Ultimate Garlic Bread

Contributed by Barbara Parker

Ingredients:

1-12 oz loaf French bread
12 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat grill or broiler to med-high
• Cut bread on a sharp diagonal into ½ inch slices
• Arrange on baking sheet
• In a bowl, mix together butter, garlic, parsley and pepper
• Spread onto both sides of the bread slices
• Grill until golden brown on both sides, 1-3 minutes per side
• Be sure you watch the bread it will burn quickly
• Serve at once

Tri-Color Orzo

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
3 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
1 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese)
1 cup dried cherries
24 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
5 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat
• Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes
• Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet
• Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool
• Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl
• Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine
• Serve

Strawberry Lemonade

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
Ice
Mint sprigs, garnish
Whole strawberries, garnish

Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil
• Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves
• Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat
• Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher
• In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice
• Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled
• Add the sparkling water and stir well
• Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries

Snickerdoodles

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
• Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla
• Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt
• Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls
• Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon
• Roll balls of dough in mixture
• Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard
• Remove immediately from baking sheets

Recipe yields 4 dozen

Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup seedless raspberry or blackberry jam
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
4 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C)
• In a small bowl, combine crushed thyme, sage, salt, and pepper
• Rub evenly over pork chops
• Melt butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet
• Cook pork chops for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once
• Remove from skillet and keep warm in preheated oven
• In the skillet, combine raspberry jam, orange juice, and vinegar
• Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce is reduced to desired consistency (sauce will thicken as it cools)
• Spoon sauce in a pool onto a serving plate, and top with pork chops
• Garnish with sprigs of thyme, if desired

Kelly's Oatmeal Cookies

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar

2 eggs, well beaten
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
3 cups oats (use Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned--DO NOT use instant!)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (use 1/2 cup if using raisins)
1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

• Cream shortening and sugars
• Add eggs and vanilla and beat well
• Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
• Add sifted dry ingredients to first mixture and mix well
• Add raisins (if desired) and nuts
• Add oats last.
• Spoon out by rounded tablespoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets
• Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes
• Remove to wire rack
• Cool completely

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Honey-Roasted Red Potatoes

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
5 tablespoons diced onion
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
• Lightly coat an 11x7 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray
• Place potatoes in a single layer in prepared dish, and top with onion
• In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together then add the wet ingredients
• Drizzle mixture over potatoes and onion
• Top with parsley
• Cover with foil
• Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes
• Remove foil and cook an additional 20 minutes or until a fork slides in easily
• Broil for 5 to 10 minutes
• Let sit for 5 minutes or so before serving

Grilled Chicken with Brie and Spinach Salad

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
8 slices Brie cheese, about 1/2-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
4 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons honey
6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
8 slices bacon, cooked

Directions:

• Heat a stove-top grill pan or griddle with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat to preheat
• Season both sides of chicken with salt, black pepper, and garlic and herb seasoning
• Add chicken to hot pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through
• One minute prior to removing chicken breast, place 2 slices of Brie on top of each piece of chicken
• Remove from grill cover with foil and let sit for 5 minutes before serving
• Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat
• Add olive oil and chopped shallots to the pan and saute
• In a small bowl, combine vinegar, honey and salt and pepper (to taste)
• Add honey mixture to the skillet and stir to combine
• Pour ¾ of the warm vinaigrette over the spinach and toss to coat
• Transfer to serving platter
• Crumble the bacon strips over the dressed salad and place chicken on top
• Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over the chicken

Crab Meat Louis

Courtesy of June Mckeever Cain

Ingredients:

1-half head lettuce, shredded
1 to 1-1/2 cups cooked fresh or canned crab meant, chilled
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
8 ripe black olives
Pimiento strips

Louis Dressing Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup chili sauce
2 cup teaspoons grated onion
1 teaspoon horse-radish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon tarragon
Salt and pepper

Dressing directions:

• To make dressing, blend mayonnaise and chili sauce
• Mix remaining ingredients
• Chill
• Makes 1 ½ cups of dressing

Salad directions:

• Arrange lettuce in individual serving bowls
• Mound crab meat on lettuce
• Garnish with tomato wedges, egg slices, olives and pimiento strips
• Chill until ready to serve
• Serve with louis dressing
• Makes 4 servings

Country Apple Dumplings

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew or Sprite™

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
• Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish
• Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside
• Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles
• Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end
• Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish
• Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon
• Pour sugar and cinnamon mixture over apple dumplings
• Pour soda of choice over dumplings
• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven (or until golden brown)

Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

4 pieces chicken (any combination of pieces) OR 4 pieces of New York strip OR Club strip steak
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Ingredients for the balsamic BBQ sauce:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Combine all BBQ sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth
• Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15 to 20 minutes
• Place a grill pan over medium heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill
• Season the meat of choice with salt and pepper
• Lightly coat with some of the BBQ sauce using a pastry brush
• Place the meat on the grill
• Place the remaining BBQ sauce (still in the small saucepan) over low heat or on the edge of a gas or charcoal grill and allow to gently simmer while the meat cooks

