"Macaroni Grill" Bread

1 T. yeast
1 T. sugar
1 c. hot water

Let sit and rise about 15 minutes.

Slowly add:

1 1/2-2 1/2 c. flour
1 T. rosemary
1 t. salt

Let rise in bowl until double the size. Divide into 2 portions, place on greased baking sheet. Let rise again. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown. When out of oven, melt butter all over the top and sprinkle with salt.

Oreo Cream Cheese Pie

35 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. cold milk
1 tub (12 oz) Cool Whip, thawed and divided
3 1/4 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4 oz. serving size each) chocolate flavor instant pudding
(candy canes)
(small carton fresh whipped cream)

Mix crushed cookies and butter in medium bowl. Press firmly onto bottom of 13 x 9-in. baking dish (or divide evenly between 2 pie pans). Refrigerate 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in 1 1/4 cups of the whipped topping. Spread over crust.

Pour 3 1/4 cups milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Pour over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 min. or until thickened. Drop remaining whipped topping by spoonfuls over pudding; spread to cover pudding.

Refrigerate at least 4 hr. Cut into 24 squares. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator. Makes 24 servings (1 square each). Top each square with crushed candy canes.

*When I made this I skipped the top layer of Cool Whip and I served it with fresh whipped cream and crushed candy canes.

Gravy

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2-4 cups drippings or broth
Salt
Pepper

Melt butter in pan. Slowly whisk in flour until you have a paste. Whisk in drippings over medium heat until desired consistency and thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Chicken

1 roasting chicken, thawed
1 lemon, wedged
1 onion, wedged
Cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Parsley
Poultry seasoning*

Preheat oven to 250º.

Rinse out chicken, remove gizzards, etc., pat dry. Place in roasting pan**, breast side up.

Squeeze lemon juice from lemon wedges over the top. Fill chicken cavity with lemon rinds, onion, and garlic. Generously apply olive oil all over the top and sprinkle with parsley and poultry seasoning.

Bake for 5 hours. The last 20 minutes of roasting, turn oven to 425º for a crispy skin.

Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

*Spices included in poultry seasoning are: salt, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary and black pepper if you don't want to purchase the actual poultry seasoning.

**You can also use an oven bag if you don't have a roasting pan and just follow its simple directions still using the same baking time and temperatures in this recipe.

Sweet and Sour Meetballs

1-1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
few grains pepper
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Combine and form into balls 1-2 inches in diameter to your liking
Put into casserole dish. Pour sauce over and bake at 350 for 30 min.

Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Combine in a saucepan and heat through. Pour over meatballs before baking.

Mexican Layer Dip

This recipe and photo come from The Pioneer Woman's website. If you haven't checked it out, you really should. It's wonderful. I made a couple changes, but mostly used her ingredients. For the pico I went to Costa Vida & they sold me a container of it for about $4. I think it added a lot. :)

Ingredients

• 1 can Refried Beans
• Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
• 1 can Diced Green Chilies
• Ground Cumin (to Taste)
• ¾ cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 cup Guacamole
• ¾ cups Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 can Black Olives
• 1 cup Pico De Gallo

Preparation Instructions

Begin by throwing the refried beans into a small pan over medium-low heat. Add several dashes of Tabasco sauce and a small can of (undrained) diced green chilies. Stir well. Next, sprinkle a little bit of ground Cumin.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a glass bowl or high-sided dish. Over this sprinkle the sharp cheddar. Next, plop your sour cream. And spread it into a single layer, being careful not to disturb the cheese underneath.

The next layer is the guacamole. Spread it over the sour cream. Follow this with a layer of Monterey Jack Cheese and a nice sprinkling of chopped black olives. Lastly, place a generous layer of Pico de Gallo. You can also, if you have the gumption for it, sprinkle some diced jalapenos over top.

Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel topping, recipe follows
1/2 cup caramel topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.
In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 30 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping.
Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (I did this in addition to the 2 sticks that I used in the crust)
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Yield: approximately 3 cups