SPICED APPLE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

2 to 3 TB unsalted butter

1 large onion, diced

1 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 butternut squashed, peeled, halved, seeds removed, diced in 1 inch cubes

1 1/2 qts. chicken stock

salt, pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pot.  Add onion and apples and cook until tender about 10 minutes.  Stir in spices and cook 1 minute.  Add squash and chicken stock.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender about 20 to 30 minutes.  Puree and serve.  Add addtional stock if necessary to desired thickness. Add salt and pepper.  Refrigerate leftovers.  

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Cook 1 cup quinoa with pinch of salt in 2 cups water.  Cook 15 minutes then cool to room temperature and fluff with fork.
Add the following:
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
3 tomatoes diced
1 cucumber diced
green onions or red onion julienned
2 carrots julienned or grated
1 c. fresh parsley (optional)

Serve with pita bread

Egg, rice and black beans

Dad served his mission in Brazil and we always loved learning new things about his experience there.  A common staple in Brazil is rice and black beans.  Often they would eat the rice and beans together with a fried egg.  It was something dad ate often on his mission and we also enjoyed growing up. One of my favorite parts of this meal was cracking the center of the egg and eating the yolk with a big spoonful of rice and beans.  As an adult it is one of my favorite things to eat when I have left over black beans from another meal.
-Elise


Rice (white or brown)
black beans
Egg

Place rice on center of plate.  Load black beans on top.  Fry egg and place on top of beans.

Egg Burrito

Although Egg Burritos are usually thought of as a breakfast food, we always ate them for lunch in our home.  As a pre-teen and teenager my dad would very often make the family lunch after church.  He would always make what he could make best, eggs. We would all come home, dad would put on his apron and take every one's egg order.  One of my favorite ways to eat my eggs was in a burrito.  It may have stemmed from my love for Mexican food and burritos in general, but I still love a good egg burrito today!
-Elise

Egg Burritos

Egg
Tortillas
salsa
cheese
sour cream
salsa

Scramble the eggs and cook to liking.  Combine eggs and all other ingredients in tortilla.  Fold in side, bottom and other side and enjoy!

Peanut Brittle

Every Christmas my mother made peanut brittle.  I remember that it was a little tricky, but very worth the effort.  It is the best peanut brittle in the world.

Peanut Brittle:
2 cups sugar
1 cup white Karo syrup
1 cup water

Prepare a cookie sheet by buttering it and have it sitting on top of a cooling rack on the counter or table with plenty of room to work.

Mix ingredients together then turn on heat.  Bring to a boil using medium to medium high heat but do not stir.  Cook on medium heat and let boil until the thread stage or hard crack. (Dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and lift up the spoon.  When it is ready, it will have a thin little thread of candy fly off to the side. (If using a candy thermometer then cook until about 235 degrees -- about 35 minutes.  My mom never used a thermometer so that is a temperature I got by ready other recipes.  You may need to adjust it.)
Reduce heat a little (medium) and add 2 cups of raw peanuts while stirring constantly until the mixture is a light brown.
Turn off heat and stir in 1/4 lb. butter, 1 tsp vanilla.
Next add 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda.  The mixture will bubble up.
Quickly pour mixture onto the buttered cookie sheet.  Using forks, begin carefully pulling the candy around the edges and stretching it out.  Continue working your way from the edges toward the center -- pulling and stretching the candy into thin, small pieces.
The secret is that is peanut brittle is in nice small thin pieces that are easy to eat.

--Sharon Kaye

Penuche Frosting

Both my Grandma Goff and my mom made this frosting recipe.  It is especially good on white or yellow cakes.  It just adds such a yummy flavor.

Penuche Frosting:
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
3 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar

In a saucepan melt butter, stir in brown sugar.  Cook and stir until bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Add milk and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Add sifted powdered sugar.  Beat by hand until smooth and easy to spread.  Use frosting immediately.  Frosts top of 9 x 13 cake.
--Sharon Kaye

Grandma Allred's Frosting

When we were little we lived with Grandma and Grandpa Allred for about a year.  Grandma made wedding cakes on the side and our favorite days were when we came home from school and Grandma was in the middle of making one of these delicious cakes.  Although it meant we had to stay away from the dinning room, it also meant that we got to eat the cake scraps along with her delicious frosting.  I'm not a big fan of frosting, but to this day I LOVE Grandma Allred's wedding cake frosting.
--Elise


Wedding Cake Frosting:
1/4 c. meringue powder
1/4 c. warm water
2 tsp. salt
1 TB flavoring
Beat until meringue powder is dissolved.

Add in 2 c. Crisco and mix well.
Add in 2 1/2 lb. powdered sugar and 1/2 c. water.  Mix well.


Buttercream Frosting:
1/3 cup half and half (or 1/4 c. milk)
1/3 c. Crisco
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. flavoring
1 pound powdered sugar

Mix together and frost cake.