Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs, yes, that is our new name for these delicious little morsels! This is the worlds easiest and nummyiest (sp!?!?) dessert! Cody is NOT A FAN OF COCONUT...however, this literally tastes like burnt sugar smothered with ice cream and chocolate, and who doesn't like that?! Wendy made these for us when we ate there one night, and we have had them multiple times since.

From: Wendy

1 bag coconut flakes

1/2 gallon ice cream

hot fudge

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/2 to 3/4 bag of coconut on a cookie sheet, thin. Bake coconut until a dark golden brown, stirring every 3 minutes. Make sure to check often to avoid burning. In my oven this takes about 15-20 minutes.

Roll vanilla ice cream into balls and then into baked coconut, the more coconut the better! Eat immediately with Mrs. Richardson's Hot Fudge, or simply freeze the ice cream balls with coconut for later!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

From: Lizzy (Cody's Cousin)

One of the main reasons that I like this recipe so much is that everyone in my family loves it. Another reason this recipe is so great is it freezes really well. Any recipe that I can cook once and get two dinners out of is a winner in my book! This recipe will make more than enough for one dinner so you can freeze the remaining sauce in a Ziploc bag for another time. The best way to freeze the meatballs is to freeze them right after they have been pan fried. Place the meatballs in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer. After a couple of hours in the freezer place meatballs in a ziploc bag for longer storage. Defrost meatballs and sauce in refrigerator before cooking. Combine sauce and meatballs in saucepan and cook for 5 hours, covered. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as our family does!

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef (80% works best)
1 egg
1/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
parmesan cheese

Sauce:
1 29 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
1 1/2 c. water
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dries oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients for meatballs and form into small balls. In a large skillet heat 2 TBSP. olive oil on med high heat. Fry meatballs until golden brown, turning so each side is cooked. Remember the meatballs do not need to be cooked all the way through just golden brown on each side. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a large pot. Bring to a low boil, add meatballs, turn to low and cook 5 hours covered.

Orange Italian Dressing

Talk about jazzing up a salad! This is the best dressing, it has just enough kick with a little sweet mixed in. We put it on top of any kind of salad, but the best one to put it on would be one with some candied almonds...yummy!

From: Marjie

1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

2 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. dry italian dressing mix

Mix all of the above together and serve over greens.

Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

Melissa with another winner! These baked french toasts are absolutely the best! I haven't been fond of blueberries until the past year or so, so I am so excited to whip this one up.

From: Melissa

 

French Toast:

12 slices thick homemade style bread, cut into cubes (I used French bread)

2 8oz. blocks cream cheese, cut into cubes

12 large eggs

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 cups milk

Arrange 1/2 the bread cubes in a 9 x 13 pan. Scatter the cream cheese cubes and blueberries over the bread cubes. Top with remaining bread cubes.

Mix together eggs, milk and syrup. Pour over bread cubes and cover with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.

 

Bake covered with foil @ 350' for 40 min. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Top with the following sauce:

 

Sauce:

1 C sugar

1 Cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 Tbl butter

1 C water

2 Tbl cornstarch

Cook water, sugar and cornstarch until thickened. Stir in blueberries and simmer for 10 min. or until blueberries burst and butter is melted.

Pour over the stuffed French toast and enjoy!

Breakfast Strudel

Melissa made this for a work breakfast party. They sounds so yummy and she says that they were an absolute hit! She made up a Sausage, Mushroom, Swiss AND a Ham, Bacon and Cheddar. YUMMY! 

 

From: Melissa

 

I made adjustments to the ingredients for variety:

 

1 Box puff pastry

2 Tbl butter

1 Cup frozen cubed hash browns

1 Cup red/green peppers seeded and diced (I mixed them)

1/2 Cup diced onion (I omitted that)

1 Cup ham diced (you can use other pre-cooked meats if desired)

2 Tbl minced chives

1 Cup cheddar cheese (or cheese of chioce)

4 0z. cream cheese

2 Tbl orange juice

1 egg

1 Tbl water

2-4 Tbl grated parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 400'

Thaw pastry (about 30 min)

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add hash browns saute 5 min.

Stir in peppers and onion; saute 3 min, then add meat. (if you're not using peppers and onions skip that step and add the meats after you sauted the potatoes.

 

Whisk eggs and chives together. Add them to the pan and scramble just until set. Season with salt and pepper. I added about 1/2 cup cheese to the scramble mixture at this point. Remove from heat let stand 5-10 min and fold in cream cheese and orange juice.

 

Unfold the pastry sheet on parchment paper dusted lightly with flour. Trim corners off the top of pastry and a triangle out of the bottom corner of pastry. Them cut from folds to edges 5-7 strips for the braiding of the pastry. (this sounds hard but it's not) Then place half of the scramble mixture onto the middle section of pasty. Then braid strips over the scramble mixture alternating them to the bottom. I then placed my trimmed corners over the ends.

Brush with egg wash mixture (1 egg + 1 Tbl water) and top with parmesan cheese. Bake on parchment paper, on cookie sheet 30 minutes.

 

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has their favorite "fall back" chocolate chip cookies, at least if you are a Winterholler you do, and everyone likes theirs for one reason or another. But, I haven't contributed to this blog and I have promised Chelsea I would. I wish I could sit and blog all day long, but with two young boys it is just not possible. I believe what I like best about these cookies is they have a "different", but good flavor and they are crunchy on the outside but soft in the center. Enough said, lets get to the cookies!

Double batch, CHOC. CHIP COOKIES

4 Eggs
2 Cups Crisco
1 ½ Cup Sugar
1 ½ Brown Sugar
4 ¼ - 4 ½ Cup Flour
2 tsp Salt
3 tsp Baking Soda
Usually I add 2 tsp vanilla but I have tried it without as the original recipe does not call for it and like them that way also.
3 Cups chocolate chips (plus or minus depending on how much chocolate you like)

Preheat oven to 375. Cream together Crisco and sugars, add eggs one at a time. Next add dry ingredients into mixture, add flour one cup at a time. Add chocolate chips. Spoon dough into balls. I have used the Pampered Chef cookies scoop (works great) or I make small balls. Bake 7-8 min. Serve warm, eat the dough, or freeze cookies and eat cold… any way you eat them they are great!

This makes about 130 silver dollar size cookies. I make them smaller intentionally so when I eat a dozen I don't feel quite as guilty. Ü We distribute to neighbors and freeze the remaining cookies. They are gone within two weeks. The picture is of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as I alternate between the two recipes.