No-Bake Chocolate Truffle Pie ~ by Sarah

Molly made me this pie years ago and I insisted that she write the recipe down for me. I remembered it the other day and made it. It was delicious!

Ingredients:
3/4 c. (about 17) caramels
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. (one regular-sized bag) chocolate chips
1 c. whipping cream
3 T. butter
1 prepared chocolate crumb crust (Fred Meyer was out, so I had to improvise my own...it didn't work out so well.  I recommend that you try to buy one!)

Directions:
Melt caramels and milk together over low heat.  Pour in crust.  Melt other ingredients together.  Pour over caramel mixture.  Refrigerate until set (about 4 hours).  Serve with whipped topping.  (I bought extra whipping cream and whipped it up for the topping.  I didn't add sugar because this pie is rich, so the more bland whipping cream is a nice balance.

I forgot to take a picture and I remembered as I began eating the last slice the next day!

Corn Salad ~ by Sarah

My aunt makes a corn salad that I love, so searched the Internet until I found a recipe that seemed pretty close. It's such a great summer dish!

Ingredients:
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 purple onion, diced
1 green onion, diced (or half green and half red)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
chili cheese Frito corn chips

Directions:
Combine everything put the chips in a bowl and mix well.  I also added some pepper, salt, and Salad Elegance.  Just before serving crush the corn chips into big chunks and add to the salad (to your desire).  You want to add these right before serving or they get soggy.

Peanut Butter Corn Flake Cookies~by Kelsey

 These are super good.  Seriously.  And so easy.

1 cup sugar
1 cup karo syrup
1/2 stick butter
Stir until blended, then let come to a boil and boil for 45 seconds
add:
1 cup peanut butter
7 cups corn flakes

Drop by spoon full onto wax paper OR press into a jelly roll pan.  Let them harden, and enjoy!

Orange-Spiced Sweet Potatoes~by Kelsey

This recipe is from my Crock Pot Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes cook book.  I really like sweet potatoes, and this actually seems more like a dessert than a vegetable.  Maybe it's all the butter.  And sugar.  But it's really good and smells awesome!

Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
Juice of one medium orange
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
toasted pecans (optional)

Cajun Rice Dish~by Kelsey

This recipe came from my super-fantastic Ground Beef Cookbook from Taste of Home.  Seriously, you need to have that cookbook and 50 lbs of ground beef from the Wasco Market.  This recipe calls for Cajun seasoning, which I could not find at Fred Meyer, so I made up my own mix of garlic, chili, cayenne, and onion powder.

Ingredients:
5 cups of beef broth
2 cups of uncooked long grain rice
1 pound of ground beef
1 medium onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper (I used orange)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

In a roasting pan, combine broth and rice.  Mix well.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.  Add to rice with vegetables, salt, and Cajun seasoning.  Mix well.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes more, or until rice is tender.  ( I found it took almost an hour more for my rice to be tender.)

I put soy sauce on mine, Josh added Frank's hot sauce.

Marinated Tomato Salad with Herbs

The Pioneer Woman now has a television show on The Food Network. I watched a sneak peek a few days before it came on, and they showed her making this dish. I love fresh, homegrown tomatoes, so I wanted to give it a try. It is amazing! We had friends over for a barbecue dinner and it was definitely the hit of the evening. Even brawny meat and potatoes guys were going back for seconds. I highly recommend this!

Ingredients:
6 to 8 ripe tomatoes
4 green onions
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful fresh parsley leaves, lightly chopped
12 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes into 4 wedges, then cut the wedges in half and add to a bowl.  (I forgot to cut the wedges in half again.)

Lop off the tops of the green onions, then slice the white and mostly light green parts really thin. Add to the tomatoes.

Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, dash of salt and pepper to a jar. Screw on the lid and shake to combine. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and toss.

Add the herbs and gently toss to combine. 

Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

There is no way this would be good with store-bought tomatoes in the winter, so make it now while you can get good homegrown ones!  I got mine at the produce stand and they were excellent!

Sugared Rhubarb Muffins~by Kelsey

 I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.  It was quick, easy and good!  I doubled it, because 12 muffins don't last very long around here.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in rhubarb.
2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

One muffin equals 226 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 153 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat.