Tomato Bisque

3 Tablespoon butter

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1/3 cup apple juice

2 cup tomatoes (canned is good, canned with Italian seasoning is great)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil or 1/2 Tablespoon dried basil

1 ounce cream cheese

1/3 cup milk

 

Directions:

Saute onion and garlic in butter. Add apple juice, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes. Add basil and cream cheese and blend everything in blender. Add milk, warm through and serve.

Yields 4 servings

"Hot Hawaiian" Pizza

Use whatever pizza crust you want. (For recipe night I used the pop-open biscuits and flattened them out for the crust. Then just cook it according to the package directions.) Top with a thin layer of barbecue sauce of your choice. Then add toppings of cooked chicken, bacon, pineapple, jalapenos and cheese. Cook and eat!

Cookie Wafer Dessert

1 package Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 8 oz carton whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and mix together until smooth. Spread on one side of cookie, pressing the second cookie to the first to form a sandwich. Ice the outside of the second cookie, pressing a third cookie on the end and continue icing and stacking the cookie end on end, so they form a line. Use the remaining mixture to cover the outside of the cookie log. CUT AT A DIAGONAL to see the layers. Serve with berries.

Note: It takes two packages of Anna's Thins if you want to do another flavor other than chocolate. They have ginger, orange and cinnamon almond flavored cookies. They are flower shaped so it is harder to ice the outside and you may not use every cookie.

Hot Chocolate Pudding

1 can evaporated milk

1/4 cup corn starch

3 Tbsp cocoa

2/3 cup sugar

dash salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp butter

mini marshmallows (optional)

Combine dry ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Mix together. Add evaporated milk and 1 almost full can of water. Whisk together. Cook pudding in microwave, whisking every three minutes until thick. Add butter and vanilla. Pour into mugs with marshmallows on bottom. Serve warm.

Tuna Cruz Melt

1 can (12 1/2 ounces) water-packed tuna, drained
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
1 can (2.2 ounces) sliced olives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
4 flour tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 green onion with top, chopped

In medium bowl, flake tuna. Add chilies, olives, mayonnaise, and seasoned salt; blend well. Spoon 1/4 mixture onto each tortilla. Top with equal portions of Cheese. Place on broiler pan and broil, 4 inches from heat, until cheese is hot and bubbly. Sprinkle each tortilla with green onion. Serve open-faced, or fold over soft-taco style

makes 4 servings

Pumpkin Fudge

- by Melody Bodily

2 cups sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cups butter

2/3 cups canned milk

1/2 cup pumpkin canned

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

One package white chocolate chips

7 oz marshmallow cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Line a 9X12 pan with foil

In a large sauce pan combine: sugars, butter, milk, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Cook & stir over medium heat to soft ball stage (235° F)

Stir in: chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, vanilla and chopped pecans.

Stir and pour into 9X12 pan cool 2 hours on rack, put in fridge until ready to cut and serve.

*Makes 3 lbs

Roasted Pumpkin

“So easy and you don’t have to measure a thing…but I’ll include a tip on how to easily cut up pumpkin.  This is also is delicious with butternut squash, our favorite!”
 
1 pumpkin or squash (Any size that works for your family)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Fresh chopped thyme (You may use dried but fresh will be more flavorful)
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
 
This is the hint that will make the pumpkin (or squash) easier to cut.  Take a sharp knife and randomly pierce the pumpkin all over…like you do with potatoes before baking them.   Also cut off the top of the pumpkin if there is a stem.   Place the pumpkin in your microwave.   The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pumpkin.  Begin with 2-3 minutes and then carefully remove it from the microwave and attempt to cut down the sides of the pumpkin, removing the skin.  (If the pumpkin still seems to be too hard, continue to cook in the microwave for a few additional minutes at a time.)
 
Now that the pumpkin is easier to work with - Use a heavy, sharpened chef's knife and cut off about ¼ inch from the bottom of the pumpkin in an even slice. Then cut off about a ¼ inch from the stem end.  This will stabilize the pumpkin as you cut down the sides to remove the skin.
 
Once the skin is removed, cut the pumpkin in half and begin to remove the pulp and seeds with a large spoon.   Next, lay the pumpkin halves, cut side down on the cutting board for stability. Working a section at a time, cut the pumpkin into slices and then cut each slice into the desired cube size, about 1 inch.
 
The hard work is done!  Place all the cubed pumpkin into a baking dish that allows for most of the pumpkin to lie in a single layer.  Pour olive oil, salt and pepper over the pumpkin and mix well, coating all the pumpkin cubes.  Put the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 45-55 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You may need to bake a little less or a little longer depending on the amount you are cooking and if you like your pumpkin softer or more crisp.
 
Once the pumpkin reaches your desired doneness, stir in fresh chopped thyme while it’s still hot and serve.
 

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

‎6 ounces whole wheat penne pasta

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup nonfat milk

1 teaspoon margarine

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground ginger

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1.Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

2.Heat the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, milk, margarine, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger in a large skillet over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained pasta, and toss with the Parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Cake

Apples

· 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

· 4 cups diced peeled cored Granny Smith apples (about 4 large)

· 3 tablespoons sugar

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake

· 11/2 cups all purpose flour

· 1 cup (firmly packed) golden brown sugar

· 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin

· 1/3 cup sour cream

· 2 tablespoons sugar

· 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 2 large eggs

· Vanilla ice cream

For apples:
Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; sauté until apples begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and cinnamon and sauté until golden brown, about 3 minutes longer. Cool.
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside 2/3 cup of mixture for topping. Beat pumpkin, sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, spice, and baking soda into remaining flour mixture, beating just until smooth. Beat in eggs. Transfer batter to pan. Scatter apples evenly over top. Sprinkle reserved topping over apples.
Bake cake until topping is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides from cake. Transfer cake to platter. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.

Mini Pumpkin Tarts

3 packages (15 tarts each) prebaked frozen mini pastry shells (we used Athens Mini Fillo Shells)

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

2 cups (plus extra for garnish) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 teaspoon (plus extra for garnish) pumpkin pie spice

1 (3.4-ounce) package cheesecake-flavor instant pudding and pie filling

Mint leaves (for garnish)

1. Remove the shells from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the pumpkin, whipped topping, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl, whisking until smooth. Add the pudding mix and whisk until smooth and thick.

3. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling into each of the shells (you can also pipe the filling with a pastry bag or a plastic sandwich bag with one corner snipped off), then top the tarts with whipped topping, a sprinkling of the pumpkin pie spice, and a mint leaf, if you like. Makes 45 tarts.

   picture by Family Fun Magazine