Cream Cheese Quesadillas

1 8 oz pkg Neufchâtel Cream Cheese, softened

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese

10 8-inch flour tortillas

Pre-heat oven to 375 deg. F.  Cover baking sheets with parchment paper and place half of the tortillas on top of the parchment.  Mix together the Neufchâtel and the chilies; then stir in the Cheddar Cheese.  When well mixed, spread 1/5 of the mixture on each of the tortillas on the pans.  Place the other five tortillas on top of the first tortillas and place each pan in the preheated oven.  Set your timer for 4 minutes, when the timer dings flip each quesadilla over and place back in the oven, setting the timer for another 4 minutes.  This time take the quesadillas out and cut into fourths or sixths with your pizza cutter and enjoy.

My son loved these so much he had two plates full and then took the leftovers to work for his lunch!

tortillas spread with mixture

quesadilla ready for oven

quesadilla ready to serve

Low cal applesauce cookies

1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup chopped raisins

1/2 cup chopped apricots

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together the quick oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and applesauce. Stir the oatmeal mixture into the batter until well blended then fold in the raisins, apricots and walnuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

makes about 60 cookies

Homemade Graham Crackers

Homemade graham crackers

Makes 30 crackers

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup water  (don't always use all/or any of the water 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine butter, sugar and egg in stand mixer and mix until smooth and creamy.
2. Add in honey, molasses, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and mix until well combined.
3. Mix in whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and water until the mixture forms a sticky dough.
4. Liberally flour your work surface and roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. Use your cookie cutter to cut out your desired shapes and place on a cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the crackers from your cookie sheet and cool on wire racks.

Bean Salad

I put this recipe on here earlier, but somehow a bunch of recipes got deleted.  This is good to have on hand in order to fill out a menu.

Bean Salad

1 can cut green beans
1 can cut yellow beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup onions sliced
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. celery seed (I put mine in the coffee grinder so it won't be so seedy)

Drain canned vegetables. Mix with other ingredients. Let marinade 24 hours before serving

Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers

Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers

I make this recipe in my little Ninja food processor.  When I get a full size food processor I will probably double or triple the recipe.

1  cup all-purpose flour

1 ½  tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp of chopped, fresh Rosemary

2 tbsp cold butter

1 tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp water (or less)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Add the first five ingredients to the Ninja or food processor.

Pulse to combine.

Add cold butter cut into pieces, and pulse to combine.

Add olive oil.  Pulse to combine.  Add water a little bit at a time, the humidity will determine the amount of water to add.  Pulse to combine after each addition.  When the dough starts to form a ball, place the dough on a floured work surface and roll dough out as thin as you can.  Varying thicknesses in your crackers will help people to believe you really did bake these.  Flour will keep the dough from sticking to rolling pin or work surface.  I like to roll my crackers on my silicone baking mat and then use my pizza cutter to 

cut the dough into squares or diamonds.  Use a fork or other implement to poke holes in the crackers in whatever fashion or design you desire.  You don't want to make mini pitas so be sure to poke some holes in each cracker.  If you want, you can use cookie cutters to cut your crackers.

Bake the crackers on a parchment lined baking sheet (or place the silicone mat on your baking sheet) for ten minutes or until the crackers just begin to brown.  Remove to rack for cooling, at least enough so you don’t burn your mouth when tasting.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2pk (8oz) softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1Tbsp Vanilla
2 can crescent rolls
1/2 c. sugar combined with 2 tsp. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with mixer. Set aside. Unroll & press 1 can of crescent roll dough in bottom of 13x9 glass baking dish, Spread cream cheese mixture on evenly. Arrange second can of crescent roll dough on top.Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over all. Bake 30 min. at 350. Cool and cut into serving pieces.

Grandma Holzer’s Fruitcake

 I have had this handwritten recipe for years, but had lost it.   Because I had lost it, I had not made it but plan to do so this next year.

Grandma Holzer’s Fruitcake

1 can (1 2/3 C) hot apple sauce

½ C margarine

1 C sugar

4 eggs

2 ½ C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

2 jars mixed fruit

1 lb cherries (can use less)

1 sm pkg pineapple

1 – 1 ½ C pecans

2 C walnuts

1 –C almonds

1 box raisins

Sift flour, spices and soda, mix in fruit and nuts.  Melt margarine, add sugar and well-beaten eggs.  Gradually add sugar mixture to flour mixture, alternating with applesauce.  Mix well.  Spoon mixture into 3 brown paper lined pans (use parchment?).  Bake at 300 deg. for 2 hours.