jalapeno.  Switch to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until thickened, about 15 minutes.  The sauce should begin to coat the back of the spoon.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.  Add cayenne pepper to taste.

Schedule Change

Due to conflicting schedules, we've decided to change recipe club from the first Thursday of every month to the first Tuesday of every month. This means that our first get-together will now be on September 6th. If you need to make any changes to the sign-up leave a comment on this post or on the sign-up post. Thanks!

The Recipe Swap

Hey girls! The Recipe Swap is officially up and running!!! My cute friend Jessica (co-creater of this club) designed this awesome blog where we will post upcoming meetings, food and hosting sign-ups, and of course all of our yummy recipes.


In order for you to post recipes we need to make each of you a contributor to this blog. So if each of you could leave a comment on this post or on FB with your email address I will add you on. To sign-up to bring something, leave a comment on this post with what item you'd like to bring and I'll add your name to the list. You don't have to tell me what specific recipe you're bringing, just if you want to do a main, side, or dessert.


Our first meeting will be on Thursday, September 1st at my house at 6:30pm. The theme is Game Day Party Food. We will always have a set number of dishes to sign-up for so you won't have to make a dish every time you come. So if the sign-up is full or you simply don't have time to make a dish you are always welcome to come! Here is the official sign-up:


Main Dish- Andrea Tao
Main Dish-
Main Dish-
Side- Jessica Peterson
Side- Ashley Reeves
Side- Melanie Mendenhall
Dessert-
Dessert- Amy Powell
Dessert-


If you sign up for a main dish or side feel free to make your dish more of an appetizer since the theme is Game Day Party Food. As host, I will provide a delicious drink, plates and utensils.


I will also create an event on our FB page as a reminder for each meeting. I know there are a few girls who aren't on FB so feel free to invite them and direct them to this blog.


We are so excited for this club and can't wait for our first get-together!!!

-Val