June Cooking Group

Just a reminder that the next cooking group will be this Wednesday on June 3rd at 7:00 pm at Janette Pace's home. She lives at 1014 Hidden Cove Dr. The theme will be "Summer Salads" so bring any type of salad and/or recipes to share (green salad, pasta salad, jello salad, etc.). Hope to see you there!

Cake Balls Recipe!

I made this recipe yesterday for a birthday treat for a friend and thought all of you might be interested in it too. I tried the strawberry cake with vanilla frosting and dipped half of them in white chocolate and the other half in milk chocolate and thought they were yummy! Enjoy!

Cake Balls

What You Need

1 box cake mix

1 container frosting
1- 24 oz package of almond bark or confectioner's coating (white chocolate or milk chocolate)
wax paper
colored candy melts, butterscotch or peanut butter chips (optional for drizzle)

What you do

1. Bake cake according to package directions in any size cake pan.
2. Remove cake from oven and immediately dump into a large bowl.
3. Use a fork to break up the cake into crumbs.
4. Add the entire container of frosting to the bowl and combine it with the cake. Stir until completely combined.

5. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
6. Roll cake mixture into balls and place on cookie sheet.
7. Place cookie sheet into refrigerator for 2 hours to allow balls to chill. (I thought freezing them made it easier to dip them in the chocolate)
8. After balls have chilled, remove cookie sheet from the refrigerator and place on counter.
9. In a medium bowl or 4 cup glass measuring cup, melt half of the package of almond bark chocolate. Follow melting directions on the back of the package. (Only use half the package to begin with as the mixture will begin to thicken as it cools.)
10. Stir the chocolate until smooth. Using a spoon add a cake ball to the melted chocolate and turn to coat.
11. Remove with spoon and replace on chilled wax paper on cookie sheet.
12. Repeat for all cake balls, adding and melting more chocolate when level gets low.
13. As an option you can drizzle melted chocolate chips or candy melts across the tops.

Variations: Try different cake mixes, frostings and coatings.

1. Strawberry cake, vanilla frosting and a white chocolate coating would make a lovely spring dessert.
2. Try confetti white cake, white frosting and white chocolate coating drizzled with pink, yellow, light blue and light green tinted drizzle for a baby shower.
3. Cherry cake with pink frosting and chocolate coating would make a delicious birthday treat!
4. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting dipped in melted chocolate chips
5. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting dipped in melted peppermint bark

submitted by Amy Seiter

April Cooking Group Recipes!

We had a fun cooking group this week! We got to sample lots of healthy, yummy dishes! Here are the recipes that were submitted! You will have to click on the recipes that look like a picture so that you can see them bigger because I scanned those in. If there are other recipes that anyone would like to add, please email Amy or let her know. Also, we were thinking of having the cooking group every first Wednesday of the month. Hope that works for everyone!

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 6-ounce pkg. Craisins
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together in bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Sitr in craisins and white chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack. Makes approx. 2 ½ dozen cookies.

submitted by Amy Seiter


BERRIE CHEESECAKE
No bake, low fat, sugar free

Crust:
Graham crackers (low fat preferable), crushed
Put in the bottom of a 9.5” pie plate.

In a bowl, beat
1 pkg no sugar cheesecake pudding mix
1 ¾ c skim milk
1 8 0z lite cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
Pour mixture on top of the crushed graham crackers
Place in the fridge to cool.
Top with your favorite berries.

submitted by Louise Rounds


LEMON COUSCOUS CHICKEN

1 ¼ cups water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets
1 package Near East Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous mix
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbls.)
¼ teaspoon lemon peel

In a large skillet, bring the water, oil, broccoli, and contents of the spice sack from the couscous mix to a boil. Stir in the couscous, chicken, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff lightly with a fork. Chill and serve cold or eat warm like a casserole.

submitted by Louise Rounds




















submitted by Linda Paulsen




















submitted by Lisa Davis




















submitted by Lisa Davis