Bon Appetit Friends

3 bunches broccoli, cut in bite sized pieces (get good sized stalks- use heads and stalks) 1 cup sunflower seeds ( I really like the salted ones, the dry roasted ones are pretty good too) 1 cup raisins (craisins are also really good too, they look really festive at Christmas time) 1/2 bunch green onions (the original recipe calls for red onion- i like the green onions better) grated cheese ( I usually use cheddar- but colby jack or something else would work too) 1/2-1 lb bacon, fried and crumbled For the dressing mix together: 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup vinegar Put dressing on just before serving

1 box yellow cake mix, without pudding 1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened 1 stick butter, melted 1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar 3 eggs Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, butter, and 1 of the eggs until thick and smooth. Press into 9x13 inch buttered pan. Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and the 2 remaining eggs until thoroughly mixed and pour on top of cake mixture. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 medium onions, chopped 1 can chopped green chilies 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 tsp. cumin 1 1/2 tsp oregano or cliantro 4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded 5 c. chicken broth 3 cans of white beans, undrained 3 c. Montery Jack or Peppered Montery cheese, shredded Saute onions, green chilie and garlic in olive oil and add spices. Combine beans, broth and chicken with onion mixture. Stir over medium heat and gradually add cheese. Stir until all the cheese is melted and combined well with other ingredients. Heat to desired temperature.

Ingredients: 1 cube butter 1/2 c buttermilk* 1 c sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla Melt butter then add buttermilk. Add sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add soda and vanilla. Stir. (Use a large pot because the syrup foams up.) *If you don't have buttermilk, stir 1 Tbs white vinegar with 1 cup milk and let it stand. This a great buttermilk substitute. We love this syrup on french toast, waffles and pancakes! Once you start making buttermilk syrup you'll never go back to the store bought stuff.

2 lbs asparagus 2 TB white cooking wine or vermouth 3 TB olive oil salt & freshly ground pepper Wash asparagus and bend until it brakes. Throw away bottoms and place tops on a cookie sheet. Drizzle wine and oil over it and add s&p, Bake at 450 for 10 minutes squeeze 1/2 lemon after * From Williams Sonoma

Cook a pot roast (I like chuck) in the crock pot Drain off juices and shread Add a whole bunch of ketchup Add brown sugar and vinegar to taste Return to crock pot for another hour Serve on buns

1 box chocolate cake mix (not Pillsbury) 2 eggs 1/3 cup oil Roll dough into balls then roll in sugar. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. My sis-in-law, Kristen makes these, and they are really yummy. You can make these with any flavor of cake mix, but I love the chocolate rolled in sugar. For homeade oreos do the recipe with Devil's Food Cake mix and do 1/2 cup oil instead of 1/3 and bake for 12 minutes. When you get the cookie sheet out of the oven gently tap it on the counter so the cookies flatten. When cool put cream cheese icing (4 oz cream cheese, 3/4 c. powdered sugar) between the two cookies. YUM!

2 TB olive oil 4 green onions, sliced 3 slices of bacon, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/4 cups rice 7 oz. canned tomatoes 3 TB chopped fresh parsley 2 bay leaves 1 small green chili, cored, seeded and thinly sliced 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp curry 1 can red kidney beans or black-eyed peas, drained 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 lime, cut into wedges to serve Heat oil in a pan, add green onions and bacon, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains in the oil. Add the tomatoes with their juice, 2 TB of the parsley, the bay leaves, chili, turmeric, cumin, thyme, and curry. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the beans and stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve with lime wedges. This is a recipe my friend Jessica recommended. I c...

1 lb. hamburger 2 T. yellow onion, chopped 1 T. minced garlic 1 t. salt ½ t. freshly ground pepper 1-2 dashes worchestershire sauce Mix together, shape into burgers, then grill. Makes enough for four. *Williams Sonoma Cookbook

Noodles: 1 ½ c. flour 2 eggs ½ tsp. salt ¼ c. milk Mix with hands until it makes a hard ball. Add flour if sticky. Roll out thin then cut noodles with pizza cutter. (Noodles double in size when boiled) Soup: About 1 lb. chicken breasts (more or less) 1 med. onion 2 stalks celery, sliced 3-4 carrots, sliced 2 cans cream of chicken soup Boil Chicken then remove chicken from water and set aside. Boil noodles and veggies in 6 cups broth for about 20 minutes. Cut chicken in small pieces in the mean time. Then add chicken, cans of soup and salt & pepper to taste. *From Lara Andersen **Add whatever veggies and proportions you like. What I have above is what worked for me.