Key Lime White Chocolate Pie

Our dessert for last night's dinner was this recipe that has an interesting history. Quite a few years ago I was looking through an old Taste of Home magazine when I noticed someone had written in asking for a recipe with this title. I thought it sounded great, so I mustered the courage to write a letter and ask if she had gotten any good recipes from her request. This is what she sent back. So, courtesy of Deborah Sanders of Camilla, Georgia via June Caouette of Glastonbury, Connecticut I now share the recipe with you. The first time I made it I didn’t get the chocolate mixed in well enough before it started to harden in the cold ingredients. So we came across a few chunks of chocolate, which weren’t terrible, but ideally I think it is supposed to be totally smooth. This time I made sure the ingredients were close to the same temperature (room temperature). Bryce poured in the chocolate while I manned the beaters. It turned out very smooth, with no chocolate chunks.

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 (6 oz) pkg. white baking chocolate or white chocolate morsels, melted
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Key Lime Juice
2 cups whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 oz) graham cracker pie crust (I made one from scratch and actually used my 9.5" pie pan.)

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until blended. Pour in chocolate while beating the cream cheese mixture. Beat in the sour cream and lime juice, blending well. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon mixture into pie crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Sister Povey's Cheese Ball

Happy New Year, everyone!!! I thought I'd try to be the first post of the new year. We had a finger food, appetizer meal last night. Paige requested this cheese ball recipe because I usually serve it as more of a cheese spread without the nuts. This year I couldn't find the Roka Bleu Cheese, so I had to do a substitution. I also realized in the middle of the night that I had forgotten the Worcestershire Sauce. The cheese ball still tasted yummy.

12 oz. cream cheese
1 5-oz. jar Kraft Roka Bleu Cheese (I used a scant 1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbled and smashed with fork to make it as fine as possible)
2 5-oz. jars Kraft Old English Cheese
2 Tbsp. dry minced onion
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. dry parsley
chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix together the first three ingredients with beaters until they are well blended. Add the next three ingredients. Cover and chill overnight. Shape into balls and roll into chopped nuts. (This isn't always the easiest thing to do, so one possibility, if you are giving this as a gift for the holiday season, is to spoon it into a cute little bowl and sprinkle nuts on top and place it on a plate with crackers surrounding the bowl. We did this a few years ago and everyone was so happy to get something that wasn't sweet.)

Holiday Peanut Butter Cut-Out Cookies

This is the first baked cookie recipe that Alyssa made entirely by herself. They turned out fabulously!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
CHOCOLATE CHIP DRIZZLE(recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Combine butter and peanut butter chips in saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Pour into large bowl; add brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat well. Stir in flour and baking soda. Refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes or until firm enough to roll.

2. Heat oven to 350°F.

3. Roll dough, a small portion at a time, on lightly floured surface or between 2 pieces of wax paper, to 1/4-inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough in refrigerator until ready to use.) Using cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until almost set (do not overbake). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Garnish with CHOCOLATE CHIP DRIZZLE. About 3 dozen cookies.

CHOCOLATE CHIP DRIZZLE: Place 1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and 1 tablespoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine or oil) in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted when stirred.

Hershey's Secret Kiss Cookies

Alyssa made these cookies for us. They are absolutely delicious!

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 bag (6 oz.) HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolates
Powdered sugar


Beat butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Add flour and walnuts; beat on low speed of mixer until well blended. Cover; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until dough is firm enough to handle.

Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Heat oven to 375°F. Using approximately 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie, shape dough around each chocolate piece; roll to make ball. (Be sure to cover each chocolate piece completely.) Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set but not brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. While still slightly warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container. Roll again in powdered sugar just before serving. About 3 dozen cookies.

Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole

If desired, sprinkle individual bowls of this casserole with crushed Ritz or Saltine crackers before serving.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces white button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 onion , minced
Table salt
8 ounces egg noodles (3 cups)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
2 (7-ounce) foil pouches solid white tuna, flaked (or use drained canned tuna)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges (for serving)

1. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

2. Sprinkle the noodles into the skillet. Pour the broth and cream over the noodles. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the peas, tuna, mushroom mixture, and parsley and allow to heat through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing the lemon wedges separately.

Serves 4 to 6

Chocolate Peppermint Scones

Bart made this for us shortly before Christmas--it was a delicious, festive breakfast!

Recipe from: Taste of Home

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter
3/4 cup (6 ounces) vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips
1 tablespoon coarse sugar
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, buttermilk, egg and extract; add to crumb mixture just until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Divide dough in half; transfer each portion to a greased baking sheet. Pat into a 6-in. circle. Cut into six wedges, but do not separate. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until puffed and tops are cracked. Remove to wire racks; cool slightly. Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with peppermint candies. Serve warm (although these are also good leftover).

Yield: 1 dozen.

Cranberry-Walnut-Orange Muffins

Just in case you stocked up on cranberries this past fall and have some in the freezer you need to use!

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, less 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Vegetable cooking spray or additional unsalted butter for muffin tins

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add orange zest to butter-sugar mixture. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in one-half of dry ingredients. Beat in one-third of yogurt. Beat in remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with yogurt, until incorporated. Fold cranberries and walnuts into finished batter.

3. Spray twelve-cup muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray or coat lightly with butter. Use large ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and serve warm.

Makes 1 dozen large muffins.