Cooking times:

• Cook chicken about 8 minutes per side
• Cook steaks starting at about 4 minutes per side until a meat thermometer reads the desired temperature: 120 degrees F for medium rare, 135 degrees F for medium (about 6 minutes per side), 155 degrees F for well done (about 9 minutes per side)
• Continually brush the meat with BBQ sauce every few minutes
• Remove the meat from the grill and let rest for at least 5 minutes

Serve with the heated BBQ sauce alongside

ALTERNATE: Chicken can be baked in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken skin side up in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the BBQ sauce all over the top of the chicken. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients for chicken stock:

1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for soup:

2 cups sliced carrots

2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup cooking sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, (optional)
3/4 cup heavy cream, (optional)
Seasoning salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions for the soup stock:

• Add all ingredients to a soup pot
• Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes
• Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool
• Remove and discard bay leaves and onion (You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock)
• When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage
• Set chicken aside

Directions for the soup:

• Bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes
• Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes
• Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package
• When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary
• Add Parmesan and cream (optional)
• Cook for another 2 minutes
• Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper
• Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread!

Caramel Popcorn

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C)
• Place popcorn in a very large bowl
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter
• Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly
• Boil without stirring 4 minutes
• Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla
• Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat
• Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour
• Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces

Apple Crisp

Contributed by Kelly Tillberg

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced apples (approx. 2)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup water
1 cup white sugar
½ cup butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish
• Place apples in prepared dish
• Sprinkle with cinnamon
• Pour water over all
• In a bowl, cream together sugar and butter
• Blend in flour
• Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples
• Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is golden
• Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired

Yields 6 servings

Elephant Stew

Contributed by Heidi Copa, Pleasant Hill 2nd Ward

This stew is a favorite of our family, and is always served at our annual family reunions. The amazing thing about this meal is that once we had made it, we never had to make it again. Right before each reunion we just go down to the local food locker where we have it stored, and haul out a bucket of it to take along. Those white bakery buckets from Safeway are perfect for this purpose, and you can usually get them free right at the bakery counter. Here goes...

Ingredients:

1 elephant
2 rabbits (optional)
brown gravy
salt and pepper

Directions:

• Cut elephant into bite-size pieces (this should take about two months)
• Add enough gravy to cover
• Cook over kerosene fire for about four weeks at 465 degrees F
• If more are expected, two rabbits may be added (Do this ONLY if necessary, as most people do not like to find "hare" in their stew.)
• Advance notice necessary -- 365 days preferred
• This is especially good when having a Relief Society Luncheon

Serves 3,800 people

Chicken Bowl

Contributed by Gaye Fletcher

I call this recipe "Chicken Bowl" but change the ingredients a little and the name can change too.

First pick out a bowl that is about the size of meal you want to eat.

1. Crush enough wheat thins to cover the bottom of your bowl
2. Cut up enough chicken to cover the bottom (using your appetite to figure out what to put into the bowl)
3. Dice raw tomatoes, enough to cover the chicken
4. Dice or grate cheese of your choice, enough to cover the last layer in your bowl
5. Add any seasonings you desire (I like salt so I use soy sauce, to taste of course)
6. Microwave until the cheese is melted (about one minute or so)
7. Sit down and enjoy a fast and easy meal that is really tasty and healthy!!

NOTE: Use your imagination and add any ingredients that you would like to have in your meal. Depending on the size of your microwave, you can make as many as you want at once.

Turkey Brunswick Stew

Contributed by Heidi Copa, Pleasant Hill 2nd Ward

From a Pilgrims' recipe (in which they used rabbit) served in Williamsburg, Virginia, my alma mater being the College of William and Mary

• Simmer your turkey carcass after Thanksgiving for several hours, until meat falls off bones.
• Discard bones and skin and other undesirables.
• To skim the fat off the liquid, use a skimming device now, or chill the soup now and pick off the fat, or remove the fat after the soup is all assembled and cooked and chilled later.
• Another method is to just pull the turkey meat off the bones and toss it into canned chicken broth.
• Now you need vegetables of five colors: white onions, green beans or okra, carrots, corn, canned peeled tomatoes (I use diced).
• The amount depends on how much you want to make! I tend to make a huge pot and freeze some soup, so I may use 15 cans of corn, beans, tomatoes, and broth, plus fresh sliced carrots and onions. Add several bay leaves, salt, pepper, some of your favorite soup spices like Mrs. Dash, and some tomato sauce to add a little thickener. Simmer all this together...the longer the better...all day is great...nice crock pot soup.

Or if you have a spare rabbit...