The Best Pie Crust

From:  Lindsey Cosson (2009)

**needs to be made the night before**

2 cups flour
2 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup ice cold water

1. Blend dry ingredients together
2. Mix shortening into dry ingredients with pastry blender until small lumps form
3. Mix in water until dough forms; small amounts at a time
4. Flour hands and make into two even balls
5. Place in container, covered, overnight.
6. Makes crust for 2 shell pies or one covered pie

Dinner In a Pumpkin

From:  Tanya Purcell (2009)

Perfect meal to warm everyone up before heading out on Halloween night!!

1 hour prep time
1 1/2 to 2 hours cook time

1 medium pumpkin (or squash)
1 onion; chopped
1 garlic clove; minced
2 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. ground beef
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms; finely chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup (10 3/4 oz)
3 cups cooked rice

**Optional:  2 T. brown sugar and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice mixed together**

1. Before starting the recipe, cut off the top of the pumpkin and thoroughly clean out the pulp and seeds.
2. Optional, but highly recommended....rub the inside of the pumpkin really well  with the brown sugar-spice mix
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
4. In large skillet, saute onions in vegetable oil until tender.
5. Add and brown ground beef
6. Add soy sauce, mushrooms, brown sugar and soup
7. Simmer for 10 minutes; stirring occasionally
8. Add cooked rice
9. Spoon mixture into cleaned out pumpkin shell
10. Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet into the oven.
11. Bake for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the inside of pumpkin is tender enough to eat.
12. Put entire pumpkin on table, remove lid and serve!!!

Make sure you scoop out some of the pumpkin while you are serving too!!  Great and fun way to get a serving of vegetables!!

Sloppy Joes

1 T. vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper; chopped
1 red bell pepper; chopped
2 garlic cloves; chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
3 T. tomato paste
1 c. BBQ sauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce (recommend Tabasco sauce)
Hamburger buns

1. Heat oil in large skillet with straight sides.
2. Add bell peppers and garlic.  Saute until tender; about 3 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add ground beef to vegetables.  Stir and cook for about 8 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked.
5. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, bbq sauce, worcestershire, and hot sauce into the skillet; stir and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
6. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Serves: 6

Juicy Loosey

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (best if you use a lower %)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4 slices American cheese (NOT cheddar)
4 buns
Favorite condiments and toppings

1. Place beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and pepper in bowl; mix well.
2. Portion into 8 thin patties
3. Fold cheese slices in half twice so you have a stack of cheese slices. Place 1 stack of cheese on top of 4 of the patties.
4. Top with another patty and seal edges together real tight.
5. Cook on grill; do not puncture patties, the cheese will all cook out!

Blue Cheese Pasta Salad

From:  Bethany Tuft

Salad
8 oz. (3 cups) spiral pasta
3 cups sliced/diced zucchini
6-8 Italian plum tomatoes; sliced
2 C. fresh mushrooms
4 T. chopped red OR green onions

Dressing
2 C. reduced calorie Italian salad dressing (try to find a tomato-based one)
6 T. chopped fresh basil
2 T. crumbled blue cheese
1/4 tsp. course ground pepper

Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnishing.

1. Cook pasta according to package
2. In a large bowl combine zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion
3. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water.  Drain well.  Add to vegetable mixture.
4. In a blender, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until well mixed.  
5. Pour over salad and toss gently. 
6. Garnish with basil leaves and Parmesan cheese.
7. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.  

Miracle Lasagna

From:  Tanya Purcell (2009)

1 (45 oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce with meat
**(I add my own 1 lb. hamburger cooked with 1 medium onion and 1 minced garlic clove)**
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. In 2 qt. baking dish, spread 1 c. sauce
2. Top with 3 uncooked noodles, 1/2 cottage cheese, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and 1 c. sauce.
3. Top with remaining noodles and layer again.
4. Cover and make at 375 degrees for 1 hour.  
5. Remove cover, top with remaining cheese and cook until cheese is completely melted.
6. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting

Baked Beef

From:  Tanya Purcell (2009)

3 lb. stew meat; cut into very small pieces
2 cans golden mushroom soup
3/4 can water
1/2 pkg. dry onion soup mix
Fresh mushrooms; saute (optional)
** I also add 1 cup mini carrots**

Cooked Rice; enough for your family
Chow mien noodles (optional)

1. Brown stew meat on top of stove for just a few minutes.  
2. Combine soups and water, then mix in meat, carrots and mushrooms
3. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1 1/2-2 hours to make sure the meat is well done.
4. Serve over cooked rice.  Can top with chow mien noodles.

Oven Baked Bacon

I wish someone told me about this long ago!! We don't eat a lot of bacon, but I hate making it when we do because it's SO messy. This takes the mess out of bacon.....


Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Line a pan (that has edges) with foil
Bake bacon for 15-20 min. or how crispy you want it.

That's it. Nice and simple, the bacon stays flat, there's no splashes to wipe up, and the foil cuts cleaning in half!