Because Zach hates pie: REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES

1 egg
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt3/
4 tsp. baking soda1
1/4 c. flour
1 (14 oz.) bag Reese's mini peanut butter cups

Mix together all ingredients except Reese's cups. Roll dough into small balls. Place balls in small paper candy cups and place on cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in 350 degrees or until light brown. Place 1 Reese's peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Let cool completely on cookie sheet. Makes 4 dozen. Very good Holiday Cookie!

QUICK AND EASY PEACH COBBLER

1 lg. can peaches1 c. flour1 egg1 c. sugar1 stick butter1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
Place peaches and juice in an 8 x 10 baking pan and dot with extra butter. To make pastry, combine butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Drop by tablespoon over peaches. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Black Cat Punch

Black Halloween Punch
SUBMITTED BY: Kathleen

PREP TIME
10 Min

READY IN
1 Hr

Original recipe yield 1 gallon


US
METRIC
INGREDIENTS
1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened grape soft drink mix
1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened orange soft drink mix
2 cups white sugar
3 quarts cold water
1 liter ginger ale
DIRECTIONS
To make a frozen hand, wash a disposable glove, fill with water, seal with a rubber band and freeze until hard.
Stir together grape soft drink mix, orange soft drink mix, sugar and water until solids are dissolved. Combine with chilled ginger ale just before serving. Dip the frozen hand briefly in warm water, then peel off the glove. Float the prepared hand in the punch bowl for a ghastly effect.

You Have Jello for Brains!

BRAIN MOLD6 small or 3 large boxes of watermelon (works best) or peach Jell-o1 can light or non-fat evaporated milk*2 1/2 cups boiling water1 cup cold waterGreen food colorSpray inside of the mold with a non-flavored cooking spray (like Pam). Dissolve Jell-o in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Add 1 cup cold water and evaporated milk. Add food color to desired color (about 5 drops). Pour in mold and chill until set. To remove the brain, shake the mold gently until the gelatin loosens. Place a flat plate upside down over the open side of the mold, then flip the mold and the plate together. Lift the mold off, leaving the brain on the plate.*Don't use regular milk in place of the non-fat evaporated milk - it's won't be as cloudy and has a tendency to curdle or separate in this type of recipe. Don't use whole evaporated milk, either, since it may also curdle.VARIATION 1:About 15 drops each of red, green, and blue will make a realistic brain color of gray.VARIATION 2:Use blueberry Jell-o, adding red and green food coloring to get the color you want.VARIATION 3:Fill the mold about 1/2 full and chill until set. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, make a baseball-sized hole in the center of the Jell-o, being careful to leave at least 1/2-1-inch of Jell-o between the hole and the mold. Fill the hole with pureed and strained raspberries or strawberries. Spoon in enough Jell-o to barely cover and seal the pureed fruit and chill until set. Add another thin layer of Jell-o and again chill until set. Then add the remaining Jell-o and chill until set. When you cut into the brain, the fruit "blood" will come oozing out.

Enchilada Casserole

From Beth Rankin

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 cans of chicken or what ever you have left over!
cut the chicken into small pieces.
Mix together: 1cup milk 1 small jar salsa 1 small can each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup and chicken
Layer twice in a lightly sprayed 13x9 pan soup mix andthen tortilla chips broken into small pieces
Top with your favorite shredded cheese and cook at 350 for 45 mins.

Crock Pot pulled pork

From Nancy Hamlin.

5 lb pork shoulder roastCut it in half, rub with S & P. Put in crock pot.Add 1 can of chicken broth and 1/4 cup coffee. Cook on lowfor 6 + hours.When you're ready, take the meat out and dump the juice.Pull the meat and put it back in crock pot. Add whateverBBQ sauce you like. Put on warm for about half an hour.

