Tomato Tortellini Soup

28 oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 9 oz package refrigerated tortellini
8 oz tub cream cheese spread with chive and onion
14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, pureed in blender
Snipped fresh chives (optional)

In a medium saucepan, bring broth to boiling. Add tortellini; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. In a bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of the hot broth into the cream cheese spread until smooth. Return all to saucepan along with tomatoes; heat through. Sprinkle with chives before serving.
Goes great with crackers or a grill cheese sandwich.
Makes 4 servings.

Alfredo Tortellini SOup

1 9-oz. pkg. refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini
2 14-oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 10-oz. container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce
2 cups shredded deli-roasted chicken
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomato strips, drained
3 cups lightly packed packaged fresh baby spinach
1 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded (optional)

In 4-quart Dutch oven cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In the same Dutch oven combine broth and Alfredo sauce. Stir in chicken and tomato strips. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Add cooked tortellini and spinach to chicken mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and wilt spinach. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Bacon, Asparagus, Spinach and Pasta

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
10 bacon slices
1 chopped sweet onion
2 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute. Add asparagus and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add pasta, spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, and pepper to pan; toss well. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bacon.
Serve.

Tomatoe-Basil Turkey Pasta

2 cups uncooked gemelli pasta (8 oz)
2 cups diced cooked turkey
1 jar (26 oz) tomato pasta sauce (any hearty or thick variety)
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
In baking dish, mix pasta and remaining ingredients except cheese.
Cover; bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until bubbly and thoroughly heated.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
1 (12 ounce) bag frozen cranberries, thawed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water

In a medium sized saucepan, dissolve the brown sugar in the orange juice and water over medium heat. Stir in the cranberries, and cook until they start to pop, about 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl. Let come to room temp and place in the refrigerator. The cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

If you like a smooth consistency, blend in a blender.

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Cups

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
butter and egg called for on cookie mix pouch
3/4 c dark chocolate chips
2 bags (14 oz each) caramels, unwrapped
1/3 c heavy cream (whipping cream)
1/2 c chopped pecans

Heat oven to 375. Lightly spray mini muffin cups with spray.

Make dough as directed on cookie pouch. Shape into 48 - 1" balls. Press 1 ball into bottom of each of the 48 cups and bring up the sides.

Bake 8-9 minutes until edges begin to brown. Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat caramels and cream over medium heat stirring frequently until melted. Reduce heat to low.

Remove pans from oven; gently preen end of wooden spoon into bottoms and against sides of cookie cups to flatten, being careful not to make holes in the dough.

Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately pour in 1/2 t of dark chocolate chips into each cookie cups.

Spoon about 1 T caramel mixture into each cookie cups. Immediately top with pecans Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan with thin spatula.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 pouch Better Crocker Sugar cookie mix
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2t mint extract
8 drops green food coloring
1 egg
1 c cream de menthe chips
1 c semi sweet chocolate chunks

Heat oven to 350. Mix first five ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Stir in the cream de menthe and chunks.

Use a small ice cream scoop to put cookie dough on a baking sheet 2" apart, ungreased.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookies (crushed into crumbs)
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine crushed cookies and melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 minutes until golden -- about 10-12 minutes.

Filling:
4 (8-oz) packages softened cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs

The secret to keeping your cheesecake from cracking is not to over-mix the filling. Also, resist the urge to open the door and peek inside the oven while it's cooking (something I'm totally guilty of!).

Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer on low speed until smooth; mix in flour. Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time.

Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Bake 45 minutes at 300 degrees.

Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening). Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm -- at least 4 hours.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

•Pastry crust for a 10-inch pie (I use a frozen one, but you can make your own if you like)
•2 eggs
•1 cup sugar
•1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
•1/4 cup flour
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
•1 teaspoon vanilla
•2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
•1 cup chocolate chips
•Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place pie dough in pan.

Whisk the eggs together to blend, add in sugars, flour, and salt and whisk until smooth. Then add the melted butter and vanilla.

Stir in pecans and chocolate.

Pour into the prepared pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until the filling is set -- about 30 minutes longer.

Sausage and White Bean Soup

1/2 to 1 lb. sage sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 can (14.5 fl. oz.) chicken broth
1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini (white kidney) beans, undrained
Salt
Ground black pepper

MELT butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Add sausage and beans. Heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

After Thanksgiving Panini

Canola oil, to fry
1 pound thick cut bacon, slices cut in 1/2
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups thinly sliced shallots
1 cup mayonnaise
4 chipotle peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 roasted skin-on turkey breast, store-bought
6 thick slices good sour dough bread
8 to 12 slices smoked Cheddar
Melted butter, to cook sandwiches

Fill a pot with 2-inches of canola oil and heat it to 375 degrees F (or use yoru deep fryer if you have one). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Arrange the bacon on a sheet tray with a rack. Brush the bacon with even amounts of maple syrup. Bake until crisp, about 18 to 22 minutes. Remove the bacon from the oven to a paper towel lined platter. Set aside.


Combine the flour, cayenne, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a medium-sized bowl. Add the sliced shallots and toss the shallots in the flour to coat evenly. Shake off excess flour. Working in 2 batches, fry the shallots until crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them to a paper towel lined platter and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.


In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, chipotles, adobo sauce, cilantro, lemon and garlic until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.


Slice the turkey breast into 1/4-inch slices. Lay the bread out on a large cutting board. Spread chipotle mayonnaise on each slice of bread. Top each slice of bread with a slice of smoked Cheddar and a couple slices of bacon. Sprinkle some crispy shallots on 3 slices of bread. Put a few slices of turkey on top of the onions. Sprinkle some additional shallots on the turkey. Form 3 sandwiches and spread each sandwich with a little melted butter. Put the sandwiches in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, pressing down the sandwich with a spatula, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the sandwiches from the pan and serve.

Cornbread Muffins with Bacon

6 slices bacon, chopped (1 slice per muffin)
1 rib celery, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 apple, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
Salt and pepper
1 box corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 apple, finely chopped (1 cup)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Sauté bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, apple and onion, season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
Make corn muffins from mix to package directions. Add poultry seasoning, nutmeg and parsley. Fold in bacon, celery, apple and onion mixture. Grease muffin tins with softened butter and bake 15 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

•1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
•2 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
•3 tablespoons sugar
•1 egg
•1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
•1/4 cup caramel topping

DIRECTIONS
1. Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles. Press 1 rectangle in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of greased or sprayed 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish; press perforations to seal.
2. In small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg; beat on low speed just until mixed. Fold in chocolate chips; spread over crust. Top with remaining rectangle of dough. Press out to edges of dish; pinch edges to seal with bottom crust. Drizzle with caramel topping.
3. Bake at 375°F 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 hour on cooling rack. Cut into 3 rows by 3 rows to make 9 bars. Cut each bar diagonally into 2 triangles. Store covered in refrigerator

Crockpot Broth

Place the bones of your turkey in a large slow cooker; breaking to fit if necessary. Add onion, celery, carrots and enough water to fill 2/3 full. Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours. Strain broth with a colander and refrigerate or freeze. It'll be the best-tasting broth ever!