Cherry Fluff

Although a far cry from gourmet, this is a quick and easy salad dish to take to potlucks!

1 can of cherry pie filling
1 20-oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 c. coconut (opt.)
1/2 to 3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (opt.)

Stir together all ingredients and chill!

Quick Doughnuts

We've eaten these at Chinese buffets and the kids feast on them! Super easy and delicious!

1 tube of Pillsbury biscuit dough
vegetable oil for frying
granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar

This is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it? Just separate the biscuits and drop them into hot oil (375 degrees) one at a time, being careful not to add too many at once in order for the oil to maintain a consistent temperature and to keep the donuts from sticking together. (It's important to get the oil to the right temperature, as oil that's too hot will brown the outside too quickly while the inside stays doughy.) Immediately roll the donuts in sugar and serve!

Easy Cherry Strudels

This is another recipe from the latest Simple and Delicious (ToH) magazine. I tried it last week and definitely plan on making it again. However, it's more of a traditional Christmas-y dessert, and with all the walnuts, it probably appeals more to the grown ups...although my children ate it right up! (Don't be intimidated by the puff pastry--that's what makes this dessert so easy!)

1 can (14.5 ounces) pitted tart cherries (not cherry pie filling)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1 T. butter
3 T. cornstarch
1.5 c. chopped walnuts
1 pkg. (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed (leave in box while thawing so as not to let the pastry dry out)
1 egg, beaten

Drain cherries, reserving 1/3 c. juice. In a large saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, cranberries, and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Combine cornstarch and reserved juice and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remover from the heat; stir in walnuts.

Unfold one pastry sheet and cut in half. Mound half of the cherry mixture on one pastry half to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top with remaining half; pinch edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.

Place on a greased foil-lined baking sheet (or Silpat). With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into tops of strudels; brush with egg. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Peppermint Stick Sauce

We had warm brownies and vanilla ice cream topped with this sauce. It's so pretty, and the kids loved it! From the Nov/Dec 2008 "Simple and Delicious" magazine (by Taste of Home).

1.5 cups crushed peppermint candies
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme

In a heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook and stir over low heat until candy is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Store in the refrigerator.

*Tip: Crush the mints as much as you can, as I found that the bigger pieces kind of clumped together and took longer to melt. This sauce thickens as it cools and is quite thin when served warm.

This is my newest five-star cookie recipe! I got it from the Oct/Nov edition of Taste of Home, and since we had all the ingredients on hand, we thought we'd give it a try. These cookies meet my criteria for perfect, as I like them a little crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside. The coconut makes them really moist, and the finely chopped almonds add great texture. Let me know what you think!

Coconut Crunch Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract (I used 1/2 t., as I'm not a big almond extract fan)
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
2 c. flaked coconut
1 pkg (11.5 oz.) milk chocolate chips
1.5 c. finely chopped almonds (I used slivered almonds)

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the coconut, chocolate chips, and almonds. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks.

Easiest Pumpkin Cookies Ever!

My sister-in-law, Lori, posted this recipe with what I call the low-fat version. She worked up the nutritional value on them without the frosting, and each cookie contains approximately 80 calories and 1 gm fat. They are super quick and easy, which makes them great for kids in the kitchen! The non-fat version has somewhat of the same consistency as an applesauce cookie and tastes wonderful...but be careful, because it's hard to stop at just one! I've also created my own "fattening" version, with the added ingredients in parentheses. It simply makes the cookies a little more dense and moist. Icing isn't necessary with either version...they taste great with or without!

Low-fat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 spice cake mix
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
(1/4 c. oil, optional)
(1 egg, optional)
1 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, pumpkin, and vanilla (oil and egg, optional) together in large bowl with a spoon. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes (12-14 minutes with egg and oil). Make 36 small cookies.

Icing (Optional)

1/2 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. milk
3 Tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
3-4 C. powdered sugar

Stir all ingredients together. Spread on cooled cookies.

Butterscotch Fruit Dip

We just discovered this quick and yummy recipe this year. With apples in season, we use it a lot!

Butterscotch Dip

1 can condensed milk

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 T. butter

1 T. white vinegar

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and melt over medium to medium-low heat. Stir often to keep the bottom from scorching. Serve warm with fruit, cookies, pound cake, etc.