25 Great Food gifts

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Google Books-The Christmas Cookie Club

The Pie of the South (Sweet Potato Pie!)

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Mocha Almond Pie

     1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
     2 tablespoons boiling water
     1 milk chocolate candy bar with almonds (7 ounces)
     1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
     1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked
     Chocolate curls and additional whipped topping, optional

     In a small bowl, dissolve coffee in boiling water; set aside. In a microwave,
     melt candy bar; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Fold in half of the whipped   
     topping.     Fold in coffee and remaining whipped    topping. Pour into
     pastry shell; freeze.       Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before
     serving. Garnish with chocolate curls and additional whipped topping
     if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.

How to cook a turkey and more

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Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake (Stolen from Betty Lynch)

Thanksgiving Dessert: Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

written by Betty Lynch |
Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake
This recipe was given to me by a co-worker. Makes a beautiful dessert for a special dinner.
Crust:
1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 20 cookies)
1 tablespoon canola oil
Filling:
20 ounces low-fat cottage cheese (2 1/2 cups)
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (1 1/2 cups), softened
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1 large egg
2 large egg whites or 4 teaspoons dried egg whites, reconstituted according to package directions
8 ounces reduced-fat sour cream (1 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup unseasoned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325̊F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap the outside bottom of the pan with a double thickness of foil.
To prepare crust: Combine crumbs and oil in a bowl. Press into the bottom of the pan.
To prepare filling & bake cheesecake: Puree cottage cheese in a food processor until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the work bowl once or twice. Add cream cheese, sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch; process until smooth. Add egg, egg whites, sour cream, vanilla and salt; blend well. Measure 3 1/2 cups of the batter into a separate bowl; stir in lemon juice. To the remaining filling, add pumpkin , brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch; blend well.
Pour about 1 cup of the vanilla filling into the center of the crust. Then pour about 1 cup of the pumpkin filling into the center of the vanilla filling. Alternate the remaining fillings in the same manner; concentric circles will form as they spread. To create a marbled effect, gently swirl a knife or skewer through the fillings.
Place the cheesecake in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come 1/2 inch up the side of the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles, about 50 minutes. Turn off the oven. Coat a knife with cooking spray and run it around the edge of the cake. Let stand in the oven, with the door ajar, for 1 hour. Transfer from the water bath to a wire rack; remove foil. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled.

Madarin Oriental Chicken Salad

     1 (12 ounce) bag romaine lettuce
     2 -3 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted   
     1 (2 ounce) bag slivered almonds
     1 (9 ounce) package Perdue Short Cuts original roasted carved chicken breasts
     1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges
     1/2 of 5 oz. can la choy chow mein noodles

 Toast sesame seeds in a pan with a teaspoon of peanut oil on low until golden
 Combine all lettuce, oranges,chicken and sesame seeds. Top with almonds and noodles in preferred         amounts.  I like to use Ken's Raspberry Walnut Vingerette on mine.

Mashed Potato Chicken Roll-Ups Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Mashed Potato Chicken Roll-Ups Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Pumpkin Dip

8 oz cream cheese
1 (15 oz) can solid packed pumpkin
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp of frozen orange juice concentrate

In a bowl mix cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Gradually add pumpkin. 
Stir in remaining ingredients.  Chill until served.  Serve with ginger snaps
or vanilla wafers.

Another sweet potato recipe

5 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flour
5 tablespoons butter

Bake the sweet potatoes in a preheated 375˚F about 45 minutes.  Take the potatoes out of the oven and increase temperature to 400˚F.  Peel the skins off the potatoes and scoop the insides into a large mixing bowl.  Add the maple syrup, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt and mash with a potato masher until they are a little chunky. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter with a pastry blender.
Spread the potato mixture evenly into a baking dish. Sprinkle with the pecan topping.  Bake at 400˚F until golden brown on top, about 25 minutes.

Coconut Pecan Chocolate Pie

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Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

                                        Above is a pumpkin with a Boston Terrier face carved into it.

Pumpkin is an excellent treat for dogs.  That is, canned pumpkin with no sugars or spices added.  In fact it is recommended for dogs that need to lose weight. Click on title to view