~*~ Cream of Wheat Cornbread ~*~

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. Cream of Wheat

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 c. butter

1 c. milk

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Lightly grease a 9" round pie or cake pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, Cream of Wheat, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in the eggs, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Optional:  add a few chopped Jalepeno peppers to the batter for a little kick.  ~ Chef ~

~ Cream Cheese Bacon Mushrooms ~

Ingredients:

1 c. bacon

1/2 c. finely minced sweet onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 c. white button mushrooms

4 oz. cream cheese

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut raw bacon into small pieces. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook bacon until nice and crispy. While bacon is cooking, remove mushroom stems from caps and chop stems into small pieces. When bacon is done, remove from pan and set aside; reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease and pour the rest from pan. Saute onion until soft about 5 minutes, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Add chopped mushrooms stems and garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Reduce heat to low. Add cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until cheeses are completely melted. Add the reserved chopped bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Mixture can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerature in an airtight container for two days.) Remove mixture from heat and stuff each mushroom cap generously with mixture. Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and filling is nice and hot. ~ Chef ~

~ Stuffed Jalapenos ~

Ingredients:

12 fresh Jalapenos

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 T. dry Ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

6 slices of bacon

Directions: Slice the tops off of the Jalapenos. Slice them in half and dig the seeds and membrane out. Wear plastic gloves for this and keep your hands away from your face! Mix the cream cheese, Ranch dressing and shredded cheese. Stuff into each jalapeno. Wrap each bacon strip around a stuffed Jalapeno and secure with a toothpick. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Serve warm. Makes 2 dozen. ~ Chef ~

~*~ Crockpot Gingerbread ~*~

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 c. light molasses

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. hot water

warm applesauce (optional)

whipping cream (optional)

nutmeg (optional)

Directions: Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses. Mix well. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Mix well. Add the hot water. Beat well. Pour batter into a greased and floured 2 lb. coffee can. Place in the crock pot. Cover top of can with 8 paper towels. Cover crock pot and bake on high 2 1/2 – 3 hours. Serve with applesauce. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.  Yummy!  ~ Chef ~

~ Jiffy Pecan Pumpkin Cake ~

Ingredients:

(Cake)

2 pkgs. "Jiffy" Golden Yellow Cake Mix

1 pkg. (3.4 oz) instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup oil

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

(Filling)

1 pkg. "Jiffy" White Frosting Mix

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 egg

(Topping)

1 Tbsp. "Jiffy" Baking Mix

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions: Preheat oven 350°. Grease a 13"x9" pan. Mix all cake ingredients together and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. In a separate bowl, combine filling ingredients. Pour half of cake mixture in bottom of prepared pan and cover with cream cheese filling mixture. Pour remainder of the cake mixture over the filling. Blend the topping ingredients together until mixture is crumbly and sprinkle over top of the cake batter. Bake 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or cold. ~ Chef ~

~ Black Friday Special ~

Ingredients:

2 c. of cubed leftover turkey

1 c. of Hellmann's mayonnaise

1/4 c. of chopped celery

1/2 c. of chopped onions

3 minced pickles

1 Tbsp.  mustard (Dijon preferred)

salt & pepper

Directions: Take your leftover turkey and shred it, then combine it with all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. This turkey salad is good enough to eat by itself or serve it cold on your favorite bread. It is also great served hot on a cheesy garlic bread. This will be a great meal for your family this Black Friday weekend after you have shopped till you dropped. ~ Chef ~

~*~ Happy Thanksgiving ~*~

Hope you & your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Chef ~