Taste of Home--September 7, 2017

Our September meeting focused on Taste of Home recipes! Taste of Home shares recipes submitted by home-cooks that are tested by an expert. We had quite a variety of recipes at our meeting, too!

Pat made these tasty appetizers, Crunchy Cucumber Rounds. They are super easy to make and very light and refreshing, having both a little bit of sweet and savory elements.

Trudy made a creamy Blueberry Cream Dessert. With a graham cracker crust, blueberry pie filling and cream cheese, this sweet and easy to make dessert was definitely a crowd-pleaser!

Kathy made Calico Beans, which hearty and delicious blend of beans and meat!

Jan cooked up Adreana's Greek Pasta Salad. This is such a versatile dish! To make it vegetarian or a side dish, just leave out the chicken. 

Pumpkin time is here! Marie baked Ribbon Pumpkin Bread, a healthier pumpkin bread recipe lighter in calories and a beautiful ribbon created by the cream cheese!

Margene baked Peach Crumb Bars. She used frozen peaches, and there is a nice drizzled glaze on top.

Sue R. made Molten Mocha Cake. It's a very easy recipe and makes a rich chocolate cake. She even served it with creamy custard from Culver's!

Rose Mary and Fred brought Beef Tenderloin Tips served with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms!

Rose Mary also brought a dessert, Cranberry Orange Cake! The cranberry and orange really brightened the cake.

Karen brought Tex Mex Corn Bread, but she doesn't care for the recipe and thought this cornbread lacked flavor. But her honey butter on the side was delicious on it!

Bill made a Classic Carrot Cake recipe that he has been using for years from Taste of Home. 

Sue S. made Hearty Potato Soup, which is creamy and full of delicious veggies!

I made Honey Chip Granola Bars, and I even prepackaged them for people to take home (I though there would be a lot of desserts)! The name is misleading because these are more rice krispy treats than granola bars, but still very tasty nevertheless!

There were many great recipes shared and more to try next time! Getting hungry? Join us October 5 at 6:30pm at Franklin Public Library. The theme is FALL for Food--Pumpkins, apples, cinnamon, and more! Fall is full of fun flavors and recipes! All you have to do to join is cook a dish from the monthly theme, and bring the dish and the recipe to the meeting! It's as easy as pie! See you soon!

Adreana's Greek Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. rotini noodles
• 1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced black olives
• 1 (4 oz.) package Feta cheese, drained and crumbled
• 3 green onions, finely sliced
• 1 (16 oz.) bottle Italian dressing

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Cook chicken breasts in water to cover with 1 bay leaf, 30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cool; remove skin. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. 
3. Combine noodle, chicken, celery, pepper, olives, cheese, onions, and salad dressing. Serve warm or cold.

Serves: 16

Submitted by Jan Luepke, a Taste of Home recipe

Calico Beans

Ingredients:

• 6 bacon strips, diced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 (21 oz.) can pork and beans, undrained
• 1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can lima beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. prepared mustard
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Put on paper towel to drain. Discard drippings.
2. In the same skillet, cook beef and onion until beef is brown and onion tender. Drain. 
3. Combine beef and bacon with remaining ingredients. Spoon into greased 2 quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 300°F for 1 hour.

Serves: 8-10

Submitted by Kathy Neuburg, a Taste of Home recipe

Crunchy Cucumber Rounds

The "Crunchy Cucumber Rounds" recipe by Phyllis Pollock can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Pat Reilly

Pollock, Phyllis. "Crunchy Cucumber Rounds." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/crunchy-cucumber-rounds. Accessed 20 September 2017.

Cranberry Orange Cake

The "Cranberry Orange Cake" recipe can be found at Tip Hero.

Submitted by Rose Mary Walecki

"Cranberry Orange Cake." Tip Hero, http://tiphero.com/cranberry-orange-cake/. Accessed 20 September 2017.

Honey Chip Granola Bars Recipe

The "Honey Chip Granola Bars Recipe" by RosAnna Troyer can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Sarah Bublitz

Troyer, RosAnna. "Honey Chip Granola Bars Recipe." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/honey-chip-granola-bars. Accessed 20 September 2017.

Ribbon Pumpkin Bread Recipe

The "Ribbon Pumpkin Bread Recipe" by Beth Ask can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Marie Weber

Ask, Beth. "Ribbon Pumpkin Bread Recipe." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ribbon-pumpkin-bread. Accessed 20 September 2017.

Peach Crumb Bars

The "Peach Crumb Bars Recipe" by Amy Burns can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Margene McLoughlin

Burns, Amy. "Peach Crumb Bars Recipe." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/peach-crumb-bars. Accessed 20 September 2017.

Hearty Potato Soup Recipe

The "Hearty Potato Soup Recipe" by Gladys DeBoer can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Sue Stoecker

Gladys, DeBoer. "Hearty Potato Soup Recipe." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/hearty-potato-soup. Accessed 20 September 2017.

Molten Mocha Cake

The "Molten Mocha Cake Recipe" by Aimee Fortney can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Sue Richichi

Fortney, Aimee. "Molten Mocha Cake Recipe." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/molten-mocha-cake. Accessed 20 September 2017.

Blueberry Cream Dessert Recipe

The "Blueberry Cream Dessert Recipe" by Mildred Sherrer can be found at Taste of Home.

Submitted by Trudy Cleaver

Sherrer, Mildred. "Blueberry Cream Dessert Recipe." Taste of Home, https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/blueberry-cream-dessert. Accessed 20 September 2017.