Orzo Pasta Salad

Submitted by Janet Schlosser (She brought this fantastic dish to the ward Christmas Party)

1 box of orzo pasta (which can be FINALLY found at Wal-mart and Target)
1 bag dried cranberries
one bunch (extremely finely chopped) parsley
one container of feta cheese
one cucumber (peeled and seeded and finely chopped)
one red onion (finely chopped)

Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
Garlic Salt to taste
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1 Tbs dried mint
Dash of salt and pepper
pinch of sugar
1 tsp of yellow mustard

whisk all ingredients and pour over salad mix. Chill overnight but serve somewhat room temperature. Enjoy!

Sausage Balls

Submitted by Patricia Schroeder

1 lb. bulk sausage, hot is best
12 oz. shredded cheese
2 cups bisquick
Mix together in large bowl. It works best to use your hands. Scoop out mixture or roll into balls (aim for about 1-1 1/2" or 2 tsp). Drop onto ungreased baking stone or cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Can be served plain or dip in ketchup or syrup.

Our Christmas Cookies Exchange!!

For December, we met early in the month to exchange recipes and cookies for the upcoming Christmas baking. Heather was a wonderful hostess, providing several really yummy dishes to snack on while exchanging cookies. Check out these adorable penguins she made from olives, carrots, and an herbed sour cream dip.

We also talked a little about making candies, how to test the candy stage using a small cup of cold (or even iced) water. Here's a picture of the 4 candy stages (soft ball, hard ball, soft crack, and hard crack.)
Just a tip, to avoid having your candies turn to sugar, do not scrape the sides of your pan as you're nearing the end of cooking it.

As you will see below we still have a LOT of ladies that have not submitted their recipe yet. PLEASE, ladies; email me your recipes ASAP so I can get them posted: jodee.leahy@sherwoodfamily.net

Also, with the sheer number of dishes this month, I'm sure I've messed up who brought what. Please let me know of any corrections I need to make, and I'll get it fixed ASAP.

Marachino Cherry Drop Cookies

Submitted by Shirley Parr

1/2 c. butter
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp. cherry juice
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. nuts
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. chopped maraschino cherries
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and mix well. Add other ingredients. Drop by teaspoon on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

Date & Nut Bars

Submitted by Shirley Parr

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped dates
• 2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, dates and nuts. Add the eggs, butter and vanilla; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be very stiff). Spread in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool bars on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Best Ever Chex Mix

Submitted by Janet Schlosser

1 cup butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
6 cups rice chex
6 cups golden grahams
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup cashew halves
1 cup coconut
1 cup craisins
1 cup white chocolate chips

Stir butter, corn syrup and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 3-4 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour sugar mixture over the top and mix well. Spread on wax paper and let sit for one hour or longer. Store in an airtight container.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Submitted by ???

Recipe Pending...