Poinsettia Drive

Vegetable oil, water and egg called for on cookie mix pouch

 4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Nutella™ hazelnut spread with cocoa

 2 cups dark chocolate chips 

2 tablespoons shortening

1 tablespoon Betty Crocker™ Decorating Decors chocolate candy sprinkles

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Make cookies as directed on pouch. Cool completely, at least 15 minutes.

2 In food processor, process half of the cookies to fine crumbs. Remove and set aside; continue to process remaining cookies to fine crumbs. Mix all of cookie crumb mixture in food processor. Add cream cheese and Nutella™ spread. Process until well combined and mixture can be pressed into a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape cookie mixture into 52 (1 1/4-inch) balls; place on cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

3 In medium bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 60 to 90 seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth.

4 Remove half of the cookie balls from refrigerator. Using 2 forks, dip and roll chilled cookie balls, one at a time, in melted chocolate. Return to lined cookie sheet; immediately decorate top with sprinkles. If chocolate has cooled too much, reheat. Refrigerate truffles about 10 minutes or until coating is set. Repeat with second half of cookie balls. Store covered in refrigerator.

  Betty Crocker Recipe

Found at Kraft

Picture by Better Homes & Gardens

Extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, smashed

Pinch of crushed red pepper

1/4 pound pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice (or bacon)

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 pint Brussels sprouts, stemmed and leaves pulled apart

Kosher salt

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the garlic and red pepper and bring to medium heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown, after 2-3 minutes, remove it from the pan and ditch it – it has fulfilled its garlic destiny.

Add the pancetta and walnuts and cook until the pancetta is crispy and brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and toss to combine. Season with salt, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the sprouts have wilted. Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium-high and let the sprout leaves “frizzle” (brown) for another 8-10 minutes, or until the color is as you want it. Toss or stir during this time.  (Don’t be hesitant about letting the sprouts brown – the darker and crisper they are, the better they taste!)

Makes 4 servings.

From Anne Burrell, “Cook Like a Rock Star”

Aprons Advice

For best results, prebake pizza dough at 400°F for 10–12 minutes. Add sauce, meat, cheese, and baked toppings; bake 7–10 more minutes or until crust is golden and toppings are thoroughly heated. Toss together salad greens, mix-ins and dressing; place on top of pizza. Slice and serve.

Publix Apron 

Making these for Halloween? Transfer icing to a quart-sized resealable food-storage plastic bag, and refrigerate. When ready to ice cookies, cut a tiny piece from a corner of the bag, and squeeze icing out to make jack-o'-lantern faces or crescent shapes for harvest moons.

In a pinch, canned cream cheese frosting can be used instead of the cream cheese and powdered sugar mixture.

Salt

4 artichokes

3 lemons, plus 1 lemon

10 ounces mild Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons cream

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus 1 tablespoon

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Trim the artichokes by cutting off the top 1-inch or so. Cut the stem close to the base of the artichoke so the artichoke can sit up straight, and remove some of the bottom leaves. Using kitchen shears, trim the sharp points off of any remaining outer leaves. Add the artichokes to the boiling water. Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice into the boiling water. Toss in the lemons. Cook the artichokes until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the artichokes and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the Gorgonzola, cream, thyme, 2 teaspoons parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. In another small bowl stir together the bread crumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley.

Ree Drummond

My friend Sheri Commons shared this recipe it came from The Girl Who Ate Everything, Source: Betty Crocker. Thank you Sheri, these cookies are great!

1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

1 box (4 serving size) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

optional - green food coloring (I didn't add any but if you wanted them extra green you could)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl stir cookie mix, pudding, and flour. Add melted butter and eggs and stir until incorporated.

Add pistachios and cranberries and mix well.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. The only way you can ruin these cookies is to overbake them! If you bake them too long you will lose the soft texture and they won't be as green. They will not look done but take them out and let them sit on the pan for about 2 minutes. Trust me.

Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Picture Betty Crocker

1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter or 1 stick

1/3 corn syrup

3 tablespoons water

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

One loaf of french bread sliced into 1 1/2 inch slices.

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Thin slices of butter on top

Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and water in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture is bubbly. Pour syrup evenly into lightly greased 13x9x2 inch casserole dish. Arrange bread slices over syrup. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla extract and salt, stir well. Gradually pour over bread slices. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over soaked bread. Drizzle with the remaining butter. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Serves 10

Photo How to Feed a Loon