Monkey Bread

Prep Time: 25 min Start to Finish: 1 hr 5 min Makes: 12 servings

1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 C chopped walnuts, if desired
1/2 C raisins, if desired
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 C butter or margarine, melted

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan.
2. In large plastic food-storage bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.
3. Mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies
Keep little fingers busy decorating holiday refrigerated sugar cookies!
Prep Time: 20 min Start to Finish: 1 hr Makes: 16 to 20 cookies

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® Create ' n Bake™ refrigerated sugar cookies or 1 package (18 oz) Pillsbury® Ready To Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies
1 container (16 oz) chocolate creamy frosting
Candy corn
Orange decorating icing
Black decorating gel
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on roll or package. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
2. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.
3. Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes

Super-Duper Soft Sugar Cookies

1 C softened margarine

1/2 C shortening

2 C sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

5 1/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

Mix first five ingredients. Then add and mix remaining three.

Chill at least one hour.

Make 'em thick! Cook at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes (until they lose their shine.) Do NOT overcook! Take off sheet and cool immediately.

Frosting

1/2 C shortening

1/2 C softened margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

4 C powdered sugar

2 T milk

Beat until fluffy. Add food coloring if wanted.

White Chocolate-Cranberry Cheesecake

Prep Time: 15 min Total Time: 4 hr 5 min Makes: 12 servings

1-1/4 cups OREO Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 squares BAKER'S Premium White Baking Chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp. grated orange peel

MIX crumbs and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of 9-in. springform pan.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until blended after each addition. Stir in white chocolate, cranberries and orange peel; pour over crust.

BAKE at 350°F for 45 to 50 min. or until center is almost set if using a silver springform pan (Or, bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 min. if using a dark nonstick springform pan.) Cool completely. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, orange slices, additional dried cranberries and additional grated white chocolate, if desired.

From Kraft Food

Chocolate Truffle Pie

Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 45 min Makes: 10 servings
1-1/4 pkg. (10 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Place chocolate in large microwaveable bowl. Add whipping cream. Microwave on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended; cool slightly.

ADD eggs, sugar and flour; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Pour into lightly greased 9-inch pie plate.

BAKE 35 min. or until outer half of pie is puffed and center is slightly soft; cool. Serve topped with the whipped topping.

Be fancy...add some powder sugar via wire sifter.

from Kraft Foods

Shrimp Chowder

I was looking for a good clam chowder recipe and Cherie gave me this recipe and suggested I could sub the clams for the shrimp.
Thanks Cherie! Can't wait to try it, with both!

1/2 c. diced carrots
1/2 c. diced onions
1 c. diced potatoes
1 cube butter
1/2 c. flour
2 c. milk
1 can shrimp
grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Combine diced carrots, onion and potatoes in saucepan. Add just enough water to cover vegetable. Bring to boil, cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until veggies are tender. Set aside. Do not drain. In large pan, melt butter over low heat. Slowly stir in flour until smooth. Add milk. Turn up heat to medium and stir until mixture thickens. When thickened, reduce heat and add vegetable mixture with water and can of shrimp. Served topped liberally with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4. (Guess I'm going to be doubling it!)

Lazy Stroganoff

This is what we make when we have ground beef and can't think of anything to make with it. It also has very few ingredients and we almost always have the stuff to make it...thus, it is a staple in our house.

1-1.5 pounds ground beef
1-2 cans or one big can of cream of mushroom soup
1 C sour cream
1-1.5 C milk
some onion powder
some garlic powder
salt
pepper

Brown beef, drain (or make a rue...but that's not the "lazy way" now is it?), add all ingredients. Add milk bit by bit until it's the thickness you like (it will thicken some). Simmer. Serve over rice or wide egg noodles.

Chicken Mornay

Ok, this is something my mom has ALWAYS made, and it is *so* one of my top fav comfort foods of all time. I don't know what "mornay" is, I've googled it, tried different spellings...just can't find it. But this is what we always called it, so this is what it will stay.

1 boiled chicken, broken into pieces
1 large package of frozen chopped broccoli
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 tsp curry powder (but I like more!)
1 T lemon juice (again, I like more!)
1/2 C cornflakes or saltine crackers

Put chicken pieces on bottom of 9 x 13 casserole dish. Dump broccoli over chicken. Mix soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry together, then spread over dish. Sprinkle crushed cornflakes or saltine crackers over top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve over rice, potatoes or noodles. (We like rice the best) Freezes well.

SNICKERS® SALAD

Oh yum...I will be making

this for Thanksgiving!

6 red apples
4 green apples
4 bananas
6 SNICKERS® candy bars
16 oz. Cool Whip
Pretzels

Chop up the apples, bananas and candy bars. Mix with Cool Whip. Crush pretzels to serve on top just before serving. Chill overnight. Serves 25.