Tangy Beef Turnovers--Sometimes You Just Have To Try A Little Deceit

There is one ingredient in this recipe that is going to make you have second thoughts on trying it out.  And if your children find out about it--it's history.   Now I'm not stupid.  (Careful there.)  I raised 7 kids.  And I know that sometimes you have to be a little deceitful when preparing certain dishes so that family members don't know what ingredients you are using.  This was especially true when my kids were young, and I was cooking with wheat.  But, I digress.  This recipe does call for sauerkraut.  But you are going to rinse off all the sour part and wah-la, it is no longer sauerkraut.  Just cabbage.  And if you don't tell, neither will I.  This is one of my favorites.  (Just make it ahead of time when no one is home.)  (Terry)

TANGY BEEF TURNOVERS

1# ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jar  (16 oz) sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, chopped

1 C (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese

3 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls

In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add sauerkraut and cheese; mix well.  Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into rectangles.  Place on greased baking sheets; pinch seams to seal.  Place ½ C (1/3 C) beef mixture in the center of each rectangle.  Bring corners to the center and pinch to seal.  Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield:  1 dozen

 

Raspberry Cheese Danish--Three Exclamation Marks !!!

Tonight I was looking through some old Taste of Home and Simple and Delicious magazines, when I came across a recipe I had made several times and forgotten about.  Next to the recipe I had the following notation:  Good!!!  Wow.  How could I have forgotten this recipe?!  I have been missing out all this time.  Bummer.  (Terry)

RASPBERRY CHEESE DANISH

-Unroll an 8 oz. tube of crescent roll dough.  Separate into 4 rectangles.  Seal perforations.  Now cut into halves, so that you have 8 squares (instead of 8 triangles). 

-Beat 4 oz cream cheese with 1/4 C powdered sugar.  Spread 1 TB diagonally across each square.  Top with 1 TB raspberry jam. 

-Take two opposing corners and pinch together, twist just a bit, making sure those corners will stay together.  Bake on parchment or a Pam sprayed baking sheet at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

-Combine 1/2 C powdered sugar with 2 tp milk.  Drizzle over danishes.

Cabbage and Grape Salad--You Might Have To Sell One Of Your Children

Last night I taught a class on growing herbs at Relief Society.  To go along with the presentation, I served three dishes made with herbs.  One dish was an especially BIG hit:  Cabbage and Grape Salad.  It was a large salad, but I didn't go home with much in the line of leftovers--much to the dismay of my husband.  In fact today, as Wayne was finishing off the dab that was left, he told me I really ought to make some more.  Right away.  I must warn you, however, you might have to sell one of your children in order to fund your purchase of the pistachios.  They are pretty pricey right now.  But so worth it.  (Terry)


CABBAGE AND GRAPE SALAD

1 head green cabbage--shredded

2 C red grapes--halved

OR

1 head red cabbage

2 C green grapes

1 C (8 oz pkg) pistachios

¼ C chopped fresh parsley (must be fresh)

2-4 green onions

Dressing:  Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix, prepared (2C) OR coleslaw dressing

NOTE:  I prefer the green cabbage with red grapes and ranch dressing

NOTE:  Last night I only used half a head of cabbage.  I chopped it instead of leaving it shredded.  I used more than 8 oz of pistachios, making sure I had a full cup of nuts.

NOTE:  Do not add the pistachios until you actually serve your salad as they will soften in the dressing

NOTE:  I got this recipe from my daughter, Jamie Turner.

Fruity Pasta Salad--Recipe For Murder

Love this salad.  It's the honey and mayo combo that tastes just right.  Course nothing wrong with the pasta and the mandarin oranges and the sugar peas and the green onions.  Mmmm.  Mmmm.  Mmmm. I have adapted this recipe from a Josi Kilpack murder mystery recipe.  If you like mysteries, I suggest you give her books a try.  I've read and enjoyed them all.   (Terry)


FRUITY PASTA SALAD
2 C mayo
1 tp minced garlic
½ tp celery seed
½ C honey
1 tp salt
½ tp pepper
2-3 chicken breasts, diced
16 oz tri-colored rotini
30 oz mandarin oranges, drained
¼ pound sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
½ C chopped green onions
Chow mein noodles (optional)


Mix together: mayo, garlic, celery seed, honey, salt, pepper. Cover and set in fridge.
Dice chicken and stir fry in pan until done. 
Meanwhile, cook pasta until done and drain.
Gently combine all ingredients, except chow mein noodles, in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Sprinkle with chow mein noodles. Serves 12.
NOTE:  You can also simmer the chicken in salted water.  Let it cool a little, and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Sopapilla Cheese--Breakfast. Dessert. Breakfast. Hmmmm.

Hmmm.  Not sure how to classify this recipe.  I have served it for breakfast, and I have served it for dessert.  But with cream cheese and sugar, how can you go wrong--any time of day?!  This is one of those Internet recipes that actually turned out.    (Terry)






SOPAPILLA CHEESE
Ingredients:
2 cans Pillsbury butter crescent rolls
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter (melted)
Cinnamon & sugar: 1/4 cup sugar and 1 TB cinnamon
Instructions:
Unroll and spread 1 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased 9 x 13 pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Cream Cheese with Jalapeno Jelly--Be Brave

   My husband belongs to a community orchestra.  Clarinet.  Two or three years ago when I was helping with one of their bake sales, someone provided samples of one of the items for sale:  Jalepeno Jelly.  They were serving the jelly with cream cheese and Ritz crackers.  Now that was one strange combination, and I wasn't about to get involved with that.  But after listening to oohs and aahs for several hours, I decided to give it a try.  Now that is one delicious combination of tastes.  So I ended up with several jars of jalapeno jelly.
   One night I took some to a taster's table at Relief Society.  No one would try it.  I assured them it was really good.  Finally, one brave soul loaded up a Ritz, and the rest is history.    Last month I decided to serve my DUP group something other than a dessert.  Yup.  The ole jalapeno thing.  Again, it took a few moments to get the thing off the ground, but by the time they left, I think I had about enough left for two crackers.
   You just gotta be brave.   (Terry)


 CREAM CHEESE WITH JALAPENO JELLY
1 C jalapeno jelly
8 oz. cream cheese
Ritz crackers
Unwrap the cream cheese and set on a serving dish for several hours so it will get to room temperature.  Stir jalapeno jelly a little to loosen up and spread over cream cheese.  Serve with Ritz crackers as dippers.

White Chocolate Puffcorn--One Cool Thing

One cool thing about family reunions is the recipes you pick up from all your relatives.  Last year at our Bateman family reunion, my cousin Kim (hmmm--ahhh--Kim---ahhh--Dang.  What's her married name?  Oh well.) nee Bateman brought a treat that disappeared in about 2 minutes.  And only 2 ingredients.  What's not to like about numbers like that?!  (You're gonna want to triple this recipe.  One recipe for you.  The other two to share with the rest of the family.  Trust me on this.)    (Terry)


WHITE CHOCOLATE PUFFCORN
Melt 3 squares (6 ounces) of white almond bark in the microwave.  Pour over 1 bag (3 1/2 ounces) of Chester's Puffcorn--Butter Flavor.  Mix well.
NOTE:  Make sure you buy Puffcorn and not popcorn.