Jell-O Pretzel Salad

This is the one from the family cookbook. Someone mentioned that it didn't set up fully so you may want to use half water/half pineapple juice. Amy might know. :)

Ann’s Jell-O Pretzel Salad (Amy DeMordaunt)

2 2/3 cup coarsely chopped pretzels
1 large package frozen strawberries or raspberries
1 1/2 cubes butter
3/4 large carton Cool Whip
12 ounces cream cheese
2 cups pineapple juice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large package Jell-O

Beat cream cheese and sugar. Set aside. Mix pretzels and butter. Press into a 9x13 dish. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Spread cheese mix over pretzels. Spread cool whip over cheese. Chill. Dissolve Jell-O in hot pineapple juice. Add strawberries. Allow to set. Pour over top and refrigerate. Also excellent with graham cracker crust instead of pretzels. Much easier too!

Recipe Help!

I need a recipe for the pretzel cream cheese jello salad. Didn't Grandma make this? All my recipe books are packed... Thank you for the last minute help. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Berry Pie

While I'm still gathering Thanksgiving recipies from friends here is another one that comes from Brenna Palkki. I usually just make the Marie Calendar Rassleberry pie, which is pretty good, but this is better.

filling :
6-8 cups berries (thawed)--we use a mix of blackberries and rasperries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt

topping:
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
oats if desired--we use 1/2 a cup or so

1. Mix together sugar, flour, salt. Add berries.
2. Let mixture stand 1/2 hour. Stir again.
3. Pour into unbaked crust. Crumble topping mixture on top.
4. Cover edges of pie with foil. Bake 375degrees F for 20 min. Remove foil.
Bake 25-30 min more until golden. Cool on wire rack.

Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Mandarin Cookie Salad

For the first time ever I find myself faced with having to do Thanksgiving alone with my own little family. We have always gotten together with friends or family, but being in a new town we haven't established a group of friends. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I am trying to be positive. I have been gathering recipes that I want to make and remembered this yummy salad we have had the past two years on Thanksgiving. The recipe comes originally from Ashley Tanner. It is sooooo yummy. Believe me you will go back for seconds and thirds on this one.

2 cups buttermilk
1 pkg large vanilla instant pudding
1 container of cool whip (somewhere between sm & large, however much you want)
20 - 24 oz of drained mandarin oranges
1/2 a package of Sandies Pecan Cookies broken up
Mix the buttermilk & pudding
Fold in Cool Whip
Add Mandarin Oranges & Sandies Cookies
Stir

Festive Potpourri

Mary gave me this idea for a festive potpourri. I hadn't thought of using cranberries before. I generally forget that I can put yummy smelling stuff on the stove, but today that was a needful thing.

Here are the ideas of things to add to the pot with water:
~apples
~cranberries
~lemons
~limes
~oranges
~grapefruit
~cinnamon sticks

Now - I wouldn't suggest adding all of the above at the same time, but wouldn't grapefruit & orange be a yummy one on occasion.

For today I added cranberries, lime, lemon, and cinnamon. I think I overloaded the pot a bit. Oops! One tip is to just make sure the water doesn't boil away... so be watchful.

Thanks for sharing the idea Mary! Comment if you have other yummy stovetop potpourri recipes.

Easiest Artichoke dip ever

14 oz. can of artichokes (packed in water, not oil)
2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, split
1/2 cup of mayonaise (or, if you're like me and puke at the thought of Mayo, use Plain Greek Style Yogurt)
Salt and pepper

Mix Artichokes, 1 cup cheese, and Mayo in microwave safe dish. Microwave until hot.

Pour mixture into bake-safe pan. Put remaining 1/2 of cheese on top. Broil until toasty.

Mmmmm then you can eat with pitas, pita chips, or just tortilla chips. YUMMY!

If you want a spinach-artichoke dip, just add thawed and drained spinach (like, from the freezer section).

Yummy Lemon Cookies

I first had these cookies at a stake event a few months ago. I loved them so much I searched the internet for a recipe. I found one that came close. I made a couple of changes/additions and the result is below.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1 pckg cake mix (I used a yellow cake mix)
2 eggs
1/3 vegetable oil
juice of 1 lemon
lemon zest

Mix ingredients until well blended. Add 1/2 - 3/4 package white chocolate chips. Drop by the teaspoonful onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 6-9 minutes. Bottoms will be lightly browned.

Cake Balls and a great cleaner

Yesterday we made these cake balls from Pioneer Woman. They were fun for the kids. Warning though - shredding the cake into crumbs took longer than I expected, so leave yourself plenty of time. Totally worth trying!

Also, I tried the new (to Idaho at least) Jet Dry Dishwasher Cleaner this morning and I think it has magical powers. It totally worked! You know the scummy gummy stuff that collects around the edge of your dishwasher (esp. at the bottom)? While it didn't get rid of it all, it loosened it so that after two Clorox wipes, it was GONE. It got rid of a chocolate stain in there too. Excellent.