An ingredient you might not expect

My husband loved eating these butterscotch jumbles when he was growing up. He was excited for our little family to make them this year. The ingredients may seem a little strange, but they are really quite good and have a nice crunch. Plus, they are incredibly easy to make.

THE RECIPE:

1 package butterscotch chips
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
6 ounces roasted, salted peanuts
5 ounces chow mein noodles

Melt together butterscotch chips and peanut butter in microwave on reduced power, stirring frequently. Add peanuts, then chow mein noodles. Spread on foil-lined cookie sheet, then refrigerate until firm. Break into pieces.

A marvelous mistake

I started out making fudge -- white chocolate cherry cheesecake fudge. I had seen the recipe in the Deseret News and had to try it. It was the easiest thing ever to throw together. The problem is, my fudge didn't set. Instead, it was more like thick frosting, but it tasted delicious to say the least. All I can figure is that I didn't drain the cherries well enough. Anyway, I got creative and decided to use my "fudge" as a filling for mini tarts. I thought about giving some to the neighbors, but then I ate them all. Give it a shot. If you end up with fudge, great! If not, you know what to do. Or just eat it with a spoon. It's that good.

THE RECIPE:

1 pound white chocolate in chunks, or real white chocolate chips
8 ounces cream cheese
1 c. drained maraschino cherries, quartered

Carefully melt chocolate in double boiler or in microwave on half power, stirring frequently. Place cream cheese in bowl and microwave about 1 minute to soften. Beat cream cheese, then add white chocolate and blend well. Fold in cherries. Spread in 8x8 pan that's been buttered or lined with foil or plastic wrap. Chill several hours or overnight, until firm. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

Tart shells:

1/2 c. butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until combined. Add sugar, then flour. Press pastry evenly into bottom and up sides of ungreased mini-muffin tins. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes (I think -- maybe start watching a few minutes early and get them out when they are golden). If you don't have mini-muffin tins, maybe just try regular ones. I bet it would be great. You'd just put a lot more filling in them, but it would be delicious that way!

Fill tart shells with "fudge" and refrigerate until ready to use.

A surprise inside

These pumpkin cupcakes are divine. I stuffed myself with them. They have a sweetened cream cheese filling and a crispy streusel topping. I can't imagine anyone not liking these. Plus, 'tis the season for all things pumpkin. As is the case with much of the food I make, I got this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

THE RECIPE:

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar

Cupcakes:
3 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
3/4 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. oil (I used canola)
2 c. sugar
2 c. pumpkin puree

Streusel:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut up
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

To prepare filling, whip cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth. Form into a log on plastic wrap or greased foil, ensuring that diameter is small enough to fit into well of muffin tin. Wrap tightly and freeze about 2 hours, or until slightly hardened.

To make cupcakes, mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then mix together until just combined.

To make streusel, mix ingredients with pastry blender or fork until you have crumbs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Fill each well a third of the way with batter. Remove cream cheese log from freezer and cut into 24 slices. Place each slice on top of batter in wells and press down gently. Divide remaining batter over tops of cream cheese slices. Sprinkle with streusel. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into top part of cupcake comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely before serving.

It's OK to eat with your hands

These chicken taquitos make a fun, quick and delicious dinner. I am a huge fan! Even kids seem to like them. Plus, they're baked instead of fried, which increases their health value. You could make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate it. I got the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe, although I tweaked it according to the ingredients I had on hand. Dip them in salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

THE RECIPE:

4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. green salsa (I used red)
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro*
1 green onion, finely sliced
2 c. chopped cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheese

Corn tortillas
Salt
Cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Mix filling ingredients in order. Place three tortillas between damp paper towels and microwave for 45 seconds until really pliable. Place about 3 Tbsp. mixture near edge of tortilla and roll up fairly tightly. Place seam-side down on baking sheet. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. (The original recipe recommends kosher salt.) Bake about 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden on edges.

*I didn't have cilantro, but they were still delicious. I love cilantro, though, so I will try it next time.

