Key Lime Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk 
1  8 oz. container of whipped cream cheese

      3/4 cup Key Lime juice

      1 Tbl. grated Lime peel

      1  9" graham cracker pie crust

      Mix all ingredients until well blended.  Pour into graham cracker crust and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Minty Lime Fruit Salad (by Suzie Macriss)

About 6 cups fresh fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces--such as melons, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, etc.

Dressing:
1/2 can thawed frozen limeade concentrate
1/2 cup honey or light corn syrup
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 - 2 fresh mint leaves

Place fruit in a large bowl.  Mix dressing ingredients.  Pour dressing over fruit and toss gently.

Lemon Cream Cake

1 box white cake mix

1 ¼ cups water

1/3 cup oil

3 egg whites

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 T lemon zest

12 ounces cream cheese (softened)

3 cups powdered sugar

1 ½ T fresh lemon juice

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup flour

½ cup powdered sugar

¼ cup butter (cold)

½ tsp vanilla

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Combine cake mix, water, oil, egg whites, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Follow directions on box.  Pour into greased and floured spring-form pan.  Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool   (I put it in the freezer for awhile.)

For filling, mix softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.  Whip cream until stiff peaks form.  Combine by hand with cream cheese mixture.

For crumb topping, combine flour and powdered sugar, cut in butter, vanilla, and lemon juice.  (use a pastry blender or a food processor)

Slice cooled cake in half.  Drizzle lemon juice on each cut side.  Spread half of the cream mixture on bottom half of cake, put cake ton on and spread the remaining cream on top and sides.  Sprinkle crumb topping on top and pat on the sides.

Sundance Chocolate Cheesecake (by Sally Johnson)

3 or 4    8 oz. packages cream cheese
1-3/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
6 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz semi sweet chocolate - melted
3 tlb. flour

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually beat in sugar and flour.  Add eggs and yolks one at a time.  Add salt and melted chocolate.  Blend well.  Use a chocolate cookie crust (crushed chocolate cookie or graham cracker and melted butter) in the bottom of a spring-form pan.  Pour into pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Turn off oven and let set in oven for another 30 minutes.

Add your own toppings such as raspberry or cherry pie filling, chopped nuts, caramel, etc.

Orange Kissed Cookies :-)

***More ideas at http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/03/orange-kissed-cookies/ 


Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (add another 2 tablespoons for high altitudes)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. thawed orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest


Frosting
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 c.  thawed orange juice concentrate
1/2 c. softened butter
3 c. powdered sugar
2-3 drops orange food coloring (optional)


Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside. 
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer, combine the white sugar and shortening.  Beat until well-combined.  Add the egg and beat well, then add the sour cream and vanilla and beat for about 1 minute or until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add the orange juice concentrate and orange rind and mix well.
Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough/batter (the mixture will be VERY moist–thicker than a cake batter but thinner than traditional cookies) by the tablespoon-ful onto a lined, un-greased baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are set and just starting to turn golden brown around the edges.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
For the frosting, combine the frosting ingredients with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Pipe or spread over the cooled cookies.
Yield: Approximately 36 cookies.

Ginger Snap Dip (by Jean Kenyon)

8 oz. Cream Cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 Cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Blend together. Dip Ginger Snap cookies. Enjoy

Kathy's Coconut Cupcakes (from Kathy VanSlyke)

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

FOR THE FROSTING:
1/4 cup margarine at room temperature
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 cup unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl combine the oil, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until smooth. Fold in 1 cup coconut. Fill each muffin tin about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes until they are slightly browned around the edges and spring back when touched.

For the frosting,cream the margarine until light and fluffy. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and combine. Add the sifted confecitoner's sugar and mix until smooth. Add the coconut and combine. Refrigerate until ready to use. Frost when cakes are cool.

Cranberry Macadamia Bars (by Rosanne Porter)

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup better, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips
1 tsp oil

Blend cookie mix, 1/2 cup butter and egg in bowl until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottow of greased 9" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Heat 1/3 cup butter, brown sugar and cranberries over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Spoon and spread cranberry mixture evenly over partially baked cookie base. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake an additional 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. In resealable freezer plastic bag, mix baking chips and oil, seal bag. Microwave on high 30 - 45 seconds, squeezing mixture in bag every 15 seconds until smooth. Cut 1/4 inch top from corner of bag; drizzle over bars.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

1 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries, washed

1½ cups sugar

½ cup orange juice

5-6 large Granny Smith apples – cored, peeled, and cut into ¼” – ½” slices

1 stick butter, cut into small pea sized cubes

¾ cup rolled oats

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large pot add cranberries, orange juice and sugar. Stir everything and cook on medium-high heat for approximately 15 minutes until the cranberries have reduced to a thick sauce consistency. Turn off heat and add sliced apples to the pan and mix everything until all the apple slices have been coated with cranberry sauce. Pour the apple cranberry mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside. In a small bowl combine butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Work the mixture with your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle and distribute the mixture over the baking pan evenly. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream while warm. Enjoy!

(Note: I like to double the topping portion of this recipe)

White Raspberry Chocolate Bread Pudding

Last Thanksgiving we tried this fabulous recipe.  It beats all other bread puddings we've tried hands down.  With many thanks to Melanie and Sugardoodle.net, here it is:

6 large French croissants
4 egg yolks plus 3 whole eggs
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 cups big white chocolate chunks (or chips)
1 cup good quality dried cherries or craisins or fresh raspberries work great too
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Butter or PAM to coat baking dish
Raw sugar to sprinkle on top

1 – Cut croissants on an angle (1-inch slices) and place in the bottom of a buttered baking dish. 
2 – Add the chocolate pieces and cherries on top of the croissants.
3 – Mix together the yolks and whole eggs, cream, milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt. 
4 – Pour mixture over the croissants, pushing them down until all the liquid is absorbed into the bread pieces. There will be lots of liquid. 
5 – Sprinkle raw sugar on top. 
6 – Bake at 300-350° (depending on your oven) for 30-40 minutes.

This dessert should remain very soft and moist. Start checking after 30 minutes. Filling should be soft-set, but not dry. Serve warm.

*{Ours took nearly and hour to cook.}

Cranberry Salad (by Kate Voth)

Chop or grind 3 cups cranberries (1 Pkg.). Add 1 cup sugar. Chill for 2 hours

Add:
2 - 1/3 cup small marshmallows
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 medium apples, chopped
2 tsp grated orange rind
chopped pulp from 1 orange
1 cup whipped cream

Chill 4 hours or overnight. Makes 2 quarts.

(Use a little more whipped cream than called for. Cool whip also works.)

{Soft Sugar Cookies}



{Deb's Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies}

To make these as bars like I did for the potluck, take about 2/3 of the dough and press it into a jellyroll pan that has been sprayed lightly with Pam.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned on top.  They won't feel quite set up, but will continue cooking just a bit as they cool.