Black Raspberry Granola Bars

Total Time: 37 mins Preparation Time: 7 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup wheat bran or 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/2 cup powdered milk
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup black raspberry preserves, melted
• 2 tablespoons brandy

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x9 pan.
• 2 mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• 3 add eggs, milk, honey, vanilla, and canola oil. mix thoroughly â?? it will be evenly moist, but lumpy and a bit stiff.
• 4 pack about 2/3 of the granola mixture into the bottom of the pan.
• 5 mix brandy with melted blackberry preserves. pour evenly over the granola mix.
• 6 top with spoonfuls of the granola mixture.
• 7 bake at 350 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
• 8 cool and cut into bars or squares as desired.
• 9 tip -- melt the preserves in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave on medium power to save getting a pot dirty. but cover it with plastic or a saucer to keep it from spattering.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chunk Pastries

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 2 frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) package semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 (1 ounce) chocolate baking squares, chopped
• 2 (1 ounce) chocolate baking squares, for decoration

Recipe

• 1 thaw pastry sheets at room temperature 30 minute preheat oven to 375°f mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.
• 2 unfold one pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. roll into 14" x 10" rectangle. spread half the cream cheese mixture on pastry sheet to edges, except leave 1" border on one long side.
• 3 sprinkle half the chopped semi-sweet and chocolates over cream cheese. starting at long side covered with cream cheese, roll up like a jelly roll. press edges to seal. repeat with second pastry sheet. cover and refrigerate rolls for 1 hours.
• 4 cut each roll into 12 (1") slices. place 2" apart on greased baking sheets.
• 5 bake 20 minute or until golden. remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks. decorate pastries with chocolate. makes 24 pastries.
• 6 tip: *to decorate: place chocolate in heavy-duty zipper-style plastic sandwich bag. close bag tightly. microwave on medium (50% power) about 1 minute or until chocolate is melted. fold down top of bag tightly and snip a tiny piece off one corner (about 1/8"). holding top of bag, drizzle chocolate over pastries.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp With Jalapeno

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 24
• 24 shrimp, medium size shelled and deveined
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• 12 slices bacon
• 24 pickled jalapeno peppers
• 24 wooden toothpicks
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• 1 tablespoon red pepper, minced
• 1 tablespoon water

Recipe

• 1 place shrimp and vinaigrette into a large resealable plastic bag; refrigerate for 15 mn.
• 2 microwave bacon for 1 mn on high. cut slices in half crosswise (for a total of 24 pieces) and let cool.
• 3 heat broiler. coat a large broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• 4 remove shrimp from marinade, reserving marinade.
• 5 put one piece of bacon on a work surface. place a shrimp at one end; tuck a jalapeno slice into curl of shrimp. roll bacon up tightly to enclose filling, securing with toothpick. repeat using all bacon, shrimp and jalapenos.
• 6 stir together mayo, chili sauce, pickle relish, red pepper and 1 tbl water in a small bowl.
• 7 place shrimp rolls on prepared pan. brush with reserved marinade.
• 8 broil 3 mn. turn, brush with marinade and broil 2 mn more.
• 9 serve with sauce for dipping.

Chocolate Chip Caramel Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) package cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 -3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon shortening

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 10" bundt pan.
• 2 in a large mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• 3 stir in chocolate chips.
• 4 spread into a well-greased and floured 10" bundt pan.
• 5 bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• 6 cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• 7 for topping, combine the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. boil for 2 minutes.
• 8 stir in milk and vanilla. return to a boil.
• 9 remove from the heat and cool slightly. add sugar; beat on high with a portable mixer for 30 seconds or until thickened. drizzle over cake. sprinkle with nuts.
• 10 in a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. drizzle over top.

Caramel Nut Tart

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 1/4 cups honey maid graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 35 kraft caramels
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon maxwell house instant coffee
• 3 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
• 2 baker's semi-sweet chocolate baking squares, melted

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325°f mix crumbs, butter, sugar and cinnamon. press firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. bake 10 minute or until lightly browned. cool.
• 2 combine caramels, cream and coffee granules in large microwaveable bowl. microwave on medium 2 to 3 minute or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute stir in pecans; spread evenly over crust.
• 3 refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. drizzle with melted chocolate. cut into 12 slices to serve. store leftover tart in refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Corn

Total Time: 10 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped (or 1 jalapeno)

Recipe

• 1 drain corn and chop up green onions.
• 2 combine all ingredients.
• 3 heat in a microwaveable dish for 3 minutes on high or in a pot over medium heat until bubbly.
• 4 my cousin prefers jalapenos to green onions. if you wish you can finely chop a jalapeno and substitue it for the green onion.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate or 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (8 ounces)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk

Recipe

• 1 adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl; set aside. coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray, and, fit an 8-by-16-inch sheet of aluminum foil in bottom of pan. (foil overhangs both sides of the pan; use as handles to remove baked brownies from pan.) coat foil with cooking spray.
• 2 in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of almost simmering water, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. (alternatively, melt chocolate and butter in microwave oven.) remove melted chocolate mixture from heat; whisk in 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla; then whisk in 3 eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. continue whisking until mixture is completely smooth. add dry ingredients; whisk until just incorporated.
• 3 in a small bowl, beat cream cheese with remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and egg yolk until of even consistency.
• 4 pour half the brownie batter into prepared pan. drop half the cream cheese mixture, by spoonfuls, over batter. repeat layering and swirling with remaining brownie batter and cream cheese filling. use blade of a table knife or a spoon handle to gently swirl batter and cream cheese filling, creating a marbled effect.
• 5 bake until edges of brownies have puffed slightly, center feels not quite firm when touched lightly, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into center comes out with several moist, fudgy crumbs adhering to it, 50 to 60 minutes.
• 6 cool brownies in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. use foil sling handles to lift brownies from pan. place brownies on wire rack; allow them to cool to room temperature. refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours. (to hasten cooling, place brownies in the freezer for about 1 1/2 hours.) cut into squares and serve. (do not cut brownies until ready to serve. whole bar can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, and refrigerated up to 5 days.).