Stuff yourself with this

I made this stuffing, along with some creamed corn, for Thanksgiving this year. My husband said it was his favorite dish of the day. It has an excellent homemade -- kind of gourmet -- taste brought on, I think, by the use of sourdough bread. I'm not normally a fan of sourdough, but this really is wonderful. You can't go wrong with the other ingredients, either -- spinach, cashews, bacon. It's a winner! By the way, the recipe came from Smitten Kitchen.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 pound bacon, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 ribs celery, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 c. chopped red onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
7 1/2 ounces fresh spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped (7 cups)
5 c. country-style sourdough bread cubes*
1 c. salted, roasted cashews/pieces
1/4 c. melted butter
1/2 c. plus 1/8 c. chicken broth

Lightly toast bread cubes for a few minutes under a broiler set to low. You want them kind of dry and crispy. Then preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain. Reserve about 3 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet. Add onion, celery, salt and pepper to skillet. Saute a few minutes, until tender. Add garlic and saute a minute more. Transfer mixture to large bowl, then stir in spinach, bread, cashews, butter, broth and bacon. Put stuffing in greased 9x13 pan, then bake uncovered for about 25 minutes. Stuffing is best reheated in oven, as microwave makes the bread chewy.

*Country-style bread is dense and stiff with a hard crust. I used La Brea's country sourdough, which I got at Albertson's. You don't have to use that, but just be sure not to get a light, soft, airy bread.

A Southern treat

Have you ever heard of chocolate chess pie? I hadn't, until maybe a year ago. I guess it's a Southern thing. It's really, really good. It has a crispy, brownie-type top with a chocolate custard filling.

This recipe, which supposedly comes from the award-winning Angus Barn in North Carolina, is easy to throw together. The only hard part is that you want it to cook just the right amount of time so the filling will set properly. I think I undercooked mine slightly because the middle was a bit runny. Or maybe I didn't let it sit long enough after it finished cooking. That's the other must. Don't worry, though, because it tastes good no matter what you do to it. I served mine with homemade cinnamon whipped cream. Oh, and I just used a store-bought pie crust, but feel free to make your own.

THE RECIPE:

1 unbaked pie shell
1/2 c. butter

2 squares Baker's semisweet chocolate (1 ounce each)*

1 c. sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of salt

If you're using a store-bought crust, follow directions on package. (For example, set shell on cookie sheet and let thaw 15 minutes.) Melt together butter and chocolate. Add remaining ingredients. Pour batter into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. It feels jiggly when you pull it out. Let pie sit AT LEAST 30 minutes -- I'd recommend more -- before slicing into it. You must resist the temptation. Serve with cinnamon whipped cream.

Note: Do not bake more than one pie at a time. I tried baking two, and for some reason they kind of explode on themselves, which requires you to take them out early and leave them undercooked.

*Or use 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cinnamon whipped cream:

1/2 c. whipping cream

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Beat together ingredients with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Makes 1 cup.

Eat your veggies

I love to dip bread in soup. One of my favorite things to dip is garlic toast. I cut French bread about a half-inch thick, spread real butter on it, sprinkle garlic powder on top, then broil it. I then proceed to eat at least five slices with my soup -- no joke. It complements any creamy soup magnificently. Wanna try? Here's a recipe for cream of vegetable soup. My kids gobbled it up -- even the picky 1-year-old, who won't eat vegetables to save her life. Tweak the recipe according to what vegetables you have on hand.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 c. roughly chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
6 c. chicken broth
1 c. dried split peas
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
3 smallish potatoes, cut into chunks
1 c. milk (I used whole)

Saute onion and celery in butter in bottom of pot. Add broth, peas and seasonings. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes, then simmer about 20 minutes more, or until vegetables fall off fork when pierced. Add milk. In blender, puree soup in batches, then mix together again in a different pot or bowl. Be careful when blending hot liquids. Leave the lid partially off for steam to escape or you'll get a volcano effect.