Best Pizza Dough EVER

Date: Wed, 30 Mar 94 10:28:20 EST From: mmk3@Lehigh.EDU (MARGARET M. KING) Adapted from the EatingWell May'92 issue Semolina Pizza Dough 1/4 tsp. sugar or 1 tsp honey 2 pkg active dry yeast (2Tbsp) 21/2 tsp. salt 2 cups semolina flour 2 1/3-2 2/3 cups all purpose flour In a large bowl, dissolve sugar or honey in 2 cups warm water. Sprinkle in yeast and let sit for 5 min. or until foamy. Stir in salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in semolina flour and enough white flour to make a firm soft dough. Knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic, additional white flour as needed to prevent it from sticking. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl (quick spray w/pam) and cover with plastic. Let rise for 1 1/2 -2 hours , or until doubled. Notes: The dough can be made ahead to this point, punched down, enclosed in a large plastic bag and stored in fridge for up to 2 days or in freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost for at least 8 hours in fridge and then bring to room temp. Makes 8 6-inch crusts. I usually make half a recipe and then freeze half of that half. To cook/assemble: Heat oven to highest baking setting. Place stone,tiles, or inverted baking sheet on lowest rack of oven (first time I noticed inverted:) Form dough into rounds and place on cornmeal dusted pizza peel or inverted cookie sheet. Add your toppings as desired. Carefully slide the pizzas from the peel or baking sheet onto heated stone or heated baking sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until bottoms crisp or browned. (I never use the 2 cookie sheet method-no dishwasher-I simply use 1 unheated cookie sheet works fine for me)

THREE BROTHERS BANANA BREAD

(Actually should be Two Brothers because one of 'em doesn't like it. But he doesn't like anything.)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. S
tir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. ****
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.


**** Or, if you are like me, and you have one of those ridiculously expensive bot oh-so-worth-it stand mixers, just dump everything in the bowl and hit the switch! Worth the $300 just to not have to go through all those steps.

Chicken Sate A La Sophie

Meaning you can mix the sauce and marinate the chicken in the time it takes Sophia to get tired of whatever non human device is holding her at the moment.

Ingredients

Saté:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 8 strips
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Sauce:

1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons natural-style, reduced-fat creamy peanut butter (such as Smucker's)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 garlic clove, minced

Remaining ingredient: Cooking spray

Preparation

Prepare grill.

To prepare saté, combine chicken and next 6 ingredients (through 2 garlic cloves) in a medium bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.

To prepare sauce, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the next 5 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove) in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Thread chicken strips onto each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

Serve chicken with sauce.

Yield4 servings
(serving size: 2 skewers and 1 tablespoon sauce)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 205(20% from fat); FAT 4.5g (sat 1g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 29.3g; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 26mg; SODIUM 672mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.2g

Cooking Light, JULY 2005

Pink Lentil Curry

From Dr. Weil

6 Servings

Lentils are a wonderful source of protein, calcium, and iron. They are a staple ingredient in Indian cooking, and combine well with many different seasonings. You may be most familiar with brown or green lentils, but there are lentils out there in black, yellow, red and pink. Look for these more exotic varieties in Indian and specialty food stores. Similarly, not all curry powders are the same, ranging from quite mild to very hot. In making this side dish, start with a small amount and taste it to be sure your dish meets the comfort and taste level of your guests!

Ingredients:1 pound pink lentils
1 tablespoon canola oil
2-3 cups chopped vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, cabbage and whatever vegetables you like) Curry powder to taste
2-4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tablespoon chopped gingerroot
Salt or soy sauce to taste
Hot cooked rice

Instructions:

1. Pick over lentils, removing any stones or foreign matter. Place in a bowl or colander and rinse thoroughly. Place lentils in pot with enough cold water to cover well. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook, partially covered, until lentils become a thick mush (about one hour).

2. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in skillet, add vegetables and a little water, stir and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are barely tender.

3. Add curry powder, garlic, ginger and salt or soy sauce. Stir, then replace cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.

4. Add vegetables to lentil mixture. Toss together, correct seasonings, and simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.

5. Serve with rice.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving:483 calories4 g total fat (0 g sat)90 g carbohydrate24 g protein18 g fiber350 mg sodium

Roasted Red Peppers, White Beans and Pesto

From Dr. Weil

2 Servings

This is a quick pantry dish with intense flavors.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, cut in strips
1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp prepared pesto

Instructions:

1. Mix together red peppers, beans and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until warmed through.
2. Stir in pesto and serve.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving:266 calories4 g total fat (1 g sat)0 mg cholesterol43 g carbohydrate17 g protein11 g fiber497 mg sodium

Salad Nicoise

From Dr. Weil

2 servings

This is an elegant but simple whole meal salad. The addition of greens is our own touch. This is a "composed" salad – one in which the components are arranged artfully on the plate. If you don't want to take the time, it tastes just as good if all the ingredients are tossed together.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups looseleaf lettuce, torn into pieces
1 cup string beans, steamed until just tender
1 ripe red tomato, cut into wedges
1 hard cooked egg, cut in 4 wedges
1 7-oz can albacore tuna, drained

