Traditional Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

 1/2 cup butter 
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup cooked/canned pumpkin puree
1 teastpoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour (can use a blend of whole wheat)
1 teastpoon baking powder
1 teastpoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup diced roasted almonds or walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix (and sift) flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmet and cinnamon. Add nuts and chocolate pieces. Mix thoroughly all cookie ingredients.

Drop by teaspoon measure onto well-greased cookie sheet (or flat stoneware). Bake at 350 for 15 min or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets while still warm and cool on racks. Makes 6 dozen. These cookies stay soft so store them in a covered container with waxed paper between rows or else they will stick together (if they last that long).

Crock Pot Ratatouille

 I consider eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes are kind of core vegetables for this, but feel free to add whatever vegetables you have that need to be used.

1 eggplant (about a pound) sometimes I use more
2 tsp salt, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste (or I use Costco pizza sauce)
4 cloves garlic
2 red, yellow or green peppers, chopped up
2 zucchini (about 3/4 lb) cut into 1 inch pieces, or I use my wide slot slicer on my mandolin
2 yellow squash (about 3/4 lb) cut into 1 inch pieces, I also use the Mexican squash, especially if it's cheaper
2-3 tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Some recommend cutting up the eggplant and sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt on it and toss it in a colander while you chop up the rest of the veggies.

Layer half the vegetables in a large crock pot in the following order: onion, eggplant, zucchini/squash, garlic, peppers, tomoatoes. 

Sprinkle wiht half the spices and dot with half of the tomato paste/pizza sauce (which already has some spices).

Repeat layering process with remaining vegetables, spices and tomato paste. Drizzle with olive oil.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

We do several things with it and you may use it warm, cool or chilled. Sometimes I put it on top of some rice and toss in some cooked garbanzo beans. It's great with Parmesan and/or feta cheeses. Sometimes I add it to a variety of breads or crackers with a smear of hummus and top with some feta.

Laura Nielsen's Pumpkin Casserole

 When we were first married we met approximately monthly with other newly married couples for Family Home Evening (FHE), it was a great transition from singles ward FHE to family FHE. We took turns meeting at different homes and had dinner, study and activities together. It was awesome. Some couples came in and out, but the core couples we met with are Chris and Laura Nielsen and Pat and Jill Crist. At an FHE in October/November Laura made this and I have made it every year since. 

A word on pumpkins: my favorite pumpkin for this is what Trader Joe's called a "Cinderella Pumpkin" it is kind of funky-looking and like a sat-on sphere, but when you cut it in half you end up with 2 rounds that I bake and put the casserole in one half and use the other half for whatever I want pumpkin for.

2 1/2 pounds hamburger 
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups green (and/or other colored) peppers, cupped
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cups onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups rice, cooked
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 can mushrooms (I usually don't have this and just omit it, or perhaps use freshe mushmooms)
1/4 cup soy sauce (we have been appropriately schooled and so use Aloha shoyu, of course)
1 (or 1/2 in this case) pumpkin

Cut and clean out the pumpkin and bake, I bake both halves of our Cinderella pumpkin on different bun pans for about an hour at 350 degrees. You can cook the rice and prep the veggies and such during this time.

Brown and drain hamburger and add mix in all the other ingredients (other than the pumpkin). I like to prick the pumpkin skin with a fork (or my tomato/onion holder for slicing) it helps you know if the flesh is ready and I think it helps the pumpkin absorb more of the flavor. Fill the pumpkin half with the mixture--it can be a rounded mound--and put it back in the oven to bake, you probably only need about 30 min more or so to make sure everything is warm and ready.

You can serve the pumpkin on the bun pan, or if you're fancy put it on a big tray. Serve it with a big spoon with somewhat sharp edges so you can scoop out some of the pumpkin with each serving.

For 12 servings approx: 430 Calories, 13 g fat (will depend on the amount of fat in your hamburger), 16 g protein, 63 g carb, 38 mg cholesterol, 1400 mg sodium

Buttermilk Syrup

 2 cups sugar

1/4 cup karo syrup

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients, but vanilla, in a LARGE pot, add the baking soda last (it will foam) and boil for a minute, then add vanilla. 

Yeild: 3 cups

It can be made with powdered buttermilk. Once Melissa made it with 1 cup of buttermilk powder, not just the amount of buttermilk powder to make a cup so we had to suddenly multiply the recipe and it foamed up in a HUGE mess.  Also, we had buttermilk syrup for a LONG time!

Frog-Eye Salad

 1 cup sugar                                                1 package (16 oz) Acini de Pepe (pasta)

2 Tablespoons flour                                    1 cup coconut

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided                       3 cans mandarin oranges, drained (11 oz each)*

1 3/4 cups pineapple juice                           2 canes pineapple chunks, drained (20 oz each)*

2 eggs, beaten                                              1 can crushed pineapple, drained (20 oz)*

1 tablespoon lemon juice                            1 carton non dairy whipped toping (9 oz)

3 quarts water                                              1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 Tablespoon cooking oil

In a pan on the stovetop, combine sugar, flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, gradually stir in pineapple juice and eggs. Cook over moderate heat stirring, until thickened. Add lemon juice. Cool mixture to room temperature. Meanwhile, bring water, remaining 2 Tbsp salt and oil to boil.  Add Acini de Pepe, cook at rolling boil until Acini de Pepe is done. Drain Acini de Pepe, rinse with water, drain again and cool to room temperature.  combine egg mixture and Acini de Pepe. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight/8 hours in air tight container. Add remaining ingredients. Mix lightly but thoroughly.  Refrigerate until chilled in airtight container. It may also be frozen, though freezing somewhat alters the texture. Makes 25 servings.

*I use a #10 can of tropical fruit salad instead of other canned fruit and use the drained juice from the tropical fruit salad in place of the pineapple juice. I don't usually add the salt to the water for the Acini de Pepe. 

Crock Pot Chalupa

1 pork tenderloin 2-3# (can also use chicken; I have found it shreds easier and cooks more tender if you cut it into 3" pieces  before cooking)

1 jar chunky salsa (I also use canned crushed tomatoes and some extra Hatch chile salsa--which I also replace for the green chile)

1 onion peeled & coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen corn (can use canned if you have to)*

1 can diced chiles OR Hatch chili 

2 cans black beans or 2 cups cooked pinto or black beans*

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Shred with 2 forks and serve with warm flour tortillas, sour cream & guacamole. 

*I typically add these after I shred the meat

This is from Carolyn Yoss at a Celeste or Evergreen ward Relief Society meeting and she gave us the following on how to cook beans. This is how I cook beans now, black, white, pinto, whatever. I cook up a 1 lb batch and then freeze what I don't use in a gallon freezer bag for future needs.

Whipped Lemon Cream Cheese Mousse

1 cup heavy whipping cream

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 c powdered sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice (use fresh and add zest)

1 tsp vanilla

dash salt

1. Whip cream in stand mixer until soft peaks form, set aside (put in separate bowl to use mixer bowl for cream cheese)

2. beat softened ream cheese until it's nice and smooth.

3. sift powdered sugar into the cream cheese, add fresh lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until smooth and glossy.

4. Fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream until combined.

Time: 15 min

Yield 3 cups

Can be made up to 3 days in advance, seal tightly