Aunt Bonnie Kenison's Cranberry Butter

We love this butter on homemade rolls! 

It's a 5 star for us.

Submitted by Chris

Mix:
1 cup whole cranberries (from a can)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups butter, softened

Keep in the refrigerator

Death by Chocolate Mousse

This was really good and easy to make. I had to buy the springform pan, but I was glad I did. I found the recipe at allrecipes.
I'd give it 5 stars.
Submitted by Chris

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 9" springform pan with 2 3/4" sides.

Mix together:
21 Oreo cookies, crushed
1/4 cup butter, softened
Press into bottom of greased springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes, allow to cool.

In top of double boiler combine:
1 cup whip cream
1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

In another bowl, combine
2 cups chilled whip cream
1/4 cup sugar
Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into cooled chocolate mixture, pour into cooled crust. Chill at least 6 hours and top with
1 cup whip cream
1/4 sugar 
Or use spray whip cream

Chris' Broccoli Salad

This is that salad that's too much work, but everyone loves. It's a 5.
(Picture to follow)

Combine:
4 cups broccoli florets which have been broken into smaller pieces (One Costco bag yields 16 cups.)
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced green grapes
1 cup sliced purple grapes
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
8 slices bacon, crumbled

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vinegar
Mix and refrigerate for several hours. Just before serving, add dressing to salad and mix.

Nuts About Berries Salad

This is a recipe I (Chris) found on this blog. It's a Zupa's copy, and because I love everything Zupa makes, I love this knock-off salad. I especially like that I can make lots of almonds and dressing, and make up a couple of bowls for Dad and I to go with our meal several times a week. I give it a 5.

You need:
Spinach (Or other greens. I used a mix of spinach and romaine and it was good.)
Berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blue berries, or whatever you can find. It's good to have 2 or 3 varieties. Slice the berries to bite-sized if necessary.

Sugar/cinnamon almonds:
1/2 sliced almonds
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine the almonds and sugars in a small non-stick pan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugars begin to melt.  Take care not to burn! You might need to turn down the heat a little. Once the sugar coats the nuts, add the cinnamon and remove from pan, allow to cool.

Poppy Seed Dressing:
1 1/8 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp poppy seed
Mix well, store in fridge.  Shake before using.  

3 ingredients oatmeal bars

This is so easy I can easily make a batch in 5 minutes or else. Plus it's really good, great for on the go and healthy! 
Submitted by Ash


Left batch is sunflower seed butter
Right is peanut butter

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups oat bran (can sub for rolled oats, quick oats or oat flour) I used quick oats cause I like the texture it gives.
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter (can sub for soy nut butter or nut butter of choice) I have tried sunflower seed butter, almond butter and peanut butter (I used Adams no stir peanut butter since it doesn't have added sugar). I like them all. I would say my favorite is almond butter than sunflower, but McKay and the kids would probably choose peanut butter as their favorite. 
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (can sub for any sticky sweetener) 
Chocolate chips/ fruits etc (optional) I have done dark chocolate chips and also semi sweet chocolate chips both were great! Just whatever is your preference.

Instructions:
1. Line a deep baking tray (like a jelly roll pan) or pan with grease paper and set aside. I tried wax paper and it ended up sticking to the bars, but parchment paper worked great. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the oats and set aside.
3. In a microwave safe bowl or stovetop, melt the sunflower seed butter with the brown rice syrup until combined. (I microwaved it for 20 seconds then stirred it up, then for another 15 seconds and it was perfect, but our microwave is older so it may not take that long for some) 
4. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry and mix well until fully incorporated.
5. Transfer the mixture into the lined pan and press into it firmly. If desired, top with chocolate chips or fruit etc and the refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
6. Remove and cut into bars size of your liking. 
 Note: depending on what type of grain base type you use and sweetener you may need to adjust the sweetener amount and/or grain amount- if too wet, add extra oats. If too dry, add extra sticky sweetener until a firm batter is formed. 
Mine turned out perfect with the the ingredients I used. 

Peach Salsa

Peach Salsa

Posted by chris         rated: 4.5

I love fresh salsa. I made this one using tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapenos from my garden. We ate it with chips, but I also like it on chicken or fish. I used the leftover salsa the next day on chicken and it was delish! It will keep for about a week in the fridge, although the peaches turn brown. You can treat them with fruit fresh when you dice them to keep them pretty.

1 lb tomatoes, diced (unpeeled)

1 bell pepper, seeded and finely dice (any color)

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 1/2 lbs peaches, diced (unpeeled)

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Mix tomatoes, peppers, onion in a large bowl. Add peaches, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve or keep in fridge for up to a week. 

Four Cheese and Basil Pizza

This pizza is not a real saucy pizza but we love it! I should call it a three cheese pizza because it calls for goat cheese but I've never actually tried adding it. So if you know you love goat cheese, add it! We have also added sliced tomato before.
*Includes dough recipe for 2 pizzas.  You may use your own pizza dough recipe if you prefer.  Allow for 1.5-2 hours for the dough to rise.

4.5/5 stars
Servings: 1 pizza, approximately 6-8 slices
Submitted by: Megan

Ingredients

For the dough:***This recipe makes enough for two pizzas.

1/2 cup warm water

2 and 1/4 teaspoon (or one packet) of instant yeast

4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for rolling out your dough

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 and 1/4 cup water, at room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the pizza:

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing the pan

3 teaspoons garlic, chopped (about 3 cloves)

8 ounces (1/2 pound) fresh mozzarella, sliced and coarsely chopped

3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Instructions

1. For the dough:  In a 2-cup measuring cup, add your 1/2 cup of warm water.

2. Add the yeast to the warm water mixture and let sit at room temperature until the mixture is bubbly and creamy, about 5 minutes.

3. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt.

4. Add the 1 and 1/4 cup of room temperature water to the water/yeast mixture.

5. With the mixer running at low speed, slowly pour the water/yeast mixture and olive oil into the bread/salt mixture, and mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass.

6.  Switch to the dough hook and continue to knead the dough at low speed until elastic and soft, about 5 minutes.

7. Transfer to an oiled bowl (I used cooking spray), cover with a tea cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

8. Once risen, punch down the dough to deflate it and transfer to a clean, lightly floured flat work surface.

9. Divide the dough into two equal portions. If you are freezing one portion of dough, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.  If using the dough immediately, let it rest for at least 10 minutes at room temperature (but no more than 30 minutes).

10. For the pizza: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

11. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.

12. In a small bowl, combine two tablespoons of olive oil with the garlic, set aside.

13.  On a clean and lightly floured flat work surface, roll out the dough to your desired shape.  **Due to the shape of my baking pan and my lack of a pizza stone, I opted for a rectangle.

14. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and brush lightly with your prepared olive oil/garlic mixture. (Can save some to sprinkle over top after baking)

15. Layer the mozzarella and goat cheeses, making sure to leave at least a 1/2-inch border of exposed crust.

16. Spread the ricotta cheese over the pizza, followed by the Parmesan cheese.

17. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown, about 18 minutes or so.

18. Once out of the oven, lightly drizzle the pizza with the remaining olive oil/garlic mixture.

19.  Sprinkle the pizza with the fresh basil, and serve immediately.