Instructions:
Mix together the olive oil, vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, add half the dressing to the lettuce and toss to coat. Divide between two salad plates. Arrange the green beans, tomato, egg and tuna on the greens. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Potato Gnocchi

From Dr. Weil

4 Servings

Gnocchi (pronounced "nyo-kee" and derived from the German word for "knuckle") are tasty little dumplings, one of Italy's oldest pastas, dating back to the 12th century. Traditional ingredients vary from region to region, with recipes including potatoes, flour, semolina, ricotta cheese, spinach and even bread crumbs. My favorite base for gnocchi is the Idaho potato. Potatoes are packed with complex carbohydrates, plenty of potassium, vitamins C and B-6, and lots of great minerals. Potatoes convert to glucose in your body fairly quickly, triggering the release of insulin, which leads to increased levels of relaxing seratonin in your brain. When making gnocchi (a relaxing activity in itself), pinch each one to create an indentation, which holds the sauce. Immediately let it fall to the floured surface so you handle the gnocchi as little as possible. Cook them right away if you can. Toss the dumplings into the bubbling water and drink in the scented steam. They will emerge light and delectable.

Ingredients:

1 pound baking potatoes
1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash paprika
Dash grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:
1. Peel the potatoes, cut in quarters, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook until tender. Drain and mash. You should have about 2 cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, a few dashes of paprika and nutmeg, and the chopped parsley.

3. Add the warm potatoes and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead just until dough is well mixed and not sticky. Let rest for 15 minutes.

4. Roll chunks of dough on floured board into logs about 1 inch thick. Cut into diagonal slices about 3/4 inch thick.

5. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add gnocchi. After they rise to the surface, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. 6. Drain well and cover with your favorite pasta sauce.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving:289 calories1 g total fat (0 g sat)0 mg cholesterol62 g carbohydrate8 g protein3 g fiber250 mg sodium

Tempeh Chili

From Dr. Weil

4 Servings

This is a high-protein chili with the benefits of soy. If you haven't tried tempeh (a fermented cake of soybeans and whole grains) it's a great substitute for ground meat. You can substitute any canned beans for the kidney beans.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 oz cake of tempeh, crumbled
1 can organic crushed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 cup cilantro (fresh)chopped
1 tbsp cumin, ground
1 tsp salt
1 small can chipotle chili en adobo (optional)

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion, red and green peppers, jalapenos and the crumbled tempeh and stir fry for five to six minutes. Stir in the cumin and salt. Add the canned tomatoes, kidney beans, chopped cilantro and chipotle pepper if you're using it. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with low-fat cheddar cheese if you like.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving:341 calories5 g total fat (1 g sat)2 mg cholesterol41 g carbohydrate26 g protein16 g fiber460 mg sodium

Curried Greens

From Dr. Weil

6 Servings

When people hear the word "greens," I think they immediately conjure up childhood memories of overcooked lumps of vegetation they were forced to eat and hated. But the vegetable section of the grocery is a different world today, brimming with a variety of greens such as spinach, chard, kale, mustard, collards, and bok choy that are tasty as well as excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Iron, calcium, and folic acid (an important B vitamin that helps prevent birth defects and offers protection from heart disease) are abundant in these leafy veggies. Greens can have strong tastes, but I encourage you to experiment with varieties you've never tried or haven't had in a while. I believe you'll be in for a pleasant surprise.

Ingredients:
1 pound spinach, kale, collards, or beet greens (or mixture of all
)2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2-3 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
3/4 pound brown potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions:
1. Wash and drain greens, removing any coarse stems and midribs. Cut into half-inch strips.

2. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar.

3. Heat the canola oil in a skillet and sauté onion over medium-high heat until it begins to brown.
Add the spice-and-tomato mixture, mix well, and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the potatoes and 2 cups water.

5. Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

6. Add greens and cook for 10 minutes more, or until potatoes are done.

7. Correct seasoning to taste. Garnish with the chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving:103 calories3 g total fat (0 g sat)0 mg cholesterol19 g carbohydrate4 g protein4 g fiber250 mg sodium

Lemon Sheet Cake

Totally easy, great tasting.

1 package lemon cake mix
4 eggs
1 package lemon pie filling - prepared as for pie
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix and eggs. Fold in pie filling. Spread onto greased cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

In small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Spread over cake.