PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE PIE

CRUST:

1½ cups lightly packed crushed shortbread cookies with pecans (about 16 cookies) (I used ginger cookies)

3 Tbs butter, melted

3 Tbs all-purpose flour

FILLING:

1 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbs all-purpose flour

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

3 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

3 large eggs

15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree

1 Tbs milk

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place rack in center of oven.

2. Prepare crust: Mix all crust ingredients together. Press crust onto bottom and sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and cool completely. Keep oven on.

3. Prepare filling: Beat sugar, flour and both packages cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth; reserve ½ cup. Add remaining ingredients except milk to cream cheese mixture. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl constantly, until smooth. Pour into crust.

4. Make swirl design: Stir milk into reserved cream cheese mixture. Spoon over pumpkin mixture. Cut through cream cheese and pumpkin mixtures with knife in S-shaped curves in one continuous motion. Turn pie plate one fourth turn and repeat. Swirl to look like an autumn leaf if you’d like.

5. To bake: Cover edges of crust with pie crust covers or aluminum foil strips to prevent excessive browning. Remove foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Cooking Tips
*Try using gingersnaps in place of shortbread cookies.

Dinner Rolls - no kneading and ready in an hour

HERE'S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO

■1 package quick-acting active dry yeast

■1 1/3 cup milk (105º to 115ºF degrees)

■3 to 3 1/2 cups flour or whole wheat flour

■3 tablespoons olive oil

■1 tablespoon sugar

■1 teaspoon salt

■1 tablespoon melted butter

■coarse salt

Dissolve yeast in warm milk with sugar in electric mixer bowl. Stir in 1 cup flour, oil, and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven 400ºF degrees. Prep a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Punch down dough in center and fold over a few times. Pinch off 1 inch balls of dough and quickly roll in palm of hands. Put 3 balls to one muffin cup; brush with melted butter; sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until crust is light golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Store loosely covered.

No bake cookies... another version

1 c. Brown Sugar

1 c. Sugar

1/2 c. Milk

1/2 c. Margarine

1 c. Chocolate Chips

3 Tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter

3 c. Oatmeal

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* Boil sugars, milk, & margarine. * Add oatmeal, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. * Spoon onto greased cookie sheet or waxed paper and let stand until firm. * Refrigerate.

No Bake Cookies

Ingredients


1 3/4 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

Sweet Potatoes

3 C sweet potatoes

1 C white sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

1/2 stick butter

1/2 C evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook and mash sweet potatoes. Add all ingredients and mix well. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Topping:

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C flour

1 C pecans

1/2 stick softened butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

Add all ingredients and mix well. Place on baked sweet potatoes and return to oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup of butter


1/2 cup of shortening

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

Mix like crazy - whip up good... 3-5 min, then add

2 eggs

4 teaspoons of vanilla
again mix very well

1 cup of flour mixed with

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp salt (I used about 3/4 t of sea salt)

Add flour mixture to top mixture then add 2 more cup of flour (I added a bit extra flour).

Add as much chocolate chips as you want I also added mini m&ms

Bake 375' for 8 minutes.

Mini Cheesecakes

1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers


2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

(I have also done a gram cracker crust)
Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners.

2.Crush the vanilla wafers, and place 1/2 teaspoon of the crushed vanilla wafers into each paper cup.

3.In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top.

4.Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Top with a teaspoonful of cherry pie filling.

baked cinnamon chips

Ingredients

8 (7-inch) flour tortillas
1 tbs. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over tortillas. Cut each tortilla into eight wedges and layer on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and crisp. Remove from baking sheet and cool completly. Repeat with remaining tortilla wedges. Yield 64 chips.

The Best Chicken Fried Steak

4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 egg

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2.5 cups canola oil for frying

Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.

Heat the oil in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Serve with gravy of your choice.