Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pudding Pie

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1 c. cold milk

1 small box Jello Chocolate INSTANT pudding

1 tub (8 oz) chocolate cool whip (this isn't sold everywhere. I used regular and it tasted fine)

1 Oreo premade pie crust

2 TBSP hot fudge

Place peanut butter in large bowl, gradually whisking in milk till well blended. Add dry pudding mix. Beat 2 minutes (mixture will be thick) Stir in 1/2 of the cool whip.

Spoon mixture into crust and top with the rest of the cool whip.

Refridgerate at least 3 hrs.

Drizzle hot fudge over pie before serving. Serves 8.

*I also drizzled melted peanut butter onto the pie.....melt it in microwave, spoon into plastic baggie, snip off a corner and use bag as dispenser.

Super easy and yummy!

Pecan Tassies

1 stick butter, room temp

3 0z pkg cream cheese, room temp

1 c. flour

1 egg

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 TBSP melted butter ( I used 1 1/2 TBSP)

2/3 c. coarsely chopped pecans

PASTRY:

beat cream cheese and butter till combined. Stir in flour just until incorporated. Press a rounded tsp size into bottom and up the sides of an UNGREASED (24 ct.) mini muffin pan. *Dip fingers in flour so they don't stick to pastry.

FILLING:

beat egg, brown sugar, and melted butter until combined. Stir in chopped pecans. Spoon 1 heaping tsp of mixture into each pastry cup (*do not over fill...if the filling cooks onto the pan they are hard to remove*).

BAKE @ 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or till pastry is golden and filling is puffed. Cool 5 min or so in pan, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. I slid a knife between the pastry and pan to help loosen and they popped right out.

These appear crumbly on top, but the centers are gooey and yummy!!

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

These are Grandma Joani's famous cinnamon rolls. They are the delicious love child of a Cinnamon Roll and a maple doughnut bar. You must try this recipe.
But beware... It literally takes all day, especially in the winter when dough rises a little slower!


In measuring cup combine:
• 2 packages yeast
• ½ cup water
• ½ tsp sugar
In mixer combine:
• 2 cups milk, warmed
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
Add:
• 2 cups flour , beat.
• 4 eggs, then beat
• yeast mixture that has ripened
• 5-6 cups of flour some times i have to use 6 1/2 cups
“dough should be sticky but shouldn’t stick to you”


Pour into Oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until double in size(2-3hrs)Punch down and let rise again. Divide dough into 2 portions. Roll 1/2 inch thick into an 8 x14 inch rectangle. Spread with a generous amount of butter, white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll tightly from the long end sealing at the end. Cut into 1 1/2 inch rolls using dental floss. Lay on greased pan. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 mins. cool completely before frosting
Maple Frosting
cream together 2sticks softened butter
baby size can of evaporated milk
maple flavoring to taste
and powdered sugar to desired thick fluffy consistency

Pine Nut Pasta Salad

1 pound shaped pasta cooked a few minutes shy of al dente
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives pitted and cut in half
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup pine nuts toasted
6 oz package of feta
1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
1 diced red or orange bell pepper

dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
3-5 cloves of garlic minced
ground pepper to taste

cool pasta. Mix salad ingredients together top with dressing toss and chill

Apple pie

Double Pie crust
2/3 plus 2 Tbsp chilled shortening
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4-3 Tbsp ice water
cut shortening into salt and flour. Sprinkle with ice water ant mix until dough forms
divide into two balls and chill for at least 15 mins
roll out and top and bottom crusts


Filling
6 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
use combination of Jonathon, granny smith and honey crisp use more than one kind
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Combine in large bowl. press into pie plate that has been lined with bottom crust
tot with 2 Tbsp butter thinly sliced
Top with second pie dough. Tuck top into bottom and pinch together to seal.

Cut slits to vent steam
brush top with one egg yolk mixed with 1/8 tsp cinnamon and 2 tsp sugar. Cover edges of pie crust with foil.

Bake in oven preheated to 450 for 15 mins
reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 40 mins

Dinner in a Pumpkin

We've been having dinner in a pumpkin for Halloween in the Jensen family since before I can remember. I LOVE it and this year we got to share it with the Gaileys and the Tracys. Unfortunately it's my grandma's recipe, so there isn't a real recipe but this is what my mom came up with with a few additions...

Brown 1 lb of hamburger with 1 onion chopped. Drain.
Preheat oven to 375.

Cook 2 quarts (8 cups) of tomatoes, 2 cans tom. sauce, two cans tom paste, 1T chili powder, a few dashes of Tabasco, 2T worch. sauce, 1T garlic salt, 1t salt, 1t pepper. Add hamburger and cook til warmed throughout. Add 1 box macaroni noodles (we used mini penne noodles this time) straight from the box, stir and add to pumpkin. It will be a little soupy.

Bake at least 90 minutes. (I think it ended up taking closer to two hours this year.) It's done when the noodles are soft and pumpkin scrapes easily from sides.

Remove from oven and serve from pumpkin, scraping sides of pumpkin to add squash to mixture.