Winter Fruit Salad

Pomegranate
Starfruit
Pineapple (fresh preferred, frozen ok)
Ruby Red Grapefruit
Oranges
Apples (optional, toss in lemon-lime soda to keep them from turning brown)

ENTBN 2010

I tried a few new recipes at this year's camping event. Here are the ones that turned out well! 

Giant Cinnamon-Pecan Ring

2 1lb loaves frozen bread dough

1/2 c butter, melted

1/2 c sugar                    

1/2 c packed brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon                 

1/2 c chopped pecans

1-1/4 c sifted powdered sugar  

1/2 tsp vanilla

milk (about 4 tsp)

Cinnamon sticks (optional)      

Pecan Halves (Optional)

Lightly grease inside of dutch oven.  On a lightly floured surface, flatten thawed dough slightly.  Cut each loaf into 4 pieces (total of 8). Form each piece into a rope about 18" long.  Brush each rope on all sides with melted butter.  Stir together sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Place mixture on sheet of foil.  Roll rope in sugar mixture to coat evenly. Shape rope into a coil in the center of the dutch oven.  Roll another rope in sugar.  Attach securely to end of first rope and continue coil.  Continue coating ropes and attaching to form a 10-11" circle.  Sprinkle any remaining sugar over coil.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 30-40 min.  Bake at 350 for 30 to 3 min or till done.  Cover with foil last 15 minutes to prevent over browning if necessary.  Cool about 15 min.  Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to make a thick glaze.  Spoon the glaze over top of cake.  Decorate with cinnamon sticks and pecan halves.  Serves 16. By Ann Audleman, Ft Walton Beach, Fl  From: http://usscouts.org/cooking/cook_05.asp

Pumpkin Delight

Crust                    

yellow cake mix; reserve 1 cup of mix

1 egg; beaten

½ C butter; melted

Filling

30 oz. canned pumpkin

3 eggs; beaten

3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 C milk

3/4 C dark brown sugar

Topping               

1 C cake mix                        

1/4 C sugar                           

1 tsp. cinnamon                                 

3 Tbs. cold butter                              

Prepare Crust: Mix together cake mix, egg, and melted butter. Press into bottom and 1 1/2" up sides of a well greased 12" Dutch oven.

Prepare Filling: In a bowl combine all filling ingredients and mix well. Pour filling into Dutch oven to fill crust.

Prepare Topping: In a small bowl combine cake mix, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to mix. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Sprinkle over top of pumpkin filling.

Bake: Cover Dutch oven and bake using 10-12 briquettes bottom and 14-16 briquettes top for 1 hour.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as topping.

Serves: 8-10

Hearty Chili

2 lbs ground beef ( I used 93% lean)
2 med onions, diced
1 med green bell pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
30 oz kidney beans, well rinsed and drained
30 oz pinto beans, well rinsed and drained
3 t cumin powder
3 T chili powder
1 t black pepper
1 t white pepper
2 t salt
30 oz diced tomatoes
30 oz pureed tomatoes
30 oz crushed tomatoes
2 C water, if needed

Brown ground beef.
Add onions, pepper, and celery. Cook until softened.
Add beans, stir to combine. 
Add spices, saute for a few minutes.
Add all tomatoes, stir to combine.
Cook stirring every 15 minutes for 2 to 3 hours.
If it is too thick, add additional water.

Adapted from this recipe.

And Liz's favorite...Becky's Israeli Couscous Salad from Trader Joe's

Soysage Egg Casserole

I made this with Soysage for the first time at our Groundhog Day Party and it turned out delicious! This is quick and easy to make - no overnight prep!

Ingredients
1 tube of Gimmie Lean Ground Sausage (-OR- 1lb Pork Sausage)
1 med. Green pepper, diced
1 med. Onion, diced
10 Eggs
3 C Skim Milk
2 t Dry mustard
1 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper
6 English muffins, torn/cut into bite-size pieces
1 med. Tomato, seeded and chopped
2 C Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Butter a 9x13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Add 1-2 T butter or oil to the skillet. Cook soysage, breaking up crumbles. * If using sausage, you may need to drain off excess grease.
3. Toss in green pepper and onion with the soysage to soften, about 5 min. Dump into baking dish.
4. Add cut english muffins, tomatoes, and 1 C sharp cheddar cheese to baking dish. Mix together. (You can prep this the night before, if needed.)
5. Combine eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Wisk well.
6. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Press down contents so egg mixture completely covers it.
7. Top with 1 C sharp cheddar cheese. Dish may be refrigerated for up to 1 hour before baking.
8. Bake uncovered 55-60 minutes, until eggs are set.

Sausage Gravy

My brother makes great sausage gravy and was thrilled to try it this year! I can totally get away with a soysage version of this as well using a tube of "Gimmie Lean" instead of "Jimmy Dean" Meat eaters don't even know the difference!

1 lb breakfast sausage
½ cup flour
Butter
6 cups hot milk
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp white pepper

Brown the sausage in a large frying pan. (If using Gimmie Lean, you may have to add some oil since there is less fat) Remove only the sausage from the pan leaving the drippings in the pan. Add enough butter to the drippings to equal 1/3 cup. Stir in flour with a whisk and cook until light brown. Add hot milk, stir constantly until mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper and stir the sausage back in.

The secret to good gravy is the sausage. Use a quality pork sausage that is low in fat and not filled with heavy seasonings and salt. I used Bob Evans Mild.

Three Onion Potato Casserole

Since we are approaching my annual Groundhog Day Brunch, I thought I would share my Three Onion Potato Casserole since I know it is such a crowd pleaser! I love to bring this to parties - dinner or breakfast because I know it will be polished off before I go home!

Ingredients

1 can cream of celery or cream of mushroom
3-4 green onions, chopped finely
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (optional)
2 cups sour cream (fat free is OK to substitute)
1/2 cup milk (nonfat)
2 cups Cheddar or Jack cheese, divided (2% is OK to substitute),
1 bag Shredded Hashbrown Potatoes, defrosted in microwave
1 small can French Fried Cheddar Onions, for topping
1 slice of wheat bread, pulsed to breadcrumbs, for topping

Directions
Spray or lightly oil a deep casserole dish. Mix first 6 ingredients together.
Add 1 1/2 C of cheese and bag of hasbrowns. Mix until well combined.(Hands work best)
Combine breadcrumbs, french fried onions and 1/2 C cheese. Pulse together until combined. Set aside.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Spread topping mixture evenly across the top.
Bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until well browned.
Can be assembled up to 2 days ahead. Do not bake until ready to use.

This recipe is modified from Food Network