Pumpkin/Banana Bars

These were such a yummy, moist bar. We had the banana ones at a baptism, and a sister in the ward forwarded the recipe. I sometimes do not like banana things, but these were GREAT!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup of oil
16 oz. can of pumkin OR 4 to 5 ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (for pumpkin bars)
1 tsp. baking powder1 tsp. salt
Frosting:
1 3oz. Cream cheese
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin OR banana. In a seperate bowl, combine flour, soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and blend well. Bake on greased sheet cake pan for 20 min. at 350 degrees. For frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Frost cooled pumpkin bars and serve.

Added by Julie Wilson Schindler

Lentil Soup

OK, so I'm not a sister, but hope you'll enjoy this one anyway

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 C. Lentils (brown)
3 C. Water
1 C. Onion, chopped (about 1 lb)
1 C. Carrot, chopped (about 1 lb)
1 C. Celery, chopped (about 1 lb)
1/2 lb sausage, bacon, etc. (cooked)

Directions:Combine Lentils and water in large pot, and bring to a boil.
Add remaining ingredients, cover, and reduce heat to a low simmer.
Cook at least 6 hours. Periodically add water as needed.
When soup is fully cooked, season lightly with salt.

Serve with fresh bread, or rice.


NOTES:

Meat can be added at the end if desired, but a richer flavor is obtained if added early.
Cooking time determines size of cut vegetables--leave larger if cooking longer.
Soup can be refrigerated and re-heated, and improves with age--second and third day are better than the first.
Brown lentils are preferred to orange.
Rice was not a common side-dish with this growing up, but I like it. Serve on side, and mix in to soup as desired.

If you want a story of some of the challenges involved in making this, checkout: http://zwoelfet1.blogspot.com/2009/04/making-lentil-soup.html

Added by Lowell Wilson

Lemon and Curry Spinach Soup

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:
1 large potato-peeld and cubed
6 Tbsp olive oil (separated)
1/2 cup chopped green onions or leeks
12 cups spinach-rinsed, stemmed and dried
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp curry powder
4 cups chicken broth
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream

Directions:
Boil potato in small saucepan using just enough water to cover. Cook until tender, drain and set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in large saucepan or soup pot. Add green onions and saute until tender. Stir in cooked potato and gradually add spinach, stirring after each addition until spinach is limp.
Puree mixture in food processor or blender until smooth.
Heat remaining olive oil in same pan, and whisk in flour and curry powder. Gradually whisk in both so no lumps form.
Return pureed spinach to pan, stirring to blend, along with the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
Place sour cream in medium bowl and add about 1 cup hot soup. Blend well and then stir back into the pot of soup. (I don't do this, I let everyone add their own dollop into individual bowls). Heat through but do not allow to boil.
Serve immediately.

Added by Rebekah Wilson Monahan

Brigitte’s Salisbury Steak

Serves 4

4 dinner Steaks (cheapest steaks)

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (I used Campbell’s healthy request to cut calories)

1 can Mushroom pieces

2 tsps. Prepared Mustard

2 tsps.  Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. Horseradish Sauce

1 Tbsp. dried Onion

Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredients but steaks in a bowl and mix together.  Put steaks in a glass baking dish.  Pour sauce over.  Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and meat is tender.  Serve over mashed potatoes. 

* A variation would be to cook carrots in it.

Added by Brigitte Wilson

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies

I want to be the second to post a recipe!  This recipe is very easy for a very fancy cookie!

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 10 oz. jar maraschino cherries 
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and soda. In a mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and beat until well blended.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Press down center of dough with thumb.  Drain cherries, reserving juice.  Place a cherry in the center of each cookie.  In a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk; heat until chocolate is melted.  Stir in 4 tsps. of the reserved cherry juice.  Using a teaspoon, spoon 1 tsp. frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry.  Bake at 350 about 10 minutes or till done.  Remove to a wire rack: cool.  Makes 2 pans.  

Added by Brigitte Wilson

Cream Puffs

Ingredients

½ cup butter

1 cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

4 eggs

Chocolate chips

Vanilla pudding

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, combine butter and water and bring to a boil.

Sift together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt and pour all at once into boiling mixture. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition.

Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet, or pipe into desired shape.

Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake 10 minutes, and then reduce to 250 degrees for the last ten, or until golden. Do not remove from oven, but prop oven door open allowing pastries to cool slowly. This will keep them from collapsing. Cool completely, split, fill with pudding, and replace tops. Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over filled cream puffs.

Added by Rebekah Wilson Monahan

Yay! We have a blog!